Chapter Twenty-Four: You Trust Him That Much

Ming Lang had already slipped away, leaving Gu Yao no choice but to bring the food box inside, open it, and eat.

The food from Baihe Garden was naturally delicious. It was the taste of money, pure and simple!

As she ate the porridge, Gu Yao transferred 3,000 yuan to Ming Lang and sent a message: "This is for the two portions of porridge. Give it back to your President Lu. Don't send any more in the future; it tastes terrible, absolutely awful!"

At the Bolun headquarters, in the secretary's office, Ming Lang looked at the new notification on his phone and his eyes widened in shock.

Awful? The food from Baihe Garden tasted awful!?

He opened his mouth to protest but ultimately shut it. Resigned to his fate, he stood up and walked to Lu Zheng’s office door. After knocking and receiving permission, he pushed the door open.

Lu Zheng was sitting behind his desk, looking at something on his computer. Seeing the sharp, formidable aura radiating from his boss, Ming Lang swallowed hard.

"Um, President Lu..." he began, unsure of how to continue.

When Lu Zheng looked up, Ming Lang hesitated before placing his phone on the desk. "It’s... a message from Miss Gu."

Lu Zheng’s grip on the keyboard tightened. He glanced at Ming Lang and picked up the phone. Ming Lang felt a chill down his spine from that single look, but he didn't dare speak and kept his head bowed.

After a long while, a soft chuckle came from the man in front of him. Ming Lang looked up to see Lu Zheng placing the phone back on the desk without looking at him. "You can go. No need to send anything tomorrow."

"Transfer the money to me."

Ming Lang: "..."

So, what was the point of you sending those meals twice? Just to make Miss Gu spend three thousand yuan for no reason?

***

The day of the grand opening arrived quickly. Gu Yao arrived at the company early, only to find that Chen Ping'an had arrived even earlier. They exchanged a look and couldn't help but chuckle. As it turned out, no matter how calm and collected they usually appeared, they couldn't help but feel excited and nervous at a time like this.

Fortunately, all that tension and anxiety slowly faded as customers began to enter the shop and flower baskets continued to arrive. The area in front of the company grew lively. Most customers were drawn in by the flyers and social media posts, and half of them were specifically there for the finished bread from the bakery corner.

Besides those from friends, family, and business partners, several flower baskets had been sent by new partner bakeries and dessert shops. With over twenty baskets lined up, the storefront didn't look sparse at all—in fact, it was quite eye-catching.

The foot traffic on the first day exceeded Gu Yao's expectations. While most were headed to the retail area and bakery corner on the ground floor, they still managed to secure two long-term wholesale contracts for the second floor. It was a promising start.

Two local influencers they had contacted beforehand also arrived early. Because they had different partnership agreements, one focused on live-streaming the ground floor, while the other filmed both levels, placing special emphasis on the wholesale section upstairs.

Han Yuncai had taken a half-day off in the afternoon to show her support. She also brought gifts from Old Mrs. Lu and Uncle Wang: a jade-carved cabbage and an exceptionally thick red envelope. The red envelope from Uncle Wang was direct, but Gu Yao had to admit it made her quite happy. The jade cabbage was carved from a single solid piece of stone. While the quality of the jade wasn't top-tier, the size and craftsmanship meant it was worth at least six figures. Gu Yao had it carefully placed on the cabinet next to the cash register.

By four in the afternoon, the crowd began to thin, and everyone finally had a moment to sit down and catch their breath. The foot traffic had been constant, but the actual transaction volume wasn't massive. After all, baking ingredients were a niche market, and many people were just there to see the excitement. However, the finished goods in the bakery corner were nearly sold out.

Han Yuncai returned to the Lu residence at five o'clock, reassured now that Gu Yao’s company had opened successfully. At five-thirty, the retail area saw one last small wave of customers, which didn't fully dissipate until nearly seven. The first day of business had come to a successful end.

At seven-thirty, all the employees had left, leaving only Gu Yao and Chen Ping'an sitting in the second-floor lounge, processing the excitement of the day. A successful opening was cause for celebration, but the impending anxiety over sales performance added a heavy layer of pressure. Gu Yao lay on the sofa, her stomach growling with hunger, but she felt too exhausted to move.

It wasn't until Chen Ping'an called her that she stirred. The two headed downstairs. Chen Ping'an walked ahead, but stopped abruptly when he reached the door. Gu Yao looked up from behind and immediately saw the man standing outside. Since the ground floor was empty after the staff left, Chen Ping'an had locked the door from the inside.

Chen Ping'an looked back at Gu Yao and signaled with his eyes, "Here for you?"

Gu Yao rolled her eyes at him.

Chen Ping'an understood—it really was her guest! He couldn't help but steal a few curious glances at the man outside, inwardly clicking his tongue. The man looked wealthy and powerful; the watch on his wrist alone was worth more than he could ever afford. But, the way he was looking at him didn't seem very friendly. Realizing something, Chen Ping'an’s brow flickered. He glanced at Gu Yao, then at the man outside, and suddenly understood.

Chen Ping'an opened the door. Gu Yao stepped out and faced Lu Zheng, not saying a word. She had a vague feeling that the man was in a foul mood.

Chen Ping'an pulled the rolling shutter down, looked at Gu Yao, then at Lu Zheng, and finally couldn't help but lean toward Gu Yao and whisper, "Um, are we still going? What's going on?" They had planned to go have hot pot together.

Gu Yao’s gaze flickered. Just as she was about to answer, the silent man in front of her spoke first: "Congratulations on the opening."

Gu Yao blinked and nodded. "Thank you."

When she saw that Lu Zheng had no intention of leaving, she had to ask, "Mr. Lu, is there anything else?"

After a two-second pause, Lu Zheng replied, "Since today is your opening, I’m taking you all out for dinner."

Gu Yao instinctively wanted to refuse. "Thank you, but we..."

She was interrupted by Lu Zheng before she could finish. "I'm not the one treating you; I'm treating you on behalf of my mother." He reached into his coat, pulled out a red envelope, and handed it to her. "This is her opening gift to you."

Gu Yao looked at it, unsure whether to accept it or not. She had already accepted gifts from Old Mrs. Lu and Uncle Wang, so she couldn't refuse something from Mrs. Lu. But why was Lu Zheng the one bringing it instead of Han Yuncai? She was highly suspicious of who had actually provided the envelope.

As if guessing her thoughts, Lu Zheng stepped forward, shoved the envelope into her hand, and held onto her hand as he did so. "Don't be suspicious. I wouldn't lie about something like this. However..."

He leaned down, bringing his face close to hers. Gu Yao instinctively took a step back, but her hand remained trapped in his. The man's expression was indeed dark. He stared at her and asked the question that had been bothering him since he arrived:

"A man and a woman alone in a room, with the door locked from the inside—do you really trust him that much?"