0132: A Free Shop?

"Xu Lin, it's time for croquettes."

"Coming!"

Xu Lin shook off his daze and walked to the table. Seeing a plate of golden, crispy croquettes, he hesitantly picked one up and took a bite. He usually disliked potatoes and feared he wouldn't be able to stomach it, but to his surprise, he found it quite easy to swallow.

It was actually delicious; the seasoning was excellent. He hadn't expected Ji Yun to be capable of making this kind of Japanese-style dish.

"Xu Lin, these were actually made by Sister Fengyi. I made a few mistakes during the process, and the seasoning was a bit off."

"I ended up short on potatoes, so I added extra minced meat to these ones. My sister helped me with the rest."

"Sister Fengyi?" Xu Lin noted the affectionate way she spoke. Looking at the two of them, Ji Yun clearly looked more like the older sister.

"Hey! Xu Lin, what kind of look is that!"

Seeing the expression on Xu Lin’s face, Chu Fengyi kicked out at him, only for Xu Lin to catch her foot mid-air.

"Master, your foot is too slow."

Xu Lin chuckled. As he held her small foot, he gave it a light tickle, causing Chu Fengyi to slide abruptly off the sofa!

Xu Lin hurriedly caught her, her small frame landing directly in his arms. His hand accidentally slipped inside her clothes as he steadied her. Her skin felt smooth, just like silk, but he dared not move, terrified that his arm might be crippled. Fortunately, Chu Fengyi seemed to ignore it, merely saying casually:

"Xu Lin, don't mess with my feet!"

She threw a punch at him, startling him into closing his eyes! But the next second, he felt a slight pain on his forehead—she had flicked him on the forehead?

The sensation was so familiar... it felt just like Wei Ran in his past life, who also loved to flick his forehead. It was a little habit only the two of them knew.

"Sorry, sorry, I just did it without thinking..."

"Careful, or next time I won't hold back and I'll kick you to death!" Chu Fengyi threatened fiercely, revealing a sharp little canine tooth.

"Understood, Master."

"Besides, Chu Qingchan isn't ticklish; go mess with her instead... and take your dog paws out of my clothes."

Her comment reminded Xu Lin of the first time he met Chu Qingchan and touched her feet. He had certainly been bold back then! A socially awkward boy who dared to touch a famous celebrity's feet. He had grown quite a bit since then, mostly in the thickness of his skin. Perhaps a man's growth is simply the process of becoming more thick-skinned.

"Xu Lin, are you still eating? If not, I'm putting them in the fridge." Miss Ji Yun interrupted his thoughts, picking up the plate.

"I haven't even finished the first one yet!" Xu Lin said, bewildered.

"Oh, I thought you were done."

"I'm eating, I'm eating!"

Xu Lin quickly helped Chu Fengyi back onto the sofa and reached for a croquette, only to be glared at by Ji Yun again.

"Go wash your hands."

"Right away, right away."

Xu Lin finally realized that Class Monitor Ji was jealous. He hadn't expected the usually gentle Miss Ji Yun to have a side like this. He stole a glance at her; though her expression remained calm, her gaze made him nervous.

As soon as Xu Lin stepped into the bathroom, Ji Yun’s face flushed red. She leaned toward Chu Fengyi and whispered, "Sister Fengyi... was I okay just now?"

"It was fine. Let me tell you, when dealing with men, you have to assert some authority. Being purely kind to them will only make them more reckless."

"Is that so?"

"Of course! You’re still young, Sister Ji Yun; you don't understand these things."

"I see." Though she didn't quite grasp the logic, she assumed it was for her own good and nodded.

"Actually, I'm just worried that you'll be tricked into bed by Xu Lin too soon."

"How could that happen... Xu Lin isn't like that!" Honestly, she had never considered such a thing, and Xu Lin wouldn't force her. Besides, they were still minors—that kind of thing...

"Don't be so shy about these things~ Every girl has to face them eventually." Chu Fengyi found the blushing girl quite amusing. At least when she teased Chu Qingchan, she would just get a deadpan, "Chu Fengyi! Are you bored or something?"

"I know, but Xu Lin will respect me."

"I know that, of course, but that brings us to another point."

"Men have instincts. If they are repressed for too long, he might be lured away by other proactive girls. That would be dangerous."

"But I trust Xu Lin!" Ji Yun’s expression was exceptionally firm. She believed that Xu Lin would not be swayed by external temptations to do anything with a girl he didn't like.

Watching Ji Yun’s resolute gaze, Chu Fengyi felt a strange sense of irritation. It wasn't that she didn't believe Ji Yun; she was just annoyed that a fickle guy like Xu Lin could earn the trust and affection of such a good girl.

"Just be careful then."

"Right. Sister, would you like to join our alliance?"

"Alliance? I almost forgot, Xu Lin said you and Chu Qingchan formed an alliance?"

"Yes, mostly for sharing information and things like that."

"Isn't that just giving yourself away?"

"Giving away?" Ji Yun didn't quite understand. Cooperating with Sister Chu Qingchan to eliminate rivals and compete rationally—wasn't that a good thing?

Watching Ji Yun, Chu Fengyi decided to retract her earlier assessment of the girl; she wasn't clever at all. She was just a kind, adorable little angel. Perhaps the reason Chu Qingchan didn't reject her was precisely because she was so honest.

But if things kept going this way, as the girls in the alliance grew closer, wouldn't it just slowly turn into Xu Lin's harem? This played right into his hands, yet she couldn't stop it—after all, they were competing among themselves.

Wait! How did this girl know she liked Xu Lin? She had never shown it. Did Xu Lin tell her? That seemed unlikely; he would want to keep his reputation clean. Was it you again, Chu Qingchan? How could you tell her everything!

"Sister Fengyi?"

"Sorry, I was lost in thought. I agree to join, but I need to talk to Chu Qingchan first."

"Okay."

"By the way, did Xu Lin fall into the toilet? Why hasn't he come out yet?"

Two minutes earlier, just after Xu Lin had washed his hands, an unrecognized number called his phone.

"Trying to scam me for data plans again? My plan already went from 18 to 48!"

He picked up, but instead of the usual customer service girl, a deep, heavy male voice spoke.

"Is this Mr. Xu?"

"Yes, and you are?"

"I am the regional agent for Zhang Guofu Malatang in Dongshan Province. You made an inquiry online recently."

"Oh, yes, yes. What is your name, sir?"

"Pardon my lack of introduction. My surname is Cui, Cui Niancheng."

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Xu Lin hadn't expected the provincial franchise manager to call him; he had only left a comment online. Was this a scam? But he remembered seeing this name on the website that day. He decided to listen.

"It's like this. Normally, there is a formal process for joining. But I happened to be checking the department's work that day and spotted your inquiry."

"I saw you are planning to open a store in Changqing City?"

"Actually, it's a county under its jurisdiction. Does Changqing have an agent yet?"

"Changqing currently does not. We had one last year, but there were some accidents, and we are currently in the stage of expanding outside the province."

"As a provincial manager, you must be under a lot of pressure."

"Haha, a bit, but it's manageable. Back to the point, Mr. Xu, which county are you in?"

Xu Lin frowned slightly. Could it be a scam? But he had used his local number, which could be traced if they really wanted to check.

"I'm from Linshui."

"I thought so, the number looked local. Well, congratulations, Mr. Xu. You are eligible to receive a free store."

"Huh???"