Jin Yaotiao thought back to Shen Qiming’s explanation that he hid the money because he was afraid she wouldn’t accept it.

To be honest, she never thought she’d hear the word “afraid” from his mouth.

It seemed a bit unreal for such an emotional word to come from him, especially directed at her.

Jin Yaotiao frowned, and Luna, eating the chestnut cake, helped her explain, “It’s like this, Uncle Jin. Yaotiao has already broken up with Shen Qiming. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t accept any investment from my ex, let alone use his institution. Yaotiao wouldn’t either.”

She raised her chin toward Jin Yaotiao, “Right, Yaotiao? We’re not so broke yet.”

Jin Yaotiao laughed lightly and said, “No, if Jingmao were officially involved, I would accept it.”

Luna froze, “Huh?”

Jin Yaotiao: “Luna, Jingmao has strong financial backing, and the company is stable. They’re a trustworthy partner.”

Luna didn’t quite understand: “But that’s Shen Qiming’s company. Working with Jingmao seems like you’re still holding on to old feelings. That’s so embarrassing.”

Jin Yaotiao laughed, “Luna, if I deliberately rejected cooperation with Jingmao just because of my relationship with Shen Qi Ming, that would show I’m still holding onto old feelings. You have to learn to think commercially.”

She only realized this after stumbling a lot herself.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so easily accepted Xu Wan’s investment in the first place.

Investment isn’t charity.

It’s a mutual partnership, and even in the financial market, a promising company will be pursued by numerous potential investors.

While Mingde’s reputation wasn’t high yet, she was confident in her judgment and abilities.

The shareholders investing in her would never lose out.

The money Shen Qiming had given wasn’t an equity investment, but she had repaid him with returns far exceeding market expectations.

As long as the investment was based on mutual cooperation, whether it was Jingmao or Cheng Chen, she would seriously consider it.

Though Cheng Chen wasn’t very reliable…

Luna seemed to half-understand, Jin’s mother didn’t understand at all, but Jin’s father nodded and smiled, “That’s right, in business, one must not let emotions interfere.”

He finished speaking, took another bite of the delicious chestnut cake, and grabbed his phone to notify the Mingde headquarters in Linjiang about the upcoming shareholders’ meeting.

Last year, the company had performed well, and the shareholders received higher dividends than before.

The atmosphere within the company was becoming more open and positive, and the shareholders were beginning to have more confidence in Jin Yaotiao.

When they heard she was preparing the meeting, they all readily agreed to attend without asking about the agenda.

After notifying several shareholders, Jin’s father stopped scrolling through his contacts when he saw the name of Jin Laosan.

He sighed.

The shareholders he had spoken to earlier were all smiling, talking cheerfully about Mingde’s success.

But he didn’t know how Jin Laosan was faring in the Cheng family.

Jin’s father looked at the contact for a while, then swiped it away, deleting the number.

He had chosen his path, and it would probably be fine.

---

Jin Yaotiao had been thinking of ways to find a few more investors before the official meeting.

Besides money, the most important thing about investments was bringing in resources from various industries to Mingde.

The broader the industries, the more beneficial it would be to Mingde’s development.

She couldn’t rely on the Jin family shareholders anymore, and Xu Wan and Grandpa Meng were rich but lacked resources.

But that was okay; their willingness to invest showed they trusted Mingde, and she was grateful for that.

But Mingde was a small company.

For its future development, it was best to expand the shareholder network.

Before all this, there had been another small incident.

When Jin Yaotiao received a call from Ye Baiqing, she was a bit confused.

Although Ye Baiqing, a pregnant model, was emotionally close to her, she didn’t often reach out to her.

She asked, “Miss Ye? What’s the matter?”

On the other end, Ye Baiqing sounded like she was about to cry: “Jin, Director Jin, are you in Shenzhen?”

Jin Yaotiao asked in confusion: “I’m in Shenzhen, what’s wrong?”

Ye Baiqing sobbed: “I’m at the hospital right now. Can I come see you tomorrow?”

Jin Yaotiao immediately got worried: “You’re at the hospital? What’s wrong with you? Is your health okay?”

“It’s not me,” Ye Baiqing said. “It’s a friend of mine. I want to bring her to meet you.”

Jin Yaotiao was puzzled.

Why would Ye Baiqing bring a sick friend to see her?

But she agreed since she didn’t have anything important to do the next day.

---

After hanging up, Ye Baiqing looked at Debbie lying on the hospital bed.

Debbie turned her head away and stared out the window, no longer smiling.

A tall doctor stood by the bed, looking very serious: “Debbie, there’s a problem with your psychological treatment. What are you hiding from me? You shouldn’t distrust your therapist.”

Debbie remained silent.

Ye Baiqing, holding her belly, sat by the bed, gently holding Debbie’s thin hand. “Debbie, please come with me.”

