Bridges watched the girl across from him take a sip of tea and chuckled softly, "This isn't an advertisement, it's an investment."

"Investment?"

Ling Miao frowned slightly and looked up to stare directly at Bridges opposite her.

The other person gently rubbed the rim of the glass with their fingers, seemingly unaware of Ling Miao's furrowed brows, and said softly, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am the current head of the Miller family. You can call me Bridges."

Ling Miao's brows relaxed slightly.

The Miller family is one of the top ten family conglomerates in the interstellar world.

According to her understanding, before the current leaders came to power, the Miller family was just a bottom-tier conglomerate among the top 100 on the interstellar wealth list.

However, after the new leader took office, it rose to the top ten in just ten years.

Who wouldn't say that the current leader is a business genius?

Ling Miao put down her cup and looked over with her clear, almond-shaped eyes. "Tell me your conditions."

Bridges: "I'll take a 40% stake in your restaurant. Your dishes are novel and delicious enough to open a branch all over the galaxy."

Ambition gleamed in Bridges' eyes, and a flickering firelight danced within them, radiating an air of certainty.

He put down his cup and looked directly at Ling Miao.

He originally planned to each own 50% of the shares, but after tasting the other party's dishes, he changed his mind.

He has never been stingy with generosity towards capable people.

He looked at Ling Miao with confidence, but she flatly rejected his suggestion.

Bridges' eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise in them. "You disagree?"

He frowned, but his good manners allowed him to quickly regain his composure. "The reason?"

Ling Miao looked at him and said calmly, "I want to take full control of Youwei Restaurant."

This means they are not accepting investment.

Bridges frowned and remained silent for a moment.

The atmosphere between the two instantly froze.

The assistant standing behind him looked a little anxious.

He glanced at his boss, who was deep in thought, then stole a look at Ling Miao's expression across from him.

The other person remained expressionless and unmoved.

Ling Miao didn't notice Ding En's expression; at that moment, she was having a mental conversation with the system.

Why not?

By agreeing to the other party's suggestion, you can better promote the food and earn more Deliciousness Points.

The system explained helplessly: "The original purpose of the Food Spreading System was to spread more delicious food, but the main system has determined that the host is suspected of profiting from food."

Ling Miao: [...]

She was speechless for a moment.

I really want to knock on the main system's main brain and ask it a question.

Doesn't she risk being suspected of profiting from opening a restaurant?

He even gave his food recipes to the street vendors in order to make a profit.

It seemed that he had sensed Ling Miao's thoughts.

The system quickly spoke up: "The main purpose of opening a restaurant is to earn deliciousness points. A certain profit is allowed within certain limits. As for small stalls…"

The recipe was taught to them free of charge. Although you will need to pay tuition, it's nothing compared to the cost of a partnership.

Ling Miao understood; it meant that the profits from the other party's investment and cooperation were too high, exceeding the profit range determined by the main system.

She paused for a moment, then asked, "After the planet Tadar develops, won't all the profits generated from its development be considered profiteering?"

The system paused briefly, then hesitated: "[This... I hadn't considered this. It needs to be reported to the main system for confirmation.]"

Ling Miao rolled her eyes inwardly and waved her hand dismissively: "Go ahead."

The system disappeared instantly, and Bridges on the other end spoke.

"In this way, I will have full authority to purchase the right to use the food recipe."

Bridges looked at Ling Miao and stated his conditions.

This was already the result of him making a concession.

Ling Miao remained silent.

She is waiting for a response from the system.

Just as Ling Miao was about to ask again, unable to contain herself any longer, the system in her mind finally spoke up.

[Host, I'm back!]

The main system means that if the goal is to generate profit through spreading food information, the permissions within the scope can be appropriately expanded.

Moreover, the real reason they approached you is to maximize their profits.

Ling Miao's eyebrows twitched slightly. [This means that if my starting point is to promote delicious food, there are loopholes that can be exploited within reasonable limits.]

The system is silent.

Ling Miao's eyes flickered, and she roughly understood.

It seems the main system isn't so rigid after all.

What is the maximum profit you can make?

The system shook its head: [There is no specific standard.]

Ling Miao's eyes, which had just been moving, froze. "That's not something you can decide however you want."

System: [Sweating JPG.]

It looked aggrieved, saying, "Host, I don't know either."

Ling Miao lowered her eyes, concealing her thoughts. Her gaze darkened slightly as she quickly devised a plan.

She looked up at Bridges across from her.

The other party remained calm and confident, chewing a piece of pork jerky between his slender fingers.

The reddish-brown pork jerky was brushed with honey, giving it a rich color and a subtle honey hue.

As the owner chewed, it released a faint honey fragrance.

He didn't look like a businessman here to discuss cooperation; he seemed more like someone out for a vacation.

"I contributed my equity by offering the right to use the formula."

Upon hearing this, Bridges glanced at Ling Miao, still chewing, with a few crumbs remaining at the corner of her mouth.

He wiped his mouth, his narrow, fox-like eyes curving into a half-smile, "Boss Ling, you have some impressive skills."

Ling Miao returned the smile with a smile: "You flatter me."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two finally got down to business.

Bridges dropped his casual demeanor and became serious: "In that case, it's a pleasure to cooperate."

Then the other person raised an eyebrow and relaxed, his posture becoming casual, and his originally straight back slumped in the chair.

He ate the pork jerky casually with one hand, glancing at Ling Miao out of the corner of his eye from time to time.

"Putting everything else aside, your skills are truly exceptional."

She looked at Ling Miao, who was sitting in a chair. The sunlight gently shone down, and she could clearly see the fine downy hairs on Ling Miao's face. Her face was so smooth that there wasn't a single pore.

Her profile is delicate and gentle.

Bridges clicked his tongue softly, his voice inexplicably deepening, and a rich, elegant voice, as mellow as a cello, rang out.

"Mr. Ling, has anyone ever told you that you are very good-looking?"

Ling Miao turned her head, looked at Bridges who was smiling, and nodded slightly, "Of course."

She slightly raised her chin, and her gentle face suddenly became unrestrained, as if it had been injected with vitality.

"You have excellent taste."

She gave Bridges an approving look.

The other person looked at her, then suddenly lowered their head and chuckled softly.

I had expected to see the other person blush, but instead, they didn't play by the rules at all.

However, this side of Ling Miao intrigued him even more.

Bridges' eyes and brows held amusement, and a slight smile played at the corners of his mouth.