11:20 PM.

Sunac Binjiang No.1 Courtyard, Building 8, Unit 2102.

SPLASH!

The bathroom light came on again, but this time, it was Qin Yuenan who went in instead of Lin Shen.

She braced her left hand on the ceramic sink, slowly lifted her head, and stared blankly at her flushed, water-splashed face in the mirror, feeling utterly mortified.

"Damn you, Lin Shen!"

Qin Yuenan muttered under her breath, her expression bashful.

SMACK!

Qin Yuenan slapped her own cheek hard and took a deep breath. ’Calm down, just calm down...’

’How am I supposed to calm down?!’

Qin Yuenan splashed her face with cold water again, then pressed her lips together, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

She didn’t dare go out and face Lin Shen, afraid he would laugh at her.

’We were both doing the same thing, so how come I’m the one who’s been embarrassed both times?’

Qin Yuenan couldn’t figure it out. But the one thing she knew for sure was that hiding in the bathroom wasn’t a long-term solution.

’I’m not such a coward!’

’I have to pull myself together!’

After giving herself a mental pep talk, Qin Yuenan turned off the faucet and lightly dabbed her face with a towel.

When she came out into the living room, she found Lin Shen standing on the balcony, gazing out at the still-brilliant night view.

In that moment, the decadent and dazzling city of Modu was showing off its extravagance.

Outside the window were rows of towering skyscrapers, while inside, warm ambient lighting outlined the contours of Lin Shen’s powerful physique.

His shoulders were broad and straight, sloping naturally along the curve of his shoulder blades before cinching tightly at his waist, forming a powerful V-taper.

Those were the taut lines that only came from years of training; even the prominent groove of his spinal erectors was clearly visible.

As someone who worked out, Qin Yuenan knew very well that achieving a body like that required immense hardship and effort.

What’s more, she remembered clearly that just over a month ago, Lin Shen had been nothing more than a rather chubby guy.

But now he possessed such an erect, masculine figure that radiated virility...

Qin Yuenan was deeply impressed by Lin Shen’s self-disciplined willpower, her gaze a mixture of fascination and desire.

’No wonder he’s so incredible when we do... that. Turns out I’m feasting on some prime stuff...’

Her heart raced. Stirred by a restless emotion, she slowly walked up and gently wrapped her arms around the man before her from behind—a man who was hers alone.

At least, in this moment, he was hers alone.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about your performance just now, Nan."

!?

Feeling the arms wrapped tightly around his waist tremble, Lin Shen offered his critique.

"Not bad for a beginner. There’s still room for improvement."

"Who asked you to praise me for something like that!"

Qin Yuenan said, flustered and annoyed. This made Lin Shen let out a knowing smile before he suddenly adopted a serious tone and said softly.

"Nan, quit your job. I’ll support you."

"Once the simple renovations on the 14th-floor office space are done, the general manager’s office will be yours. I’ll start hiring staff right away so the company can get on track as soon as possible."

"That’s too fast."

Qin Yuenan said in a serious tone, pressing her cheek firmly against Lin Shen’s back.

"The Cat Cafe will need about half a month to test the market’s response. In the early stages, the company doesn’t need to hire too many employees. The personnel costs would be a heavy burden."

"The best approach is to wait for the office renovations while the Cat Cafe has its soft opening. We’ll build our Shennan brand name through a model of online marketing plus a physical store, emphasizing our positioning as a high-quality product."

"Then, when the time is right, you can find a contract manufacturer to produce our own brand of cat food. That’s how we’ll achieve true brand profitability."

"Do you need me to make some introductions? I know many partners who can manufacture cat food. As for the formula, you might have to figure out how to buy the patent from someone else. That would take a lot of effort to find the right people, and it would cost a fortune... Do you need me to give you the money?"

"No need."

Lin Shen patted the back of Qin Yuenan’s hand and chuckled.

"I already have the cat food formula. I’ve also found someone for contract manufacturing. I expect the first batch of trial products will be out in a few days."

’So fast?’

Qin Yuenan’s beautiful eyes widened slightly. Lin Shen’s foresight truly surprised her.

The Cat Cafe hadn’t even opened yet, and he was already paving the way for the next step.

’How much courage and confidence must he have to do something like this!’

If the Cat Cafe failed, every subsequent step would just add to the money that was already a total loss.

Unless Lin Shen had already prepared to take a loss.

Or, to put it more aptly—he wasn’t short on cash!

’And to be able to buy a cat food patent so quickly means he isn’t short on connections, either!’

"Lin Shen, can you be straight with me?"

Qin Yuenan felt a little lost now.

She used to be very confident in her own family background, thinking she and Lin Shen were a good match in terms of social standing.

But now, she felt a little insecure, worrying if she was really good enough for Lin Shen.

’A man this outstanding... can I really be his girlfriend?’

Qin Yuenan tightened her arms around Lin Shen again, as if afraid he would suddenly vanish before her very eyes.

"What exactly does your family do?"

"You might not believe me if I tell you."

Lin Shen chuckled, teasing her.

"My parents are both factory workers in a small third- or fourth-tier city."

Huh?

Qin Yuenan was dumbfounded. Her mind, which had just cleared from the influence of alcohol, was thrown into chaos once more.

She had considered that Lin Shen’s family background might be at one of the extremes, but she never expected it to be the lower extreme! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

’Both his parents are factory workers... How is that possible!?’

In truth, Qin Yuenan really wanted to ask that, but subconsciously, she felt that Lin Shen wouldn’t lie to her.

Besides, if he were going to lie, shouldn’t he have made his family background sound better, not worse?