Chapter 39
A considerable number of people arrived on the first day of the preview exhibition, hence the parking spaces were nearly full. Just as Shen You parked her car, her phone rang with an incoming call from the tailor shop owner she had visited yesterday.
“Miss Shen, here’s the situation – an old customer of mine came by earlier and saw your fabric. She absolutely loved it and asked me to inquire where you purchased it.”
How should she respond to this? Shen You thought about it for a moment before answering, “That’s a one-of-a-kind piece. I also had someone help me acquire it.”
“My old customer mentioned that if you’re willing to transfer it, she can offer double the price and will also cover your tailoring fees for this project.” The shop owner explained while adding, “I didn’t reveal any of your personal information. I’m only making this call on her behalf since she’s been a loyal customer for many years.”
If it were just anyone making such a request, he definitely wouldn’t have bothered asking, but given this person’s status, it was difficult to refuse.
“I understand.” Shen You replied softly. They were all in the business field, so she knew the difficulties the shop owner was facing. “However, I don’t wish to transfer this fabric because it’s really difficult to obtain.”
The shop owner completely agreed, as he knew that such exquisite handwoven fabric couldn’t be abundant, and that anyone capable of purchasing it wouldn’t lack money.
“Miss Shen, if you ever come across similar fabric in the future, could you save some for me?” He asked.
“Yes, although I’m not certain when that might be.” Shen You agreed. This presented a good opportunity since she found it challenging to sell fabric directly, and the customer base was relatively fixed. She originally lacked proper channels, otherwise she would have brought back at least two more bolts.
The tailor shop owner laughed and said, “That’s perfectly fine. Just contact me whenever you have some available.” This way, he could also give his old customer a proper explanation.
Before hanging up, the shop owner mentioned that he would try to finish her dress as soon as possible. Shen You had just put her phone back in her bag and was preparing to get out of her car when she noticed a woman wearing a luxury brand suit walking toward her.
The woman’s gaze fell from the open car window onto Shen You, and her tone carried an arrogant edge: “This is a designated parking area. Outside vehicles cannot park here.”
Didn’t this person even look when parking? How could she just close her eyes and drive in blindly? Couldn’t she see what kinds of cars were parked nearby?
Dong Wenxin thought disdainfully that this person probably snuck in deliberately, hoping to create some connection through insurance fraud.
Shen You looked at the person outside with confusion and asked, “Are you a parking attendant here?”
She asked this question sincerely, but Dong Wenxin’s expression immediately changed as she questioned back, “What do you mean? You don’t look at the signs yourself, yet you have the nerve to act righteously?”
“I did look. This is indeed a designated parking area.” Shen You replied while closing her car window and getting out.
Dong Wenxin’s eyes showed disdain, feeling that she had guessed correctly.
At that moment, a man’s voice came from nearby: “What’s happening?”
“I kindly reminded this young lady that she can’t park here randomly, but instead I got scolded.” Dong Wenxin complained unhappily.
“Why bother arguing with such people? Just call security…” The suited man’s words trailed off when he glanced at the person standing beside the car, his eyes flashing with amazement.
The security guard that Dong Wenxin had called quickly approached. She snorted coldly, waiting to watch the other party get escorted out in embarrassment.
The security guard looked at Shen You’s car, and before he could speak, the suited man spoke first: “Parking in the wrong spot isn’t a big deal. Miss, shall we add each other as friends?”
She came here for this exact purpose, after all. The suited man’s teasing gaze made Shen You frown.
“Isn’t this Miss Shen’s car?” The security guard asked Dong Wenxin with confusion. “She didn’t park incorrectly.”
When Miss Shen came yesterday, they had verified everything. Low-key wealthy people and collectors were actually quite common, but someone this low-key was really a first.
Miss Jiang had specifically instructed everyone, both inside and outside, to be courteous to this Miss Shen.
