Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 85 - 84: A Magical Little Feature

’What an amazing feature,’ Lin Shen mused.

Just then, Jiang Wan returned from the restroom. She picked up her bag and gave a small smile.

"Ready to go? I’ve already spoken with the owner. After a little editing, we can post the photos to Xiaohongshu."

"Okay."

Lin Shen stood up and left with Jiang Wan, heading to the next dessert shop.

Heartbeat Sweet House.

Unlike the last place, "Half a Spoon of the Starry River," with its artsy name, you knew exactly what this dessert shop sold just by hearing its name.

It was just that their dessert ads were all themed around "couples" and "Sweetness," and the shop’s decor was the epitome of romance and luxury.

So, the owner’s request was for Jiang Wan and Lin Shen to take couple-style photos, primarily to promote the shop as the ultimate date spot for couples.

"Me?"

Sitting on the sofa, Lin Shen felt the owner’s hopeful gaze on him and glanced surreptitiously at Jiang Wan across from him.

"I, for one, don’t mind. It all depends on you, Senior Jiang Wan."

"I definitely don’t mind either."

Jiang Wan cupped her cheek, a sweet smile on her face.

"After all, I already discussed it with the owner before we came."

’So you knew about this all along!’

A muscle in Lin Shen’s cheek twitched. He felt like he’d been tricked by Jiang Wan and the shop owner.

’Then again, this kind of "deception" isn’t exactly a bad thing...’

"Alright, then."

Lin Shen handed the camera to the shop owner and asked.

"Do you know how to take pictures?"

"A little. I’m not great, but it’s fine. It’ll be good enough."

The shop owner held the camera firmly and hung the strap around his neck to prevent it from falling.

"Besides, you’re so handsome there’s no bad angle. You’ll look great no matter how I shoot."

"Thanks."

Hearing the owner’s over-the-top compliment, Lin Shen felt a shiver run down his spine. He rubbed his shoulders and asked curiously.

"How do you want to shoot this?"

"Could you two start by feeding each other?"

"Alright."

Jiang Wan picked up a spoon, scooped up a strawberry from the side of the volcano ice cream, and brought it to Lin Shen’s lips.

He, in turn, offered her one as well.

CLICK—!

After pressing the camera’s shutter, the shop owner looked at the photo he had just taken and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

"This is such a lovely shot. You two truly are a perfect match."

"Thank you."

Whether it was from the sweet dessert or the owner’s compliment, Jiang Wan felt a honeyed sweetness in her heart, and her gentle smile grew even sweeter.

"What do you need us to do next?"

"Let’s do the drinks."

The second item was a kumquat lemon drink. Two straws, bent to form a heart, were placed in the glass, one for Lin Shen and one for Jiang Wan.

After the shop owner finished taking this set of photos, he gestured for the two to sit together for the third set.

Lin Shen didn’t hesitate much, rising to sit down next to Jiang Wan.

Instantly, a light, pleasant fragrance drifted over from her, sending his mind reeling.

’Smells so good!’

"Could you feed your partner a cherry? Mouth-to-mouth."

’What?’

Lin Shen almost thought he’d misheard. It was only when he turned to see the owner’s earnest smile that he realized the man was serious.

’This intimate?’

Lin Shen was immediately hesitant, but Jiang Wan didn’t seem to mind at all. She even had a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Sure."

With that, she picked out a cherry and held it between her full lips. Blinking her beautiful eyes at Lin Shen, her innocent expression seemed to hold a hint of a little devil’s playful mischief.

Seeing this, Lin Shen’s heart suddenly accelerated.

He didn’t know if she was doing it on purpose, but the cherry she held in her mouth was arguably the smallest one on the entire dessert.

’To get it, our lips would definitely have to touch.’

’So, should I go for it?’

Lin Shen hesitated for only a moment, but Jiang Wan seemed to grow impatient. She cupped his face in her hands and pressed forward, feeding him the cherry directly.

The owner seized the moment, snapping photos furiously with the cheerful expression of someone who loved watching a good show.

"Was it good?"

After they parted, Jiang Wan’s smile was as gentle as ever, but a faint blush was visible on her glowing cheeks.

Clearly, she wasn’t as calm on the inside as she appeared on the outside.

Lin Shen, however, was much more composed. He chewed the cherry a few times and spit out the pit.

"It was pretty good."

"I’m not just talking about the cherry, you know."

Jiang Wan gave a meaningful smile, and before Lin Shen could react, she suddenly looked at the shop owner.

"Was that okay?"

"Perfect!"

The shop owner seemed very satisfied with their intimate behavior and immediately couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"Are you guys really not a couple?"

"..."

Jiang Wan didn’t answer but looked at Lin Shen meaningfully, as if waiting for his answer.

He just coughed twice and shook his head.

"Not yet."

