Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window, a graceful figure was directing workers bustling about.
As if sensing the gaze from behind, the figure turned, flashed a smile, and came out to greet.
“Why are you only here now? You’re half an hour late!”
Su Yu’s opening words shattered all the pleasant daydreams Xu Fei had while standing outside.
“Well… traffic was a nightmare. Besides, the place isn’t even finished yet. Why the rush to drag me here?”
Xu Fei pointed at the workers still busy inside, but Su Yu brushed it off.
“Since you’ve accepted the invitation, no complaining. From now on, I’m the boss of this antique shop, and you’re the chief treasure appraiser!”
“Sounds fancy, but basically, I’m just working for you, eh? You’ve got some nerve!”
Sweet talk didn’t work on Xu Fei—he wasn’t some naive kid.
“You… this wasn’t my decision, it was my father’s! Besides, you don’t know the first thing about running a business!”
Truth be told, Xu Fei didn’t care about titles. He was just giving Su Yu a hard time to get back at her for waking him up that morning.
“Alright, cut to the chase. What do you need me for? I’ve got other things to do!”
Seeing Xu Fei’s seriousness, Su Yu pointed at the empty shopfront sign.
“Look, the antique shop’s about to open, but it doesn’t even have a proper name. Father’s washed his hands of it, so I’m stuck asking you…”
By the end, Su Yu’s voice trailed off, her earlier bravado completely gone.
Xu Fei chuckled lightly.
“That’s all? Easy. Since it’s an antique shop, it observes the ways of the world and appraises the vicissitudes of time. Let’s call it Guanhai Jian!”
Without waiting to see if Su Yu understood, Xu Fei pressed on.
“Is there anywhere in this shop to rest? I can’t just stand around following you all day.”
In truth, Xu Fei was looking for an excuse to slip away for a bit. To his surprise, Su Yu was prepared. She pointed to the stairs.
“Up on the second floor, there’s an office and a rest room. You can go catch a nap. I’ll call you when things are sorted down here.”
Xu Fei nodded and headed upstairs at once.
Once there, he glanced at the cozy bed in the rest room and felt a wave of drowsiness. He lay down, planning to nap for a bit.
Before dozing off, hoping to escape his current predicament, he sent a text to Bai Zhan.
“Mate, hurry up, I’m going mad here!”
With that, Xu Fei fell fast asleep.
He wasn’t sure how long he slept, but when he woke, he was startled by the commotion downstairs. It sounded like a bloody vegetable market.
Xu Fei hurried down, only to find a long queue snaking outside. Anyone unaware might’ve thought this was a shopping mall holding some big event.
After squeezing through the crowd with immense effort, Xu Fei found Su Yu at the back, looking frazzled and overwhelmed.
“What’s going on? Why’s it suddenly so packed?”
Su Yu shook her head at his question.
“You’re asking me? I should be asking you! Some shop manager you are, planning to sleep till the end of time, eh?”
“It’s opening day with big discounts, so the customers haven’t stopped coming. I’m knackered and haven’t even eaten!”
“But, luckily, our sales are decent. You’re up, so it’s your turn. This young lady’s off to grab some food!”
