Qin Xiaoyou wanted to laugh, but after thinking about it, she felt that it would be inappropriate to burst out laughing in such a serious atmosphere. She quickly straightened her expression and continued, "I called everyone here today because after thinking about it for a few days, I have a new idea for the future, so I plan to share it with you."
After a pause, seeing that no one reacted, Qin Xiaoyou continued, "I have carefully reviewed all the account books you have submitted these past few days. You have all done a great job, managing the shops very well. You are all rare talents. However, since you are all talented, I think you would not be willing to be subordinate to others and always do things for others, right?"
Unsure of what Qin Xiaoyou was up to, Jin Yuanbao weighed the options in his mind and chose what he thought was the most appropriate answer: "Back then, it was the big boss and the drunken girl who gave me the opportunity to manage the bank, preventing me from starving to death on the streets. I will always remember this kindness."
After listening to Jin Yuanbao's words, Qin Xiaoyou fell into deep thought. After a long while, she suddenly asked, "Mr. Jin, there's something I've always been curious about. Did your parents give you this name?"
This sudden change of topic surprised everyone, and Jin Yuanbao was even more confused, but he still replied with a smile: "Miss Qin is joking. You didn't give me this name."
Um, Qin Xiaoyou suddenly really wanted to meet Qin Qin herself. It turned out that they even had similar quirky tastes. Naming a money exchange owner "Golden Ingot" was something she really came up with.
Enough with the small talk; we have business to attend to. Leaving that topic aside, Qin Xiaoyou continued, “Alright, I’m not good at those flowery phrases. I see you’re all straightforward and easygoing people, so I’ll just get straight to the point. Except for the restaurant, all the other shops are yours. Of course, not for free. Go back and estimate their value yourselves. Give me a price you’re willing to pay. If I think it’s reasonable, I’ll sell it to you. If I don’t, the shop will be put up for sale in a few days. Do you all understand what I mean?”
As soon as Qin Xiaoyou finished speaking, the expressions on everyone's faces were priceless. Jin Yuanbao's smiling face suddenly froze, as if a layer of plaster had been applied to it. Shen Xuan finally turned his gaze to Qin Xiaoyou, but unfortunately, he couldn't see her expression through the thin veil. Yun Qing's usually calm face was now furrowed, clearly confused by Qin Xiaoyou's words. This sudden announcement of selling the shop—had something happened? Su Xiao, on the other hand, was all smiles, as if he had been looking forward to this day for a long time. Su Lin, however, stared wide-eyed, looking quite surprised.
After observing the various expressions on everyone's faces for a while, Qin Xiaoyou also felt it was pointless, so she said, "Since everyone has no objections, then it's decided. You can go back now, and come to me in three days with the money you're willing to pay to collect your contracts."
What do you mean everyone has no objections? They still had many questions to ask, but Qin Xiaoyou didn't give them a chance. She finished speaking and left, leaving the remaining bosses looking at each other, unsure of what to do. After a long while, Yun Qing got up and left first. Jin Yuanbao wanted to ask the others about their plans, but Shen Xuan seemed unwilling to talk and left after sitting for a while. Su Xiao seemed to have seen through Jin Yuanbao's plan and said with a smile, "Boss Jin, this is a great opportunity. You should seize it." After saying that, he pulled Su Lin and left. Jin Yuanbao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and returned to his bank with a serious expression.
In high spirits after making her decision, Qin Xiaoyou was happily eating in her room. She had only drunk a small bowl of porridge that morning, worried that eating too much would affect her performance. However, while Qin Xiaoyou was enjoying her meal, Ren Dong's expression was not so good. After hesitating for a long time, she finally asked, "Miss, you sold Linglong's shop without even asking her opinion. Is that a good idea?"
When Ren Dong asked the question, Qin Xiaoyou was eating a crystal bun. Upon hearing this, she almost choked. After gulping down two mouthfuls of tea, Qin Xiaoyou rolled her eyes and said, "Who told you that these are all shops of Zui Linglong? These are all mine."
This time it was Ren Dong's turn to be surprised. She looked at Qin Xiaoyou with an incredulous expression. Qin Xiaoyou said irritably, "Don't think that all your young lady does is eat and play. I'm quite good at saving money."
