Your Effortless Gesture

Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Xiaoxuan suddenly chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Yang looked at her and asked back.

"Mr. Zhang, that girl just now, she must have been the most beautiful girl in your high school class, right? Like... your white moonlight?" Li Xiaoxuan asked while driving.

"What do you mean by 'white moonlight'?" Zhang Yang chuckled.

"That's true. What you can't have is what matters most. Maybe she's someone else's ideal woman, but she's definitely not in your eyes," Li Xiaoxuan said softly and firmly.

"Who knows, maybe you're actually her ideal man, Mr. Zhang."

"Laughing my head off, do you know what I was like in high school?" Zhang Yang chatted with Li Xiaoxuan with great interest, passing the time.

"What does it look like?" Li Xiaoxuan asked, quite curious.

Zhang Yang smiled without saying a word, but had no intention of finding something to show off.

"By the way, what's the matter? You should tell me now."

"Actually, this is just a small favor for you," Li Xiaoxuan said hesitantly, a little embarrassed.

"Tell me about it." Zhang Yang sat in the passenger seat and casually patted Li Xiaoxuan's thigh, finding it very convenient.

"Um... it's like this, I'd like to rent a shop on the first floor of Star City Plaza," Li Xiaoxuan said cautiously.

"Coincidentally, the original owner's lease is also about to expire."

"Is there any difficulty? If the original owner doesn't renew the lease, you can just rent it directly from the property management office," Zhang Yang said.

"What if... what if the original owner plans to renew the lease?" Li Xiaoxuan asked somewhat nervously.

"Of course, the original owner will get priority. We have to prioritize renewing the lease, right?" Zhang Yang blurted out without thinking.

Which location of shops are you referring to?

"There's a barbecue restaurant on the east side of the first floor, called Wind and Cloud Barbecue," Li Xiaoxuan whispered. "Could you please think of something and help me out?"

I'm waiting at the traffic light right now.

When she looked at Zhang Yang, her eyes were watery.

"You have a good eye. That location is considered good even on the entire first floor." Zhang Yang subtly withdrew his hand.

Although there is a right of first refusal.

However, he could easily persuade the merchants to voluntarily terminate their leases by raising the rent; that wouldn't be a problem.

But the key question is, what gives him the right to do this?

He had no relation to Li Xiaoxuan, so he had absolutely no reason to do something so unethical.

"Yes, that location is indeed excellent, Mr. Zhang. I know you must have a way." Li Xiaoxuan pursed her lips and took the initiative to reach out and grasp the hand beside her.

"This isn't good." Zhang Yang pulled his hand away and shook his head.

"Huh?" Li Xiaoxuan's eyes immediately showed disappointment.

She bit her lip, wanting to make her hints more obvious, but her reserve meant that making the first move was already the limit.

"Alright, why don't you look at other shops? It doesn't have to be that one." Zhang Yang looked out the car window.

Right now, it seems we're getting close to his Star City Plaza Commercial Plaza.

"How about we park here on the side of the road and you go to the store?" Zhang Yang said casually.

"Then shall I take you back? Otherwise you'll have to call a designated driver again?" Li Xiaoxuan asked softly.

"No need, I won't go back. I'll just find a hotel to stay in for the night," Zhang Yang said.

"Hotel?" Li Xiaoxuan was taken aback and murmured to herself.

Honestly, Zhang Yang truly had no other intentions.

Food and sex are human nature, but what one should do is to control these desires and be able to restrain them at will, rather than being dominated by them.

A moment later, by the roadside.

Zhang Yang got out of the car.

Li Xiaoxuan got out of the car as well.

In the dead of night, beneath the stepmother's skirt, a pair of plump and delicate thighs were visible.

"Alright, go back to the shop now. Get back early, I'm going to rest too." Zhang Yang said crisply, holding his car keys, and prepared to go to the hotel.

Next to Star City Plaza is an apartment building, which also houses a budget hotel.

It's fine to just go there and have a quick and easy night.

Li Xiaoxuan stood there blankly, watching Zhang Yang leave without any hesitation. She wanted to call out to him, but she couldn't bring herself to take that step.

She was so conflicted that her cheeks flushed crimson.

By the time she came to her senses, the person was already far away.

She stood there, lightly stamping her foot, her expression one of frustration and discouragement.

··

Zhang Yang entered the hotel and randomly booked a room.

