Chapter 76
“Eat! I must eat!” Shen You gathered up her skirt and ran upstairs, completely disregarding her appearance.
The dishes on the table were simple, yet they possessed perfect color, aroma, and flavor. Shen You felt a surge of emotion as she looked at them.
Hiring a temporary bodyguard who also rented kitchen space and came with cooking skills – such good fortune was truly rare.
Shen You turned around happily, wanting to express her gratitude. However, she had not anticipated that Wen Zhi would step forward at precisely that moment. Caught off guard, she collided directly into his chest.
The motion resembled an intentional embrace.
Her cheek brushed against the soft fabric of his clothing. His warm body temperature seemed to transfer to her, while a faint sandalwood fragrance drifted into her breath. Shen You’s mind froze for an instant. Then she stepped back, averted her gaze, and suppressed the unrest in her heart. She naturally opened the cabinet to retrieve bowls.
“I wanted to say your cooking is remarkably good. You don’t appear to be someone who enjoys working with your hands.”
Behind her, Wen Zhi’s aggressively refined features showed the faintest upward curve at the corners of his mouth. Then, as if suddenly realizing this, he suppressed the expression and responded softly.
“Mm, previously, in order to legitimately take control of my own assets, I stayed abroad for a period. The food there was terrible beyond any reasonable standard.”
At this point, he frowned as if expressing disdain.
Shen You took in a sharp intake of breath and asked with some curiosity, “Where did you go?”
“The country where the sun never sets, the ice country at the world’s end, and I also lived in the Faroe Islands for some time.”
Hearing about these places, Shen You understood completely, especially since the first was famously notorious for terrible food.
“I’ve seen the ice country and the Faroe Islands before while browsing during work breaks. They’re places that made me want to quit my job immediately.”
However, after checking her bank account balance, she had endured the company’s empty promises once again.
“If you wish, we could choose a time…” At this point, Wen Zhi paused, his voice becoming very soft. “To go together.”
“Sounds wonderful! We could form a small group! Finding a tour guide together would be more economical.”
She could also check out foreign auction houses along the way to see if there were any bargains to be found.
She that the tour guide Fu Xicheng had recommended last time seemed to have posted about overseas travel in his social media feed.
As Wen Zhi listened to her words, he bit down and picked up a piece of radish with his chopsticks through gritted teeth.
Didn’t he know the way? Why would they need to form a group with others?
The 48-hour Lan City experience concluded, and Shen You returned to the present world.
When Wen Zhi left that morning, he had mentioned he would come back later.
Shen You methodically handled her tasks at hand, then went out to purchase two bottles of asthma spray.
At two-thirty in the afternoon, Wen Zhi arrived at the shop together with the person he had contacted.
Back in the present world, he had changed to another ostentatiously styled sports car. As he drove in, quite a few people cast second glances.
The man who came out from the business car beside him wore a suit and appeared to be in his early thirties. He clearly looked like an elite professional.
She had heard previously that this person was called Shang Pei, and he was the helm of a certain foreign trade company.
She didn’t utter a single word about matters that could not be discussed.
After both parties communicated, Shang Pei looked at Wen Zhi with an understanding smile.
For this person to personally speak up, it seems this Miss Shen was no ordinary individual to him.
“Miss Shen, I can establish a small foreign trade company for you, placing it under our company’s umbrella for joint management. On the surface, we would be partners. However, you can rest assured – I am also working for Mr. Wen.” Shang Pei smiled.
Had it not been for Wen Zhi, his parents, along with his childhood self, would have died abroad back then.
Even without any transactional constraints, he was genuinely sincere in his assistance.
The meaning in his words was already quite obvious. Shen You nodded.
What followed involved complex details and the profit-sharing ratio between her and Wen Zhi’s side.
Wen Zhi had told her to decide the distribution herself, but she couldn’t actually proceed that way.
She was accustomed to calculating clearly when money matters were involved.
Mutual benefit was the only way to grow and strengthen their venture.
