After Zhou Bo left to carry out his order, Shen Mingshan remained seated alone for a long while.
His face looked calm, but his mind was anything but calm.
Back then, after making up his mind to leave the underworld business, he had chosen a different road for Mingxiao.
He had decided to start a company and gradually legalize everything.
That decision had not been easy.
At that time, many people thought he was crazy.
A group like theirs, with old blood debts and a fierce reputation behind them, suddenly wanting to walk into the light and do proper business?
To outsiders, it sounded almost laughable.
But Shen Mingshan had done it anyway.
And what moved him most was that not a single one of his subordinates had left.
No one walked away.
No one abandoned him.
All of them stayed loyally by his side.
To them, Mingxiao was not just a gang.
It was home.
It was the place that had kept them alive.
So when Shen Mingshan chose a new road, they followed him without hesitation.
But after that, everyone's lives changed completely.
The old way of living was gone.
The easy money was gone.
The fierce name of Mingxiao still remained, but a name alone could not fill a stomach.
Even after they started Mingxiao Security, there was still not enough work for everyone.
Business did not come easily.
Many of the old brothers, who had once lived boldly and fiercely, suddenly found themselves barely scraping by.
The company was running, yes.
But in truth, the income from it was far from enough to support everyone properly.
The only reason they had managed to hold on until now was because Shen Mingshan still had some properties under his name.
Those old assets had quietly supported Mingxiao through one difficult day after another.
That nightclub where Shen Yueran had caused trouble earlier was one of them.
Without those things, Mingxiao would have been in an even worse state.
And yet, even with all this effort, their biggest problem had never truly disappeared.
Because of their old background and past reputation, almost nobody trusted them at the beginning.
On the surface, Mingxiao Security was now a legal company.
But in the eyes of outsiders, they were still former underworld people.
Who would trust such a group so easily?
That distrust had become a great problem from the very start.
And even now, it still remained one of the heaviest stones pressing on Shen Mingshan's heart.
That was why he could not simply ignore Huo Corporation's offer.
To others, he might still look well off.
Even this so-called vacation in the villa had been part of maintaining that image.
But in truth, that trip had not been some lavish thing he had casually paid for himself.
It had been a gift from an old friend who owned a tourist company.
That man had sent him a one-week package trip.
On the surface, Shen Mingshan still had to maintain the appearance that he was living well.
He had to keep Mingxiao's face intact.
If outsiders saw too clearly that Mingxiao was struggling, old rivals would laugh them to death.
And once the wrong people smelled weakness, they would only press harder.
So no matter what, that image had to be maintained.
As for Huo Corporation's side, Shen Mingshan truly could not understand what they were thinking.
From their actions, this matter clearly had something to do with Yueran.
It did not feel like retaliation.
If anything, it almost felt like heaven had suddenly thrown a favor down on Mingxiao.
But what exactly the other side's intentions were, he could not guess.
What Shen Mingshan did not know was that he had already guessed half of it right.
Just not the right person.
It was not the fool who had been beaten badly by Shen Yueran who had taken a liking to her.
If anyone had told him earlier that his casual, half-joking thought would one day come true in some form, even he would not have believed it.
As for the previous offense, Shen Mingshan was very clear on one point.
That matter had been started by the Huo Family first.
If it really came to war, he still had some old connections left.
Those old people might not fully stand on Mingxiao's side, but at least they could mediate.
After all, no one had died.
No matter how badly things looked, this matter had not crossed the line into true blood feud.
Still, that did not mean it was good for Mingxiao to offend a giant like the Huo Family.
Not in their current condition.
That was exactly why Shen Mingshan had always tried to keep that troublemaker granddaughter of his in check.
Shen Yueran was strong enough, but strength alone did not solve everything.
In their situation, one wrong move could cause enormous trouble.
As for the other side's intentions, Shen Mingshan was not too worried that anyone there would truly harm her.
When it came to Shen Yueran, he had always had one very special kind of confidence.
He was not confident that she would behave.
He was not confident that she would stay out of trouble.
But he was very confident in one thing—
his granddaughter was far more likely to harm others than be harmed herself.
That thought calmed him a little.
So what he needed to solve now was not whether Shen Yueran would survive there.
It was how to make her accept going there at all.
Shen Mingshan narrowed his eyes slightly.
If Mingxiao's old background was taken away and only their actual ability was considered, then they could truly be counted among the best in this industry.
Our people were loyal.
Our people were well-trained.
And many of them were still sitting idle, without enough work to do.
If someone ignored Mingxiao's past, then choosing their company actually made perfect sense.
Perhaps that was also one reason behind this contract and these conditions.
Huo Corporation had seen the value in them.
That much was possible.
Still, the way the contract pointed so directly at Shen Yueran remained strange no matter how he thought about it.
But strange or not, such a chance was right in front of Mingxiao.
And Mingxiao was in no position to throw it away carelessly.
After thinking through everything, Shen Mingshan finally called Zhou Bo back in.
The assistant hurried in at once and lowered his head respectfully.
"Old Master."
Shen Mingshan's expression was already steady again.
"Contact them immediately," he ordered.
Zhou Bo straightened.
"Tell them exactly what I said. Ask them to arrange a meeting. After that, we can further discuss the business "
Zhou Bo nodded at once.
"Yes, Old Master."
He did not dare waste even a second.
The moment he stepped out, he immediately contacted Huo Corporation and relayed Shen Mingshan's words exactly.
On the other side, Xu Chen soon received a reply saying they wanted to arrange a meeting as soon as possible.
Without delay, Xu Chen sorted out the details and went straight to Huo Chengye's office.
After entering, Xu Chen respectfully reported, "Boss, the other side has replied."
Huo Chengye lifted his eyes from the file in his hand.
Xu Chen continued immediately, "They agreed to arrange the meeting. They said both sides can discuss the cooperation further face to face."
A faint glint flashed across Huo Chengye's eyes.
He then put the file aside. For the first time since hearing the response, his gaze sharpened noticeably.
He looked at Xu Chen and said calmly, "Clear my schedule this week. Arrange a meeting with them at a suitable time."
Xu Chen lowered his head at once.
"Yes, Boss."
After replying, he turned and left the office without delay.