Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Demolition Might Be Coming
The meal went well. Everyone left the table in high spirits.
Compared to last time, He Liang Cong treated Xiao Ying Chun differently. He’d quietly raised her status—this time she was a true partner, not just a pretty young lady he could flirt with.
His words carried real respect now.
Dai Heng Xin walked them through the auction plan. “First auction is set for half a month from now. The venue is locked in. I hired a wedding-planning company for the setup and reception staff—Xiao Mei is following up.”
“The auction company needs an auctioneer. I contacted a top domestic auctioneer—she agreed to come for one day.”
“As for security, I found a friend’s security company. He’s ex-military. The security staff are all retired special forces soldiers. Trustworthy.”
He went on, listing details in a steady stream. The more he said, the more Xiao Ying Chun felt a prick of guilt.
“With all this,” she asked, “won’t it affect your pawnshop business?”
Dai Heng Xin laughed. “Affect what? I’m making calls. I’m not doing every task myself.”
Then he added, as if remembering mid-sentence, “We still need someone for daily errands. Xiao Mei is a distant relative. She’s careful, so I put her in charge of the small tasks. Her salary comes out of my dividends—it won’t increase company expenses.”
“No,” Xiao Ying Chun said immediately.
Dai Heng Xin blinked.
She leaned forward, firm. “Her salary should come from the company account. We might be small right now, but we can afford to hire one person. You don’t need to cover it yourself.”
He Liang Cong nodded hard. “Right, right. All expenses go through the company. If it really comes down to it, it comes out of my account.”
He waved a hand like it was nothing. “A small young lady’s salary? I spend more than that opening one bottle of wine—”
Dai Heng Xin shot him a look sharp enough to cut. “Enough.”
He Liang Cong grinned, unbothered.
Dai Heng Xin exhaled and relented. “Fine. Salary goes through the company. Four thousand a month. Benefits will be handled through Xin Long Pawnshop so we don’t double-pay.”
Then he looked at He Liang Cong again. “And stop trying to annoy people with your spendthrift act.”
All three of them laughed.
The dishes arrived—and Xiao Ying Chun’s eyes widened.
Lobster fried rice. Caviar with razor clams. Scallion-braised sea cucumber. A full table of seafood.
He Liang Cong practically shone with enthusiasm. “Sister, try this. I had Boss prepare it specially. Tell me how it tastes.”
It was delicious. There was no denying it. But Xiao Ying Chun couldn’t help thinking how much this meal must cost—easily several thousand.
Only a young master like He Liang Cong would eat like this without blinking.
Dai Heng Xin glanced at him. “I’m treating today. Don’t fight me.”
He Liang Cong looked offended. “Old Dai, don’t be like that. This is a restaurant I invested in. How could I let you two pay?”
Dai Heng Xin didn’t hesitate. “Then I won’t come here anymore.”
“I won’t either,” Xiao Ying Chun added, smiling.
He Liang Cong stared at them. “Hey—don’t team up like that. What, you two are family now?”
Dai Heng Xin said, “Don’t talk nonsense,” but his eyes were smiling.
Xiao Ying Chun’s smile faded into something more serious. “This company belongs to the three of us. It can’t always be you two paying.” She set her chopsticks down. “How about this—if it’s the three of us eating together, we either pay from the company account, or we take turns treating.”
“And if you refuse to let me pay,” she added, calm as a blade, “then next time you invite me, we’ll all go eat rice noodles or fast food.”
Dai Heng Xin and He Liang Cong both froze.
They exchanged a look.
Dai Heng Xin spoke first. “Then we take turns. Last time Young Master He treated. This time I treat. Next time you treat. Fair?”
Xiao Ying Chun nodded. “Fair.”
And with that settled, they ate happily.
After Xiao Ying Chun left, He Liang Cong leaned back and let out a low, impressed breath. “Old Dai, I get it now. This sister looks easygoing, but she’s got a spine. Not easy to chase.”
Dai Heng Xin’s gaze lingered on the empty seat she’d left behind. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “She’s… special.”
He Liang Cong patted his shoulder, theatrical sympathy in the gesture. “Brother, if you want her, you’ve got a long road ahead.”
Dai Heng Xin frowned. “What are you talking about?”
He Liang Cong’s tone turned serious. “You didn’t notice? She keeps distance from both of us. You think that’s normal?”
Dai Heng Xin hesitated. “Isn’t it normal when a girl doesn’t know a guy well?”
He Liang Cong snorted and flicked his hand. “Normal? Please. I could drive my Porsche around the block and pick up a girl in minutes.”
“Afterward I might not even know the girl’s name.”
Dai Heng Xin stared at him. “That’s a gold digger.”
“Eldest brother, don’t say that,” He Liang Cong protested. “Not everyone who gets in my car is a gold digger. There are all kinds.”
Dai Heng Xin rubbed his forehead. “Fine. You’re experienced. But she’s different.”
“That’s exactly my point,” He Liang Cong said. “It won’t be easy for you to—”
“To what?” Dai Heng Xin cut in sharply. “Don’t talk like that. I’m serious. I’m aiming for marriage.”
He Liang Cong laughed once, short and cruel. “Marriage? Then tell me—can you get past your parents?”
Dai Heng Xin went silent.
He left with a dark look, clearly annoyed.
He Liang Cong stared after him for two seconds, then suddenly jolted. “Wait—if you two actually end up together, doesn’t that make me the outsider?”
“Old Dai! Old Dai! Wait for me!”
Back home, Xiao Ying Chun opened the front and back doors as usual and sat behind the counter to watch the shop.
Business was slow. But neighbors came in waves, all asking how the hearing had gone.
Xiao Ying Chun told them what happened, smiling through it. The neighbors sighed, cursed Ge Chun Yu under their breath, sympathized with Xiao Ying Chun, and praised her for doing more than enough for her relatives.
Ye Yu Bin, after listening, finally relaxed. He hesitated for a long moment, then leaned in and lowered his voice.
“I heard this area is being prepared for demolition,” he said. “It’s best you ended things with them for a few tens of thousands and signed a mutual agreement—no future property disputes.”
“Otherwise they’ll come make trouble when the money’s on the line.”
Xiao Ying Chun’s stomach dropped. “What?”
Ye Yu Bin glanced around quickly. “Just keep it to yourself. Don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t,” Xiao Ying Chun said at once, forcing down the sudden panic. “I won’t say a word.”
Only then did Ye Yu Bin shuffle away in his slippers.
Xiao Ying Chun sat behind the counter, hands cold.
She didn’t care about demolition money. She didn’t even fear Ge Chun Yu’s side making trouble. What scared her was something else entirely.
If demolition came, what would happen to Spacetime Supermarket?
Could Spacetime Supermarket be moved?
If it couldn’t—and she refused demolition—would they force it anyway?
She’d become a holdout. A nail house.
Would everyone think she was stupid?