Chapter 86: Building the Framework of the Shop

Afterward, Qin Jing examined several other items belonging to Old Song, even spending another twenty grams to appraise three more objects. They were all antiques: an unknown landscape painting, whose author could not be identified but which proved to be a work from the Song Dynasty; a gold bowl from the Republic era; and a lacquer box from the Ming Dynasty.

This time, Qin Jing said he wanted to buy them, and Old Song did not try to stop him.

“You rascal, are you planning to strip me bare and then make me work for you?” Old Song pointed at Qin Jing, laughing and cursing. He had already mentioned that he intended to clear out the remaining stock and then become Qin Jing’s appraiser.

At this, Qin Jing laughed as well and simply replied, “Let’s do it like this, Old Song. Since you’ve made up your mind to be my appraiser, let me take over your inventory right away. Keep whatever you don’t want to sell; for the rest, I’ll take the lot. How’s that?”

“All of it? You’re buying everything?”

Old Song was surprised, even a little dazed. In truth, this was for the best, but he was reluctant to let go; despite what he’d said, he still felt attached to his shop.

“Qin, my items are worth quite a bit, you know?”

Qin Jing saw Old Song’s hesitation and laughed, then said, “The three pieces I value most, I’ll buy first. I’ve calculated the prices: the gold bowl is quite valuable—I’ll offer 150,000; the landscape painting is likely from the Song Dynasty, though the seal is blurred and provenance uncertain, so I’ll give 100,000; and for the Ming lacquer box, 80,000. That’s a total of 330,000. How about it?”

In fact, Old Song’s shop only had four genuine antiques; the rest were mostly damaged items, which could be sold for a few tens of thousands at most, but nothing like these sums. With these three bought, Old Song no longer had any reason to hold back.

He smiled bitterly and nodded, saying, “Alright, Qin, you really are a businessman. You’re an expert negotiator.”

He knew the base prices of these items, and Qin Jing’s offers were just above his minimum. At this point, Old Song even began to suspect that Qin Jing was no longer a complete novice in the antiques business.

With the deal concluded, Old Song promised that he would try to sell the remaining items, and regardless of how it went, within a week he would give Qin Jing a definite answer.

Old Song helped Qin Jing carry his purchases back to the shop, which was still bustling at that hour.

Yuan Na stood inside, conversing with a middle-aged man wearing a hard hat. When she saw Qin Jing enter, she quickly came over to greet him.

“Have they started work already?”

Qin Jing asked in surprise. His own shop was still intact, but the neighboring shop was being completely opened up; the entire first floor had been cleared out, and even the back door and rear wall had been removed, with building materials being carried into the yard.

Yuan Na’s face was radiant, full of energy. Yesterday, she had taken the contract home, venting her frustrations with a major win—five million for the renovation of just the front levels, which was a substantial deal for her design company.

Seeing Qin Jing now, Yuan Na found him increasingly pleasing to the eye. She laughed, “You really are living the life of a big boss, aren’t you? Everything’s watched over by Susan—tsk tsk—and you still claim there’s nothing going on.”

Qin Jing smiled, neither confirming nor denying. Susan was with him, and he wouldn’t publicly deny her as his girlfriend; that would be unfair to her. So he simply shifted the topic, “Are they starting with the rear section? Wasn’t that part supposed to be done by Wan Anxian?”

Yuan Na, seeing Qin Jing’s attitude as tacit approval of his relationship with Susan, felt a pang of envy for her friend. But when it came to work, she answered seriously, “Wan hired the construction team, but for the main design, he still chose our company. I volunteered and won his contract; that way, the interior and exterior styles will be consistent. What do you think?”

As she spoke, Yuan Na was a bit nervous; the contract for the rear courtyard was even more valuable. She was shrewd—after Wan Anxian confirmed he would build the villa for Qin Jing in the back, she proactively approached him. Her company, Xin Jia, was indeed strong, and as Susan’s friend, it was easy to convince Wan. Still, Qin Jing was the key player, so she needed his approval.

“As long as the final result satisfies me, I don’t mind how it’s done.”

Qin Jing smiled. He didn’t care about people seeking their own benefit. Everyone has their ambitions; he wasn’t a strict moralist, provided they didn’t interfere with him.

After some discussion, Yuan Na explained the construction plan to Qin Jing.

The design was handled by Xin Jia, while the contractor was Da Cheng International, the leading company in Cold Sea, introduced by Wan Anxian. Da Cheng sent three teams, apparently with different ranks. Building a house is no small matter; Yuan Na explained the details very thoroughly.

Qin Jing listened and nodded privately, satisfied with the plan.

According to Yuan Na, the construction and renovation would be finished in just two months. With three teams working simultaneously, and the rear villa only three stories tall, it was relatively simple. The timeframe was tight but achievable.

Additionally, Qin Jing’s shop could remain open for the first month, since the main work was in the rear courtyard. It would only affect his side after a month.

“This is Old Song from the neighboring shop. His property will be merged and renovated as part of the project, so the first floor will be completely opened up. Adjust the original plans accordingly; if extra costs arise, let me know and I’ll cover them.”

He introduced Old Song to Yuan Na.

Since work would only begin on his shop in a month, Old Song readily agreed.

The remaining matters were mostly trivial. Susan was overseeing everything, so Qin Jing thanked her for her hard work, offering some comfort. Women needed to be reassured; even though Susan was willing to help him with these chores, Qin Jing couldn’t take her for granted.

“In at most a week, once things here settle down, I’ll help you ascend to the extraordinary.”

He finally promised Susan. He had gained a lot of “refined essence” today, and if he could advance himself, he could soon fulfill his promise to her.

“Really? That soon?”

Susan looked up in delight, her voice rising unconsciously. She knew the power of the extraordinary; during her time with Hathaway, she’d dreamed at night of becoming one herself, but reality brought only disappointment—until she met Qin Jing. She felt she hadn’t contributed much yet, and had just started at the shop, still needing his guidance. To receive so much so quickly felt almost unreal.

“What are you saying? You’re my woman; of course I’ll look out for you.”

Qin Jing pulled Susan into his arms with domineering affection. She liked his style; at night, Qin Jing would sometimes press her against the wall for a forceful “assault,” and whenever he indulged in such “games,” Susan would end up as a puddle of soft clay…