In cooperative investments, nine out of ten final disputes arose from disagreements over money distribution.
Shang Pei had already prepared the documentation before arriving, so the discussion proceeded quite smoothly.
Shen You carefully reviewed the contract and provided her required personal information to the other party on the spot, then double-checked everything.
“I will have this matter completed before next Wednesday.” Shang Pei organized all the materials and placed them in a waterproof document bag. “I won’t disturb you two any further.”
“Mr. Shang, you mentioned earlier that the tea here tastes excellent. I happen to have more available.” Shen You handed over the tea leaves as she spoke. “I’m grateful for your efforts in handling these matters.”
“Excellent, thank you, Miss Shen.”
Shang Pei accepted the items. Before he left, his smile directed toward Wen Zhi carried what seemed like an auntie-like fondness.
“You haven’t given me any, yet you’re giving him some.” Wen Zhi frowned slightly.
Shen You thought to herself: Would someone from the Great Qi lack tea leaves?
She extended her hand to point toward the wooden shelf behind them and said generously, “Choose whichever jar you like and take it yourself. But you can’t take those two tea leaf jars of mine! Any of the others are fine.”
“Are these porcelain jars quite valuable?”
He lowered his head, and his breath swept past Shen You’s ear.
“Absolutely! Last time someone offered fifty thousand for the smallest one, but I couldn’t bear to part with it.” Shen You spoke as if this were perfectly natural.
Among the tea leaf jars displayed, most were inexpensive modern crafts. Only two had been acquired from the Great Qi.
Unless one was an expert, it would be impossible to distinguish which ones were valuable.
Seeing Wen Zhi’s thoughtful expression, Shen You asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking about a few days ago when the old emperor angrily threw something out in a fit of rage. It seemed to be porcelain with this same type of glaze color.”
Shen You inhaled. The reason precious porcelain pieces rarely survived through history was precisely because they were broken due to various circumstances.
People in collecting circles couldn’t bear to hear such things.
“It struck the crown prince. He is also a clever person who deliberately leaves slight flaws in his work. Although he receives scolding, the old emperor feels considerably more at ease.”
Wen Zhi wore a nonchalant smile, his voice unhurried and extremely pleasant to hear, although it carried a subtle hint of coldness.
As he said these words, he also observed Shen You’s expression.
Seeing her furrowed brow, he asked in a muffled voice, “Are you worried about Li Heng’s situation?”
Shen You gave him a strange look and sighed. “I’m thinking what a pity about that cup. How wonderful it would have been if it had ended up in my hands.”
These words caused Wen Zhi to freeze for a moment. He was about to say that if she liked such things, he seemed to have similar items himself.
But upon second thought, she would most likely refuse to accept something for free, so he decided not to mention it. He would find another opportunity to bring it up later.
Those precious porcelain pieces produced by imperial kilns – last time in the palace, in front of the grand eunuch, his “slip of the hand” had also caused him to drop one.
At this moment, Shen You received a phone call. It was from the tailor shop, informing her that the fabric she had sent previously was now finished.
Since she had no other pressing matters, she decided to make a trip there.
Hearing her mention wanting to look around the South Lake area for a suitable location for a workshop, as Jiang He had recommended it to her yesterday,
Wen Zhi spoke up. “I happen to be going there as well. Why don’t we go together? I’m familiar with that area.”
Shen You didn’t refuse. She certainly couldn’t set up the workshop in her current shop. She needed to find a place with proper standing.
She would first investigate the situation, then make her next plans.
After locking up the shop, she turned around and saw Wen Zhi’s car. She asked with complete honesty, “How does this car door open?”
Wen Zhi walked to the passenger side and demonstrated the process.
This was Shen You’s first time riding in such an expensive car in all her years. However, the more she looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
“Have you been to the parking garage near Times Square in the city center recently?” She asked tentatively.
“You’re only noticing now?” Wen Zhi smiled as he turned the steering wheel casually.
That panda character coronation emoji sticker on the back of her car was truly eye-catching.