Chapter 372 - 371: Yan Shutang Lost His Cool

"That makes some sense, but you don’t have to be so scared, do you? I think they’re all pretty easy to get along with."

Yun Zijin couldn’t empathize with Lu Yunfeng and the other guys.

Lu Yunfeng gave a dry laugh. ’Of course *you* wouldn’t feel that way. After all, you’re the woman who dared to snatch a plot of land from my second brother’s grasp the very first time you met.’

One could only say that Yun Zijin was like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. At the auction back then, no one else dared to bid on that land. Only Yun Zijin, who knew nothing, charged ahead.

The key was, she actually succeeded!

"Brother Fu is coming, so we should be more careful about what we order. Sister Yun, why don’t you ask Sister Qin... no, Qin Mei... no, Student Qin to come over and help us decide?"

One had to admit, Lu Yunfeng understood the principle of using one thing to counter another. If Fu Ze was dissatisfied with anything later, he would just tell him Qin Sitong ordered it.

Perfect!

Lu Yunfeng had cycled through three different titles in one breath, finally settling on the stiff "Student Qin."

Qin Sitong and Yun Zijin were the same age, so calling her "sister" wasn’t appropriate. "Sister Yun" was a title earned through seniority based on bank balance.

If he dared to call her "Little Sister Qin," Fu Ze would tear him limb from limb when he arrived.

Calling her "big sister" or "little sister" was out of the question, so he was stuck with "Student Qin."

Qin Sitong looked over, confused. "Me, order? This is my first time here. I don’t know what’s good and what isn’t."

Qin Sitong felt it was better not to pretend you knew something when you didn’t.

She had never been here before. That was a fact.

"No problem. Just pick whatever looks good to you. He’s paying for everything tonight as an apology to Sister Yun, so don’t hold back."

"An apology?" Qin Sitong turned to look at Yun Zijin. "What’s this all about?"

Su Mengyao and Tu Tutu also looked over. Of course, sharing the pressure were Zeng Zong and his buddies.

Each and every one of them was a young mistress you couldn’t afford to offend.

"I... uh, just now, I accidentally bumped into Sister Yun, so now I’m treating everyone to a meal to make amends.

"Brother Feng is right. It’s my treat today, so please, order whatever you like. The price doesn’t matter!"

Zeng Zong hurriedly smoothed things over before Yun Zijin could speak.

Yun Zijin glanced at Zeng Zong but ultimately didn’t expose his lie.

"Oh, so that’s how it is. In that case, I won’t be polite."

Su Mengyao picked up the menu from the table and started ordering.

"Since this is an apology, it won’t count unless we make you bleed a little."

Tu Tutu also leaned in to look at the menu with Su Mengyao.

"Me too!"

Qin Sitong had been a bit hesitant at first, but once she heard the meal was an apology for Yun Zijin, she no longer had any reservations.

They had only intended to make Zeng Zong spend a little, but the more they ordered, the more they got into it. Zeng Zong was silently calculating in his head just how much he would have to "bleed" today.

If worst came to worst, he would really have to call his dad for help.

"Alright, that’s all for now. We can add more later if it’s not enough."

Su Mengyao snapped the menu shut with a SLAP and looked at the waiter who had shown them to their room and was waiting to take their order.

"Very well. Please wait a moment."

The waiter collected the order slip he had just written on and left the private room.

Just as the waiter left the room, Yun Zijin’s phone rang.

"I’m going to take this call."

The caller ID showed Yan Shutang. Yun Zijin took her phone and stepped out onto the private room’s balcony to answer.

"Hello..."

"Miss Yun, good evening."

Yan Shutang’s voice sounded through the receiver.

"Mr. Yan, I wonder what business you have calling me at this hour?"

Yun Zijin had already given Mei Lin full authority to handle the matters concerning the estate and the lab.

Under normal circumstances, if Yan Shutang needed anything, he could resolve it by contacting Mei Lin. There was no need to take the long way around and call her directly.

So, Yan Shutang must be calling because he needed something.

"Miss Yun, that’s not very fair of you. We’re partners who have signed a contract, and yet I never expected..."

Yun Zijin was utterly confused. ’I haven’t done anything to violate the contract, have I?’

"Mr. Yan, if you have something to say, just say it. If you keep beating around the bush and being passive-aggressive, I’m hanging up."

Yun Zijin hated playing these kinds of guessing games the most. ’What’s the point?’

"The Fire Tree."

Yun Zijin: ...

"How would you know about that, Mr. Yan? Aren’t you in charge of Mr. Tang’s lab?"

Yun Zijin recalled that Tang Zhaosong was, by any measure, not a researcher in the field of botany.

Lu Yunque had taken the seeds a long time ago, but there had been no news since. Yun Zijin had thought he hadn’t taken action yet.

’She didn’t expect the news to have already reached Yan Shutang’s ears. Is their security really that bad?’

"Don’t worry about that. You just need to tell me, do you have any more of it?"

Yun Zijin raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected Yan Shutang to also be interested in the Fire Tree and Ice Tree.

"A major leader like yourself is asking *me* for something? This stuff is so precious, how could I possibly have any?"

For the time being, Yun Zijin had no intention of bringing out any more Fire Tree or Ice Tree seeds.

Even if she wasn’t a businesswoman, Yun Zijin understood the principle of scarcity creating value.

She hadn’t gotten any feedback from Lu Yunque yet, and Yun Zijin didn’t want to disrupt his plans because of her.

"You... not even one?"

Yan Shutang was now in a position where Yun Zijin had him by the throat, and his tone softened unconsciously.

"I really don’t have any more. Since you’ve already called me, you should know who has it now.

"If you really want it, I could pass the message to my boyfriend?"

On the other end of the line, Yan Shutang rolled his eyes. If he could have gotten anything from the Lu Family Ancestors, he wouldn’t be calling Yun Zijin.

"Alright, alright. I knew it. Anyone who hangs out with a Lu Family member is no good.

"I’m hanging up. Let’s meet when we have time. I have something to discuss with you regarding your assistant."

’Mei Lin?’

"Mr. Yan, do you have some sort of issue with my assistant?"

’He couldn’t have discovered Mei Lin’s identity as a robot, could he?’

’But that’s not right either. Mei Lin is a high-fidelity android, inside and out.’

Even an X-ray at a hospital would only show internal organs just like a normal person’s, and those organs would even appear to be functioning normally.

With current technology, it’s completely impossible to see anything amiss.

"Not at all. Your assistant is an exceptionally talented individual. It’s just... never mind. When are you free? Let’s meet."

Yan Shutang knew Mei Lin was brilliant from when she worked on the security system, but after interacting with her for so many days, the excellence she displayed far exceeded his imagination.

For such a talented person to be just Yun Zijin’s assistant... When he’d expressed his intention to recruit her, he was rejected without a moment’s hesitation.

Yan Shutang’s composure broke on the spot. In this day and age, someone actually chose to be a private assistant over a secure government job, and they were resolute about it!

Realizing he couldn’t break through Mei Lin’s defenses, Yan Shutang decided to try his luck with Yun Zijin.