Li Haochen arrived at the coconut shop when most people had already finished eating and were clearing their bowls and chopsticks.
"Are you all full?"
"Old Third, why are you so late?"
As soon as Li Haochen sat down, Murong Yanran brought out the food she had packed earlier. "You must be starving."
"I just finished negotiating with someone about building the plank road," Li Haochen opened his thermal container and wolfed down a few bites, his mouth full.
"You're building a plank road at Butterfly Bay?"
"Good heavens, how much will that cost?"
Li Haochen was about to say something, eager to swallow the food in his mouth, but he choked. His face immediately turned pale, and he slapped his chest, tears streaming from his eyes.
Fortunately, after more than ten slaps, he managed to dislodge it. He felt as if his soul had left his body for a moment.
"Phew~ I almost died."
Murong Yanran handed him a cup of tea and gently patted his back, chiding, "Look at you, always in such a hurry. Now you've learned your lesson."
Li Haochen took a few sips of tea and gave Murong Yanran an apologetic look.
"Old Third, building that plank road requires a lot of money, right?"
"Uh, it's manageable..."
"If you need money, just tell us. We haven't touched the profit-sharing money from last time," Chen He said, clapping Li Haochen on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely ask you if I need anything."
After eating, Li Haochen inquired about the shop's situation, chatted with everyone for a while, and then drove Murong Yanran to the branch store.
"Are you still far from completing the plank road?"
"Not… not too far! Don't worry, the branch store is on track now, and we'll have enough money soon."
"How much more do you need?" Murong Yanran asked, her tone hardening slightly. Her gaze seemed to say, 'Try lying to me, and I'll flay you alive.'
Li Haochen scratched his head awkwardly. "We… we still need about 300,000, but the construction won't be that fast. By the time it's finished, the coconut shop will have earned enough."
"Oh," Murong Yanran replied casually, showing no unusual expression.
Li Haochen and Murong Yanran arrived at the branch store. Xiao Nian and the others had already eaten and were packing coconuts for a young woman who was a big customer, ordering over a dozen.
Seeing this, Li Haochen stepped forward and asked, "Miss, with so many coconuts, if it's not too far, we can help deliver them."
"Boss!"
"Boss?" The woman looked up, thinking that Li Haochen was so young to be a boss and was even offering to deliver the goods for her. For a moment, her imagination ran wild.
"Boss's wife!"
The woman looked towards Murong Yanran standing behind Li Haochen and was instantly stunned. "So beautiful..."
Even as a woman, she was captivated by Murong Yanran's beauty, feeling a sense of inadequacy and a wry smile for her own overthinking.
"Ah… that would be great. It's not far, just across the street at Dreamy Sweets, is that okay?"
"Oh, I see. Ah Long, please help this lady with the delivery."
After sitting at the branch store for a while longer, Li Haochen checked the time. "Yanran, it's almost time for your class. I'll take you back to school."
Murong Yanran walked a few steps with her hands behind her back, then turned around and smiled. "I don't have class this afternoon."
"I remember..."
"Hurry up, let's go home!" Murong Yanran moved faster than Li Haochen, got into the passenger seat, and urged him on.
"Oh..." Li Haochen twisted the throttle, and the three-wheeled vehicle slowly accelerated. He glanced at Murong Yanran beside him and muttered, "That's right, I remember there was a class today."
As soon as they returned home, Murong Yanran quickly ran into her room, rummaging through all her bags and throwing them onto the bed.
"This one is a bit old… this one is still okay, for backup…"
Murong Yanran muttered as she searched. After a while, she found two that she was quite satisfied with. "These two are relatively new, so it's you two."
She packed them into a bag. After thinking about it, she felt it wasn't secure enough, so she took two more backup bags and put them in the larger bag. Looking at the bags on the bed, she made up her mind, grabbed an even larger bag, and stuffed them all in, leaving only her commonly used Constance 19.
"Forget it…" Murong Yanran sighed, glanced at the bags in her hand again, then tied the bag securely so no one could see what was inside.
Murong Yanran had to use both hands to lift it, and the way she bit her lip indicated its considerable weight.
She peeked downstairs, but Li Haochen wasn't there. She assumed he was taking a nap, which was good, as it would save her from questions.
Tiptoeing to the door, she was stopped. "Yanran, where are you going with that big bag? Let me help you."
"Ah… you startled me."
Seeing Li Haochen coming to help, Murong Yanran quickly stopped him. "No, no, I can do it myself. These are useless things, and I'm taking them to donate. I… I have to go now."
With that, she darted away like a wisp of smoke.
"So mysterious, what is she doing?"
Curious, Li Haochen walked out of the yard and looked around. "Isn't there a donation collection box at the village entrance? Why is she getting into a taxi?"
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Li Haochen quickly went back inside, grabbed his phone and wallet, and rode his three-wheeled vehicle to follow her. Fortunately, there was a red light at the intersection not far away, and the taxi stopped, otherwise, he wouldn't have known where to find her.
Li Haochen didn't stop too close, afraid Murong Yanran would notice him. Fortunately, it was a big city with traffic lights every few blocks, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up.
About ten minutes later, the taxi stopped at Binhai Plaza. Murong Yanran, struggling slightly, walked in with the bag.
"Binhai Plaza? Why is Yanran carrying a bag here?"
Li Haochen casually found a spot to park his vehicle and hurriedly followed her.
The exquisite luxury goods within the plaza did not capture Murong Yanran's attention for long; she glanced at them as she passed. When she passed the LA boutique, she stopped. "We're running out at home."
She glanced again, then turned and left, without lingering.
She arrived at the luxury service center on the top floor, her brow furrowed slightly, and walked in.
Seeing Murong Yanran enter with a large bag, she was immediately greeted by an enthusiastic woman in uniform. How could she not be enthusiastic? Her stunning face and demeanor, coupled with a Valentino gold tweed dress and an Hermes bag in her hand, clearly indicated a major client.
"Hello, Miss. How can I help you?"
"I don't use these bags much anymore, I want to sell them," Murong Yanran said directly.
Consultant Zhang Xiaolin had no second thoughts; she had seen this situation many times. People who came here were either for luxury item maintenance or to sell them. Murong Yanran was clearly the latter.
"Alright, we'll need to appraise them first and then provide you with a price list, is that okay?" Zhang Xiaolin said, and with Murong Yanran's authorization, she picked up the bag and took it into the appraisal room.