Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

The night passed without incident.

Although Qin Ran had stayed up late the previous night, she still got up punctually at 7:30 the next morning. She had bought some ingredients the night before, and although there was no meat, she did have eggs and sausages. In the kitchen, she fried the eggs and added two sausages, preparing two bowls of fragrant egg and sausage noodles.

At exactly 8:00 AM, Lu Sheng emerged from the master bedroom. As soon as he opened the door, the aroma of the food hit him, and he looked up to see Qin Ran coming out of the kitchen with two bowls of noodles.

"Mr. Lu, breakfast is ready. Come and join me."

Lu Sheng's brows furrowed, his tone cold and stiff. "No need, I'll eat at the company."

"Suit yourself. I made two portions, so if you don't eat them, I'll save them for lunch."

Qin Ran didn't insist that he eat the breakfast she had prepared.

Lu Sheng glanced at the breakfast on the dining table. It was just a simple dish of egg and sausage noodles, but for some reason, it smelled incredibly appetizing. His stomach growled, but he turned away, swallowed, and headed for the door.

"I'm going to work. You don't need to prepare my meals in the future."

"OK!"

Qin Ran agreed readily. Cooking for one person would be less work, which suited her just fine.

As Lu Sheng reached the shoe cabinet to change his shoes, Qin Ran suddenly remembered something and called out to him.

"Mr. Lu."

Lu Sheng turned around, his icy gaze fixed on her, signaling her to speak quickly.

"It's like this, my brother wants to meet you."

Qin Ran hurried over, speaking cautiously.

"When are you free? Could you come with me to my brother's place?"

After mustering the courage to say this, Qin Ran felt sweat breaking out on her back. This man, Lu Sheng, was like an iceberg; just standing near him made her feel a drop in temperature.

"Sorry, I'm very busy with work. Programmers often have to work overtime, so I don't have the time."

Lu Sheng's rejection was firm and final.

Qin Ran was disappointed, but there was nothing she could do. After all, she and this man had no emotional connection, and she had no right to demand anything from him.

She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she heard him call out.

"Qin Ran, wait a moment!"

Thinking he had changed his mind, Qin Ran quickly turned around, a flicker of hope rising in her heart. However, what followed was Lu Sheng pulling out a bank card from his bag and handing it to her.

Qin Ran's brows instantly furrowed. "Mr. Lu, what does this mean?"

In a marriage, it was best not to have financial entanglements. She absolutely would not use the 100,000 yuan card her brother had given her.

"This is my secondary card. There's 10,000 yuan for daily expenses. I get paid on the 15th of every month, and I will transfer 10,000 yuan into this card when my salary comes in."

"I rarely stay here, so there might be a lot of things to buy. Use this money to purchase whatever you need."

"If 10,000 yuan isn't enough, let me know on WeChat, and I'll transfer more."

Lu Sheng's words were concise, as if instructing a subordinate.

Qin Ran pushed the card back towards him.

"Since we're married, and you're paying the mortgage, I'll handle the household expenses. You don't need to worry about it."

"Besides, this house already has most of the major items. The smaller things won't cost much."

"While I am still a student, I'm working part-time. While my earnings are modest, they should suffice for our daily needs."

"I'm physically and mentally capable, and I can earn my own living. I don't need you to support me."

Lu Sheng's thick eyebrows furrowed slightly. What was this woman up to now?

Was she trying to attract him by playing the noble act? That wouldn't work on him.

Whatever, if she didn't want the money, then so be it. No matter what she tried, he wouldn't be affected by her.

Lu Sheng left for work, and after eating a bowl of noodles, Qin Ran picked up her bag and headed out. School was starting in a week, and she had saved some money, which would cover her tuition and living expenses for the year.

But her savings were only enough for one year. She needed to find a way to earn more, especially since her sister-in-law was asking for 400,000 yuan as a dowry.

On her way to Ren'an Clinic, Qin Ran received a call from her cousin, Cheng Fei. Cheng Fei had gone back to their hometown last week because her grandmother was sick, and Qin Ran hadn't expected her to return so soon.

"By the way, Qin Ran, I brought some local specialties to your house last night, and your sister-in-law said you got married. What's going on?"

Qin Ran hadn't expected her sister-in-law to spread the news so quickly.

"It's nothing, I just thought it was time to get married."

Cheng Fei laughed in exasperation over the phone. "Time to get married? You're not even twenty-one yet. I'm twenty-four and don't feel old at all."

"Is it because your sister-in-law finds you a nuisance at home?"

"No! I met someone I like, and I wanted to marry them."

Qin Ran denied it flatly. If it were just because her sister-in-law found her annoying, she could have simply moved out. The main reason was that her sister-in-law wanted to use her to get money, and she had chosen to marry someone to escape her control.

"Sis, I'm getting off the subway. Let's talk later."

When Qin Ran arrived at Ren'an Clinic, she found Zhao Lin sitting there, looking dejected and sighing.

"What's wrong?"

"The landlord wants to raise the rent, and he's demanding a full year's payment upfront."

Zhao Lin was furious. "Our pharmacy has only been open for a year, and just as business was picking up, the landlord says the rent is due to increase by fifty percent and that we need to pay for a whole year upfront. It's outrageous!"

Ren'an Clinic was opened by Zhao Lin and Liu Ming last year. To start the pharmacy, they had used the down payment they had saved for a wedding house. The location was excellent, right next to the Meihao Impression residential area. Although there was another pharmacy nearby, Ren'an Clinic offered both medical services and medication, and Qin Ran provided acupuncture, making it more popular than the other pharmacy.

The rent for the two shops was already high, at 30,000 yuan per month. Now, with a fifty percent increase, the monthly rent would be 45,000 yuan, and a full year's rent would be 540,000 yuan.

"We just ordered a large batch of medicine last week, spending all our savings. We now have less than 50,000 yuan left."

Zhao Lin was almost in tears. "The landlord is being completely unreasonable. He saw that our business was doing well and deliberately raised the rent. He also said that if we don't renew the lease, we have to move out by the end of the month."

Qin Ran also found the landlord's behavior despicable. According to the contract, any rent increase should have been notified a month in advance. Now, with only three days left until the end of the month, the landlord was suddenly demanding a rent increase and a change in payment terms. This was not the behavior of a normal landlord.