Everything was ready.

Jiang Liu poured a little cooking oil into the wok. He added the white parts of the scallions, followed by the diced tomatoes, and stir-fried them over low heat until they broke down into a thick, red sauce.

Next, he poured in some mountain spring water and added light soy sauce, a dash of dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce to enhance the flavor...

While Jiang Liu was busy in the kitchen, Wang Han arrived.

She walked straight into the shop with her handbag.

Outside, the aunties whispered amongst themselves, speculating about the relationship between this elegant woman and Boss Jiang.

Jiang Liu didn’t hear a thing. He was prepping some beef when he happened to look up and found Wang Han standing at the kitchen entrance, watching him with interest.

"Uh... When did you get here?"

"I’ve been here for a little while." Wang Han subconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then stepped lightly inside. She looked around Jiang Liu’s kitchen and said, "I heard from Huang Yunfeng that you bought the place next door. Are you thinking of renovating?"

Jiang Liu wasn’t surprised she asked about the renovation. The moment he saw Wang Han, he knew that’s why she was here. He just hadn’t expected her to come in person.

Jiang Liu wiped his hands and got a glass of kiwi juice for Wang Han.

Black kiwi seeds floated in the green juice.

"Thank you." Wang Han accepted the juice politely.

Jiang Liu said, "I am thinking of renovating, but I don’t have any experience with restaurant renovations. I was hoping to find an acquaintance to get some advice from."

"Are you renovating this shop too?"

"Let’s sit down and talk."

The two of them sat down.

Jiang Liu shook his head. "I’m not renovating this shop for now. Its style is modern with a warm aesthetic. I quite like it, and it’s very clean."

He had considered it, but then he thought of all his customers, practically crying out to be fed, and gave up on the idea.

Wang Han nodded thoughtfully. "Show me the place next door. I have plenty of experience in this area. You can just leave the rest to me."

"Alright."

Jiang Liu didn’t ask any more questions. They would take a look first and talk later.

The two of them walked out the door together.

Under the puzzled gazes of the customers, Jiang Liu opened the roll-up door.

The customers were suddenly surprised.

"Boss Jiang, did you buy the place next door?"

Jiang Liu smiled faintly.

"Yes, I’m planning to renovate it soon."

Hearing Jiang Liu’s reply, the uncles and aunties grew excited.

"Boss Jiang is expanding his shop! Does this mean we won’t have to wait in line anymore?"

"That would be great! Maybe Boss Jiang will be able to make and sell tens of thousands of buns a day."

"Holy crap, I have to hurry and tell everyone this great news! We’ll be able to come and eat whenever we want. Haha, this is awesome!"

The customers buzzed with excited discussion, but no one had the nerve to go up and ask for details. After all, Boss Jiang was still busy.

Wang Han entered the room and fanned the air in front of her face.

Jiang Liu explained his idea:

"President Wang, you see, this is the kitchen, right? I’m thinking of connecting this kitchen to my own, then sealing up this shop’s kitchen door. Also, I’ll seal up that roll-up door too. I’ll just keep the one entrance from my current shop."

"Do you think that’s a workable plan?"

Wang Han stroked her smooth chin and nodded. Her image as the little foodie from the restaurant was gone, replaced by the aura of a powerful career woman.

"That’s a good idea. It’s best for a restaurant not to have two entrances. I’ve heard from some elders that from a feng shui perspective, two doors can mean ’wealth comes in one and goes out the other.’ It’s easy to lose money."

"There’s a saying for that too? So, what kind of renovation style do you think I should go with?"

Jiang Liu said, tapping on the wall as he examined it.

Jiang Liu’s actions amused Wang Han. She smiled and said, "I already had an idea before I came. I think people these days like to be wowed. They like contrast.

So, building on the modern style of your current shop, we could absolutely consider designing this new space in a vintage Chinese style."

"Vintage Chinese style? What’s that like?"

Jiang Liu was intrigued.

Wang Han said, "Do you remember the taverns in *Water Margin*? Vintage windows, vintage tables, chairs, and benches, paired with some decorative wine jars. It gives people an immersive feeling. I think that theme would be fantastic.

Just imagine: a customer steps from your modern-style shop into this room and suddenly gets the visual sensation of having time-traveled. Don’t you think people would love that even more?"

Jiang Liu felt a thrill of excitement. "Alright, you take the lead. My only requirement is that it’s clean and tidy."

Wang Han shot him a look.

’I’m a major figure in the industry with countless resources at my disposal, and I’m genuinely trying to help you, but that’s your only requirement?’

’Can’t you have some bigger dreams, darling!’

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Wang Han pretended to survey the room, but she was secretly sneaking glances at Jiang Liu.

She found herself rather fond of this man who was a few years younger than her.

Jiang Liu broke the awkward silence. "So, what’s the rough cost for all this?"

"It’s not exactly cheap. Five hundred per square meter."

"Huh?" Jiang Liu froze, his brain short-circuiting.

’Five hundred? What the hell! Where on earth can you find a price like that, lady?!’

"Is that too expensive? How about three hundred, then?" Wang Han watched Jiang Liu’s reaction cautiously.

Three hundred?

’His brain was about to implode.’

Jiang Liu was completely baffled. He took a moment to organize his thoughts before asking, "That price doesn’t seem right, does it? What I mean is, isn’t it way too cheap?"

"But that’s the friends-and-family price. If you don’t want it, we can just forget the whole thing."

Wang Han adopted a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.

She was actually a little bit cute when she put on airs like that.

Jiang Liu still felt it wasn’t right. "Why don’t you add a little more? Even just the cost price would be fine. I don’t want you to lose money on this."

He knew Wang Han was doing him a huge favor, but he didn’t want to accept it.

Wang Han turned her head to look at Jiang Liu and said seriously:

"Fine, then. One hundred thousand per square meter. Same price for young and old, no deception. How’s that? Not cheap anymore, is it?"

"*Cough*."

Jiang Liu had just taken a sip of his juice and nearly choked to death on her words.

One hundred thousand per square meter... for a shop that was several dozen square meters, he’d have to turn his pockets inside out.

"What’s wrong, Big Boss Jiang? You’re not short on cash, are you?"

Wang Han smiled and leaned closer to Jiang Liu.

This was actually a normal price for high-end work. Just the blueprints from a top-tier designer could cost several hundred thousand.

The faint, elegant scent of tea from her made Jiang Liu shift slightly to the side.

"Could you maybe make it a little cheaper? One hundred thousand a square meter... *cough*, I think that’s a little steep..."

Jiang Liu’s face felt a little hot. A moment ago he was posturing and complaining it was too cheap, and now he was saying it was too expensive.

"Then how about five hundred?"

’Great,’ he thought. ’She’s looped me right back to where we started.’

"How about ten thousand," Jiang Liu said, naming a price he could accept.

"Mm," Wang Han didn’t argue further, nodding in acceptance.

"Alright, I’ll find people to renovate this shop for you then. Do you have any other conditions? For example, when you expect it to be finished, or if there’s anything else you want to add."

"Nope, that’s it. I’ll leave it to your professional judgment." Jiang Liu decided to be a completely hands-off boss.

"Then it’s settled..." Wang Han glanced at her delicate little watch.

"I can’t stay any longer. I have to head back. There’s a lot of business at the site I need to coordinate. Just give me the key."

"Okay."

They walked out side-by-side and, while they were at it, added each other on WeChat.

Wang Han’s WeChat profile picture was a professional portrait of her in a women’s suit, giving off the impression of a powerful career woman.

Her display name was just the single letter ’W’.