"Since the shops are all yours, why do you suddenly want to sell them, Miss?" Ren Dong asked, somewhat puzzled.
“You just don’t understand,” Qin Xiaoyou said, holding a greasy chicken leg in her left hand and a piece of peony-scented cake in her right, and began to explain animatedly, “After looking at the accounts these past few days, I’ve thought about it carefully. I think it’s enough to make a decent amount of money. You can’t be too greedy; you have to know when to stop. Besides, I’ve been feeling tired these past few years. Managing so many shops isn’t easy. Anyway, I’m not short of money now, so I might as well sell myself and it’ll be easier…”
As for Qin Xiaoyou's subsequent rambling about honeysuckle, she didn't hear a thing. After hearing the phrase "know when to stop," her head buzzed, and she froze. She secretly wondered if Qin Xiaoyou already knew something, but it didn't seem like it on the surface.
When Qin Xiaoyou got carried away with her story, she glanced at Ren Dong and noticed that Ren Dong seemed lost in thought. She immediately lost interest in continuing, dismissed the servant, and sat down by the window with a cup of tea. In truth, what Qin Xiaoyou was telling Ren Dong was all nonsense; she had no intention of revealing her real reason for selling the shop.
You think the reason is some incredible secret? Wrong, wrong. Qin Xiaoyou didn't tell you simply because she felt it would be too embarrassing to reveal the reason. She sold the pharmacy because she overheard people talking about how fake medicinal herbs were rampant these days, and many large pharmacies had been cheated. Tongjitang had spent a lot of money but bought fake ginseng. Luckily, they discovered it quickly, otherwise, it could have caused serious harm. As for Su Lin, he always insisted that Qin Xiaoyou personally inspect the herbs the pharmacy bought. He even said that Qin Xiaoyou had always been the one to oversee these matters. Good heavens, she really didn't know anything about identifying medicinal herbs, so she had no choice but to sell the pharmacy to avoid any slip-ups later.
As for the gambling den, that's the one that absolutely cannot be kept. Just look at those absurd rules they set up beforehand; you can tell it's bound to cause a lot of trouble. And Su Xiao, whether on purpose or not, always insists on calling her in to smooth things over whenever someone causes trouble. Does he really think the thugs employed by the gambling den are pushovers? Most importantly, Qin Qin knows martial arts, but Qin Xiaoyou doesn't. Asking her to be the gambling den's protector is practically sending a lamb to the slaughter.
As for the rouge shop and the silk shop, although Shen Xuan and Yun Qing didn't cause her any trouble, she really had no interest in running them, so she simply sold them to avoid other shop owners accusing her of favoritism.
So why keep the restaurant? Don't worry, Qin Xiaoyou isn't keeping it to get revenge for being ripped off by the restaurant before. The reason she's not selling it is because she herself is the owner. Besides, those deceptive dishes and names were all Qin Qin's idea. This is a perfect example of shooting yourself in the foot!
Previously, Qin Xiaoyou was not afraid of anyone causing trouble because of Qin Qin's high level of martial arts. However, now she felt it was better to be cautious. She had already instructed the restaurant to prepare the dishes and to give up on those empty gimmicks. She didn't want to risk having the restaurant smashed up because of a little money.
However, running only a restaurant wasn't Qin Xiaoyou's style. She sold all her other shops not only because she didn't want to manage them, but more importantly, because she needed the funds to do something even greater, which was...
"Miss Qin, Miss Qin, a guest has arrived. Young Master Su requests your presence outside." Qin Xiaoyou was engrossed in her thoughts when she was suddenly interrupted. Qin Xiaoyou raised an eyebrow. Who on earth was putting on such a grand show, requiring her to go out and greet them?
Chapter 24, Fellow Travelers from Another World
Although she was puzzled, Qin Xiaoyou still tidied her hair in front of the mirror and went to the front hall.
From afar, a series of soft female laughs could be heard, interspersed with Su Lin's indistinct words. Seeing Qin Xiaoyou appear, Su Lin looked as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly said, "Miss Qin has arrived." Upon hearing this, the woman turned around, and when Qin Xiaoyou saw the newcomer's face, she was stunned, not expecting Zui Linglong to suddenly appear here.