Since arriving in Shenzhen, Debbie had always found excuses not to go to Mingde’s restaurant.

She had no interest in eating, which made it difficult for Ye Baiqing to convince her.

She had let Debbie delay for a few days, as she followed her suggestion to travel around.

But this delay had led to problems.

Ye Baiqing wasn’t familiar with the psychological state of anorexic patients, but she knew that last night, Debbie had done something that Ye Baiqing had once thought about but never dared to act on.

If she hadn’t discovered it in time…

But Debbie had still been smiling happily during the day.

How could this happen?

With thoughts of Debbie, Ye Baiqing couldn’t stop crying.

Ma Jia, Jin’s father’s second brother’s only son, Ma Le, adjusted his clothes and walked out, followed by two lackeys. “What are we doing, Le?”

Ma Le sneered arrogantly, “We’re going to find that girl and ruin the place.”

How dare she look down on the Shang family’s menu?

I want to see what Mingde is really capable of.

Ye Baiqing got out of the car, and her friend, a bit worried, asked, “Are you okay? Yesterday was so chaotic. Do you think your body can handle it?”

When they had shared their feelings before, she had heard about Ye Baiqing’s previous struggles. In the early stages of her pregnancy, she had consumed too much, and carrying this child was already extremely difficult.

Yesterday, Debbie suddenly had a health crisis, which scared everyone, including Ye Baiqing.

She had to stay at the hospital for a long time, still carrying her big belly.

Now, taking them out again was quite exhausting.

Ye Baiqing smiled, touching her increasingly visible belly. “I’m fine. I can eat now, and my health is much better than before.”

Thanks to Mingde and Jin Yaotiao, she had overcome the shadow of morning sickness.

Earlier, her doctor had warned her to rest and avoid intense physical activity, but after the last checkup, the doctor’s advice had changed to encouraging her to get out and move more.

Before her friend could respond, the tall doctor furrowed his brows and said, “Baiqing, I don’t understand why you’re so insistent on bringing us here. If it’s because you like the food at this restaurant, then I have to say that anorexia isn’t a disease that can be cured with food. There are countless high-end restaurants in New York that can make food much better than this. I’ve never even heard of this restaurant. What Debbie needs is to go back with me and start new treatment. This is just wasting her precious time.”

Ye Baiqing made a call to Jin Yaotiao and replied to the doctor calmly, “But we have to try. Didn’t Director Jin help me before?”

“Your situation is different,” the doctor frowned. “The food from this restaurant, which you had packed for home the other day, Debbie wasn’t interested in either. And the pickled ingredients and cooking methods in your country are inherently unhealthy. Debbie has always had a regular lifestyle. Even when she was in good spirits, this would be hard for her to handle. Now, how could she accept such food?”

Ye Baiqing frowned.

Debbie got out of the car, wearing a mask and hat.

The weather in Shenzhen was already warm, but she was still dressed in a thick coat, looking so frail that she seemed as though the wind might knock her over.

There were bandages on her bony ankle, a result of the injury she sustained yesterday when they saved her.

The doctor sighed and went to help her, whispering, “Debbie, I don’t know why you’re doing this. You have to believe that you’re already outstanding. You have so many fans who love you, and they adore your work.”

He was the doctor hired by the record company, someone who had been providing psychological counseling for Debbie for a long time.

When Debbie confided in him, she had spoken about the struggles she faced before losing weight in her career.

Debbie’s face, hidden behind the mask, moved, though it was unclear whether she was smiling.

The doctor had a vague feeling that she was hiding something, but since Debbie refused to speak, he couldn’t pry it out of her.

Looking up, he saw the building of the restaurant Ye Baiqing insisted they visit.

He hesitated for a moment but decided to follow them inside.

On the way, Ye Baiqing translated a news article about Mingde for Debbie.

Debbie listened attentively but showed no signs of interest, while the doctor frowned as he listened.

In his home country, the doctor was part of the wealthy upper class and had tasted countless delicacies, including dishes from internationally renowned Michelin-starred restaurants.

He didn’t think much of a small restaurant in a developing country. He found it unimpressive for Ye Baiqing to boast about it.

The restaurant hadn’t opened yet, and there were few people inside.

Because of Ye Baiqing’s request, Jin Yaotiao had invited the guests to come early.

Shenzhen’s first branch no longer required her direct involvement, though the main chef hadn’t been selected yet.

The company’s well-trained chefs, along with the special addition of Master Tu, were enough to handle the daily operations.

This was the situation she was trying to guide.

After acquiring Mingde, her role in the business had naturally shifted.

Running a business required efficiency, not running headfirst into everything.

She couldn’t personally manage all the restaurants, as that would be impossible.

She had to arrange the right people in the right positions to help her.

Like now.

