Aside from Qin Jiao, no one present knew that Wen Ying’s “taste test” was a step toward selling spicy crayfish!
As Li Mengjiao peeled shrimp, she asked Wen Ying why she wanted to set up a stall. Wen Ying gave her a look as if she were an idiot. “Of course it’s because I’m broke! Among all my friends, I’m the poorest. It’s fine for a short while, but over time, I’m afraid my mind might twist!”
Li Mengjiao nearly dropped her shrimp in shock.
“W-We don’t mind that at all…” she stammered, guiltily glancing at Wang Shuang.
Wang Shuang felt unjustly accused.
Xie Qian watched Wen Ying quietly, suspecting she’d blown her allowance hiring a private detective and now needed to earn money.
To hire more detectives?
No need—he could just share the intel he’d heard. She didn’t have to waste cash on useless investigators.
Qin Jiao held back for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Wen Ying, stop teasing them—they’ll take it seriously.”
In a few words, Qin Jiao explained Wen Ying’s “bet” with her parents, praising her courage. “You’re really brave. I’ve never earned a cent with my own hands in all my years.”
Her words struck Li Mengjiao and Wang Shuang like arrows to the knee.
Neither ever worried about pocket money.
Earning tuition? They’d never even considered it!
Xie Qian’s eyes flickered. He wanted to say something to Wen Ying, but with others around, he held back. His sharp mind quickly zeroed in on a key flaw in her bet. “Your parents won’t let you accept help from others. Where’s your starting capital coming from? Even if you have some savings, by their rules, that money isn’t yours either. If you use it to sell crayfish and profit, they could disqualify your success based on the source.”
Li Mengjiao couldn’t accept this. “No way! Wen Ying’s parents made this bet to train and test her, not to sabotage her. They wouldn’t be that strict!”
Wen Ying’s mood grew complicated.
She’d softened the story when telling Qin Jiao.
In truth, Xie Qian was right. Li Mengjiao and the others underestimated the bet’s gravity. With her mom Chen Ru’s personality, even if Wen Ying followed the terms and presented her earnings, Chen Ru would nitpick. Without finding flaws, she’d have to admit Wen Ying won—and lose her “authority” over her. No chance!
Was Xie Qian’s insight just his nature, or did he know something?
Sighing inwardly, Wen Ying smiled and explained, “To win, it has to be flawless. Xie Qian’s concern is valid. As for startup funds, I’ve got another plan—”
“Would you consider a partnership?” Xie Qian cut in.
Wang Shuang’s eyes lit up, seizing a chance to prove he no longer held a grudge. “Xie Qian’s right! Your spicy crayfish recipe is amazing. How about I invest? I’ve got nothing to do this summer—I’d love to join in!”
The more he thought about it, the better it sounded.
His dad always called him dim-witted.
Wang Shuang begged to differ.
Where was he not smart?
Once he made money and flaunted it to his dad, let’s see how he’d mock him then!
Wang Shuang’s enthusiasm sparked Li Mengjiao and Qin Jiao, who vied to be Wen Ying’s shareholders. Even Xie Qian seemed tempted.
Wen Ying didn’t agree immediately. “Let me think it over. I’ll check with my parents first. If you invest, they might see it as aid.”
“We can keep clear accounts!” Li Mengjiao huffed. “Profit is profit, loss is loss—plain as day! What, you think we’d use our money to rig your bet? Winning by cheating isn’t winning—I wouldn’t help you like that. That’d be looking down on you!”
Qin Jiao murmured, “Alright, pipe down. It’s Wen Ying’s bet and her business. Let her sort it out. We’ll wait for her answer.”
Wen Ying was deeply grateful for her four friends’ support, urging them to eat more shrimp. Twenty pounds of crayfish dwindled among them—Xie Qian took a portion to go, leaving just a bowl for Deng Shangwei. To start her business, she’d need to source crayfish from him, so she had to let him taste it to secure his help.
After seeing off Xie Qian and the others, Chen Li asked Wen Ying what inspired her to sell crayfish.
“Will people really buy this stuff? Chengdu’s nightlife has so many tasty options. What if you don’t earn anything and lose Xie Qian and Qin Jiao’s investment instead?”
If it were family money, Chen Li wouldn’t care—lose it, fine, as long as it didn’t affect Wen Ying’s studies. She’d let her tinker.
Oh, right—Wen Ying still had tutoring. Where’d she find time for this?
In her past life, Wen Ying had never done business.
Dating He Zhen, she’d picked up plenty of theory but never practiced it.
Smart entrepreneurs didn’t use their own money—they had a vision and skill, leveraging others’ funds to earn their own profits.
Of course, without enough clout, they risked being ousted by investors after the money rolled in.
Wen Ying wasn’t worried. She aimed for quick cash, not a lifelong crayfish empire. Besides, Qin Jiao, Xie Qian, and the rest wouldn’t turn on her over petty sums.
She wanted them as partners—working together would fast-track her bond with Xie Qian!
For that alone, she should take their “investment.”
She called Chen Ru, briefly outlining her plan and the hurdles ahead.
Chen Ru thought she was joking. “You? Start a business?”
“Besides business, I can’t think of a way to earn over ten thousand in two months. The bet’s fresh—I can’t just give up,” Wen Ying said earnestly.
Chen Ru sensed sarcasm, as if Wen Ying mocked her and Wen Dongrong. She sneered over the phone, “Asking our opinion? We’ve got none. But if you lose someone else’s money, your dad and I won’t cover it. You’re on your own!”
She figured this would scare Wen Ying off. Instead, Wen Ying chirped, “Thanks, Mom! I’ll try to keep them in the black!”
“…”
Chen Ru was speechless.
Hanging up, she fretted Wen Ying might wreak havoc in Chengdu. She resolved to visit that weekend—not just to treat Teacher Lin to dinner, but to rein Wen Ying in!
Amid her nerves, she puzzled: Wen Ying was shy. How long had she been in Chengdu to befriend a bunch of rich kids?
