"All right, enough talking. I'm going to take you shopping for some spring clothes. Is there anything else
that you'd like to buy?" Jacob asked softly, as though he was talking to a child.
"Let me think..." Staring into the distance, Sara seemed to be lost in thought.
"Forget about the clothes, I don't need them. Let's get some kitchen supplies. I want to spend time
cooking at our new villa," Sara said with a bright smile.
"That's great!" Jacob agreed without any regrets. He wanted to let her do whatever it was that made
her happy.
"But why didn't you ever cook at our old house? Winnie is still there... You could ask her to teach you a
thing or two, right?" Jacob asked in confusion, while walking on the treadmill.
"I think I would feel embarrassed if she sees me screw up!" Actually, Sara wanted to cook with Jacob,
and no one else.
"Okay." Saying that, Jacob increased his speed on the treadmill.
After running vigorously for thirty minutes, he finally stopped. Exercise was said to release endorphins,
which made people happy. Although Jacob was covered in sweat and grease, he felt good after the
workout.
By the time they walked out of the gym, it was almost noon. They stopped for a quick lunch before they
headed to the mall.
Jacob followed Sara into the mall. He looked like an obedient kid following her quietly, wherever she
went.
Sara turned around to look at him, unable to contain her joy.
"I want to learn how to bake cakes and make desserts, but that would make me gain weight, and in
order to counter that, I am going to have to wake up earlier everyday so that I could work out more."
Sara gave him a bright smile. She knew exactly what she had to do to stay in shape.
"You can do as you please, honey," Jacob said with a smile as he gently pushed Sara to the store that
sold all the kitchen appliances.
After buying an oven and a few other small appliances, Jacob and Sara went to the villa.
As soon as they arrived at their door, Jacob's phone rang.
"Hey, Jacob... Where are you? I went to the company, but couldn't find you there," Noah said in an
anxious tone.
"What's the matter, Noah?" Jacob replied, placing the things they had purchased on the dining table.
"I need to talk to you about something, call me once you arrive at the company, okay?" Saying that,
Noah hung up, leaving Jacob clueless about the issue.
"What's the matter? Why did Noah hang up all of a sudden?" Sara asked as she sat down next to him.
She had made him a cup of coffee, so she placed it in front of him.
Jacob frowned, but did not say a word. "I have to go and find Noah. He told me that he wanted to talk
to me. It sounded quite serious."
Sara was still holding the cup of coffee in her hand when she exclaimed in surprise, "What happened?"
Jacob turned to look at her and said, "He did not say much. Come, I will drop you off, and then, I will go
look for him."
Sara gave him a nod and took one last sip of her coffee before she poured the rest down the drain. She
then washed the cup and got ready. Jacob just waited for her and did not try to rush her.
An hour later, Jacob met Noah.
Noah was standing in front of the Shi Group. Even from a distance, Jacob could tell that it was him.
However, he thought that Noah seemed to be in low spirits that day.
After parking the car, Jacob walked up to him and asked, "What's the matter, Noah? Why were you
asking to speak with me all of a sudden?"
Noah curled his lips and replied, "Let's find some place quiet where we can talk."
Jacob felt a heaviness in his chest, but did not say anything. Instead, he pointed towards the restaurant
across the street.
Once they were seated at the restaurant, Jacob asked, "What's the matter?"
Noah paused for a while before he looked into his eyes. "I fought with Bess," he replied grimly.
Hearing what Noah said, Jacob almost spat out the water that he was drinking. He was shocked. Ever
since Noah and Bess started dating, Noah had never fought with her because he was head over heels
in love with her.
"Why did you guys fight?" Jacob asked with a frown, placing the water glass back on the table. His
instincts told him that it was probably a stupid fight and nothing too serious.
"Didn't I already mention our companies merging with one another? But her parents didn't agree.
Although I do understand their position, my company is currently facing a crisis, and it would not do
well without their help, but they seem to be unwilling to lend a hand. And I just don't think that they're
being reasonable,"
Noah said with a sigh. The longer he thought about it, the angrier he became. After a moment, he let
out a grunt.
"Doesn't Bess want to help? Besides, how much money do you even need?" Jacob asked with a
serious expression. He seemed to be thinking of a solution to the problem.
"She understands my situation, but still would not side with me. The company is in need of two hundred
million dollars." Noah smirked. It was not the money that bothered him the most, it was Bess' attitude
towards him.
"Well, what did she say?" Jacob placed his hands on the table with a heavy sigh.
"She said that her company did not have adequate funds, and even if it did, it would put her in a
troublesome position if she took such a large sum from her company in such a short time. That's the
reason she didn't persuade her parents to change their minds. However, they agreed to lend me twenty
million dollars. But who am I kidding, that's not going to be enough!"
Noah muttered, pouring himself some wine. Fortunately for him, they had at least agreed to lend him
some money, or else he would have lost his cool.
"Bess is right, you know?" Jacob said softly. Since they were good friends, who respected each other,
he felt like he could be honest with him.
"What? Are you seriously siding with her on this?" Noah asked with a darkened expression. Was there
no one who would support him or his company?
"Relax, Noah. No one is right or wrong. It's just that everyone has to consider their own positions first.
We just need to think of a solution, a fool-proof plan." Saying that, Jacob rested his chin on his left palm
and glanced at Noah.
"No, I'm not frustrated about the crisis, I am frustrated that my partner is unwilling to support me during
such a time." Noah let out a snort and glared. He would have looked scary if he had facial hair, but
fortunately for him, he did not.
"I understand. Where is Bess now?" Jacob tried to comfort him. Regardless of how much in love a
couple was, they would still have conflicts.
"She has gone home after saying that I was selfish and that I only cared about myself. Why did I not
expect this to happen? I should never have borrowed money from her family. I think I am starting to
understand the reason Bess doesn't want to be the vice president of my company,"
Noah murmured. He seemed to be deeply upset.
"Do you know how you look right now?" Jacob asked in a firm voice, looking at him seriously. He did
not dare to laugh at him or mock him.
"What do I look like?" Noah asked in a low voice as he leaned against the chair, feeling tired.
"You look like a dissatisfied, angry woman." Jacob reached out and motioned Noah to sit upright.
"I'm not! Are you even my friend?" Noah asked as he sat upright with a long face. Bess had left for her
parents' house and he felt heartbroken. And every time he thought about their fight, it made him feel
uncomfortable.
"All right, I will lend you the money you need, but you need to promise to return it once your company is
doing better, okay? You can take the twenty million that Bess is offering you. At least she is trying to
help you, right? Moreover, the company is still under her parents' control. She is not the one in charge
here, so cut her some slack."
Saying that, Jacob took out a check and wrote a sum.
However, Noah was still upset, because it was not the money that bothered him.
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