Wang Qiqi pushed the luggage cart out, looking around for a familiar face. After circling once, she found no one. Had they not arrived? Wang Qiqi found it quite strange. The plane had been delayed due to turbulence, but why was Shi Man not here to pick her up after a forty-minute delay? Could something have come up with Shi Man?

Wang Qiqi decided to find a phone to ask Shi Man what was going on, to see if she was unable to make it. If so, Qiqi planned to buy the next available ticket and fly over; she had no intention of taking another night train. After the long flight, all Qiqi wanted was a bed where she could finally rest, stretch her legs out properly.

"Qiqi, Qiqi." Shi Man appeared, sprinting, and upon seeing Wang Qiqi pushing the cart uncertainly about where to go, she disregarded the crowds of people in the airport and shouted loudly. Then, she slowly started walking toward Qiqi’s direction, though her voice, which she thought was quite loud, was quickly drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the airport.

As Wang Qiqi walked, she felt as if someone was calling her name in Chinese. Although she thought it might be a hallucination, she still turned her head to look around. "Manman." Seeing this, she knew it wasn't her imagination; someone was genuinely calling her, and she immediately changed the direction of her cart.

Thank heavens Qiqi had finally heard her. After calling out more than a dozen times, Shi Man realized Qiqi was still walking forward, knowing she must not have heard. But Shi Man couldn't run anymore. The helpless Shi Man could only wait for Qiqi to contact her so she could tell her to wait in the parking lot by herself. Unexpectedly, just as she was about to give up, Qiqi turned around and saw herself—glowing among the crowd, at least that's how Shi Man described it. In Qiqi’s eyes, she looked the most disheveled, panting with her tongue hanging out like a dog that had just run several hundred meters—in short, as ugly as possible.

"You look exhausted." Wang Qiqi walked up to Shi Man, pulled a tissue from her pocket, and began wiping the sweat from her face.

"I went shopping and lost track of time. Sigh, you know how much trouble Shi Hongrui is. The items were clearly identical, but she insisted this one was bad and that one wasn't good enough." Shi Man had calculated her timing perfectly—secure the goods and pick up Qiqi right on time. But who knew an extra complication would throw everything off?

Wang Qiqi didn't know what to say about Shi Hongrui. "Never mind that; that's just how she is. But branded items usually don't have quality issues." Shi Hongrui's daigou (proxy shopping) business mostly dealt with brands, unlike Shi Man, who occasionally selected items with unique characteristics that demanded higher standards for quality, although it mostly came down to discerning taste, and the compensation was quite generous.

Wang Qiqi recalled Shi Hongrui mentioning the business earlier, with a look of envy on her face. "Don't tell me she’s planning to check out the small shops too?" It wasn't that Wang Qiqi was petty; it was just that Shi Man had discovered these shops all by herself, which must have been exhausting. At the very least, Shi Man was the one who found them, and now someone was clearly trying to claim the credit while seeming dissatisfied—that was just too much.

Shi Man hummed in agreement. "Sigh, I regret being soft-hearted enough to bring her along. I was just planning to browse a bit and pick you up along the way; who knew she'd come too?" Since her family dealt in brands, she didn't need to come to London to source inventory. Especially after Shi Man discovered a few decent discount stores, she would often drive three hours to check them out. Once Shi Hongrui saw the quality of the goods over there, she basically stopped coming to London, saving a significant amount of money. Now that she was in London, everything pointed to an ulterior motive. "I'm just not thick-skinned enough."

Wang Qiqi, having experienced the other person's thick skin before, asked, "Which shops did you take her to?"

"The ones you said were very ordinary. Don't worry; I won't take her to those few places." Shi Man gave an 'I handle things, you can rest assured' look. "Actually, the things in the few shops I took her to are quite good, but she’s just that picky; there's nothing I can do. Maybe she deliberately dawdled until this hour, knowing I'd have to pick you up first before going back for her. She could use the time to look around nearby."

Shi Man was aware of Shi Hongrui's intentions. Actually, the goods nearby were quite good; if one took the time to choose carefully and browse, one could find many nice things. However, her ace in the hole wasn't located nearby, so the woman would certainly return disappointed today.

Wang Qiqi waved her hand. "Let's go get something to eat first, then we can pick her up." Since the other woman wanted to browse thoroughly, Wang Qiqi might as well give her more time; she also had things to discuss with Shi Man. "Find a place for steak?" Fast food felt too noisy for a serious conversation. "Or maybe just a cup of coffee."

