The ice queen manager fell completely!

Song Qiuya's cheeks burned as though she had been held over a fire, and even her breath felt scorching.

Her heart hammered wildly in her chest. That was no exaggeration-she could actually hear its deafening, out-of-control thumping.

"I... I need to go home!"

Her voice was so faint that the river breeze nearly carried it away.

She turned to flee, only to realize that her wrist was still held firmly in his warm, strong hand.

She tried pulling free. His grip did not budge.

"Chen Lin!"

Flustered and embarrassed, Song Qiuya turned back, only to meet a pair of smiling eyes. The teasing warmth in them instantly robbed her of all strength.

"All right. I'll take you home."

Chen Lin released her wrist, his voice gentle and reassuring.

On the walk back to the parking lot, Song Qiuya did not dare lift her head again.

She simply clutched that cumbersome bouquet of roses, her head lowered, watching their shadows stretch and shrink beneath the streetlights out of the corner of her eye. Her mind was a tangled mess.

What... was that just now?

Was she... falling for him?

But how many times had they even met?

Her brain had completely shut down. She could not make sense of anything.

Chen Lin called a designated driver.

The white Qin Plus cruised smoothly through the night. Inside, it was quiet enough for them to hear each other breathing.

An unspoken attraction quietly brewed in that small space, more intoxicating than the half bottle of Lafite Legend they had drunk earlier.

Song Qiuya sat in the back seat, afraid to let her gaze settle anywhere. She watched the colorful lights racing past outside, but all her attention was on the man beside her.

The car soon entered Yicheng's most exclusive residential neighborhood-the River View Splendor Mansion.

"Just stop here," Song Qiuya said softly.

The designated driver brought the car to a smooth stop at the entrance. Chen Lin paid him, and the two of them got out together.

"I'll walk you upstairs," Chen Lin said as though it were only natural.

"N-no need!"

Song Qiuya refused hastily, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Let him walk her upstairs?

A man and a woman alone together-wouldn't that mean... She dared not follow that thought any further.

Chen Lin smiled at her panicked expression and did not insist.

He simply stood there, quietly watching her walk away.

After a few steps, Song Qiuya stopped and turned back almost against her will.

The night was gentle. Beneath the warm yellow glow of a streetlamp, Chen Lin was still standing there, his shadow stretching long. His gaze remained fixed on her with an intensity that made her flustered.

Once again, her traitorous heart began to race.

"Chen Lin!"

Summoning more courage than she ever had in her life, she called out to him.

"Hmm?"

"Next time... could we have dinner together again?"

The instant the words left her mouth, Song Qiuya felt as though her cheeks could fry an egg.

Oh heavens, what was she saying?

Being so forward-would he think she was an easy woman?

But the words were already out. There was no taking them back.

A moment later, she saw Chen Lin smile. In the darkness, that smile shone brighter than the stars.

"Sure."

"But next time, it's my treat."

"Th-then it's settled!"

With that, Song Qiuya practically fled, clutching her bouquet as her heels tapped out a frantic rhythm against the ground.

Only after she rushed into the elevator and its metal doors slowly closed, shutting out the world outside-

Did she finally slump against the cold elevator wall, drained of strength and gasping for breath.

She lowered her head to look at the gorgeous roses in her arms. The blush had yet to fade from her face, but the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably.

As she smiled, her eyes unexpectedly grew damp.

In twenty-seven years, this was the first time she had tasted the thrill of falling for someone.

So this was what it felt like.

The designated driver drove to the village entrance and flatly refused to go any farther.

"Man, it's not that I don't want to take you in. It's pitch-black, and there's not a soul around. I... I'm scared."

The driver looked close to tears.

Chen Lin did not make things difficult for him. He scanned the payment code, paid two hundred yuan, and drove the rest of the way himself.

When he returned to his little courtyard, everything was silent.

Clear Wind and Bright Moon darted out of the darkness and circled affectionately around his feet.

Chen Lin looked up. The moonlight was especially beautiful tonight, its cool radiance spilling like liquid silver across the entire courtyard.

It was the perfect time to cultivate.

He sat cross-legged and began practicing the Taiyin Breathing Technique.

With each breath, wisps of moonlight seemed to answer an invisible summons, turning into silver specks barely visible to the naked eye and rushing into every part of his body.

As the technique circulated, the power within him grew increasingly solid and docile. Like a tamed river, it flowed slowly through his meridians, nourishing every inch of his flesh, bones, and sinews.

Chen Lin could clearly feel that his control over this power had improved further.

The next day.

Chen Lin was awakened by the familiar roar of engines and clamor of voices outside his courtyard.

He opened his door and looked at the crowd of anglers at the entrance, all brimming with manic enthusiasm. He no longer had the energy to be annoyed.

Tang Xiaolong really had persistence etched into his very bones.

Still, Chen Lin had now come to terms with it.

His trip to Peach Blossom Island had shown him the true value of his Spirit Spring Fish.

To Tang Xiaolong, these were no longer ordinary ingredients. They were a trump card that could secure every high-end customer.

