Chapter 88: The Absolute Empress

Zheng Qian told the two sisters not to leak the fact that he had provided the funding.

Deng Yuqing and Deng Shuxin nodded understandingly. Although they didn't know why Zheng Qian made such a request, since he had come to see them in person to say it, there must be a reason for it.

The two promised not to let the matter slip, so as not to cause trouble for Zheng Qian.

Zheng Qian nodded with satisfaction.

"Xiao Qian, you haven't had lunch yet, right? There aren't any customers right now, so why don't we close the cafe for a bit and go grab something to eat?"

"Okay."

The cafe was temporarily closed, and the three of them went to have lunch together.

After returning, Zheng Qian chatted with the two sisters in the cafe for a while longer.

Aside from giving "suggestions" on the cafe's location, Zheng Qian had not interfered with the decor, layout, or product categories at all. However, everything was managed in perfect order by the two sisters, so he didn't need to worry about anything, let alone losing money.

Just then, the arrival of a customer broke the peace in Zheng Qian's heart.

"Sister Jin, why are you here?"

Seeing a young woman dressed in trendy fashion at the door, Deng Yuqing exclaimed and hurried forward to welcome her.

Jin Lu?

Jin Lu's arrival startled Zheng Qian so much that he even dropped the spoon in his hand.

It's over, it's over, this is the end.

"Oh, you have guests. Did I come at a bad time?" Jin Lu glanced at Zheng Qian in his seat and said, seemingly casually.

"Not at all. Let me introduce you, Sister Jin. This is..." Deng Shuxin pulled Jin Lu over, acting very intimate. She was about to say that Zheng Qian was their boss, but remembering what he had just told her, she quickly changed her words.

"President Zheng Qian, he is my former boss. I used to work under him."

Hearing Deng Shuxin introduce him like that, Zheng Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh~ so that's how it is." Jin Lu dragged out the 'oh' sound.

Watching from the side, Deng Yuqing noticed that Jin Lu's expression was unusual, completely different from before: "Sister Jin, do you know President Zheng?"

Seeing this, Zheng Qian directly put his arm around Jin Lu's shoulders and offered her his seat.

"Yes, yes, yes. We don't just know each other, we're acquaintances." Zheng Qian said with a chuckle.

"President Zheng, why are you here?" Jin Lu raised one eyebrow, her words full of sarcasm, sounding a bit like she caught a thief in the act.

Zheng Qian actually felt a bit guilty. Did Jin Lu already know something?

Given the intelligence of his partner, if she already knew he had funded this cafe, she probably wouldn't have chosen this time to intentionally run into him; instead, she would have pretended not to know anything.

This must be a test.

"I was just passing by and came in for a cup of coffee. Didn't you say the coffee at this cafe is good? So I came to try it." Zheng Qian lied.

Deng Yuqing and Deng Shuxin were a bit surprised by Zheng Qian's behavior; the two of them really did know each other.

Deng Shuxin was simple-minded and, of course, couldn't figure out the relationship between the two.

But Deng Yuqing could see that the relationship between Jin Lu and Zheng Qian was extraordinary.

Jin Lu didn't make it clear that they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Mm, the coffee made by you two sisters is indeed good."

As the big boss and leading figure of the Shuangliu Street cafe scene, both Deng Yuqing and Deng Shuxin had to call her 'Sister'.

Mainly because Jin Lu's aura was too formidable.

In the bedroom, Jin Lu might occasionally take the lead over Zheng Qian, but in this kind of setting, even Zheng Qian couldn't match Jin Lu's aura.

The four chatted briefly, then Zheng Qian made an excuse, saying he had things to do in the afternoon, and slipped away early.

Jin Lu didn't try to keep him, and left the cafe with Zheng Qian.

"Why were you in such a rush to leave? Are you hiding something from me?" Jin Lu asked with a smile, sitting in the passenger seat of Zheng Qian's car.

With that smile, cold sweat ran down Zheng Qian's back.

"Of course not. The company really has business, I have to go prepare a speech." Zheng Qian explained, "Are you overthinking it?"

"Hmph, I just mentioned that pair of sisters to you, and you ran off to their shop. How could I not think of other things?" Jin Lu didn't seem angry; she wanted to hear how Zheng Qian would explain it.

"Then you must have misunderstood. It was a complete coincidence. I really just passed by to buy a cup of coffee, and since Deng Shuxin is a former employee of mine, we sat down and chatted."

"And you didn't ask the sister for her WeChat?"

"No, no. If you don't believe me, I'll give you my phone, you can check it."

As Zheng Qian said this, he took out his phone to let Jin Lu check it. He knew Jin Lu wouldn't take it, which is why he dared to be so bold and confident.

"Hmph, I'm not going to check your phone. That would make me look petty." Jin Lu turned her head away with a proud look, "Then let me ask you, is my coffee better, or is theirs better?"

This was a softball question.

"Of course the coffee you make is better, baby. Although theirs has its own characteristics, it is definitely not as sweet, mellow, and rich as yours. They just can't compare."

"Where did you learn to be so smooth-talking? It's nauseating!" Jin Lu was amused by Zheng Qian.

"Alright, alright, I'll let you go. I have things to do this afternoon too."

Jin Lu's eyes revealed a sense of confidence.

Only insecure women fear their men being stolen away.

She believed that just by relying on Deng Yuqing or Deng Shuxin, they couldn't shake her status in Zheng Qian's heart.

The two sisters had seen the attitude Zheng Qian had towards her just now, so she believed they should know where they stood.

Seeing that Jin Lu didn't pursue the matter further, but instead left a light kiss on his face before getting out of the car, the heavy stone in Zheng Qian's heart finally fell to the ground.

This showed that Jin Lu still trusted him very much.

If she didn't trust him, she would have already started an investigation into him.

Zheng Qian believed that as long as Jin Lu wanted to investigate him, she would certainly uncover his recent connections clearly. By then, with all sorts of solid evidence laid out before him, he would have no way to defend himself.

But Jin Lu didn't do that.

After returning to the company in the afternoon, Zheng Qian threw himself back into work.

Chen Weiqiang instructed him to write a speech introducing the company's financial report and revenue/expenditure status for the first half of the year, requiring Zheng Qian to showcase the company's advantages at the Maritime Trade Summit the day after tomorrow to attract investment from investors.

But there was one point: he could not reveal the company's plans for the second half of the year.

For Zheng Qian, this was a very good exercise.

At the company, Zhong Xiaoyao, Qin Xueli, and Xia Xixi all contributed significantly to the speech. The four of them studied it in the office for an entire afternoon, and a complete speech was produced.

Returning home in the evening, Zheng Qian plunged into the study to prepare to memorize the speech.

Creak.

Jin Lu pushed the door open and entered.

"Qian, what are you memorizing? It's already past twelve, why aren't you sleeping?"

"Mm, a speech. I'm flying to Magic City the day after tomorrow."

"What speech? Let me see."

After taking the speech, Jin Lu read it through briefly: "This content is not bad, but I feel there is still room for polishing."

"It can still be polished?" Zheng Qian was a bit surprised. Jin Lu had this kind of eye for detail?

This speech had been studied and compiled by four people in the office for an entire afternoon.

"Mm, I don't understand the content, but some of the phrasing is not rigorous or accurate enough. Why don't you give it to me? I'll polish it for you. You go to sleep first, and memorize it when you wake up tomorrow."

"Okay."

After Zheng Qian handed the speech to Jin Lu, he hit the pillow and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, Zheng Qian received a neatly copied speech. Some of the transitional words and professional terminology were very precise; anyone who didn't know better would have thought Jin Lu was an industry insider.