Chapter 384 - 198: Talking Business

Chapter 384: Chapter 198: Talking Business

"Good morning, Nuonuo."

"Morning."

Seeing the happy, smiling look on her mother’s face, Xia Nuonuo knew she must be going to see Lin Shen today.

"Going out soon?"

"Yes. I’ll go make you breakfast."

Shen Yun followed the meal plan from her nutritionist and prepared a healthy breakfast for herself and Xia Nuonuo.

Icelandic cod, organic avocado, bird’s nest soup, and fish maw.

They were all nutritious ingredients rich in vitamins, and they tasted quite good after some simple preparation.

But Xia Nuonuo clearly wasn’t a fan. After a few bites, she left the table, slung her guitar over her back, and got ready to leave.

Seeing this, Shen Yun asked gently,

"It’s the weekend. Are you going out, Nuonuo?"

"Yeah, I have plans with a friend."

Watching Xia Nuonuo’s departing figure, Shen Yun still felt a knot in her chest.

Although the relationship between mother and daughter had eased somewhat, Nuonuo’s personality still made her reluctant to interact much with others.

’Is it because of the age gap between us?’

Shen Yun couldn’t figure it out and couldn’t help but sigh internally.

After breakfast, she went upstairs to do her makeup and change. She put on the hip-hugging skirt from the photo she’d sent Lin Shen last night, pulling a pair of thin, sheer, matte black pantyhose over her voluptuous legs.

After admiring her sexy figure in the full-length mirror, Shen Yun’s lips curled up. She tucked a small, mysterious box into her purse and left for her appointment.

—

「9:30 AM.」

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 52nd-floor terrace.

Shen Yun arrived half an hour earlier than the agreed-upon time and found that Song Ya had already been waiting for a while.

Today, she seemed to have made a special effort with her makeup and outfit. She wore a tight, long-sleeved white top and jeans that accentuated her impressive figure.

This made Shen Yun raise an eyebrow. She put her purse aside and teased,

"You little minx, why are you all dressed up today? Are you trying to seduce my man?"

"I always dress like this, okay? It’s not like you don’t know that!"

Song Ya was a little speechless. She rolled her eyes at Shen Yun before asking curiously,

"When is this lover boy of yours arriving?"

"Soon."

Shen Yun sat across from Song Ya, elegantly crossing her black-stockinged legs. She lifted her teacup for a delicate sip, a playful smile on her lips.

"You’re that eager to meet Shen? Let me make one thing clear: he’s mine."

"I know he’s yours."

Song Ya pouted dismissively, her wandering gaze drifting past the terrace. Her words were laced with envy and a hint of sourness.

"I just want to see if you’re bluffing. You, landing a handsome ’fresh young meat’ in his twenties? I don’t believe it!"

"Believe it or not, you’ll find out in a bit."

Shen Yun had barely finished speaking when a waiter led a rather handsome young man over.

He looked to be in his early twenties, with fair skin and an upright posture.

He was dressed in a blue and white Louis Vuitton casual outfit, a signature faint smile on his lips. His left hand was tucked in his pocket, revealing a Royal Oak watch on his wrist. His choppy, side-parted hair gave him the air of a celebrity.

The moment he appeared, Song Ya’s gaze was captivated by his handsome face and tall figure. Her expression was one of shock, and as if she had just realized something, her pupils contracted.

"It’s you?!"

?

Lin Shen froze for a second. When he saw the woman sitting across from Shen Yun, the memory of his time at the swimming pool a while back instantly surfaced.

’Isn’t she that mature woman who tried to hit on me?’

"You two know each other?"

Seeing Song Ya covering her mouth with one hand, a look of pure astonishment on her face, Shen Yun was instantly flooded with jealousy.

"Of course, we do!"

Song Ya seemed completely oblivious to her best friend’s resentful expression. She grabbed Shen Yun’s hand excitedly and said,

"Do you remember I told you I met a really handsome young guy while swimming? It was him!"

Song Ya then turned to Lin Shen, elegantly extending her right hand with an expectant look on her face.

"Do you remember me? We met at the swimming pool! My name is Song Ya! I’m Yun’s best friend!"

"You look familiar."

After a friendly handshake with Song Ya, Lin Shen sat down next to Shen Yun.

"I didn’t realize Modu was so small. You can run into people you know anywhere."

"It is."

Song Ya stirred her coffee with a spoon, a resentful look on her face.

"That day, I asked you to teach me how to swim, and you just ignored me."

"I had something urgent to attend to at the time."

Lin Shen said apologetically. Immediately, Shen Yun clung tightly to his arm, a seductive smile appearing on her face.

