Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Rent a Warehouse, Buy a Car

Talking was one thing. Seeing it with her own eyes was another.

Xiao Ying Chun hesitated on the phone. “Will it delay your business?”

“You’re my biggest client,” Dai Heng Xin said, laughter in his voice. “You’re my God. Serving God—what am I delaying?”

She couldn’t help laughing too. After all, she’d sold him several million worth of gold and silver ingots lately. If that didn’t make her a big client, what did?

They set a time to meet. Xiao Ying Chun put her things down and headed downstairs.

Not long after, Dai Heng Xin returned. His Mercedes-Benz pulled up in front of her shop, and the neighbors nearby stretched their necks to watch like they were at a street performance.

“Isn’t that Old Zhao’s grandson?”

“Looks like it…”

“He and Ying Chun girl—are they a thing?”

“Maybe…”

“I heard Old Zhao’s grandson has money.”

“No kidding. You think a Mercedes-Benz drives itself?”

Xiao Ying Chun had no idea she and Dai Heng Xin had already been turned into a full-blown romance in other people’s mouths.

Dai Heng Xin said his middle-school classmate worked in logistics warehousing. He planned to take her straight over and negotiate face-to-face.

Xiao Ying Chun thanked him. Then, unable to shake the fear from earlier, she asked, “Can you tell me what can be sold and what can’t? I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve sent myself behind bars.”

Dai Heng Xin understood at once—she’d been scared by what he said about that mother-of-pearl inlay piece.

He laughed, softer this time. “Relax. I won’t set you up.”

Then he added, steady and sincere, “Even if you bring me something that can’t be sold, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it and let you take it away.”

She nodded, still uneasy. “I believe you. But tell me anyway. I want to know where the boundaries are.”

So he did.

Things civilians could trade openly, he said, usually fell into two categories. One: items with clear family inheritance, proof they’d been passed down. Two: items bought through major auctions or brought back from overseas, with proper purchase certificates.

“Privately, plenty of people don’t care,” he admitted. “As long as you don’t get caught.”

“And if you do get caught,” he finished, “then it becomes a different story.”

As he spoke, he watched her through the rearview mirror. When he saw how serious she was, he added reassurance in a measured tone, keeping her from spiraling.

At first, the rules made Xiao Ying Chun feel lost. Then, once she truly understood them, she wasn’t afraid anymore.

Her gold and treasure were all in System Space. Who could search that?

If nobody found anything, then as long as she didn’t admit it, who could prove she had antiques of unknown origin?

She exhaled. The tension loosened.

Before long, the Mercedes-Benz rolled into a large compound. A short, chubby, tattooed bald man came out shirtless, grinning as if he’d been waiting all day for entertainment.

“Manager Dai!” he boomed. “Manager Dai, you’re here! Please, come in—”

Dai Heng Xin slapped the man’s greasy arm. “Put on a shirt. Can’t you see there’s a lady here?”

The tattooed man’s eyes immediately swept over Xiao Ying Chun. “Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law, hello!”

Xiao Ying Chun smiled, polite and mild. “Hello. I’m Boss Dai’s friend.”

“Sit, sit. I’ll go put on clothes.” The man disappeared inside, still chuckling.

Dai Heng Xin leaned closer and spoke under his breath. “That’s Feng Xiang Ning. Middle-school classmate. He’s loyal, but he’s a bit… lecherous.”

He glanced toward the doorway Feng had vanished through. “If he calls you my girlfriend, don’t deny it.”

Xiao Ying Chun blinked. “Why?”

“So he won’t harass you.”

She stared at him for a second, then nodded. “…Got it.”

Feng Xiang Ning returned quickly, now clothed, and launched into loud, friendly introductions. After a few superficial pleasantries, he got down to business.

“What do you need?”

Xiao Ying Chun’s requirements were simple: the location could be a bit out of the way, but not too far; she wanted a standalone warehouse, not too big; it needed to fit a car and hold two or three truckloads of goods.

Feng Xiang Ning grinned. “Easy. I’ve got three that match. Want to see them all and pick one?”

She and Dai Heng Xin followed him to look. In the end, she chose the warehouse on the edge of a neighboring village.

It looked like something the village had built: steel frame, tin roof, flat ground. Humidity-proof wooden racks lined the sides. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean enough. Near the gate was a small room that could serve as a security guard office—air conditioning installed, a bathroom attached.

Because of Dai Heng Xin, Feng Xiang Ning was generous. “Thirty thousand for the whole year. No deposit.”

Xiao Ying Chun agreed without bargaining and paid on the spot.

Feng Xiang Ning matched her decisiveness. He handed her the keys, then pointed at the single keychain. “It’s all on this. Lose it and you’re done. If you’re worried, change the lock.”

By the time the paperwork was finished and the contract signed, it was close to noon.

Feng Xiang Ning offered to treat them to lunch. Before Xiao Ying Chun could answer, Dai Heng Xin cut in. “No need. We’ve got things to handle.”

Once they left the warehouse, Xiao Ying Chun immediately placed online orders and had everything delivered there.

By the time she finished, they’d arrived at a buffet.

Dai Heng Xin listened as she talked about doing e-commerce, and a quiet astonishment stirred in him. She could casually pull out gold ingots worth millions—why would she bother with e-commerce?

But they weren’t close enough for that question, so he swallowed it.

Instead, Xiao Ying Chun asked, “I want to buy a car. Any suggestions?”

“Easy,” Dai Heng Xin said. “With your current assets, you can pick whatever you like. Brand? Budget?”

“About one hundred fifty thousand,” she said after a moment. “Bigger. Higher clearance.”

Dai Heng Xin paused, then said, “So… a domestic car?”

He recommended options, confirmed what she cared about, and in the end, Xiao Ying Chun chose a Mazda.

He couldn’t help asking, “Want something better?”

“No,” Xiao Ying Chun said simply. “I’m buying it because I need to run to the warehouse. Calling cars all the time is a hassle.”

Dai Heng Xin looked at her, genuinely surprised. Plenty of girls blew their credit on luxury goods for vanity. This one had just made over three million and picked a car in the low hundreds.

She really was different.

The buffet at the five-star hotel cost over two hundred a head, and Xiao Ying Chun ate like she hadn’t truly relaxed in days.

“This buffet is really good,” she sighed, patting her stomach.

“If you like it,” Dai Heng Xin said, testing the waters, “we can come again next time.”

Xiao Ying Chun smiled. “Sure. Next time I’ll treat.”

“…Okay,” he said, and this time the word landed heavier than it should have.

After the meal, Xiao Ying Chun moved fast. She had Dai Heng Xin take her to the dealership. By 2:30 in the afternoon, she was driving her new car out of the lot.

Outside the dealership, she waved brightly. “I’ve got urgent things the next two days. After I get through them, I’ll treat you to dinner.”

A brief, ridiculous flash crossed Dai Heng Xin’s mind—used and tossed aside.

Then he laughed at himself.

She was his biggest client. He’d accompanied her to buy a car, and that was trust. What was he doing, daydreaming about anything beyond that?