Chapter 416: Chapter 336 Confirming Relationship with Lin Lu

Cheng Zhu stood outside the restaurant, actually hadn’t called for a ride yet.

His smoking habit wasn’t as severe as it had been in his previous life. He smoked when socializing but rarely when alone.

At that moment, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

The flame flickering in the night, combined with the breeze, somewhat intensified the effects of the alcohol.

Cheng Zhu exhaled a smoke ring and gently shook his head.

Finishing the cigarette also helped him suppress the slightly complex emotions stirring within him.

That night, Cheng Zhu was feeling a bit restless.

He took out his phone and finally ordered a ride.

Unexpectedly, it was a female driver.

Years later, there indeed appeared to be so-called female drivers,

but generally, considering the job involved traveling in all weather, there were still fewer women.

After arriving at the Xinhang Apartment, Cheng Zhu checked his phone and it was actually still early, just 9 PM.

After paying the driver, he went upstairs and returned to his rented apartment.

He took out his laptop from his computer bag and while the computer was booting, he poured himself a hot cup of water.

Then, he started to draft the detailed proposal he was about to send to Shen Minglang about their potential collaboration.

This would involve his rights and obligations.

He internally named this plan, “Kidnap the Shen family strategy.”

But actually, the ones to be “kidnapped” included firstly Shen Qingning, then Mr. Shen; it seemed as though it would be an agreement with Ming Lang, but he was just added for appearances.

After Cheng Zhu finished writing, it was quite late into the night.

Since this was for Shen Minglang, he also tried to make it easier to understand.

As for the contract, professionals would be employed later.

After finishing all this, Cheng Zhu reviewed it and felt quite satisfied.

This was also laying the groundwork for upcoming financing.

For some, securing financing was simple, while for others, it was difficult.

There are some talents who could easily raise billions with just a PPT and a speech.

Cheng Zhu now had a very successful store too.

Telling the capital about his high-end internet-famous milk tea, he could certainly tell it beautifully.

In fact, it indeed had great prospects and wasn’t just fluff.

Just like Lei Bu Si said in an interview, “If you build your company well, investors will come to you, because professional VCs and PEs need to disburse funds; investing is their job, they look for money-making opportunities every day.”

“So, let them come to you, it’s easier than you seeking them.”

This resonated with Cheng Zhu’s thinking.

Moreover, the high-end internet-famous milk tea shop had an advantage: high online popularity and traffic, making it more visible to many people.

Investors are much sharper than the average person; they definitely understand that in the coming years, there will be a very fast increase in domestic high-end consumption!

Of course, Lei Bu Si emphasized in that interview about when you should seek financing.

Is it when you have no money?

No, it’s when you have spent only half of your money.

Lei Bu Si: “When you have no money in your accounts, that’s when financing is most painful. You have almost no bargaining power because if they don’t give you the money tomorrow, you’re dead the day after tomorrow. What power do you have to negotiate?”

“So, the trick to finding money is to have a lot of money in your account already.”

“So this world is paradoxical, you can only get money if you already have money.”

“Isn’t that a paradox?”

These could be regarded as Lei Bu Si’s experiential talks, and he gave an example of his own company XiaoMi, mentioning someone wanting to invest in him, which he declined saying he still had money.

That person then asked when the next financing round was, and how much it planned to raise.

Lei Bu Si said the plan was to raise $4 billion by the end of the year.

The man directly said, “Then, I’ll give you $4 billion today.”

On the other hand, Youu Tea, while currently only having one store, its momentum was frightening, with single-store data that could slap any traditional tea shop in the nation, unmatched by a huge margin!

Additionally, did Cheng Zhu have money in his pocket?

It’s a joke; he’s a QQ tycoon with a substantial amount of money coming in every month!

And, the Shen family was also very wealthy.

Having a solid foundation was crucial for negotiation.

Do you think financing is difficult for Cheng Zhu?

However, he thought differently, not letting others choose him, but he would choose others.

…

…

The following day, Cheng Zhu got up early.

He had tasks on hand today.

“Saturday it is, gotta take Little Youzi for Youu Tea and then buy her pizza.”

What struck him as unusual today was that Lin Lu seemed to be speaking less, just exchanged morning greetings with him, unlike other days where she’d share every little thing with him.

For instance, what she had for breakfast, or whether she lost any hair while washing it this morning.

“If she said good morning, it means nothing serious has happened.”

“But her sudden quietness means something’s probably bothering her,” Cheng Zhu guessed internally.

Of course, he could also guess where Lin Lu’s moodiness originated.

Her thoughts as a vital energetic girl were too easy to predict.

But he didn’t point it out deliberately, nor did he go to her, choosing to play dead for the moment.

After getting up and freshening up, Cheng Zhu did some simple exercise at home, then hungrily ate a couple of whole-wheat bread slices.

It was quite cold outside today, with frost forming on the car windows.

He didn’t rush to pick up his sister but first went to the Persistent Visit studio to handle his official business.

Then, Cheng Zhu drove to the fresh supermarket operated by his home to pick up the little princess.

He let Little Youzi sit in the back seat and buckled her up.

Before driving off, he thought for a moment and smilingly asked, “Little Youzi, have you been missing your Sister Lu?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Super much!” Cheng Youu immediately raised her little hand, eagerly, like during a class discussion.

