A pond full of blooming flowers, an ultimate addiction.

Chi Ruiche took the private elevator to his office on the top floor. The receptionist immediately stood up to greet him, but Chi Ruiche walked over without even looking at her. When he reached the door, he actually knocked on it.

The secretary stared wide-eyed, completely incredulous. Was anyone in there? She couldn't see anyone.

Jiang Yi sat inside, engrossed in her laptop, writing her thesis. No matter where she was, she couldn't escape her thesis. Hearing the knock, she knew Chi Ruiche had arrived.

"President Chi, are you really this polite even when you come into your own room?"

Jiang Yi stopped typing, her tone playful.

When Chi Ruiche opened the window, he saw Jiang Yi sitting cross-legged on the sofa, deep in thought. Sunlight streamed through the window, enveloping her completely. Jiang Yi, backlit, seemed to be glowing.

These past few days, everything has felt unreal to him; his Jiang Yi is back.

"Let's go, I'll take you out to eat."

Jiang glanced at the time; it was twelve o'clock. But she wasn't very hungry. Since returning to China, she had either been eating or on her way to eat. "I'm not very hungry."

"For new cuisines, just pick what you like."

Chi Ruiche insisted on bringing Jiang Yi along, just like a worried old father.

"Ok."

Jiang put down his computer, looked at the article that was almost finished, and paused with satisfaction.

Chi Ruiche and Jiang Yi left the room at the same time. The secretary stared at them the whole way, looking like she had seen a ghost.

This is the same "young master" from last time!

Chi Ruiche and Jiang Yi took the private elevator downstairs as they had in the morning. Uncle Wang was already waiting downstairs. Chi Ruiche helped Jiang Yi into the car and then turned around and sat on the other side.

"Che, who are you having dinner with today?" Jiang Yi was actually a little worried about interfering with Chi Ruiche's work.

"It's alright, your second brother is here too."

Chi Ruiche didn't want to accept the dinner invitation today, but Lü Haotian had urged him several times, so he had no choice but to agree.

"Indeed, I haven't seen him since I came back."

Jiang Yi discovered that Abu had disappeared since drinking with him, and his messages to him went unanswered.

"Che, is Abu very busy? He hasn't replied to my messages." Jiang Yi asked, puzzled.

"Yes, the African representative requested a meeting with him, so he flew to Africa."

Chi Ruiche spoke indifferently, as if it were a normal thing.

"Africa? He's quite busy then."

Abu is currently in one of the hottest cities in Africa, eating food with clients that he has absolutely no appetite for. He had received shot after shot of vaccines in order to come to Africa.

Not only that, I don't know if it was because of the change in environment, but I vomited and had diarrhea as soon as I landed, and I had to go to the hospital several times.

Uncle Wang drove into a place called "Feast," a quiet and elegant detached villa nestled in the bustling city center. It's a restaurant specializing in creative fusion cuisine, primarily French. Known for its fresh ingredients and unique cooking methods, it's quite famous in Xi'an.

When Chi Ruiche and his group arrived, Lü Haotian had already arrived and entered the private room in advance. A waiter led them around the lobby to the private room on the second floor.

The once lively atmosphere suddenly turned cold when the door opened. Everyone looked at Chi Ruiche with interest as he led someone in.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Chi Ruiche ignored their gazes and went straight to the reserved seat. He pulled out a chair for Jiang Yi and placed a napkin on her knees.

Apart from Lü Haotian, the other three people present looked utterly astonished. Was this Chi Ruiche? A business tycoon who could make Xijing tremble with just a single sentence.

"Mr. Chi, who is this gentleman?"

A young man in a suit, with his hair slicked back, looked at Chi Ruiche with a gossipy expression.

"The kids at home."

Chi Ruiche spoke without thinking.

Lu Haotian, who was drinking his aperitif, almost spat it out. How could he say that with such a blank expression? If it were anyone else, wouldn't that be flirting?

