Chapter 105

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Lin Wanrong glanced down and recognized the item in her hand; it was the original copy of the third-page magazine, the very first thing he had sold to earn his gold in this world. Xiao Yushuang had taken it once, and now, somehow, it had fallen into this Eldest Miss' hands.

Why had she suddenly brought up this subject? Could Xiao Yushuang have told her? Lin Wanrong had a certain degree of trust in Xiao Yushuang. That girl was far more obedient than her sister; it couldn't have been her who divulged this.

Curious indeed, Lin Wanrong mused, wondering how she had come to associate him with this matter.

His relationship with this Eldest Miss was largely confrontational, and their encounters were often filled with arguments. If she knew that he had profited five thousand taels of silver by selling her portrait, who could predict what chaos would ensue?

"What's this? Oh, isn't this a picture of the Eldest Miss? But it's not as beautiful as the real person. Could it be a picture from her underage years? Remarkable! I had no idea that the Eldest Miss was so stunning in her youth." Lin Wanrong accepted the booklet and chattered nonsense.

Xiao Yuruo watched him put on his act, thinking, ‘You underestimate me. Your unique style of painting cannot be easily imitated. Despite peeling back your disguise, you still remain dishonest.’

She smiled and said, "I don't know who this thief is, learning half of someone else's painting style and creating this picture book to slander me. If I find out, I certainly won't let him off easily."

"Yes, yes, he shouldn't be let off lightly," Lin Wanrong agreed. Both of them had their own ulterior motives, and their words were full of implications. Yet, they both pretended ignorance, creating an eerily strange atmosphere.

The Eldest Miss laughed, "I heard that this little book sold for ten taels of silver each. Since he used me in it, I should be entitled to eight taels per copy. It wouldn't be unreasonable. I'd better not find him, or I'll certainly demand my silver."

Damn, the Eldest Miss Xiao even had someone investigate this. It seemed she was prepared. Now, she was clearly chastising him indirectly. Damn it, he couldn't even admit it. Lin Wanrong laughed hollowly, "Eldest Miss, with your wealth, you surely wouldn't be bothered by such a trivial sum. Besides, once the lingerie and perfume businesses take off, they'll easily make up for this minor loss."

What he meant was, don't hold onto this matter so tightly. The profits from the lingerie and perfume businesses he had created for her were countless times larger than this little booklet.

The Eldest Miss' lips curled into a smile. She had sparred with this rogue for many days, yet today was the first time she had scored such a victory. Naturally, she felt a great sense of satisfaction. Seeing Lin Wanrong's discomfort only added to her joy. A hint of color rose in her cheeks as she gazed at him with interest, "Lin San, to be honest, this little book is quite unique, unlike anything I've seen before. I'd actually like to meet this cheeky thief with so many ideas."

Biting his lip, Lin Wanrong responded, "There will be such a day. Maybe he's also thinking about meeting you."

The Eldest Miss could no longer hold back her laughter, and she bent over, chuckling delightfully. Her heart was filled with unparalleled satisfaction. She thought, ‘Let's see how this rogue will bully me again, leaving me constantly off balance; I'm not so easy to provoke.’

Strangely enough, the more she interacted with Lin San, the more she despised him. Sometimes she even ground her teeth in her sleep over him, yet daily banter with him was what eased her spirit. It was indeed peculiar.

Seeing Lin Wanrong's discomposed face, Xiao Yuruo's lips curved into a smile. She opened another small package she had brought with her and pulled out a shirt, saying, "This is for you."

"What's this?" Lin Wanrong asked curiously. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the shirt that Xiao Yuruo had washed for him on the day she visited him thrice. The Eldest Miss had taken it away, and he hadn't expected her to remember this.

"Thank you," Lin Wanrong laughed, accepting the shirt. After inspecting it, he furrowed his brows, "Eldest Miss, your maids seem to be slacking off."

"What happened?" Xiao Yuruo asked, puzzled.

"Look at this. The shirt isn't fully clean in several places. If that's not slacking off, what is it?" Lin Wanrong said with a laugh.

Xiao Yuruo looked and indeed, several dirty spots hadn't been cleaned off. She felt a rush of heat to her face, glaring at him in annoyance, "I've already washed it. Where did you get all these demands from? I promised to wash this shirt and give it back to you, and I've done that. At least, I haven't broken my word."

