Anxi Garden, Building 13, Apartment 1502

SWISH—!

Chen Chi, who was in the middle of feeding his dogs, shot to his feet. In an instant, a dozen or so Samoyeds all looked up at him, as if to ask, ’So, are we going to eat or not?’

"Honey!"

Chen Chi put down his phone and rushed into the bedroom, calling out excitedly to his wife, who was watching their baby.

"Someone just called! They want to buy out our dog cafe!"

"Shhh—!"

The woman on the bed shot Chen Chi a harsh glare and motioned for him to be quiet. Only after confirming the baby beside her hadn’t been woken up did she carefully get out of bed and leave the bedroom.

"Someone wants to buy out the dog cafe?"

"That’s right!"

Chen Chi was incredibly excited. He swept his wife into his arms and planted a kiss on her face.

"And he’s not just leasing it—he’s buying the whole thing, property and all!"

Huh?

His wife was stunned.

’He’s buying the property, too?’

’I didn’t think the area was that great of a location... Does anyone really spend money that freely on a new business these days?’

"Are you sure? Don’t let yourself get scammed."

His wife said worriedly.

"You’ve been scammed once before, and it made the dog cafe’s business plummet. With the economy the way it is now, I find it hard to believe someone would just buy the commercial property outright to start a business. Shouldn’t they rent for six months or a year first to test the waters?"

"I don’t know. In any case, that’s what he said."

Chen Chi seemed to believe Lin Shen without a shred of doubt.

Or rather, he’d had the place listed for rent for so long that now that he’d finally found someone interested in taking it over, he was naturally determined to seize the opportunity.

"He asked to meet in a little while. I’m planning to draft the contract and bring it with me."

"Meeting in a little while? Then I’ll go with you."

His wife was clearly uneasy about her husband going to discuss business alone, but he just puffed out his chest and said with a grin.

"Don’t worry, honey. You just rest at home and take care of the baby. I’ll be fine by myself. I won’t get tricked again this time!"

"..."

His wife’s brow furrowed slightly, but seeing the smile on Chen Chi’s face—one she hadn’t seen in a long time—she didn’t have the heart to crush his confidence, so she gave a small nod.

"Okay, but remember not to rush into signing anything. Get a feel for his character first, see how he talks and carries himself. If you have any doubts, just put it off until another day."

"You got it!"

Chen Chi immediately went back to the bedroom, took the lease agreement he’d already drafted, and modified it slightly, adding a few clauses about the real estate. Then, he grabbed his phone and left.

—

「Ruilu Cafe.」

Lin Shen hadn’t been waiting in the corner for long when Chen Chi came rushing through the door.

He first scanned his surroundings, his attention landing on a few men who were chatting nearby.

When he saw they weren’t looking at him, he shifted his gaze to a middle-aged woman not far off, his eyes completely passing over Lin Shen.

Growing anxious that he couldn’t find the person he was meeting, Chen Chi quickly dialed the number, only for the call to be immediately disconnected.

From the corner, Lin Shen waved with a smile.

"Over here."

’It’s him?’

Chen Chi was surprised.

Lin Shen looked far too young. He was dressed fashionably and was also incredibly handsome.

’He looks like a typical rich kid, not a serious boss looking to buy a business!’

Despite his internal doubts, Chen Chi walked over to Lin Shen and asked cautiously.

"Hello, are you Mr. Lin?"

"Have a seat."

Lin Shen didn’t answer directly, instead gesturing for Chen Chi to sit across from him. The implication was clear.

This made Chen Chi exclaim in admiration.

"You look so young!"

"I get that a lot."

Lin Shen smiled faintly, pushed the coffee he’d ordered across the table to Chen Chi, and got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

"About the dog cafe—did you draft the contract?"

Huh?

Lin Shen’s unconventional opening caught Chen Chi completely off guard.

’When you’re acquiring a business, aren’t you supposed to ask about its operating conditions, cost structure, and profit data first?’

’At the very least, you should ask if the property and fire safety are up to code, or if there are any outstanding debts, right?’

’But you don’t ask a thing and just demand the contract?’

Chen Chi remembered his wife’s warning from before he left and immediately became wary.

"Well, I have it drafted, but are you sure you want to sign it right away? Don’t you want to reconsider anything about the shop?"

"No need to ask."

Lin Shen smiled confidently.

’Rather than trust what Chen Chi says, I’d much rather rely on the shop information provided by the Asset Planner.’

’After all, the odds of the system being wrong were far lower than the odds of a person lying.’

However, to ease Chen Chi’s concerns, Lin Shen went ahead and asked a little about the dog cafe’s business situation.

This cafe was different from Lin Ping’s, which had suffered from low revenue due to a poor location.

Chen Chi’s dog cafe had actually been doing quite well, but then he naively trusted a good friend’s sales pitch and switched the brand of dog food he used in the store. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

As a result, not only did the dogs at the cafe get diarrhea after eating it, but customers who bought the food for their own dogs at home experienced the same problem.

Because of this, the cafe was flooded with complaints and negative reviews, and even attracted the attention of regulatory authorities, who forced it to shut down for rectification.

Although Chen Chi did his best to offer compensation and pulled the dog food from his shelves, he was ultimately unable to salvage the situation.

When the dog cafe reopened, business took a nose-dive.

Reputation, whether good or bad, is something that’s very difficult to change among customers once it has been established.

It could only be allowed to fade over time.

With no other choice, Chen Chi had to close the shop to let things blow over, bringing all the dogs from the cafe home to care for them himself.

Hearing his resigned explanation, Lin Shen began to understand the man’s hardship.