Seeing Qin Xiaoyou standing there speechless, Zui Linglong smiled and winked, saying, "What's wrong? Qin'er doesn't welcome me?"
Qin Xiaoyou replied with a smile, "Not at all. It's just that you didn't send anyone to tell me you were coming, so I was a little surprised to see you."
"It was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. I originally came out to take care of some business, but then I thought that since I wasn't far from the capital, I decided to stop by and see you." As Zui Linglong spoke, she reached out and adjusted a wooden hairpin in her hair.
Zui Linglong was dressed in an elegant white dress today, yet her charming demeanor and captivating eyes were still alluring. Qin Xiaoyou felt a pang of emotion; such a beauty, she wondered which man in the world would be fortunate enough to win her favor. Lost in thought, she was suddenly interrupted by Zui Linglong's voice: "Qin'er, we're already at the door, aren't you going to invite me in?"
Qin Xiaoyou snapped out of her daze and realized that she and Zui Linglong had somehow returned to her room together. She quickly opened the door, called Ren Dong to make tea and bring water, and then took Zui Linglong's hand and sat down on the soft couch.
Unsure of Zui Linglong's intentions, but feeling awkward if she didn't speak, Qin Xiaoyou wondered if she should start by reminiscing about their time apart. However, Zui Linglong spoke first: "Qin'er, I heard that you sold most of the shops here?"
Qin Xiaoyou's heart skipped a beat. Was this a pretext to interrogate her? But then she thought, these shops all belonged to her, so selling her own goods shouldn't require Zui Linglong's permission, right? She nodded, which was considered her tacit agreement.
Zui Linglong stopped speaking, but picked up the teacup in front of her, lifted the lid and smelled it. After a while, she sighed softly, "Your plum rain tea tastes good, but the rainwater used to brew it is a bit old."
"Huh?" Qin Xiaoyou asked subconsciously, not understanding what Zui Linglong was talking about.
"What, Qin'er, isn't your favorite drink plum rain tea? Have you forgotten?" Zui Linglong asked, her brows furrowing slightly.
"Um, well, I haven't drunk tea in a long time, I've given it up, hahaha," Qin Xiaoyou said with a laugh.
"Qin'er, I feel like you've been acting strange ever since you came back this time. Did something happen?" Zui Linglong asked, looking directly into Qin Xiaoyou's eyes.
Qin Xiaoyou originally wanted to say it was nothing, but under Zui Linglong's piercing gaze, she felt particularly guilty. After thinking it over in her mind, Qin Xiaoyou decided to tell her the truth: "Sister Linglong, actually, after I went to Chunfeng Yidu, I don't know why, I suddenly lost my memory."
"And then are you going to tell me that when you woke up you suddenly realized you didn't remember anything, you didn't know anything?" Although Zui Linglong's tone was still gentle, Qin Xiaoyou inexplicably felt a sense of pressure.
Before Qin Xiaoyou could answer, Zui Linglong suddenly asked, "Do you like Marilyn Monroe?"
Qin Xiaoyou paused for a moment, then subconsciously said, "So-so."
Zui Linglong continued, "What about Hepburn?"
Qin Xiaoyou replied, "Beautiful lady."
"What brand of perfume do you like to use?" Zui Linglong put away her previous expression and smiled charmingly.
Qin Xiaoyou shuddered and replied, "I don't like wearing perfume."
"What's your phone number?" Zui Linglong pressed on.
"It's 187, no, you know what a cell phone is? You know what a cell phone is?" Qin Xiaoyou suddenly realized and grabbed Zui Linglong's hand excitedly.
Zui Linglong rolled her eyes at her and replied irritably, "As a young working woman, it's normal for you to know about cell phones, right? Also, could you please use a little less force? You're almost crushing my wrist."
"Ah? Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Qin Xiaoyou said, letting go of his hand, but then brought her face close to Zui Linglong's, like a secret agent making contact, and asked in a low voice, "You too?"
Zui Linglong chuckled and said, "Why are you so nervous? Don't worry, it's just the two of us here."