Lin Wanrong gave her a thumbs up, "Indeed, Eldest Miss, you are a woman of your word. I'm truly impressed. I'll just make do with this then. After all, it's bound to get dirty, so a couple more spots don't matter."

With a rustle, the Eldest Miss, in her irritation, flung the little booklet at him. Lin Wanrong, laughing, dodged it and exited the room.

The Eldest Miss sat there dazed for a moment, then picked up the booklet, gently brushing off the dust. As she looked at the familiar face on the cover, she huffed softly. Despite herself, a smile broke onto her face. Half annoyed, half amused, she found her feelings at that moment perplexing, even to herself.

In the following days, Lin Wanrong was as busy as a pack mule. The perfume workshop had added two more production lines, specializing in jasmine and orchid perfumes, all of which required his personal adjustment before production.

"Food for Immortals" had been swamped with business since its opening, and they were desperately understaffed. With the Xiao family's help in managing the perfume business, managing the restaurant was like taking care of his own child. Seeing how hard Qiaoqiao worked until late at night every day, Lin Wanrong felt a heartache like no other.

Whenever he had free time, he would help Qiaoqiao. He didn't even have time to chat with Xiao Qingxuan anymore. Xiao Qingxuan waited for him daily, and aside from a silent sigh, she expressed nothing. As for Qin Xian'er, despite her several attempts to arrange a meeting, he never seemed to find the time.

Lin Wanrong exhausted all his tricks: special feasts, wild game dinners, whole fish banquets, each aimed at different classes of diners at Food for Immortals. He brought forth every promotional strategy from his past life: limited time half-price sales, VIP cards, platinum VIP cards, endless promotions popping up every other day, enough to dazzle anyone. The song "West Chamber" drew criticism from some but much more praise from others. With the two girls, Little Lian and Little Cui, performing on stage for several days, the ambiance of the restaurant was greatly enhanced. Plus, the four unprecedented, unmatched couplets that remained unsolved. For a time, Food for Immortals was unrivaled in prestige, with daily income surpassing a thousand taels, and a net profit of around four to five hundred taels. It had truly become a golden goose.

As the saying goes, "People fear fame as pigs fear fatness." Lin Wanrong knew this deeply. Food for Immortals was so well-known it was bound to draw envy. Although they had Luo Min's endorsement and Hung Hing's secret protection, they had to stay cautious. The ordinary person wouldn't dare cause trouble, but hidden threats were harder to guard against. Not to mention the increasingly restless Black Dragon Association, he warned Dong Qingshan and Luo Yuan to never let their guard down.

Seeing the daily income, Old Dong was eager to repay the remaining debt to Boss Wang. Lin Wanrong neither agreed nor disagreed, instead asking Dong Qiaoqiao, "Qiaoqiao, what do you think about this matter?" Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

With the business growing larger and the perfume venture about to start, Lin Wanrong couldn't stay here all the time. Qiaoqiao was smart and capable. Although she was gentle and considerate around him, she was also shrewd and competent. Lin Wanrong was keen to cultivate Qiaoqiao into a woman even more outstanding than Xiao Yuruo.

Qiaoqiao thought for a moment and said, "Dad, I don't think we should pay back the money just yet."

Seeing her big brother smiling encouragingly at her, Qiaoqiao became even more confident about her thoughts. "Although we have some cash on hand now, our cash flow is large. Part of it needs to be used for operational costs. Moreover, we shouldn't get complacent because of our current success. Now that Food for Immortals has some reputation in Jinling City, I think we should consider using this fame to set up a branch?"

A smile flashed in Lin Wanrong's heart. This girl truly had the makings of a strong woman. He nodded and said with a laugh, "Go on, Qiaoqiao. Uncle Dong, let's listen to Qiaoqiao's opinion before we decide."

Qiaoqiao smiled at Lin Wanrong, a soft light flickering in her eyes, "We have a good reputation in the city now. Also, with the endorsement from the governor, if we plan to open a branch, we would have the upper hand in terms of location and price. The cash we have on hand could be put to good use. If we repay Boss Wang now, not only will he lose interest income, but we'll also lose a chance to expand."

