“Like you could actually make money just because you want to,” Jiang Fuyue glanced sideways at him.
Cao Dou: “……”
And just like that, the deal fell through.
But the advertising company boss was still hung up on it. He even called Cao Dou late at night. “Hey Little Brother, how’s it looking? Think it’ll work out?”
“Nope.”
The boss tried his best to persuade him, practically begging.
Cao Dou was so annoyed, he finally came up with an idea. “Do you know who wrote those characters?”
Boss: “?” If I knew, why the h*ll would I be asking you?!
Cao Dou chuckled lowly, lowering his voice so it sounded all mysterious and serious. “Let’s put it this way—the calligraphy can be done, but the price isn’t something regular people can afford.”
“My clients are all billionaires…”
“Hah, billionaires? That’s nothing.”
The boss was shocked. “Wait—is it some famous calligrapher?!”
Cao Dou just smiled without saying anything.
To the boss, that silence screamed yes, with a heavy dose of secrecy.
“Seriously? A master? Then… what kind of price are we talking about?”
Cao Dou, pulling numbers out of thin air like a pro, said, “At least seven figures.”
The boss sighed in relief. “Pricey, but if it’s from a master then—”
“Per character.”
“…Huh?”
Seven figures per character? Are you trying to rob me?!
The boss reacted like he was talking to a lunatic and hung up immediately, afraid that even half a second more and he’d get sucked in.
Cao Dou whistled happily: “Handled!”
The night deepened, the villa gradually quieted down, and finally, all lights went dark as everyone fell into dreams.
At 4 a.m. the next morning, the Cullinan carried Jiang Da, Sanpang, and four others to the shop first to pick up supplies and prep food. The back kitchen was a flurry of activity.
Fortunately, things were busy but organized—everyone knew what they were doing.
At 5:40, the Cullinan returned to pick up Han Yunru, Jiang Fuyue, Jiang Chenxing, and Cao Dou.
“Yueyue, you’re going too?” Han Yunru asked with concern. “And Chenxing too? You two should probably stay—”
“Of course we’re going,” Jiang Fuyue got in the car, smiling back at her.
Little Brother Jiang immediately clambered in after her and sat snugly by her side.
Han Yunru sighed, a bit helpless.
Today was bound to be hectic. One was the internet-famous “genius girl,” the other was her equally popular “eating-machine Little Brother.” Both of them were magnets for attention.
As expected, most of today’s customers were probably die-hard Jiang family fans—savvy, internet-native, and very passionate.
Han Yunru worried things might spiral out of control.
Cao Dou reassured her, “I already informed the mall. They’re sending extra security today to keep things in order. Shouldn’t be a big problem. Plus, we’ve got security cameras everywhere, inside and out. I checked—no blind spots. If anything happens, we’ve got footage.”
“They were willing to send security?”
“Of course. They’re thrilled that our store’s drawing attention—it brings traffic to the whole mall.”
All Cao Dou had to say was “this is a viral hotspot,” and the mall knew what to do.
Even so, Han Yunru reminded the siblings multiple times to stay safe—especially Jiang Chenxing. “Don’t run off, okay?”
“Mm-hmm!”
He had no plans to run off. Uncle Wu had arranged for a livestream—he’d just sit and eat while promoting the store.
By 5:50 a.m., the group arrived.
Cao Dou quickly gathered the already arriving waitstaff for one last pre-opening pep talk.
Han Yunru changed into her pastry chef uniform and got to work: sifting, mixing, kneading, folding, preheating the ovens.
By 8:00 a.m., the sweet scent of fresh-baked goods slowly began to waft out.
A line of fans had already formed outside—
“Little Douzi! When are you opening? Can we be the first table today? So excited!”
“I tried lining up at the pancake shop before, but Uncle Jiang wasn’t there—some other guy was. So is Uncle Jiang gonna be here today?”
“OMG! Thank goodness I came early. It’s only been half an hour and the line’s already this long.”
“Well duh! Jiang Ji’s popularity isn’t just hype!”
“Any Super Topic girls here?”
“Me, me, me! I’m here!”
“Aah! I’m ‘QingQingDoesn’tEatGrass,’ who are you?”
“No way! You’re QingQing?! I’m Little A—‘LoveYouSoCoolAndSharp’!”
