After returning to the capital to farm, the abandoned concubine made a comeback.

When Lin Qin woke up in the early morning, she felt her eyelids twitching violently.

An ominous premonition enveloped her, as unsettling as forgetting to order tripe when eating hot pot.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived at the shop, Bai Xiaoer greeted them with a long face: "Boss lady, something terrible has happened! Everyone outside is saying there are bugs in our dishes!"

Lin Qin's heart sank.

insect?

This is a major taboo in the catering industry!

The last smear campaign had just calmed down, and now Boss Qin is stirring up trouble again!

Her eyes sharpened, and her piercing gaze swept over the customers coming and going in the store, instantly creating a tense atmosphere, as if the air itself had frozen.

Some diners whispered among themselves, and the once bustling shop suddenly fell silent, with only the crisp sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering together.

"Bai Xiaoer, go investigate! Find out who is spreading rumors!" Lin Qin ordered in a low voice, her tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

Bai Xiaoer nodded quickly and ran out in a flash.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was heavy. Lin Qin tried to remain calm and greeted customers to take their orders, but her smile seemed somewhat forced.

She knew in her heart that if she didn't handle this rumor well, the reputation she had worked so hard to build would be ruined.

Time ticked by, as agonizing as waiting for takeout.

Finally, Bai Xiaoer came running back, panting and pale: "Boss lady, I... I found out... it's Boss Qin again!"

"Boss Qin!" Lin Qin spat out these three words through gritted teeth, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

That old fox, he's really persistent!

Wasn't the lesson learned last time enough?

A surge of anger welled up from the bottom of her heart, burning her chest with a suffocating feeling.

She felt like a small animal cornered against a wall, ready to fight back at any moment.

The air in the store seemed to freeze, and a suffocating atmosphere permeated the space.

"Boss lady..." Bai Xiaoer looked at Lin Qin timidly, not daring to continue.

Lin Qin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She can't panic; she needs to stay calm, especially at times like these!

She abruptly stood up, a cold glint in her eyes: "Let's go, let's go meet this Boss Qin!" With that, she strode towards the door…

Lin Qin, accompanied by Bai Xiaoer, stormed into Boss Qin's shop, looking like a mother hen fiercely protecting her chicks.

Mr. Qin was sitting with his legs crossed, leisurely drinking tea, looking completely unconcerned.

Upon seeing Lin Qin, he gave a sarcastic, forced smile and said, "Oh, isn't this Boss Lin? What brings you here? Are you here to learn how I do business?"

"Stop pretending!" Lin Qin slammed her hand on the table, her eyes wide with anger. "You're up to no good again, spreading rumors that there are bugs in the food at my restaurant! What are you up to?!"

Boss Qin feigned surprise, widening his eyes: "Boss Lin, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! When did I say such a thing? You'd better provide evidence!" He looked completely innocent, as if he were the victim.

"Evidence?" Lin Qin sneered. "Do you think I have no evidence?" She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, on which were written the testimonies of several people who had personally heard Qin's men spreading rumors.

Boss Qin's expression changed, his eyes flickered, but he quickly regained his composure: "This...this is definitely forged! Who knows where you got this fake testimony from!"

"False testimony?" Lin Qin's lips curled into a cold smile. "These people are in my shop right now. If you don't believe me, you can go and confront them yourself!"

More and more people gathered around, pointing and whispering about Boss Qin.

Boss Qin's forehead began to sweat; he hadn't expected Lin Qin to be so prepared.

He tried to remain calm and even attempted to argue, but Lin Qin interrupted him: "Boss Qin, do you dare to make a bet with me?"

Boss Qin was taken aback: "What bet?"

"Let's bet on whether there are bugs in my food!" Lin Qin stared intently at him. "If there are no bugs in my food, you'll apologize to me in front of everyone and compensate me for my losses! If there really are bugs in my food, I'll close down the business!"

Mr. Qin glanced guiltily at the people around him, then at Lin Qin's determined eyes. He knew he was now in a difficult situation.

He gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Let's bet! Who's afraid of who!"

Lin Qin turned around and went back to her shop. In front of everyone, she personally cooked a dish.

After the dishes were cooked, she inspected them in front of everyone and found no insects.

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause, praising Lin Qin's culinary skills and character.

Boss Qin's face turned ashen; he knew he had lost.

