Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

Su Fengxia knew she would inevitably get a lecture from her sister when she got back, so she decided to have as much fun as she could this time. She winked at her sister, her tone somewhat ingratiating, "Well... Sister, I'm going to skate now, I'll go slowly."

After saying that, she turned to Zhang Wenbo, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and invited, "Brother Zhang, how about another round?"

Zhang Wenbo's slightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, a youthful spirit flashing in his eyes, and he readily agreed: "Again."

Looking at his younger sister's fearless demeanor, Su Fengnan was about to say a few more words of advice when Zhou Chenyu gently pressed his arm down. He advised softly, "Let them go have fun. Don't be so tense. Today is a day to relax; let her enjoy herself."

Since Zhou Chenyu had said so, Su Fengnan had no choice but to sigh and compromise.

The music in the ice rink was so loud it made our eardrums tingle. Su Fengnan simply pulled Zhou Chenyu to change out of their skates and go outside for some fresh air.

The two had just stopped at the entrance of the billiards room, wondering whether they should go in and take a look, when they saw Zhang Wenhao and Ning Xiaojun walking out one after the other.

"Why are you all out here too?" Su Fengnan asked, somewhat surprised.

"I came out to find you guys," Zhang Wenhao replied casually. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping across the lights shining from the billiard room before finally landing on Zhou Chenyu, a smile appearing in his eyes: "Want to play a game?"

"Sure," Zhou Chenyu readily agreed. The two exchanged a knowing smile and walked into the billiards room in tacit understanding.

Ning Xiaojun and Su Fengnan stood side by side, quietly watching the two men bend down and set up their poles. Accompanied by a crisp clanging sound, a silent duel quietly unfolded on the green table.

Zhou Chenyu had potted three balls in a row and was bending down to prepare to hit a slightly off-center black ball. He held his breath and pushed the ball steadily with his wrist, but just as the club head was about to make contact with the ball, he caught a glimpse of Su Fengnan standing to the side—she was frowning slightly, her eyes showing a hint of sympathy for Zhang Wenhao.

Zhou Chenyu's movements paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, his wrist shifting slightly. The cue ball grazed the edge, and the black ball rolled shakily toward the pocket, only to hit the corner of the pocket at the last moment and bounce out regrettably.

"Tsk." Zhou Chenyu straightened up, smiled helplessly, and put the chalk back on the table. "Looks like my luck isn't on my side all day."

Zhang Wenhao raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. He had naturally noticed Zhou Chenyu's deliberate tactic of letting him win, not wanting to lose too badly. He shook his head slightly and bent down to rest his cue again. This time, he abandoned his previous composure, his gaze becoming even more focused, and his wrist steadily exerted force—with a crisp "snap," the colored ball accurately went into the pocket, and the score was reversed.

The two men traded blows, and after only a few shots, Zhou Chenyu secured the victory. Zhang Wenhao readily conceded defeat, extending his hand to shake Zhou Chenyu's. In their exchange of smiles, a tacit understanding, shared only by them, seemed to be silently achieved.

Su Fengnan, standing to the side, was completely baffled by the intricacies of the situation.

The billiard room was nearly empty, and the noise was distant. After shaking hands with Zhou Chenyu, Zhang Wenhao turned to Su Fengnan, his tone calm yet serious: "Su Fengnan, let's talk..."

Su Fengnan understood immediately that he wanted to discuss the cooperation, so she replied softly, "Okay, let's talk about it at home." Then she turned to Ning Xiaojun, "Junjun, why don't you come to my house for a bit?"

Ning Xiaojun nodded happily. Before leaving, Su Fengnan took out her phone and called her younger sister, who was still playing at the skating rink. Hearing Su Fengxia's energetic voice on the other end of the line, she carefully instructed, "Xiaoxia, don't stay out too late with Zhang Wenbo and Zhang Xinrui. Go straight home later and be careful. Junjun and I will head out first."

After making the arrangements, Zhang Wenhao sent a message to his younger siblings, and the group went home together.

After returning home, Ning Xiaojun wisely refrained from disturbing them and instead settled down on the sofa in the living room to watch TV.

Inside the study, Su Fengnan brewed three cups of tea and sat down at a table with Zhang Wenhao and Zhou Chenyu. Having abandoned their earlier joking and casual demeanor in the billiards room, the three gradually became serious and began discussing their upcoming collaboration.

Zhang Wenhao broke the silence first, speaking in a deep voice: "Su Fengnan, from what I've observed of your dessert shop recently, it has tremendous potential. The taste goes without saying; it's absolutely top-notch in the entire city..."

He paused, exchanged a glance with Zhou Chenyu, then looked back at Su Fengnan, his tone becoming increasingly certain: "Actually, the potential of this market is far greater than you imagine. If you're willing, we can cooperate and create a chain brand for our city and even the province."

For the rest of the time, only Zhang Wenhao's voice could be heard in the study. He had an extremely clear plan for the future of the dessert shop—from refining the product line to expanding the stores, and then to the later brand operation, every step of which hit the nail on the head.

Zhou Chenyu and Su Fengnan listened quietly, both feeling a sense of admiration. Zhang Wenhao's business acumen was impeccable; he not only highly recognized Su Fengnan's current business model and the strength of her products, but also saw through the underlying logic of this business.

He knew very well that with a little capital and business acumen, this store could easily grow into a large and successful business. Most importantly, he possessed a wealth of valuable connections. With him protecting and supporting the business, it would never be ostracized or forced to take detours on its future expansion path.

After listening to Zhang Wenhao's plan, the study was quiet for a moment.

Zhou Chenyu sat to the side, saying nothing, simply waiting quietly for Su Fengnan to figure things out on her own, because he knew that Su Fengnan had already made plans for the dessert shop.

Su Fengnan didn't immediately show joy; instead, she frowned slightly. Her fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, and after a moment, she cleared her thoughts.

"Brother Zhang, I truly admire your vision and boldness. But..." She carefully chose her words, her tone sincere yet tinged with a clear-headedness, "Running a single shop, I can guarantee that every pastry will taste the same to every customer. But if we turn it into a chain, how can we keep the recipe a secret? How can we guarantee quality control? If the taste changes, it will ruin our shared reputation."

She paused, then met Zhang Wenhao's gaze frankly: "Actually, I also have plans to open a chain store. You're just bringing my idea forward. If we really cooperate, who will take charge of the daily operations and management? Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. I don't want our relationship to be ruined by disagreements later."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Zhang Wenhao's eyes, quickly turning into deep admiration. He had initially thought this young woman, still a student, would at most be smug about opening a few more branches, but he hadn't expected her to be so young yet able to see through the crux of chain expansion, hitting the very core of the collaboration. This clarity and vision beyond her years filled him with even greater confidence in this partnership.

He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and calmly reassured Su Fengnan: "Your concerns are valid, so you can completely entrust the daily operations, store expansion, and even external interpersonal relationships to me. As for your biggest concerns about the recipe and quality control..." He put down the teacup, his gaze fixed intently on Su Fengnan, "When we make desserts, what we sell is this unique craftsmanship and flavor. My idea is that for any new stores we open, the core recipe preparation and key processes will be overseen by your personally trained apprentices, or you could even personally oversee the central kitchen to produce the semi-finished products and then distribute them to each store. We won't blindly rush things; we'd rather take smaller steps, but we must firmly safeguard the reputation of your brand."