Chapter 71
On her first day at work, Yu Shu was so bored that she skipped out after lunch.
Calling in sick to stick it to the boss and go shopping feels so good~
Yu Shu's good mood lasted until she ran into Shen Youlin at her front door.
Shen Youlin complained, "You changed the door code!"
"It wasn't me, the code updates automatically every two months."
"Oh, let me record a fingerprint then?"
Yu Shu rolled her eyes. "As if I'd let you!"
Yu Shu opened the door and Shen Youlin sheepishly squeezed inside.
"Auntie is off today, no dinner to mooch."
"I didn't come for food, I came to apologize." Shen Youlin fished a purse out of his pocket and presented it to Yu Shu with both hands. His left index finger was wrapped in a thick, aqua silk purse embroidered with a gardenia. In the corner was a seal script character spelling out Yu. The beaded tassels were also intricately made.
The flat purse couldn't possibly hold any prank toys.
Yu Shu gave the contents a squeeze through the silk—it was something square and hard. She opened the purse and poured out a lustrous green jade seal.
The seal felt smooth and warm, beautifully translucent quality jade. Carved into the base were four gardenias in different poses, and her name was engraved on the face.
Shen Youlin jutted out his chin. "I carved it myself. No amount of money could buy something like this."
Yu Shu held up the purse, "Did you embroider this too?"
"What kind of man embroiders flowers!" Shen Youlin denied vehemently.
"Is that so?" Yu Shu examined the embroidery on the purse. "Then why does the calligraphy look so similar to the carving?" She said slowly. "Who is so talented to be able both carve and embroider so well?"
"Uh...I'm just gifted, you know. My aunt is a master embroiderer and I learned a bit from her as a child." Shen Youlin pinched his thumb and forefinger together in the classic male gesture of playing down one's talents.
Yu Shu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "So modest! What else can you do? Can you cook? Come help me make dinner."
"I can...learn some."
Ten minutes later, Yu Shu kicked Shen Youlin out of the kitchen in frustration.
"Jesus!" Shen Youlin covered his butt in protest. "I've been patient with you for a long time! If you kick my ass again, I'll..."
"Go to the supermarket and buy a jar of salt, the rose salt for searing steaks."
"...Oh."
Yu Shu was just an average cook, but Western food was easier. The steaks and creamy mushroom soup for dinner turned out decent enough that Shen Youlin ate heartily without complaint—two big steaks and three bowls of soup.
He wouldn't wash dishes in this lifetime, so after eating, Shen Youlin sat there cradling his injured hand and stared at Yu Shu wordlessly.
Yu Shu laughed in exasperation. "Useless."
In the end, Shen Youlin helped clear the table out of conscience, awkwardly using just one hand.
After tidying up the dining area and kitchen, Yu Shu sat him down in the living room and brought out a first aid kit to redress his wound.
He had made a mess in the kitchen and dirtied the bandage.
Yu Shu bent her head in concentration cleaning and bandaging his cut. Shen Youlin gazed at her long lashes in a daze, unconsciously leaning closer.
So long? Are they real or fake eyelash extensions? Doesn't seem like either?
"What are you doing?" Yu Shu looked up to see him so close and demanded sternly, "Why are you getting so close? Are you planning something indecent?"
"I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense," Shen Youlin's face was even more severe than hers. "Please don't insult our unbreakable revolutionary friendship."
And so, Shen Youlin was kicked out again, this time sprawled in the hallway in the Crane Landing style*.
"Damnit!"
(*Crane Landing is a traditional Chinese martial arts move)
September, harvest time.
Zha Zha Hu Hu was a smashing success after two months in business, topping Rong City's must-eat rankings. In their first month, they booked ¥120k in net profit. The second month exceeded ¥200k...
The small shop didn't even offer takeout. Takeout just wasn't as tasty as eating there fresh, plus the shop was already overwhelmed meeting dine-in demand. Every day from open to close, a line halfway down the block snaked outside.
On Yin Minbi's advice, Yu Shu partnered with Zhiyang and Zhixia to establish a catering company. Yu Shu's Yu Shu Investment provided the capital, while the two sisters contributed recipes and handled daily management.
The newly minted Zha Zha Hu Hu Catering Co. focused on fried skewer chain stores, with plans to open 30 locations throughout Rong City in the first phase, to be completed within a year.
The low budget mystery film Mr. Nobody, featuring a no-name director, cast, and writer, shockingly became the biggest dark horse hit of the National Day holiday box office, raking in ¥700 million over seven days.
The up-and-coming young director Mr. Wan Tusui rushed into the chairman's office of Yu Shu Investment the day after the National Day vacation ended, weeping and calling her Daddy.
"Daddy~ you don't understand, yesterday I was taken out by a bunch of perverts for dinner, and they...they...actually tried to take advantage of me..."
Yu Shu's eyes lit up excitedly and she swallowed. Lowering her voice, "Like, raped you?"
"They wanted to invest in me, but if I took their money, they would have made me...made me..." Wan Tusui broke down bawling.
Yu Shu fished out a bag of walnuts from her snack drawer. "Then take their money first."
Wan Tusui wailed, "Daddy, you're my daddy..."
"No, we found you in a trash can by the beach." Yu Shu nestled into the big boss chair and cracked nuts.
"Daddy, if I take their investment, they'll mess with my script, force me to change the female lead, make my movie all smutty and vulgar." Wan Tusui despaired, "Oh Daddy—!"
Wan Tusui couldn't find a better angel investor daddy than Yu Shu—no meddling, only funds, not a peep about changing the script or casting.
Any other backer would've long been nagging and ruining the project.
Wan Tusui was determined to cling to Yu Shu's coattails.
"You'll have to discuss this with your godfather. Just yesterday she mentioned starting up a film company."
"Godfather?"
"Mm. Your daddy is just the company mascot. Your godfather Yin Minbi makes all the decisions. Go left out the door to the CEO office." Yu Shu split a small handful of nuts with him. "Find your godfather Yin Minbi."
In a blink, Wan Tusui vanished from the room, leaving only an echo of "Bye Daddy~".
"Good grief, Shen Youlin came with rage mode, and you come with teleport."