Dong Wenxin’s mouth fell open, feeling somewhat embarrassed for a moment. Just then, a red Ferrari stopped on the road, and Gu Shaoyu got out of the car. Seeing several people standing together, he asked, “What’s going on?”
Shen You responded, “I’d also like to know what’s going on.”
The smile on the face of the man in suit deepened when he saw Gu Shaoyu, “Young Master Gu, what wind brought you here too? Is this a friend of yours?”
Gu Shaoyu clarified, “She is my friend, but I didn’t bring her here.” He naturally understood what the other party meant. Most young women who could enter such occasions were accompanying someone else as decoration. But Shen You was different.
Following the rather unpleasant minor incident, the four people arrived at the preview hall one after another. Xu Jiayan was also there, and when he saw Shen You walking together with Gu Shaoyu, his expression shifted slightly as he asked unnaturally, “How did you two…”
“We just ran into each other in the parking lot.” Shen You replied, then immediately focused her attention on the items that would be auctioned the day after tomorrow.
“When I see something I want to bid on later, could you two professionals help me take a look?” Gu Shaoyu asked with a smile.
“No problem.” Xu Jiayan replied with a light laugh. Hearing that they had only met in the parking lot, the weight in his heart finally lifted.
“Young Master Xu.” A middle-aged man wearing a Chinese-style suit came over to greet them, his tone carrying slight surprise. “I heard that Elder Xu will also attend this auction. Is that true?”
For someone of the elder’s stature, this level of auction would be child’s play. When he first heard about it, he didn’t believe it. He never expected to meet Young Master Xu here.
“We’ll have to see if the old man has time that day.” Xu Jiayan didn’t give a definitive answer. However, the listener understood that the probability of the elder attending in person was quite high. This auction was going to be interesting.
“Miss Shen.” Jiang He discovered Shen You and walked over to whisper to her, “The inkstone set and brush you submitted for auction have caught many people’s attention. From the looks of it, the final price won’t be low.”
She was about to introduce Shen You to several collectors she knew, but Zheng Mingbo spoke up first: “Boss Shen!”
So Zheng Mingbo took over this task. When he mentioned that Shen You was the person who sold the ivory fan, several people started asking about the location of Shen You’s shop.
“I heard from Old Zheng that Boss Shen only deals in precious items. Please let me know next time you have something available.” One person said.
“Old Zheng is unethical – he quietly collected the good stuff first, then sent out photos just to torment us.” Another complained.
They had all seen that carved ivory fan and were incredibly envious, but Zheng Mingbo absolutely refused to resell it. They had also heard that the seller was the same person who donated porcelain worth over a hundred million yuan and was personally acknowledged as a disciple by Master Li. Meeting her here, how could they not seize the opportunity to get acquainted?
After several rounds of pleasantries, Gu Shaoyu found himself relegated to the sidelines. Gu Shaoyu felt somewhat bewildered – this feeling was like a child following parents to meet people. It was both familiar and strange.
The man in the suit was also shrewd. He noticed that a collector he had met before was addressing Xu Jiayan as “Young Master Xu”. His mind quickly processed this information, realizing that this person had significant connections.
There was also Jiang He, who was the niece of an auction company shareholder. Although young, she was famous in the circle for being tactful and diplomatic. Looking at how Shen You interacted with them, she was definitely not someone’s decorative companion.
Now he was in trouble – he had offended her, and he couldn’t even approach to greet them. Thinking about this incident made him somewhat dissatisfied with Dong Wenxin, who was still going on about what background a woman driving a shabby car could have and why she was so familiar with them.
His anger was building, and when they reached a corner with no one around, he lowered his voice and warned, “I agreed to bring you here, not to let you embarrass me! Don’t come to the formal auction day.”
Dong Wenxin’s eyes widened as she reached out to pull him, wanting to soften her approach and say something nice. However the man who used to fall for such tactics directly shook off her hand and walked toward the exit. Feeling wronged, she could only follow him and leave the preview venue.