Qin Jiao’s question reminded Wen Ying of a meme from her past life.
“Yingying, how many more surprises do you have that I don’t know about?”
Wen Ying couldn’t help but shudder. She was just Wen Ying, not some master schemer. Apart from her rebirth secret, she hadn’t meant to hide her skills.
Truthfully, she hadn’t expected her first “venture” to go so smoothly.
She’d seized the opportunity of 2004, picked the right project, and found reliable “partners.” That’s how “King Prawn” got off the ground.
As for her past life’s actual job—would anyone even believe her if she told them?
Wen Ying insisted she’d just grabbed the agreement template online, looking defiant as if she’d never crack under Qin Jiao’s interrogation. Qin Jiao laughed. “Alright, you’re that impressive. As your friend, I’m only happy for you. Don’t be so nervous.”
The meat’s in the bun, not the folds. Whatever skills Wen Ying still hid, she’d reveal them in time. Qin Jiao wasn’t in a rush.
Tang Yifeng pressed Wen Ying, “What about the storefront? Are we still renting?”
Wen Ying nodded. “Of course we are. From what Brother Liu said, he’s not competing for it anymore. Without him driving up the price, we’ll squeeze the water out of Old Hou’s transfer fee!”
She was willing to pay a transfer fee, but it had to be reasonable.
Old Hou’s pile of junk wasn’t worth 40,000!
“King Prawn” was selling over 300 jin of braised prawns daily, which sounded profitable. They’d hired help to clean the prawns, but at the start, Wang Shuang had washed every single one. Even a rich girl like Qin Jiao had washed dishes. They’d all earned their money the hard way. Now that they were making a bit, they weren’t about to get cocky.
Tang Yifeng and Geng Xiao suggested they negotiate with Old Hou.
Wen Ying thought there was no need to rush.
“Wait for Old Hou to come to us. Then you two step in—it’ll be easier to haggle!”
With Da Liu out, someone else would want the place.
Director Lü had tipped them off about the shop. Someone as sharp as Da Liu would surely spread the word about Old Hou’s transfer after today. If another night market boss wanted it, they’d have to consider Director Lü’s feelings.
Wen Ying’s real competition was someone outside the night market.
50,000 rent plus 40,000 transfer fee—forking out 90,000 upfront wasn’t something many could afford.
Her logic was sound, but just a day later, Old Hou didn’t come begging to lower the price. Instead, Da Liu rushed to tip Wen Ying off. “Old Hou’s shop’s been rented. The 40,000 transfer fee didn’t drop a cent. He took the money and cleared out the second floor overnight!”
Wen Ying was stunned and frustrated.
“Who rented it? That loaded, not even bargaining?”
Da Liu hadn’t expected it either.
Old Hou had bypassed the street office entirely. Director Lü was quite embarrassed when he heard.
Wen Ying took her crew to see the new boss of Old Hou’s shop. When she did, her jaw nearly hit the floor.
The sucker who paid 40,000 was none other than her uncle, Shu Guobing!
Shu Guobing was dressed in new clothes, hair neatly combed, sporting a new watch and holding a sleek Motorola phone, mid-call.
Wen Ying stopped dead.
Qin Jiao asked what was wrong.
“That’s my uncle. He doesn’t get along with my other uncle, and I’m not fond of him either.”
Wen Ying didn’t want to face him but was genuinely curious.
She knew Shu Guobing had been backed by someone influential and came to Chengdu for business.
She also knew he was setting up a seafood business with a shop lined up in Qingshiqiao. Why was he now at the night market?
Wang Shuang told Wen Ying and Qin Jiao to head back. He and Da Liu went to cozy up to Shu Guobing.
Shu Guobing couldn’t keep a secret. After Da Liu offered a cigarette and some flattery, he started bragging about his business savvy.
“He said he’s prepping a seafood wholesale shop in Qingshiqiao, opening soon. The food festival was buzzing, so he thought of starting a seafood diner to complement it. With his own shop, ingredients are at wholesale prices—he can’t lose!”
Wang Shuang thought Shu Guobing’s logic made sense.
With that kind of brain, it’d be hard not to make money!
But considering he was Wen Ying’s uncle, Wang Shuang wasn’t shocked.
Wen Ying was sharp, so it wasn’t odd her relatives had some hustle.
It just felt too coincidental.
“Who’d have thought? A flood washed out the dragon king’s temple. Your uncle rented the shop we wanted. He and Old Hou signed the transfer contract. Today, he brought people to toss out Old Hou’s junk and start renovations. He’s opening a seafood diner—wonder if he’ll sell prawns.”
Wen Ying’s brows furrowed.
She wasn’t sure if others would sell prawns.
But if it was Shu Guobing’s shop, he wouldn’t know the meaning of “restraint.”
Was it really a coincidence?
Shu Guobing, backed by some big shot, came to Chengdu to do seafood, targeting her uncle Deng Shangwei. He’d always wanted to one-up him.
Before the seafood shop was even running, Shu Guobing was now planning a diner to complement it.
The idea was solid—controlling both cheap supply and retail, bypassing middlemen profits. His shop would have steady output, and the diner could draw customers with lower prices. If Shu Guobing had this kind of mind, he’d have struck it rich in both lifetimes!
Deng Shangwei was in Qingshiqiao, so Shu Guobing went there.
Wen Ying was in the night market, so Shu Guobing showed up here.
Wen Ying wanted to scoff.
Never mind why Shu Guobing had caught someone’s eye, but his two ventures seemed aimed at making life hard for Deng Shangwei and her!
Noticing Wen Ying’s expression shift, Wang Shuang quieted down.
Wen Ying saw no need to cover for Shu Guobing and explained the feud briefly. “…So, his seafood diner will definitely compete with ‘King Prawn.’ Here’s the issue: my uncle’s easy to read, but the boss behind him’s got real clout. They’ve got more cash than us—we have to be careful.”
A seafood diner wouldn’t just sell seafood—it’d have prawns too.
Like “King Prawn” wouldn’t stick to prawns alone. Dishes like chilled clams or spicy crab were in the works—Wen Ying was already planning the menu.
That meant Shu Guobing’s diner and “King Prawn” would overlap, and they’d compete.
Backed by his patron, Shu Guobing didn’t blink at the 40,000 transfer fee, snatching the shop Wen Ying wanted. With deep pockets, he’d start renovating soon. “King Prawn” was already a step behind.
Her worries amused Wang Shuang and the others.
What was she thinking?
What’s this about more cash than “King Prawn”?
Wang Shuang already owed his dad 50,000. A few more debts didn’t faze him—he could borrow another 50,000, or even 100,000.
The real question was whether Wen Ying’s uncle came to the night market to make money or just to mess with her!
