Opening an antique shop and getting rich through all the worlds

Chapter 104

“Here you go.” Shen You handed over the cup. “If you’d texted any later, you wouldn’t have gotten any.”

Even she didn’t notice the emotional shift in her tone when she said this.

The person who said he’d come, she’d waited all day without seeing him, yet just as everyone was about to wrap up, he arrived.

The moment she saw him, Shen You let out a breath of relief, her heart filled with inexplicable joy.

Wen Zhi set the box on the table, his gaze falling on Shen You as he curved his lips upward. “A gift for your studio.”

Meeting everyone’s curious looks, Shen You began introductions.

“This is the other partner in the studio. Xi Garden belongs to him.”

As her words fell, everyone looked toward the man sitting leisurely at the table’s edge, dressed as if he were at a fashion show, his smile captivating, yet holding a cup of matcha.

Meanwhile, Shen You was habitually stringing beads.

Such a bizarre scene, something felt off somewhere.

No one had expected Xi Garden’s owner to be such a young, handsome man. They’d imagined some low-key, older insider boss from the circle.

Gu Shaoyu had originally thought his conditions weren’t bad. He had good looks and financial power, all of which were quite presentable.

But seeing this man now, and this Xi Garden, he suddenly lost confidence.

This person appeared casually languid, yet somehow emanated an aura of pressure and nobility, a bearing he could never possess.

“Is Mr. Wen from Jiang City?” He asked deliberately.

Wen Zhi spoke unhurriedly, “Half, I suppose. I was abroad before, only returned a few years ago to handle ancestral property.”

All his assets were above board, as was his identity, so naturally he wasn’t afraid of anyone investigating.

Gu Shaoyu understood. No wonder he’d never seen him in their circles before. Back when his family wanted to use Xi Garden, they’d only dealt with managers.

When they’d wanted to negotiate with the property’s owner, he hadn’t agreed.

Never had he imagined he’d be sitting at the same table as the man himself today.

“The workspace is all packed up.” Yu Xiaosu called out. “I’ve put the few unfinished gold pieces in the safe.”

“Good. You can all head back to the hotel to rest. I’ll handle the display case artifacts myself.” Shen You said softly.

Using her personal storage space would be faster than packing everything piece by piece, and less likely to cause damage.

Yu Xiaosu glanced at Shen You, then at Wen Zhi beside her, revealing an ‘I understand’ expression as she nodded quickly.

Shen You set down her milk tea cup and opened the box Wen Zhi had brought. It was porcelain fired in Great Qi’s imperial kilns!

She’d seen imperial kiln pieces before. Generally speaking, their specifications and usage were extremely strict.

But this set Wen Zhi brought. Under the light, it bore dragon patterns! The glaze was also first-rate perfection.

Yu Xiaosu and Cheng Liang, who’d seen plenty of fine pieces following Shen You these past days, were also stunned. This porcelain was preserved as if just fired.

It had to be known, that tall-stemmed cups had limited surviving examples. Ones this exquisite, intact, and paired, if they could go to auction, they’d fetch astronomical prices!

Even having these cups to use, they’d be afraid of their hands shaking and dropping them.

This was their first time seeing someone give gifts like this, treating priceless treasures as if they were common cabbage, casually producing them.

Walking back to the hotel with half a cup of milk tea, Yu Xiaosu was still marveling that if those big shots from this afternoon had seen these cups, they’d have been excited for quite a while.

Gu Shaoyu returned to the hotel with them, needing to arrange tomorrow’s affairs.

On the way, hearing the two passionately discussing the porcelain, once he understood, he quietly said one word: “Damn.”

Giving gifts to pursue girls was common enough, but giving this level, porcelain that couldn’t be auctioned domestically, he’d truly never seen that.

Even among his second-generation friends in their circles, few families possessed objects of this caliber.

Even if they did, anyone daring to take them out as gifts would get their legs broken.

“But how did you tell they have that kind of relationship?” Gu Shaoyu thought Yu Xiaosu knew something and asked gossipily.

“I didn’t, but I think they look good together. A returned young nobleman taking over ancestral property and an antique street boss.” Yu Xiaosu nodded as she spoke.

Gu Shaoyu thought about it. “Do I look noble to you?”

“I can tell your outfit’s expensive.” Yu Xiaosu answered honestly.

Gu Shaoyu: ???

After everyone left, Shen You put the cups in her personal storage space and went to organize the display case.

“Help me out, hold this for a moment.” Shen You handed two artifacts to Wen Zhi, instructing, “Don’t drop them.”

He was also a studio partner, so having him do work felt perfectly natural to Shen You.

Wen Zhi followed behind, taking whatever she asked him to take, seeming to enjoy it.

“I had something today, so I came late.”

He looked at Shen You’s fair profile, his voice clear.

“Mm, I figured as much.” Shen You turned around, her smile gentle. “Have you eaten?”

Wen Zhi pressed his lips slightly. “Not yet.”

“At this hour most restaurants are about to close. The hotel still has late-night snacks, want to go eat there?”

Wen Zhi glanced at the left courtyard wall. Actually, the building next door—renovated before being listed for historic preservation—was where he currently lived.

But he still smiled, eyes crinkling, and said, “Sure.”

The most valuable artifacts were in the safer personal storage space. Only the rest went into the safe.

Mainly because the storage space couldn’t hold this much, and she needed to put something in the safe. If someone accidentally saw an empty safe, that would be troublesome too.

Shen You checked the door locks twice as usual before leaving with peace of mind.

Nearly ten at night, the area around South Lake was quiet all around. Tree shadows swayed on the ground with the night breeze, cool moonlight illuminating the blue tiles of the historic buildings.

Wen Zhi proactively helped Shen You carry the large canvas bag. The moment he took it, he asked seriously,

“Did you actually put bricks in your bag?”

He’d never carried bags for others and so didn’t know if all girls’ bags were this heavy.

Shen You lifted the fire resistant cloth silk bag in her hand, one that only needed to look good.

“This one can’t hold much. Power bank, umbrella, odds and ends are all in the bag you’re holding, so of course it’s heavy!”

She’d specifically brought a thirty-yuan canvas bag to carry these things.

“You’re not saying you can’t lift it, are you?” Shen You laughed.

Wen Zhi chuckled softly. “You’re overthinking it. I’m not quite that weak.”

When Shen You looked up, in the half-light and shadow, she glimpsed the slightly moving eyelashes of the person beside her. But when he glanced over, she quickly averted her gaze.

As if unaware of his look, she walked straight ahead, talking about the studio’s business situation during this period.

Once discussing work, the inexplicable tension from moments before vanished instantly.

Arriving at the hotel restaurant, Shen You also ordered a small portion of handmade vegetable noodles. Just as they sat down, she took two phone calls in succession.

Both were from intermediaries helping people request invitation passes.

The invitations had long been sent out. One evening couldn’t possibly produce new ones, but whether someone could enter the exhibition was just a matter of Shen You’s word.

As long as she nodded, they could enter without invitations by giving their names.

Those who could reach her were people she had some relationship with usually. Shen You was happy to sell them favors, earning reputation for her studio.