Chapter 27: Poaching People
Yan Yan knew he should keep his distance from his mother and stop disturbing her life.
But he really couldn't resist; his mother's embrace was just too warm.
Let him linger a little longer, he promises, just a little while...
Nan Jiao didn't realize that Lu Yanyan was pretending to be asleep. She just thought he was very quiet when he was sleeping. She remembered that he used to talk in his sleep when he was little.
She gently stroked his cheek, not daring to use too much force for fear of waking Yan Yan.
Time seemed to slow down considerably, and Nan Jiao even wished she could stay here forever.
Yan Yan nestled tightly in her arms, just like when she was a child.
A look of confusion crossed Nan Jiao's eyes. She couldn't understand why their ending had turned out that way.
Suddenly there was a noise at the door, and the butler arrived faster than Nan Jiao had expected.
The cub in her arms stirred, but kept its eyes closed, seemingly still asleep. Nan Jiao then carried it to the doorway.
The cellar door opened, and the butler opened it, followed by Lu Xiao, Feng Ran, and many other people. They must have come to find Yan Yan.
When Lu Xiao saw Nan Jiao holding Yan Yan, his eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't rush to take Yan Yan over.
A clear look of surprise flashed across Feng Ran's eyes, and alarm bells went off in her mind. She took a few steps forward to pick up Yan Yan and said, "Leave Yan Yan to me."
Nan Jiao suppressed her reluctance, but Yan Yan hugged her even tighter, as if murmuring in a dream, "Mommy..."
Everyone present, including Nan Jiao, was stunned.
"Mom's here," Feng Ran replied, then leaned close to Yan Yan's ear and whispered something as if to comfort her.
The next second, Yan Yan slowly let go of Nan Jiao's clothes.
Feng Ran handed Yan Yan to Lu Xiao, then looked at Nan Jiao, hesitating to ask, "How long have you been trapped here?"
Nan Jiao recovered her senses: "About an hour."
“One hour…” Feng Ran thought for a moment, and only felt relieved after seeing Nan Jiao’s reaction.
It seems nothing unexpected happened.
*
The banquet was drawing to a close when Nan Jiao received a message from the housekeeper asking her to go to the study, saying that Old Madam Qiu was waiting for her.
When Nan Jiao returned to the banquet hall, she saw the butler waiting there: "Ms. Nan, please come with me. Because your dishes were so amazing, our banquet was a great success. The old lady heard that you are so extraordinary at such a young age, so she would like to meet you."
Climbing up the ornate stairs, you soon come to a classic and elegant wooden door.
Nan Jiao pushed open the door and went inside. Thinking of the fleeting glimpse of Madam Qiu on the red carpet, she felt inexplicably uneasy.
Madam Qiu was sitting behind her desk. She had a gentle demeanor but her eyes were very shrewd. She wore a pair of elegant frameless glasses.
When she saw Nan Jiao, a smile appeared on her face:
"Please have a seat, Miss Nan."
Nan Jiao sat opposite her and nodded slightly: "I've heard so much about you."
"Oh? You've heard of me?"
"Hmm... I often hear rumors about you. I've heard that you were wrongfully imprisoned before, but later you won the inheritance and made the Qiu family even more prosperous. People often make up stories about your experiences."
Qiu Lian smiled with surprise. She carefully examined Nan Jiao, her gaze somewhat complicated: "You're Lu Xiao's ex-wife, aren't you?"
Nan Jiao paused for a moment, seemingly surprised that Qiu Lian would ask her this question.
“I know this question is a bit abrupt, I apologize, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just think he has a good eye. You’re so young and you’ve already made Chinese cuisine so exquisitely. Your future is limitless.”
A smile played on her lips, but her eyes held an unfathomable depth as she stated her purpose directly:
"Interested in working for the Qiu family?"
"I think……"
"Don't rush to reject me. I know that reasonable compensation is needed to attract talent, so... how about an annual salary of ten million?"
Qiu Lian took off her glasses and gently wiped them: "Not to mention Lant City, looking at the entire Ninth Star and even the interstellar space, this is a very high salary, far better than running your own business, and it's stable with low risk."
An annual salary of ten million is incredibly tempting.
But the more tempting it is, the stranger it seems. Such a salary, far exceeding that of an interstellar chef, especially since Qiu Lian hasn't shown any passion for Chinese cuisine, all of this seems unreasonable. Perhaps there are other motives...
Nan Jiao cleared her throat: "Thank you very much for your appreciation, but I prefer the freedom of running my own business."
"I think... this issue might be negotiable; I won't restrict your working hours."
It's even more suspicious now.
Nan Jiao politely declined her offer: "I prefer the thrill of starting my own business to a stable job."
Qiu Lian smiled, thankfully not making things difficult for her.
"Okay, I've already transferred your salary to your account this time."
At the same time, Nan Jiao heard her account notification sound:
[300,000 Star Coins received via StarPass.]
This is one-third more than originally agreed upon.
Qiu Lian smiled and said, "The extra money is for your hard work. Perhaps... we will have the opportunity to cooperate in the future. I hope Miss Nan will not refuse then."
Nan Jiao went downstairs and saw that her employees had been waiting there for a long time.
She composed herself and said with a smile, "The event went very smoothly. I'll give you all bonuses when we get back!"
Cheers erupted all around.
*
Since the Qiu family banquet ended, Nan Jiao's restaurant business has become extremely popular, with the queues at the door getting longer and longer, mostly consisting of servants queuing up to buy groceries and take them home.
Nan Jiao received numerous offers, including from wealthy families and five-star hotels, all with very generous compensation packages.
However, Nan Jiao has no plans to switch jobs.
On the one hand, she really enjoys running a business, and on the other hand, she believes she can definitely make the restaurant better and better.
Nan Jiao already has a preliminary idea: she plans to open her restaurants all over the galaxy!
Suddenly, a quarrel broke out at the door, and Nan Jiao frowned and went downstairs.
It turned out to be a few thugs collecting protection money again. They were arguing with the shop's employees, disturbing other customers from eating.
Nan Jiao walked over: "What happened?"
"Boss, what kind of protection money are these people demanding? They said they'd smash up the shop if we didn't pay. Aren't they just thugs?!"
The scarred male at the head of the group smiled:
"It's been a long time! I heard you've made a lot of money lately. It's not unreasonable to share some with everyone, is it?"
He looked around and smiled smugly:
"That fierce-looking guy is finally gone. You bunch of weaklings in your shop don't think you can beat us, do you? Don't try to scare us with the police. Let me tell you, things are different now. My aunt's cousin's son is the police chief! No one can do anything to us now!"
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