A car passed by Wen Ying discreetly.
The windows were tinted, so she didn’t see Xie Qian inside.
She was busy twisting Deng Shangwei’s arm, playfully pouting.
Deng Shangwei’s head ached from her antics, “The night market’s so hectic, why do you want to tag along?”
“It’s exactly because it’s busy that I need to go! I can’t just take a salary and not work, right?”
Wen Ying was adamant about joining, and Deng Shangwei nearly blurted out that he’d be fine with her taking the pay and staying home—anything was better than this.
Tonight, Deng Shangwei’s company was expecting a large shipment of seafood via air freight.
He was no longer just a small stall owner at the Qingshiqiao Seafood Wholesale Market. Though he still kept his old shop there, and it continued raking in profits for him daily.
Now, alongside a few other seafood bosses, Deng Shangwei had tapped into air freight channels, nearly monopolising Rongcheng’s seafood market.
Hotels and restaurants sourced from the Qingshiqiao market, and the stall owners there got their goods from Deng Shangwei and his partners.
The wholesale price fluctuations in Rongcheng’s seafood trade were swayed by their influence.
Of course, Deng Shangwei only held a small share, the bigger bosses were the ones letting him tag along to make some modest profits.
He wasn’t yet powerful enough to dominate Rongcheng’s seafood scene, but compared to the average Qingshiqiao stall owner, he’d climbed a rung higher.
Those stall owners were snakes, he was starting to turn into a flood dragon, though he was still far from becoming a true dragon!
Glancing at his watch, Deng Shangwei gave in.
“Fine, fine, get in the car quick, I can’t win with you.”
Wen Ying grinned cheekily, “Uncle loves me the most.”
She hopped into Deng Shangwei’s old Santana, buckling up seriously. Deng Shangwei joked that the car wasn’t as nice as Chen Li’s, hoping “Secretary Wen” wouldn’t mind.
“Uncle, I don’t think this car’s bad at all, I just see how amazing you are. You went from a fishmonger to a boss, made tons of money, kept driving this old car yourself but bought Auntie a new one—your heart and magnanimity aren’t something most men can match, you’re my idol!”
Wen Ying’s flattery left Deng Shangwei dizzy.
He thought, though she was young, Wen Ying saw through things better than his buddies.
Those friends mocked him for driving an old car, calling him henpecked—none of them had his breadth of spirit!
A woman willing to marry a poor man, endure hardships with him, build something from scratch—then when he strikes it rich, he dolls himself up to fool around, leaving his wife at home neglected, not henpecked but hardly a good guy!
Seeing Wen Ying’s mature perspective, Deng Shangwei dropped the joking tone and started talking business.
His seafood company was small, with just over ten employees. Wen Ying could tag along to the office, ask the staff if she didn’t understand something, and handle minor tasks within her ability. His only rule was: don’t make things worse.
“Uncle, I’ve got it all memorised!”
Deng Shangwei didn’t say more, driving straight to the airport with Wen Ying in tow.
Tonight’s shipment was massive, not only was Deng Shangwei going himself, but even bosses bigger than him were showing up to oversee it.
Seafood was lucrative but gruelling.
One slip-up, and the goods hauled from afar could have issues.
Subpar quality was minor, spoiled frozen stock sold off could sicken people. Forget conscience, if the health or commerce bureaus traced it back, the company would be in deep trouble.
Fines were one thing, a ruined reputation was worse.
By the time Deng Shangwei and Wen Ying reached the airport, it was 7 PM. Deng Shangwei strode briskly, Wen Ying jogging to keep up.
Two other bosses were expecting cargo on the same flight, and two of Deng Shangwei’s employees were already there, greeting him as “Boss Deng.”
Deng Shangwei nodded, “This is my niece, Wen Ying, still a student, she’s here to work a summer job at the company, show her the ropes.”
The boss’s niece—practically royalty at the company. The two employees were warm and welcoming.
Wen Ying, a seasoned soul in a young body, turned on the charm, calling them “big brother” left and right. In just ten minutes, she’d won them over.
Not in a flirty way—these were family men, and Wen Ying was a fresh-faced student, they weren’t that depraved.
They just liked her sweet tongue and easygoing vibe, nothing like a spoiled princess, she seemed easy to get along with.
For the next two-plus months, working with her wouldn’t be a chore!
A few minutes later, someone shouted, “Cargo’s here!” Deng Shangwei wiped sweat from his brow, “Is the truck ready?”
“Boss Deng, it’s waiting.”
“Good, good, get people moving the goods quick.”
He wasn’t flustered, just urgent—seafood was delicate, the faster it got back, the fresher it stayed. From the airport to Qingshiqiao, it’d hit the market by 3 or 4 AM when restaurant buyers showed up. His batch needed sorting and wholesaling to the stalls before then.
Wen Ying trailed behind Deng Shangwei.
Her original goal was to keep an eye on him, infiltrate his business and social circles, and root out the rats threatening his marriage. But since she was here, just watching would be a waste of time—she needed to get involved.
Without understanding his business, she couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
Only by finding the root could she prevent trouble, otherwise, even if she saved Deng Shangwei and Chen Li’s marriage this time, those people might try something else later—then it’d be impossible to guard against.
If she didn’t grasp the business, her words wouldn’t hit the mark, why would Deng Shangwei heed a teenager’s “advice”?
Some things she could get her way with a bit of charm.
Business matters weren’t solved by pouting.
If Deng Shangwei lacked his own judgment, he’d never have risen from fishmonger to wholesaler!
Wen Ying observed keenly, memorised everything, noting the process of receiving and inspecting goods. If she didn’t understand, she asked. The two employees didn’t hold back, and in just one night, she learned a ton.
By the time the cargo was hauled back to Qingshiqiao, sorted, and wholesaled out, it was 1 AM.
Deng Shangwei finally caught a breather, asking Wen Ying if she was tired.
She shook her head, “Uncle, you’re the one working hardest, once I get the hang of it, I can help you out.”
He didn’t take her seriously.
Get the hang of it?
The seafood trade was deep waters, no one claimed to master it without years of experience.
Just then, the two bosses from the airport, done with their work, strolled over from the other end of the market to greet Deng Shangwei, “Little Deng, this your niece? She’s here in Rongcheng, so your wife must be back too, huh? Let’s go, drinks tonight, no excuses about staying home with the kid!”
One of them winked at Deng Shangwei, as if there was something he couldn’t say in front of Wen Ying.
Wen Ying’s lungs nearly burst with rage.
So these were Deng Shangwei’s lousy friends?!
