8:00 PM.

Liu Bo drove An Lan to the southern new district in a van. The two had met before at the baby's six-month celebration and gotten along quite well. By the time they arrived at Wanda Plaza, the crew from the renovation company was already there. Two people had come, one to take photos and the other for measurements.

While the renovation company was busy, An Lan took out her phone and made a video call to her father.

"Dad, this is the shop I was telling you about. Take a look for me. Let me know what you think. How should we decorate it?"

Through the phone, An Lan's father sized up the shop. He quite liked it, especially the rooftop terrace on the second floor. It overlooked the distant beach, offering a stunning view. If handled well, it could become a major highlight of the restaurant!

"Okay!" he replied. "I'll give it some serious thought and get back to you!"

Seeing his daughter working so hard for her business, busy with the shop's renovations late into the night, An Lan's father was nearly moved to tears. My daughter has grown up!

An Lan described the shop's layout and the surrounding environment to her father, who listened and nodded repeatedly. In business, you have to adapt to your surroundings. The type of store you open depends entirely on its location. You can't rely solely on your own ideas; being practical is the only way to grow and thrive.

"This shop belongs to Lin Feng," An Lan explained, "and he'll be in charge of the menu. So, I thought I'd take responsibility for the renovation."

Her father was a little surprised to hear this. Who would've thought Lin Feng had bought such a large shop?

"So how will you and Lin Feng divide the profits?"

"I initially proposed that I take thirty percent and he take seventy, but Lin Feng disagreed. He suggested a sixty-forty split instead."

Hearing this, An Lan's father's favorable impression of Lin Feng grew even stronger. Lin Feng was providing the property and the technical expertise, and it wasn't like he was short on money. He could have easily found someone else to manage the shop's operations. As the saying goes, a good wine needs no bush. With Lin Feng's culinary skills, making the restaurant a success would be no problem at all. He likely partnered with An Lan out of consideration for their acquaintance and to give Zhang Yuxi a companion in Yangcheng.

"Alright! I get it," her father said. "If there's anything you're unsure about, just ask me anytime. If you're short-staffed, I can also send a few people over to help you."

An Lan nodded with a smile, then bid her father goodbye.

After she hung up, the crew from the renovation company had nearly finished their measurements. An Lan walked over and laid out her requirements. The shop's decor should be as youthful as possible, with a rich color palette. As for the materials, they were all to be imported. Money was no object. I'm going to make this shop a one-of-a-kind restaurant in Yangcheng!

"I'll need you to work hard for the next couple of days, put in some overtime, and get the renovation plan drawn up for me," she told them. "I want to see the plan by the morning after next, at the latest. The cost is not an issue."

Initially, hearing An Lan mention overtime, the men from the renovation company were somewhat reluctant. But when she said money was not an issue, they immediately agreed. "Okay, no problem!"

An Lan smiled, satisfied, feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Now, everything is in place except for the renovation. For staffing, she planned to recruit locally in Yangcheng. If that proved difficult, she would ask her father for help and get some people transferred from Modu. As for the menu, with Chef Lin on board, that wasn't an issue at all. Once the renovation is done, opening the restaurant will be a piece of cake.

On the way back, An Lan looked out the window at the neon-lit cityscape and couldn't help but marvel at the unpredictability of life. She had only come to visit her best friend, but she had unexpectedly found a new direction for her own life.

***

「Back at the villa.」

When An Lan entered the house, she found Lin Feng still reading in the living room.

"I'm back. Where's Yuxi?"

"She has class tomorrow, so she's already gone to bed."

An Lan hummed in acknowledgment, took off her high heels, and placed them in the shoe cabinet. Then, right in front of Lin Feng, she peeled off her stockings.

Seeing her long, fair legs, Lin Feng was stunned for a moment. He stared, saying awkwardly, "An Lan, what are you doing?"

An Lan ignored him, simply picking up the stockings and tossing them into the laundry basket. "We all know each other so well. Why are you so shocked about me taking off my stockings?"

An Lan pursed her lips helplessly, giving Lin Feng a look reserved for a feudal-minded old prude.

Hearing this, Lin Feng was utterly speechless. Those aren't just any ordinary stockings! He even began to suspect she was doing it on purpose. He shook his head to clear the thought, then got up and went upstairs to bed.

***

「The next day.」

Lin Feng got up to make breakfast while Zhang Yuxi was feeding the baby. After she finished, she went to the bathroom and put on some light makeup.

"Honey, I won't be back for lunch," she said. "There's a meeting at the university…"

Lin Feng nodded and handed her a bento box.

"Honey, how did you know I wouldn't be back for lunch?"

"You told me in your sleep last night."

"Huh? Did I talk to you last night? I don't remember."

Seeing his wife's confused expression, Lin Feng couldn't help but tease her. "Last night, you told me, 'No more, let's just go to sleep.' You also said you loved me so much, that you wanted to be with me forever and never be apart…"

Zhang Yuxi's pretty face turned crimson, and she shot Lin Feng a glare. Since when did I start talking in my sleep?

Lin Feng leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You also told me…"

WHOOSH!

Zhang Yuxi's face turned beet-red. That's definitely not something I said! But the look on Lin Feng's face doesn't seem like he's joking. This is so annoying! Why do I have to talk in my sleep?!

Seeing the two flirting, An Lan felt incredibly annoyed. So much PDA this early in the morning. They're being obnoxious!

She cleared her throat pointedly, interrupting their lovey-dovey moment. "Lin Feng, I'm going out to buy tableware later. I'll also stop by the furniture market to pick out some tables and chairs for the shop. I won't be back for lunch either…"

Lin Feng nodded.

After seeing An Lan and Zhang Yuxi off, Lin Feng lay on the sofa and scrolled through his phone for a while. He suddenly remembered his plan from yesterday to install security cameras in the villa. He opened WeChat and made a voice call to Liu Bo.

"Liu Bo, do you have the number for the technician who installed the security cameras at the shop?"

"Yeah, I do. What's up, bro?"

"I want to install some cameras at the villa."

"Oh, in that case, I'll share his contact with you on WeChat. I know him well, just mention my name."

After adding the contact, Lin Feng communicated with him. The technician said he would need to see the villa first. Only then could he determine the proper layout for the cameras. A villa was different from an ordinary residence; cameras were needed both inside and out, and their placement was critical. Besides, Lin Feng's was a luxurious villa, set on a property over a thousand square meters in size. The camera placement had to be very precise, so an on-site inspection was necessary to design the proper installation plan.

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