Pretty and charming, dressed in the 90s, she's good at everything from making money to causing

"Lin Ting, you're nothing but a bandit at heart."

Duan Jun held his chopsticks, stared at Lin Ting for a full ten minutes, and finally made a judgment.

Lin Ting pushed away the empty bowl in front of her and looked at her with a puzzled expression: "I finished my whole bowl of noodles, and you only just came up with such a slanderous remark about me?"

Duan Jun: "...?"

She glanced at Xu Tao beside her and silently abandoned a satisfying but dangerous idea.

Lin Ting wiped her mouth with exceptional elegance, without defending herself. She waited for Duan Jun to finish her noodles in a few bites and pay the bill before clapping obediently: "Thank you for the meal, Fifth Sister—I am someone who can be bought with a bowl of noodles. Please feel free to tell me what you need."

Duan Jun rolled her eyes at her, then laughed: "You said it yourself, don't regret it!"

Lin Ting: "...?"

"You should be able to tell that I was just being polite, right?"

"How could someone as honest as me possibly tell?"

"You... it's fine to say that today, but don't say it tomorrow. The weather forecast says there will be a heavy snowstorm tomorrow."

"Ok?"

"There might be a winter thunderstorm."

"..."

Duan Jun came to have dinner with Lin Ting, not to inquire about her upcoming textbook publication. In fact, Lin Ting had no idea about it beforehand.

She genuinely had something important to discuss with Lin.

Lin Ting was well aware of this—if there was nothing wrong, why would Duan Jun call her eight times in one morning to invite her to lunch?

Moreover, the place where they arranged to have dinner was right across from Duan Jun's workplace.

After the meal, Duan Jun grabbed Lin Ting's wrist and dragged her into his office.

"Tell me, what's wrong?"

Lin Ting sat on the sofa like an old man, brewing tea by himself without even lifting his eyelids.

Duan Jun's office is quite simple, even frugal. The fabric sofa's foam is so thin it hurts your bottom, but they haven't replaced it.

Duan Jun had already changed her attitude and sat down next to Lin Ting with a smile. She took the tea set from her and started preparing it herself.

"It's really no big deal for you." She gave Lin Ting a heads-up, then hooked her leg around Lin Ting's calf as if afraid she would run away.

Lin Ting: "Fifth Sister, I feel very insecure when you're like this."

Her behavior showed absolutely no indication that this was a serious matter.

She tried to regain her freedom, but Duan Jun's workplace was not open to just anyone, so Xu Tao stayed outside.

And she herself...

Fine, she'd better listen to what Duan Jun had to say.

Duan Jun pushed a cup of tea in front of Lin Ting and looked at her with a smile: "If I remember correctly, you're going abroad in September or October of the year after next, right?"

Lin Ting didn't even take the tea: "Stop beating around the bush, just get to the point."

“Tsk,” Duan Jun was clearly not used to this roundabout way of talking. She cleared her throat and simply said, “Since you went abroad, you haven’t been able to take care of things back home. Why don’t you start construction on that piece of land you have sooner?”

"If I remember correctly, the planning for your land plot is already done, right? How's the progress? Are the blueprints finished?"

Lin Ting instantly understood what she was planning and ignored the second half of her sentence: "I'm going abroad, not out of the Milky Way, so there's nothing I can't worry about."

The land she owned in Beijing was a gift from Jiang's father. It was in a great location and was quite large. It was not only a cash cow in the eyes of businessmen, but also something that Duan Jun had been longing to plan for.

Seeing the glint in Duan Jun's eyes, Lin Ting suddenly realized what Jiang's father's purpose was in giving her that piece of land.

That was more than just a thank-you gift; it also forged a bond that closely connected her with Duan Jun and the others.

Lin Ting smiled unconsciously.

She had long planned to start construction on that plot of land, but she was indeed facing a shortage of funds. The main reason she came to Beijing this time was to find Duan Jun to help her with this issue.

Before she could even speak, Duan Jun offered himself up first, so she couldn't be blamed.

My godmother said that one shouldn't be too kind.

A godmother is also a mother; she's just listening to her own mother.

When Duan Jun saw her smile, he thought she was about to agree, so he immediately said, "I won't cheat you—there are indeed a lot of favorable conditions recently. Conditions are good for whoever they are, so if you start construction now, I'll give you the biggest benefits. How about it?"

Lin Ting snapped out of her daze and stopped smiling: "That's fine, but I don't have any money."

Duan Jun was stunned by those seven words for a long time before finally roaring in exasperation, "Lin Ting! Can you give me an excuse that I can at least somewhat accept?"

Lin Ting helplessly spread his hands, looking at her with a completely honest expression: "I really didn't lie to you. You see, I have many businesses, but they're all just money-draining ventures that generate publicity—"

"The milk tea shop is still in the expansion phase. Its own profits are barely enough to cover the investment in opening new stores, and I occasionally have to subsidize it."

"Ever since my fourth uncle took office in Shanxi Province, the costs at the mine have doubled. Let alone making a profit, just breaking even is considered a success."

"And then there's the project in Shenyang, that's a money-devouring beast, I have to throw a hundred thousand or two into it every month."

"What family can afford to spend like this? I don't have that kind of money!"

Lin Ting was extremely sincere.

Duan Jun didn't believe a single word of it.

As we all know, once Lin Ting starts telling more, the percentage of truthful statements will drop below 10%.

Duan Jun took a sip of tea and said slowly, "I heard that the garment factory paid several million yuan in taxes this year."

Lin Ting: "It's a rumor, don't believe it."

Duan Jun sipped her tea, glancing at her sideways: "At the meeting a while ago, Boss Lin was listed in the Liaoning Province's report on the development of private enterprises."

Lin Ting: "..."

It's her fault.

It's because she's too outstanding.

Seeing her speechless, Duan Jun gently tugged at her hair: "I asked you to start working, not to date. Is it really necessary?"

Lin Ting casually replied, "Then let me date instead."

"You...eh?"

Duan Jun immediately became interested. "Who said 'even dating dogs don't date'? What's going on with you? Something's up? With whom? Young Master Jiang?"

"I...I...I was just using an analogy to tell you how impossible this is!"

Lin Ting's ears inexplicably felt hot.

It was probably because Duan Jun forced him to do it.

definitely is.

Fortunately, Duan Jun was also a blockhead, and at the moment she was preoccupied with her career and did not notice Lin Ting's change at all.

She slapped Lin Ting on the shoulder, pulled her closer, and said directly, "Tell me, Boss Lin, what will it take for you to have money?"

Lin Ting secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pushed her hand away: "You want me to think about how I can get money?"

"What else?" Duan Jun said matter-of-factly, "I'm not good at making money."

Lin Ting openly looked her up and down: "The fifth daughter of the Duan family should be worth a million or eight million."

Duan Jun raised an eyebrow: "What do you want to do?"

Lin Ting glanced at her: "You've already called me a bandit, so tell me what I want to do?"

Duan Jun rolled her eyes at her dismissively: "Think of a plan that you can complete independently."

Lin Ting was displeased and frowned: "You're the one who asked me for a favor, aren't you? Can't you at least have the attitude of asking someone for a favor?"

After considering for a moment, Duan Jun changed her attitude: "Please think of a plan that you can complete independently."

Lin Ting: "..."