"Mr. An Su, you're cheating... too cunning."
This fool is so easy to deal with.
An Su revealed a scheming, triumphant smile. The gambling ticket in his hand was always a hot potato; heuld never seriouslynsider redeeming it for eight small gold mines. Just the management issues alone would give him a headache, not to mention his father would surely give him a hard time—and his family was not in short supply of gold mines anyway.
The deadline for redeeming the gambling ticket was twelve noon, and time was pressing. He had long wanted to find a place to cash in the gambling ticket.
Although fifty noblenfectionery shops in the heart of the Imperial Capital didn't match the value of eight small gold mines, it wasn't too much of a loss. Just for thest of a few gold mines, heuld woo the original female lead of this world line and have her invest. For An Su, it was a transaction bound to make a profit without loss.
From beginning to end, An Su would only act in his own interest.
That was all.
He watched Miss Luojia across from him. The Little Saintess was still slightly casting down her eyes. Her frost-kissed white eyelashes trembled gently,ncealing her bright golden pupils. The casual autumn light cast shadows of the plane trees outside the window grill everywhere, with some green silhouettes falling on Luojia's delicate profile.
This woman was really easy to handle and exploit. An Su remembered how much she loved blueberry cakes. With all fifty of these cake shops at her disposal, she would be able to eat as much as she wanted, and the temptation would certainly be great. Heuld turn this fool into a diabetic with just the lure of cake.
Sheuldn't resist the temptation; just a cake was enough to send her away.
"Mr. An Su, I always feel that your gaze is not polite..." Luojia still kept her eyes downward, saying softly, "You're really unpleasant."
The classic "I think" opening move.
"Speechless. You were the first to insult me, calling me cunning earlier. That's not polite at all." An Su replied with a forced smile, "You ladies from below always play some sort of female gaze!"
The manager looking on as the two parried back and forth grew anxious. Sheuldn't wait to sign thentract and secure the huge gambling ticket. Family honors, father's wishes, all were forgotten in the face of eight gold mines.
It was not that she was mercenary by nature, but in the manager's eyes, this so-called Saintess named Luojia, looking so pure and flawless, was nothing more than a gold digger who wanted to marry a rich playboy—the Church's poster girl, no wonder sheuldn'tmpare to Prince Cersei.
Birds of a feather, noneuld say who was more mercenary.
The noon redemption deadline was approaching, and she needed to hurry up and redeem it, lestmplications arose.
"Miss Luoja Fast."
The manager had long instructed the staff to bring the deeds of the shops and had quickly drafted thentract. Placing thentract gently in front of Luojia whilencealing her disdain with the most perfect and kind professional smile, she asked, "Shall we sign thentract now?"
"As soon as you put your name here," the manager indicated the terms of thentract, "from now on, the Feili Family will be renamed the Faust Family."
"From Maria River to Saint George Street, these fifty shops will all belong to you."
Luojia looked at thentract in front of her, biting her thin lip lightly,ntemplating for a while. She picked up the pen, ready to sign her name in thentract, but as the pen tip touched the paper, she slowly stopped again.
Luojia looked at An Su's gambling ticket. The Holy Radiance Cathedral on it seemed to glow, the fine gold lines around its borders scattering the autumn light. Her gambling ticket had been given to An Su, but An Su had not given her his ticket, even though they had agreed to vote for each other... Luojia thought for a moment, the pen hovering over thentract until the ink slowly dropped from the feather quill, seeping into the page as shentinued to ponder.
Once she signed thentract, those fifty noble cake shops would be hers.
Before bming the border's Saintess, Luojia's dream was merely to open her own small cake shop back home.
She was nothing more than a girl easy to please and handle.
In An Su's eyes, she must seem the same...
The Faust Cake Shop, perhaps sheuld keep a few cats in the shop. For fifty shops, she would need to care for hundreds of kittens. Sheuld plant some ivy in the shops; water the flowers daily, spend time taking care of them each day, offer desserts unique to the border, and live a soft, joyous life every day.
'Your future is more than just fifty cake shops.'
Luojia looked again at the Holy Radiance Cathedral, thinking for a long time.
In the eager gaze of the manager, Luojia put down the pen. After a moment of silence, as if she had finally made up her mind, she lifted her head to look at An Su, "Are you lending me this gambling ticket...Mr. An Su?"
"What's wrong?" An Su was a bit surprised, but he replied, "Youuld understand it that way. I did say that this was the bill I was picking up for you."
"These fifty shops... I don't want them."
Luojia put down the pen, abandoned the fifty Faust Cake Shops, the hundreds of kittens, the ivy she loved, and her favorite blueberry cakes. Her golden eyes trembled slightly yet revealed a firm and unchanging look as she said earnestly,
"Mr. An Su took my gambling ticket, so I should take Mr. An Su's gambling ticket, too. That's whatnstitutes a valid bet, isn't it?"
"That's unfair—you can'tntinue being so cunning."
"Just give me that gambling ticket directly."
Luojia tilted her head, the shadows of the plane trees on her face failing to obscure her glowing golden eyes amid the dark green shade. She said matter-of-factly:
