Don’t Turn from Summer Don't Turn From Summer Chapter 30

Don't Turn from Summer (莫负寒夏) by Ding Mo (丁墨)

Chapter 30

Mu Hanxia actually hasn’t had dinner yet, but she doesn’t move. She doesn’t want to go have dinner with him alone.

“I’ve had mine. How about you go for your dinner first and I will be at your service after you’re done?”

He looks at her and says rather flatly, “That’s all right. I’m the boss, So I eat and you just stay by my side, helping with teas and drinks.”

Mu Hanxia: “...” She has no choice but to follow him into the car.

In the past when she went for dinner with him, it was mostly business meals or at high-profile restaurants. So she didn’t expect him to take her to a small restaurant today. It is located on a street in the residential area. The storefront is small and rather plain. Inside, there’s only room for five tables. They are early so there’s no other guest yet.

Mu Hanxia asks, “When have you become so down-to-earth?”

Lin Mochen: “I’m already very down-to-earth staying with you. Did you forget that I was from Lin City myself? This restaurant had been here even before I was born.”

While they are talking, the owner, who’s also the chef, comes over and hands them the menu with great courtesy. “Mr Lin is here. It’s the first time that you bring a friend.”

Mu Hanxia feels a little ripple in her heart. She leans against the table and smiles at the owner sweetly. Lin Mochen, however, just sits there with his legs crossed and arms slightly propping. Sitting in such a small restaurant, he is at the same ease as sitting in a five-star grand restaurant. He scans the menu and replies, “Yes. If it’s not a really close one, I wouldn’t bring.”

The owner grins. Mu Hanxia is a little stunned and immediately says, “Right, I’m the trusted follower of my boss.”

Lin Mochen glances up at her but says nothing.

The dinner turns out to be truly delicious. First of all, the owner is really good at cooking. Mu Hanxia enjoys the food a lot. And as usual, Lin Mochen enjoys his meal better as a result of seeing this woman eating the food with relish. Second, they both feel quite delighted for some reason, just like the dim but tender night light outside the restaurant―the light from numerous homes scattered around―so plain, yet so pretty.

After dinner, Mu Hanxia is surprised that Lin Mochen takes her to a real estate company.

The name of the company is called Kai Jia. It’s located in an office building near the Second Ring-Road. Lin Mochen takes her upstairs. She is so astonished when he takes the key out from his pocket and opens the door to the company.

“How come you have the key?”

Lin Mochen: “I bought it.”

Mu Hanxia: “...”

After being dumbfounded for a moment, she finally understands. “You bought this...company?”

The light in the hallway is dim. Lin Mochen turns to give her a glance and chuckles. He gives a gentle stroke at the hair on the back of her head and says, “Yes, I bought it.”

This company is neither too big nor too small. The office is about 400 square meters. Judged by the desks and chairs, there are about 40 to 50 employees. Right now it’s deep into the night and there’s n.o.body in the company. Lin Mochen walks over to the gla.s.s wall and gazes at the night view outside, his hands in his pant pockets. Mu Hanxia picks up some company profile doc.u.ments on the desk and reads through.

The company has all the certificates required for all kinds of real estate business activities and has successfully run a few small projects. The internal work process and management are also quite well regulated. The employees seem to be well qualified as well.

She looks up to him: “You... want to get involved in real estate business?”

“Yes.”

She gets it. To do real estate requires all kinds of certificates. It’s too slow to build one’s own company from scratch. But in Lin City, there are numerous small- or middle-sized real estate companies. For Lin Mochen, buying such a company is the quickest way. With the sh.e.l.l of such a small company, he can partic.i.p.ate in the bidding for all kinds of estates, contract building projects which can be subcontracted to other companies, or run complete real estate projects.

“I see this company seems to be developing well enough. Why was the owner willing to sell it to you?”

“He got into financial problems and ran out of cash. So he’s forced to sell it.”

“Oh.”

“Come here.” He says.

Mu Hanxia walks over to his side and watches with him the tranquil light outside the window.

“Jason, wouldn’t this game be to big? Isn’t the real estate market bad at the present? I heard all the policies are trying to cool down the market. Besides, real estate is something really big.”

This “big”, is as compared to the apparel industry. The investment amount, operation cycle and profit margin are all miles away from running apparel chain stores.

Lin Mochen certainly understands her meaning. He smiles and says, “I’ve told you that in the domestic market, what I look at is the main industry trend and the profit. Where the biggest profit lies, that’s where I’m going. I talked to many friends from the investment banks. Even though it looks bad and there seems no profit anywhere right now, my judgment is that the spring of real estate business is just around the corner. Summer, I never worry about what other people will do. I only think about what I want and how I will do it.”

These words make Mu Hanxia’s heart quiver, but she actually is obsessed with this kind of feeling he brings her all the time. So she nods, “OK, I get it.”

She turns to look at the big map hanging on the wall aside. That’s the real estate development map of Lin City. She walks closer and stares at the lands and lots that have been divided and occupied by different real estate companies, wondering what b.l.o.o.d.y storms will be stirred up when Lin Mochen picks up his sword and joins them.

She is lost in her own thinking when suddenly Lin Mochen approaches from the back. He presses one hand on the map. Mu Hanxia feels the heat from his chest. And his face is so close to her head, not sure if he’s doing it on purpose of not.

“What’re you gawking at?” He says softly.

She’s almost encircled by him, encircled in between the endless city-light in the back and the real estate map before her.

The world is vast. But there’s only he and she now.

Mu Hanxia’s brain goes blank for a moment, almost drowning in the tempting dubiousness. She quickly smiles and slips out from under his arm. She says as she moves aside, “Sorry boss, I got in your way.”

Lin Mochen is silent. He drops his hand and slips it back into his pant pocket.

Mu Hanxia immediately changes the subject, “The biggest real estate enterprise in Lin City is Rong Yue Group. They are also the Number One superpower in the grand southwest area. Our apparel business has already impacted them. If we get into real estates, we will compete with them again. They are so big. We will face great pressure.”

Her remarks. .h.i.t the nail. But Lin Mochen just smiles, “The weakness of anyone hides at no other place than in his own strength.”

Mu Hanxia pauses.

“Big, is Rong Yue’s strength. But it’s also its weakness. They can get more lots and spread out bigger plans. But at the same time, it means each move they make will affect the whole plan and they will have a hard time keeping everything under control. Also, since their fighting power is too scattered, they may not have advantage over an excellent start-up at a single spot. You understand?”

Mu Hanxia vaguely understands, but she can’t imagine what real moves he plans to make.

They are bot quiet for a while. Then she asks, “What about you? What’s your weakness?”

Lin Mochen gazes thoughtfully at her.

Mu Hanxia thinks: his strength is confidence, intelligence and ruthlessness. So is his weakness hidden in them? Too confident? Too relentless?

But he just smiles a little. “There’s an old Chinese saying―Even a hero can’t resist the temptations of a beauty. When I fall in love with a woman, she may become my weakness.”

Mu Hanxia’s heart skips a beat. But she says, “You are really good at telling jokes, Jason. How can you possibly be such an emotional person?”