Yu Antong chased Xing Lixuan onto the main road of the amusement park, only to be tapped on the shoulder from behind.

Turning around, he saw it was a chubby, adorably naive "Little Snowman," followed by a long parade of colorful cartoon characters.

The parade has started!

"Wow! This is amazing!" Yu Antong, who had never seen such a spectacle, greeted the "Little Snowman" with wide-eyed wonder and a slight gasp.

Clowns from behind approached, giving him high-fives. Even the little fairies with big wings waved at him, seemingly enchanted by his good looks.

Yu Antong was having the time of his life.

"Big bro, let me take a picture for you," Yu Annan exclaimed, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Let's take one together." Yu Antong wrapped his arm around his sister and called to Xing Lixuan, a few steps away, "Honey, come take a picture for us."

Xing Lixuan pulled out his phone, quickly snapping a few photos, "Done."

"No, no, I wasn't ready with my pose," Yu Antong protested. "Take a few more."

"Such a hassle," Xing Lixuan murmured with a hint of annoyance, but still raised his phone to continue taking photos, snapping over a dozen in quick succession. "Satisfied now?"

Yu Antong jogged over, "Let me see how they turned out."

"Why did you only focus on me? The parade float behind is barely in the frame," Yu Antong flipped through the images with a discerning eye, then added with a smirk, "Well, since you captured my good looks so perfectly, I'll forgive you."

Handing his phone to his sister, Yu Antong instructed, "Xiao Nan, take another one of us together."

Xing Lixuan hesitated to step into the crowd. "I don't want a photo."

Yu Antong pulled him along, "Come on, just a few shots for memory's sake. One day when you miss me, you can look back at them."

Pushed forward by Yu Antong, Xing Lixuan chuckled, "You're rather presumptuous. That day will never come."

Shrugging it off, Yu Antong playfully retorted, "You never know."

Standing closer to the parade float, Yu Antong signaled to his sister, "Shoot now."

In the camera's frame, Xing Lixuan stood tall and graceful, an exasperated yet playful smile gracing his lips.

Yu Antong, standing close to Xing Lixuan, sneakily raised a hand behind him, making bunny ears over Xing Lixuan's head in a playful tease.

Their antics left Yu Annan giggling, causing her to shake and lose focus.

Just as Yu Antong exaggerated his expressions, hinting for Yu Annan to hurry up, Xing Lixuan swiftly grabbed his arms, rendering them immobile.

Caught in the act!

Xing Lixuan pulled Yu Antong tightly into his embrace, warning, "Behave yourself."

Grinning cheekily, Yu Antong responded, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Dare to do it again!

Holding him securely, Xing Lixuan signaled Yu Annan to wrap it up quickly.

One stern glance from Xing Lixuan, and the laughter on Yu Annan's face faded.

Wow, he's quite intimidating. She wondered how her brother dared to tease him.

Yu Annan obediently prepared to take the shot, and just as she pressed the shutter button...

Yu Antong suddenly turned and planted a kiss on Xing Lixuan.

"Mua!"

"Snap!"

That moment was captured forever.

Xing Lixuan turned, looking straight into Yu Antong's eyes, which sparkled with mischief from his successful sneak attack.

Yu Antong wore a fox ear headband that he bought at the park. When he laughed, he truly resembled a cunning, spirited fox.

"Hahaha." Noticing Xing Lixuan's gaze, Yu Antong's laughter became even more unrestrained and carefree.

On their way back, they passed by the headband stall, prompting Xing Lixuan to halt.

Black cat ears and pinkish-white bunny ears — he bought one of each.

Yu Antong glanced at Xing Lixuan's stern profile and then at the cute headbands he held, a look of disbelief on his face. "Do you actually like these?"

Such a tough man with a soft spot, huh?

Xing Lixuan shot him a cold smirk but remained silent.

"Ouch." Yu Antong rubbed his arm.

An unexpected chill crept up his back, accompanied by an ominous feeling.

That evening, with pink bunny ears atop his head, Yu Antong begged pitifully, "Please, no more. Mercy."

"Honey, honey, I was wrong."

Xing Lixuan took off the drooping bunny ears from Yu Antong's head, asking maliciously, "Do you like it?"

Tears welled up in Yu Antong's eyes. "Yes, but really... I can't take anymore..."

Xing Lixuan replaced it with fiery red fox ears, presenting them to Yu Antong, "But we haven't tried these yet."

Yu Antong was on the verge of tears. "Next time, please, honey. I'm begging you."

Xing Lixuan showed no mercy, and by the end, Yu Antong was so exhausted he couldn't lift a finger.

As expected, he slept through most of the following day, oblivious to when Yu Annan was sent back to school.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Yu Antong donned a perfectly tailored suit. With his good physique, the exquisite cut accentuated his sleek waistline and straight legs, giving him an exceptionally refined and spirited appearance.

Xing Lixuan, aware of his plans, still inquired, "Where are you headed?"