Just then, a deep voice came from the crowd: "I will bear witness."

Zhu Ling appeared in the crowd like a god descending from heaven, exuding a cold and aloof aura, as if he had his own background music.

He walked to Lin Qin's side, gently took her hand, and intertwined their fingers like a majestic mountain, sheltering her from the wind and rain.

Lin Qin felt the warmth of his palm, and a warm current surged in her heart, sweet like milk tea with double the sugar.

She knew that no matter what storms they encountered, he would be by her side, and this sense of security was even more reassuring than the balance in her bank account.

The onlookers around them were all green with envy, sighing with a sour taste of what an amazing love story this was.

When Boss Qin saw Zhu Ling, his face turned even uglier than if he had eaten expired instant noodles.

He originally intended to use this opportunity to ruin Lin Qin, but unexpectedly, he shot himself in the foot and ended up being fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

This was a complete disaster!

Just as Boss Qin was about to slip away, an old but loud voice came from the crowd: "Wait!" There was Granny Sun, leaning on her cane, walking out shakily, looking just like a highly respected gangster.

Grandma Sun is a regular customer of Lin Qin's shop and a well-known "food critic" on the street.

Her words are more effective than recommendations on food apps.

She cleared her throat and said to the crowd, "I've been eating Mr. Lin's food for so long and I've never found any bugs! This Mr. Qin is clearly just jealous of Mr. Lin's good business and is deliberately spreading rumors!"

Grandma Sun's words were powerful and resounding, like a bomb exploding in the crowd.

Everyone nodded in agreement, casting disdainful glances at Boss Qin.

Boss Qin's face changed from white to green, then from green to purple, as colorful as a palette.

"Mr. Qin, do you have anything else to say?" Zhu Ling's voice was icy cold, like the winter wind, making Mr. Qin shiver.

Mr. Qin stammered and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He originally thought he could bring down Lin Qin in one fell swoop, but unexpectedly, he lost more than he gained.

“Since you have nothing to say,” Zhu Ling’s gaze was as sharp as a knife, “then follow the agreement, apologize in public, and compensate for the losses!”

Boss Qin's face was more bitter than a bitter gourd; he was unwilling but dared not resist.

Just as he was about to apologize, a man in black suddenly appeared behind him and whispered a few words in his ear.

Boss Qin's face turned deathly pale instantly, his eyes filled with terror...

His lips trembled as he uttered a few words: "I...I..." Boss Qin's face was deathly pale, and he was sweating profusely. He stammered out a few words: "I...I admit defeat..." He was as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant.

The onlookers burst into laughter; this reversal was more exciting than watching a TV series!

As agreed, Boss Qin apologized to Lin Qin in public and compensated her for the losses.

He slunk away, his figure desolate, looking like a defeated rooster.

The onlookers dispersed satisfied, all saying they had thoroughly enjoyed this juicy gossip!

Lin Qin's shop gained even greater reputation because of this incident.

The news spread like wildfire, drawing even more people eager to try the "Queen of the Countryside's" cooking.

The shop's business is booming. Standing at the shop entrance, Lin Qin looks at the endless stream of customers and feels a great sense of accomplishment.

This feels even better than emptying your shopping cart!

She smiled like a flower, greeting guests and keeping herself very busy.

Bai Xiaoer also busied himself with tasks, his face beaming with joy.

This scene is even more lively than during the Chinese New Year!

In the dead of night, Lin Qin saw off the last group of customers and closed the shop door.

She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling all her fatigue disappear.

Although she averted the crisis once again, she knew that the better the business was, the greater the challenges she might face.

She didn't know what difficulties might come her way, and she worried that Boss Qin might come up with even more insidious schemes.

It feels like playing a game and fighting a boss; you never know what kind of monster you'll encounter in the next level.

Lin Qin walked to the counter to count today's earnings.

She opened the money box, looked at the full amount of silver, and couldn't help but smile.

"I made quite a bit of money today..." she murmured to herself, reaching for the abacus...

Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, and Lin Qin felt a chill run down her back.

She turned around abruptly, but saw nothing.

"Could it be my imagination?" Lin Qin frowned in confusion. "No..." She sensed something was off, and a strange unease welled up inside her...

She slowly turned around, her gaze falling on a letter in the money box...

The envelope clearly stated: "A big gift for you."