Businessman

After the little incident with Thoughts on a Quiet Night, neither Jia Shengnan nor Lu Yuan wanted to drag things out any longer.

"Xuanxuan, go read."

Jia Shengnan told Jia Xuanxuan to leave, and Jia Xuanxuan felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She had wanted to get out of there for a long time.

Only after he saw his daughter go upstairs and close her bedroom door did Jia Shengnan turn back around.

"Student Lu Yuan, you really are a little unexpected.

There's no need for us to beat around the bush. You know why I invited you here today, don't you?"

"I do. You want to pay me hush money. Once I take it, zongzi will be a product developed by the Food Flavor Pavilion, and it won't have anything to do with me, Lu Yuan."

"Smart!" Jia Shengnan clapped his hands. Lu Yuan really did know the ropes; he had thought he would have to explain.

"Then name your price."

"After you, President Jia."

"Heh, you little rascal."

Jia Shengnan pointed at Lu Yuan, but he didn't insist on Lu Yuan making the first offer.

"You're Jia Xuanxuan's classmate and my junior, so I won't take advantage of you. How about this? Fifty thousand yuan, take it or leave it. What do you say?"

"You really are a businessman, President Jia. Do you even have to factor your daughter into your offer?"

"Not at all. I'm just trying to establish a little rapport."

"Then I'll establish a little rapport too. Jia Xuanxuan is my classmate, and you're my elder, so I won't make an offer. One price: 1.52 million yuan."

At the figure of 1.52 million, Jia Shengnan flew into a rage. He slapped the table and cursed:

"Lu Yuan, you've got some nerve! Don't be so greedy! 1.52 million?! Do you think my money blows in on the wind?"

He looked ready to throw Lu Yuan out on the spot.

But Lu Yuan paid him no mind. He leisurely raised his teacup and took a small sip.

"Then there's nothing to discuss." Jia Shengnan folded his arms and leaned heavily back against the sofa. "It's just one product. It doesn't matter whether the Food Flavor Pavilion has it or not."

"Ahem, I'm afraid you need this product very much, don't you, President Jia?"

"Heh, you know better than I do?"

"The Food Flavor Pavilion chain is expanding into other cities, and you're badly in need of a flagship product to break into those markets. Am I wrong?"

Jia Shengnan's furious expression froze on his face. He suddenly remembered that Lu Yuan had happened to be nearby yesterday when he was discussing the matter with the shareholders.

"You eavesdropped." Jia Shengnan was somewhat annoyed.

"I wouldn't call it eavesdropping. I walked right over in the open yesterday. You were the one who didn't take care to avoid being overheard."

"Hahaha, true. How would it have occurred to me to guard against a student like you?"

Jia Shengnan put on a smile in an instant. His outburst just now had been an act. Since Lu Yuan had already put his finger on his sore spot, there was no need to keep showing off his acting skills.

"But 1.52 million is still too much.

"Lu Yuan, you should understand that I'm willing to pay hush money only because I don't want people gossiping. But if the sum is too large, I have to consider the benefits and costs of doing so.

"I can give you fifty thousand yuan. But 1.52 million is a large sum, and it's hard to earn.

"Zongzi aren't complicated. All the employees from last night have already learned how to make them. To be frank, the Food Flavor Pavilion's branches are selling them right now.

"So why must I pay you this money?

"Lu Yuan, I'm a businessman. Don't blame me for being hard-hearted."

With those words, Jia Shengnan had laid his cards on the table. Though he kept saying he was a hard-hearted businessman, he was actually a man of surprisingly good character. He was giving Lu Yuan a chance to convince him.

If Jia Shengnan had truly decided not to part with a single cent, he could have simply shown him out.

Lu Yuan wasn't worried. He had a well-laid plan.

"President Jia, you've misunderstood. Zongzi aren't one product, but a whole series."

"Not one product?!" Jia Shengnan's eyes lit up.

In the restaurant business, it was a rule that hit products didn't last long.

Take the zongzi the Food Flavor Pavilion was selling: business was booming now, but how many people would still buy them a few months later was an open question.

That was because people quickly grew tired of eating a single product.

What could truly sustain a restaurant brand wasn't one or two hit products, but a series of dishes that constantly replaced the old with the new.

Lu Yuan spoke confidently and at length. "Zongzi come in three flavor profiles, six main shapes, four kinds of wrapping leaves, and sixty-two filling combinations. The red-date and glutinous-rice zongzi you're selling now are just a very, very small category among them.

"I taught them the red-date and glutinous-rice ones yesterday because they were the simplest and quickest to make.

"If I'd had a day to prepare, I definitely wouldn't have brought out something so unpresentable."

Jia Shengnan stood up and paced back and forth excitedly.