For that trump card, Tang Xiaolong would have to swallow the cost-not just twenty thousand yuan a day, but even twice that amount.

Once he realized this, Chen Lin took out his phone and sent Tang Xiaolong a message.

"Young Master Tang, your people are more punctual than the rooster crowing at our village entrance."

The reply came instantly, along with a sticker of someone bowing with clasped hands. "Brother Chen Lin! My dear brother! I've got no choice! Those gourmets ate yesterday, and they started calling nonstop before dawn today. They're driving me crazy!"

Chen Lin pursed his lips and typed rapidly.

"All right, quit the act. Don't send your people over here to throw a party before sunrise anymore. You're disturbing my sleep."

"I'll supply you with two hundred jin of fish every day. Send someone to pick them up at ten in the morning sharp. Same price: one hundred yuan per jin."

Tang Xiaolong went silent for more than ten seconds.

He seemed to be digesting this enormous, unexpected windfall.

Then messages began popping up in a frenzy.

"Brother! You're my real brother! It's settled! From now on, you're my own big brother, Tang Xiaolong, though we have different parents!"

Looking at his phone, Chen Lin shook his head in amusement.

With Tang Xiaolong sorted out, he went into the kitchen.

Chen Guofu was crouching in front of the stove, tending the fire. When he saw Chen Lin, he asked gruffly, "That many people showed up again?"

"Second Uncle, there's something I need to tell you. From now on, we'll be supplying the Peach Blossom Island Restaurant with two hundred jin of fish from the pond every day."

Clang!

The fire tongs fell from Chen Guofu's hand. His eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face.

"H-how much? Two hundred jin? Every single day?"

"Yes, every day," Chen Lin confirmed with a nod.

Chen Guofu sprang to his feet and circled Chen Lin twice, as though inspecting an alien.

"Have you lost your mind, boy? Is his restaurant right outside the Dragon King's palace? How can he sell that much?"

"Second Uncle, whether he can sell it isn't our concern. We just need to collect the money," Chen Lin explained. "From now on, you'll be responsible for catching two hundred jin of fish before ten every morning. Can you handle that?"

Those words instantly stirred Chen Guofu's farmer's pride.

He thumped his chest loudly. "Who do you think you're looking down on? It's only two hundred jin of fish! A few casts of the net, and your second uncle will have it done! Leave it to me!"

Chen Lin smiled at his wholehearted confidence.

After breakfast, he returned to his room and opened Green Bubble out of habit.

A red "1" sat quietly at the top of his chat list.

It was Song Qiuya.

He opened the chat. There was just one simple message.

"Good morning, Chen Lin."

Her pretty face from last night instantly appeared in Chen Lin's mind again, red enough to drip blood, along with her helplessly bashful expression.

She had hardly looked like a twenty-seven-year-old career woman.

Unable to suppress his smile, he tapped out a reply.

"Morning, Qiu Ya."

Putting down his phone, Chen Lin began planning.

The fish pond business was on track now, bringing in a steady twenty thousand yuan a day.

But that was still not enough.

He recalled the rapeseed he had grown earlier using Spirit Spring Liquid.

How good would the oil pressed from rapeseed irrigated with Spirit Spring Water be?

The thought filled him with excitement. He immediately opened a shopping app and ordered a small home oil press.

Once that was done, another thought struck him. There was still a "treasure" lying in his Storage Ring.

The Crimson Moon Fox's carcass.

He took the Crimson Moon Fox's carcass, which was taller than a person, out of the Storage Ring.

The moment it appeared, a faint fragrance mingled with the scent of blood spread through the air.

Clear Wind and Bright Moon, who had been dozing in their bed, reacted like iron filings drawn to a magnet. In an instant, two white streaks appeared beside the Crimson Moon Fox's carcass.

"Master! This! Want to eat!"

Clear Wind's little-girl voice rang out in his mind, filled with a primal, uncontrollable craving.

"Master! Eating it will make us stronger!" Bright Moon's voice followed, brimming with urgency.

Just as he had expected.

They had inherited the Crimson Moon Fox's bloodline. To them, this fox's flesh was a heavenly treasure.

Without further hesitation, Chen Lin fetched the Boning Knife from the kitchen, preparing to cut off two pieces of meat.

"Master! Don't cook it! Most of the spiritual energy will escape if you cook it! Eat it raw!"

Clear Wind seemed to sense his intentions and urgently "shouted" inside his mind.

Chen Lin's knife hand paused.

Raw?

He looked down at the two little creatures. They were gazing at him eagerly, nearly drooling in long strings.

Well, they were felines. It was their nature.

With two precise strokes, he sliced two palm-sized pieces of tender meat rich in blood from the Crimson Moon Fox's thigh and handed them over.

Clear Wind and Bright Moon cheered, each grabbed a piece in their mouth, and ran to a corner to wolf it down.

The pieces of meat were almost bigger than their heads, yet the two little creatures swallowed them in just a few bites.

The moment they finished, a sudden transformation began!

A faint crimson glow spread over the two kittens' bodies. Their fur grew visibly smoother and glossier, while spiritual light flickered in their eyes, making them seem even more lively than before.