Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

In the office, a man in his early thirties was sitting behind a large desk, flipping through documents.

He was wearing a simple coat, had regular features, and wore silver-rimmed glasses, making him look very refined.

Hearing the noise, Lin Zhiyuan looked up and saw the person at the door, his heart skipped a beat.

Trouble is brewing.

He put on a smile and walked around the desk to greet her: "Oh, my dear sister, what brings you here? Sit down, sit down, don't stand."

Lin Man didn't move, her gaze sweeping coldly across the office.

It's been a few months since I last visited, and the place has changed dramatically.

The original outdated decor has been renovated, the desks have been replaced with more impressive solid wood ones, an unknown oil painting hangs on the wall, and a potted plant that is half a person tall is placed in the corner.

Lin Man questioned, "What's going on? Why are you recruiting princesses and young masters again?"

Lin Zhiyuan's smile remained unchanged as he reached out to pull her arm: "Come, come, sit down and let's talk. I'll make you a cup of tea, some newly arrived Jin Jun Mei. Grandpa specially had it sent from Fujian Province."

Lin Man dodged his hand, but still walked to the sofa and sat down.

Lin Zhiyuan was not annoyed and turned to busy himself at the tea table.

Warming the cup, adding tea leaves, rinsing the tea, and brewing—his movements were fluid and skillful, clearly those of a seasoned pro.

A short while later, a steaming cup of black tea was placed in front of Lin Man.

"Try it."

Lin Zhiyuan picked up the teacup and gently blew on it.

Lin Man stared at the amber-colored tea, her voice icy: "Answer my question first."

Lin Zhiyuan sighed softly: "Xiaoman, don't worry... There's nothing I can do about this, it's his grandfather's wish."

Lin Man's gaze was sharp as a knife: "What does Grandpa mean?"

"Correct."

Lin Zhiyuan nodded.

"Over the past few years, as the largest shareholder and legal representative of Brilliant Planet, you should know better than I do. Let's do the math: how much does the property management fee, water and electricity, maintenance, labor... add up every little detail each month?"

Lin Zhiyuan counted on his fingers, one item at a time.

"The maintenance of the central air conditioning alone costs hundreds of thousands a year. Then there's fire protection, security, system maintenance, copyright fees... and that doesn't even include daily cleaning, beverage procurement, and marketing. How are we supposed to break even if we sell private rooms for 200 yuan a day to those poor students on Meituan and Douyin?"

Lin Man picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and said nothing.

Seeing that she didn't refute him, Lin Zhiyuan's tone softened even more: "So what Grandpa means is that while we still have some savings, we should revitalize this shop. Brilliant Planet was once the top brand in Star City, if it weren't for that incident..."

"Enough! Lin Zhiyuan, stop giving me this nonsense. You know I'm the largest shareholder and legal representative."

Lin Man put down her teacup, her eyes blazing with anger: "Last time, being too famous attracted attention and got my mother imprisoned. Now you want to send me in too, to keep her company?"

Lin Zhiyuan's smile froze. He picked up his teacup again, took a small sip, and carefully considered his words.

"Xiaoman, you're being too polite. We're family, blood is thicker than water, how could I possibly harm you?"

He leaned forward slightly and said sincerely, "Grandpa plans to spend some money to buy out your shares and change the legal representative as well. From now on, the store's affairs will have nothing to do with you, and you don't need to worry about them."

Lin Man narrowed her eyes.

Lin Zhiyuan quickly added, "Don't worry, I definitely won't let you suffer a loss. Double the price, double the market price."

Lin Man didn't say anything.

She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the teacup.

The amber-colored tea reflected the ceiling light, shimmering slightly.

She knows best how badly Brilliant Planet's business has been operating in recent years.

Since the crackdown in 1988 and 1989, this KTV, which used to make a fortune every day, has become a hot potato.

The shares she held were worth almost nothing, and she even had to put money into them occasionally.

But no matter what, this was the only thing her father left her...

"Of course, Xiaoman, you can also just change the legal representative and retain a small portion of the shares... That way you can still get dividends every year without taking any risks, isn't that great?"

Lin Zhiyuan continued to persuade him, as if coaxing a child.

“Xiaoman, my dear sister, you have to think about this… This is one of the best locations in Xingcheng, and it’s been abandoned for seven or eight years. The land, property management, and renovations all cost a lot of money. The family is planning to revitalize this place; we can’t just let it languish like this forever, can we?”

Lin Man raised her head and met Lin Zhiyuan's gaze.

