Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Swindled Pocket Money

Today, I bought a house and a car, spending nearly a hundred million.

My current balance is back to six hundred million.

I can’t spend it all. I really can’t.

’Shit, I’m this rich and I’m still thinking about starting a company. It’s practically debasing myself.’

Lin Chu silently roasted himself. But just going on shopping sprees all day was also pretty boring. There was no meaning in just spending money. People are the sum of their social interactions; it was only interesting when you dealt with other people.

’Even if you’re just flexing, you still need a hype man!’

On the way to the restaurant, Lin Chu continued to tease her, trying to squeeze some pocket money out of the young woman. But she kept her purse strings tight. Although he backed her into a corner until she was beet-red and squirming like she had ants in her pants, she refused to give in.

’Jerk!’

’Don’t even think about it!’

Just then, Lin Chu’s phone suddenly rang. A glance at the screen showed it was a call from Gu Jiayan.

He answered it casually.

Fang Yichun let out a long sigh of relief. She could finally catch her breath.

"Go ahead."

Lin Chu’s voice was placid.

Gu Jiayan spoke quickly. "President Lin, I have an update for you. Regarding the orphanage, Aunt Li has coordinated with the hospital. The list for the first group of children to receive cochlear implant surgery has been confirmed. There are six of them in total."

"Aunt Li reported it to the higher authorities, then had the supervising department coordinate with the hospital. They were able to get a partial waiver on the fees. It was originally 120,000 per person, but now it’s only 60,000. We only need to pay 360,000 in total."

"This is the first group. For the rest, we’ll wait for these children to recover before scheduling the next batch."

A flicker of warmth sparked in Lin Chu’s heart when he heard this.

’Aunt Li really knows how to handle things, focusing on making the resources last.’ Lin Chu could imagine the immense effort that must have gone into such coordination, the countless people she must have pleaded with. It was all built on favors.

’She really didn’t have to go to such lengths.’

’It wasn’t necessary at all.’

But from his perspective, it was, of course, a pleasant feeling.

"I don’t really think all that was necessary, but we should respect the fruits of Aunt Li’s labor. So, here’s what you’ll do: look into setting up a charitable foundation or something similar. That way, we can avoid all this trouble in the future. Whatever she needs, we can just allocate the funds directly. You’ll be in charge. Check with the civil affairs bureau about the procedures, find out the requirements for establishing one and the minimum funding required."

"I’m currently looking at land for an orphanage, so this will all come in handy."

Lin Chu added, choosing his words carefully.

’Get the charitable foundation running first, create a few donation projects, and then when it’s time to apply for the orphanage license, the process will surely be much simpler.’

’You have to be smart about how you do things. A gentle hand solves the problem.’

’Of course, this was a recent realization for him. In the past, his methods had been too crude and simple. He’d just steamrolled his way through everything, exactly like a member of the nouveau riche.’

Hearing this, Gu Jiayan sounded a little surprised, a little happy, and even somewhat impressed.

’As expected of President Lin,’ she thought, ’always so thorough.’

"Okay, then... I’ll transfer the 360,000 to her first, and then I’ll look into the procedures and projects for the charitable foundation. I’ll report back to you afterward."

Lin Chu smiled. "Sounds good."

Just as he was about to hang up, he heard her tone soften. A little awkwardly, she brought up something unrelated to work. "You... be safe on your trip. The weather’s been so hot lately, and I think there’s a big storm coming to Yang City tomorrow."

Lin Chu’s heart skipped a beat.

A small smile involuntarily touched his lips.

’This "Assistant Development Plan" is pretty interesting,’ he mused. ’Watching her gradually change from how she was at the start to how she is now.’

"Got it."

Lin Chu replied evenly and hung up.

...

Seeing Lin Chu finish his call, Fang Yichun glanced at him curiously again, her imagination running wild.

From the phone call, she’d caught words like "orphanage," "charitable foundation," and "allocate funds," and she’d more or less guessed that Lin Chu was involved in some kind of charity project.

A fresh wave of self-satisfaction washed over her.

’I knew it!’

’The Cold-faced Bodhisattva!’

’See? Deep down, he has a big, passionate heart.’

’Hmph!’

’It’s just the "cold-faced" part that’s so annoying. He just has to tease a kid like me. But, ugh...’

"Are you really out of money for dinner?"

She asked with feigned concern, bringing up the subject herself. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Yeah, it’s pretty tragic."

Lin Chu nodded matter-of-factly.

"Then... how about I lend you a thousand? That’s the most I can do, I don’t have any more! I have to save up, you know!"

She held up one finger, her face turning a little red as she spoke.

’Hmm?’

Lin Chu glanced at her and understood immediately. ’A moment ago, I was pressing her so hard and she wouldn’t budge. So why the sudden initiative? She didn’t even mention me paying her back.’

’No doubt about it, she must have overheard my phone call.’

"Well, look at you, so kind-hearted. C’mon, open your app. Transfer the money."

Lin Chu smiled casually, seeing right through her. He then pulled out his phone and brought up his contact QR code.

She quickly added him.

And sent over a transfer for one thousand.

’I can feel my heart bleeding. Aaaah, my allowance! He just swindled a thousand yuan out of me! The pain is unbearable!’

’No way!’

’You’re not actually going to accept it, are you?!’

’You’ll send it back, right?’

Watching Lin Chu’s movements from the corner of her eye, she offered up a silent little prayer.

But a second later, her fantasy was shattered.

Lin Chu tapped "Accept."

He chuckled. "Thanks, boss. Here’s wishing you a smooth ’monthly visitor’ and no cramps."

Her: ???

’What the heck!’

