The Silly Alchemist

Even Zhu Ye’er was surprised at her own behaviour, of course everyone else was too. There were many people who worked with Zhu Ye’er here and they all knew she was the classic little lady boss.

She was a girl who took over her family’s business and assets at ten years old, even successfully expanding their wealth. Zhu Ye’er was a businesswoman who bore huge potential, you can imagine how capable she is.

Upon meeting her, many people had one realisation: age wasn’t a problem at all, sometimes it all came down to determination and focus.

It was a rare sight to see such a powerful businesswoman act like a child her age indeed.

“Just call me Brother. What’s up?” Ye Lang didn’t answer her question because he didn’t want to lie to a child.

“Brother, can you tell me where you bought this bear?” Zhu Ye’er seemed to also not care about his name- all she cared about was the teddy in her arms.

“I got someone to make it for me! What do you think? Isn’t it adorable?” answered Ye Lang. This bear was one he ordered to be custom-made for him when he couldn’t think of ways to spend his money.

“So that means you didn’t buy it, you imagined it to life!” Zhu Ye’er’s eyes shone as she grabbed his arm excitedly.

“I guess,” he nodded.

“Brother, can I manufacture this teddy bear and sell it, can I?” she asked very honestly. The potential market for this bear was huge, she knew many girls would like it.

Ye Lang’s previous toy required alchemy so she couldn’t manufacture that. However, this teddy bear was different. All it needed were very common materials.

“Sure.” He nodded. It was a very common toy anyway- at least when he was on Earth, in his previous life.

“Hehe, deal! Brother, I’ll definitely give you your share when I earn the profit!” she said.

“It’s fine, I don’t like the idea of sharing profit. I’ve got enough money already,” refused Ye Lang. “I’m meeting another girl soon, you should go play.”

Ye Lang needed Zhu Ye’er to leave so he could look for Li Yue. The art of seduction he was going to use on Li Yue wasn’t something the little girl should watch.

“No, I want to go too! I want to talk to her too!” she cried as she tugged on his sleeve. Unfortunately, Zhu Ye’er did not want to leave.

Many people were stunned by her actions. Was this the Boss Zhu they knew? She was acting like a regular little-girl-next-door.

“Go away, I’m going to get myself a chick, what good will having a kid with me do?” Ye Lang said very honestly without even attempting to beat around the bush.

“…”

Wow. To chase away your little sister -wait, the girl was Boss Zhu- to flirt with a girl. What nerve.

Many were impressed by his honesty though.

“I want to learn too. I have many admirers, you know,” she said.

“Are you joking?” asked Ye Lang as he regarded her from head to toe.

“It’s true! I’m very capable!” cried Zhu Ye’er, frustrated. It was obvious he was unimpressed.

It was true, there were many people who wanted her hand because of her capabilities and wealth. She was a powerful businesswoman who brought a failing business back to life within 5 years, then even expanded it so quickly it could rival a kingdom’s wealth.

“Alright, you must be… Your admirers must be snotty little kids, yes?” he asked with a grin.

“…” Zhu Ye’er remained silent, she was humiliated! In the past, she would’ve raged at him but she didn’t this time.

Zhu Ye’er wondered why she was behaving so oddly today. Why did this boy from the fox tribe feel so comfortable? As if he was her own brother? Other than the thirteenth prince from the Ye family years ago, no one gave her the same feeling.

With this sense of comfort, she was reverting back to her inner child and saying things she couldn’t believe she said.

Ye Lang was in a dilemma now. He’d originally attended this festival to get to know a girl better. Now he had this little kid he couldn’t shake off.

And just like that, till the end of the Full Moon Festival, Ye Lang did not have any opportunity to talk to Li Yue. Zhu Ye’er dragged him along to light the lanterns, they even played carnival games…

Sigh, I guess I’ll just treat today as a day out with a little sister.

“Come, I’ll teach you something fun. These lanterns are getting very boring.” Ye Lang had already given up his plans and decided to keep her company.

“What is it?” she asked excitedly. She was now a full-fledged child.

When they saw Zhu Ye’er like this, many people secretly felt happy for her. Although the Zhu Ye’er they knew was capable, she lacked the sense of innocence because she’d never been able to have a proper childhood.

Ye Lang’s presence today brought her playfulness out again. As a child her age should.

“Find a lighter lantern. Yep, this one looks good. Remove all the useless attachments on top then glue the top shut. Then light it.” Ye Lang talked as he modified the lantern.

“??” Zhu Ye’er didn’t understand what he was doing. “Brother, this lantern’s bald. It’s ugly…”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s ugly. You wouldn’t be able to see it anyway. The most important thing is that it can fly…” Ye Lang said with a smile. He was making a Sky Lantern- also known as a Kongming Lantern.

“Fly? You’re saying the lantern can fly?” she asked in surprise.

“Yep, this is a Sky Lantern!” Ye Lang lighted the Sky Lantern he’d just made. When it accumulated enough hot air inside, the lantern slowly ascended into the skies right before everyone’s eyes.

“Woah! It’s flying! Brother, it really is flying!” she squealed excitedly.

“Hmmph, what’s so impressive about it? It’s just alchemy,” huffed someone on the side, thinking he’d used an alchemy technique.

“This isn’t anything impressive. It’s not alchemy, hot air rises. That’s the only principle,” explained Ye Lang mildly.

“You’re lying.”

Ye Lang could care less about the stranger’s opinion. He turned around. “Go big or go home. Let’s make all the lanterns fly, it’d be so pretty!”

“Alright! I’ve got heaps of them in stock and we never really knew what to do with them anyway…” said Zhu Ye’er, accidentally revealing the fact that she’d organised this festival because she had unsold stock.