Qin Xiaoyou still looked nervous: "Don't you know that walls have ears? If someone hears us, we'll be arrested and burned like monsters."
Zui Linglong looked at her helplessly and asked, "Have you been watching too many brainless time-travel dramas? It's not that exaggerated, burning someone to death."
Qin Xiaoyou nodded somewhat shyly: "How did you know I've read a lot of time-travel novels?"
“Generally speaking, using amnesia as an excuse after time travel is something we learn from time travel novels,” Zui Linglong said.
This piqued Qin Xiaoyou's curiosity. Could it be that besides amnesia, there was some other excuse? She quickly asked, "Then what excuse did you use when you woke up after transmigrating?"
"Amnesia," Zui Linglong said without changing her expression. At this moment, Qin Xiaoyou felt like collapsing and vomiting blood. This was too much! As if she could read Qin Xiaoyou's mind, Zui Linglong quickly explained, "There's nothing I can do. All time-travel novels are written like this. There's no other excuse I can borrow, so I have to follow the crowd."
Qin Xiaoyou nodded in understanding. They were both quite excited, having never expected to encounter another time traveler after their journey. They chatted all afternoon and still seemed to have more to say. However, Qin Xiaoyou did most of the talking, while Zui Linglong answered.
It turns out that Zui Linglong was a top student in the finance department of a national university and worked at the National University Bank after graduation. One night, she couldn't sleep and went out to a 24-hour convenience store to buy food in the middle of the night, but unfortunately, she was struck by lightning while passing by, and then, she time-traveled.
"When I was struck by lightning, I felt so unwilling. I was a girl with a great figure and a beautiful face, and I died before I even had a relationship. God is so cruel!" Zui Linglong said excitedly, and even slammed her hand on the table.
Qin Xiaoyou chimed in with great interest, "So, God made you travel through time as a way of making up for it."
"Sigh, don't even mention time travel. If I hadn't met you—no, if I hadn't met Qin Qin—I probably would have been tortured to death long ago. I feel like God has a grudge against me," Zui Linglong said resentfully.
Unlike Qin Xiaoyou, Zui Linglong was unfortunately transmigrated into the body of a female slave. Before she could even react, she was loaded onto a cart bound for a foreign land. Fortunately, Qin Qin, who appeared out of nowhere, had a sudden burst of compassion and killed the human traffickers, freeing all the female slaves imprisoned in the cart. Feeling lost and with nowhere to go, Zui Linglong fabricated a backstory and insisted on following Qin Qin. Qin Qin couldn't refuse her and agreed. Later, during their time together, Qin Qin discovered Zui Linglong's talent for business, so she entrusted her shops to her management, and then disappeared to enjoy herself.
"So, although I've known Qin'er for several years, I don't really know her. Her whereabouts are unpredictable. The only thing I know is that she has a master and that her martial arts skills are quite good. That's all I know." After saying this, Zui Linglong looked at Qin Xiaoyou with a helpless expression.
After hearing Zui Linglong's words, Qin Xiaoyou also felt sad. She originally thought that she could sort out Qin Qin's messy relationship network from Zui Linglong, but in the end, it was still a mess.
Chapter 25, Bai Yuxiao, you bastard!
Overwhelmed with excitement at seeing their fellow townsman again, the two chatted until evening. After instructing Ren Dong to bring the food to her room, Qin Xiaoyou ate her dinner while asking the question that had been nagging at her: "Sister Linglong, when did you start to suspect me?"
Zui Linglong smiled mysteriously, keeping everyone in suspense: "The first time we met was when we admired the flowers together, and also, when we met today, can you guess when?"
Qin Xiaoyou wrinkled her nose, lowered her head to analyze for a while, and confidently said, "It was the time we admired the flowers together?"
Zui Linglong asked with some doubt, "Why did you guess this time?"
Qin Xiaoyou waved her chopsticks and said, "It's obvious. You looked so beautiful that day, and I couldn't help but act like a lovesick fool. Based on my analysis and understanding of Qin Qin over this period of time, she would never act like that. So, you must have started to suspect me at that time."
Zui Linglong smiled, lowered her head, and took a small sip of soup. Just as she was about to give the correct answer, an uninvited guest arrived.
