Tao Zhizhi glanced away, and said coyly:

"Alright then, I'll reluctantly agree, hmph."

Fu Jue stroked her cheek and pinched it, unable to put it down. Her little expression of "[Since that's how it is, this young lady will reluctantly do it]" made him chuckle.

Tao Zhizhi looked at the mess left on the table, awkwardly brushed away his mischievous fingers, and commanded:

"Xiao Fu, collect the trash, it's time to take me home."

His gaze returned to the stone table, and he obediently picked up the trash, leading her back.

Soon after

When the car stopped in the underground parking garage of Jianan Residential Area, Tao Zhizhi poked him with her finger, her little face puffed out in dissatisfaction.

"Fu Fu, your mischievous thoughts are showing!"

Fu Jue made no attempt to hide it, wrapping his arm around Tao Zhizhi's waist and burying his face in her shoulder, acting coquettishly.

"A day apart feels like three autumns. My darling, how can you bear to leave me alone in this empty house?"

It's as if he's suffered all sorts of injustices, when in fact the two of them have never left each other for even a single day since they started living together!

"I haven't been home for so long, my parents miss me very much—"

"I have already informed my uncle and aunt."

Fu Jue turned on his phone and showed Tao Zhizhi their chat history.

"No, you guys created a group chat behind my back to isolate me, right?"

Tao Zhizhi pouted in dissatisfaction and pointed at the three people in the group, questioning them.

Fu Jue betrayed the other party without any mercy, feigning grievance as he said:

"I don't dare, your uncle and aunt won't let me pull you."

While the two were joking around, the elevator had already reached the eighteenth floor. By then, it was too late for Tao Zhizhi to regret her actions.

Upon entering the foyer, Fu Jue eagerly leaned closer, a soft chuckle escaping his throat:

"Does Zhizhi know what I'm thinking when I'm dancing?"

Before she could respond, he physically silenced her.

"Hmm—"

Tao Zhizhi realized that she had been carried to the master bedroom. She couldn't say a word during the process, and all she could hear was the sound of their breathing mingling together.

Her body trembled slightly as her shirt loosened. Fu Jue gently stroked her cheek, and when a satisfied smile appeared on his face, he lovingly released her mischievous hand, his voice low and husky:

"When you confidently handed the dance steps to me, my darling's eyes were only on me, just like now—"

Tao Zhizhi sensed something was wrong. With nowhere to escape, she buried herself in his arms in embarrassment, trying to leave, but his hands continued to tighten, holding her waist captive.

"How are you?"

Fu Jue forced down his burning sensation, his Adam's apple bobbing. Tao Zhizhi curiously reached out to touch it, but he grabbed her hand and warned her:

"Don't touch a man's Adam's apple!"

He placed Tao Zhizhi on the bed and couldn't resist taking a cold shower. Zhizhi grabbed his wrist as he tried to escape, her concern evident.

"Don't wash with cold water, you had a fever a few days ago."

She didn't dare look at him, lowered her head and muttered softly, "We can try a different approach."

Upon hearing this, his eyes reddened. He turned around, picked up Tao Zhizhi, and carried her into the bathroom. He didn't know how much time had passed. Tao Zhizhi only dared to look at the bright light above the bathroom. Fu Jue smiled and carefully cleaned her reddened palms.

After showering, the two lay in bed. Fu Jue massaged her arm muscles. The bedroom quieted down, and Tao Zhizhi had time to think about her new task, seemingly asking:

"Fu Fu, I want to go to the western suburbs to see the food factory tomorrow."

Her intentions were quite clear, and Fu Jue was not surprised at all to ask in return:

"Is Zhizhi expanding into a new business? What exactly does she want to do?"

"Uh, to be honest, I haven't decided yet. I want to see what kind of processing they are doing now."

Tao Zhizhi placed her hand on her chin, lost in thought, her fingers rubbing together. She unconsciously wanted to bite it, but suddenly blushed and hurriedly removed her hand, pulling the blanket over herself.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow, I'm sleepy."

"Oh--"

Seeing this, Fu Jue smiled with satisfaction at her actions and slowly approached without daring to disturb her peaceful dream. Before long, Tao Zhizhi got into Fu Jue's car in the morning and drove to the western suburbs.

"Old Yang, stop playing with those walnuts, the new boss is coming."

With a worried expression, Shi Lang sat on the worn-out sofa, his eyes red-rimmed. He looked around the small office several times, as if he wanted to engrave every part of it in his heart.

The walnuts in his hands made a rustling sound as he rubbed them together. Old Yang closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

He sighed, took out the amulet his daughter had made for him on a whim, which he had carried with him for several years, and found it still looked brand new. Staring at the crookedly sewn characters for "peace," Shi Lang muttered to himself:

“Daughter, this factory has been supporting our whole family, but now it can’t hold on any longer. Dad has done his best.”

"We've finally arrived! This place is so remote!"

Tao Zhizhi stared intently at the few tin-roofed factory buildings not far ahead, her lips twitching slightly.

[This food factory was the smallest and most dilapidated of all along the way. One hundred million! Where's my reward?!]

The 100 million was long gone, and no matter how hard Tao Zhizhi searched her memory, it was useless. Since she was already there, she might as well make the best of it. She sighed heavily.

[Since we're already here, let's find out what's going on first.]

The two walked into the food factory under the warm midday sun. Even though the factory had declined, the gate was still there, but the paint on the sign next to it had long since peeled off, and the three characters "Fresh Flavor Workshop" were still faintly colored.

There was no one guarding the security booth at the entrance, and they had no trouble getting through. They found the only building in the factory, which must have been the original management office.

Shi Lang's office is easy to find; it's the first room on the left after you enter.

The two people in the office were still lamenting the future, unaware that a man and a woman were standing by the open door.

Fu Jue coughed lightly, drawing their attention back. Shi Lang glanced at the contract in his hand, hurriedly stuffed the amulet to his chest, and forced a smile.

"You must be the new owners of the factory. I am the former deputy factory director. Just call me Shi Lang. We will handle the follow-up work with you and then leave."

Tao Zhizhi frowned, stopped him from packing his things, and said in a calm tone:

“We don’t mean to kick you out, there’s no need to rush to leave. I came here to find out the current situation of the factory.”

Old Yang finally opened his eyes, realizing who was speaking. His voice was hoarse, and his expression was indifferent.

"Boss Tao, I am Yang Xian, the former factory director. Please have a seat."

He pulled out the desk drawer, took out the documents he had prepared long ago, and pushed them toward the two of them:

"Here is a list of products, orders, customers, and current machinery in the factory, including wear and tear, since the factory was established. You can take a look."

The report written by Yang Xian was very detailed, even down to how many green plants were kept in the factory. Their dedication was evident in every word.

After reading the report, Tao Zhizhi truly understood their sincere hope that the new boss would treat the factory well.

Based on the information that Fu Jue had Secretary Gu compile earlier that morning, she appreciated their dedication to the factory and, together with Fu Jue, decided to let them continue managing the food factory.