"That would be perfect—a relaxation area on the second floor and a pastry shop on the first."
He told Liu Li about it, and she agreed, deciding to talk to the supermarket owner.
Regardless, the funds needed to be prepared in advance. The more than one million yuan he'd "extorted" from Miao Wan was the main source of funds, along with the pearl jewelry, which would fetch a considerable sum.
Where to sell them? Liu Li suggested selling them back to Hai Shui Shi Guang, which wasn't impossible, but Lu Chen felt a bit embarrassed. These were essentially gifts from Yang Jiang Yu; selling them back felt inappropriate.
Soon, Lu Chen had an idea.
He chose a special area in the pastry shop, set up a small tea table, spread out a gold silk cloth borrowed from the flower shop next door, and then, quite formally, displayed the pearl jewelry along with the relevant invoices and certificates, clearly stating it was for transfer.
The transfer price was 10% off the original price, and for every piece purchased, a 500 yuan voucher for Moon's Tooth was given; for two pieces, a 1000 yuan voucher was given, and so on.
Sure enough, by dusk, three of the nine pearl jewelry pieces had been sold, generating 118,000 yuan.
Lu Chen's success wasn't solely based on inspiration; he also considered the market. First, Seawater Time was a major brand in Yunzhou City, guaranteeing genuine pearl jewelry and rarely offering discounts. The 10% discount was naturally attractive. Second, those who frequented Moon's Tooth for pastries were primarily sophisticated white-collar women and middle-class housewives; seeing such beautiful jewelry for sale, plus a pastry shop voucher, was naturally appealing.
By noon the next day, only four pieces remained.
Liu Li practically raved about Lu Chen. Her communication with the supermarket owner had also yielded positive results. The supermarket owner, who also felt the warehouse was too large and draining, was happy to have someone share the rent.
This sparked a deal, and Liu Li immediately hired a renovation company to design the plans and prepare for construction.
That afternoon, Liu Li went to the job market to recruit staff. Lu Chen, focused on making cakes in the shop, suddenly felt a pair of warm eyes on him. He looked up and saw a pair of smiling eyes.
It was Shangguan Bei!
Lu Chen peeked out from the glass window and asked with a grin, "Little sister, here to learn from me?"
Shangguan Bei pouted, "Master chef, I'm not little anymore, I'm twenty-one, okay?"
Lu Chen asked seriously, "How many more months?"
Shangguan Bei immediately deflated, "Okay, in... less than eight months."
"Little sister, you're so cute!" Lu Chen couldn't resist reaching out and making three strokes on Shangguan Bei's left and right cheeks. Instantly, six cream-painted marks appeared on her face, making her look like a little cat.
Shangguan Bei angrily shouted, "Aunt Qin, Brother Zhong, someone's bullying me!"
Aunt Qin was the old woman who had accompanied Shangguan Wan to the food stall for grilled fish that night. Brother Zhong was Zhong Ji, and the other three bodyguards were standing at the door!
Hearing their young lady shout, they quickly turned around and laughed upon seeing her.
Aunt Qin said, "Miss, we can't interfere!"
Zhong Ji added, "Yes, how can we interfere?"
Shangguan Bei snorted, glaring angrily at Lu Chen, "If I'd known you'd bully me, I wouldn't have bought all your pearl jewelry. I was just being a good person!"
Lu Chen was taken aback: "Ah, you bought them all?"
Looking up, he saw that the coffee table covered with gold silk was completely bare. Then, he saw Shangguan Bei hold up a check, grinning, and ask, "Want it?"
Lu Chen glared at her. "Of course I want it! You took all my pearl jewelry."
He snatched the check, and seeing the price of 500,000, he froze. He remembered that the remaining pieces of jewelry were only worth 150,000.
"Why are you giving me so much?" Lu Chen's eyes widened. "Little girl, don't you have money to burn?"
For some reason, although he had only known Shangguan Bei for a few days, he felt a sense of familiarity upon seeing her and wanted to tease her. However, remembering what Old Pang had said—that Shangguan Bei intended for him to be her boyfriend—he found it somewhat amusing. Anyway, since the girl hadn't said it herself, he'd just pretend not to understand.
Shangguan Bei glared at him, "Don't call me 'little girl'! I... I'll be twenty-one in eight months! Also, I have two things to tell you. First, regarding the shortcomings of the 'Living Dragon Elixir' you mentioned, I've developed a new formula and am currently experimenting with it. Although we don't know the final results yet, it definitely enhances the medicine's efficacy."
She paused, then a smile bloomed on her face. "Second, I've almost collected all the medicine you wanted to treat my legs. Some of the rarer herbs have also been found in Shennongjia, the Greater Khingan Mountains, and Changbai Mountain; they should arrive in about a week! So, get ready!"
As she spoke, her smile grew brighter, filled with excitement and happiness.
With those six creamy welts, she looked even more like a kitten, an incredibly cute kitten, which made Lu Chen's heart flutter. But this flutter didn't seem to be the kind of flutter he felt for a woman; rather, it was the affection he felt for the little girl next door.
