Chapter 145 Want Advertising Fees? The proprietress's face turned red to the roots of her neck.
The backyard of Lin's Restaurant was quiet and still.
The wisps of white steam and the gurgling sound of boiling water were particularly clear on a late autumn evening.
Jiang Ruoyun sat on a small bamboo chair, holding a half-finished cup of tea in her hand.
She froze on the spot, her fingers involuntarily gripping the warm cup.
Hearing Lin Mo say "settle a private score," her heart skipped a beat.
Those peach blossom eyes, which usually exuded aloofness and arrogance, flashed with a hint of panic at this moment.
She was like a primary school student caught daydreaming in class, even her breathing became soft.
"What...what accounts?"
Jiang Ruoyun swallowed hard, forcing herself to sound confident and assertive.
"I've been sitting at the front desk collecting money for the past two days without even blinking."
"I remember every single income transaction clearly; I didn't embezzle a single penny!"
She spoke louder and louder, as if trying to use the volume to cover up her inner turmoil.
Lin Mo couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at her fierce but cowardly appearance.
He didn't rush to speak, but slowly picked up the kettle from the stove.
Boiling water is poured into the Yixing teapot, releasing the rich aroma of Da Hong Pao tea.
The tea poured down the spout, leaving a beautiful amber-colored line between Lin Mo's slender fingers.
He pushed a freshly poured cup of tea in front of Jiang Ruoyun.
His movements were relaxed, exuding a calm and collected air, as if even if the sky were to fall, he wouldn't be able to stop drinking tea.
"I certainly trust Miss Jiang's composure."
Lin Mo picked up his teacup and gently blew away the floating leaves on the water.
"What I want to calculate is not the front desk's revenue."
He put down his teacup and took his phone out of the loose pocket of his knitted sweater.
He tapped the screen a few times with his fingertips, then flipped the phone over and pushed it right in front of Jiang Ruoyun's eyes.
The screen is lit.
The image above shows the homepage of a social media platform with tens of millions of followers.
In the ID section, three words are clearly written: Deer in the Clouds.
The moment Jiang Ruoyun's gaze fell upon those three words, her breath caught in her throat. She felt a rush of heat surge from her chest to her head.
Lin Mo rested his chin on one hand, his eyes deep, looking at her with a half-smile.
"Miss Jiang, although I've been busy cooking these past few days, I've also had some time to surf the internet."
"I've heard that this mysterious artist named 'Deer in the Clouds' is the pinnacle of the entire artist world."
Lin Mo's voice was unhurried, as if he were telling a story that had nothing to do with him.
"It's said that this big shot has a terrible temper and never accepts any commercial promotions. No matter how many brands offer money, they can't get her to open the door."
"But a couple of days ago, this big shot suddenly broke his rule."
Lin Mo's slender fingers slid lightly across the screen, opening the comic strip that had gone viral online.
Fireworks and Immortals in the Hutongs.
Below the painting, the geographical coordinates, accurate down to the house number, stand out particularly at this moment.
Lin Mo raised his eyes and stared straight at Jiang Ruoyun.
"You know, that viral recommendation post from a couple of days ago practically wore down the doorstep of our little restaurant."
"Such a large amount of traffic, such an amazing conversion rate."
"Should I pay you an exorbitant fee for having sex, boss lady?"
Lin Mo spoke the words "boss lady" very lightly, yet they were like a feather, brushing straight against Jiang Ruoyun's heart.
The vest fell off on the spot.
Jiang Ruoyun felt her cheeks burning hot, and the blush spread down her ears and all the way to her fair neck.
She had never experienced such a life-threatening moment in her life.
The once decisive and ruthless eldest daughter of the Jiang family was now completely flustered.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Jiang Ruoyun abruptly turned her head to the side, waving her hands repeatedly, and began a crazy, illogical argument.
"How could I possibly be a deer in the clouds!"
"I've always lacked artistic talent; I can't even draw a stick figure properly, you know that!"
"This must be a coincidence. Maybe some kind netizen just happened to be passing by and drew it on a whim!"
She bit her lip hard, employing a stubborn tactic of denying everything, believing that as long as she didn't admit it, there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Lin Mo looked at her bright red earlobes, and his smile deepened.
This woman is incredibly brave when protecting her husband, but when her true colors are revealed, she becomes as cowardly as an ostrich.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Lin Mo did not refute, but instead stretched out his finger and double-tap the phone screen to enlarge it.
The image freezes on the second panel of the comic, showing the man flipping a wok in the kitchen.
Lin Mo moved the screen closer to Jiang Ruoyun, tapping a small, inconspicuous corner of the screen with his fingertip.
That's a close-up of the kitchen cutting board.
"This 'kind-hearted netizen' has truly amazing observational skills."
Lin Mo suppressed a laugh and began to analyze the situation in a serious manner.
"When ordinary artists deal with the cut marks on the cutting board, the lines are usually straight and crisp."
"But look here."
Following Lin Mo's finger, Jiang Ruoyun's gaze unconsciously fell on that detail.
"The cut marks on this cutting board are of varying depths, crisscrossing, and have a jagged, torn appearance at the edges."
"I've only ever seen this extremely destructive 'dog-chewed' knife technique in the hands of one person in the entire capital."
Lin Mo paused, then looked intently at Jiang Ruoyun.
"That's Miss Jiang who insisted on cutting white radishes for me yesterday, and almost split the cutting board in two as a result."
Ironclad evidence.
Those messy knife marks were real kitchen memories that unconsciously surfaced in Jiang Ruoyun's mind when she was painting.
She was so engrossed in her drawing that she accidentally reproduced her "masterpiece" of chopping vegetables onto the canvas.
