"Stop fooling around."
Cheng Zhiwen pulled Shen Qing's hand away and got up to open the door.
Shen Qing followed.
It was a ship's steward who handed Cheng Zhiwen the invitation: "Mr. Cheng, a banquet will be held in the banquet hall at six o'clock tonight. We cordially invite you..."
Glancing at Shen Qing behind Cheng Zhiwen, she said, "We cordially invite you and your female companion to participate."
After saying this, he bowed respectfully to Cheng Zhiwen and left.
The door closed.
He casually placed the invitation on the dresser and returned to his previous position.
Shen Qing followed and asked, "So you really brought the machine that Schmidt made onto the ship?"
Cheng Zhiwen didn't answer, and picked up her coffee cup to continue drinking her coffee.
Shen Qing knew that there was no point in pressing him for answers, so she simply stopped asking and decided to wait until they reached the shore to find out the truth.
She sat down opposite him.
Outside the window, sunlight spills onto the blue sea, shimmering like the light emitted by countless diamonds.
Shen Qing rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window: "The ship has entered the East China Sea."
Cheng Zhiwen raised an eyebrow: "You know about the East China Sea?"
Shen Qing glanced at him and said smugly, "I not only know about the East China Sea, but I also know that this ship is traveling along the Suez Canal route, and that the Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea, which are both places where pirates are rampant, will pass through."
Cheng Zhiwen was surprised.
He knew she wasn't the original "Shen Qing," but he never expected her to know the flight path so well.
He wanted to know who she was, but there was no rush to ask; there was plenty of time.
He then asked, "Knowing that this voyage might be attacked by pirates, did you still dare to board the ship alone?"
Shen Qing laughed: "This is currently the only passenger route from Shanghai to the UK. If I don't board the ship, how can I go to Europe? If I don't go to Europe, what will happen to my business? Will I just work hard to develop it, only to have someone else reap the benefits?"
Cheng Zhiwen remained silent.
He didn't tell her again that she didn't have to work so hard, because he knew she would definitely scoff at it.
She was searching for a way to survive in the long run.
It's just that this method is a bit more arduous and dangerous than others.
"By the way, where is your room?" Shen Qing looked around. "Is it a suite like mine?"
He put down his coffee cup: "Almost."
Shen Qing nodded and got up to stretch his muscles.
She stood by the window, stretching out to look at the sea view outside.
After stretching his limbs, he felt much better and turned to sit back on the sofa.
Perhaps due to the caffeine, she felt a bit energized and her thoughts became clearer.
He said to Cheng Zhiwen, "It's almost May now, and the weather in England isn't so cool anymore. I've thought about it, and I think my first stop should still be Finland."
Finland is one of the countries within the Arctic Circle, and at this time of year it is much colder than the United Kingdom in Western Europe.
Shen Qing believes that the colder the place, the more you can feel the warmth of a down jacket.
Cheng Zhiwen, however, held a different opinion.
"Several Nordic countries, including Finland, do not have a complete trade chain or the ability to exchange bulk goods. By bypassing local traders in Western Europe, you can only go to small shop owners selling clothes one by one and ship small quantities of goods."
Shen Qing finally understood and continued, "Finding individual shop owners to ship goods will increase warehousing and labor costs."
Therefore, going to Western Europe to do business does not mean that down jackets are only sold in Western Europe, but rather that the goods are sold to the whole of Europe through Western European traders.
Shen Qing suddenly understood and continued, "As for the North American orders, all I need to do is find a few capable local clothing traders in the United States, and have them sell my down jackets to Canada and the United States?"
Cheng Zhiwen nodded with satisfaction: "You've finally figured it out."
Shen Qing felt much less stressed.
The original plan was to visit several European countries, but now it seems that only the UK needs to be visited.
If time permits, one can even take a ship from England across the Atlantic to New York, and finally return home from the United States.
Apart from the machine that Schmidt was using to blackmail him, Shen Qing felt that everything was ready.
If it is confirmed that there will be no problems with the subsequent mass production of the machine, then she can confidently place orders, taking as many as possible.
But now, Cheng Zhiwen is not telling her what happened to that machine.
Shen Qing looked at him resentfully, feigning grievance, and said, "The idea is wonderful, but without the machine, it's all just empty talk."
Seeing Cheng Zhiwen smile without saying a word, she kicked the table leg impatiently: "So, did you get that machine from Schmidt or not?"
But he accidentally kicked the toe of the person wearing only slippers, and immediately turned pale with pain, lifting the foot and blowing on it vigorously.
Cheng Zhiwen burst into laughter.
This was the first time Shen Qing had seen him smile so happily and easily. For a moment, she forgot that her toes still hurt and said, "This is the first time I've seen you so happy."
Having seen him looking so preoccupied in Jiangzhou and Shanghai, one can sense his current ease and comfort.
When you like someone, you become very sensitive to their emotions.
Take her for example, right now.
However, she wouldn't let Cheng Zhiwen know that she liked him.
She had been rejected by him and their engagement had been broken off. If he found out that she liked him, it would be too embarrassing!
No, we absolutely cannot leak this.
After rubbing his toes, Shen Qing stood up and adjusted his cloak.
Feigning nonchalance, she said, "Okay, you go back and rest. I want to sleep for a while. I just took a shower to rest."
Cheng Zhiwen stopped smiling, got up and walked to the drawer, picked up the invitation and opened it.
"The banquet is at six o'clock tonight," he said, looking at Shen Qing. "Will you come with me?"
"The person who sent the invitation asked you to bring a female companion, but I am not your female companion."
Cheng Zhiwen smiled, holding the invitation in one hand and tapping the corner of the invitation against the palm of her other hand. As she walked up to Shen Qing, she seemed to be thinking about something.
With one hand tucked behind his back, he extended the other hand to Shen Qing and said, "I don't have a female companion on the ship. May I invite you to be my companion?"
Shen Qing raised an eyebrow at him and said arrogantly, "What are the benefits of being your companion?"
He tapped the floor with his index finger: "Don't you want to know what I put underneath? Come with me to the banquet tonight, and I'll tell you."
Shen Qing was secretly delighted, but pretended not to buy it, and turned his head away with a "humph": "A businessman is a businessman. 'Exchange' is something he does with ease."
“Not willing? Then forget it.” He immediately stopped and turned to walk towards the door. “Oh right, I forgot to tell you, there are employees of the British East India Company on this ship.”
East India Company?
The trading company was appointed by the British Royal Family, and it dealt in cotton cloth, silk, and dyes.
If I can close the order for down jackets here, why would I need to go to England?
We'll be able to disembark in Guangzhou tomorrow!
Shen Qing's eyes lit up, and she immediately jogged over to Cheng Zhiwen.
Her slippers slipped, and she stumbled forward, about to fall headfirst to the ground. Instinctively, she reached out her arms and hugged the man's lean waist.
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