The Canon Couple

Since the teahouse had only just opened for the day, there were no customers yet.

Grandma Wu Ting explained, "Young Master Chen, we've only just opened. Customers won't arrive quite this early. It usually gets busy around noon."

Bai Chen walked slowly beside Grandma Wu Ting as she showed him around the teahouse. At her words, he nodded with a smile. "Yes, teahouses usually have more customers around noon." Just as bubble tea shops drew more young people in the evenings.

They chatted as they walked, the atmosphere as quiet and peaceful as an ordinary conversation between a grandmother and her grandson.

The elderly woman spoke with elegance. Though the years had left their marks on her face, they did not make her unattractive. Instead, they lent her a distinctive charm and grace.

After asking a few questions, Bai Chen learned that she was indeed no ordinary employee.

She was a good friend of the original owner's grandmother, and she had provided part of the funding for this teahouse.

Whenever she had nothing to do and felt bored, she would come here to listen to opera, drink tea, and take care of a few miscellaneous matters.

The tea room on the first floor had several different sections devoted to enriching the spirit.

Outside was a large pond. From where Bai Chen stood, he could see plenty of lotus flowers.

To the north stood a stage devoted exclusively to Kunqu opera. A renowned troupe had been hired to perform twice a day, once at ten in the morning and once at three in the afternoon.

Almost everyone drawn here by its reputation came for that troupe's performances. Reservations had to be made two weeks in advance, and securing one was difficult without substantial financial means.

There was also a pottery-making area in the southeastern corner of the first-floor tea room, staffed by famous master potters from City A. Every guest who came here could receive a complimentary piece of pottery.

"Pottery?" Bai Chen's eyes shone with excitement.

Ever since childhood, he had loved making little things himself to display in his room. In college, he had even signed up for the least popular elective-pottery.

His first pottery piece had won first prize in his city, with prize money of nearly ten thousand. He had sent more than half of it to Bai Xi.

When Bai Xi refused to accept it, he had deposited it directly into her bank account.

He had thought he would never have anything to do with pottery again in this life. Who would have guessed that the original owner's teahouse had a pottery-making area?

His eyes brimming with excitement, he asked Grandma Wu, "Grandma Wu, could I go learn a little pottery later? I'll just watch from the side. I won't disturb the masters while they work."

Grandma Wu had not expected Bai Chen to like pottery too, and she was delighted. "Of course. You can do whatever you like here. There's no need to ask me. But be careful, and don't burn yourself on the kiln equipment."

Bai Chen was a little touched. He murmured his agreement and promised, "I'll be careful. Thank you for looking out for me, Grandma."

Bai Chen actually felt that, as an adult, he would be fine, but being cared for still made him happy. Perhaps, in an elderly person's eyes, you remained a child no matter how old you were.

After finishing their tour of the first floor, they turned back and went upstairs.

The stair railing was made of red pavilion wood. As they climbed, they could smell its distinctive woody fragrance. It smelled lovely, but it was extremely expensive.

The teahouse had two floors. The second floor housed private rooms with a better view of the performances. Even money could not guarantee a reservation; almost everyone who managed to book one was wealthy or influential.

The second floor was indeed far more luxurious than the first. It had separate private rooms, and looking out through the windows, they could even see a lake not far away.

There was a saying that rang very true: only by standing higher could you see farther and take in scenery others could not.

Bai Chen quietly resolved to work even harder to earn money. He hoped that one day, he would stand at this height through his own strengths and abilities rather than the original owner's advantages, though it seemed unlikely to happen.

"Mr. Lin, ah-yes, yes... I've already arrived at the Morning Breeze Teahouse." A middle-aged man leaned against a windowsill as he spoke on the phone, his tone deferential throughout.

"Mm. I'll see you in five minutes." A magnetic, cool male voice came through the receiver.

The middle-aged man hurriedly replied, "No rush, no rush. Take as long as you need. Travel safely, Mr. Lin."

The other man merely replied with an "Mm" before hanging up.

After ending the call, the middle-aged man let out a long breath.

This Mr. Lin was notoriously difficult to get a meeting with. It had taken plenty of money and connections to arrange a meeting with him in person.

He had met the man before. Though courteous, polite, and handsome, he was anything but easy to deal with. He had brought down several companies and was as cunning as a fox. Still, if this meeting went well, the man's company could multiply its earnings several times over.

Provided he succeeded.

"Mr. Lin, we're here," an honest-looking middle-aged man said to the handsome young man in the back seat.

"Mm," the young man replied, his voice magnetic and clear. He pinched the bridge of his straight nose, took a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from their case and put them on, narrowed his eyes slightly, then stepped out.

He glanced at the sign reading "Morning Breeze Teahouse," then walked inside at an unhurried pace.

The moment he entered, a female staff member approached him.

"Mr. Lin, please come upstairs. A gentleman reserved one of our upstairs suites in your name and has already paid," the staff member said.

A smile curved the young man's lips. "All right, I understand."

The staff member gestured invitingly.

"Please follow me."

The girls nearby turned to look, their faces instantly taking on lovestruck expressions.

The young man before them wore a white shirt and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which made him look all the more refined.

When he smiled, he had the warmth of a kind older brother from next door. He seemed utterly approachable, making people want to draw closer.

"He's so gentle, and so handsome," a boy sitting in the corner said admiringly to the girl across from him.

"Yes, he's so handsome. I wish he were my older brother," another girl agreed.

Upstairs, the middle-aged man hurried over when he saw the young man arrive.

With an exaggeratedly hearty smile, the middle-aged man extended his broad, rough hand toward him. "Hello, Mr. Lin. I'm Chen Gang. I'm delighted you could join me today."

The young man extended his right hand in return. It was fair-skinned, with well-defined knuckles and long, elegant fingers.

He shook the man's hand lightly before letting go. Side by side, their hands made the young man's skin look even fairer.

He maintained a perfectly measured smile that made him seem easy to get along with. "Lin Jingchen. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chen."

"Hahaha! Mr. Lin, you're truly young and accomplished! So capable at such a young age, and so handsome too!" Chen Gang lavished praise on him.

The young man really was remarkably handsome. His beautiful, alluring eyes, paired with those glasses, gave him a distinctive air.

They added a sense of hidden cunning, as though he appeared utterly harmless while already holding victory in his grasp-a refined rogue, like a shrewd fox.