Jiang Ruoyun opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
The lie was ruthlessly exposed, leaving no room for even the last struggle.
She was so ashamed and indignant that she wished she could dig a hole in the blue brick ground and bury herself in it.
"Stop looking..."
Jiang Ruoyun covered her burning cheeks with both hands, her voice barely audible.
The feeling of being completely seen through made her feel both ashamed and inexplicably excited.
He actually knew everything I did for him in secret.
The autumn breeze in the courtyard seemed to have become gentler.
The fire flickered, and the aroma of tea filled the air.
Seeing Jiang Ruoyun bury her face in her palms, even the back of her fair hands turned pink.
A tenderness that couldn't be extinguished flashed in Lin Mo's eyes.
He stopped trying to tease her.
Lin Mo stood up, walked around the stone table, and went to Jiang Ruoyun's side.
He raised his hand, his broad, warm palm gently resting on Jiang Ruoyun's head.
He gently ruffled her soft hair.
The man's movements were gentle, carrying a calming and reassuring power.
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore."
Lin Mo's voice softened completely, like a cup of warm water in late autumn.
"That big shot's fee is too expensive. My small business can't afford it even if I sell everything I own."
Jiang Ruoyun felt the warmth on the top of her head, and her heart beat faster and faster.
She peeked through her fingers at Lin Mo's handsome face, which was so close to hers.
"Since you can't afford to pay, you'll have to repay with your body."
Lin Mo bent down slightly, leaned close to her ear, and spoke with a hint of casual amusement.
"From now on, I'll take care of all your meals, three meals a day, whenever you call. Is this considered settling the debt?"
He paused for a moment, his warm breath brushing against Jiang Ruoyun's earlobe.
"Of course, if Miss Jiang feels that's not enough..."
"Then I have no choice but to reluctantly offer myself to you."
With a loud bang.
Something seemed to explode in Jiang Ruoyun's mind.
She suddenly lowered her hands, raised her head, and her peach blossom eyes were filled with a layer of watery light.
"Who, who cares if you're used to pay off a debt!"
She still refused to admit defeat verbally, but the way she tightly gripped Lin Mo's clothes betrayed her true feelings.
She doesn't want to let go, not in this lifetime.
Lin Mo took the opportunity to grasp her hand in return.
The woman's hands were a little cold, but incredibly soft.
He held that hand in his palm, gently rubbed it, and said nothing more.
The two of them stayed quietly in the courtyard, letting the autumn air grow stronger.
An emotion called bond took root and sprouted silently, binding the two of them even more tightly.
……
Warm moments always seem to pass too quickly.
The next day, the sky over Nanluoguxiang was overcast, and the air was dry and cold.
Lin's Restaurant's "20 tables per day" policy, instead of deterring diners, has ignited a strong backlash from the public.
The more people forbid them from eating, the more they feel this place is a delicacy.
The power of scarcity marketing was brought to its fullest extent this morning.
As soon as it was light, the alley was already packed with a dense crowd.
There were elderly men wrapped in military overcoats and young people carrying folding stools.
Because the number of spots was so scarce, even scalpers were drawn to it.
"Front row seats! Table number eight! Fixed price of two thousand yuan! Anyone interested?"
"Table number three! Prime location! Take it for five thousand! I'll take you to taste the unparalleled delicacies recommended by a popular artist with millions of fans!"
The scalpers, speaking in broken, hoarse voices, were frantically hyping up the available spots in the crowd.
What was originally a simple home-cooked meal was somehow hyped up like a ticket to a superstar concert.
Just as the crowd was arguing heatedly over a queue number.
Suddenly, a deafening roar of an engine came from the main road outside the alley.
The sound was extremely loud, so arrogant that it seemed to be announcing its existence to the whole world.
"Beep—beep beep!"
The piercing sound of car horns blared incessantly, startling the sparrows on the roadside into scattering in all directions.
The people in line turned around impatiently.
A Maybach, painted in an extremely eye-catching way and gleaming with a gold sheen in the sunlight, was seen ignoring the no-entry sign at the entrance of the alley and forcibly driving in.
The car was large and looked out of place in the narrow alley with its blue brick walls.
It forcefully pushed through the crowd, forcing those in line to stand close to the wall, grumbling and complaining.
"How do you drive?! Don't you have eyes?!"
"Don't you know cars aren't allowed here? Have some manners!"
Despite the angry shouts from the crowd, the gold-plated Maybach showed no sign of stopping.
It drove arrogantly all the way to the steps of Lin's Restaurant before suddenly slamming on the brakes and coming to a stop.
The tires screeched as they rubbed against the cobblestones.
The car door was kicked open from the inside.
A large, fat man with a menacing face struggled to get out of the back seat.
The fat man was wearing a tight floral shirt and had a gold chain around his neck that was thicker than a thumb.
The gold chain swayed with his movements, exuding a strong nouveau riche vibe.
In his other hand, he held a selfie stick high.
The phone camera was pointed directly at his greasy, chubby face.
The fat man didn't even glance at the angry crowd around him.
He stared at his phone screen, his thick lips parted in a wide grin, revealing an exaggerated, almost greasy smile.
His voice was as loud as a broken-down megaphone.
"Family members! Look over here!"
The fat man vigorously waved the selfie stick, aiming the camera at the powerful and vigorous signboard of Lin's Restaurant.
"These past two days, the internet has been hyping this place up to the skies, with claims like it's recommended by influencers with millions of followers, and that they only serve twenty tables a day!"
He sneered, and the fat on his face twitched.
"Today, Mr. Wang, I'll take you on a field investigation to expose these counterfeits!"
"I'm going to see what kind of mind-altering drugs this shady, pretentious inn actually sells!"