Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Partnering to Start a Company
Fu Chen An looked pleasantly surprised. “You can eat here too?”
Xiao Ying Chun grinned. “Why not?”
She grabbed self-heating rice and set out four boxes without hesitation.
Fish-fragrant shredded pork. Beef with bamboo shoots. Twice-cooked pork. Taiwan-style braised pork.
Fu Chen An had the kind of build that made you believe he could eat a mountain, so she prepared all four.
He watched, baffled, as she poured cold water into the heating chamber, tossed in a small packet, placed the sealed tray of rice on top, and snapped the lid shut.
Within moments, steam began curling from the seams.
A little later, Xiao Ying Chun opened it. The rice and dishes were hot, fragrant, and ready like magic.
“Try it,” she said, sliding one box toward him.
Fu Chen An hesitated, scooped up a bite, and tasted it.
His eyes widened.
He looked up at Xiao Ying Chun. She only nodded, amused.
That was all it took. Fu Chen An tore into the meal like he’d been starved for days.
When he finally looked up, Xiao Ying Chun had barely taken two or three bites of hers.
She pointed at the other boxes. “Those are all for you.”
Fu Chen An didn’t pretend to refuse. He devoured them one after another until there was nothing left but empty trays and steam-slick lids.
Afterward, they sat on small stools with drinks—Fu Chen An with a cola, Xiao Ying Chun with cool boiled water—and talked.
“Why does it heat up just by adding cold water?” Fu Chen An asked.
“You ever seen what happens when quicklime hits water?” she asked back.
Understanding flashed across his face, and then the questions came faster.
“But why does the rice cook so fast?”
“It was already cooked,” Xiao Ying Chun said. “It was dehydrated. Heating it back up is fast.”
“The dishes aren’t dry. How can they be stored like this? How long do they last?”
“Half a year or more. They’re vacuum-packed—no air inside. There might be preservatives too…”
“What’s a preservative?”
Xiao Ying Chun paused. “…I’ll explain as best I can.”
When she couldn’t explain something cleanly, she pulled out her phone and searched Bai Du.
Fu Chen An listened like a student at his first lesson, eyes bright, questions stacked on questions.
By the time Xiao Ying Chun checked the hour, it was after nine.
“It’s late,” she said. “Go back first. If you need anything else, come tomorrow.”
Fu Chen An stood, but his eyes kept drifting around the shelves like he didn’t want to leave.
The moment he saw the shop had been restocked, he made his choice.
He cleared the shelves again—snacks, drinks, daily goods—everything. Even the remaining self-heating rice went into his haul.
Fu Chen An tried to pay.
Xiao Ying Chun waved him off. “You already paid me too much before.”
Fu Chen An looked at her, steady and serious. “If it’s not enough, tell me. I won’t let you take a loss.”
Xiao Ying Chun nodded. “All right.”
She couldn’t help it—this kind of business was exhilarating. Mutual trust, massive profit, and no middleman skimming a margin.
After he left, she did the math. The goods had cost a little over 2.8 million, and even counting the money for the new car, she still had plenty left.
She finally slept deeply.
The next morning, she woke to a message from Dai Heng Xin.
He said he had something to discuss and asked whether she was free that morning.
After Dai Heng Xin went home yesterday, he’d talked with Dai Wang Nian about Xiao Ying Chun.
They’d both come to the same conclusion: Xiao Ying Chun might be acting as someone’s front.
Otherwise, how could the daughter of an ordinary shop owner disappear for one year and come back with that many high-value goods?
They wanted more. But they also worried those items might have a dirty origin—if anything went wrong, they could get dragged down with her.
Dai Heng Xin wanted to be direct.
Xiao Ying Chun didn’t refuse the meeting.
When it came to selling antiques, Dai Heng Xin was her only line.
They set a time and place. Xiao Ying Chun arrived early at KFC.
The morning crowd was light. They chose a quiet corner, and Dai Heng Xin spoke low.
“You still have a lot more to sell, don’t you?”
Xiao Ying Chun thought about her cash on hand—just a little over two hundred thousand now. If she wanted to keep supplying Fu Chen An, she’d need to sell more gold and silver ingots, or something else.
So she nodded.
Dai Heng Xin glanced around, then leaned in. “If you keep selling in bulk in this country, sooner or later you’ll have trouble. The authorities will come asking where your items came from.”
His gaze pinned her. “Can you explain it clearly?”
Xiao Ying Chun went still. Of course she couldn’t.
Her expression tightened. “So you won’t buy from me anymore?”
Dai Heng Xin waved a hand. “Short-term, it’s fine. But long-term… I’m nervous.”
Xiao Ying Chun watched him, waiting.
Dai Heng Xin finally said it. “How about we partner up and start an art auction company?”
He explained for a long time. An auction company could move items through official channels. It gave legitimacy, a paper trail, a clean way to sell.
“There’s another option,” he said. “Sell overseas.”
But then came the problem of getting the items out of the country.
Smuggling was illegal.
Listening to him, Xiao Ying Chun felt like a new door had cracked open in her mind. Overseas… yes.
Others couldn’t. But she could.
She had the Spacetime Supermarket system. If she stored antiques and cultural relics inside it, moving them was a different matter entirely.
Still, partnering with Dai Heng Xin to build a company also made sense.
Xiao Ying Chun considered for a moment, then spoke honestly. “First, I can’t run a company. Second, I don’t know what a company like that even requires. If we cooperate, how do we do it?”
Dai Heng Xin’s eyes lit up. “I’ll handle everything. You just provide the items.”
Then they discussed splitting profits.
“The auction proceeds, after the standard commission, go to you,” Dai Heng Xin said. “Same as any normal consignor. You get what you’re owed.”
“As for the auction company’s profits, we split by shares.”
Then he added, “If we want to grow, my foundation isn’t enough. We need to bring in one more person. Not for their money—more for their network, and the backing behind them.”
Xiao Ying Chun nodded. “Fine. But they have to be reliable.”
“No problem,” Dai Heng Xin said immediately.