8: Chapter 8 The First Real-World Application of the Pleasure of Smell

On Saturday morning, Lin Feng was woken up by a phone call.

He fumbled for his phone and squinted at the caller ID: Mexican Guy.

"Hello?"

"Boss! Something's happened!"

Lin Feng sat up with a start: "What happened?"

"Someone's here to cause trouble!"

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment: "Did Popeyes attack?"

"No! It's... oh, you'll see when you get here!"

The call hung up.

Lin Feng checked the time: 7:20 AM.

He cursed, got up, threw on some clothes, and drove to the shop.

---

Twenty minutes later, Lin Feng parked in front of the shop and was stunned by the scene before him.

There were indeed people at the door.

But they weren't there to cause trouble.

They were there to line up.

The problem was—it was only 7:40 AM, and his shop didn't open until 10:00 AM.

Moreover, the vibe of the people in line was clearly off.

They weren't the usual laughing and joking young people.

It was a group of elite men and women... wearing suits, high heels, and carrying briefcases?

Lin Feng rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The Mexican Guy rushed out of the shop, looking distressed: "Look, Boss! These people arrived at seven! They said they want to see you!"

Lin Feng frowned: "What do they want?"

The guy shook his head: "They won't say, just that they want to see you."

Lin Feng squatted at the entrance and began to observe.

He activated his skill: [Happy Smell].

He scanned a 20-meter radius.

[Scan Result: Happy Emotion Concentration—Moderately Low.]

[Source Distribution: Front of the queue—Anxiety (60%), Anticipation (20%), Fatigue (20%).]

Lin Feng stared at that "60% Anxiety," and had a rough idea of what was going on.

These people weren't here for fried chicken.

They were here to look for something.

But people looking for trouble wouldn't wear such expensive suits.

He stood up, walked to the front of the line, and said to the first middle-aged man in Armani:

"Looking for me?"

The middle-aged man looked up and sized him up—pilling hoodie, wrinkled pants, shoes with peeling soles—a subtle look flashed in his eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

"Lin Feng?"

"That's me."

The middle-aged man stood up, pulled a business card from his briefcase, and handed it over with both hands:

"I'm a partner at an investment firm in Silicon Valley. I'd like to talk to you."

Lin Feng took the card and glanced at it: SV Capital.

One of the oldest VCs in Silicon Valley.

He looked up at the man: "Talk about what?"

The middle-aged man smiled: "Talk about your fried chicken shop."

Lin Feng blinked: "Fried chicken shop? You're a Silicon Valley investor, and you're interested in fried chicken?"

The middle-aged man's smile deepened: "I'm interested in the person who could force Popeyes to say 'Who?' within a month."

Lin Feng was silent for three seconds.

Then he squatted down and looked up at the man again: "Can you squat?"

The middle-aged man was taken aback: "What?"

Lin Feng pointed to himself: "I'm used to chatting while squatting. If you stand, looking up makes my neck tired."

The middle-aged man stared at him for five seconds, then laughed.

He tucked the hem of his suit and actually squatted down.

The surrounding elite men and women looked at each other, and finally, they all squatted down as well.

Thus, at 8:00 AM on Saturday, a strange sight appeared at the entrance of Joe's Fried Chicken:

A young boss in peeling shoes, leading a group of Silicon Valley elites in Armani, all squatting neatly in a row.

Someone secretly filmed it and posted it on TikTok.

Title: "Silicon Valley Big Shots Squatting Together Outside a Fried Chicken Shop, What's Going On?"

Ten minutes later, the views exceeded 500,000.

---

Lin Feng squatted there, holding the business card, and said slowly:

"So you want to invest in me?"

The middle-aged man nodded: "Yes. The valuation is negotiable."

Lin Feng thought for a moment and asked a question:

"Have you ever invested in Popeyes?"

The middle-aged man paused, then smiled: "No. But we have invested in their competitors."

Lin Feng nodded: "So you want to use me to fight Popeyes?"

The middle-aged man was silent for a second, then admitted: "That is the idea."

Lin Feng continued to ask: "How much do you plan to invest? What percentage of shares?"

The middle-aged man quoted a figure.

Lin Feng heard it but didn't speak.

He activated his skill: [Emotion Magnifier], locking onto the middle-aged man.

[Target: David Chen]

[Current Emotion Value: 7.8]

[Emotion Type: Confidence + Anticipation + Slight Nervousness]

[Emotion Trajectory (Last 5 Minutes): Confidence (when quoting) → Anticipation (waiting for response) → Slight Nervousness (now)]

Lin Feng stared at that "Slight Nervousness" and knew what was what.

He said slowly, "With this quote, do you think I don't know the market?"

David was stunned.

Lin Feng continued: "SV Capital's standard play is to invest in the seed round of early-stage projects, taking 15% to 20% equity and keeping the valuation as low as possible. You're giving me this number, are you trying to fool me like a first-time entrepreneur kid?"

