Knowing what his cousin really meant by "getting a taste," Qin Ming felt a chill in his heart.

He quickly said, "Sis, if you're upset, take it out on me. Don't take it out on my friend."

Perhaps fearing that He Mengxue might not take it seriously, Qin Ming added, "He's my most important client."

Hearing Qin Ming's serious and solemn reply, He Mengxue gave her cousin a surprised look.

Although she knew her cousin often acted out of sorts and tended to do bizarre, stupid things, He Mengxue also knew he was actually talented.

Not only was he good at socializing, but most importantly, he had a keen eye for people. He could easily discern who was or wasn't suitable to associate or collaborate with.

Thus, over the years, leveraging the He family's influence, he established close connections with the wealthy scions of Qin Island.

Sometimes, for matters He Mengxue found inconvenient to handle personally, she would ask him to deal with them.

Now seeing how seriously he took this, He Mengxue couldn't help but feel a bit curious about this person her cousin called the "most important client."

Her beautiful eyes surveyed Qin Ming from head to toe as she asked in a cool voice, "What is his status?"

Qin Ming closed his mouth, not answering.

He Mengxue glanced at him, knowing she wouldn't get an answer.

So, she waved her hand and agreed, "Okay, I understand. You can go now."

Qin Ming said, "Thank you, cousin! I'll bring him over tonight to meet you first, get acquainted."

Not understanding Chen Yan's identity, He Mengxue felt somewhat indifferent. She waved her hand again, returning her gaze to the computer screen, ignoring Qin Ming from then on.

Qin Ming didn't mind.

His cousin had always been strong-willed from a young age. Although a girl, she managed to become the boss among the second generation on Qin Island, always having a tough personality and of course, wouldn't be pleasant when she couldn't get information from him.

Thus, Qin Ming wisely left He Mengxue's office.

After leaving the office, Qin Ming looked through the clean floor-to-ceiling windows at the slightly gloomy sky outside.

Despite his closeness with the He family, the He family, including He Mengxue, were like a giant tree forever overshadowing the sky above him.

He didn't want to live under someone else's roof forever. He wanted to achieve success himself, perhaps even surpass the He family and become someone they needed to look up to.

Before, he had no opportunity.

But now, for some reason, he felt he might have found his chance…

He withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

"Chen Yan, could you be the one who changes my fate?"

…

Qin Island, Fenghua Building, 18th floor. Yu Qiao Qiao's new clay sculpture room.

When tidying up the office area, Chen Yan had one policy: other rooms could wait, but Boss Qiao Qiao's clay sculpture room had to be set up immediately.

So, while the other functional rooms were still being set up, the clay sculpture room was the first to be completed.

And in this new clay sculpture room…

Yu Qiao Qiao was shaping a clay figure on a large table, while Chen Yan sat by her side brewing jasmine tea.

Jasmine tea, made by stir-frying green tea with jasmine flowers, emitted a rich jasmine fragrance when brewed.

Thus, with Chen Yan turning the clay sculpture room into a tea room, the scent of jasmine gradually filled the space.

Smelling this fragrance, Yu Qiao Qiao's mood improved greatly.

Of course… the main reason for her good mood was that the person she liked was right beside her…

"Chen Yan~ why did you suddenly start liking jasmine tea?"

Yu Qiao Qiao didn't know Chen Yan's previous preferences, but she knew he definitely didn't like jasmine tea before: she had never seen him drink it.

Chen Yan, while pouring himself a cup of tea, replied, "I visited a friend's place before and saw him drink a few pots. It smelled nice, so I thought I'd get some to try."

"It turned out to be quite nice."

"Though the tea flavor is light, it's quite tasty."

As he spoke, Chen Yan placed the freshly poured cup of tea in front of Yu Qiao Qiao and gestured with his hand, "Want to try some?"

Yu Qiao Qiao looked eagerly at the sparkling clear teacup in front of her, somewhat covetous as she showed her hands covered in clay, "Chen Yan... my hands are all dirty."

Chen Yan, seeing her adorable look, smiled and said, "How about I feed you?"

Yu Qiao Qiao quickly nodded, looking playfully naive like a little puppy.

Chen Yan chuckled as he stood up, took the teacup, and blew on it gently.

Yu Qiao Qiao looked up at this scene. Initially, she was focused on the teacup, but gradually, her gaze fixed solely on Chen Yan's thin, attractive lips…

For a moment, Yu Qiao Qiao suddenly felt her own lips getting a bit dry…

Who says girls aren't "lustful"? That's only because they haven't faced the person they like.

Realizing her "dreamy" thoughts, a peach blush spread across Yu Qiao Qiao's cheeks. She hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look at Chen Yan anymore.

