Shen Qingqing said slowly, "Don't worry, I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I just want my store back."
Xiao Wenshao put on a stern face, "This jewelry store lost a lot of money when it was in your mother's hands. After it came to me, I invested a lot of money to barely get it running again."
Hearing his constant prevarication, and the pretense that he was only considering her best interests, was so ironic it almost made her laugh.
Shen Qingqing then genuinely laughed, "I won't trouble my second uncle to worry about it. Although I don't have great abilities, I do have some insights into managing a business."
It seemed she was determined to get it back.
Xiao Wenshao narrowed his eyes. After several encounters, he knew that being forceful wouldn't work with this girl. So, he changed his tune, "It's not that I won't give it to you, I'm just worried that if you can't manage it well..."
"Since that's the case, I'll go in person," Shen Qingqing pretended not to understand his refusal. "It'll also give me a chance to see how my second uncle has managed the jewelry store left by my mother."
With that, she picked up the documents on the table and turned to leave.
The jewelry store was located in the heart of the bustling city. There were quite a few customers inside, but the front desk attendant seemed uninterested. When she saw Shen Qingqing enter, she glanced at her and then ignored her.
She frowned slightly. With such an attitude, she walked over and knocked on the counter.
The front desk attendant was a young girl, quite pretty, with a few pimples on her face, indicating she often stayed up late. She was playing on her phone and looked up impatiently, "What do you need?"
"I'd like to see this jade bangle."
Shen Qingqing's gaze swept around the counter. There were many rings, necklaces, and earrings on display, but she quickly spotted a jade bangle placed in the most prominent position, the most expensive one.
The front desk attendant reluctantly put down her phone and took out the jade bangle, placing it on the table. She rolled her eyes, "What jade bangle are you looking at? Can you afford it? Our jewelry is very expensive."
Shen Qingqing picked up the jade bangle and examined it repeatedly, further confirming her suspicion, "Are you not ashamed to sell this jade bangle at such a high price?"
The front desk attendant's eyes flickered, "Our jewelry is the best, of course, we're not ashamed."
It seemed she was an accomplice.
Shen Qingqing said calmly, "My surname is Shen, and I am the original owner of this jewelry store. I'm here for an inspection today, but you have disappointed me."
She was not attentive to customers and lacked any professional ethics.
She took out her phone, preparing to call Xiao Wenshao and, coincidentally, ask why there was such a bangle in the store.
The front desk attendant's expression changed. So, she was the one...
Her gaze fell on the jade bangle. Seeing that no one was paying attention, she knocked the bangle onto the floor.
With a crisp sound, the jade bangle was broken in half.
"How dare you! You're here to cause trouble!" The front desk attendant slapped the table and angrily said, "You broke our priceless jade bangle! Pay up, pay immediately!"
Everyone gathered around to watch the spectacle.
"Why should I pay for some cheap bangle?" Shen Qingqing glanced at the bangle on the floor. "Let's not even talk about how you dropped it yourself. It's just a fake. I haven't even reported you for selling counterfeit goods, and you're slandering me."
The front desk attendant clearly panicked, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're slandering our store's reputation! We've been in business for so many years and have never sold fake goods!"
Shen Qingqing was too lazy to argue with her and directly reported it. The front desk attendant didn't expect her to be so resolute and instinctively asked, "Are you crazy? This is your mother's store!"
"How do you know?"
The front desk attendant stammered, "I, I heard the boss say..."
A young girl working as a front desk attendant, playing on her phone so carelessly, yet not being fired, suggested she had some connection to Xiao Wenshao.
"You're not the boss's..."
The front desk attendant, catching her implied meaning, was both ashamed and annoyed, "Xiao Wenshao is my uncle by marriage!"
"Oh." Shen Qingqing smiled sweetly. "Then I advise you to call your uncle by marriage right now, or when the investigation team arrives, they might take you too."
"You're truly insane!"
The front desk attendant never imagined this woman would be so crazy, reporting her own store right from the start. She could only nervously fumble for her phone to call her uncle.
Xiao Wenshao was also shocked on the phone, but by the time he rushed over, it was too late.
The investigation team confirmed after appraisal that the jade bangle was indeed fake and directly sealed the jewelry store. Xiao Wenshao, arriving at the wrong time, was instead taken away by them for questioning.
The front desk attendant cried incessantly, repeatedly calling out for her uncle to save her.
Unfortunately, Xiao Wenshao was in trouble himself.
The once bustling jewelry store suddenly became empty. Shen Qingqing decided to renovate the store.
She wanted to open a coffee shop.
However, renovations took time, so she found herself visiting the store frequently.
King, with nothing else to do, would go to help.
"Help" was a loose term; he mostly sat in the store, overseeing the renovation, finding fault here and offering suggestions there.
In the evening, Shen Qingqing was preparing to drive home when a black car stopped in front of her on the roadside. The car window slowly rolled down, revealing Fu Jingshu's sharp features.
"What a coincidence."
Shen Qingqing paused, "Indeed."
He opened the passenger door, "Since we've run into each other, I'll give you a ride home."
Shen Qingqing hesitated for a moment before accepting and getting into the car.
The car slowly merged into the traffic.
Fu Jingshu pressed play, and soothing music filled the car. He spoke first, "You seem very busy lately. Is something going on?"
Besides taking frequent leave, she would leave the company immediately after work hours, always in a hurry. But that wasn't the main point; the main point was that he had seen that man pick her up more than once.
Had their relationship become that good?
As the saying goes, one shouldn't strike a smiling face. Since he was being polite, Shen Qingqing couldn't pick a fight. She said, "I'm busy renovating a store recently."
"Isn't someone helping you? Why are you still running around so hard?"
His voice was faint, tinged with a hint of sourness.
Shen Qingqing sensed it and suddenly looked at him, "Have you misunderstood something?"
As they approached a red light, Fu Jingshu slowed down and turned to look at her, his eyes seeming to hold many unspoken words.
"Your relationship looks very good."
"Relationship?" Shen Qingqing silently savored the word, then suddenly had an epiphany, "You've misunderstood. We are very good friends. You could even say he's my teacher; he taught me things before."
Fu Jingshu paused, "...Teacher?"
"Yes." Shen Qingqing thought of the black market and guessed he might have had a misunderstanding that day. "The other day at the black market, my demeanor towards him was intimate to avoid trouble."
As she spoke, the light turned green.
His lips moved. He stepped on the accelerator and remained silent for the rest of the drive. Only when the car stopped at the villa gate did he suddenly grab Shen Qingqing's wrist.
Shen Qingqing was startled, "What are you doing..."
Before she could finish her sentence, he pulled her into his arms. Her vision darkened, and her lips met a warm touch.
She slightly raised her hand, but Fu Jingshu mistook it for a push to resist and struggled, clamping down on her hand. Now, she had no room to struggle at all.
When the kiss ended, Fu Jingshu's breathing was rapid. "Why did you give him the watch?"
Shen Qingqing's lips felt numb. "You were speaking sarcastically that day, and I can't wear men's watches. If I didn't give it away, should I keep it as an heirloom?"
Fu Jingshu choked. His gaze burned as it swept across her face, his possessiveness unconcealed. Shen Qingqing felt a tremor of fear, yet strangely, her body felt weak.
He turned and opened the car door, pulling her out and hurrying towards the villa.