"Is that so."

The shop owner looked at Lin Shen, then at Jiang Wan’s slightly disappointed face, his expression turning particularly strange.

’You really think I can’t see?’

’You two kissed and you’re still saying you’re not a couple!?’

’These days, I just don’t get the relationships between men and women anymore.’

After finishing the photo shoot, the shop owner returned the camera to Lin Shen.

"Senior Jiang Wan, will uploading the third set of photos to Xiaohongshu affect you in any way?"

"What kind of effect?"

Jiang Wan raised her head, her big eyes filled with confusion.

Lin Shen knew she was pretending not to understand, so he spelled it out.

"I mean, will the couple-themed photos make you lose followers?"

"I don’t know."

Jiang Wan shook her head, seemingly not too concerned about it.

"If they unfollow, they unfollow. I’m not in the habit of changing myself for other people. That’s too exhausting."

"I think that’s the right way to be."

Lin Shen smiled slightly, seeming to agree completely with Jiang Wan’s point of view.

"If we care too much about what others think, we lose our individuality and become boring."

"So we really are kindred spirits."

Jiang Wan teased with a smile, but her words were laced with a playful jab.

Lin Shen could tell she was still hung up on him saying they "weren’t a couple" earlier.

’But we really aren’t in a relationship!’

’At most, we’re more than friends but not yet lovers. It’s just an ambiguous stage.’

’In any case, I’ve made up my mind. I’m never going to be the one to confess first again.’

Jiang Wan seemed to sense his thoughts, so she moved closer to him again and whispered in his ear.

"Shall we go? To the next place?"

"Yeah."

Neither of them mentioned the cherry incident, but this little episode left an indelible mark on both their hearts.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it directly pushed their relationship forward.

Because after leaving the shop, Jiang Wan took the initiative to link arms with Lin Shen.

Before, the two had maintained a certain distance. Even when walking shoulder-to-shoulder, though they might have brushed against each other, neither had taken the initiative to hold the other’s hand.

Now, they had skipped the hand-holding stage and fast-forwarded to linking arms—an intimate gesture usually reserved for couples!

This made Lin Shen’s originally calm heart suddenly start to race.

’After all, if it were any other girl, linking arms would be one thing. But this is Jiang Wan.’

Lin Shen quickly took a deep breath to calm his mind.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wan kept pointing out buildings along the road for him to see, as if deliberately trying to distract him.

They continued like this until they reached the car.

"Let’s go get some Japanese food next."

After getting into the passenger seat, Jiang Wan smiled as if nothing had happened.

Neither of them brought up what had just happened, as if they had intentionally decided to skip over it.

*

Shun Xian.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of this newly opened Japanese restaurant, a waiter came up to greet them.

He was wearing a Japanese-style work shirt, paired with a matching apron, and loose-fitting lantern pants, which matched the surrounding Japanese-style decor perfectly.

"Hello, a table for two?"

"Yes, but I’ve been in contact with your owner. We’re here to feature the store."

After Jiang Wan introduced herself, the waiter quickly left.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with a potbelly came out, smiling politely.

"You must be Ms. Shui Yanwei, right? Please, follow me, you two."

"Okay."

Led by the owner, Lin Shen followed Jiang Wan into the restaurant and to a relatively quiet private room.

The private rooms here were separated by wooden latticework and bamboo blinds, with coarse white linen cloths serving as half-curtains for the doorways, creating the atmosphere of a Neon ramen shop.

After Jiang Wan and Lin Shen were seated, the owner immediately provided them with a menu.

The sheer number and variety of dishes were so great that Lin Shen couldn’t help but look at Jiang Wan.

She caught his meaning and smiled at the owner.

"There are only two of us; we can’t eat this much. Why don’t you trim it down a bit?"

"Well..."

The owner probably didn’t have much experience with influencer marketing and thought he should just have Jiang Wan recommend most of his menu in one go.

After her reminder, he cut a few things, leaving only the most classic Japanese dishes.

"Is this okay?"

"Mhm."

"Alrighty! Then I’ll go with this menu."

The shop owner scratched his head and suddenly made a quiet request to Jiang Wan.

"Um... this is also my first time running a Japanese restaurant. If anything doesn’t taste right, please tell me privately, and I’ll have the kitchen improve it immediately."

"Okay."

Jiang Wan gave a gentle, encouraging smile.

"Your attitude is great. I’m sure your business will do well in the future."

"Hehe! Thanks!"

The shop owner scratched his head shyly, thanked them, and left the private room.

While waiting for the food, Jiang Wan and Lin Shen continued to chat about this and that, but never touched upon what happened at the last dessert shop.

Finally, Jiang Wan seemed unable to hold back any longer. She propped her elbows on the table, leaned her upper body forward, and asked in a low voice.

"What... kind of girl do you like?"