Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

Lin Bufan put down his teacup, leaned back, and wore a half-smile on his face:

"Old Ma, this amount of money is really nothing to me. But when I invest, I look at not only the project itself, but also the people involved."

You're letting me bet everything, putting in all the money, while you just provide the idea and the person. Even if we lose in the end, you'll just go back to this little courtyard and meditate for another year—it's no loss for you. But for me, even if it's not a lot of money, it's still money. Without pressure, where will your motivation come from? What if you get tired halfway through, find it too difficult, and just leave? Who am I supposed to complain to?

Upon hearing this, Ma Qiushan immediately straightened his back, his face full of solemnity: "President Lin, you can rest assured! This project is the culmination of my hard work, an idea I've been pondering for over a year. I will absolutely dedicate myself to it and treat it as my own career! I can sign an agreement with you to guarantee it..."

Lin Bufan waved his hand, interrupting those who hadn't managed to grab it: "Old Ma, empty promises are worthless in the business world. What I want to see is your determination, how much risk you're willing to take and how much you're willing to pay for this project."

After saying that, Lin Bufan stopped talking and continued to drink his tea slowly, looking calmly at Maqiu Mountain.

The air grew quiet, with only the faint chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind coming from afar.

Chen Nanxing glanced at Lin Bufan, then at Ma Qiushan, and wisely refrained from interjecting.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ma Qiushan's forehead. He could tell that Lin Bufan's attitude was very clear—without seeing real money invested, you can't get investment just by talking.

His hands, resting on his knees, clenched and unclenched repeatedly, a clear internal struggle raging within him. He had conceived this project for a long time, meticulously refining every detail in his mind; he genuinely wanted to make it happen. But… where would the money come from?

Time passed by minute by minute.

Finally, Ma Qiushan gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind, and suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with a resolute determination:

"President Lin, I understand! You're right, words alone are not enough!"

He took a deep breath and spoke faster: "I... I don't have much cash right now. But I have two houses back in my hometown, which I bought when I was making money. I can... I can mortgage them, or sell one or two of them!"

After saying this, Ma Qiushan seemed to have used up all his strength, looking at Lin Bufan with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation, waiting for his verdict.

Lin Bufan put down his teacup and nodded: "Alright, if you have this determination, then this matter can be discussed."

Upon hearing this, Ma Qiushan's face instantly lit up with excitement. He jumped to his feet, rubbing his hands together vigorously: "That's great! President Lin! Then...then I'll go and prepare a detailed business plan right away! And I'll also take care of the mortgage on the house as soon as possible!"

"Okay, go ahead." Lin Bufan waved his hand, still with that casual demeanor.

"Okay! Okay! Mr. Lin, Nanxing, you two chat first, I'll be right there!" Ma Qiushan practically ran back to the room with the wind in his step, his back view full of energy, completely different from the leisurely state he had when he was meditating earlier.

Watching Ma Qiushan disappear at the top of the stairs, Chen Nanxing turned his gaze to Lin Bufan and asked with some curiosity, "You think highly of Master Ma's project?"

Lin Bufan shrugged, looking indifferent: "It doesn't matter whether I'm optimistic or not. It's just a small amount of money anyway. If I lose it, so be it. I'll just consider it as supporting Lao Ma to try again."

Chen Nanxing curled his lip, his tone full of envy, jealousy and hatred: "Well, there's really nothing to talk about with you rich dogs. A little bit of money... you talk about it like you've lost a coin."

"Nothing to talk about?" Lin Bufan glanced at Chen Nanxing, then reached out and lifted his chin. "If there's nothing to talk about, why don't you go cook? Do you want me to starve?"

"Ah!" Chen Nanxing slapped Lin Bufan's hand away, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Why am I cooking again? Shouldn't it be your turn?"

Lin Bufan finished his tea and then said slowly, "I cooked last night, but I didn't eat this morning, so it's like I skipped it. Therefore, you will cook lunch today, of course."

"What does it have to do with me that you didn't eat breakfast? Anyway, I made breakfast. It's your business if you sleep in and don't eat! According to the rotation, I made breakfast, so it's your turn for lunch!" Although Chen Nanxing was in the wrong, it didn't affect her confidence at all. She acted as if she really had made breakfast that morning!

Although Chen Nanxing's performance was flawless, Lin Bufan couldn't believe it, and he couldn't believe it. The reason was simple: a woman who had been sexually assaulted by him twice in one night was now cooking early in the morning. Wasn't this a slap in the face for Lin Bufan?

"You made breakfast? I just don't believe it. You were staggering when you left this morning, how could you possibly have the energy to make breakfast?"