David's expression changed.

Lin Feng smiled and pointed to the sign that said "The Boss is Even More Miserable Than You":

"See that? I didn't make that up; it's real. I really have been miserable. But those who have been miserable understand two things best—"

He paused and held up two fingers:

"First, how important money is. Second, when someone is trying to fool you."

David was silent for five seconds.

Then he laughed.

"Boss Lin, I take back my previous quote. Let's renegotiate."

Lin Feng shook his head: "Not today."

David was surprised: "Why?"

Lin Feng stood up and patted his butt: "Because I haven't decided if I want the money yet. Before I've made up my mind, talking is just a waste of time."

He looked at David and said seriously:

"If you want to invest in me, fine. But not today. When I want the money, I'll find you."

David stared at him for three seconds, then stood up and extended his hand:

"Alright. I'll wait for your call then."

Lin Feng shook his hand.

David left with the group of elites.

The Mexican Guy approached, looking full of admiration: "Boss, that was awesome! You actually dared to reject Silicon Valley big shots?"

Lin Feng squatted back down, a straw in his mouth, and said slowly:

"It's not that I'm awesome. It's that they're more anxious than I am."

The guy didn't understand: "Anxious about what?"

Lin Feng pointed to his phone screen—the TikTok video had already surpassed two million views.

"They're not anxious to invest in me. They're afraid someone else will beat them to it."

---

After David left, Lin Feng continued to squat and scroll through his phone.

As he scrolled, he suddenly smelled a scent.

Not a real smell, but the kind of "scent" triggered by his skill.

[Happy Smell Alert—Detected high-intensity happy emotion. Source direction: Left corner, about 30 meters away. Concentration: 8.7.]

Lin Feng turned to look.

At the left corner stood a girl.

In her early twenties, carrying a drawing board and wearing paint-stained overalls, she was holding up her phone to take a picture of his shop.

The color above the girl's head was a mix of yellow and red—a type of happiness that blended excitement and curiosity.

Lin Feng stood up and walked toward her.

The girl saw him approaching, was startled, and put down her phone.

"Are you... Boss Lin?"

Lin Feng nodded: "Why are you taking pictures of my shop?"

The girl was a bit embarrassed: "I'm an art student, sketching nearby. Your shop has been so popular lately, I wanted to paint it."

Lin Feng glanced at her drawing board—the painting was already half-finished, showing the front of his shop, the queuing crowd, the "The Boss is Even More Miserable Than You" sign, and it even included him squatting and scrolling through his phone.

It was painted... quite well.

Lin Feng stared at the painting for three seconds.

Then a thought suddenly popped into his head:

If this shop was painted and seen by more people...

He turned to the girl: "What do you plan to do after you finish the painting?"

The girl was stunned: "Just... keep it for myself."

Lin Feng shook his head: "No."

Girl: "Huh?"

Lin Feng said seriously: "When you finish it, give it to me. I'll hang it in the shop."

Girl: "...Huh?"

Lin Feng pointed to the entrance: "As you can see, I have so many people lining up here every day. If your painting is hung here, hundreds of people will see it every day. That's much better than keeping it to yourself."

The girl was stunned.

Lin Feng continued his pitch: "And aren't you an art student? You paint so well, you shouldn't be the only one who sees it."

The girl was silent for three seconds.

Then she smiled.

It was the kind of smile Lin Feng had been seeing often lately—the kind that ripples out from the eyes after being truly seen.

[Happy Smell Alert—Target's happy emotion concentration rising: 8.7 → 9.4.]

Lin Feng knew the deal was done.

---

Three days later, the painting was hung in the most prominent position in Joe's Fried Chicken.

In the bottom right corner of the painting, the girl had written a small line in pencil:

[Thank you for letting me see, and thank you for being seen by you. —Lily]

Lin Feng squatted under the painting, straw in his mouth, staring at that line for a long time.

Maria walked over and stood beside him, also staring at the painting.

"This painting is nice."

Lin Feng nodded.

"Will that girl come back?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment: "I don't know."

Maria was silent for a second, then said: "You should have her come. She paints well, and she seems like a good person."

Lin Feng turned to look at her: "How do you know she's a good person?"

Maria pointed to the line in the bottom right corner: "Someone who can write something like that won't be bad."

Lin Feng stared at the line for another three seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Alright, I'll take your advice. Next time she comes, I'll treat her to fried chicken."

Maria glanced at him, the corner of her mouth curling slightly.

She turned back to continue frying chicken.

Lin Feng continued to squat and scroll through his phone.

But as he scrolled, he suddenly thought of something—

When Maria said "You should have her come," the color above her head was yellow.

It was anticipation.

What was she anticipating?

Anticipating the girl's return?

Or anticipating... something else?

Lin Feng didn't understand.

But he suddenly felt that this crappy shop was becoming more and more interesting.

[End of Chapter 8]