The "unpresentable" thing Lu Yuan spoke of had brought him over two hundred thousand yuan in revenue in a single night. And that was just one branch.

What if it were something presentable?

From what Lu Yuan had said, Jia Shengnan was confident he could open Food Flavor Pavilion branches across the entire Divine Land within three years, instead of being stuck in little Ning City.

As for the money, he would certainly have to pay it. Lu Yuan had said there were sixty-two filling combinations, and Jia Shengnan knew he could forget about getting even one out of him before he got the money.

"Lu Yuan, if everything you've said is true..." Jia Shengnan forced himself to calm down. "Then 1.52 million is actually too little. May I ask why 1.52 million? Why such a specific amount?"

"1.5 million is to buy Xikangnuo for my mother."

"Does your mother have Twilight Syndrome?"

"Yes."

"What about the twenty thousand?"

"The application fee for Cultivator University."

"You could ask for more."

"I'm not a greedy person."

"Everyone is greedy. I want the truth."

"That is the truth. Saving my mother is my greatest wish." Lu Yuan thought of everything in his previous life and the helplessness imposed by fate, and sighed. "Heaven took pity on me and gave me this chance. I really don't dare hope for more."

Those words moved Jia Shengnan. He stared into Lu Yuan's eyes, unable to understand why someone so young spoke with such desolation.

"...I understand. Did you bring your bank card?"

Lu Yuan took out his bank card. Jia Shengnan took it and called his secretary over.

"Go transfer 1.57 million yuan to this card. Do it now."

The secretary took the card and left. Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Jia Shengnan smiled. "The extra fifty thousand is a gift from me."

"Aren't we signing a contract or anything?" Lu Yuan asked with a smile.

"No need. I trust your character. Someone who always puts family first can't be too bad a person."

"The transfer will take a little time. Have some more tea." Jia Shengnan hollered upstairs, "Xuanxuan, come down and pour the tea!"

Jia Xuanxuan was furious. Why is he calling me again?

"I'm studying!"

"Come down!"

After dawdling for a long time, Jia Xuanxuan ultimately had no choice but to come down and pour tea for Lu Yuan, however unwillingly. Jia Shengnan was fairly imposing.

"Student Lu Yuan, are you thinking of applying to Cultivator University?"

"I'm considering it."

"Jia Xuanxuan is preparing to apply to Azure Nascent Soul Cultivation University."

"Dad!" Jia Xuanxuan was furious. She had never discussed this with her classmates.

"Haha, Lu Yuan, would you consider Azure Nascent Soul?"

"I'm afraid I'm not good enough."

"Not necessarily. How will you know if you don't try?"

"Oh, there's something else." Jia Shengnan changed the subject. "Would your younger sister, Lu Youbing, consider pursuing a career in the entertainment industry? One of my shareholders works in online influencer development."

Lu Yuan was stunned. "Huh? No, no. Xiao Bing is still young and needs to go to school. How could she become an online influencer?"

Hearing this, Jia Xuanxuan gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Your sister is already an online influencer. Photos of Dragon Boat Festival Little Sister are all over the internet now. So impressive~~~"

She deliberately drew out the last words. She was still brooding over that phone call with Xiao Bing.

"Dragon Boat Festival Little Sister?"

Puzzled, Lu Yuan took out his phone and searched for "Dragon Boat Festival Little Sister." The results were flooded with photos of Xiao Bing posing with people last night. After her television interview, a lot of people had asked to take pictures with her.

The most popular one was the photo of her smiling and holding up two zongzi.

A lot of people had left comments underneath:

"You have one minute. I want to know everything about this girl right now!"

"She feels like my first love."

"Out of the way, all of you. That's my wife!"

"Scram! She's clearly my wife. Draw your sword!"

The corner of Lu Yuan's eye twitched.

Jia Shengnan suggested, "How about I sign Xiao Bing as the Food Flavor Pavilion's official spokesperson? She'd only have to shoot promotional videos occasionally, and it wouldn't interfere with her studies."

Sweat covered Lu Yuan's forehead. "I can't make that decision. I'll talk to her when I get back."

"All right."

While they were chatting and laughing, Jia Shengnan's secretary returned and handed the bank card to Lu Yuan.

"Because it's a large transfer from a corporate account to a personal one, it may take several hours to arrive, but no later than midnight tonight."

"Thank you!"

With everything settled, Lu Yuan got up and left.

Watching his retreating figure, Jia Shengnan fell into thought.

Finally, he instructed his daughter, "Keep an eye on Lu Yuan's Cultivation University exam. If he's admitted, tell me immediately."

"No! Why should I keep an eye on him?!" Jia Xuanxuan yelled in anger.

"This young man has boundless prospects," Jia Shengnan explained patiently. "We need to invest early."