In the middle of the night, after taking a shower, he realized he had forgotten to send Meng Baihan a message, so he replied with a message.

"We're home."

The message had just been sent when Meng Baihan replied shortly afterward.

"Okay, I just got home too."

She replied lightly.

It was quite late, and he wasn't sleepy at all, as did Meng Baihan. So, he chatted with Meng Baihan, waiting for sleep to come.

"Hey Zhang Yang, do you think we're good friends now, besides being classmates?" Meng Baihan asked Zhang Yang before going to bed.

Zhang Yang blinked.

"I don't think so. At most, we're friends; we're far from being best friends."

"Okay, then I'll do my best." Meng Baihan Bohan said this out of the blue.

"What kind of oil should we use?" Zhang Yang asked.

"Huh? It's nothing, it's nothing. Oh, right, I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to rest now, goodnight..." Meng Baihan sent Zhang Yang a string of emojis.

Zhang Yang shook his head and casually put his phone aside.

Before going to bed, he carefully reviewed the current upgrade progress.

The current total experience points are 90, which is 10 more experience points away from leveling up to the next level.

At the next level, the daily income is 150,000.

Based on this calculation, his annual cashback alone amounts to over 50 million, or more than 50 million. Add to that the 10 million or so from his own business each year, plus the tens of millions in cash flow he has on hand.

Without making any rash investments, it gives me a tremendous sense of security!

"It's just a matter of signing two more stores, then I can upgrade. I just wonder what the upgrade package will be like this time?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

The previous upgrade gift packs all contained item rewards.

Cars and watches, but the most valuable thing is that 10% off property voucher.

Honestly, you can buy these things if you have money.

He was quite looking forward to this upgrade, hoping the system would do something different. If it were to be merciful and reward him with another business or something, that would be a pleasant surprise.

He was hopeful, but then thought it was unlikely.

Compared to the previous upgrade gift packs, this upgrade gift pack seems to have taken a much bigger step.

"Never mind, I'm going to sleep." Zhang Yang turned off the light, banished the various thoughts from his mind, closed his eyes, and fell asleep immediately.

··

The next morning, Zhang Yang randomly picked a breakfast shop downstairs from the hotel and had breakfast there.

The vast Star City World Commercial Street naturally also has places that serve Chinese breakfast.

He casually ordered a few steamed buns and soy milk, and chatted with the owner while waiting, inquiring about business.

"Not bad. Look at my shop, it's right next to this apartment building, and I also do some takeout. I make breakfast in the morning, and sell other things for lunch and dinner. It's pretty profitable." The shop owner was busy at work.

Zhang Yang nodded, eating his steamed buns and drinking his soy milk, feeling quite pleased with himself.

He desperately wants all the shops on his commercial street to be thriving, which means there's popularity, and shops with popularity have higher value.

After finishing breakfast, he unintentionally passed by Wind and Cloud Barbecue.

Early in the morning, the barbecue restaurant, having just experienced a night of hustle and bustle, was already closed.

"This is a mess at the entrance." Zhang Yang frowned slightly, looking at the remaining sewage at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant. He then made a phone call to Manager Chen.

"Mr. Zhang, I'll arrange for someone to go and clean it up right away," Manager Chen immediately replied.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yang opened the local review website to check the reviews of this barbecue restaurant.

A Caught in the Web "Wind and Cloud Barbecue" reveals a plethora of impressive reviews.

"I came here because of its reputation, and the food was good, but the owner is eccentric and the prices are high."

"Enjoy Wind and Cloud Barbecue, savor the bitterness of life."

"We do not accept customers with few people, children, or those who order too little. All orders must be placed at once; we do not accept additional orders."

"Stop trying to defend him if you have a few alt accounts. Saying the boss has personality is just plain rude."

"Trash, I don't understand why their business is so good."

"It's strange, the more the boss yells at people, the more people come to try it. Don't you realize you're giving the boss the wrong impression?"

After browsing through the information, Zhang Yang immediately felt that things were not so simple.

"I didn't expect this store to be such a popular spot online."

"Internet celebrity stores" are not necessarily those with overly trendy decor. They include, but are not limited to, popular stores that are widely seen on various short video platforms and review websites.

Judging from the reviews, this shop seems to have been around for a few years.

However, Zhang Yang had been working in other cities since college and hadn't paid much attention to local trendy shops.

"It's this reputation of his, it's kind of a mixed bag, both positive and negative," he muttered to himself, shook his head, and left.

