This is a bizarre rule, isn't it? It's supposed to grant me many children and good fortune

Lin Feng casually explained, "Wan'er plans to open a physical coffee shop in the Anning Quadrant."

Su Wan proudly puffed out her chest:

"It's not just a 'plan,' it's already begun."

"The shop has been rented and is being renovated. We already had a big customer yesterday, and we'll be setting up a stall to sell coffee this afternoon."

Xia Ning's eyes widened: "Wow, your efficiency is amazing!"

Su Wan leaned her head on Lin Feng's shoulder and said with a smile:

"It's all thanks to my husband's support; otherwise, the rent alone would have been a huge burden on me."

Xia Ning poked at the steamed egg in the bowl with her spoon, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes:

"That's great...you've already built your own career."

She turned to look at Lin Feng, her eyes carrying a hint of coquetry:

"Honey, I want to open a coffee shop too."

"I can do an airline-themed design, with the interior decorated like an airplane cabin, and all the staff dressed as flight attendants."

"puff--"

Su Wan spat out a mouthful of water and coughed for a long time before she recovered.

"Ningning, you can start your own business, but don't do what I did. Otherwise, you'll be fighting against yourself."

Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully:

"I think Ningning's idea is pretty good. Your two stores can be located further apart, so there shouldn't be any competition."

Su Wan immediately grabbed Lin Feng's arm and shook it vigorously:

"Honey, you're so smart, come up with a new project for Ningning! She's doing uniform fetish stuff, she'll definitely steal my business!"

Lin Feng stroked his chin for a moment, then smiled and looked at Xia Ning:

"Ningning, the cross-border e-monster boutique seems like a good fit for you too."

"You used to run all-area routes, so you know the unique local products. Use your network to find rare items and make high-end customized souvenirs."

"Or we could partner with corporate group purchases of gifts—it's not difficult to get started, and it doesn't conflict with Wan'er's coffee shop at all; in fact, it can drive traffic to each other."

He paused, then glanced at Su Wan:

"Zheng Yuanshan's company, the Skeleton Tower Group, is a precise major client, which is just right to rely on the coffee shop's customer base to open up channels."

Xia Ning's eyes suddenly lit up, and she sat up straight: "This sounds good."

Lin Feng smiled and said, "Let's plan slowly and not rush things. Once Wan'er's coffee shop opens, we can focus on opening yours."

Xia Ning pouted, drawing out the last syllable: "No—"

Lin Feng leaned forward slightly and whispered in her ear:

"Let Wan'er test the waters first. It will make our store opening much smoother. We can also easily attract customers she has accumulated, and our sales might surpass hers very quickly."

A sly glint flashed in Xia Ning's eyes as she picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Okay, I'll do as my husband says."

Su Wan narrowed her eyes suspiciously, looking at this person and then at that person:

"What are you two whispering about?"

Lin Feng sat back down in his chair with a calm expression and picked up a shrimp dumpling:

"It's nothing. I'm helping her figure out a startup plan for the boutique, afraid she'll rush into taking the wrong path."

Xia Ning nodded in agreement, lowered her head and took a sip of milk, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

........................

After breakfast, I returned to room 809.

Xia Ning and Su Wan each held a copy of the new issue of "The Earl's Crimson Contract" on their left and right, and curled up on the sofa to continue reading.

The two sat shoulder to shoulder, occasionally whispering a few words, completely forgetting the time.

Lin Feng waited a moment, then finally cleared his throat and tentatively asked Xia Ning:

"Ningning, didn't you... book a room by the hour? Aren't you going to eat?"

Xia Ning didn't even look up, her finger tracing the page as she casually replied:

"I haven't finished watching it yet. I'll talk about it after I finish watching it."

Lin Feng opened his mouth, but in the end didn't urge him anymore. He just sighed helplessly, took out his phone, and nestled into the single sofa next to him to play games and kill time.

Her fingertips tapped across the screen, but her thoughts kept drifting to the two little heads huddled together on the sofa. Occasionally, she could hear Su Wan exclaim in a low voice, "I knew there was foreshadowing here!"

Or Xia Ning whispered in protest: "No, look at the implications in this storyboard..."

Time passed second by second, and the phone's battery level dropped by bar.

The two women turned the last page almost simultaneously, just as the clock on the wall pointed to 11 a.m.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Then--

Su Wan felt a lump in her throat, her eyes suddenly reddened, and a tear splattered onto the page of the book.

Xia Ning wasn't much better off. She bit her lower lip and endured it for a moment, but her eyes were still wet and glistening.

The season finale came suddenly and brutally, abruptly ending the fates of the core characters and leaving the audience breathless with its dramatic scene.

Lin Feng quickly put down his phone, grabbed some tissues, and gently comforted the two while wiping away their tears:

"Alright, alright, don't cry, don't cry. This is a common technique in comics; a little bit of angst makes it more memorable."

"It'll definitely be revived in the next season; I've figured out the author's tricks."

Su Wan sniffed and raised her wet, almond-shaped eyes:

"What...what if they don't come back to life?"

Xia Ning also looked up, her eyelashes still glistening with tiny drops of water.

Lin Feng paused for a second, then thumped his chest loudly:

"If the author dares not to come back to life, I'll throw money at them until they change the plot, until the characters are brought back to life!"

The two women were amused by his confident demeanor and burst into laughter through their tears. They exchanged a glance, then rushed forward to hug his neck, rubbing their cheeks against his: "My husband is so good—"

Lin Feng, caught in the middle, couldn't help but smirk.

After a while of fussing, Xia Ning finally let go, then took Lin Feng's hand instead, her eyes clear yet tinged with apology:

"Honey, I'm so sorry, I was so engrossed in my comics that I left you hanging. Let's go, let's eat now."

Lin Feng glanced at her, somewhat hesitant:

"Are you... alright right now? You just finished crying, do you want to calm down a bit?"

Xia Ning raised her eyebrows, a faint red lingering at the corners of her eyes:

"Perfect, let's turn sorrow into strength. Let me handle this in a bit."

Lin Feng's body trembled instantly, and he lowered his voice to lean closer:

"Then take it easy, and don't unleash your full power."

"Don't worry," Xia Ning patted the back of his hand, her tone confident, "I know what I'm doing."

Su Wan, standing next to her, pouted, hugged her comic book, leaned back on the sofa, and remained silent, but her eyes darted around—

It's okay, let Ningning eat first. I'll eat it all back with interest tonight.

........................

At 2:30 pm, the sun was blazing, and the sea was shimmering like a patch of broken silver.

Lin Feng and Su Wan walked side by side on the path leading to the shop. In the distance, they could see a dark blue parasol already set up at the entrance of "Rose Wharf".

Under the umbrella was a long, folding wooden table, covered with a light gray checkered tablecloth.

The coffee machine, coffee grinder, ice maker, and insulated containers were arranged neatly, like a well-trained mini-army.

At the other end of the table, several rows of white paper cups and takeout bags were already stacked, each bag containing a cup of fresh coconut latte.

A faint aroma of coconut and roasted coffee wafted from between the lid's teeth, carried by the sea breeze into the nostrils...