Chen Yan didn't notice the change in Boss Qiao Qiao's thoughts. Concerned the tea might be too hot, he blew on it for a while, took a small sip himself to ensure it wasn't too hot, then brought it to Yu Qiao Qiao's lips, saying, "Here, try this."

Still caught up in her "improper thoughts," Yu Qiao Qiao came back to her senses, shyly glanced at Chen Yan, and hummed through her nose. Then, with her lips slightly parted, she took a sip of the tea.

The tea flowed sweetly into her mouth, with an aftertaste that was refreshingly aromatic, penetrating her heart and spleen.

Yu Qiao Qiao initially felt nothing when she drank it, but as the aftertaste lingered in her mouth, her eyes brightened suddenly. She quickly widened her eyes and nodded at Chen Yan.

"Chen Yan! Tastes good!"

Chen Yan smiled, "If it tastes good, drink more."

Yu Qiao Qiao nodded vigorously, "Mm-hmm!"

Saying so, she tilted her head back slightly and gulped down the tea. After finishing, Yu Qiao Qiao still adorably smacked her lips, saying, "Tastes so good!"

Chen Yan returned to his seat, refilling his cup, and said, "If you like it, I'll leave some for you. You can brew it whenever you're free."

Yu Qiao Qiao shyly hummed, saying, "Thank you, Chen Yan."

Chen Yan waved it off, not minding.

Drinking the tea, they continued chatting.

Still, it was Yu Qiao Qiao who initiated most of the conversation: perhaps her relationship with Chen Yan had grown much closer, making her more proactive.

She curiously asked, "Chen Yan, you're dressed so smartly, are you going to that banquet Qin Ming invited you to?"

Chen Yan nodded, "Yes."

Yu Qiao Qiao said, "Then could you… check if that daughter of Zhao Group is Brother Ying?"

Hearing Yu Qiao Qiao's words, Chen Yan paused the motion of his hands.

Yu Qiao Qiao, not noticing, continued, head down shaping clay figures and pouting, "Brother Ying hasn't been to school for a week now. I don't even know what he's up to."

"I sent him a WeChat message, and he said he's caught up with some matters and can't come to school for now. But when I ask what's up, he doesn't reply."

"We're all a bit worried about him in the dorm."

"So, if it's her, could you also ask her if there's anything wrong and if she needs any help?"

Listening to Yu Qiao Qiao's words, Chen Yan downed his tea, "Mm…."

…

At 6 p.m., Chen Yan and Yu Qiao Qiao ate some takeout together, earning more than eighty wealth points, before he went back to his office to tidy up.

Opening the drawer, looking at all the car keys, Chen Yan pondered which car to take.

Qin Ming had said the car shouldn't be too business-like; a sports car would do...

Chen Yan had two sports cars; one was a Lamborghini, the other a Ferrari.

Both cars were extremely valuable.

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Yan made his decision.

He'd take the Lamborghini.

After all, compared to other guests at this banquet, Chen Yan's fortune was indeed insufficient, so he needed something external to bolster his appearance.

Once he became the richest man on Qin Island, he won't need these external things to support his image, because... he himself would be a walking business card.

Holding the Lamborghini's car keys, Chen Yan went downstairs to the underground parking lot.

Driving this million-dollar luxury car, Chen Yan left the Fenghua Building headed toward the He Family mansion in Jinlan Bay.

Jinlan Bay, located in the Laohai District of Qin Island, is one of the most developed areas with the best environment on the island.

Although it doesn't match the exorbitant value of land in Southern Qin District, it's still incredibly valuable.

And the He Family mansion stands here.

Compared to the residence of Zhao Ying and her father at Tianhai YiSe, the He Family mansion is a bit more low-key but equally luxurious.

Probably because this banquet was especially significant, when Chen Yan saw the He Family mansion from afar, even before entering its vicinity, he noticed that the road ahead was blocked.

As he drove closer, two rows of security personnel stopped the car.

Chen Yan slowed down the car, and a man dressed in black approached.

Perhaps because Chen Yan was driving a luxury car, the man's attitude was very respectful, "Good evening, sir. Your license plate isn't on the guest list for tonight's banquet. Could you please show your invitation?"

Chen Yan picked up the invitation from the passenger seat and handed it over.

The man in black took it with both hands, checked it briefly, then took out a device resembling a money checker to inspect the invitation.

Afterwards, he respectfully returned the invitation to Chen Yan, saying, "Thank you, sir. The invitation is fine. Sorry for the delay."

With that, he waved his hand, and the security personnel in the distance moved the barriers away…

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