“Oh my god, soulmates! The strawberry dew you recommended last time—I asked Aunt Han, but she said it’s out of season. But I tried the new blueberry ‘Scumbag Slayer’—it’s amazing! You have to try it!”
“QingQing! Little A! I’m ‘Big Raccoon’!”
“I’m ‘Cilantro Jelly’!”
“I’m ‘EightTimesWolfInOneNight’!”
“….”
This was officially a massive fan meetup.
Seeing the line grow longer, Cao Dou quickly let the first batch of customers into the waiting area.
As they stepped in, the scent of baking hit them like a wave.
“Gulp—oh my god, it smells so good!”
“Just the smell of the desserts makes me feel blessed.”
“My mouth is already PradaPrada-ing Dior.”
“Little Douzi, are there desserts for sale?”
Cao Dou nodded. “Yes. We’ll be giving out samples for everyone to try.”
“Yes! Awesome!”
“Made by Aunt Han?! Really?!”
In the flood of eager questions, Cao Dou smiled and nodded.
“Oh my god! Finally, Aunt Han’s desserts!”
“I hereby declare that no other sweets will ever satisfy me again—let the dessert era begin!”
“I don’t know why, but just looking at Aunt Han makes me feel like everything she makes must be clean and delicious.”
“Right?! She looks so gentle and meticulous—she must’ve been gorgeous when she was younger.”
“Time has never defeated beauty—Aunt Han still looks amazing!”
“So… how did Uncle Jiang land someone like her?”
…Silence.
“Yeah… how did he?”
Everyone looked at each other.
“Aaaah! I need to drag my aging-single brother here to learn from Uncle Jiang! If I had a sister-in-law like Aunt Han—so gentle, makes all kinds of desserts—I’d be dreaming with joy!”
“Well, I’m signing my brother up first.”
“My little uncle too!”
“Cough… I’ll sign up my dad. Looking for a stepmom like Aunt Han… heehee…”
Seeing how the conversation was going completely off-track—and heating up—Cao Dou slipped away, sweating bullets.
The others didn’t care. Having gushed enough about Aunt Han, they started admiring the decor.
Soon, cries of delight erupted—
“OMG! Are these crystal chairs?! With light rings?! Quick, take a photo! I’m posting this!”
“That piglet chandelier is too cute! And each pig has a different expression!”
“I love this green wall—so classy!”
“The flower basket has fake flowers?! They look so real!”
“Fake? Let me see… whoa! They’re crocheted?!”
“Oh I remember! Last time I was at the pancake shop near closing, Aunt Han was knitting with yarn. I asked if it was a sweater—she said no, just making decorations. Didn’t expect them to show up here!”
“Is there anything Aunt Han can’t do? Ugh! My mom can’t even sew socks!”
“That’s it. From today on, I’m a loyal Aunt Han stan.”
“Me too!”
“Hahaha, Uncle Jiang’s gonna be crying in the kitchen!”
“Look over there! A photo wall!”
“For real—Is that Uncle Jiang when he was young? Looks kinda goofy, like a bear! But dang, he’s tall.”
“OMG! Aunt Han in her youth! Red lips, curls, smoky eye makeup—total old-school Hong Kong beauty!”
“Prettier than celebrities, 10/10!”
“No wonder Sister Yue is so pretty—it’s genetics. Let’s look for her baby photos…”
“Here, here! Found them! Even as a kid, she had long limbs and that amazing skull shape and facial structure. Total elite genes.”
“Guess this is what happens when you inherit only the best parts from your parents.”
“I’m jealous.”
“Huh? This family photo—besides Sister Yue, there’s a baby wrapped in a blanket in Uncle Jiang’s arms. A little sister?”
“Could be a brother.”
“Wait… Jiang Fuyue’s brother?! His IQ must be over 200, right?”
“Forget IQ—with parents and a sister that good-looking, those genes are chef’s kiss! Slurp—cutie Little Brother, I’m sold!”
“Ahem! Sis, tone it down. People are watching.”
“Oh, right, let me wipe my drool…”
“It is the Little Brother! Look at this photo—must’ve been taken recently. He’s snuggled next to his sister like a baby bird to a tree. So well-behaved. But… why does he look so familiar?”
“Now that you mention it… he does look familiar…”
“Where have I seen him before…”
