Chapter 53: 53: Lin Su Ah.
Kahung City.
Known by many as the City of Red, it was one of the largest trading hubs in the region.
Inside a luxurious high-rise apartment overlooking the city skyline, an elderly man sat comfortably in a leather chair.
A report rested in his hands.
The cover was labeled Titan Manufacturing Report.
As he flipped through the pages, his expression remained calm.
That calmness lasted until he reached the final section.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hm?"
The old man lowered the report and reread a particular page.
A large number of shareholders had recently sold their positions.
That part was expected.
However, something else had caught his attention.
Someone had been buying, it wasn’t aggressive enough to attract attention but enough to appear repeatedly throughout the transaction records.
The old man’s fingers lightly tapped the report.
"Interesting."
Every investors were running away from Titan Manufacturing yet somebody out there was quietly accumulating shares.
After a few moments, he closed the report and looked toward his assistant.
"What do you think about this report?"
The young woman considered the question briefly.
"It’s disappointing, sir."
The old man nodded.
"I can understand why everyone wants out of the company."
The report painted an ugly picture.
From the perspective of most outsiders, Titan Manufacturing looked like a sinking ship.
Then he tapped a particular page.
"However, someone disagrees."
The assistant stepped closer and her eyes moved across the report.
Soon she noticed the same thing and a faint frown appeared on her face.
"Should we investigate the buyer?"
The old man smiled.
"No need, there are always gamblers out there. The buyer is just likely one of the many."
He placed the report on the table.
"They have only purchased a very small amount compared to what we’re planning."
His gaze shifted toward the city outside.
"When everyone finishes selling and we’ve accumulated enough shares..."
A trace of anticipation appeared in his eyes.
"We’ll release that product."
Only then did he motion for his assistant to come closer.
The young woman immediately understood his intention.
She stepped around the desk and approached his chair.
However—
Click.
The apartment door suddenly opened and the assistant froze.
Her professional instincts reacted faster than her thoughts.
Within a second, she had retreated to her usual position behind the old man’s chair.
Her posture straightened and her expression became calm and professional.
The old man, meanwhile, looked visibly annoyed.
Whoever had entered had chosen a very unfortunate moment.
Turning toward the entrance, he prepared to voice his displeasure.
Then he saw the newcomer’s face.
The irritation on his face disappeared.
Instead, his eyebrows rose slightly.
"Well."
A strange smile slowly appeared.
"This is unexpected."
The woman standing by the entrance remained expressionless.
The old man chuckled.
"If it isn’t the prodigal daughter."
The old man leaned back comfortably in his chair.
"Miss Sarah."
His smile widened slightly.
"Or perhaps I should call you by your real name, Miss Lin Su Ah."
—————
In the meantime, Benny was currently examining a large bed frame displayed in the middle of St. Lorraine Carpentry.
The dark wooden frame looked sturdy.
More importantly, it looked durable enough to survive years of use.
After walking around it twice, Benny nodded in satisfaction.
"This one looks good."
Standing nearby, Annie smiled politely.
"Excellent choice, Mr. Benny."
Having dealt with him before, she already knew he was an unusual but rich customer.
Customers were customers.
As long as he paid, she was more than happy to help.
"Would you like me to show you some mattress options as well?"
Benny looked at her.
"Mattress?"
"Yes."
Annie nodded.
"The bed frame is only part of it."
Benny frowned slightly.
"Isn’t this a carpentry shop?"
Annie blinked.
For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to answer.
Eventually, she smiled.
"It is."
"Then why are you selling mattresses?"
The question sounded completely reasonable.
Unfortunately, Annie had never been asked it before.
Suppressing a laugh, she explained patiently.
"Because customers usually buy them together."
She pointed toward the bed frame.
"If someone buys a bed, they normally need a mattress."
"Oh."
That actually made sense.
Annie continued.
"We don’t manufacture them ourselves, we simply work with several suppliers."
Benny nodded in understanding.
"So you’re basically helping them sell mattresses."
"...You could put it that way."
Satisfied with the explanation, Benny followed Annie deeper into the store.
Soon, they arrived at another section.
Unlike the front showroom, this area was filled with mattresses of various sizes and thicknesses.
Benny immediately looked overwhelmed.
There were far too many.
Annie maintained her professional smile.
"Do you have any preferences?"
"No."
"What kind of firmness do you like?"
"I don’t know."
"Memory foam?"
"No idea."
"Spring mattress?"
"..."
Benny stared at her and Annie stared back.
After several seconds, she finally realized something.
This man had absolutely no idea what he was buying.
Fortunately, Annie was prepared for situations like this.
"Why don’t we start simple?"
She walked over to one of the display mattresses.
"This one is one of our more popular models."
Benny looked at it suspiciously.
"It looks exactly the same as the others."
Annie’s smile twitched slightly.
"They’re different."
"How?"
Annie suddenly felt tired, taking a deep breath, she pointed toward the mattress.
"Why don’t you lie down and try it?"
That suggestion immediately sounded much easier.
Benny walked over and lay flat on the mattress.
His eyes widened slightly, it was surprisingly comfortable.
Annie stood nearby with her hands folded politely in front of her.
"Well?"
Benny stared at the ceiling.
"It’s soft."
Annie maintained her smile.
"I’m glad you think so."
Benny pressed down on the surface with his hand.
Then he bounced slightly and the mattress bounced with him.
His eyes widened even further.
For some reason, he looked more fascinated by the bouncing than the sleeping.
Annie immediately regretted bringing him to the premium section.
Still maintaining her professional demeanor, she gently reminded him,"The main purpose is comfort, Mr. Benny."
"Oh."
Benny stopped bouncing, then he thought about his situation.
If he was really going to stay at the office for the foreseeable future...
Then the mattress needed to be good, very good.
After all, avoiding Selena’s lectures was not a short-term project.
It required proper preparation.
