Chapter 68

In two days, Qin Yun's studio was up and running; he rented a shared office space since he had no employees needing to come in—just having a location was enough.

Then he met Fang Nan in person.

From the start, Fang Nan's enthusiasm nearly drowned him; had she not considered herself a woman, she might have launched herself at him. She didn't need Qin Yun to speak—she chattered nonstop on her own, and all he had to do was answer properly.

Over lunch, the entire formal discussion was settled in just ten minutes.

Fang Nan patted her full chest and declared boldly: "Brother Yun, rest assured—I'll handle the main editing work and won't let you down. If you're not satisfied, I won't take a single cent."

Qin Yun hurried to say: "No need, no need. We're mutually beneficial—you've got to keep your company alive, right, Boss Zhang?"

Boss Zhang, Zhang Quan, Fang Nan's partner and the company's owner, sat beside her and wished he hadn't come today.

He hadn't even gotten a word in, and Fang Nan had almost promised free work. Fortunately, the other side was reasonable and didn't let them off the hook—they signed a contract at market rates. Otherwise, the words "sucker" on his forehead would've been impossible to peel off.

Zhang Quan smiled: "Auntie Qin's right. But as Xiao Nan said, since we're partnering, we'll give it our all—the results will satisfy everyone."

After finalizing the partnership with Fang Nan's company, another important matter was taxes—this was precisely why he wanted to establish a studio.

As a sole proprietorship, if his annual income reached five million, he'd pay over thirty percent in taxes—losing one and a half million. But as a sole proprietorship applying for assessed taxation, his total tax burden dropped to under one hundred thousand.

It was a world of difference.

On the way back, Su Huan said: "Do you remember Shi Lulu?"

"Shi Lulu?" Qin Yun pictured a girl in his mind. "I remember she went abroad and cut off contact after that. How come you're still in touch with her?"

Su Huan nodded: "Yeah, she returned to China earlier this year, but she reached out to me before National Day."

"Oh."

All relationships are like this—if not actively maintained, even the closest bonds gradually cool, then drift apart, becoming strangers only remembered in memory.

In his contacts, her name's only value was occupying a bit of hard drive space.

Shi Lulu was a junior two grades below him and Su Huan, and back then she was close to them both. But in her third year, she chose to study abroad and contact was lost—this relationship naturally faded. At the time, he and Su Huan were both upset; it wasn't like the old days, where such a break could only come from her initiative.

Though he wasn't interested, he still asked: "What did she want from you?"

"She asked to borrow money."

"Borrow money?" Qin Yun blinked. "I remember Shi Lulu's family was rich—her tuition and expenses in the U. S. alone were over a hundred thousand dollars a year."

"Her dad blew up trading crypto, lost everything, then jumped off a building. He left behind a mountain of debt. Her mom brought her back to China."

"..."

Qin Yun didn't know what to say.

"How much did she ask for? Did you lend it?"

"I lent her fifty thousand." Su Huan sighed. "She's not working now—says she's been doing market research and plans to do fan photography in Hengdian."

"What's fan photography?"

"Fan photography means taking photos or videos of celebrities on behalf of others."

With Su Huan's explanation, Qin Yun immediately understood. It was simply a fan-based economic model: capturing celebrities' schedules, events, or daily life, then selling the footage to fans or fan clubs.

"Hard to do, isn't it? There are plenty of professional fan photographers around Hengdian. For a newcomer like her to carve out a slice? Not easy."

"I don't know." Su Huan shook her head. "But she says she's now affiliated with several studios. Maybe she'll make it."

"That fifty thousand's probably gone." Qin Yun sighed. "Six years without contact—and you still lent her money? I'm impressed."

"She sounded so pitiful, I couldn't say no." Su Huan looked helpless. She'd lent it on impulse; now she mentioned it because she regretted it.

Though fifty thousand wasn't much—less than her monthly salary—it still stung if it vanished.

"But why tell me about her? You know I'm not interested." Qin Yun frowned.

"Because Shi Lulu's return involves someone else."

"Who?"

"Lin Yao."

"Lin Yao?" Qin Yun's voice rose. "That idiot wouldn't…"

Su Huan nodded: "Lin Yao's in Hengdian now too. He's broke, or else you know what'd happen."

Qin Yun rubbed his forehead, speechless: "This idiot's beyond saving. So what now? Did Shi Lulu reject him or accept him?"

Lin Yao was another junior of his, in the same class as Hu Bingbing. Compared to Hu Bingbing, Lin Yao received more of Qin Yun's care. But the guy was clueless—he instantly fell for Shi Lulu, scrimping and saving through college to buy her gifts.

Shi Lulu never showed any intention of accepting him—she just kept him dangling.

Pure lickspittle.

He was the only real-life lickspittle Qin Yun had ever seen—and in the end, he got nothing.

When Shi Lulu went abroad and cut all contact, the lickspittle Lin Yao was left stunned.