“Then I’ll take a picture of you, let’s see if seeing the photo will make Sister Lu specially come to find me,” Cheng Zhu said, smiling as he picked up his phone.

Little Youzi immediately posed for the camera with a cute grimace, her chubby little face scrunching up like a little bun.

After taking the picture, Cheng Zhu started updating his WeChat Moments, then set the visibility so only Lin Lu could see it.

He even typed a caption for the picture: Taking the little princess for pizza and milk tea!

Humph, WeChat Moments were something many used as bait!

That’s why many people post less when they are in relationships but start posting like crazy after a breakup.

Along the way, Cheng Zhu casually asked, “Little Youzi, do you guys have a New Year’s Day performance?”

“Yeah, yes!” the little girl nodded from the back seat.

Oddly, after buckling up a child in a car seat, the seat belt seems more like an accessory, making the child appear even more adorable.

“Do you have a part in it?” Cheng Zhu asked with a smile.

“Yes, our class is dancing,” Little Youzi replied.

Hearing this, Cheng Zhu could imagine her makeup-covered face at that moment.

He really didn’t understand why many kindergartens, which love organizing performances, also loved to put makeup on children, and often, it wasn’t even good makeup.

The kids are cute enough without having to add anything, yet they just have to overdo it with messy makeup.

After arriving at Star City, Cheng Zhu first took her for pizza.

The little girl, holding a slice nearly as big as her face, ate eagerly.

“Tasty, isn’t it?”

“Tasty!”

However, she kept looking around while eating.

“What are you looking for?” Cheng Zhu was puzzled.

“I’m looking for Sister Lu,” the little girl answered matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t say she would definitely come,” Cheng Zhu chuckled.

“Impossible!” Cheng Youu immediately countered, “She definitely misses me super much too!”

Confident, just like me.

However, by the time she finished her pizza, Lin Lu hadn’t shown up, and Cheng Zhu’s phone remained quiet.

“Wipe your hands and mouth, let’s go have some milk tea,” Cheng Zhu said.

When the siblings took the elevator down to the ground floor where the milk tea shop was, the sharp-eyed Little Youzi immediately spotted Lin Lu in the queue.

Yes, she had come to Star City, in a huff.

“Super annoying, Cheng Zhu is really super annoying!”

“I told him to give me an answer after my birthday!”

“He pretty much agreed, right?”

“But now it’s been a day, and he still hasn’t told me!”

“That jerk definitely wants me to ask him first, then he will hesitantly agree, putting up a face like he can’t stand it, so smug!”

“I know him too well.”

“Hmph, he held my hand, hugged me, took my first kiss, yet isn’t proactive at all, the scumbag! Ptooey!”

That was why Lin Lu had only said good morning that morning.

— Let you taste the power of Miss Lin Lu’s cold violence!

But upon seeing Cheng Zhu’s WeChat update, she started feeling conflicted.

Today was Saturday, and she didn’t have classes.

She had just expressed her feelings to a boy, and they had intimate contact; any normal girl would want to date on the weekend.

So, while giving Cheng Zhu her “cold violence,” she also was at home putting on make-up and picking out clothes, then started holding back from going to find him.

My cold violence is endurance!

Seeing the WeChat update, she drove to Star City.

I’m not here for him; I just craved some milk tea.

Even if I saw him, I’m here to see Little Youzi.

I haven’t seen her for a long time; she must miss me a lot.

The more Lin Lu queued at Youu Tea, the more she fumed.

In her mind, she and Cheng Zhu were just lacking a ceremonial acknowledgment of their relationship.

After all, they had kissed, and he initiated it, that pervert.

So, rounding it up, I’m at least half the boss of Youu Tea.

A boss having to queue up for milk tea, how preposterous!

The cashier had actually noticed the unusually eye-catching beautiful girl in the crowd.

“Isn’t she the girl who frequently comes here looking for the boss? Why is she here alone today?”

Of course, although queuing was torturous, it also naturally allowed her to wait for Cheng Zhu and Little Youzi.

She had timed it, thinking the pizza should be almost done.

Indeed, she had waited just long enough.

When Little Youzi saw her, she had seen the little girl too.

There you go, lively little girl meets energetic young lady.

Kids don’t care much, waving and shouting directly: “Sister Lu! I’m here!”

Lin Lu immediately pretended to be surprised, as if she hadn’t expected to encounter Little Youzi here, her acting was so exaggerated that she could only be a voice actor.

She had already made it halfway through the queue and stopped.

What’s there to queue for?

She quickly walked towards Little Youzi, then deliberately ignored Cheng Zhu with her eyes, not bothering with him as if he was air.

“Little Youzi, hello! Hello there!” the signature greeting.

Unexpectedly, in the next moment, she was caught by the wrist by Cheng Zhu, then heard words that made her mind buzz and her heart skip a beat.

Cheng Zhu looked at her, his natural arching eyebrows knit in displeasure, his expression full of irritation:

“Not even greeting your boyfriend?”

…

(P.S.: Second update, asking for double the monthly tickets!

You men always shouting about loving your mentors, but on her birthday today, January 2nd, not voting, huh! Just like my readers, haha!)