Her face flushed slightly as she turned her head away, refusing to look at him. ’Hmph, so cringey! I don’t get cramps anyway!’

A moment later.

Fang Yichun couldn’t resist unlocking her phone. She cautiously tapped on Lin Chu’s profile picture to look at his feed, keeping a wary eye on him out of the corner of her vision to avoid getting caught.

When she saw the picture of a private banking card on Lin Chu’s feed, she was speechless.

Her spirit shattered a little.

She smacked herself on the forehead.

’I’m so stupid.’

’I really am.’

’I’m the biggest idiot in the entire world!’

’Sure enough, an older guy’s schemes run deep!’

"I... I just thought of something."

She said weakly, her lips pouting.

"Hm?"

Lin Chu grunted.

"Is it possible that, if you ran out of money, you could just get a loan from a bank? That you didn’t have to borrow from me at all?"

She said, her face a mask of misery, her cheeks puffed out.

At this, Lin Chu finally lost it. He burst into uproarious laughter, completely uninhibited, like a student laughing without a care for his image.

Fang Yichun shot him a resentful look.

"Stop laughing! Have mercy on this poor child! You’re so happy, but my heart feels as bitter as a gourd."

"Bitter melon is good for you. In this hot weather, it’s very cooling."

Lin Chu laughed for a good while before finally composing himself and saying with a straight face.

...

The restaurant Zhao Rong had booked was a private kitchen.

When they reached the parking lot, Lin Chu got out of the car first. He walked around to the other side, but instead of opening the door for her, he waited for Fang Yichun to get out and then extended a hand.

She instantly flinched, pulling her hand back. Her face flushed a deep crimson, and a look of fear flashed in her eyes. It was as if she’d been yanked from the fairy tale world inside the car back into stark reality.

’He’s Young Master Lin, and I’m just a pitiful bitter gourd.’

’Not only did he "swindle" money from me, but now I have to entertain his clients, and maybe even... even later tonight...’

Fang Yichun didn’t dare to let her thoughts go any further.

Just then, Lin Chu grabbed her hand. He could read her subtle, secret anxieties as if they were an open book. He gave her a gentle tug and whispered in her ear, "Here’s the situation. Your Sister Rong wants to curry favor with me, so she sent you to be my companion for the evening. I won’t comment on her actions. Whether she’s a good person or a bad one, you can judge for yourself."

"She wants to get on my good side, and I have to accept her gesture. So I’ll have to ask you to put up with it and play along with me for tonight’s act, okay, little one?"

"That’s all. Your Sister Rong is coming."

Holding her hand, Lin Chu turned to greet the approaching Zhao Rong and Hou Chengjin, chatting and laughing cheerfully.

Fang Yichun’s palm was slick with sweat, but as his large, warm, and dry hand held hers, and as she replayed his words in her mind, she felt a mix of shock, indignation, and an indescribable warmth spreading through her.

His gentleness and thoughtfulness made her eyes well up, and she felt tears threatening to spill.

There was also the hurt of being sold out by Sister Rong.

She had held onto a sliver of illusion, refusing to admit the truth to herself, but now, Lin Chu had mercilessly burst that bubble.

She sniffled, forcing her tears back. At least she didn’t let them fall and make a fool of herself.

’Sister Rong would sell me out.’

’Then... what about him?’

She couldn’t help but look up at Lin Chu’s profile. His smile seemed effortless yet powerful, made to look somewhat profound by the light of the restaurant sign in the darkness.

’Play along with him... in his act?’

Fang Yichun squeezed Lin Chu’s hand back, shifting their grip from a simple hand-hold to interlaced fingers. It really felt a bit like she was dating a domineering CEO from a novel.

’Ah! My first time holding hands! The first time in my life I’ve ever held hands with a boy!’

As Zhao Rong walked over, her gaze flickered for a moment when she saw them holding hands, but she didn’t mention it at all. Instead, she smiled gracefully. "President Lin, there’s a certain dish I’d like to get your opinion on. Do you have any dietary restrictions against Longfeng Dou?"

"It’s not on the menu, but the owner is a friend of mine, so we can order it off-menu. Their version is absolutely perfect; it’s a thirty-year-old establishment. They only serve it to regulars now."

Lin Chu’s expression shifted slightly at her words. He nodded casually. "Go ahead and order it. I’ve never had it, so I’ll give it a try."

The famous Yang City dish, Longhu Dou, was made with snake and cat.

But the thought of eating cat, even a feral one, was too horrifying. Many people couldn’t stomach it, and neither could he.

’Looks like the owner made an improvement,’ he thought. ’Longfeng Dou—Dragon and Phoenix—swapping the cat for chicken makes it much more palatable. The taste probably isn’t all that different, either.’

"Have you ever had this dish?"

Lin Chu leaned close to her ear again, a smile in his voice.

She shook her head, a slight shiver running through her as his breath tickled her ear. "N-No."

Lin Chu chuckled and began to explain the dish’s history to her, starting with the origins of Longhu Dou.

Her eyes went wide, and she couldn’t help but mutter, "But kitties are so cute! How could anyone eat a kitty!"

"Aren’t little snakes cute?"

"And... chickens... aren’t they cute?"

Lin Chu subconsciously resisted the urge to make a dirty joke and casually moved on.

However, she still caught the odd undertone. She subconsciously squeezed Lin Chu’s hand in protest, lowering her head as a blush spread to the tips of her ears.

Zhao Rong and Hou Chengjin followed behind them, not interrupting, just casually watching their boss work his magic on the girl.

Zhao Rong, in particular, had a dark look in her eyes.

Lin Chu could vaguely feel her stare on his back, but he paid it no mind. In his eyes, Zhao Rong was already a dark and dangerously beautiful femme fatale.

...

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