After graduation, Lin Yao returned to his hometown in Hunan. They occasionally kept in touch—he'd ask Qin Yun professional questions, and they'd had some business dealings; their relationship remained decent.

"She didn't reject him. Didn't accept him either."

"Hopeless!" Qin Yun declared. "It's not her fault—he's just an idiot."

No sooner had he spoken than his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and showed the screen to Su Huan. She saw the name flashing: Lin Yao.

It was Cao Cao himself!

"Hey, Brother Yun, it's Yaoyao."

"I know," Qin Yun feigned ignorance, smiling. "How's work? Got a raise yet? Back in August, you said your boss was going to raise your salary."

Lin Yao said: "Brother Yun, I quit. I'm in Jinhua now."

"Quit? Why quit? Didn't your boss give you a raise? Or just promise you one?" Qin Yun feigned shock, making Su Huan roll her eyes.

"No, my boss treated me well. I quit for other reasons."

"If you quit, why come to Zhejiang? Can't you grow in Hunan?"

Lin Yao hesitated: "I… I came to Jinhua for tourism. After seeing Hengdian Film City, I thought opening a restaurant here would be good. You know, my family's in food service."

"Don't give me that crap." Qin Yun's tone shifted. "Tell the truth."

"…"

Lin Yao fell silent for a long time; Qin Yun didn't press him.

"Yun… Yun-ge, Shi Lulu came back. Her family went bankrupt, so… so…"

"So you want to help her?"

"Mm!"

"Oh wow, such deep devotion! Our great young Master Lin, how much wealth do you have? Think you've finally gotten your act together and that Shi Lulu will accept you now?"

Qin Yun's sarcasm made Lin Yao's face flush red and pale. He knew he'd be mocked—but being mocked still hurt.

"Are you fucking stupid?!" Qin Yun's anger surged, frustrated and disappointed. "Don't you know who Shi Lulu is? You think now that she's broke and down on her luck, she'll finally take you? Snap out of it!"

"She didn't accept you in college—now she's even less likely to. You're not a kid anymore. Are you really going to waste more time on the same person?"

"Yun-ge!" Lin Yao's voice was firm. "I'm certain I love her. I'm willing to give her everything. I'll give myself three more years. If she still rejects me after three years, I'll go home."

"Fucking hell!"

Qin Yun snapped: "Why'd you even call me?"

"Yun-ge, can you lend me a hundred thousand? I've saved up a bit—I'm planning to rent a shop."

"No." Qin Yun continued, "But I'll invest in you. I'm coming to Jinhua in a few days. Wait for me."

He hung up and looked at Su Huan: "Do you think he's an idiot?"

Su Huan covered her mouth and laughed. "If Ao Yao's an idiot, you don't have to get so angry, do you?"

"Sigh… I can't stand seeing him grovel until he's left with nothing." Qin Yun sighed, then suddenly realized he wasn't much better off—maybe even worse—and his mood darkened. "I'm worried this kid's being fooled by Shi Lulu's surface."

"If Shi Lulu had really been studying over there, she wouldn't come back to do this kind of work. More likely, she just wasted her time. America's a mess—thousands of parties every few days. Who knows what kind of person she's become?"

Su Huan hadn't thought that far, but hearing Qin Yun say it, it made sense.

"So what are you going to do? Ao Yao's set on something, no one can change his mind."

"I'll go check it out first. Hopefully this kid snaps out of it and stops being such an idiot."

"When are you planning to go?"

Qin Yun looked up at the farmers' market across the street. "Come on. Tonight, the great chef here will serve you a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to Jinhua."

She'd already eaten his cooking several times—and had fallen in love with Qin Yun's dishes.

"I want Shandong cuisine."

"Alright. Today we'll make Sliced Fish in Smooth Sauce, Garlic-Flavored Pork, Shrimp Skin Stewed Tofu, Stir-Fried Pork Kidneys, and Milk Soup with Cattail Stems. How's that?"

With every dish Qin Yun named, Su Huan's saliva pooled in her mouth. She couldn't help but grab his arm and jump up excitedly.

"Mm, yes, that's it. Let's go, buy the ingredients!"

Qin Yun stiffened, staring at her hand gripping his arm—a strange sensation ran through him. He didn't see how flushed her face had turned; she'd acted on impulse and was just as startled by her own action.

But since she'd already grabbed him, she gritted her teeth and pretended calm.

At the market, Qin Yun was an expert at picking vegetables—his eyes instantly told fresh from stale, delicious from dull. In no time, both of them carried bags full of ingredients.

With his cooking skill, Qin Yun returned home and soon the house filled with rich aromas. Su Huan ate until she patted her belly.

She tried to get up to clean up, but Qin Yun pushed her back down.

"Rest on the sofa. I'll handle it."

Watching Qin Yun busy in the kitchen, Su Huan suddenly thought—this kind of life, if it lasted longer, wouldn't be so bad.