Financial Independence through Cracked Apps

Chapter 374 - 196: New Store Opening

September 12, 2025. Saturday.

22℃–30℃, overcast, level-3 southeast wind, 38% humidity.

[Construction Bank: Your account ending in 7946 received a deposit of RMB 240,000 on 09/12 at 00:01. Current balance: 14,000,000.]

Sunac Binjiang No.1 Courtyard, Building 8, Unit 2102

8:00 AM.

In the dim master bedroom, the familiar, dreaded ringtone of an iPhone sounded once again.

RING RING RING—!

Having overworked himself the past two days, Lin Shen had set an alarm for the first time in a long while, fearing he wouldn’t wake up naturally.

And it was a good thing he did.

Startled awake, Lin Shen slapped his phone to kill the alarm, rubbing his sleepy eyes as he sat up and stretched.

"Haaaah—!"

Lin Shen had taken a sleep supplement before bed last night, resulting in an exceptionally high quality of sleep.

When he woke up, all traces of fatigue had vanished, and his Spirit felt exceptionally vigorous.

"Awesome!"

Lin Shen let out a shout, then got out of bed and gave a command.

"A, turn on the bedroom lights and open the curtains in all rooms. Play the morning news and weather forecast."

"Yes, Master."

As the bedside lamp lit up and the master bedroom curtains slowly slid apart, the gloomy weather outside was revealed.

The once-bright blue sky had been smudged into a hazy gray, and the clouds hung low.

Combined with the early autumn breeze that blew from time to time, the air felt exceptionally cool and pleasant against the skin.

"A nice day to go out," Lin Shen murmured, as long as it didn’t rain.

He left the master bedroom, listening to the news while he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and styled his hair. Then he made himself a simple, nutritious breakfast.

Boiled eggs, sliced bread, and bacon.

After his meal, Lin Shen changed into his most comfortable Louis Vuitton casual outfit, put on the Royal Oak watch Qin Yuenan had given him, and headed downstairs, twirling the keys to his Jaguar XFL.

"I wonder how things are going at the shop..."

Lin Shen muttered to himself as he settled into the driver’s seat and drove out of the underground garage.

「Shennan Pet Society.」

Lin Shen had scheduled the soft opening to begin at 8:00 AM.

However, Lin Ping had already arrived at the shop a little after 6:00 AM to start preparing.

First, she signed for a delivery of various snacks and desserts that had been transported from the food supplier early that morning.

Since Lin Shen hadn’t established his own food brand yet, everything was being sourced from other vendors for now.

The costs might be a bit higher, but in the early stages of a business, one had to be prepared for losses.

Besides, with 30 million in startup capital, Lin Shen wasn’t worried about such things at all.

After placing the purchased bread, cakes, and other desserts into the refrigerated display case, Lin Ping fed all the cats and let them out to get accustomed to the environment.

Just then, Qi Hao arrived with the other staff members to help.

Everyone worked together to hang the grand opening banner and the new store promotion signs by the entrance.

The message was simple.

[Check in, take a photo, and post it to TikTok! The owner will reward you with cash equal to your number of likes x 0.1! Offer valid for three days!]

Typically, grand openings involved either giving away some cheap trinkets or holding a raffle with unknown odds.

Everyone had been fooled by these marketing ploys many times and had long since grown used to them.

So Lin Shen wasn’t bothering with any of that roundabout nonsense. He was offering a direct cash reward!

Let the customers’ results speak for themselves!

This approach would, one, attract foot traffic to the physical store, and two, serve as advertising on online platforms.

The best of both worlds!

Of course, this method was far too costly if the store owner’s pockets weren’t very deep.

But Lin Shen was loaded!

He couldn’t care less about the cost.

As long as he could build a reputation, the money would surely follow.

"All set!"

With the help of Qi Hao and the others, Lin Ping had finished setting up all the exterior decorations.

A red carpet, balloons, an inflatable welcome arch...

Combined with the warm, healing, Instagram-worthy decor visible through the display windows, it attracted the attention of many passersby.

Even though it was just a little past seven, customers had already started to arrive one after another.

Most of them were fans who had bought tickets online in advance, eager to come and see what the buzz was about.

"Welcome!"

Lin Ping hurriedly greeted them with a smile, welcoming them enthusiastically.

’It wasn’t opening time yet, but she couldn’t just leave the customers waiting outside!’

Besides, Lin Ping had already cleaned the shop over and over again, all in preparation for this very day.

Qi Hao and the other employees also got to their respective posts and began attending to the customers.

"Welcome to Shennan Pet Society!"

"Whoa—!"

After having their tickets checked by Lin Ping, the moment the customers stepped into Shennan Pet Society, they were stunned by the warm, soft, and luxurious interior design.

The main color palette was natural wood, accented with touches of off-white and pale yellow, creating a very comfortable and visually pleasing experience.

Combined with the lush green plants and the lazing cats, it would be an absolutely amazing place to enjoy afternoon tea.

It was definitely worthy of being a hot spot for social media.

After entering, the customers didn’t buy any cat treats, nor did they pick up any toys.

But even so, several cats obediently approached them and started to interact.

This took them by surprise.

In other cat cafes, if you didn’t have food or toys, the cats would just nap in a sunbeam, too lazy to bother with you.

But the cats at Shennan Pet Society were all so perceptive.

The customers were delighted. As they held the cats on their laps and petted them, they couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

"So well-behaved! And their coats are so beautiful! You can tell at a glance they’ve been meticulously cared for."

"Thank you."

Lin Ping replied with a smile.

Seeing this, the customers felt it wouldn’t be right to just sit there, so they began ordering coffees, drinks, and snacks, and also bought some cat treats to feed them.

Seeing such a warm and healing scene of people and cats interacting, Lin Ping’s lips curled into a slight smile, and a faint warmth spread through her heart.