Chapter 598: Hotpot Shop
A faint smile appeared on his lips. "It became incredibly popular afterward. I want the same thing to happen to my restaurant. So I’d like to offer you a deal."
Without hesitation, he pushed a neatly organized folder across the table. "I’m willing to give you ten percent of this month’s restaurant profits."
He smiled confidently.
"Consider it a token of appreciation. In return, I’d like you to promote my restaurant. And publicly criticize that old man’s restaurant."
Lana quietly picked up the folder. She casually flipped through several pages. Her expression remained completely bored.
After only a few moments, she closed the file. Without the slightest hesitation, she tossed it back onto the seat beside Trent. "That’s it?"
She lazily leaned against the seat. "Not interested."
Trent wasn’t surprised. In fact, had Lana accepted the proposal so easily, that would’ve been far more surprising.
He continued smiling. "Then, what exactly do you want?"
Lana looked directly at him. "It’s simple. If you want your restaurant to become popular, then make your food better."
She shrugged. "Eventually, you’ll naturally catch up to Old Master Song’s restaurant."
Stretching lazily, she continued, "Now that you’re done talking nonsense, can I leave?"
Trent softly chuckled. "Do you happen to know my surname?"
Lana blinked. "What?"
She looked at him with genuine confusion. "Did you lose your memory or something?"
Trent wasn’t offended. Instead, he calmly replied, "My surname is Cotton."
He slightly raised his chin. "I’m Mr. Cotton’s heir."
His tone gradually became colder. "If you choose to offend me, things won’t be easy for you, Lana."
He maintained his smile. "Trust me. Xila City is only a tiny place."
He slowly continued, "Beyond this city lies an entire country. There are countless states. Countless influential families. And countless wealthy individuals."
His gaze sharpened. "You really don’t want to become my enemy."
Just as Lana was about to respond, a loud commotion suddenly erupted outside the car.
Trent frowned.
"I’ll see what’s going on."
He had barely reached for the door... Bang!
The car door was violently pulled open. Standing outside were Conrad and Philip. Lana blinked once before quietly muttering, "So dramatic..."
Meanwhile, Conrad ignored everyone else. His first reaction was to carefully examine Lana from head to toe.
Only after confirming that she hadn’t suffered even the slightest injury did he finally relax.
His expression immediately turned ice cold. He slowly shifted his gaze toward Trent Cotton. Trent froze.
The moment their eyes met, he instinctively felt a chill run down his spine. Without even sparing him another glance, Conrad calmly spoke. "Philip. Take Lana away."
Lana immediately rolled her eyes. "I’m not some helpless damsel in distress."
She folded her arms. "We were discussing a business proposal."
Meanwhile, Trent finally regained his senses. His eyes darted between Lana and Conrad several times. A shocking realization suddenly struck him.
’Wait, these two know each other?’
His pupils contracted. ’Don’t tell me, did I almost offend Conrad Peterson’s friend?’
Forcing a polite smile onto his face, he hurriedly spoke, "Oh, Mr. Peterson. It’s been such a long time since we’ve met."
Unfortunately, Conrad didn’t even acknowledge him. Instead, he simply extended one hand toward Lana.
Lana stared at it for a second before placing her hand in his. As Conrad helped her out of the car, she sighed. "I could’ve handled everything myself."
She looked at him helplessly. "Seriously, sometimes you people act way too dramatically."
Conrad couldn’t help but chuckle. "Yes."
He smiled warmly. "We’re dramatic."
Just as Lana was about to leave, she noticed Philip glaring intensely at her. She frowned. "What now?"
Philip clenched both fists. His voice carried unmistakable seriousness. "This Mr. Cotton isn’t a good person."
Lana rolled her eyes. "Oh?"
She spoke with obvious sarcasm. "If you hadn’t told me, I never would’ve known."
Seeing her indifferent attitude, Philip became anxious. "I’m serious! He’s genuinely dangerous!"
However, Lana raised a hand, stopping him. "I know."
She calmly looked at him. "Even if you hadn’t said anything, I could already sense it. Do I really look that blind to you?"
Hearing those words, Philip froze.
Blind? Of course not. Only then did he realize something.
Somewhere along the way, protecting the people around him had unconsciously become second nature.
It was such a deeply ingrained habit that he instinctively tried to shield Lana, even though she was more than capable of protecting herself.
Maybe it had all stemmed from the past.
Back when Thessy had still been a small, she had often ended up associating with the wrong crowd. Time and time again, Philip had found himself stepping in to warn her before she got herself into unnecessary trouble.
At first, he had only been looking out for her. Then, without him even realizing it, it had become a habit. Only now did he suddenly understand something.
’Maybe I’ve been overprotective all this time.’
After all, people who lacked the ability to deal with danger usually avoided dangerous situations altogether.
Lana, was clearly not one of those people. Meanwhile, Lana returned to her mansion.
She had no idea how Conrad and the others had resolved the situation afterward.
Nor did she bother asking. However, only a short while later, her phone vibrated.
She casually glanced at the notification. Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly. Twenty million dollars had just been transferred into her account.
Along with the transfer came a sincere apology from Mr. Cotton for wasting her valuable time.
Not only that, he had also transferred ownership of one of his hotpot restaurants to her.
Only then did Lana finally realize something.
The hotpot restaurant she had originally visited, actually belonged to Trent Cotton.
That instantly made everything much more logical.
No wonder the owner hadn’t attempted to stop the bodyguards from taking her away earlier.
The restaurant had belonged to their employer all along.
A faint smile appeared on Lana’s lips.
’Since I’ve earned quite a bit today, I’ll reward myself with hotpot after winning today’s competition.’
The thought alone noticeably improved her mood.
The following morning, she arrived at the competition venue.
The moment she stepped inside, she immediately noticed something different.