Today, designer Lin Jingmin invited him to the villa site for a handover and to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

Normal orders wouldn't progress this quickly.

However, this particular order was worth a whopping 15 million, and the renovation company practically poured all its resources into pushing it forward.

Therefore, once the design plan was finalized, preparations began immediately.

The site protection has been completed in the past two days. After the groundbreaking ceremony, the first step will be the demolition and alteration of the main structure.

In the morning, at Purple Garden No. 1.

"Mr. Zhang, you've arrived." Lin Jingmin stood in front of the villa, her legs clad in black stockings, looking quite alluring.

Zhang Yang parked his car in front of the door, walked over, and casually put his arm around Lin Jingmin's slender waist.

"There are still people from our company in the villa," Lin Jingmin said gently, reminding them in a low voice.

"Is that so?" Zhang Yang casually lowered his hand and walked into the villa.

The spacious, unfinished space was filled with elements from Jade Villa Design Company. A group of staff members from the design company greeted Zhang Yang with warm and humble smiles.

Lin Jingmin walked to the side and led Zhang Yang on a tour, giving him an overview of the upcoming procedures.

"Let's go, the groundbreaking ceremony is waiting for you."

In the empty space on the top floor, Lin Jingmin blushed and pressed down on the hands that were resting on her body.

"Why bother with complicated procedures? Let's just start work." Zhang Yang shook his head and chuckled.

"How can that be? Today is a special day I picked, auspicious for starting work. That's what we're all about, isn't it?" Lin Jingmin looked around, mustered her courage, and tiptoed to kiss Zhang Yang on the cheek.

Then, she gently pulled Zhang Yang downstairs.

A moment later, in the living room on the first floor, there were firecrackers, flowers, champagne, and a banner hanging on the wall behind.

The banner prominently displays the four large characters for "Great Fortune on the Start of Construction".

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, the construction of the villa officially began.

Zhang Yang knew that the company also needed to use this for publicity, so he cooperated by taking a photo and played the role of a tool.

"How was the copy edited again? Let me see."

After the groundbreaking ceremony, Zhang Yang noticed Lin Jingmin enthusiastically editing promotional text on her WeChat Moments, so he went over to take a look.

There's not much to say about the photos, of course.

His photos are unedited, showing him with no makeup, yet his handsome looks remain undiminished. Lin Jingmin, dressed in a suit, stands beside him for a photo, representing Jade Villa Design.

[Congratulations to Mr. Zhang on the successful commencement of construction on the VIP Purple Garden No. 1!]

"How is it?" Lin Jingmin looked up and asked Zhang Yang.

"So be it. It's your company's publicity anyway, I don't care. Oh, and don't forget to pay me the image usage fee if you use my photo," Zhang Yang joked casually.

"Oh? There's a portrait usage fee? Well then, how about this, I'll treat you to a meal." Lin Jingmin covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zhang Yang waved his hand.

A moment later, the two left the villa quietly.

They said they were going to eat, but it was too early, so the two of them tacitly went to the hotel first, and stayed there until late afternoon.

"You're treating me to takeout?" Zhang Yang had just sat up in bed when a pair of fair arms wrapped around him from behind, and he felt a soft warmth pressing against his back.

"You really never get tired. How about I give you something to eat tonight?" Lin Jingmin murmured, leaning against his shoulder.

"Give me some nourishment?" Zhang Yang found it amusing. "How? No, you dare to provoke me?"

He turned around and casually pulled Lin Jingmin into his arms.

Lin Jingmin quickly raised her hands to beg for mercy.

After a period of playful roughhousing, the two of them fell completely silent.

"Want some barbecue? I'll treat you to skewers at Wind and Cloud Barbecue tonight," Lin Jingmin asked with a smile.

"Where? Wind and Cloud Barbecue?" Zhang Yang thought he had misheard. "The one on Star City World Commercial Street?"

"Yeah, that's the most famous place. I'll order you two big kidneys tonight," Lin Jingmin said half-jokingly. "How about it? Want to go eat? I know you're probably tired of fancy meals, a hearty barbecue once in a while is nice."

"Okay, then let's Wind and Cloud Barbecue." Zhang Yang nodded without hesitation.

Coincidentally, he was also a bit curious about this shop, so he decided to go check it out that evening. After all, hearing about it a thousand times is not as good as seeing it for yourself.