Chapter 86 Ling Yue's mind was racing, conjuring up a whole drama in her head.

"Finished talking? Dinner is about to be served," Mr. Kan said, entering the room with a glowing face.

Judging by his expression, the result of his chat with Master Qin must have been very positive.

"Finished!" Su Zhao stood up and followed behind Mr. Kan like a lackey. "Uncle, what are we eating tonight?"

Mr. Kan placed his hands behind his back. "An all-fish feast."

The bucket of fish Ling Yue brought had changed tonight's menu on short notice.

There were six dishes on the table; five were related to fish, and the remaining one was a vegetable dish.

But it had to be said, the Kan Family's chef was truly skilled, handling the fish so there was no fishy smell at all.

The fish wasn't limited to one cooking method; there was braised, grilled, deep-fried, and so on. Especially that pot of fish head and tofu soup—it was incredibly fresh, with none of the muddy taste typical of bighead carp!

Ling Yue drank two bowls of soup and ate a bowl of white rice, feeling stuffed.

Her appetite had shrunk after being sick.

If it were before, three bowls of rice per meal would have been no problem.

After the meal, Mr. Kan brought out his collection of fine tea.

For a moment, the aroma of tea filled the tea room.

"Uncle, your chef's skills are really something. Can I come over for a free meal tomorrow too?" Su Zhao asked thick-skinnedly, without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

Seeing this fawning look, Mr. Kan could hardly look at him. "Your second uncle told me to persuade you. If you don't get married, the will won't take effect. You're almost thirty, aren't you? Don't spend all day..."

"I'm not listening, I'm not listening!" Su Zhao stopped asking for a meal and covered his ears, his face turning ashen. "Life is too hard. Why is everyone nagging me? Is not getting married a crime against heaven?"

Kan Jiashu is also almost thirty, isn't he? Uncle, go nag him!"

Kan Jiashu maintained an elegant posture, took a light sip of tea, and said calmly, "Don't @ me. My fiancée is returning to the country next year. Please have your wedding gift money ready."

Su Zhao hissed and looked toward Ling Yue again.

Ling Yue cut him off first, saying, "Don't look at me. I'm different from you."

Mr. Kan looked at Ling Yue, his eyes shining with a kind light. "Little Yue is much more sensible and steady than you."

"Uncle, you've only met her once."

Su Zhao was truly at his wit's end; apparently, everyone was more sensible than him.

"Even if I met you a hundred times, you still wouldn't be sensible."

In other words, some people's true nature can be seen after just one meeting.

Su Zhao grumbled as he grabbed his car keys from the table. "I get nagged everywhere I go. My whole life is just cursed with bad luck. I'm out of here, I'm out of here."

Fearing more nagging, he slipped away quickly.

Mr. Kan set down his teacup heavily. "Why doesn't his father come back to life and slap him to death?"

"Actually, his life isn't bad right now. Even if he doesn't take over the family business or get married, he hasn't become decadent. He's been busy with his own career, so he's trying," Kan Jiashu said. Though they bickered normally, at critical moments, he still wanted to speak up for his friend.

Mr. Kan's expression was grave. "Su the Fifth only had him as his sole heir."

Kan Jiashu fell silent.

Large families always placed great importance on their children. Their industries were so vast that even seven or eight descendants wouldn't be enough to manage them all, so they needed heirs.

After Uncle Su the Fifth passed away, all the shares and industries under his name fell to Su Zhao. Since Su Zhao was young at the time, Grandpa Su managed the industries on his behalf.

That kid Su Zhao did nothing but take the money and lived a wild, single life until he was thirty. This deeply worried Grandpa Su, who had once tried to arrange a marriage for his grandson within their social circle, but to no avail.

Perhaps because he saw that Su Zhao was disobedient but needed money, Grandpa Su stipulated that Su Zhao could only receive his inheritance if he got married, hoping to continue his youngest son's lineage this way.

After Grandpa Su passed away, this task fell to the current head of the Su Family, Uncle Su the Second.

Unfortunately, Su Zhao was determined not to marry. Uncle Su the Second was furious but couldn't just leave him be.

Ling Yue's mind was active, imagining a grand drama. "Then if I buy the manor under his name, would that count as undermining the Su Family?"

Hadn't many novels written about this?

A young master defies his family, his cards are frozen and he's left penniless, so he has to seek help from friends. However, the friends receive warnings from the family, forbidding them from helping the young master privately, or else the family will make all their businesses go bankrupt!

In the end, the young master's avenues for help are cut off, and he is forced to comply.

The current situation was very similar.

Although Ling Yue wasn't afraid, she was curious if the other party would take this step.

She hadn't seen it before and wanted to witness it.

Mr. Kan laughed out loud. "It's not that overbearing.

Su Zhao is the seller, and you are the buyer. If the seller wants to sell a house, what does that have to do with you, the buyer?

Even if Su the Second wants to control someone, he'll only control his own family. Interfering with others would be overstepping; it would be unreasonable."

Kan Jiashu narrowed his eyes slightly. "You've been reading too many novels."

"No, I haven't," Ling Yue said, drinking tea to hide her guilt.

Seeing Ling Yue finish one cup and pour another, Mr. Kan thought she liked the tea and waved his hand grandly.