Lin Zhiyuan said confidently, "Don't worry, I'm confident I can rebuild the reputation of Brilliant Planet just like my aunt did back then. You can just sit back and collect the money without having to worry about anything!"

Lin Man gently stroked the rim of the teacup with her fingers.

She knew Lin Zhiyuan was right.

A karaoke bar in this location can't just be used for people to sing.

A private room that costs 200 yuan a month doesn't even cover the water and electricity bills.

If you want to make money, you have to find other ways.

Meanwhile, her uncles and aunts had long coveted this prize, thinking that Lin Man was just hogging the spot without doing anything.

"Row."

Lin Man put down her teacup and said calmly, "I can relinquish control and sell shares; I won't interfere with how you operate the business."

Lin Zhiyuan's face lit up with joy, and he was about to speak when Lin Man raised her hand to interrupt him.

"but……"

Lin Man's gaze suddenly sharpened: "Why fire those long-term employees? They were all my mother's people back then, and many of them even worked for my mother..."

"Xiao Man."

Lin Zhiyuan interrupted her in return, his tone calm but his attitude firm.

"Now that the KTV has been renovated, we naturally need to hire young and professional staff. Otherwise, when customers come in and see a bunch of old faces, how can we increase the average spending per customer? How can we compete with XX in Hangzhou or XX in Shanghai?"

He named several high-end KTVs in the industry, his tone confident and determined.

“This time, the family has a big plan, not a small-scale operation. Your old employees are all getting old, and their image and service awareness can't keep up. Keeping them will only hold us back.”

Lin Man dug her fingernails into her palm.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady.

"I don't care, you have to find them new jobs first, or don't blame me..."

Lin Zhiyuan quickly waved his hand, and a smile appeared on his face again.

"Alright, alright, we're all family here, we won't get upset over a few outsiders. Don't worry, I'll have HR keep an eye out for them and give them priority for suitable positions."

"Really?"

"Cousin, when have I ever lied to you?"

"Then it's settled."

Lin Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and took another sip of tea.

"Xiao Man."

When he spoke again, Lin Zhiyuan's tone changed: "Sometimes it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you take so much money from the family every year for nothing, and many of your aunts and uncles have complaints. This year, your eldest aunt is making a fuss again, and it was your maternal grandfather who put an end to it."

Lin Man frowned.

Lin Zhiyuan said earnestly, "So you should also think about your grandfather and not throw tantrums all the time, making things difficult for him."

What does "getting it for free" mean?

Lin Man's voice suddenly rose: "This is all I deserve! My father is dead, my mother..."

"Xiao Man."

Lin Zhiyuan interrupted her for the fourth time, his tone tinged with weariness: "Can we not talk about this anymore? The past is the past, there's no point in bringing it up."

Lin Man swallowed back the words she was about to say, picked up her teacup and took a big gulp.

Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, Lin Zhiyuan changed the subject: "By the way, Xiaoman. I heard you're in the dance team at Hunan Normal University now?"

Lin Man put down her teacup and looked at him warily: "What?"

Lin Zhiyuan smiled and said casually, "Your school's dance team must have a lot of beautiful girls, right? Do you think you could introduce a few to work? Brilliant Planet is starting up again and is short of people."

Before he could finish speaking—

"Splash."

A cup of hot tea was splashed on his face.

Lin Zhiyuan cried out in pain from the burn, jumping up from the sofa and frantically wiping the water off his face. Tea leaves clung to his glasses, making him look quite disheveled.

"Lin Man! You—"

"Don't disgust me."

Lin Man stood up, her voice as cold as ice: "If I find out that you're using my connections to get my friends to make dirty money, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Lin Zhiyuan took off his glasses, wiped his face with a tissue, and his chest heaved violently.

He only intended to find a topic to make a joke, half-jokingly, but he didn't expect Lin Man to react so strongly.

He instinctively wanted to get angry, but he held back in the end.

Take a deep breath, then exhale.

Lin Zhiyuan put his glasses back on and forced a smile.

"Dirty money?"

He said mockingly, "Xiaoman, isn't the dividend you get every year also dirty money? And that online gaming companion shop you run, isn't that also selling..."

"What do you mean?"

Lin Man's voice suddenly rose, her eyes almost spitting fire: "You want to turn against me?"

Lin Zhiyuan quickly waved his hand, and a smile returned to his face.

"No, no, no, besides Grandpa, who in the family would dare to mess with you, my dear sister?"