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Chapter 12
How much?
Three thousand? How condescending of her.
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’m not exactly desperate.” Shen You replied seriously.
“I quit because I’m renovating my shop.”
Wu Zhengyun’s smile diminished slightly. “That’s nice, but business is tough these days.
Some people lose all their capital after just two or three months and can’t even pay rent. A stable job is probably better.”
“You make a valid point.” Shen You nodded.
Wu Zhengyun had hoped to see Shen You crack, yet her punch landed on cotton. It was ineffective and unsatisfying.
So she pressed further, “Where is your shop located? Chen Hao and I could visit sometime to support you.”
“Better not. The shop isn’t renovated yet.” Shen You smiled, turned around, and pointed to the new products she had just examined, requesting all the shades she liked.
She also selected foundation, primer, and two high-end skincare sets priced in five digits, the brand’s most premium products.
The sales assistant’s smile and service attitude immediately improved. She offered numerous samples and took Shen You’s phone number to register her for membership points.
Standing nearby, Wu Zhengyun was stunned. She had just been texting another roommate:
[Guess who I ran into? Shen You! I can’t believe how down on her luck she is, she doesn’t even have a job.]
Looking at the chat now, it suddenly seemed jarring, and the items in her hand no longer seemed so appealing.
“You’re buying all this?” Wu Zhengyun asked resentfully.
“Is there a problem? One set is for my mother.” Shen You said as she scanned the QR code to pay.
“What does your shop sell? We’ll visit when renovations are complete.”
“It’s an antique shop I recently took over. Currently, I’m just handling authentication services. Since you have nothing that needs authentication, there’s no need for you to visit, but I appreciate your intention. I should go now.”
Anyone could be sarcastic if needed.
“Wait, Shen You!” Wu Zhengyun called after her.
“In a while, some friends from our dormitory and department who are in Jiangcheng are planning a reunion. We were going to contact you after confirming the time and place, but since we’ve met today, I might as well mention it now. Will you attend?”
Shen You thought about it briefly, “If I have time, I probably will.”
As soon as Shen You left the counter with her shopping bags, Wu Zhengyun glared at her boyfriend.
“Still looking? Should I give you her WeChat so you can look your fill?”
Chen Hao averted his gaze and appeased her, “What are you saying? How could I look at other women? I was just curious about your roommate. She seems wealthy. What does her family do?”
“Her father is just an ordinary county-level official. I don’t even know if they’ve paid off their debts yet.” Wu Zhengyun rolled her eyes.
“Running an antique shop requires connections and capital. I bet it’s just a stall in the antique market selling fakes, scamming whoever she can. No wonder she doesn’t want people to visit. She’s probably just putting on airs.”
“I’m not so sure.” Chen Hao said as they walked to the parking lot.
Spotting an expensive-looking sports car, Chen Hao couldn’t help but look twice.
Then they saw Shen You struggling to back out her car, finally managing to exit after much effort.
His expression immediately turned disdainful.
That thing was considered a car?
Chen Hao shook his head amusingly before getting into his own BMW worth over 200,000 yuan, continuing,
“In the antiques business, there are many opportunities. Your roommate wouldn’t have trouble finding someone to support her.”
Wu Zhengyun clicked her tongue and resumed texting.
Naturally, Shen You couldn’t hear their discussion behind her back. All her attention was focused on the car beside hers.
She didn’t know how much it cost, but it looked extraordinary.
Her parking skills weren’t great; she had to check several times before moving, terrified of scratching or hitting the other vehicle.
How much would it cost to fix even a single scratch?!
Her spending philosophy was: spending on herself was fine, spending on men was not, and paying compensation to others would be painful.
She gripped the steering wheel with both hands, nervously glancing at the rearview mirror.
The other driver was on her left, waiting for her to exit the garage since they couldn’t leave otherwise.
The flashing turn signal seemed to be urging her on.
Although driving slowly might invite criticism, it wouldn’t cost her money.
Shen You drove very cautiously. The distance had been adequate, but the other car suddenly moved forward, closing the gap.
In such a hurry?
She took a deep breath and forced herself to drive out, thinking, “Back up, back up, back up!”
Meanwhile, in the sports car behind her, an impatient sigh escaped the driver’s lips.
Long fingers with pronounced knuckles tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel.
He noticed the panda expression sticker on the rear windshield.
Was it stuck because the battery died?
The fair-skinned man pulled up the handbrake, preparing to open the door and check.
But then the light green electric car, exuding an air of determination despite disability, finally drove out of the garage.
“So it wasn’t a dead battery.” His alluring lips barely moved as his captivating voice said,
“Just poor driving.”
He restarted his car, effortlessly turning the steering wheel.
As he passed, Shen You glanced over to ensure the distance between the cars was sufficient, then sat up straight, looking straight ahead as she drove toward the exit.
In that brief moment, the occupants of both cars almost simultaneously withdrew their outward gazes.
During the day, renovation work continued at the antique shop while Shen You spent her time receiving packages, unpacking them, and selecting modern crafts.
At seven in the evening, the rice and flour delivery arrived. After checking the inventory, she paid the balance on the spot.
She had created a door on one side of the courtyard to serve as a garage, allowing her to drive directly into the shop with just a press of the accelerator.
The garage wasn’t completely finished yet but was adequate for temporarily storing goods.
Once she closed the door, she waited for the transaction to be completed before six o’clock the next morning, when the items would be delivered to [Great Qi].
She chose this time specifically to avoid the renovation crew’s arrival at eight and to have a ready excuse.
Saying the goods were transported away at dawn would explain why neighbors hadn’t seen any vehicles, as the alley would be deserted at that hour.
After arranging everything and setting an alarm in the shop system for the morning, she went upstairs to sleep.
The night passed uneventfully. The next day, Shen You wore comfortable cotton home clothes as the [Great Qi] antique shop opened for business.
She made herself a bowl of wonton soup with seaweed and dried shrimp, then sat in the ground floor shop eating from the instant noodle pot while waiting.
The sky hadn’t fully brightened yet, still tinged with blue.
Under the warm yellow Chinese-style table lamp she had bought online for 35 yuan with free shipping, the antique shop took on a mysterious atmosphere.
Soon, someone entered the shop.
It was Liu Zheng and Zhong Jing, who had finally made it into the store. Both wore expressions of extreme excitement.
“This object emits light!” Zhong Jing, seeing a lamp for the first time, stared at the bulb inside without blinking.
“Is it a night-luminous pearl? But it doesn’t look like one. Night-luminous pearls don’t emit this color of light.”
“Ahem.” Liu Zheng cleared his throat, reminding him to focus on their primary task.
Before leaving the city, His Highness had instructed them to handle matters well and stabilize the disaster victims.
Yesterday, people had already caused trouble in front of the porridge shop.