102: Chapter 102 Tian Moli

Cao Kun's Xinghui Company was gradually getting on the right track.

Aside from various expenses, there was even a small profit every month.

This made Cao Kun very happy.

He hadn't originally expected this company to make money, so it was a pleasant surprise.

In passing, he even brought Tian Zhenxi to the company to work as a cleaner.

Every day, when he had nothing to do, he would drift among various beautiful women.

This afternoon, Cao Kun had just finished a tender moment with Bai Muyou and was driving home.

The December cold wind sliced through the streets of Zhongzhou like a knife; the roadside trees had long since lost their leaves, their bare branches shivering in the twilight.

The air conditioning in Cao Kun's car was turned up high, creating a world apart from the bitter cold outside.

While waiting at a red light,

A frail figure caught his attention.

It was a young girl, about twenty years old. In such a freezing winter, she wore only a thin, light gray wool coat and a pair of thin jeans on her lower body.

She walked extremely slowly, almost dragging her feet, one hand occasionally rising to wipe her cheeks.

Cao Kun had excellent eyesight and could clearly see the tear stains on the girl's face almost freezing in the cold wind.

Her lips were frozen purple, and her entire body trembled in the wind like a falling leaf.

"Tsk, young people prioritize style over warmth," Cao Kun muttered, withdrawing his gaze.

The light turned green, and he stepped on the accelerator.

The car had traveled a dozen meters when a system notification suddenly rang in his mind.

[Ding, new mission released: Help the helpless Tian Moli resolve her family conflict.]

[Mission Reward: 400,000 huaxia coins.]

Cao Kun slammed on the brakes; the car behind him almost rear-ended him and honked its horn in dissatisfaction.

He ignored it and pulled the car over to the side.

"Four hundred thousand?" Cao Kun was startled.

He quickly reviewed the previous mission rewards.

Initially it was 100,000. After receiving an extra reward of 5 million, the reward amount increased to 200,000.

A while ago, he received an extra reward of 10 million, and now it had jumped directly to 400,000.

Following this trend, if he received another extra reward, would the reward become 800,000?

Cao Kun was a bit excited.

After a good while, he pulled his thoughts back.

Through the rearview mirror, he looked at that frail figure getting further and further away.

"Family conflict..." he murmured to himself.

To make someone walk and cry in the dead of winter wearing only thin clothes, heedless of the cold—this conflict was likely not small.

Cao Kun wasn't one to meddle in others' business; if it were his former self, he might have truly just driven away.

But things were different now.

With a system mission active, it was impossible for him not to do it.

Without much hesitation, Cao Kun turned the car around and slowly drove back to the girl's side.

He rolled down the window, and the cold wind immediately poured in: "Miss, are you alright?"

Tian Moli was startled and took two steps back warily, her red and swollen eyes looking into the car.

Seeing it was a young man driving an expensive car, she subconsciously shook her head: "No... I'm fine."

Her voice had a heavy nasal tone, clearly from crying for a long time.

"It's so cold today; you'll freeze if you wear so little." Cao Kun's tone was as gentle as possible. "Have you encountered some difficulty? Do you need help?"

"No need, thank you." Tian Moli managed to squeeze out a smile, but it looked worse than crying.

She turned to leave, her steps unsteady, nearly falling over.

Cao Kun quickly got out of the car to support her.

The moment he touched the girl's arm, he was surprised to find she was almost frozen stiff; her body temperature was frighteningly low.

"Don't touch me!" Tian Moli broke away like a startled rabbit, but she had too little strength; with a gentle pull from Cao Kun, she stumbled.

"Look at you, you can't even stand steadily." Cao Kun frowned. "I'm not a bad person; I just saw you alone in this weather... it's dangerous. How about this: there's a coffee shop up ahead. I'll buy you a hot drink to warm you up, and then you can leave whenever you want. How does that sound?"

Tian Moli bit her purple lips, her gaze hesitant.

She indeed couldn't stand the cold anymore; she had been too impulsive when she ran out of the house and hadn't even taken a thick coat.

She had been walking for nearly an hour now, and her hands and feet had long since lost all sensation.

"But I don't know you. What if you're a bad person?" she said softly.

"Look, this is my business card. I'm really not a bad person." Cao Kun pulled out his business card as the General Manager of Xinghui Company from his breast pocket and handed it over.

Tian Moli hesitantly took it and used the streetlights to see the words on it: "Shining Radiance Advertising... General Manager... Cao Kun."

Perhaps the business card worked, or perhaps she really couldn't take the cold anymore; Tian Moli finally nodded.

"Get in the car; it's warm inside." Cao Kun opened the passenger door for her.

Tian Moli hesitated for a moment but still got into the car.

The warm air immediately enveloped her, and her frozen body began to regain sensation.

Cao Kun turned up the air conditioning and grabbed a blanket from the back seat, handing it to Tian Moli: "Wrap yourself in this first."

"Thank you..." Tian Moli thanked him softly, wrapping herself in the blanket.

The car was very clean and had a faint scent of men's cologne—not pungent, but very pleasant.

The coffee shop wasn't far, only a five-minute drive away.

It was a 24-hour chain store; water vapor condensed on the glass windows, through which a warm yellow light shone.

After parking, Cao Kun very gentlemanly opened the door for Tian Moli.

The girl's legs went weak as she got out, and Cao Kun caught her just in time.

"Careful."

"S-sorry..." Tian Moli blushed, unsure if it was from embarrassment or because she had finally warmed up.

Pushing open the door to the coffee shop, a wave of warmth mixed with the aroma of coffee hit them.

There weren't many people inside, only two or three tables of customers, all quietly reading or working.

The two found a corner by the window and sat down.

This spot was relatively private and offered a view of the street.

"What would you like to drink?" Cao Kun pushed the menu over.

Tian Moli said, "An-anything..."

Cao Kun spoke directly to the waiter: "Two lattes, one with extra milk, and also one tiramisu and one Black Forest cake."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

After the waiter left, the atmosphere fell into a brief silence.

Cao Kun wasn't in a hurry to ask; he just sat quietly, giving her time to adjust her emotions.

The coffee arrived quickly. Tian Moli held the warm cup with both hands, feeling the heat transfer to her palms, and finally spoke: "Mr. Cao... thank you."

"You're welcome," Cao Kun said gently. "Feeling warmer now?"

"Yes." Tian Moli nodded, taking a small sip of coffee.

With the hot drink inside her, her body finally warmed up completely, but the chill in her heart hadn't diminished in the slightest.

"If you don't mind, you can tell me what happened."

Cao Kun's tone was relaxed, as if chatting about the weather. "Just treat me like a hollow tree—the kind where you say it and it's forgotten."

Tian Moli bit her lip, and tears began to well up in her eyes again. She lowered her head, and tears dripped into the coffee cup.

Cao Kun timely handed her a tissue.

"I... I don't know where to start," Tian Moli choked out.

"It's fine, you can start from wherever you like."

Tian Moli thought for a moment and began to slowly tell her story.

...