Invitation

Every time Qin Ran felt particularly pleased with herself, she sensed something unpleasant was bound to happen—and her intuition had rarely failed her. As expected, the richest man had reached out to Zhao Er Miss, requesting a meeting with Qin Ran. Qin Ran figured that the richest man must have realized it was she who had been financially backing the recent moves against him.

It wasn't hard to uncover, nor had they tried to hide it. It was only natural for him to know. What intrigued her was why he suddenly wanted to meet her. Was it to negotiate peace? A threat? Had he discovered her little tricks, or had he, like Ling Er Brother, managed to partially break free from the novel's plot and start behaving differently?

Curious but not intimidated, Qin Ran accepted the invitation through Zhao Er Miss, even though Zhao had asked, "Do you need me to accompany you?"

From Zhao Er Miss's perspective, Qin Ran was smart and capable, but still young. Facing a cunning old fox like the richest man, she might get outmaneuvered. However, Qin Ran just smiled. "No need, I can handle it myself."

In truth, Qin Ran was genuinely curious about the richest man. In her past life, despite being the heiress of a prestigious family, her family had never been in the league to compete for the title of the richest in the country. The cutthroat battles among the nation's top ten richest individuals were beyond the Qin family's reach. Even now, while her family's fixed assets couldn't compare to his, she had the advantage of a system that could provide her with as much money as she needed.

It sounded absurd, but that's what made the system so fascinating—an inherently unscientific tool.

As if on cue, the system began to chatter in her mind again: [The richest man? Just someone with a bit of money. If the host desires, we can have several times more cash than him at any moment.]

Qin Ran halfheartedly complimented the system, "Yes, yes, you're amazing." Though she was clearly just humoring it, the system swelled with pride, feeling like the ultimate power in this thrilling storyline.

The meeting with the richest man was scheduled for the weekend at a teahouse at the foot of a mountain. It was the same teahouse where Qin Ran had previously met with the suspense drama's director and scriptwriter, known for its excellent discretion. The richest man had reserved a private room. When Qin Ran arrived, a server greeted her, "Mr. Zheng has been waiting for you. Please follow me."

Him waiting had nothing to do with Qin Ran; after all, she hadn't been late. She had followed all the proper etiquette. Qin Ran pursed her lips and, along with Wu Assistant and her bodyguard, followed the server to the private room. Two suited men stood at the door, clearly bodyguards, judging by their posture and appearance.

Upon her arrival, the bodyguards rather impolitely requested a security check. Qin Ran merely smiled, then turned to leave. The server and the richest man's bodyguards froze in place, confused, until one of the bodyguards received a message through his earpiece. After a moment, they caught up to Qin Ran and apologized, "Mr. Zheng invites you in."

It wasn't like they were going to pat her down, most likely just a quick metal detector sweep to ensure no prohibited items were being brought in. But Qin Ran didn't care for the theatrics. It was the richest man who had requested this meeting, and she had no reason to tolerate such posturing.

At the server's more respectful invitation, Qin Ran finally entered the private room with Wu Assistant. The bodyguard had to remain outside, as Mr. Zheng hadn't brought his into the room either.

Inside, the room had a traditional Chinese decor. By the large windows, a man in his sixties sat at a tea table, brewing tea. Nearby, a man in gold-rimmed glasses—likely Mr. Zheng's assistant—sat at a conference table. Qin Ran signaled to Wu Assistant, who immediately understood and took a seat at the conference table. The assistant even poured Wu Assistant a cup of tea.

Qin Ran removed her coat, draping it over the back of a nearby chair before pulling out another chair and sitting down. Mr. Zheng didn't pause in his tea-making, and his expression remained neutral, but Qin Ran could sense his displeasure. She had seated herself without waiting for an invitation—something that might be considered rude.

But courtesy was reserved for friends, not enemies. There was no point in observing formalities with someone she didn't plan on befriending. Mr. Zheng had surely done plenty of shady things to maintain his position as the richest man for so long.

In her past life, Qin Ran had to play nice with such people, but now, she had the power to say no. She could sit at the table and play the game on her own terms, even setting traps for them to fall into.