Bai Yuxiao entered through the window, covered in dust, looking like he had just come from somewhere. Qin Xiaoyou glanced at the newcomer but pretended not to see him. Zui Linglong, seeing that Qin Xiaoyou didn't speak, didn't bother to interfere and quietly ate her meal, while also watching the commotion.
Bai Yuxiao, quite naturally, pulled out a chair and sat down, adopting an attitude of "I'll wait for you to finish eating." Feeling uneasy under his gaze, Qin Xiaoyou couldn't sit still any longer. She slammed her chopsticks down and angrily said, "How can you be so rude? How can others eat if you keep staring at them like that?"
"I'm watching my food, you're eating yours, what's the big deal? Besides, if you're focused on eating and not peeking at me, how would you know I'm watching you?" Bai Yuxiao laughed like a cat that had just stolen some fish.
Qin Xiaoyou was speechless with anger, her mind racing but unable to find a single rebuttal. Seeing the two of them like this, Zui Linglong, with her keen sense, put down her chopsticks and said, "I'm full. I suddenly remembered that Lin'er said she wanted to see me about something, so I'll go out first." With that, she quickly left the room.
"Hey, don't go!" Just as Qin Xiaoyou finished speaking, Zui Linglong had already reached the door, turned back to give her a cryptic smile, and gently closed the door. Seeing Zui Linglong's face disappear from sight, Qin Xiaoyou stomped her foot in annoyance. How disloyal of her to leave like that, leaving her all alone in such an awkward situation.
Although she was extremely unwilling, she couldn't keep turning her back to people, so in the end, Qin Xiaoyou turned around to face Bai Yuxiao with a displeased expression.
Perhaps sensing Qin Xiaoyou's displeasure, Bai Yuxiao asked, "Xiaoyou, you seem to really not want to see me?"
Qin Xiaoyou thought to herself: Good thing you know, why don't you hurry up and leave? But she said aloud, "No, it's nothing, I'm fine."
Bai Yuxiao tapped his folding fan and said with a smile, "I also think you wouldn't. We haven't seen each other for so long. Even ordinary friends would miss each other."
"Hehe." Qin Xiaoyou forced a smile.
Bai Yuxiao suddenly stood up and walked to Qin Xiaoyou, asking with a hint of sadness, "Xiaoyou, why did you leave without saying goodbye?"
Qin Xiaoyou involuntarily took two steps back, swallowed hard, and said somewhat guiltily, "If you want to leave, then leave. We're all just people of the martial world, so there's no need for such formalities. There's no need for farewells."
"Really? Xiao You, do you really think it's unnecessary?" Bai Yuxiao asked as she approached, her eyes blazing with barely suppressed anger. "Do you really think it's unnecessary? Or do you just feel unwilling?"
Bai Yuxiao was so close that Qin Xiaoyou felt like she could hardly breathe. She couldn't help but complain angrily, "Why are you so tall? You're blocking all my air."
"Xiao You, what did you say?" Not hearing Qin Xiao You's soft muttering, Bai Yuxiao lowered his head.
With the person's nose practically right in front of her, the atmosphere was undeniably ambiguous. Qin Xiaoyou reached out and pushed the person back, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "I'm telling you, you're too close, I can't breathe!"
Bai Yuxiao touched his nose, took two steps back, and asked helplessly, "Is it okay now?"
Qin Xiaoyou quietly wiped the sweat from her palms on the hem of her clothes and nodded, "It's ready."
Bai Yuxiao continued, "So, can you answer my question now?"
Qin Xiaoyou feigned ignorance: "What's the problem?"
"Naturally, it's about why you left without saying goodbye." Bai Yuxiao barely suppressed the urge to explode.
"Oh, you mean this? First of all, your wording is wrong. What do you mean by leaving without saying goodbye? You're not even here. Even if I wanted to say goodbye, I wouldn't be able to find you, right? Besides, why should I have to say goodbye to you when I leave? Why should I tell you where I went?" Qin Xiaoyou hardened her heart and simply adopted a "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" attitude.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuxiao was stunned for a moment before saying with a wry smile, "You said it's none of my business where you're going?"