Chapter 154 Mission

Lin Fan put down his water glass, looked at the somewhat dazzling sunlight outside, and spoke in a low voice, but with an air of confidence.

"Two boxes of original liquor don't cost much. But what I got was two top tycoons worth tens or hundreds of billions of dollars who were willing, even grateful, to go to various top circles to do an irreplaceable job for my 'Lin Family Shop'."

Su Xiaoxiao was stunned.

She always thought Lin Fan was just a culinary genius who was obsessed with cooking and had a somewhat aloof personality.

It was only at this moment that she truly glimpsed the young boss's understated yet chilling business acumen and vision.

Without firing a single shot, he turned the two top bosses in Jiangcheng into his willing "salesmen".

Su Xiaoxiao looked at Lin Fan, swallowed hard, and secretly vowed that she would work hard for this boss in the future and never let him down.

Lin Fan turned his head, as if his previous well-thought-out business plan had been just a casual remark, and his tone returned to its usual calm:

"By the way, how is Auntie's recovery going?"

Upon hearing Lin Fan ask about her mother, Su Xiaoxiao quickly gathered her scattered thoughts, straightened up, and her eyes were filled with undisguised gratitude:

"Thanks to the money you advanced me, Brother Lin, the surgery went very smoothly. And..."

Su Xiaoxiao paused, recalling the "staff meals" she had brought to the hospital every noon these past few days, her voice trembling slightly:

"And I don't know if it's because my mom eats your cooking every day, but her appetite is much better than before."

"When the doctors came to check on my mother, they were amazed, saying that all of her indicators were recovering very quickly, and even her rejection reaction was very mild."

"The doctor said that if things continue at this pace, I could be discharged as early as next week and go home to recuperate."

After listening, Lin Fan nodded calmly:

"That's good. She needs to pay attention to her diet after being discharged. Keep taking a portion of the daily staff meal home to help her recover. If she has any difficulties, just let me know."

"Thank you, Brother Lin! I will never forget your kindness..." Su Xiaoxiao was so excited that she was about to bow again.

"Alright, we don't do that here." Lin Fan waved his hand to interrupt her, then walked to the cashier, glanced at the calendar on the table, and casually said:

"If I remember correctly, it's already the end of August. Universities in Jiangcheng should be starting classes next week, right?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Su Xiaoxiao's joy at her mother's impending discharge from the hospital.

Su Xiaoxiao was suddenly stunned.

Yes... school is about to start!

She took a two-year leave of absence to serve in the military. She had only recently returned to school after her discharge when she spent the entire summer working odd jobs to make ends meet because of her mother's illness.

For the past two weeks, she's been so busy at "Lin's Shop" that she's practically running herself ragged. Seeing the astonishing sales figures and all sorts of big shots around her every day, she's completely forgotten about the most important thing: the start of the new school term!

If school starts and I have to go to class, what will happen to Brother Lin's shop?

The store is now so popular that hundreds of people line up outside every day, all thanks to her single-handedly maintaining order, handling cashier duties, and taking care of Tuantuan in the front of the store.

If I leave, Brother Lin will be overwhelmed in the kitchen, and the front of house will be in complete chaos!

She couldn't bear to give up this job.

More importantly, she couldn't bear to part with her boss, who seemed cold on the outside but was warm on the inside and had helped her out when she was at her most desperate.

"Brother Lin..."

Su Xiaoxiao's face turned pale, and she suddenly stood up from the chair.

She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, a soldier's resolute glint in her eyes, as if she had made a momentous decision in an instant.

"Brother Lin!"

"What do you mean by 'school starts' or 'school doesn't start'...?"

Su Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening, but her tone was unusually firm:

"I'm going back to school this afternoon to apply to my advisor for an extended leave of absence! I've already taken two years off, so what's another year? The shop can't function without someone right now, and I absolutely can't let things fall apart at this crucial time!"

Looking at Su Xiaoxiao, who was so anxious that her eyes were red and she was even willing to sacrifice her academic future to show her loyalty, Lin Fan was slightly taken aback, and then couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"You silly girl, what are you thinking?"

Lin Fan shook his head, pointing somewhat helplessly to the chair she had just been sitting in:

"Sit down. Who said you were going to be expelled? And who told you to take a leave of absence?"

"But..." Su Xiaoxiao stood there blankly, her face full of confusion, "If I go to class, there will be no one to watch the shop during the day."

"I'll take care of things at the store. At worst, I'll just hire another quick-witted front-of-house server. But you're the assistant manager, and also the girl Tuantuan likes. No one can replace you."

Lin Fan walked up to Su Xiaoxiao and spoke gently:

"You have to keep studying. You served in the army for two years, endured so much hardship to earn the chance to return to school, and now you're going to take a break just to work as a waitress for me? If your mother finds out, do you think your illness will ever get better?"

"I, Lin Fan, run a business, and I'm not so poor that I have to exploit a female college student's future to keep my shop running for me."

Upon hearing these words, Su Xiaoxiao's eyes welled up with tears.

She knew that Lin Fan was genuinely looking out for her and had her best interests at heart.

"But..." Su Xiaoxiao stood there blankly, her face full of confusion.

"If I go to class, there will be no one to watch the shop during the day."

Su Xiaoxiao lowered her head somewhat awkwardly. She was an honest person, and she couldn't get over the idea of ​​getting paid for doing no work.

"Who says you can't help me with chores just because you're in school?"

Lin Fan smiled faintly, turned around and walked back to the kitchen.

Less than half a minute later, he came out again.

This time, he was holding a small matte silver tin box that was exactly the same as the one he had just given to Li Dayong and Chairman Chen!

"Clatter".

Lin Fan gently placed the small, palm-sized iron box in front of Su Xiaoxiao.

"This is..." Su Xiaoxiao stared wide-eyed at the concentrated plum juice concentrate that Lin Fan had just described as a "limited edition special supply," her face full of astonishment.

"What I just gave to Lao Li and Lao Chen is to help me break into the elite circles of people in other provinces."

Lin Fan pulled out a chair and sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the table as he looked at Su Xiaoxiao with his deep gaze:

"And this box is for your mission."

Su Xiaoxiao pointed to herself blankly:

"Give it to me? Brother Lin, I'm just a poor student, I don't know any big bosses..."