"This tea is Silver Needle from our own tea garden. It was just picked a while ago, so drink it while it's fresh.

Take some with you later and enjoy it slowly at home."

The tea had a rich aroma and a fresh taste, and Ling Yue quite liked it. "Then I won't be polite. Thank you, Uncle Kan."

Mr. Kan called the butler and told him to go to his private storehouse to pack some tea.

"By the way, Dad, do you have any good projects on your end? Your niece is very interested in investing." Kan Jiashu hadn't forgotten the goal Ling Yue had stated when they first cooperated.

Since his father was here today, it was time to fulfill that promise.

Mr. Kan set down his teacup gently, and his expression involuntarily became serious. "In recent years, there's no shortage of projects—I have hundreds on hand—but good projects are extremely rare, one in ten thousand.

In today's society, every industry is saturated. For truly scarce and good projects, a crowd of people will fight tooth and nail just to get a piece of the pie.

Since you call me Uncle, you're like my own niece. I'll keep an eye out for you privately, so there's no need to rush.

If you encounter a project you're unsure about in the future, you can consult me anytime. Since you call me Uncle, I won't charge you for it."

The feedback Mr. Kan gave was extremely serious, truly like an elder in the family looking out for a junior.

In this situation, Ling Yue could no longer use the excuse of 'investing based on fate' to reply, as it would make her seem insincere.

After all, in most people's eyes, investing was for making money.

"Then I'll have to trouble Uncle Kan," Ling Yue said, maintaining her sensible persona to the end.

Mr. Kan waved his hand. "Don't say such things; it's too formal."

But would he really help someone unconditionally just because of a first impression?

The answer was: of course not!

If the domestic business circle were a vast body of water, then the major families, companies, and groups were various species of fish.

The fish were large and small; some were close, and others repelled each other. You would often see big fish eating small fish, and you would also often see small fish attaching themselves to big fish to pick up scraps, slowly growing into the shape of a big fish themselves.

Over time, the fish grew to understand each other's temperaments and began to mind their own business. Big fish could no longer easily eat small fish, and small fish found it slower to grow.

The surface of the water became calm, but the fish were still competing in various ways beneath the invisible depths.

At this time, a big, fat fish with a mysterious background and solid strength suddenly entered the waters. Having never experienced the slaughter, it appeared simple yet uniquely attractive, destined to become a target for everyone to fight over.

But it just so happened that this big fat fish had established a bit of a relationship with him. At this moment, winning over this big fat fish was both natural and necessary.

Clearly, Ling Yue was that big fat fish Mr. Kan wanted to win over.

Admittedly, Ling Yue was also well aware of this.

Mr. Kan was good to her mostly out of an intent to win her over; the first impression was only the smallest bonus, or rather, a prerequisite.

And Ling Yue stayed close to Mr. Kan because she had just entered these waters and needed a fish that had lived there for a long time to lead the way.

Even blood relatives could harm you, let alone an elder she had only met once who was willing to give her resources.

If someone said the other party had no ulterior motive toward her, she wouldn't believe it for a second.

But this was the business world; mutual benefit was perfectly normal.

She valued the other party's resources, and the other party valued her money. Working together and growing together was what made it sincere.

If the other party only wanted to use her, drain her dry, and had no sincerity toward her, she could pull out at any time without any loss.

There was no other way; this was the confidence her unique way of making money gave her. She didn't need to build a business empire; as long as she was alive, she would have a continuous stream of money.

So even if she was a 'fish,' Ling Yue was one that followed her heart, unrestricted by rules and frameworks, able to leap out of the water and live away from the source at any time.

After a few more words, Ling Yue saw it was getting late and took her leave.

Mr. Kan told her she could come over for meals often, and Ling Yue smilingly agreed.

A moment later, the butler brought over two catties of tea, which Ling Yue took and thanked him for.

She headed out, and Kan Jiashu followed her out as well.

Ling Yue hurriedly said, "You don't need to see me out; I know the way."

Kan Jiashu was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "I moved out after I became an adult. I don't usually live at home. I'm leaving with you."

Ling Yue: "..."

Their two cars drove out of the garage one after the other.

Because they lived in different directions, they parted ways after leaving the residential area.

Having eaten too much tonight, Ling Yue was feeling sleepy now.

When she reached home, it was Cheng Jiao who woke her up.

Ling Yue yawned as she got out of the car, but she didn't rush to leave. Instead, she called Master Qin aside privately.

"Uncle Kan asked you about the wild waters, didn't he?"

Master Qin nodded with a simple smile. "He asked, and I told him.

I couldn't help it. He said he would give me and my friend each a 15-foot Gamakatsu Rinto Hiiro fishing rod and four Cormorant Master Hand-painted Alu Floats..."

How could a fishing enthusiast resist such a temptation?

Ling Yue: "...And those friends of yours agreed too?"

Master Qin: "They were urging me to agree."

"...Alright, my worry was unnecessary." Ling Yue held up her phone. "I transferred 100,000 to you as compensation for buying the wild fishing spot information. Pass it on to your friends."

"Ah, this, Boss... actually, there's no need for compensation. How can I take from both sides?" Master Qin scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

Ling Yue smiled and said, "Take it; one thing is separate from the other.

There are no more trips after this. You can get off work today."