Wang Qiqi stood at the doorway, calling into the room, "Manman, have you packed all your luggage? Don't forget things again." Wang Qiqi highly disapproved of the way someone had refused to pack earlier that morning, opting instead to go downstairs to look at the trees and flowers, especially since they were doing so before even packing—it was truly infuriating.

Shi Man had initially thought that since her suitcase was empty when she arrived, she wouldn't have much luggage for the return trip. However, she hadn't expected that in just ten short days here, she would have purchased so much. "Qiqi, I don't think I can fit anything else in my case." Shi Man thought that many of the items were things she loved, and even if she tired of them later, she figured they looked so good that she could get a decent price selling them secondhand, so they absolutely couldn't be left behind.

"If it doesn't fit, leave it here, and I'll help you take it to the airport later." Wang Qiqi walked into the bedroom and saw her friend Shi Man looking distressed at the already crammed suitcase, with a pile of her belongings still sitting beside it. Wang Qiqi could only slap her forehead. When the girl had been on her shopping spree, Wang Qiqi had warned her to be careful about buying too much that she wouldn't be able to bring back to Boston. But this girl had insisted it was fine, that she had brought two suitcases and they would definitely fit everything. Now look at the situation—two suitcases weren't nearly enough.

"Forget it, we’ll just ship the rest back home when we send things later," Shi Man sighed, suddenly feeling the pressure regarding the things she’d accumulated at her place in Boston. Although she had compared prices and felt these clothes and jewelry were both attractive and inexpensive, leading her to buy quite a bit, she now realized she had completely forgotten about the cost of transporting them back. "Just send them to your sister then." Although there was someone looking after things in Beijing who could help collect the packages, Shi Man felt awkward sending things that weren't strictly necessary for herself, especially since that person was only earning a small commission for the trouble.

"Okay." Wang Qiqi didn't think much of it. She figured she would just bundle Shi Man's items separately and send them to Song Yao, and once she returned home, she could have Song Yao mail them onward to Beijing.

Since a batch of items was scheduled to be shipped to Beijing and the hometown the very next day, Wang Qiqi efficiently sent Shi Man’s things off. After receiving the confirmation email from Song Yao that the goods had arrived, Wang Qiqi settled back into her relatively peaceful routine. However, this tranquility was shattered one day by an email from Song Yao. Wang Qiqi stared at the message from Song Yao, her first thought being, No way. Those were things Song Yao liked, and more importantly, these weren't brand-new items. How could someone still be interested in them and insist on buying them? Furthermore, Wang Qiqi distinctly remembered noting in the packaging when she mailed things back that they were Shi Man's personal effects. Why would Song Yao even offer them up for sale? This struck Wang Qiqi as genuinely odd.

But passing up money when it's on the table is foolish, so Wang Qiqi immediately replied that they could be sold. As for the selling price, the black-hearted Wang Qiqi added a twenty percent markup for Song Yao (she had tucked away the receipts from Shi Man's purchases on the nightstand, intending to return them to Shi Man later, never expecting they'd be needed so soon).

Wang Qiqi knew these weren't brand-name goods, and there were definitely no retail outlets for them in China yet. Coupled with their appealing styles, even if Song Yao added a bit more markup, the buyers would surely be satisfied. Moreover, according to Song Yao, her shop was starting to gain a reputation within certain circles, known for only selling unique items sourced from abroad, so customers were more understanding of higher prices.

After replying to the email, Wang Qiqi immediately called Shi Man. After all, she had authorized the sale of her friend's belongings, so she needed to inform the owner. "Manman, I need to tell you something about those things you had me ship back... Don't worry, my sister has received them, but someone saw your things and I took the liberty of letting my sister sell them... It’s fine! My sister told them they were secondhand, but the buyer insisted... Ten percent? I added twenty percent for my sister... Am I being greedy? What kind of greed is this? If they want to buy, they buy. Besides, for something this pretty, who knows how much more my sister might mark it up. Don't worry; if they sell, they sell. If not, you can keep using them... Yes, that’s what I thought too. This batch is secondhand; I wonder if anyone would like the brand-new ones... We’ll test the waters this time and adjust based on the feedback from my sister..." Yes, I regret it now. I was originally thinking that when we travel to certain places in the future, we could pick up interesting, well-designed items and ship them back to sell in the shop... No, too many items start to look like they came off an assembly line. It’s better to have smaller quantities, so buyers don't mind the higher price because there’s a feeling that they'll rarely run into someone else wearing the same thing... Exactly! Manman, didn't you always say you bought clothes at small boutiques only to see everyone else wearing them on campus? Better to buy from department stores, even if they are a bit pricey... Right, right, Beijing? I’m not entirely sure about that. After all, we’re using someone else’s turf to operate. It’s already good that the other party lets us do this proxy shopping business; we just need to keep records... Yes, I think so too. Opening our own shop would be better, but do you think any of us has the energy for it? I definitely don't, you don't, and Nana certainly doesn't... Lu Qiaowei? Forget it. Aren't you worried that if her business booms and she meets more people and broadens her horizons, she'll just dump the Dummy?"... "Why wouldn't she? Relationships change so easily..."... "Forget it, let's wait a while longer. My sister will be coming over by the end of next year or early the year after; let's have her manage things then."

