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This line had been in Cheng Lang's repertoire ever since the day he arrived in this world. After repeating it so many times, he knew it by heart. Even his voice, stage presence, movement, and expression worked together flawlessly.

Manager Chen had only mentioned it casually. Seeing that Cheng Lang did not need it, he did not insist.

Having placated the god of wealth, Cheng Lang finally relaxed. Then he changed the subject and got down to business.

"My milk tea shop is right across from our school. It isn't big, and my customers are all students from the school. The profit margins are slim. I just want to earn some living expenses." Cheng Lang looked embarrassed. "I'm an orphan, and I don't have much capital. At most, I can order three to five cases a month just to keep up appearances. If I went looking for a distributor on my own, they probably wouldn't even bother with me."

"What's wrong with that? Every business starts small and grows bigger." Manager Chen actually comforted Cheng Lang instead. "You're already doing very well for yourself at such a young age. How many people your age are still relying on their parents for spending money?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Manager Chen realized he had misspoken. Other people Cheng Lang's age could rely on their parents, but Cheng Lang was an orphan. Of course he had to fend for himself. If he did not find a way to make money, he might not even know where his next meal would come from.

Thinking that, Manager Chen inexplicably felt a trace of guilt. He could not be bothered to backtrack, so he simply said, "How about this? Make me a list of whatever liquor and drinks you want, and I'll get them for you at our internal cost price. This order won't go through the bar's accounts, and it can't be entered into the bar's inventory either. Give me an address, and I'll notify the supplier to ship it straight to you."

After hearing that, Cheng Lang immediately thanked him profusely.

After they finished discussing business, Manager Chen took a phone call and left directly. Kevin, the bartender, gave Cheng Lang a thumbs-up. "With that mouth of yours, you could talk a dead man back to life."

"Watch your mouth." Cheng Lang glanced at him and raised a brow. "That's called heartfelt sincerity, naturally moving people's hearts. Besides, Brother Chen and Brother Wang are warmhearted and righteous. If they were coldhearted stones, it wouldn't matter how prettily I talked."

The bartender's head buzzed from Cheng Lang's tongue twister. "I can't argue with you. It's almost nine. Time for you to go on."

Cheng Lang shook his head. He truly felt how quickly time flew.

At exactly nine that evening, Cheng Lang stepped onto the stage on time. After two days of acclimation and training, the bar's patrons had clearly grown accustomed to Cheng Lang's style. The moment he stepped onstage, people impatiently started buying drinks and requesting songs. They had assumed Cheng Lang would accept all comers as usual, but instead, he sighed and said wistfully, "...Last night, right after I got offstage, our bar manager called me into his office."

Brother Wang, standing below the stage, felt his heart skip a beat. He had no idea what trouble Cheng Lang was about to stir up this time.

Fuck, was this kid planning to pin the blame on Brother Chen?

Brother Wang's face turned livid. He feared Cheng Lang was too young and reckless, blinded by money and lacking restraint. If Cheng Lang truly offended Brother Chen, no one would be able to protect him.

Onstage, Cheng Lang continued his one-man comedy routine with abundant emotion and expressive gestures. "Brother Chen gave me a good telling-off. He said that in all his time at White Jade Capital, he had never seen anyone like me."

The guests below the stage knew perfectly well what that meant, but someone could not resist asking, "What exactly is someone like you supposed to be like?"

"Leaving affection everywhere I go." Cheng Lang tilted his head up at the lights, wearing an expression that said, "I am a dashing romantic, yet the world insists on loving deeply." "Brother Chen said I was handsome, sweet-talking, and a good singer, so everyone loves me."

The guests below could not take it anymore. "Oh, give it a rest."

The rest of the bystanders nodded in agreement. Though they had no proof, everyone felt that this "Brother Chen" would never praise Cheng Lang like that. The guy was clearly borrowing someone else's name to sing his own praises.

Cheng Lang had excellent mental fortitude and ignored the guests' skepticism. He continued, "Brother Chen said that of all the things I shouldn't do, I shouldn't use my mass-produced tenderness to brush off every customer's devoted affection."

Someone below the stage could not help it and hurriedly spoke up in self-defense. "I don't like you."

Cheng Lang could not stand for that. "...As they say, men's mouths are lying ghosts. Whether you like me or not isn't for you to decide."

Someone below the stage even played along. "Then how is it decided?"

Cheng Lang got straight to the point. "Look at the money!"

"Here, I'd also like to say something to all my dear friends." Cheng Lang changed tack and began acting as a relationship expert. "When judging whether someone likes you, don't just look at what they say. Look at what they do. If someone is willing to spend money on you, then even if they don't say it, at least their wallet likes you and is willing to open up for you. But if someone keeps saying they love you to death yet isn't even willing to spend money on you..."

Cheng Lang shook his head and said no more.

A female guest below the stage could not help asking, "Then what if someone is willing to spend money on you, but she doesn't like you?"

At that question, some people exchanged knowing smiles. In a place as decadent and luxurious as this, such things were the most common.

Cheng Lang looked at the female guest. "I can have your money, but not your heart?"

The guests below the stage felt that there was something strangely off about that sentence.

The female guest could not help laughing and nodded. "You could put it that way. I'm willing to throw money at people, but my boyfriends always say I'm not faithful enough and don't love them enough. They say my affection is too cheap."

Cheng Lang seriously analyzed the situation. "Then you have to take market conditions into account. See whether prices have risen lately and whether there's inflation. If the economy is bad and money has depreciated, that can happen too. Maybe they're reminding you that it's time to pay more."

The female guest: "..."

The crowd below burst into laughter.

Amid the laughter, Cheng Lang confidently concluded, "So there you have it! Money is a wonderful thing. There is nothing in this world that money can't solve. If it can't be solved, add more money."

The female guest asked with a smile, "Then if I wanted you to be my boyfriend, how much more would I have to pay?"