Chapter 1 Unburdening

On a sunny island, An Qiqi lay on a lounge chair under a parasol, her hands resting on her lower abdomen, blankly watching the seagulls flying over the water.

An Qiqi had been vacationing here for several days, but despite it being a trip, she hadn't visited many attractions. She simply wanted to spend some time here in peace and quiet to dispel the negative emotions in her heart.

In the eyes of outsiders, An Qiqi was a blessed girl, with a good family background and a degree from a well-known university. Before she even left school, her parents had already arranged a good job for her according to her preferences.

A young woman in the prime of her youth, full of sunshine, not having to worry about daily meals, able to live freely according to her own wishes—that was the An Qiqi seen by outsiders.

But in fact, An Qiqi was emotionally lacking. Her parents were always busy with work, calling her at most to ask about her day, and most of the time, she lived alone.

When she was young, she went to school alone, came back alone to eat the food prepared by the nanny, and when she felt wronged, she hid at home and shed tears alone.

When she grew up, she had a fruitless love affair and had to walk out of it herself, adapt herself.

"Hey, Qiqi!"

Just as An Qiqi was lying there in a daze, a dazzlingly beautiful girl walked over, holding two drinks, and said, "What's wrong? Still depressed here?"

"Nothing, just looking at the scenery for a while." An Qiqi sat up and said softly, "Are you guys done surfing?"

"We ran into two old perverts who kept staring at our butts. It was so annoying, we stopped playing!" Next to her, another girl with ordinary looks and a slightly plump figure walked over. She held a drink and sat down next to Qiqi.

On the left, the dazzlingly beautiful girl was called Wang Ying; on the right, the slightly plump girl was called Qiuqiu. They were both An Qiqi's childhood friends and high school classmates. The three were about the same age and had similar interests when they were young, so they had always been very close and could be considered best friends.

In the past, the three families had similar financial situations because they lived in the Hua Ren (Overseas Chinese) cadre compound, and most of the people who lived close by were leaders of the same level. However, in recent years, An Zecheng had been promoted quickly, and An's mother was also quite ambitious and had excellent work skills, so the threshold of the An family had become much higher. But Qiuqiu's family was also good; her mother was a university professor and political worker, and her father was a deputy division-level cadre in the Hua Ren Corps, which was definitely considered a wealthy family compared to ordinary people.

Compared to Qiuqiu and An Qiqi, Wang Ying's family was the one that had truly declined. Her father was investigated for corruption and bribery and was still in prison, while her mother ran a struggling cosmetics company and reportedly owed a lot of debt.

However, Wang Ying herself was quite ambitious and was currently involved in venture capital in the financial circle, and she was also a small leader in her unit. She had no shortage of money to spend, and everything she wore was niche luxury goods.

The three best friends sat under the parasol, drinking their drinks and chatting.

Wang Ying looked at the dispirited An Qiqi, pursed her lips, and asked, "Hey, let's just say… is it really necessary to be like this over a breakup? Is there no man in the world without him? Please, can we be a little more free and easy?"

"No, I'm not!" An Qiqi replied with a light smile, "Aren't I doing pretty well?"

"Talking back!" Qiuqiu scolded, "You just haven't moved on! You're still thinking about that渣男 (zhā nán - scumbag)!"

An Qiqi brushed her hair and didn't argue with them.

"In the end, there's no such thing as being caught in a dilemma!" Wang Ying said very realistically, "What do you mean by having no choice? It's just one sentence: your world is full of him, but you're not the only one in his world!"

"That's well said!" Qiuqiu agreed, "You're the one who got trapped, but he didn't and remained rational. It's that simple."

"Hehe, maybe." An Qiqi drank her drink and squinted at the blue sky. "Actually… I've been thinking a lot lately!"

"Thinking about what?" Qiuqiu asked.

"I've been wondering if my life has been a little too smooth." An Qiqi smiled and murmured, "Everything I wanted to do, I've done, so God is setting up obstacles for me."

"That's for sure!" Wang Ying sighed, "You're the daughter of a army commander; as long as you're willing…!"

"That's not what I meant." An Qiqi waved her hand to interrupt. "I mean, a smooth life has given me too many things for granted! I just take it for granted that I go to a good university, I just take it for granted that I don't have to worry about food and clothing, I just take it for granted that I'm fawned over when I attend various parties… Hehe, but this year I understand that there's really nothing that should be taken for granted… There are still many things in life that can say no to me! And my parents' power… has nothing to do with me either. In the face of absolute interests and what I like… he may also give up his daughter."

Qiuqiu blinked her big eyes, a little dazed. "Wow, such… negative energy, it really doesn't sound like something you'd say."

"The old folks say that imagining hardships and dangers ten thousand times in your mind is not as good as experiencing them once yourself. There's nothing wrong with that." An Qiqi said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm fine, it's just that my feelings are different. People, ah, still have to be strong themselves to keep the things they don't want to give up."

"That's right! Whether you're a man or a woman, you still have to have your own career, you still have to be strong." Wang Ying agreed very much, "Come on, join the financial circle, come and invest with me! Let's grow bigger and stronger and become the new-era female Buffett!"

An Qiqi glanced at her. "I'm not interested in finance!"

…

Inside the Chi Army base.

After thinking for a whole day, Su Tianyu gritted his teeth and dialed Su Tiannan's phone. "Hello?!"

"What's up, speak?!" Su Tiannan asked.

"It's like this, I want to ask… is your family Taotao interested in investing in the troops?!" Su Tianyu got up and walked to the window, enthusiastically introducing the situation of the Chi Army to Su Tiannan.

After listening, Su Tiannan curled his lips and replied, "Don't you dare trick Taotao out of her little bit of money!! I've noticed… why do you only scam people around you?"

"Hey, hey, my brother saved her life, what's wrong with me asking her to invest a little money?" Su Tianyu said shamelessly, "I wouldn't look for anyone else for such a good business opportunity!"

"What good opportunity!" Su Tiannan cursed, "The situation in the Lao Mo (Mexico) area is so complicated! Even the people selling tea eggs are starving to death, what do you want him to invest in?! Invest in you one day being able to take down the entire territory of Lao Mo and become the emperor yourself? Bullshit, you… I'm telling you, I was already pretty unhappy last time you tricked Taotao into lending you money… Don't even think about it this time!"

"Damn, are you already protecting her?!" Su Tianyu said softly, "I really have a way to make money, I suggest you still ask Taotao! What if she agrees!"

"The problem is, what kind of project do you have…!"

"The commercial trade of the two small towns of Juarez and Sri Lanka, give it all to Taotao to do, let her operate it, is that okay? Is that a project?!" Su Tianyu said directly, "As long as it can make money, except for selling powder, anything can be done! I'll guarantee her!"

"Then I'll ask…!" Su Tiannan replied very obediently.

After the two brothers ended the call, Su Tianyu looked down at the various commercial materials from the Sinaloa region again, frowning and muttering, "These damn near 20,000 people in my hands are just idle every day, that's not a good thing! I have to get them to do something! Who should I rob?"

"Rob Zhang Zhengchen's son!!" Hou Guoyu immediately interjected from the side, "Tie him up until he submits!!"