It really is a gun.
Cheng Zhiwen was carrying a pistol.
Shen Qing felt a surge of security and moved closer to him, lowering her voice: "With this, I'm not afraid of anything."
A faint scent of perfume wafted into Cheng Zhiwen's nostrils and into his brain. His mouth went dry, and he closed his eyes, suppressing his urge to say, "I won't help you unless you tell me what you want to do."
Shen Qing took a deep breath.
I knew Cheng Zhiwen was stubborn and unyielding, but I didn't know she was this difficult to deal with.
She took a step back, distancing herself from Cheng Zhiwen, and resumed her businesslike demeanor: "I want to make rayon, which requires 50,000 taels of silver, so I can't sell my silk at a low price. I have a way; you just need to help me book a room. After it's done, I'll definitely give you a reward."
She didn't utter a word about her family or her own predicament, adjusted her shawl, and walked towards the banquet hall.
Shortly after everyone was seated, Cheng Zhiwen followed them over: "Mr. Shen and I have a room upstairs to entertain you all. Please come with me."
When the foreign businessmen heard that they were to discuss business in the room, they all had ambiguous expressions on their faces. Several of them, who were lusting after Shen Qing's beauty, even looked at her with ill intent again.
Shen Qing noticed this and suppressed her emotions.
Second floor guest rooms.
Shen Qing opened the suitcase, took out several sets of pajamas made of Gao family silk, and had the foreign merchants change into them. Then, together with Cheng Zhiwen, they put the silk pajamas on the bedding.
Cheng Zhiwen immediately understood her intention and invited the foreign businessman to lie down on the bed to experience it.
Someone lay down first, pulled the blanket over themselves, and immediately exclaimed in English, "This feeling is amazing! I feel like I'm back in my mother's arms!"
Seeing this, the others went up and tried it out one by one, and were all very satisfied.
Some people had already sensed the business opportunity and rushed to ask Shen Qing how much stock he had on hand.
Shen Qing, through Cheng Zhiwen, indicated: "All 1,500-plus horses must be sold."
They started making offers, only willing to give Shen Qing 20,000 taels.
Shen Qingquan understood, and without waiting for Cheng Zhiwen to translate, he held up four fingers to the crowd: "A bolt of silk, regardless of pattern, costs forty taels of silver, no bargaining."
Cheng Zhiwen glanced at her and relayed the message to everyone.
Upon hearing that she wanted 60,000 taels, the group slashed the price down to 15,000 taels.
The price was five thousand taels lower than the first offer.
It had a strong threatening connotation towards Shen Qing.
Shen Qing understood. Without saying a word, he immediately closed the suitcase and prepared to leave the room.
It's not a business that's rushed.
If these people don't know the value of something, just replace them with another batch.
As the person walked to the door and placed their hand on the brass lock, an extremely arrogant voice suddenly came from behind:
“Our country has the world’s finest silk and tailoring, and we can make pajamas and bedding like these. We don’t necessarily have to buy them from Mr. Shen. Although Mr. Shen gave us a very good experience, it’s not worth tens of thousands of taels of silver.”
He spoke in English, which Shen Qingquan understood.
She clenched her fists.
They're all thieves!
History books weren't wrong; these people were all thieves! They only wanted to steal the best things from this country at the lowest possible price! They even resorted to robbery!
She gritted her teeth, and without waiting for Cheng Zhiwen to translate, turned around, raised an eyebrow, slightly lifted her chin, and glanced at everyone, saying in fluent English:
"You have stolen my design, but you can't get the silk of the same quality in your country."
Although you stole my design, you can't get silk of this quality in your country.
After saying that, she quickly turned around, unscrewed the brass ball lock, straightened her back, and left the scene.
Just as she rounded the corner of the stairs, her arm was grabbed. She knew it was Cheng Zhiwen, but without looking at him, she shook off his arm and quickly walked toward her room.
Cheng Zhiwen followed her into the room.
The door was locked, and only then did her heart, still pounding with fear, return to its normal state. She collapsed to the floor, completely limp.
She had just called those people thieves in a fit of emotion, and regretted it as soon as she left the room.
There were only two of them, Cheng Zhiwen and herself. Although Cheng Zhiwen had a gun, if she fired it, they would both be in trouble...
"You can speak English?" Cheng Zhiwen asked in the darkness, her tone ambiguous.
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze, stood up with her hand on the door panel, and turned on the light.
Under the warm yellow light, her face was pale and her eyes were unfocused. She put the suitcase by the door and awkwardly touched the tip of her nose with her hand: "My husband taught me a little."
Cheng Zhiwen didn't say anything, but she could still feel his suspicious gaze, like a high-temperature ray that wanted to burn through all her protective shell.
She couldn't let him know that the original Shen Qing was dead, and that the Shen Qing in front of him was someone who had traveled from the future.
These things are unclear and cannot be explained.
Cheng Zhiwen's suspicious gaze was still fixed on her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable, so she simply hid in the bathroom.
She stared blankly at herself in the mirror, noticing the fur shawl askew around her neck. Suddenly, she felt a surge of irritation, yanked it off, and the fur shawl fell into the trash can.
The shoulder blades, which had been covered all night, were now exposed to the air.
In the dim light, her fair and delicate skin clung tightly to her slender shoulder blades, and her prominent collarbones shone with a luminous glow; two thin silk shoulder straps hung gently above her.
Shen Qing suddenly felt disgusted with her outfit and even more disgusted with her own charming and shrewd demeanor. She forcefully pulled over the tissue paper next to her, pressed it hard against her lips, and rubbed the lipstick off completely, leaving her lips bloodless.
She washed her face, opened the door, and went out.
Cheng Zhiwen was standing by the window. Hearing the sound, she turned around and looked at her. Their eyes met in the air.
She noticed a hidden amazement in his complex gaze, and she was the first to look away, sitting blankly on the sofa, staring into the void.
The circle of foreigners in Shanghai is only so big. Now her reputation is ruined, and she probably won't be able to sell her inventory. What will she use to make rayon?
How will they earn money to pay off their debts?
The memory of the county jail cell and the boards, and the thugs' feet stomping on her stomach, made her tremble uncontrollably.
Fear and anxiety caused her heart to ache, making her restless and unable to sit still.
She hugged her bare arms tightly, trying to give herself warmth and a sense of security.
"Who exactly are you?" Cheng Zhiwen walked over, stood in front of her, looked at her calmly, and spoke in a tone that was neither loud nor soft, as if she were talking about something unimportant.
Shen Qing's heart pounded, and she tightened her grip on her arms, leaving red marks on her forearms.
She forced herself to calm down, not daring to look at Cheng Zhiwen, and said in a feigned composure, "Who else could I be? Aren't I just that infamous woman who was once engaged to you but was abandoned by you?"
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