Chapter 87: The Fat-Reducing Meal

“Aunt Su, I don’t want to eat vegetables.”
Mingming had devoured every piece of meat on his plate with a whirlwind appetite, then, with a face full of misery, jabbed at the remaining lettuce leaves with his fork.
“That’s not allowed. Did you forget what you promised Aunt Su just now? You must be good and stick to your diet.”
“Alright.”
[I actually like eating vegetables! And that salad dressing looks pretty good too. How did you make it? Did anyone write it down?]
[Please, Su Wan-ning, give us a tutorial. I’ll definitely learn it.]
[Office workers don’t have time to make their own diet meals, sigh.]
At that moment, Su Wan-ning noticed the barrage of comments and began to consider her options.
Most young people nowadays are in suboptimal health, spending long hours sitting in offices, eating takeout meals; gaining weight is simply inevitable.
They want to lose weight but have little time for the gym, and it’s hard to cook for themselves or experiment with healthy recipes.
In fact, making a proper diet meal isn’t much simpler than cooking everyday dishes; it requires careful attention to balanced nutrition, and a small mistake can have the opposite effect.
Back when Su Wan-ning was a food livestreamer, she had once gained weight from overeating. She developed her own weight-loss meal plan and managed to slim down miraculously, even without pairing it with exercise. At the time, this had made her quite a sensation among her peers.
Thinking of this, Su Wan-ning was tempted—if she could develop a ready-to-eat diet meal for office workers who cooked for themselves, something they could just pop into the microwave at lunchtime for a simple, healthy meal, wouldn’t it be popular?
There was no shortage of diet meal restaurants on delivery apps, but the reason Su Wan-ning had initially chosen to cook for herself was because those places were absurdly expensive—a few lettuce leaves and some bread would cost a small fortune.
Yet in reality, the cost of a diet meal didn’t have to be that high.
After the meal, Su Wan-ning found Vincent and excitedly shared her idea with him.
“We could drive down the price of diet meals and start our own brand. It’s bound to be a hit!”
Vincent’s face lit up. “I think it’s a great idea. I’ve wanted to lose weight myself, but those takeout meals are just too pricey. Nowadays, people slap the word ‘healthy’ on anything and sell it for double. I support you!”
“To start our own brand, we’ll need a research lab, ideally with some personnel to run experiments. With supporting data, people will believe in the results. We’ll also need to contact manufacturers, design packaging, and build a brand…”
As she spoke, the excitement faded from Su Wan-ning’s face.
“What’s wrong? Why’d you stop? Don’t worry, if you’re short on people, I can help.”
Su Wan-ning gave a bitter smile. “It’s not about manpower. We don’t have the money to hire anyone and launch a brand like this. At the very least, it would cost this much. Where would I get that kind of money?”
She held up her fingers to indicate a number, and even Vincent was startled.

“My god, are you saying you’d have to film ten shows like this just to create one brand?”
Su Wan-ning nodded miserably. It seemed the road to financial freedom was still a long one.
They sat in silence for a moment, and then Vincent suddenly had an idea. “Wait, I remember President Qin has a food brand too. Wouldn’t it be easy to borrow some of his factories and R&D staff? If you’re short on investment, you can ask him for that as well. After all, you two are married.”
Vincent spoke lightly, but from her memories, Su Wan-ning knew that Qin Jingchen never gave her extra money. Every month, he would transfer the children’s support and her living expenses on time. The amount was generous, but compared to what was needed to start a brand, it was a mere drop in the bucket.
“Would he really do it? Our relationship… you know how it is.”
“Feelings are one thing!” Vincent slapped his thigh.
“Even if your relationship isn’t great, he’s got plenty of money. This amount is nothing to him. Just give it a try—what if he says yes?”
Vincent’s words finally convinced Su Wan-ning. Ten minutes after he left, she called Qin Jingchen, her heart pounding with nervousness.
“What is it?”
Oh no.
Hearing his less-than-friendly tone, Su Wan-ning inwardly groaned.
“Um, have you eaten?” She fished for conversation, trying to lighten the awkwardness, but the man on the other end remained silent, not indulging her.
The silence grew more awkward. Su Wan-ning curled her toes in embarrassment and was about to hang up when Qin Jingchen finally spoke.
“I’ve eaten. You?”
“I’ve eaten too!” she replied hastily.
“Is there something you need?”
Su Wan-ning took a deep breath, composing herself. Whether she hesitated or was bold, it would make no difference—how would she know if she didn’t try?
“Well, I wanted to borrow some money from you—no, I mean, I’d like an investment!”
“How much do you need?”
Su Wan-ning named a figure.
“No problem. But you’ll have to agree to a few conditions.”
Su Wan-ning’s eyes widened slightly.
She mentally replayed the number she’d just quoted. It should be correct, but for such a large sum, why had he agreed so readily?

There must be a catch!
“What conditions?” Su Wan-ning asked cautiously.
If it was something humiliating or unreasonable, she wouldn’t agree—no need to sell herself out for the sake of a business.
“First, from now on, you’re not allowed to be alone with Tian Boyu on the show.”
“No…what?” Su Wan-ning was taken aback.
“Second, even in groups, keep your distance from him.”
“Wait—”
“Third, don’t let him call you ‘sister’ anymore.”
“What’s gotten into you? What does my asking for money have to do with him?”
Qin Jingchen offered no explanation, simply saying, “If you don’t agree, forget it.”
“Wait! I didn’t say I won’t agree. I accept all your conditions, but could you do me one more small favor?”
“Speak.”
Qin Jingchen’s voice was succinct over the phone, but little did she know that he was already smiling in his office.
“I want to launch a food brand, but it’s my first time and I lack experience. Could you lend me some factory space? I’ll pay, and offer you some shares as well…”
“All right. Just send your requirements to Han Xiu, and he’ll take care of it.”
Even after hanging up, Su Wan-ning felt everything had gone too smoothly. She still couldn’t figure out why Qin Jingchen had made those demands regarding Tian Boyu.
Perhaps they’d had some conflict in the past?
Having secured the investment, Su Wan-ning left in high spirits, humming a tune. The director gathered everyone together to announce a classical poetry competition among the children.
“Each parent will take turns providing a topic. Whichever child can recite the most poems matching the topic earns a point. The child with the highest score in the end will win a little lamb as a prize.”