Although her legs were still a little weak, Chen Nanxing decided to push herself to be lazy: "Who, who's staggering? I'm fine! I think you're the one who can't hold on anymore, and you're seeing double, so that's why you think I'm staggering, right?"

Can’t stand it?

Lin Bufan seemed to have been flipped out of a switch; his eyes narrowed instantly, his body leaned forward slightly, and his voice was low and carried a hint of danger: "Are you sure... it's me who can't hold on?"

After seeing Lin Bufan's gaze, Chen Nanxing involuntarily shuddered and began to doubt whether it was worth it to do this just to avoid cooking one more meal. But after a moment's thought, Chen Nanxing decided to stick to his guns!

What's the big deal? I'll just die in his bed!

"I, I'm sure of course! You can ask me if you don't believe me..." Chen Nanxing's gaze swept quickly across the yard, immediately locking onto Sang Biao, who was lazily sunbathing on the stone steps. His eyes lit up instantly: "You can ask Sang Biao if you don't believe me! He praised my cooking this morning!"

Sang Biao, whose name was suddenly called, originally didn't want to pay attention to the two, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that if he helped Chen Nanxing, he could have lunch cooked by Lin Bufan.

Whether to choose a gourmet feast or a simple, ordinary meal, it's not a difficult decision!

As Sang Biao nodded, confirming his words, Chen Nanxing immediately revealed a victorious smile: "How about that? Now you have nothing to say, right? Hurry up and cook, I'm starving!"

After giving Chen Nanxing a "you just wait" look, Lin Bufan turned and went into the kitchen.

Chen Nanxing's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly shrugged. Whatever, even if they settle scores later, that's a matter for the future. He'd enjoy this lunch he got by being lazy first! If he were to be trembling with fear now, wouldn't all his efforts have been in vain?

Lin Bufan cooks extremely quickly, and before long, an enticing aroma wafts from the kitchen.

When everyone arrived at the restaurant, the table was already laden with food: glistening braised pork, stir-fried vegetables, fragrant mushroom and chicken soup, and a large plate of garlic vermicelli shrimp. The portions were generous—after all, with him and Sang Biao there, a small amount wouldn't have been enough.

When it was time to eat, only Chen Nanxing, Lin Bufan, Da Mai, and Hu Youyu, who had just been discharged from the hospital, sat around the table.

Lin Bufan glanced around and immediately noticed that someone was missing, so he casually asked, "Where's Hongdou? Why isn't she coming down? Lunch is the most nourishing meal; you can't skip it."

As for why Ma Qiushan wasn't mentioned, Lin Bufan felt that Old Ma was already an adult, and he had his own reasons for doing things, so he didn't need others to tell him what to do!

Chen Nanxing picked up a shrimp, peeled it as he said, "Hongdou went out to look for Xie Zhiyuan early this morning. It seems that the child has disappeared..."

Before anyone else could react after hearing Chen Nanxing's story, Lin Bufan slammed his fist on the table and stood up!

"What?! You mean Hongdou went out with Xie Zhiyao?"

Chen Nanxing was startled by Lin Bufan, almost dropping the shrimp in his hand. He nodded blankly, "I-I guess so... What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"What's wrong? This is a huge problem!" Lin Bufan paced back and forth in the restaurant, his tone agitated: "A lone man and a lone woman traveling together in the middle of nowhere... this is so dangerous!"

Xie Zhiyao, that kid, looks all respectable, but I never expected him to have so many tricks up his sleeve. I wasn't even watching him for a moment, and he actually managed to run off with Hongdou!

No no no!

I need to call Hongdou back right away; I can't let her be fooled by Xie Zhiyao's sunny exterior! What good is a bright exterior? She might have a dark heart!

As he spoke, Lin Bufan took out his phone. Just as he unlocked the screen, a familiar, puzzled voice came from the restaurant entrance:

"Who's going to be fooled? What are you talking about?"

Everyone looked up and saw Xu Hongdou standing at the restaurant entrance, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead, looking at them with a puzzled expression.

Lin Bufan's eyes lit up, and he rushed over in a few steps, grabbing Xu Hongdou's shoulders and looking her up and down. His tone was urgent: "Dou'er! You're finally back! Why didn't you tell me you were going out? Did that bastard take advantage of you? Did he touch you inappropriately? Did he say anything inappropriate? Tell me quickly!"

Xu Hongdou was completely bewildered by the question: "Lin Bufan, what's wrong with you now? Which bastard took advantage of me?"

Chen Nanxing finally understood what Lin Bufan was anxious about, and explained in a sour tone, "Our boss Lin just heard that you went out with Xie Zhiyao, and he's so jealous."