He walked out of the workshop, squatted down beside Shangguan Bei, and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?"
Shangguan Bei looked earnestly at the handsome young man before her, whose expression held a hint of wicked charm, and then said seriously, "You won't lie to me. You can definitely cure my legs."
Lu Chen laughed heartily, "Because of your trust in me, I will cure you! So, I understand now, the extra 500,000 is your reward to me. Okay, I'll accept it!"
500,000 minus 150,000 equals 350,000. In fact, whether Lu Chen provided the formula for improving the Vitality Elixir or cured Shangguan Bei's legs, the value far exceeded 350,000.
It could be said that Shangguan Bei was willing to spend 5 million to buy the improved formula, and Shangguan Bei's family was also willing to spend 5 million to cure her legs.
However, Lu Chen didn't ask if there would be any other reward besides the 350,000.
There was no need to ask; he knew Shangguan Bei would never treat him unfairly.
How could a super-rich and beautiful woman who wanted him as her boyfriend possibly mistreat him?
As Lu Chen spoke, he pulled a wet wipe from his pocket, tore it open, and began to wipe the cream off Shangguan Bei's face.
Shangguan Bei quickly turned her head away: "Wait!"
Then, she pulled a Xiaomi 3 from her pocket, held it in one hand, and made a blooming gesture with the other at her chin. *Click*, she snapped a picture.
Then, she beckoned Lu Chen to come closer.
Lu Chen scratched his head, a sheepish smile on his face, and walked over to Shangguan Bei, squatting down and pressing his face against hers as she instructed. They were pressed so close, like two egg yolks.
Feeling the warmth of Shangguan Bei's delicate face, Lu Chen seemed to be drawn in as well, his face burning too. Then, *click*, a vivid photo appeared on the phone screen.
Two heads were close together, lifelike and incredibly vivid, looking quite well-matched.
Shangguan Bei immediately beckoned Qin Ma over, holding up her phone to show her the photo. A little shy, yet also a little excited, she asked, "Qin Ma, don't you think they look like a perfect couple?"
Qin Ma looked closely at the photo, then at Shangguan Bei, and then at Lu Chen. She slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Oh my god, they really do look like a perfect couple! They look so much like a perfect couple!"
Instantly, Lu Chen blushed deeply. Even though he was a seasoned womanizer and had countless affairs, being teased like this by a young girl made him feel a little embarrassed, and he could only chuckle awkwardly.
While chuckling, he used a tissue to wipe the cream off her face. Shangguan Bei, in turn, slightly lifted her face so he could wipe it. The scene was incredibly heartwarming.
While Lu Chen was wiping her, Shangguan Bei muttered to herself, "Hmm, I'm going to upload this to my Weibo and start a poll: do they look like a couple, or rather, just average...?"
Just as Lu Chen was feeling a bit amused, he suddenly caught a faint fragrance.
This fragrance was truly indescribable; one whiff was enough to make one's heart flutter and one's soul bewitch. It stirred up those primal desires deep within his blood, even making him feel slightly dizzy.
In the past, this fragrance would probably have made Lu Chen dizzy. Without a doubt, only an exceptionally beautiful woman could exude such a captivating scent.
However, Lu Chen was different now. For the first two seconds after smelling this fragrance, he was in a dazed state, but then a latent energy within him automatically rose, quickly dispelling the bewitching power of the fragrance, and then automatically transmitting a data.
As usual, this data, like a memory, automatically appeared in Lu Chen's mind.
"Soul-Severing Rosemary," a mind-altering drug emitted by combining with human body heat, possesses strong penetrating power. It can quickly cause a person to lose most of their consciousness when unprepared, thus subduing them.
This is the effect of the Healing God's energy.
Lu Chen let out a slight breath, noticing that Qin Ma and Shangguan Bei beside him already had a hazy smile on their faces, appearing even more dazed than he had been. The surrounding shop assistants, including the bodyguards at the door, all stared with dazed eyes at a very hot woman who entered.
The woman wore a light purple chiffon halter dress. The dress was incredibly form-fitting; any looser and it wouldn't have accentuated her curvaceous, slender figure; any tighter and it would have been too restrictive, showcasing sexiness but not beauty.
That size was absolutely perfect, tailor-made by the most skilled tailor, accentuating the woman's figure with an extreme, devilish allure while seemingly possessing a touch of angelic purity.
Paired with a delicate, almost painted-on oval face, and rimless brown sunglasses, she was simply breathtakingly beautiful.
This left Lu Chen speechless. This combination of beauty and sexiness, this figure that was both arousing and untouchable, was truly a masterpiece! A thought suddenly popped into his mind:
Damn, how come there are so many beautiful women in Yunzhou City?
The woman attracted everyone's attention, captivating their souls, regardless of age or gender. She truly possessed a kind of magic, like the seductive arts in martial arts novels.