Reborn: Mafia Queen

Chapter 004 Old Master Shen

The Shen family manor, nestled on a hillside in the western suburbs of Jiangcheng, is a manor-style building dating back to the Republic of China era. With its blue bricks and gray tiles, deep courtyards, and a century-old ginkgo tree whose branches provide ample shade, the manor is a striking structure. Shen Qingjiu pushed open the heavy iron gate, walked through the flagstone-paved front yard, and saw Grandpa Shen sitting in a wicker chair under the ginkgo tree. He wore a gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was gray but he was still sprightly, and he was slowly sipping tea from a purple clay teapot. Seeing his granddaughter return, Grandpa Shen smiled indulgently: "Little Jiu'er's back? Come, let Grandpa see how your college entrance exam went!" Shen Qingjiu went over, squatted beside her grandfather, and looked up at him. In her previous life, after her grandfather passed away, she realized how much this old man loved her. He had single-handedly supported the Shen family for decades, navigating the complexities of the legal and illegal worlds, giving her the best of everything. But back then, she was only focused on her romance and hadn't noticed her grandfather's hardships. "What's wrong?" Old Master Shen noticed the emotion in her eyes and was somewhat surprised. "Didn't do well on the exam? It's alright, it's alright, if you don't get into university, we'll just..." "Grandpa," Shen Qingjiu interrupted him, "I have something I want to tell you." "What is it that's so serious?" Old Master Shen put down the teapot and sat up straight. Shen Qingjiu took a deep breath: "Grandpa, can we stop our family's underground business?" Old Master Shen's expression froze. This wasn't the first time Shen Qingjiu had mentioned the family business. But she had never inquired about these things before, and even felt somewhat averse to them. Her sudden directness today surprised him. "Little Jiu'er, why are you suddenly asking this?" Old Master Shen's smile faded, and his tone became cautious. "Who told you anything?" "No one told me anything." Shen Qingjiu stood up and sat down opposite her grandfather. "But Grandpa, I know that our Shen family is officially engaged in import and export trade, but in reality, we also do some... shady business." Old Master Shen didn't deny it, but just stared at her. “I heard that Mr. Chen from Hong Kong has been inquiring about our family lately,” Shen Qingjiu said softly. “Mr. Chen is ruthless. If he targets us, our family might…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear. Old Master Shen remained silent for a long time. “Little Jiu’er, who told you these things?” he asked, his tone wary. “Grandpa, I know you don’t want me involved in these things. But I’m the granddaughter of the Shen family, and the safety of the Shen family is my safety.” Shen Qingjiu grasped her grandfather’s hand. “Trust me, I have a way to help you.” Old Master Shen looked at his granddaughter, sensing something was off. Today, Shen Qingjiu was completely different from usual. Before, she was innocent and carefree, never caring about family matters, much less about those underground businesses. But today, her tone and the calmness in her eyes were completely unlike that of a girl who had just turned eighteen. “Little Jiu’er, tell Grandpa honestly, has someone bullied you?” Old Master Shen asked with concern. “You don’t seem quite right today.” Shen Qingjiu shook her head: “No, Grandpa. I just… suddenly realized a lot of things.” She paused, then said, “Grandpa, I know the family is currently negotiating an arms deal with Italy. If my information is correct, that shipment will arrive in Jiangcheng from Rome in three months.” Old Master Shen suddenly stood up, looking at her in shock. This was the Shen family’s top secret; no more than three people in the entire family knew about it. How did Shen Qingjiu find out? “How could you…” His voice trembled slightly. “Grandpa, don’t worry about how I know.” Shen Qingjiu stood up, looking at him seriously. “You just need to know that this deal cannot be done. Master Chen has already made contact with people in Italy, and he will intercept the transaction. In the end, our Shen family will lose both the goods and the money, suffering heavy losses.” Old Master Shen’s face turned ashen. He knew that Shen Qingjiu couldn’t be lying. This granddaughter had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, but she never interfered with the family business. For her to say these words today, she must have some information. What shocked him even more was that he himself was unaware of this information. "Little Jiu'er, you..." Old Master Shen opened his mouth, but only managed to ask one question at the end, "Have you really grown up?" Shen Qingjiu's eyes welled up with tears. "Grandpa, I've grown up," she said softly. "So this time, let me protect you, protect the Shen family." Old Master Shen remained silent for a long time before finally sitting down again. He picked up the purple clay teapot, took a sip of tea, and pondered for a long time. "That deal, are we really going to give it up?" he asked. "Not give it up, but change the approach." A wise light flashed in Shen Qingjiu's eyes. "Let's turn the tables on them ." Old Master Shen looked at her and suddenly smiled. "Good, good, good!" he said three times. "My granddaughter, Shen Wanshan's granddaughter, is indeed extraordinary!" Shen Qingjiu also smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Only she knew that this information was obtained with the blood of her past life. In her past life, the Shen family was robbed of this deal by Master Chen, losing a large amount of funds and manpower, and never recovered. It was precisely because of that failure that her grandfather was exploited and ultimately assassinated. In this life, she wouldn't let history repeat itself. "Grandpa, I need some access," Shen Qingjiu said. "I need access to our family's core business and personnel files." Old Master Shen looked at her: "What do you want to do?" "Investigate the mole." Shen Qingjiu's voice turned cold. "Our Shen family has someone planted by Master Chen." A glint flashed in Old Master Shen's eyes, and he slowly nodded. That night, Shen Qingjiu opened the Shen family's internal system on her computer in her room. Memories from her past life surfaced little by little, and she began searching for clues among the dense data. The night outside the window was as dark as ink, and a few barks came from afar. Shen Qingjiu's phone vibrated again; it was that unfamiliar number again. "Miss Shen, do you need help?" She stared at the screen for a few seconds before finally replying to the first message: "Who are you?" After sending the message, she waited a long time without a reply. But Shen Qingjiu knew that the other party would definitely contact her again. Because she is Lu Tingshen's target, and she also needs Lu Tingshen's strength.