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongdou glanced at Lin Bufan, who looked anxious, and then at Chen Nanxing, who was pouting. She suddenly chuckled and said meaningfully, "Is that so? I feel... it's not Lin Bufan who's jealous, but rather someone else?"

Chen Nanxing blushed and retorted, "Who's jealous? There's so much delicious food in front of me, I'm too busy eating to have time for that stuff!"

"I didn't say anything about you, why are you in such a hurry to explain?"

"You! Humph!" Unable to win an argument with Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing simply buried his head in his rice: "I can't be bothered with you!"

Lin Bufan ignored their bickering, pulled Xu Hongdou to an empty seat, and piled the bowls in front of her like a small mountain: "Dou'er, ignore them, eat quickly! You must be hungry after running around all morning, eat more to replenish your energy!"

Looking at the overflowing food in her bowl, Xu Hongdou felt much less frustrated by her fruitless search for the person. She picked up her chopsticks and said, "Thank you."

Several people started eating and chatting.

Hu Youyu took a sip of soup and casually asked, "Hongdou, has Xie Zhiyuan found him yet?"

Xu Hongdou shook her head and sighed: "No. I've searched every place in the village and asked everyone I can, but they all say they haven't seen it."

Chen Nanxing swallowed the food in his mouth and guessed, "Could it be that he felt ashamed and embarrassed to stay in the village, so he went to Kunming to find his parents? He's so old, he should be fine, right?"

"Mr. Xie called his parents, but Xie Zhiyuan didn't go back. And his parents can't contact him now either."

Da Mai, who had been eating quietly, suddenly spoke up in a low voice: "What if he feels too ashamed and can't think straight... and does something extreme? Like jumping off a cliff, jumping into the sea, jumping off a building, or lying on the train tracks, hanging himself, or eating poisonous mushrooms..."

As she spoke, Da Mai noticed that everyone at the table was looking at her in shock, and she immediately couldn't continue: "I just saw on the news that kids these days have incredibly strong self-esteem and can't handle the slightest setback..."

Seeing the atmosphere getting a bit heavy, Hu Youyu quickly tried to smooth things over, chuckling awkwardly, "Haha, Da Mai, you're overthinking it, that's too scary! It's not that serious! He probably just went off to play somewhere, or is hiding at a classmate's house, and his phone probably died. Kids are like that, they're quick to anger, he'll be back in a couple of days."

Despite saying that, Xu Hongdou's worry did not dissipate. She subconsciously looked at Lin Bufan, only to find that he, like Sang Biao, was engrossed in his meal, eating with great relish, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere at the table.

Xu Hongdou's gaze fell on Sang Biao, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "Brother Biao, you have a good nose, right? Can you help me find Xie Zhiyuan?"

Sang Biao was happily gnawing on a bone with meat on it when he heard this, he paused, slowly raised his head, and a clear look of disgust flashed in his dog eyes. He wouldn't even offer a little benefit. Is this how you ask a person, no, a dog, for a favor?

Sang Biao pursed his lips and continued gnawing on the bone, adopting a haughty attitude that said, "I'm busy, don't bother me."

Seeing that Sang Biao ignored her, Xu Hongdou had no choice but to turn to its owner for help.

Lin Bufan stuffed the last piece of braised pork into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it with satisfaction, and then leisurely pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth.

"As for finding him... let's not rush it." Lin Bufan looked up at Xu Hongdou, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently at her: "Tell me first, did you look for Xie Zhiyuan by yourself this morning, or did you and Xie Zhiyao look for him together?"

Xu Hongdou thought Lin Bufan was still jealous, and rolled her eyes with amusement: "I found it myself! President Xie just rode his motorcycle around the main road and a few intersections in the village a few times, and then said that something had happened at the horse farm and left in a hurry. He didn't really put any effort into finding it."

"Huh?" Chen Nanxing put down his chopsticks in surprise: "His own younger brother is lost, and he's so indifferent?"

Da Mai timidly added, "I...I overheard some of the older women in the village talking about how Mr. Xie and Xie Zhiyuan...it seems they weren't born to the same mother. Mr. Xie's mother passed away before his father married Xie Zhiyuan's mother."

Chen Nanxing suddenly realized: "Oh... so they're half-siblings, no wonder..."

Xu Hongdou frowned and shook her head: "I don't think... it's that serious, is it? I saw that President Xie was quite concerned about his brother before, it didn't seem like just a superficial gesture."

Upon hearing this, everyone thought about it carefully and felt that Xu Hongdou's words made sense. Xie Zhiyao did not seem like the kind of person who said one thing in front of others and another in private.