When Ye Baiqing’s call came, she stepped out to greet them, smiling when she saw the noticeably healthy glow on her face and the baby bump. “You look great.”

Ye Baiqing, as before, took her hand in a dependent manner and exchanged pleasantries before Jin Yaotiao turned her attention to the guest Ye Baiqing had brought.

A mysterious figure dressed in black — black clothes, a black hat, mask, and sunglasses — removed their protective gear.

The light blonde hair cascaded down, and they greeted Jin Yaotiao softly.

When Jin Yaotiao saw their face, she was taken aback.

The first thought that crossed her mind was: Isn’t this person supposed to be dead?

Then she realized — that was something that would happen soon.

Debbie was a huge star in Europe and the U.S.

Her death had caused an intense, lasting wave of grief.

By the time Jin Yaotiao went abroad, Debbie had been dead for a long time, but countless fans continued to mourn her year after year.

Even someone like Jin Yaotiao, who didn’t follow the entertainment industry much, had heard many stories about her.

If memory served, Debbie had passed away before the release of her new album, in her mansion in New York.

When the news broke, her fans, who had been eagerly awaiting her new album, were devastated.

Afterward, many stories and news about her were uncovered.

Including some of her unknown past.

For many years, Debbie had suffered from anorexia due to weight loss, and insiders revealed that the pressure had come from her record company boss and boyfriend.

Although she was famous, the company she was with was small and lacked resources, but her extraordinary creative abilities had led her to fame.

Fans had always wondered why she stayed with such a small company, only to learn after her death that it was due to her long-term relationship with a senior executive.

Unfortunately, this boyfriend had no plans to marry her, and while dating her, he was also pursuing the daughter of a wealthy businessman and politician, trying to gain more resources.

Meanwhile, he had been on and off with Debbie, never letting go of his “cash cow.”

To make her more popular, he had strict demands on her appearance and even tried to convince her to undergo cosmetic surgery shortly before her death.

After these truths were exposed, not only fans but even her friends were shocked.

In real life, Debbie appeared confident and smiled without any signs of trouble.

Only after her death did people realize her pain.

Ye Baiqing looked at Jin Yaotiao, hopeful as she made her request.

Debbie herself didn’t seem to care much; she had come only to fulfill Ye Baiqing’s wishes.

But when facing Jin Yaotiao, she was clearly more reserved, wearing a polite but distant smile.

“Anorexia…” Jin Yaotiao repeated the term she was already familiar with, sighing. “This isn’t something that can be cured with food. I’m not a doctor, and my food isn’t a miracle cure.”

Ye Baiqing looked sad when she heard this.

She knew the truth of the matter but always felt that Mingde was a place that had given her a new lease on life.

The food that Jin Yaotiao and she made also gave her a strong sense of warmth and reliance.

The doctor, noticing Jin Yaotiao’s refusal, softened his tone.

He thought that even if Ye Baiqing had little experience, at least the person she admired seemed to have some self-awareness.

After hearing Jin Yaotiao’s answer, he didn’t show disappointment.

Instead, he turned to Debbie: “Let’s go back to New York. There are better restaurants and better medical care there. Your condition can be controlled. If we keep treating it properly, I believe you’ll soon be able to return to the company.”

Debbie didn’t respond, but Jin Yaotiao glanced at the doctor.

The doctor’s casual mention of the company made it clear that he didn’t know about Debbie’s situation there.

Debbie was clearly reluctant to open up even to the psychologist.

As they were about to leave, Jin Yaotiao hesitated for a moment before calling out, “Wait.”

She recalled the news she had seen, and thinking about Ye Baiqing’s article, she looked at the living, breathing Debbie in front of her.

She suddenly felt a bit worried.

It seemed like she hadn’t received any help.

She wasn’t even trusting the psychologist.

Would she continue down the same path that led to an unfortunate end?

Debbie smiled weakly and politely asked, “Is there something you want to say to me?”

A living person, standing right in front of her, warm and real.

Jin Yaotiao was silent for a moment, then decided that, whether or not it would help, she would do what she could to offer Debbie a hand: “Since you’re here, you should try the local custom. Let’s have a meal before you leave.”

The doctor sat by the window, looking displeased. “She said she’s not a doctor, and her food isn’t a miracle cure. Why is she suddenly changing her mind? Given Debbie’s current physical and mental state, she can’t help. It will just waste time.”

Ye Baiqing didn’t know why Jin Yaotiao changed her mind, but she felt a faint joy in her heart, looking towards the kitchen without responding to the doctor.

The doctor looked at her, not getting a response.

He drank some sugarcane juice from the table, then raised an eyebrow at the cup.

What was that? It smelled wonderful, warm, and delicious.

Looking at the cup, which seemed to be a Chinese specialty, he didn’t feel like complimenting it.

He just changed the topic: “And why invite Debbie into the kitchen?”