Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 95 - Your Majesty and Hubby

"One million two hundred thousand."

"I'm rich."

Ye Chuan walked home with Lan Xiaoke, looking at his account balance of over one million. 

He was practically grinning from ear to ear.

Wang Yanran really was a little gold mine. He had to interact with her more often.

Pleasant to talk to, and she produced gold coins.

Now that he had money, Ye Chuan started thinking about how to use it. Using it for investments wasn't realistic. 

He had tried various business ventures before and knew that most of them ended in failure.

Anyone with a bit of ambition ended up with bad credit.

You had to be ruthless to make a fortune, but Ye Chuan didn't want that. 

Now that he had strength and money, he just wanted a comfortable life, no more stressful endeavors.

He could earn money and increase his cultivation just by lying around, and his lifespan was also increasing steadily.

Lifespan decreases--> strength increases, strength increases---> lifespan increases.

Lifespan decrease equals lifespan increase.

Ye Chuan glanced at his phone and saw a message from Luo Xi.

Luo Xi: Chuan Chuan, want some barbecue?

Luo Xi: barbecue.jpg

The girl sent him a picture of barbecue, her delicate hand holding a few skewers, as if tempting him.

He looked at the time; it was past nine in the evening, and he hadn't eaten dinner yet.

Although he wasn't hungry, he was craving barbecue.

"I'll go take a look," Ye Chuan said and headed towards Luo Xi's family's barbecue stall.

…

The food street was still quite lively at this hour. Ye Chuan and Lan Xiaoke arrived at the stall and found Luo Xi busy, wearing a small apron.

Her white t-shirt was damp with sweat. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, then smiled sweetly at Ye Chuan. 

"It's a bit busy right now, come help Daddy."

"This father shall get to work." Ye Chuan glanced around, noticing that Father Luo wasn't there. "Where's your dad?"

"Silly, aren't you here?"

"I'm talking about your adoptive dad."

"Oh… business is good today, he went to restock, he'll be back soon," Luo Xi blushed and explained. 

They often called each other "dad," so she hadn't reacted immediately.

Ye Chuan nodded and extended his hand. "This emperor is about to hold court, bring me my dragon robe." 

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Luo Xi grinned, took off her apron, and put it on Ye Chuan, tying a neat bow behind him.

"Call me Emperor."

Luo Xi tiptoed and whispered in Ye Chuan's ear, "Hubby~"

"Ahem… that's fine too," Ye Chuan blushed slightly.

Ye Chuan expertly grilled the skewers, while Luo Xi took orders, handled payments, and cleaned the tables.

They worked together seamlessly. During lulls, Luo Xi would wipe the sweat and grease from Ye Chuan's face with a cold towel and massage his shoulders.

"Running a stall is hard work. Have you considered opening a proper restaurant?" Ye Chuan asked Luo Xi.

"A restaurant?" Luo Xi shook her head. 

"Although it would be more convenient, the costs would be much higher. We might not be able to make a profit."

Indeed, often, opening a restaurant just meant working for the landlord.

Many landlords would even raise the rent once the business became successful, forcing the tenants out and taking over the business themselves.

"I'll earn more money and rent a place for you to open a barbecue restaurant," Ye Chuan chuckled.

"No need, Chuan Chuan, just focus on your own future and save your money," Luo Xi disagreed. 

She wanted Ye Chuan to spend the money on himself.

She believed he deserved a bigger stage to showcase his talents and abilities.

"Alright," Ye Chuan smiled, looking at the girl who always put him first.

After a while, Father Luo returned, his three-wheeled cart loaded with supplies.

"Dad, you're back."

"Mm." Father Luo noticed Ye Chuan. "Ye Chuan, you're here."

Ye Chuan helped unload the supplies from the cart. Seeing him effortlessly lift the heavy boxes filled with ice and skewers as if they were made of styrofoam, Father Luo was surprised.

Had this boy become stronger?

After Father Luo returned, Ye Chuan didn't need to help out anymore, so he sat at a table with Luo Xi and Lan Xiaoke, enjoying the barbecue for dinner.

Of course, Lan Xiaoke couldn't eat, just floating around and inhaling the aroma.

"Lao Guan (Old Guan)," a well-dressed, middle-aged man approached the stall during a break.

The man was in his forties. Guan was Father Luo's surname.

"Boss?" Father Luo looked surprised. "What brings you here?"

"It's been a while. I saw your post on WeChat Moments and realized you were running a barbecue stall," the man chuckled.

"Gotta make a living," Father Luo said, shaking his head.

"And these are—" The middle-aged man noticed Luo Xi and Ye Chuan.

"My daughter, Luo Xi, and her boyfriend, Ye Chuan," Father Luo introduced them.

"Luo…?" Hearing that her surname wasn't Guan, the man seemed to understand something.

Father Luo wiped his hands and sat down with the man, introducing him to Luo Xi and Ye Chuan. "This is my former boss."

"Hello, Boss!" Luo Xi greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hello," Ye Chuan said.

"Your daughter is quite lively," the man glanced at Luo Xi, then looked at Father Luo. 

"I'm currently the vice president of a Fortune 500 company's China division. I have a director position open, Lao Guan, are you interested in working for me?"

Father Luo froze. "You mean…"

"Yes, a monthly salary of fifty thousand, plus bonuses," the man nodded.

"This…"

"We can negotiate if you think it's too low."

"It's… more than enough! I just didn't expect you to come looking for me," Father Luo said quickly.

"After the company went bankrupt, I was down for a while, but I need you now, Lao Guan," the man said, patting Father Luo on the shoulder.

"I'm willing."

"I'm glad to hear that," the man smiled.

…

"What did your dad do before?" Ye Chuan asked Luo Xi, hearing their conversation. 

He had always known Father Luo as a barbecue vendor.

"I'm not sure, my mom said he used to be a manager at a company," Luo Xi said. Father Luo rarely talked about his past; only her mother knew the details.

Ye Chuan crossed his arms. "I heard him offer your dad a salary of fifty thousand. So he won't have to run the barbecue stall anymore?"

"If it's a regular nine-to-five job, that would be great! And he can earn so much money," Luo Xi nodded, smiling sweetly.

Now that her mother's health was improving, it seemed like everything was going well.

"So your dad will be rich now, he'll spoil you, right?"

"It's not like he's a billionaire," Luo Xi said. "And I'm almost old enough to get married."

"So eager to marry me?" Ye Chuan said with a smirk.