With her innocent, sweet-looking face, Wen Ying always asked the sharpest questions. That was pure Wen Ying!
Hang Xiaowen had a strong mental fortitude. Even under Wen Ying’s piercing interrogation, she stayed calm. “I didn’t put in money. I joined with technical shares.”
Technical shares?
Before Wang Shuang could explain, the boy sitting opposite Wen Ying jumped in enthusiastically. “Senior Sister Hang is a fashion design major. She’s in charge of product selection for us. This part is super important. Once we scale up, we still want to launch our own original designs.”
The boy’s eyes sparkled when he said this.
It was good for young people to have dreams, and Wen Ying had no intention of crushing them.
Her focus stayed locked on Hang Xiaowen. “Oh, so Senior Sister Hang studied design. I wonder which design awards Senior Sister has won?”
Hang Xiaowen had already sensed Wen Ying’s hostility.
Looking sweet and harmless didn’t mean she actually was.
Hang Xiaowen chose her words carefully. “Of course I’ve won some awards, though people outside the professional field might not have heard of them—”
“That just means the awards aren’t prestigious enough.”
Wen Ying smiled as she cut in smoothly. Hang Xiaowen finally started losing her composure. “Maybe I’m not talented enough yet. I hope to win major ones in the future. But we’re just a startup team. Growing together through the entrepreneurial journey is the most valuable experience, don’t you think?”
Not winning major professional awards didn’t matter. She’d only joined a small team. Her current level was more than enough.
Wen Ying heard the subtext loud and clear.
She didn’t argue with Hang Xiaowen. She only cared where Wang Shuang’s startup money was going.
“Mostly venue rent and labour costs, plus a portion for marketing.”
Wang Shuang gave Wen Ying a detailed breakdown.
Including himself, the startup had seven people in total.
Wang Shuang was the investor and largest shareholder with 60%. Hang Xiaowen was the second-largest at 20%. The remaining five people split the last 20%.
From what Wang Shuang described, everyone had clear responsibilities. No one was just collecting shares and salary for nothing.
Yet no matter how Wen Ying listened, she couldn’t see what, besides Wang Shuang, any of them had contributed that justified technical shares.
The work they did could be done by anyone hired for the job. Why were they getting both monthly salaries and equity?
Afraid she might be judging Hang Xiaowen unfairly, Wen Ying carefully examined the product catalogue Wang Shuang had brought. He had photographed all their styles, which was indeed necessary for e-commerce. Probably to save costs, Hang Xiaowen modelled every single piece.
To be fair, Hang Xiaowen had a good image and decent taste. The styles she chose were acceptable, even to Wen Ying.
But the pricing made Wen Ying’s mouth twitch.
“Who set the prices?”
Wang Shuang glanced at Hang Xiaowen. The smile on Hang Xiaowen’s face looked strained. “I made the initial suggestion. Then we all discussed and agreed unanimously. E-commerce platforms are flooded with low-quality junk right now. For long-term development, we should take the premium quality route.”
Again, Hang Xiaowen decided.
So whose startup was this exactly, Hang Xiaowen’s or Wang Shuang’s?
Wen Ying was exasperated with Wang Shuang for being so spineless. She closed the catalogue and asked, “How much money do you want me to invest?”
Only now did Wang Shuang belatedly realise Wen Ying seemed to dislike Hang Xiaowen.
It made his heart pound.
He had come to Shanghai alone for university, without his usual childhood friends, so of course he made new ones.
He and Hang Xiaowen had grown close through the startup. She was definitely a friend. But comparing Hang Xiaowen to Wen Ying… come on. Hang Xiaowen was a friend. Wen Ying was a ride-or-die friend!
When your ride-or-die friend dislikes another friend, the problem is never the ride-or-die. Wang Shuang began doubting his own judgment. His confidence in asking for money faltered. “…How much could you invest?”
Wen Ying smiled. “I’ll need to think about it. Let’s eat first.”
Wen Ying didn’t flip the table on the spot?
Wang Shuang let out a quiet breath of relief. “Great, great. Let’s eat. These are all dishes you like.”
During the meal, Wen Ying dropped all sharpness. She even praised Wang Shuang for choosing a good restaurant and said the food tasted excellent!
Yet while she ate with obvious enjoyment, the other three, including Wang Shuang, were each lost in their own thoughts.
The boy tried to speak several times, only to be silently stopped by Hang Xiaowen’s glances.
Wen Ying pretended not to notice their eye-contact battle. After finishing, she directly asked Wang Shuang to drive her back to the hotel.
Wang Shuang dutifully held the umbrella for Wen Ying again. Hang Xiaowen fell into thought.
The boy sighed in admiration. “I never imagined Wang Shuang’s friend would be such a big deal, the hottest bestselling author right now! She’s definitely not short of money. If she invests, a few hundred thousand would be nothing to her.”
During the meal, Wen Ying had indeed acted a bit arrogant.
But the boy didn’t mind.
First, her fame spoke for itself. Second, they needed something from her. A little attitude was normal.
Only because of their friendship could Wang Shuang even ask Wen Ying for money. If an ordinary university student tried, she probably wouldn’t even glance at them!
Hang Xiaowen was less optimistic than her companion and voiced her worry. “Of course she can easily throw out a few hundred thousand. Being able to and being willing to are two different things. I’m afraid she won’t want to.”
The boy refused to believe it. “No way. Wang Shuang seemed really confident!”
…
Hang Xiaowen did have some judgement after all.
In the taxi, Wen Ying held back from talking money. The moment they got out, she dropped all pretence and rejected Wang Shuang outright. “I have money, but I’m not investing in you.”
Wang Shuang had already half-expected this.
Swallowing his disappointment, he wanted clarity. “Is it because of Senior Sister Hang and the others? You don’t think they’re good startup partners?”
Wen Ying looked at him like he was an idiot.
“Are you stupid or what? I don’t even know them. Whether they’re good or bad has nothing to do with me. I only know you. You say this is your startup, but I don’t think it is… When you finally figure that out, come find me again!”
Wen Ying issued her eviction order.
When Wang Shuang left, his head was lowered, looking utterly pitiful.
Wen Ying hardened her heart and didn’t call him back.
Wang Shuang had already grown a lot. In the past, his family always had his back. Even when running “Prawn King,” he was more executor than decision-maker. This e-commerce venture was different from interning at Tianjiao. This would be Wang Shuang’s true transformation.
It was time for him to transform.
Otherwise, the gap between him and Li Mengjiao would only grow.
Just like Wen Ying, Li Mengjiao had been held back by being a high school student. Now that the college entrance exam was over, Li Mengjiao’s star career was about to take off.
If Wang Shuang didn’t change drastically, this pair of childhood sweethearts, always bickering yet inseparable, was doomed to have no happy ending.
Wen Ying told no one about Wang Shuang asking for investment, except Xie Qian.
“Don’t feel bad for him. You’re genuinely trying to help. If he feels upset, tell him to come ask me for investment.”
Xie Qian’s words carried a slight chill.
Wen Ying couldn’t help laughing. As if Wang Shuang would dare ask Xie Qian for money. He’d probably leave empty-handed and come home with a stack of “homework.”
Even though Xie Qian no longer handed out test papers, there were plenty of books in the field. Wen Ying was certain Wang Shuang would never walk away empty-handed!