After finishing the call with Shi Man, Wang Qiqi hung up and leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought. Honestly, Shi Man had a very valid point during the conversation: such a great business opportunity truly shouldn't be missed. Few people study abroad now, let alone travel abroad, so the current market for proxy shopping is worry-free. But in the future, more people will jump in because this line of work requires little ingenuity—just following orders. Money isn't the biggest issue either. If they could establish a reputation among clients for having unique clothing and accessories, they would secure many loyal customers.

Wang Qiqi certainly hoped Song Yao would come to Beijing sooner to set up this operation. It wasn't a disaster if they couldn't secure a shop front; they could always rent a space to draw a crowd first. But once Song Yao arrived, what would happen to the shop in their hometown? If Yang Jing weren't pregnant, this business could have been handed over to her. But the problem was, now that she was pregnant, there was no way she’d quit her job to start a business. Moreover, even though the current business looked promising, it was still slightly less secure than Yang Jing’s career path at her current company. Even if this shop had great potential, Wang Qiqi figured Yang Jing would likely wait until after giving birth and finishing the breastfeeding period before quitting, which would put it around the time Wang Qiqi herself was due to study abroad. Sigh, what a headache. Perhaps by then, Li Qian might also dive into this industry, especially since her relationship with Li Xiangdong was genuinely not good right now. Their marriage was currently being maintained for the sake of their child, but what would happen later, Li Qian herself didn't know.

If Li Qian did separate from Li Xiangdong, Wang Qiqi believed she would likely enter this field. Although Li Qian had previously vowed not to join this industry, if she divorced, would she really return to the translation industry? Wang Qiqi felt that was not the best course of action, and Li Xiangdong likely wouldn't allow Li Qian to join this competitive arena either. In that scenario, the proxy shopping business would be the ideal fit. "This is so annoying," Wang Qiqi thought. After contemplating for a long while, she decided to stop worrying about the future complications and first discuss the matters just settled with Shi Man with Song Yao; the rest could be determined by how events unfolded.

While Wang Qiqi was fretting over the proxy shopping business, Shi Man was practically buzzing with excitement. She declared to Feng Xuanxiang, "Hahaha, your wife actually has quite the knack for business! I never imagined that just casually browsing and buying a few small accessories during a shopping trip would uncover another path to fortune. See? If I hadn't bought so much and shipped some things back early, would this have happened?" Shi Man thought she could finally hold her head high. Ever since returning from Qiqi's place, that woman had been constantly nagging her about buying too many things and causing trouble for Qiqi. Now look—it wasn't trouble; it was bringing joy.

Feng Xuanxiang looked at the gloating Shi Man. Although he caught the gist of what she was saying, he genuinely couldn't figure out how things had taken this turn. "Someone wants the things you bought?" Feng Xuanxiang had been out briefly and only caught the tail end of the phone conversation, so he was completely lost on the development.

Shi Man nodded and repeated the contents of Wang Qiqi's call, emphasizing the part about her good taste: "I knew my eye for these things was good! I felt certain that if I brought these back to China, I could definitely market them, and at a good price too." How could Shi Man not be happy? Previously, that woman had implied she was just wasting money. Now she knew—she wasn't wasting money; she was bringing back jewelry, and the clothes she wore once could actually be sold off. Wasn't that making a profit?

Shi Man’s words left Feng Xuanxiang unsure of how to respond. How could he, in front of his wife’s excited expression, possibly say, No way, you just bought some accessories and a few clothes, going on a massive shopping spree like a spendthrift, and you might actually sell them for a profit? Is there any justice in the world? Nevertheless, he smiled broadly. "My Manman is the best; what a wonderful opportunity has come along." (To be continued)