"Shen, you know Ya?"

"Yeah."

Lin Shen recounted the story of his chance encounter with Song Ya at the swimming pool, which finally dispelled Shen Yun’s jealousy and worry.

’Thank goodness it was just a chance meeting.’

Meanwhile, Song Ya, sitting opposite them, kept sneaking glances at Lin Shen, her mind involuntarily replaying the scene she had witnessed that day.

Perhaps ordinary people couldn’t understand Lin Shen’s Charm, but as a mature woman, she understood it all too well!

’I’m so jealous of Yun!’

’To think she gets to feast on something this good!’

Now, Song Ya completely believed Shen Yun. Her words filled with curiosity about Lin Shen.

"So you’re the scumbag who opened a Cat Cafe that Yun was talking about!"

’Scumbag?’

Lin Shen froze, turning to look at Shen Yun as if to ask, ’How did you describe me to your friend?’

"She misunderstood."

Shen Yun gave an awkward laugh and quickly changed the subject, leaning her head on Lin Shen’s shoulder.

"By the way, Shen, did the grand opening of the new store go smoothly yesterday?"

"It went great!"

Lin Shen excitedly told Shen Yun and Song Ya about the previous day, especially the part about the store being packed wall-to-wall, which they found somewhat hard to believe.

’Fifty thousand in daily revenue?’

’From a Cat Cafe?’

Although Shen Yun and Song Ya weren’t particularly familiar with the pet industry, having navigated the business world for so many years, they naturally understood.

A figure of fifty thousand was the absolute peak for any brick-and-mortar store!

Usually, only a successful restaurant could generate that kind of revenue.

’And you managed it with a Cat Cafe?’

’Just how good must business be!’

"I knew you could do it, Shen."

Shen Yun’s eyes were filled with admiration and awe for Lin Shen. Her mature, alluring body pressed against him, stopping just short of nestling into his arms.

Feeling that long-missed softness against his arm, Lin Shen discreetly stroked Shen Yun’s thigh under the table while humbly saying,

"It was just good luck. I didn’t expect business to be so explosive. I was busy the entire day."

"That just means your marketing and promotional strategies were excellent."

Shen Yun’s seductive eyes narrowed slightly. She smiled as she "retaliated" against Lin Shen under the table, casually starting a conversation with Song Ya to distract her.

"Ya, I told you Shen would be successful, didn’t I? I have great faith in his abilities. Why don’t you consider it?"

"Hmm..."

Song Ya held her teacup and thought for a moment before looking at Lin Shen, her expression turning serious.

"Do you think the pet industry is a good business to be in right now?"

"Of course it is!"

Although whether the pet industry’s future was a "blue ocean" was still debatable, Lin Shen remained extremely confident.

He knew Song Ya was testing him, so after choosing his words carefully, he spoke eloquently, covering everything from the broad direction of companies and the market down to the small-scale business of retailers.

His points were well-founded and his thinking was clear.

This confident and mature way of speaking made Song Ya see him in a new light.

She discovered that Lin Shen was exactly as Shen Yun had described: not only handsome with a great body, but his inner abilities and character were his hidden strengths.

To have achieved so much in his twenties was a testament to how outstanding he was.

This made Song Ya even more curious.

"What does your family do?"

"That’s a secret for now."

Lin Shen gave a mysterious smile and changed the subject.

"I believe that if you partner with me, you might be able to alleviate your current debt crisis."

"I’m willing to invest one million upfront for you to convert a production line for pet toys. How does that sound?"

Oh?

Lin Shen’s words made Song Ya’s eyes light up.

’This kid really knows how to play his cards!’

’And he’s so bold... Not bad! I like it!’

It seemed Song Ya was tempted.

"What do you want me to produce?"

"Three things: scratching posts, cat trees, and teaser wands."

Lin Shen explained.

"Based on my market research, these are the most frequently purchased cat toys among cat owners."

"Hmm..."

Seeing Song Ya lost in thought, Lin Shen suggested,

"How about this, Miss Song? Give me your bank account number, and I’ll transfer the million right now."

Huh?

’So decisive?’

Song Ya was startled. She then looked at Shen Yun, who hadn’t said a word for a while, and noticed her face was slightly flushed, her eyes smoldering like silk, and her whole body was pressed against Lin Shen’s side, even trembling slightly from time to time.

?

Song Ya blinked, immediately realizing what was happening. She couldn’t help but scream internally.

’Seriously, you two!’

’I’m still here, and you’re already getting handsy?’

’It’s like I’m not even in the room!’