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Chapter 21
Wu Zheng Yun caught up and pressed the elevator door, standing next to Shen You while lifting her smile.
“I don’t mean anything else by it, but it’s strange. Chen Hao always says that cars need to cost at least one hundred thousand to be worth driving, so I thought your shop was doing well and you’d drive a nice car here.”
For today’s gathering, she and Chen Hao had specifically prepared an outfit.
Wu Zheng Yun looked at the dress she had gritted her teeth to buy, then glanced at Shen You who remained silent, and immediately lifted her chin.
“I heard you’re getting engaged soon. So quickly?” Hu Xiu Ning spoke to Wu Zheng Yun at the right moment.
“Around the end of the year.” Wu Zheng Yun smiled. “Recently we’ve been looking at houses. Chen Hao’s family said they’d help us with the down payment.”
Hu Xiu Ning replied, “I really envy you, buying a house and settling down in Jiang City so soon after graduation.”
While Wu Zheng Yun spoke, she kept stealing glances at Shen You, but unfortunately didn’t see even a trace of envy on her face.
The elevator arrived, and several classmates were already sitting in the private room.
Another girl from Shen You’s dormitory was also there – she was the most neutral person in that chaotic dormitory.
Unlike the school gatherings before, the working people clearly had an office atmosphere about them.
Everyone exchanged pleasantries and took their seats. For a meal that cost 600 yuan per person, Shen You’s mind only contained two words: eating well.
However, someone always managed to bring the conversation around to her.
“Our major isn’t easy for finding work, but I heard Shen You opened a shop? For antique appraisal?”
Few people studied cultural relic restoration, and not everyone present was from the same major, but many had some connection and all knew that this line of work required connections.
They had never heard of her family having any background before.
Wu Zheng Yun had been spreading rumors recently that Shen You had found a patron.
Without capital or connections, if she didn’t give up something, how could she succeed in this business?
Pan Xian, who had previously pursued both girls in Shen You’s dormitory but failed with either, was already looking at Shen You with somewhat ambiguous eyes.
“Not just that, also antique restoration.” Shen You picked up a piece of lobster meat and looked at Wu Zheng Yun with a half-smile.
“How exactly did you spread the word? Tell me and let me hear.”
Wu Zheng Yun saw her smiling calmly, looking somewhat guilty, but still stubbornly refused to admit it.
“I just told everyone you opened a shop. Is that not allowed?”
Hu Xiu Ning joined in, changing the subject. “Shen You, your gold bracelet looks really nice. Where did you buy it?”
“I didn’t buy it. It’s a memento.” Shen You answered.
“That’s silver-plated gold.” Wu Zheng Yun turned her wrist, naturally showing off the 4,900 yuan gold chain on her hand.
The day after they met Shen You, she had gone to the gold shop and used a month’s salary to buy this chain.
“Wait, isn’t this filigree craftsmanship?” A classmate shouted.
“I wondered why it looked familiar – it’s like the cultural relics that Jiang City Museum commissioned intangible heritage masters to hand-replicate, but I remember this isn’t sold to the public and is meant as gifts for visiting delegations.”
Wu Zheng Yun dismissed it. “There are imitations online too.”
How could Shen You possibly have a museum gift? It had to be a knockoff version bought online.
“No, this is definitely authentic. You can tell from the craftsmanship – how could an imitation be this exquisite.”
The classmate from before spoke earnestly with some excitement. “Could it really be the same person? Are you the Ms. Shen You who donated cultural relics?”
“What donated cultural relics?” Wu Zheng Yun looked at Shen You incredulously.
“Just recently, the porcelain on public exhibition.” The classmate said while holding up their phone, flipping to the museum’s public account.
“Yes, I donated a relative’s inheritance.” Shen You nodded and ladled herself a bowl of mushroom soup.
“That’s impossible, right?”
Wu Zheng Yun pursed her lips, feeling like all the food in her bowl had lost its flavor.
Chen Hao was searching on his phone for how much Ru kiln porcelain cost, while several classmates looked at Shen You with much more enthusiasm.
If she really had opened the shop by finding a patron, how could she afford to donate priceless porcelain? Who would be willing to use something worth hundreds of millions to help others gain reputation? Wu Zheng Yun was really being unethical, spreading rumors outside.
“What relative? And they left such precious inheritance?”
“You actually donated something so expensive?”
“A distant relative who only left an old house and this porcelain.” Shen You said. “Since I couldn’t sell it anyway, I might as well donate it.”
Several people asked if she had inherited anything else.
“Nothing else, just some old wood that could make some beads.”
Seeing that Shen You’s expression didn’t seem fake, everyone believed her and marveled at her good fortune.
Since she had donated everything anyway, there wasn’t much to feel unbalanced about regarding this windfall, and they had to praise her a few words.
“My goodness, if my name could be written there, I’d laugh in my dreams.”
“Indeed, with reputation comes people seeking you out for appraisal and restoration.”
“In the future, when my old man collects something, I can have you help take a look. My sister abroad loves buying hairpins. Let’s add each other as friends.”
The speaker was the richest among those present, whose family was in the jewelry business. The wine on the table was brought by him and cost more than the meal.
“No problem. If everyone has work in the future, you can find me. I’ll give discounts.”
Shen You didn’t plan to give up doing antique restoration – she had planned to do this when she first took over the shop.
Reselling Great Qi collections brought money quickly, but without other businesses, and not going out to collect antiques while the shop always had items for sale, it would be easy to attract attention.
Taking on restoration work part-time would make the shop’s business model more reasonable.
She came here today also hoping to expand her network.
Wu Zheng Yun ate the second half of the meal like chewing wax, speaking much less, and even covering up the gold chain on her hand.
After finishing the meal at nine o’clock, those who had drunk called designated drivers. And while everyone waited for the elevator, Chen Hao extended his phone.
Previously he had only heard Wu Zheng Yun say that her roommate’s family owed money due to guaranteeing someone else’s debt, but she had never mentioned that her roommate was so well-off.
He had already checked – Ru kiln pieces sold at auctions for two to three hundred million!
Chen Hao put on a gentle smile. “Ms. Shen, let’s add each other as friends too. My supervisor also likes buying some modern antiques, so maybe in the future…”
“If there are any issues in the future, just have your girlfriend contact me directly.” Shen You stepped into the elevator first.
Taking out his QR code while his girlfriend was in the restroom – who knows what he intended.
Shen You took three girls to the parking garage. They didn’t have cars, and one of them lived far from the subway station.
Thinking it wasn’t particularly far and that they were all going in the same direction, she offered to drive them home.
After dropping off the last girl and turning around, it was already past ten o’clock.
The overpass was congested on weekend evenings, and the damned navigation system had led her the wrong way, causing quite a delay. When she reached the antique street area, it was just past eleven o’clock. For a modern city, this was when the nightlife was just getting lively, with late-night snacks just beginning.
Shen You parked her car and went to buy a bowl of iced bean curd and a box of lemon chicken feet, planning to watch shows while eating tonight.
This shop had delicious food but wasn’t on delivery apps. The store could deliver themselves, but during busy periods, they didn’t want to deliver small orders.
Several street lamps in the alley were broken again, but Shen You was used to this situation.
Yet as she walked, she suddenly felt that something was off.
There seemed to be unfamiliar footsteps behind her. And when she slowed down, the other person also slowed down.