Yu Antong grunted dismissively, ignoring Xing Lixuan.

That brute, always bullying him!

Acknowledging his own behavior, Xing Lixuan volunteered, "I had someone contact Sangyu. They've finally settled on seventy million, but full payment is required within a week."

Yu Antong recalled the initial price being seventy-six million, meaning a six million discount.

His face lit up, "Really?!"

Then, remembering he was supposed to be mad at Xing Lixuan, he quickly suppressed his joy and suspiciously asked, "Why are you suddenly so generous, helping me out like this?"

The real reason is that you have control over the daily meals, but can't admit that out loud.

"Because I love you to death," Xing Lixuan echoed Yu Antong's words, though with complete detachment.

Yu Antong burst into laughter. Well, he had his fun times too, so he'd let this slide with this rascal. "How did you manage to get such a significant discount?"

Weren't many envious of Sangyu's shop, trying to drive down the price, but all to no avail?

Xing Lixuan bent his distinct knuckles and tapped Yu Antong's forehead, saying, "Thanks to this."

The day Yu Antong trended online mentioning his interest in buying Sangyu's shop, Xing Lixuan had it investigated.

Sangyu owed a considerable amount in breach fees. However, selling his factory along with his shop at once proved challenging. With the accumulating interest, the debt was stifling, compelling Sangyu to agree to a reduced sale price.

After all, selling the factory combined for seventy million was better than holding onto the factory and selling the shop alone for sixty million.

Yu Antong responded a bit slow, "Are you implying I'm brainless?"

Xing Lixuan replied, "I never said that."

Yu Antong huffily retorted, "You jerk."

With Xing Lixuan's help, the deal went smoothly, and Yu Antong successfully acquired the shop and food processing plant for seventy million.

After signing the sales contract, as Sangyu was leaving, Yu Antong stopped him, "I have another request."

Contrary to his glamorous on-screen image, Sangyu now looked plain, with pale lips devoid of color, appearing quite haggard. Still, his voice remained gentle, "What is it?"

"Could you introduce me to the head chef of your restaurant?" Yu Antong asked. "I dined at your place recently, and the food was excellent."

No matter how skilled Yu Antong was as a chef, he alone couldn't run an entire large restaurant, let alone take over three at once.

Every exceptional restaurant has its team of chefs. If he could retain the original team, he'd only need to focus on developing new dishes and training the head chef.

Without asking further, Sangyu said, "The head chef is at the main branch right now. I'll accompany you."

Initially planning to shut down by the end of the month, the chefs were still present as the sale's timing was uncertain.

Talented individuals never fear unemployment. So, without delay, Yu Antong followed Sangyu to the restaurant.

At this time, the restaurant was empty. Sangyu introduced Yu Antong to the head chef.

The head chef was a plump middle-aged woman with short hair that reached her ears. She had a naturally cheerful face and appeared approachable. "Hello, Mr. Yu, I'm Zhao Juan."

"Hello, Sister Zhao. You can call me Little Yu."

Hearing Yu Antong's intentions, Zhao Juan was relieved. With her skills, finding a job wasn't hard. But integrating into a new restaurant's team was. Here, she could work seamlessly with her trained disciples.

For her disciples, finding a better job outside this restaurant would be challenging.

If this young man could retain the existing staff, it would be more than ideal.

She nodded in agreement, but her enthusiasm faded when she heard Yu An-Tong mention that he'd personally develop future dishes.

Her cheery, plump face tightened, and she responded coldly, "Mr. Yu, do you not trust my capabilities? If that's the case, perhaps you should seek someone else."

Being a head chef, she believed she should have complete control over the kitchen and its dishes. Working under restrictions was not her style.

Yu An-Tong replied, "You've misunderstood. The kitchen is yours to manage, and I deeply respect your culinary skills. But don’t you aspire to elevate them even further?"

Elevate? As if suggesting that she was inferior to this young man.

Zhao Juan thought to herself that the young man was quite audacious. She sternly said, "Words without action are nothing. If you believe your culinary skills surpass mine, let's have a competition."

This was precisely what Yu An-Tong had hoped for. "If my dish wins your approval, will you stay?"

Zhao Juan responded, "Agreed. You choose the dish. Feel free to showcase your specialty."

She thought to give the young man a fighting chance rather than watch him suffer a significant loss.

Recalling a dish he had enjoyed here named "Jade Belt Embroidered Ball," Yu An-Tong suggested, "Let's compete with that dish."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Juan’s apprentices, who had been silent till now, stood up angrily and said, "Master, show him our strength!"

The Jade Belt Embroidered Ball was their signature dish and her masterpiece. Was he mocking them?

These apprentices shared a deep bond with Zhao Juan. They'd stand up for her, even at the risk of losing their jobs.

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Feeling provoked, Zhao Juan decided she wouldn't go easy on the youngster.

Unbeknownst to her, Yu An-Tong had dined here just once and was genuinely unaware he had chosen their specialty.

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