Mr. Zheng continued brewing tea in silence. Qin Ran glanced at the tea leaves and immediately recognized them. The tightly rolled leaves, covered in fine hairs and their tender green hue, indicated a premium green tea. A quick sniff of the aroma and a glance at the pale-yellow tea confirmed it—Mengding tea.

Mengding tea wasn't cheap. If it came from the famous Mengding Mountain in Sichuan, it was worth its weight in gold. Historically, this tea was reserved for royalty, although it was now somewhat niche in modern times. Still, in upper-class circles, it was quite common, owing to its prestigious past and the numerous poems written about it over the centuries. Even the famous poet Bai Juyi had written, "Among music, I know only of Green Water; among teas, I am familiar with Mengding."

Although Qin Ran didn't particularly enjoy tea, she knew her teas well. Her parents had hired renowned tea masters to teach her about it in her past life. She couldn't afford to sit in business meetings, listening to discussions about tea, and merely comment, "Oh, this is pretty good!" That would have been terribly awkward.

Once the tea was ready, Mr. Zheng set out two small cups on the table and filled them with tea. He gestured for Qin Ran to help herself.

Most people, when invited to drink tea with the richest man in the country, would have shown some modesty and at least displayed proper manners. But Qin Ran didn't feel like it. She had done that too many times in her past life and was sick of it. Now that she had the freedom to act as she pleased, she saw no need to dance to anyone else's tune.

She picked up the teacup, blowing gently on the liquid to cool it down. The cup was small, barely holding a few sips, so after a few blows, the tea had cooled enough for her to drink. She downed it in one go.

Drinking tea didn't need to be a grand affair filled with ritual. Why not just enjoy the moment for what it was? She simply commented, "Hmm, it's quite good."

Mr. Zheng paused, clearly surprised by her remark, and he subtly studied her. Then, with a smile, he said, "Miss Qin, you are quite unpretentious." Qin Ran placed the cup down without responding to his compliment.

In truth, while she often entertained guests over tea, it was only because she needed a quiet space to talk business. A café would work just as well. In this case, since they were enemies, drinking the tea he offered was already her giving him enough face.

Qin Ran had no time for small talk, so she got straight to the point, "Why did you want to meet me, Mr. Zheng? Surely it's not just for tea."

Mr. Zheng smiled at her bluntness but opted for a more roundabout approach. He asked if Qin Ran knew what kind of tea they were drinking. She answered, expressionless, "Mengding tea."

"Miss Qin is quite knowledgeable."

He praised her briefly before continuing, "Do you know the legend behind Mengding tea?" Qin Ran raised her eyebrows, unsure of where he was going with this.

Mr. Zheng didn't seem to care about her reaction and launched into the tale: "It is said that the tea farmer Wu Lizhen fell in love at first sight with a fish fairy who transformed from a being in the Qingyi River. After he found tea seeds, the fish fairy promised to marry him if he successfully grew the seeds into tea trees. The next year, when the trees flourished, the fish fairy returned to fulfill her promise, and they lived happily together with their two children. But their joy was short-lived. The river god of the Qingyi River discovered the relationship and forced the fish fairy to return to the river. She left, instructing her children to care for Wu Lizhen."

"And those tea trees became the famous Mengding tea."

Qin Ran had heard the story before and thought it was clearly fabricated, borrowing elements from the classic tale of the cowherd and the weaver girl. It was merely a marketing ploy to elevate the tea's mystique.

But why bring it up now? There had to be some deeper meaning.

Qin Ran stayed silent, and Mr. Zheng didn't explain himself further. He simply continued pouring tea.

For a while, the room fell into an awkward silence, turning into a test of endurance. Finally, Mr. Zheng couldn't hold out any longer and broke the quiet. Qin Ran wasn't surprised; after all, he had been the one to request this meeting, and as a result, he had lost the upper hand. The influence of the heroine's plot had also diminished his patience, making him less of the cunning fox he once was.

But what he said next was puzzling: "I wonder, Miss Qin, Miss Yu Shuman, who are you two in this story?"

Qin Ran set down her teacup without taking another sip and met his gaze. Mr. Zheng, despite his age, had kept himself in good shape. His face showed few wrinkles, and his hair remained black, lending him an air of youthful vitality. With a warm, polite smile, he resembled a kindly uncle.

Yet the words coming out of his mouth were anything but kind. Qin Ran let out a cold laugh, "Are you threatening me?"