Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 146 - 130: The Plan

"President Lin, everything in the shop next door—it’s all yours!"

’How generous!’

Lin Shen smiled faintly but scoffed inwardly.

’What could possibly be left over from a restaurant?’

’A pile of broken tables and a ridiculously filthy kitchen that I’d have to hire professionals to clean.’

"President Lin, here’s to a successful collaboration!"

Shen Mingchuan rose and extended his right hand to Lin Shen with a smile.

"It’s about that time. How about I treat you to lunch?"

"Alright."

After rising to shake Shen Mingchuan’s hand, Lin Shen turned to look at Lin Ping. He even made a point of using a more intimate form of her name—an apparent attempt to prove their relationship was not completely broken.

"Ping, why don’t you join us for lunch?"

"No, I should stay and clean the Cat Cafe. The renovations just finished, so the place is a mess."

Lin Ping said reservedly, but Lin Shen just smiled.

"Join us."

"Um... alright."

Only after getting Lin Shen’s permission did Lin Ping nod in agreement.

This, once again, irked Shen Mingchuan.

He’d overlooked one thing: even if Lin Shen wasn’t interested in Lin Ping, she might be interested in *him*!

As a man, Shen Mingchuan was well aware of the devastating effect a tall, rich, handsome guy like Lin Shen had on women.

From mature forty-year-old women down to eighteen-year-old girls, he was the kind of guy who could have them all.

If Lin Ping fell for him and decided to throw herself at him, Shen Mingchuan feared that Lin Shen might not be able to resist.

’After all, who doesn’t like getting it for free?’

And besides, while Lin Ping was divorced and, at over thirty, no longer a spring chicken, she took excellent care of herself.

Her skin was smooth, and her features were delicate.

Her full figure hadn’t lost its shape at all; in fact, it had gained the mature, alluring charm unique to a woman in her prime.

Voluptuous and tempting!

This was exactly why Shen Mingchuan wanted to get back together with Lin Ping.

He hadn’t even realized how beautiful Lin Ping was when they were married.

But the moment they divorced, he suddenly found his ex-wife more stunning than ever!

This stirred a longing in Shen Mingchuan’s heart, and his gaze toward Lin Ping filled with affection.

"Ping, is there anything you’d like to eat?"

"Whatever Boss Lin wants is fine."

Lin Ping completely ignored Shen Mingchuan’s gaze, turning to Lin Shen instead.

"What would you like to have for lunch?"

"Anything is fine," Lin Shen said with a light laugh.

"The contract this afternoon is the most important thing, wouldn’t you agree?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

Shen Mingchuan quickly agreed with a placating smile, but his expression was as foul as if he’d swallowed a fly.

He suddenly realized that Lin Ping seemed to hang on Lin Shen’s every word, even going out of her way to accommodate his feelings.

’He may be her boss, but isn’t she being a little *too* considerate? Isn’t that crossing a line?’

Shen Mingchuan grumbled internally.

’She never treated *me* this well when we were married...’

"Let’s go."

The three of them left the Warm Claw Nest Cat Cafe. Once Lin Ping had locked the door, she suddenly turned to Lin Shen and asked quietly.

"Boss Lin, could I ride with you?"

’Huh?’

Shen Mingchuan froze. A sudden, panicked feeling of being cuckolded washed over him, and he snapped.

"Ping! Have you no sense of propriety? You’ll ride in my car!"

"It’s no problem," Lin Shen said magnanimously.

"You can take the passenger seat."

"Okay."

Without so much as a glance at Shen Mingchuan, Lin Ping opened the passenger door of the Jaguar XFL and slipped inside, leaving him standing there.

This instantly shattered his composure. He clenched his jaw.

’Is she crazy?!’

’Passing up the passenger seat of a perfectly good Mercedes S-Class for a Jaguar XFL?’

’Lin Shen might be rich, but she can’t just throw herself at him like that!’

’Shameless!’

Seeing his beloved ex-wife get into another man’s passenger seat, Shen Mingchuan’s stomach dropped.

As the saying goes: you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone.

That was precisely how Shen Mingchuan felt now, his heart filled with utter regret.

’If only I hadn’t let Xu Fei seduce me back then!’

"SIGH—!"

Shen Mingchuan let out a long, melancholy sigh. But with no immediate solution, he had no choice but to take the lead, guiding Lin Shen to a restaurant.

Jingxi Club.

It was located in an unassuming two-story building on Hongqiao Road. Its pale gray facade, shrouded in greenery, blended a retro style with modern design, giving it a remarkably understated feel.

After getting out of the car, Lin Shen found himself quite pleased with the quiet, elegant little restaurant.

Shen Mingchuan’s attention, however, was fixed entirely on Lin Ping.

He was convinced that something must have happened between them in the car.

Shen Mingchuan was already imagining all the ways Lin Shen could have been touching Lin Ping’s thigh in the car, and the thought made him agitated.

But he couldn’t find any concrete proof.

Lin Ping’s clothes were immaculate, and there were no signs that her thighs had been touched.

This allowed Shen Mingchuan to breathe a small sigh of relief.

’Looks like Lin Shen really isn’t interested in Ping!’

’That makes sense. A guy with his status could find any top-tier beauty he wanted.’

’Why would he bother with a divorced woman?’

"President Lin, this way, please."

Shen Mingchuan smiled and led Lin Shen into the Jingxi Club. A waiter guided them to the private room where he often entertained business partners.

Clouds in the Water.

Lin Shen took the seat of honor, with Shen Mingchuan, his host, on his left and Lin Ping on his right.

"This place specializes in Chaoshan cuisine. The chilled flower crab and the whelk soup are both excellent."

When the waiter brought over a tablet for ordering, Shen Mingchuan immediately passed it to Lin Shen with a smile. Lin Shen, however, only gave it a cursory glance before handing it back.

"You’re treating, so you can do the honors."

"Alright."

Shen Mingchuan asked considerately.

"President Lin, you don’t have any dietary restrictions, do you?"

"No."

"Then I’ll just go ahead and order."

Although he said he would "just go ahead and order," Shen Mingchuan didn’t dare to be neglectful. He proceeded to order all of the restaurant’s signature dishes.