Chapter 365: Gathering Nutrients

Yang Xun’s Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass seed, which had shown no signs of life for days since he planted it, was now pushing through the soil. It revealed a tender leaf, smaller than a fingernail and covered in fine fuzz.

Yang Xun’s eyes lit up instantly. He reached out and gently touched the surface of the sprout, finding it soft and moist.

The sprout had appeared without warning. There had been no activity when he checked earlier, so how did it suddenly emerge? Scenes of everything that happened tonight flashed through his mind until inspiration struck, and the corners of his lips curled upward into a slow smile.

“So that’s why,” he said. He guessed that during his earlier battle, water must have splashed into the flowerpot. The Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass had absorbed the Essence Qi, allowing it to finally awaken and sprout.

He hadn’t expected the Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass to be such a perverted little plant, actually requiring this kind of method to grow. Joy filled his heart. Now that he knew the trick, he knew exactly what to do next. With so many women around him, getting a little nourishment wouldn’t be difficult at all.

He thought, “If I can keep up this pace, it might mature into a fully-grown plant in half a month.” Pondering this, Yang Xun hurried into the kitchen and began brewing hangover soup.

A short while later, the sound of a car approached outside, followed by Xu Yue pushing the door open and walking inside. A faint, alcohol-induced flush colored her cheeks. Xu Feifan followed closely behind her, carrying her bag and still nagging her about something.

Yang Xun quickly stepped forward to greet them. He took the bag from Xu Feifan and supported Xu Yue’s swaying arm. “Why did you drink so much?”

“The client was too difficult to deal with,” Xu Yue said, rubbing her temples and exhaling deeply. “But it wasn’t completely fruitless. At least he promised to think about it.”

Yang Xun helped her sit on the sofa, then went to the kitchen to bring out the hangover soup he had prepared. The temperature was perfect. Xu Yue took the bowl and took a sip. As the warm liquid slid down her throat, her surging drunkenness was slightly suppressed.

She looked up, her beautiful eyes still a little red from the alcohol gazing at Yang Xun. With a slightly muffled, nasal voice, she asked, “Ah Xun, I still couldn’t sign that contract today. Do you think I’m completely useless?”

Xu Feifan stood nearby and said helplessly, “Yueyue, you can’t blame yourself for this. The other party’s intentions were obvious. They’re more inclined to cooperate with Meiyan Biotechnology.”

Yang Xun crouched in front of Xu Yue and gently held her hands. His tone was gentle yet firm. “What’s the rush? If we can’t sign the contract today, there’s always tomorrow. Even if we really can’t sign it, the Xu Clan won’t collapse.

“Meiyan Biotechnology will definitely face the consequences of their actions. We just need to hold our ground. We can reduce the production of Ninghua Cream to make way for new products.”

Xu Yue nodded and threw herself into his arms. With him around, it seemed like all her troubles were insignificant. Seeing this, Xu Feifan felt too embarrassed to stay any longer and hurried upstairs.

Meanwhile, as the alcohol took its toll on Xu Yue, her breathing gradually became steady and long, and she fell into a deep sleep. Her body emitted a faint scent of alcohol, and her even breaths brushed against his shirt like a small animal that had found a warm corner.

Yang Xun looked down at her peaceful sleeping face and sighed softly. He picked her up with gentle movements, carried her to the bedroom, and placed her on the bed. After tucking her in, he left a very light kiss on her forehead. Once he finished, he turned and left the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him.

When he returned to his own room, moonlight spilled in through the half-open curtains, spreading a band of silvery-white light across the floor. When his gaze landed on the bed, his footsteps paused slightly.

Meng Qiaofei was lying on her side on his bed. The blanket was pulled up to her chin, revealing her smooth, pale shoulders. Her long hair cascaded across the pillow, and the full curves of her chest were faintly visible, making her look like a beautiful oil painting. Hearing the door open, she slightly opened her almond-shaped eyes, which carried a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

“I… I don’t want to go back there to sleep. I really can’t stand being in the same room as Xu Feifan,” she said.

“Qiaofei, if you don’t leave, you won’t be getting any rest tonight,” Yang Xun said, his tone radiating danger.

Earlier, he had been worried that Xu Yue would suddenly return, so they had only done it once in a hurry, leaving him completely unsatisfied. He never expected Meng Qiaofei to actively seek him out again. If he didn’t do anything about it, would he even be a man?

“I’m still a little sore. Could you be gentle?” Meng Qiaofei’s tone carried a pleading edge, which only made Yang Xun’s lust surge even higher.

“Alright,” Yang Xun said. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he pounced on her like a starving wolf.

He thought, “I need to collect moisture to make the Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass grow faster.”

The night was deep and long. Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, enveloping the two silhouettes in a gentle, silvery-white glow.

Farther away in the dark night, a few lights remained on in the office building of Meiyan Biotechnology. Cheng Ye stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the city lights outside with an unfathomable smile playing on his lips.

Over the next two days, Yang Xun took Sun Rao on a massive tour of the Zhonghai City District, checking out several storefronts that were up for sale. Some had excellent locations but exorbitant prices, while others were reasonably priced but too remote. A few more had unsatisfactory layouts or sizes. After two days of searching, they hadn’t found anything particularly suitable.

Whenever they finally found a few decent options, Chen Junhao would beat them to the punch and rent the places at a high price. He seemed to have perfectly calculated where Yang Xun might want to rent, popping up every time to show off his power. However, Yang Xun wasn’t angry. Ever since he was intercepted the first time, he had abandoned the idea of renting a storefront altogether—he wanted to buy one instead.

“Xun, did you say you want to buy a shop?” Zhou Yuan’s voice came through the phone.

“Yes. Since I plan to run the business long-term anyway, it’s more cost-effective to buy a place outright rather than paying rent for years. Besides, even if I buy a shop and decide not to run a business later, I can just sell it without losing any money,” Yang Xun replied.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan immediately perked up. “Then I’ll have someone keep an eye out to see if there are any suitable storefronts for sale in Zhonghai.”

“Alright, thanks for the hard work.”

After hanging up, Yang Xun went to the company and joined the R&D staff in researching their latest products. Seeing how hard he was working, the senior executives felt a bit more hopeful.

But bad news soon arrived. Jade Skin Cream had finally launched, and it was instantly sold out, even crashing the platform in the process. Thanks to Chu Mengyao’s immense popularity, Meiyan Biotechnology became famous not just in Zhonghai City, but across the entire country.

In contrast, Xu’s Beauty Industry’s Ninghua Cream received zero interest. The atmosphere throughout the company grew oppressive, and the employees lost all motivation to work.

Yang Xun couldn’t care less. He simply called Xu Yue to comfort her, telling her to take a vacation and ignore the senior executives. Leaving the company matters behind, he continued scouting for storefronts with Sun Rao.

While passing through a less bustling street in the city center, his eyes were drawn to a dusty, three-story building on a street corner. The structure stood directly facing the road. A severely faded signboard hung on its front, faintly displaying the words ‘Fumian Building’. It was a restaurant that had gone out of business a long time ago.