Chapter 1209: Millennium Love Chronicles 14

The next day, Chen Zhu and Jin Chen both tacitly understood, nobody mentioning what happened the night before, they had breakfast as usual and drove the bread van to the cake shop.

Fewer people come to buy cakes in the morning, but Chen Zhu couldn't idle; upon arriving at the shop he started preparing the baking ingredients, as two customers would come later to pick up their birthday cakes.

Soon the sweet aroma of the baking cake layers spread, he wore a plain apron, head lowered, focused, the cake layers set, sliced, and he dabbed on cream bit by bit, his whole person exuding a soft, warm aura.

Jin Chen helped at the side, mixing the cream and food coloring, then loading it into a piping bag and setting it aside for later use.

At first he was quite serious, just helping, but soon their shoulders touched.

Jin Chen leaned his head, yawned slowly, and said, "Brother, I didn't sleep well last night."

This topic almost made Chen Zhu's cream smear awry; he hastily adjusted his position and turned the turntable again.

"What's going on?" Chen Zhu asked gently.

Jin Chen waited until Chen Zhu had finished the first layer of cream on the cake base, then said with a mischievous tone, "Brother, I washed the bedsheets this morning—I rarely do that; do you think I've grown up?"

Chen Zhu's hand trembled.

Moreover, Jin Chen muttered a coquettish complaint, "It's all because you have such a great figure."

Chen Zhu: "……"

He resignedly put down the spatula, pinched Jin Chen's ear, and said, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

If one ignores the flush on his shoulders and neck, Chen Zhu's reprimand actually carries a hint of authority.

"At twenty, having impulses is quite normal and unrelated to what happened last night."

"Is that so?" Jin Chen tilted his head to lean on his shoulder, "But I haven't washed the bedsheets in ages, and last night I dreamed……"

"Xiao Chen."

Chen Zhu shifted half a step aside, just enough to avoid Jin Chen's lean, also cutting off his unfinished words.

By daytime, he had reverted to being the gentle, self-possessed older brother.

"You play by yourself; these two cakes are needed urgently."

Jin Chen glanced sideways at Chen Zhu's calm profile as he made the cake, tossed aside the mold in a lazy flop, and sat down on a chair to rest.

"If you ignore me, go shout 'little brother' at the cake." Jin Chen muttered, pulling out his phone to browse the forum.

After a while of playing, Jin Chen went out to take a call; this time it wasn't an international one.

Jin Chen lingered at the shop entrance, waving at the three people at the intersection.

"Ah! I see you!"

Lan Xi also waved, and the three quickened their pace.

"Mr. Jin, good morning."

Zhang Zhu shook his hand, attitude very humble, "Sorry to have kept you waiting here."

"No, this is my family's shop."

Jin Chen pushed the door open to let them in, then said to Chen Zhu, who was still making cake, "Brother, I'm going to the back room with them to discuss things."

"Eh, okay."

Chen Zhu smiled, nodded, slightly lifted his chin to indicate the pastries in the glass case, "Take some pastries to entertain them."

The four entered the back room; fortunately the sofa was long enough, and there was also a bamboo rattan chair, so there was seating for all.

"Mr. Jin, this is the contract; please have a look."

Zhang Zhu handed over the contract drafted overnight to Jin Chen, saying that claiming not to be nervous would be false, after all this is their only chance to seize a turnaround against the odds, and to them Jin Chen is now a lifeline.

Jin Chen flipped through it, and upon seeing the profit split he felt somewhat surprised, "How did it become a 40‑60 split?"

Lan Xin explained, "It's like this, Mr. Jin; we all know how hard it is to break into the Jing Shi market, and moreover these are goods after a crash—even if genuine, few would want to take them."

"If you help us, it will certainly require considerable effort."

She had changed into a floor‑length dress today, looking even more proper and graceful than Zhang Zhu.

"Yes, Mr. Jin, please don't decline." Lan Xi also urged him.

Jin Chen closed the contract, his tone calm, "Did you contact the number I gave you yesterday?"

Lan Xin nodded, "We've already contacted it; being able to provide us with such a good channel is truly appreciated, thank you for the trouble."

"No trouble, it's also my family's."

Jin Chen, expression indifferent, returned the contract, saying, "After all, the channel will still take a cut; there's no need to give you forty percent."

Lan Xin: "……"

She jumped up in surprise, "You're from Jin Shi Jade…… right, right, you also bear the Jin surname; how did I not notice?"

I thought I had met a kind person, never expecting it to be a gold‑inlaid jade bodhisattva!

"Revise the contract and come back for me to sign; I'll also reimburse your train tickets to Jing Shi, and after you arrive contact that number."

Jin Chen's arrangements were orderly; just then he saw Chen Zhu bringing over fruit and patting the spot beside him.

Chen Zhu sat beside Jin Chen, not deliberately eavesdropping on their talk, merely having finished the cake seriously and wanting to lean against Jin Chen's arm.

His fingers caught Chen Zhu's wrist, the pads rubbing gently, Jin Chen's lips curled as he continued questioning Lan Xin without changing expression.

"Accommodation in Jing Shi can also be arranged, depending on what you need."

Zhang Zhu and the others plan to stay in Jing Shi to develop, returning only after their venture succeeds, but lodging remains a pressing problem to be solved.

"First off, I declare I won't be living together with the two of you!"

Lan Xi immediately raised her hand, "You two lovebirds can live together; I'm just a younger brother—what's the point of always tagging along with you?"

Lan Xin tapped his head, "I think you just want to avoid me and your brother‑in‑law and go have a wild time in Jing Shi."

"What's wrong? I'm only in my early twenties; if I don't have a blast now, I won't be able to later!"

Lan Xi declared righteously, "I still need to find a girlfriend!"

Zhang Zhu laughed, taking Lan Xin's hand, "Lan Xi will eventually have to start a family; indeed he can't always stay with us, which is somewhat inconvenient."

"Long live the brother‑in‑law!" Lan Xi raised both hands.

Chen Zhu's attention was forced to shift; he listened fully to what they said, and he was quite familiar with the proper bounds that normal siblings—or brothers—should have.

【62> He started spacing out again, his thoughts falling into an anxious state.

He started acting foolish again, his thoughts fell into an anxious state.

Even real siblings would be like this; he and Xiao Chen aren't even blood brothers—if he interferes too much, would Xiao Chen also get annoyed?

In Chen Zhu's daze, the matter being discussed inside the house was already settled, and Zhang Zhu and the two others rose to take their leave.

As Jin Chen saw them out the door, Lan Xi suddenly realized the gift had not yet been given.

"Ah, right, right! Look at my memory—I had prepared a gift for you guys today."

Lan Xi took out two identical high-end gift boxes from her bag; inside were Red String Jade Pendant Bracelets, understated yet beautiful, looking quite valuable.

"This is perfect for brothers to wear; the cord uses a special weaving technique, purely handcrafted," Lan Xi's professional habit kicked in, speaking with authority, "I dare guarantee that hardly any domestic makers use this craft."

"Okay, thank you."

Wearing jade in town wouldn't be too ostentatious, so Jin Chen did not decline.

When he returned to the room, he saw Chen Zhu leaning by the back door, gazing thoughtfully at the gift.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?"