This girl, she really had some ability, Lin Wanrong thought to himself. Developers in his previous life accumulated their capital by leveraging loans. He hadn't expected Qiaoqiao to grasp that concept. He wanted to test her further, and with a slight frown, he asked, "Qiaoqiao, you make some valid points. But have you considered that we have just found our footing, and we're already planning to expand. Isn't that a bit hasty?"

Seeing her big brother's furrowed brows, Qiaoqiao panicked. After pondering over her words, she realized they indeed had the risk of expanding too quickly. Her face flushed, and she quickly said, "Big brother, I didn't consider it thoroughly."

Knowing that Qiaoqiao was overly concerned about him, which led to her panic, he shook his head and said with a smile, "Qiaoqiao, I asked you that question on purpose. You must trust yourself. I have never met a girl as smart as you."

Her face turned red, but her heart felt sweet. She glanced at him, her deep affection evident without words.

"Your expansion plan is actually feasible. We can start selecting locations and negotiating prices. If we can't agree on the price, we can wait; we have time. Once the price is agreed upon, we can buy it for storage, what is commonly referred to as land banking. Even if we don't build a restaurant, we can start other businesses. Worst comes to worst, we can resell the land and earn the price difference, which is better than letting the money rot in our hands."

This was the so-called land speculation. Although this concept didn't exist in this era, once a good location was chosen, it couldn't possibly make a loss. Food for Immortals was a good example. Compared to the original restaurant, its value had increased by at least forty percent.

Qiaoqiao's eyes lit up. She had been regretting a bit earlier, but now she felt more joyous hearing her big brother support her and offering many perspectives she hadn't thought of. She felt even more enamored with him, marveling at his insight and knowledge.

"Qiaoqiao, don't underestimate yourself, nor doubt your abilities. Whatever you want to do, you can do well. Big brother will always support you."

"Big brother—" Qiaoqiao, moved, tightly grasped Lin Wanrong's hand. If her father hadn't been present, she would have thrown herself into his arms already.

“Ahem,” Old Dong feigned a cough to interrupt the two, seeing that his daughter had completely turned into someone else's housewife. He sighed, "Once a girl grows up, she doesn't belong to her father anymore. I won't meddle anymore. But, Little Lin, when are you going to settle things with Qiaoqiao? This girl is so stubborn; she'll never speak up if you don't."

"Dad—" Dong Qiaoqiao called out, her cheeks flushed, lowering her head and said softly, "Big brother still has things to deal with right now, Qiaoqiao is not in a rush."

The matter wasn't settled yet? Lin Wanrong was taken aback. Initially, he had agreed to Uncle Wei's proposition to go to the Xiao family simply in a playful spirit. Who would have thought that he'd indeed become entangled in the affairs of the Xiao family, and was now supposed to help them establish a business. Could it really be a twist of fate? As an educated modern man, he didn't want to believe in the idea of destiny, but how else could he explain the current situation?

"Big brother, big brother, what's the matter?" Qiaoqiao anxiously gripped his arm, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He noticed that Old Dong had already left, and only Qiaoqiao stood in front of him, tears welling in her eyes. "Big brother, are you unhappy about something? You must tell Qiaoqiao. I can't bear to see you upset."

"You silly girl," Lin Wanrong gently pinched her nose, "As long as you are by my side every day, there's nothing that can make me unhappy."

Qiaoqiao softly responded with a nod, tears in her eyes, and shyly buried her head in his chest.

He truly wished to devour this adorable girl, Qiaoqiao, but seeing her tirelessly bustling about every day, he felt somewhat ignoble for such thoughts. Qiaoqiao was content with just a few moments in his arms each day, how could he take advantage of her? He still lacked enough shamelessness, and needed to cultivate more.

One day, he returned to the Xiao residence quite late and ran into a maid in the garden, "Brother Lin, you're finally back. Miss Qin Xian'er sent several notes today. It seems like she has some urgent business with you. She insisted that we give you the note as soon as you returned."

Only then did Lin Wanrong remember that Qiaoqiao had mentioned at Food for Immortals today that Qin Xian'er had been trying to find him several times but was unsuccessful. What could be so urgent?

Lin Wanrong had just received the note and hadn't even gotten a chance to read it when he saw a delicate figure standing in the middle of the garden. Her gaunt face appeared particularly pale under the moonlight.

"Second Miss?" Lin Wanrong was immediately taken aback.

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