Chapter 7

For a college student with no parents, thirty thousand yuan was no small sum. Cheng Lang had also come across as slick and worldly, the sort who would use any means for profit. So the landlady was genuinely a little surprised. But after the surprise, she felt somewhat relieved. At least Cheng Lang had not taken advantage of her being a sucker for good looks and soft-hearted, treating her like some fool he could deceive at will. For that alone, the landlady was quite gratified.

By the end of their discussion, the landlady took the initiative to discuss the rent for the next three years with Cheng Lang.

"The market rate is one hundred and eighty thousand. Let's sign a four-year contract, until you graduate from college." The landlady believed that with Cheng Lang's scheming and ability, he probably would not end up having to make a living running a milk tea shop after graduation.

"...If your milk tea shop makes money during these four years, then we'll keep the annual rent at the market rate of one hundred and eighty thousand. If the shop loses money but you still want to keep it going, I can lower the rent to one hundred and fifty thousand a year. But this agreement only applies to the two of us. If you want to transfer the shop to someone else secondhand, I won't agree."

Of course. Cheng Lang would not do something so beneath him. Besides—

"Let's sign a four-year lease, but change the terms slightly." Cheng Lang had always been the kind of person who returned an inch of respect with a yard. He would not casually squander someone else's goodwill. "If my milk tea shop turns a profit during these four years, then the annual rent will follow the market rate."

Under the landlady's astonished gaze, Cheng Lang smiled and said, "Boss, you're beautiful and kind. I can't let a good person take a loss. You have to believe me—I really am broke right now. But I won't be broke forever. Once I make money, I won't let down the people who helped me."

The landlady smiled. This time, she was genuinely a little moved. "I really didn't expect it. You're not that old, but you handle things beautifully."

After signing the contract, the two of them went to complete the transfer procedures. By the time they were done, it was already past two in the afternoon. Cheng Lang had not even eaten lunch.

He ordered a bowl of mala tang at a small restaurant beside the milk tea shop and called Shen Huaiyu while eating. Ten minutes later, Shen Huaiyu walked into the restaurant. "...You really took over the shop?"

"Not me—us!" Cheng Lang corrected him. "When I negotiated the contract with the landlord, I said the two of us were opening the shop together."

Shen Huaiyu laughed helplessly. "What does that have to do with me? I don't know how to make milk tea, and I don't know how to run a milk tea shop."

"How could it have nothing to do with you?" Cheng Lang teased with a smile. "The landlord only agreed to transfer the shop to me at such a cheap price after seeing your face. So half the credit has to go to you."

Shen Huaiyu chuckled and shook his head. Curious, he asked, "So did you skip class this afternoon?"

"That isn't important." Cheng Lang said, "The important thing now is that you need to do me a favor."

Shen Huaiyu was somewhat curious. "What can I help you with?"

Cheng Lang's eyes lit up. "You don't need to do anything complicated. Just lend me your face."

Lend him his face?

Shen Huaiyu blinked, not understanding what Cheng Lang meant.

"Wait a few minutes." Cheng Lang finished the rest of his mala tang in a few bites, then took Shen Huaiyu back to the milk tea shop next door.

The autumn afternoon sunlight was just right. Cheng Lang gestured for Shen Huaiyu to sit at a table by the window. He went behind the counter and casually mixed a colorful fruit tea with the available fruit and rose petals. Then he poured it into a pretty glass, carried it over to Shen Huaiyu, and pulled a book from the shelf. "Just open it and read."

Though completely confused, Shen Huaiyu obediently did as he was told.

Cheng Lang stepped back several paces, took out his phone, found the right angle, and focused.

—Under the golden autumn sunlight, an exceptionally handsome young man with delicate features and an elegant air sat before an exquisitely decorated floor-to-ceiling window, reading with his head lowered. Brilliant sunlight kissed his brows and eyes, casting rings of light around him. His fingers were long, his nails pink, and his fingertips so fair they seemed to glow. A vividly colored fruit tea sat beside his hand, its hues made even more dazzling by the refracted sunlight.

Cheng Lang took several photos. After examining them closely, he shook his head. Deliberately choosing a more covert angle, he lightly jostled his phone as he took another picture.

A few minutes later, Cheng Lang looked at his phone with satisfaction. In the similarly composed image, a pair of long, fair hands quietly held a book. On the pale green tabletop sat a gorgeously colored fruit tea. Beautiful sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling window, scattering across the table like broken gold. Even the small patch of shadow formed between the spine of the book and the teacup was gentle in exactly the right way.

It was clearly a photo taken from a hidden angle. Perhaps the phone's owner had been too excited while secretly snapping it, because even the focus was off. The slight blur draped the already lovely image in a hazy veil, so exquisite and beautiful that everyone who saw it would unconsciously hold their breath.

Cheng Lang snapped his fingers in satisfaction. Next, he registered two alternate accounts on the campus forum and Weibo, carefully choosing an aesthetic profile picture that looked like something girls would like. Then he uploaded several secretly taken photos that did not show Shen Huaiyu's face. Writing in the voice of a girl secretly in love with her dream guy, he posted a delicate, romantic promotional piece about her crush.

Chapter 7

At eight that evening, Cheng Lang reported to White Jade Capital on time. But unlike his usual high spirits, he kept ducking into corners to fiddle with his phone. The shift supervisor came over several times to remind him, "Don't keep looking at your phone during work hours. It'll be awful if a customer complains."

"I know." Cheng Lang put away his phone, his expression grave.

Seeing this, the supervisor could not help asking, "What's wrong? Did something happen at home?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the supervisor realized something was wrong. Everyone knew Cheng Lang had grown up in an orphanage without parents. What family could he possibly have?

"Don't tell me your girlfriend dumped you?" But he had never heard that Cheng Lang even had a girlfriend.

"No." Cheng Lang's expression was solemn. The situation he was facing was far more serious than getting dumped.