Chapter 44: The Price

"Come, come, come, the girl personally had Chef Zhu bring this lobster back from Australia for you this noon."

Sun Manor stood smiling at the restaurant entrance, his gaze passing over Luosha's shoulder to glance at Lu Chen.

"Oh my, you've gone to such expense."

Luosha wore a smile, took Sun Manor's arm, glanced back at Lu Chen, and only then walked into the restaurant with Sun Manor.

Lu Chen helplessly shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the three housekeepers standing at the restaurant entrance, and entered the restaurant.

Housekeeper Wang nodded slightly in response but did not speak.

"Little Lu, sit here."

Sun Manor pointed only at the seat beside Luosha and said with a smile.

Luosha was slightly stunned, rolled her eyes at Lu Chen, but did not object.

A trace of complexity appeared on her exquisite face, but she immediately put on a charming smile and nodded slightly toward Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, nodded slightly, the smile on his face undiminished, though a trace of gravity flashed in his pupils; as he walked behind Luosha, he smelled a pleasant scent.

He pulled out the seat beside Luosha and sat down in a proper manner.

He was not nervous or reserved, only his hand on the outside was slightly clenched.

"Little Lu, don't just run to Lao Li's place in the future; come over and see this old man more often too."

Seeing Lu Chen's performance, Sun Manor nodded slightly, beckoned, and then spoke.

Hearing Sun Manor's words, Luosha's fingers moved slightly before she placed them back under the table.

It was as if she could pull out some weapon from under the table at any moment.

"Sun Manor, look at you, being partial."

She rose, picked up the teapot on the table to pour a cup of clear tea for Sun Manor, turned to pour one for Lu Chen as well, and only then sat down.

"The cooperation, I agree to it; how you want to toss things about is your business."

Luosha grabbed the teacup, turned it gently, her cold voice carrying a hint of warmth.

"Good."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, the smile on his face still bright, and he relaxed his clenched hand on the outside.

He even felt that the air carried Luosha's scent, fresh yet with a hint of temptation.

The lunch ended easily under Luosha's moderation, but neither Luosha nor Lu Chen stayed long at Sun Manor's Zhuangyuan.

"Mr. Lu Chen, I like your gift very much; I hope that when I see you next time, you will have already opened the letter."

Luosha's voice kept echoing in Lu Chen's mind, making him feel somewhat uneasy even in the car.

However, this operation was good on the whole; Luosha did not reject his operation in the Nitan.

Which meant that once he handled those landlords, he could start work.

"Housekeeper Wang, who is the next person we need to visit?"

Lu Chen closed his eyes and asked in a low voice.

Housekeeper Wang, sitting in the passenger seat, flipped through the small notebook he carried with him before speaking.

"Tomorrow afternoon, you will visit Elder Chen."

"Alright, understood; prepare the gift in advance."

Lu Chen had originally wanted to say something more, but he opened his mouth and made no sound.

Instead, he just closed his eyes like that and slowly fell asleep.

It was not until the lights began to twinkle at dusk that Lu Chen felt a little better; he opened his eyes and stretched.

"Sir, the meal has been reheated; would you like to dine now?"

Housekeeper Wang was still sitting in the passenger seat, the driver's seat was empty, and in the parking lot, several Buicks seemed to have some scratches.

"Not eating; you go rest too."

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment and said directly.

As soon as he got out of the car, Housekeeper Wang draped a trench coat over Lu Chen.

He followed Lu Chen as he walked slowly along the path of the Zhuangyuan.

After taking a walk, he returned directly to the study.

After pouring a cup of coffee, he preheated a Cigar, savored it alone in the darkness for a while, and only then stood before the window, looking toward the direction of the brightly lit Victoria Harbour in the distance.

His eyes held a trace of determination.

After forcefully stubbing out the Cigar, he returned to his personal space.

Sitting on the chair, he unconsciously toyed with the Small Box and casually opened the wooden box containing Luosha's letter.

His eyes stared straight at it, his mind constantly recalling the words Luosha had said.

After a long time, Lu Chen closed the wooden box and sighed.

Now is not the time.

He rose, changed into pajamas, got into bed, and slept.

Early morning.

Lu Chen walked slowly down the stairs, no longer showing the fatigue of yesterday.

"Morning, BOSS!"

Li Xuanhua sat on the sofa with a Cigar in his mouth; seeing Lu Chen walk down, he immediately rose.

Lu Chen waved his hand, sat in the main seat, pulled a Cigar from the Cigar box, and began to preheat it.

After Housekeeper Wang poured a cup of coffee for Lu Chen, he stood silently in the corner.

"BOSS, from last night until now, a total of about 1.7 million pounds has been spent, and three members were injured and have already received treatment."

Li Xuanhua glanced at Housekeeper Wang standing in the corner before continuing to speak.

"The files for Miss Luosha have all been archived."

"The injured have been settled, right? Go and offer them my regards, and give each of them an extra 500,000 Hong Kong dollars."

Lu Chen paused for a moment, set down the preheating Cigar, took a sip of coffee, and then continued speaking.

"How are things at the company? Is there anything that requires me to step in and coordinate?"

Lu Chen picked up the Cigar again and began to preheat it.

"Right, double the salaries of all company members this month, including you few."

"No major issues, BOSS. The company's functions are mostly perfected now; with Secretary Shen's help, I've had it quite easy."

Li Xuanhua took a puff of his Cigar, a hint of ease on his face, and only after exhaling the smoke did he speak.

"Very good. Now, open a window and withdraw a portion of our funds to invest in Crown; keep it discreet."

A hint of gravity flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, and his hand holding the Cigar paused slightly.

Right now, the volume of his capital was simply too small; don't be fooled by how much money it seemed to be.

But compared to developing Nitan, it was merely a drop in the bucket!

"Understood, BOSS. Do you need me to find professional talent?"

Li Xuanhua paused, put away the ease on his face, and revealed a hint of gravity.

He subconsciously straightened his posture and took out a worn-out notebook and a fountain pen from his carry-on bag.

His gaze shifted from Lu Chen to the notebook.

"Find them from Piaoliang Guo. The team doesn't need to come back; operate remotely."

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

He took a puff of his Cigar, crossed his legs, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"You are to make a special trip to Piaoliang Guo. Before you leave, look into the illness of Xiaofeng's mother and see if the doctors there have any way to treat it."

"Understood, BOSS."

Li Xuanhua was stunned for a moment, a flash of confusion and a touch of being moved appearing in his eyes.

Only then did he forcefully record it in his notebook.

"Bang, bang, bang."

Just as Li Xuanhua was about to say something, Butler Wang knocked on the wooden door of the reception hall.

Lu Chen's hand holding the Cigar paused, and he looked toward the door along with Li Xuanhua.

"Sir, Manager Wang from Crown is here to visit."

Butler Wang bowed slightly and spoke directly.