"rent?"

Wang Qian was taken aback, then looked at Lin Chao, "Xiao Chao, didn't you just give Boss Shen ten years' rent?"

"without……"

Lin Chao was about to blurt out that he didn't, but as soon as he said it, he suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly, "Ah, right, right, I just paid the rent to Boss Shen, and I paid it all at once for ten years."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang's mouth gradually opened wider.

He finally understood what Wang Qian was really up to by being so easy to talk to.

So that's how they tricked him into signing the contract!

After signing, they immediately reneged on their promise.

That's utterly despicable!

"Shen Lang, I've already paid you the rent, right?"

Lin Chao glanced at Shen Lang at the opportune moment, his eyes filled with threat.

Shen Lang's lips twitched.

Despite feeling frustrated and wanting to go crazy, under Lin Chao's threatening gaze, he still suppressed his overwhelming resentment and forced a smile that was more like a grimace, saying against his conscience, "Lin Chao did indeed give me the rent just now, and it was a one-time payment for ten years, not a penny less."

"Then I'm relieved!"

Wang Qian stood up, extended a hand to Shen Lang, and gave him a gentle smile. "Mr. Shen, it's a pleasure doing business with you!"

Shen Lang gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen as if it were about to drip green juice.

At this moment, Lin Chao said, "I'm going to get some photos developed later. Do you want a few as souvenirs?"

Shen Lang's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly reached out to shake hands with Wang Qian, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you!"

"Now that the contract has been signed, we won't keep Mr. Shen for dinner. We're quite busy right now, so please take care!" Wang Qian said with a smile as he saw him off.

Shen Lang didn't say anything more, and just silently walked out of the store.

But the hand gripping the contract tightened its grip, twisting it unnoticed.

"Brother-in-law, Shen Lang and You Ming have already agreed to give it away for free, so why did you still sign a lease contract with him for 2,100 yuan a year?"

After Shen Lang walked away dejectedly, Lin Chao asked in confusion.

But before Wang Qian could answer, Zhou Yuanyuan interjected, "The boss is taking precautions."

"What do you mean by 'prevention is better than cure'?" Lin Chao still didn't quite understand.

“If the rent on the contract is one yuan a year, what do you think someone would think if they saw it?” Zhou Yuanyuan asked meaningfully.

"I see!"

Lin Chao finally realized, "This is to prevent people from having any reason to say that we coerced him into signing this unequal contract."

“Yes, boss, that’s what you mean, right?” Zhou Yuanyuan looked at Wang Qian.

"good!"

Wang Qian nodded. "Even if it's a fake contract, it should be made to look convincing. Otherwise, if Shen Lang is no longer threatened one day, anyone who looks at the contract will definitely be able to see the trickery in it."

"but……"

He changed the subject, saying, "As long as there are no problems with the contract, even if it goes to court, we can just insist that we have already paid the rent, and there's nothing he can do about it."

"Brother-in-law, that was a brilliant move! How come I didn't think of that before?"

Lin Chao swept away his anger and frustration from before, "In this way, even if he takes the contract to court, he can't sue us."

Then, as if he had thought of something, he snorted coldly, "But even if he wanted to, he wouldn't dare to sue."

"Xiao Chao, how did you do that?" Zhou Yuanyuan asked curiously.

She hadn't heard Lin Chao's private conversation with Wang Qian in the backyard about how Shen Lang was captured.

All she knew was that Shen Lang seemed to have suddenly had a change of heart and returned the renovated shop to her.

"There are some things that you girls are better off not asking about!"

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Lin Chao's attitude towards Zhou Yuanyuan softened considerably.

That day, after overhearing Wang Qian and Zhou Yuanyuan's conversation and learning that Zhou Yuanyuan was hiding something from him, he felt like a fool or an idiot.

In front of Zhou Yuanyuan, he didn't act like a boyfriend, but rather like an ignorant child.

Now that he finally has a secret that even Zhou Yuanyuan doesn't know, and he feels a great sense of accomplishment, how can he not show off a little?

"Xiao Chao, just tell me!"

Lin Chaoyue didn't say anything, which only made Zhou Yuanyuan more curious. She tugged at Lin Chaoyue's sleeve and asked in a coquettish tone, "How exactly did you manage to convince that old scoundrel Shen Lang?"

"If I could tell you, I would have just said it already. You'd better not ask."

Lin Chao naturally refused to say, his face filled with pride and mystery.

Wang Qian didn't bother to expose him. As he walked towards the backyard, he said, "You guys chat, I'm going to lie down for a while."

He was happy to see that Lin Chao and Zhou Yuanyuan's relationship had improved.

Zhou Yuanyuan was indeed hiding a secret, but after working in his shop for so long, he had truly seen her sincerity and genuinely liked Lin Chao.

As long as this is true, he doesn't need to delve into the details.

after all,

Everyone has their little secrets, right?

Of course, he could also tell that Zhou Yuanyuan was faking it when she kept pestering Lin Chao with questions.

In the past two days, Lin Chao's attitude towards Zhou Yuanyuan has visibly cooled down considerably.

Zhou Yuanyuan had always wanted to mend her relationship with Lin Chao, and now was the perfect opportunity.

Even if Zhou Yuanyuan wasn't that curious about Shen Lang's affairs, she would still take this opportunity to boost Lin Chao's vanity and make him feel as proud as possible as a man in order to please him.

Only in this way can Lin Chao's resentment towards her be diminished.

"Who says that a woman with a lot of scheming qualities is necessarily not a good woman?"

Once inside the courtyard, Wang Qian muttered something to himself in a voice only he could hear.

No matter how many secrets Zhou Yuanyuan is hiding, or how much of her relationship with Lin Chao is fake, as long as her intentions are good, that's enough.

"It seems there's someone I'll have to meet eventually."

Thinking of the mockery Liu Jingxian and Liu Yanran had shown when they left, Wang Qian rubbed his temples, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face.

In fact, his guarantee of securing 50 million in investment within two months was not just empty talk.

He could indeed do it if he relaxed his principles and bottom lines a little.

but,

If there were other options, he wouldn't use that method for the time being.

As for his arrogant demeanor in front of Liu Jingxian and his daughter, there was only one purpose.

This has drawn Liu Jingxian's full attention!

Of course, what he just said has backfired.

But this is exactly the effect he wanted.

Only if Liu Jingxian first despises him enough, regarding him as an arrogant and ignorant madman, will Liu Jingxian be truly shocked and start to take him seriously if he succeeds later.

"Brother-in-law, what are you daydreaming about?"

Just as I was deep in thought, Lin Chao's voice reached my ears.

Wang Qian suddenly came to his senses and looked up to see Lin Chao, whose face was slightly dark and whose eyebrows still retained a touch of naivety, standing in front of him.

"nothing."

Wang Qian shook his head. "You need something from me?"

"Now that the shop on Jinghao Street is settled, I'll go and figure things out as soon as possible and try to open it in the next couple of days. What do you think?"