Upon hearing this, Jiang, who had already been keeping her head down, refused to look at him any longer.

The boy looked at Jiang Yi, wondering where Chi Ruiche had picked up this "kid".

With fair skin and no makeup, her delicate features are perfectly proportioned. Although she dresses in a neutral style, she has a girlish liveliness. Her eyes are so captivating that even a blink of an eye can make you swoon.

"Who else could possibly deserve such thoughtful service from our CEO, Mr. Chi?"

Lu Haotian spoke at the opportune moment, his words serving as a subtle hint to them.

"contract?"

Chi Ruiche completely ignored their words, his serious expression making it seem as if they were at a negotiating table rather than having a meal.

The others stopped paying attention to Jiang Yi and instead handed Chi Ruiche a pre-prepared contract.

"Boss, I've reviewed the contract and it's fine, but the funding issue still needs further discussion. However, once we take this step into new energy, the returns and profits it will bring us will be considerable."

Unlike Chi Ruiche, Lü Haotian possesses a refined and easygoing temperament, somewhat like a scholar who has strayed into the business world, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.

"We can add more funding to the desired amount, and you can take over the rest. But I want to see it listed within six months."

After Chi Ruiche finished opening the contract, he pointed to one section and then handed the contract to Lü Haotian. The other three people's eyes lit up when they heard Chi Ruiche's words, and their previous anxiety turned into joy.

"Time is tight and the task is heavy. What do you guys think?"

Lu Haotian and these people were college classmates. Last year, he acquired their small company and also strongly supported their independent research and development.

"no problem."

The three of them felt that they were one step closer to their dream, and that they could overcome any other problems.

They didn't expect the funding problem to be resolved so quickly. They thought they would have a heated verbal battle with Chi Ruiche, but none of the lines they had prepared were used.

At this moment, the waiter pushed the food cart into the private room. "Hello, my name is Oliver, and I will be serving you all at noon today. Our dishes will be presented in the form of small cards, with one card representing one dish."

Speaking of the first dish, "Free-range Chicken," it features lily cream foam paired with a crispy chicken skin and pine nut slice.

French cuisine is known for its slow pace; this meal took two hours to finish, and it didn't officially end until dessert was served.

Everyone else ate well, but Jiang Yi only took a small bite and then stopped. Fortunately, the other boys didn't seem to mind.

"President Chi, President Lü, a toast to you both."

Three men picked up their glasses to clink them together.

"Our cooperation is mutually beneficial; you realize your dreams and create value for us. It's a win-win situation."

Lu Haotian smiled and bumped into them. He was the one who organized this event, since he couldn't solve the funding problem without Chi Ruiche's approval.

"Pleasant to work with."

Chi Ruiche nodded slightly and raised his wine glass.

There are too many sycophants around him, so he doesn't need to waste his energy dealing with these insignificant people and things. Even though he doesn't need to get involved in this matter, he still wants to see what Lü Haotian is up to.

Jiang Yi didn't want to respond, but then Lü Haotian saw it and said, "Little kid, come on over!"

Jiang Yi rolled her eyes. Her second brother loved playing these underhanded tricks. Why didn't he just pretend he couldn't see her?

"Thank you, Mr. Lü."

Jiang Yi reluctantly bumped into them all.

The boy who had just slicked his hair back grinned and said, "I'll drink it, you guys can do whatever you want."

Jiang Yi also downed his drink in one gulp, then shook the glass at Lü Haotian. The other two followed suit and finished their drinks as well.

Chi Ruiche, without making a sound, gestured to the waiter to pour more water into Lü Haotian's glass: "Mr. Lü, it seems you're not being generous enough."

Lu Haotian glanced at his wine glass. Chi Ruiche was typically protective of his own. What Western restaurant would fill a wine glass to the brim?

"Alright, let's raise a glass to everyone."

Chi Ruiche saw that Lü Haotian had finished drinking and then stopped talking. Jiang Yi, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows and had a smug little expression like a little fox, his eyes darting around.