"Steak. I've already burned through whatever I ate before the flight, and we still have to drive back through the night, right?" It seemed someone had class at ten the next morning.

"You didn't sleep the entire flight, did you?" Shi Man gained a new appreciation for Wang Qiqi's sleeping skills—this person was too impressive. "True, I heard you managed to fleece the Gao Kai couple out of a good meal, twice." Shi Man was surprised at how ruthlessly Wang Qiqi had dealt with the Gao Kais.

Shi Man helped Wang Qiqi push the cart toward the parking lot. "How about my older cousin, Chen Yan? She has decent self-control, right? But her brain is genuinely flawed—why bother looking for you instead of Wang Rui?" Shi Man was secretly ecstatic thinking about how her usually composed cousin had complained bitterly about Wang Qiqi and Juliet online. Few people could make Chen Yan look bad, and they happened to be her good friends, so how could Shi Man not be happy? As for the nasty things Chen Yan said about Qiqi, Shi Man filtered them out completely. What a joke; if only she hadn't been there, she would have been even happier.

Shi Man truly worried for her cousin. Knowing she had an appointment but still daring to be that late—did she really think Wang Qiqi and the others were pushovers? "Her expression must have been priceless that day. My cousin values money above all else; making her bleed financially is like killing her! You had abalone and shark fin; I’m so jealous. Why didn't I have such good luck when I returned home?" Shi Man looked regretful as she loaded the suitcases into the car. "Whoa, why did you bring so much stuff?" It was even more than what you were taking back—this quantity suggested...

"Your mom heard you say you couldn't get good food here, and she got really anxious, insisting I bring this and that. If it weren't so inconvenient, your mom was planning to cook some dishes for me to bring over." Wang Qiqi remembered when Shi Man’s mother asked if she could bring some of her homemade cooking to the UK, and Wang Qiqi honestly didn't know how to respond—it was truly astonishing. "In the end, I spent ages persuading her before your mom packed quite a few vacuum-sealed provisions for me." Wang Qiqi couldn't imagine what Shi Man had told her mother; both she and Shi Man could cook, so how could she possibly starve? But that was a mother’s love, even knowing her daughter wasn't lacking a bite to eat.

"My mom's homemade food?" Shi Man was quite surprised, her expression odd. "It’s a good thing you didn't bring it, or it would have gone to waste." Her own mother's cooking was merely edible. She only occasionally cooked a meal or two for her father, basking in his praise, so there was no need to worry about her. "My mother, really—she’s so busy with work, yet she still thinks of her poor daughter, me."

Wang Qiqi pretended not to notice the twitching corner of Shi Man's mouth. Honestly, her initial reluctance to carry Manman’s mother’s cooking was based on that very consideration—throwing it away felt excessive, but eating it made her stomach uneasy. "Have you thought about whether we should become agents for that product these past few days?"

The few of them had discussed that if they were going into the beauty industry, it would be best to use foreign brands. It wasn't necessarily that the quality was superior, but telling clients the items were imported from overseas made them sound much classier. Although it felt a bit subservient to foreign things, it was a fact, and the profit margins would also be higher. The initial task of screening products had been delegated to Shi Man.

Shi Man knew Wang Qiqi would ask about this. The talk about getting something to eat was just a pretense; she sighed deeply. "Sister, I’m only one person. Do you think I can manage everything? I have classes, homework, preparing my thesis, and running around sourcing inventory—I'm really busy." Although the business kept her fulfilled, Shi Man sometimes felt utterly exhausted. She had long considered the beauty industry's future potential, but in her original plan, this project was supposed to begin only after she and Qiqi finished their master's degrees. But Qiqi's trip back seemed to have accelerated the timeline. Once Juliet and the others heard about a promising venture, how could they possibly let it pass?

"I know. I've already talked to my sister. We'll discuss partnership details after graduation; for now, we're just gathering information." Wang Qiqi noticed Shi Man was already on the verge of shouting and understood that the recent pressure on her had been immense, but the pressure in the future would likely be even greater—how could she grow without this early training? "We still need to buy commercial property back home and sort out the capital investment, which isn't small change."

Wang Qiqi realized upon calculating that money was severely lacking. The proceeds from selling the house had gone entirely into the new company; not much was left. Now the beauty salon required another sum, and during the flight back, Wang Qiqi suddenly recalled a very important, unmissable opportunity to get rich: Apple stock. It was 2003, and the stock price for Apple was said to have hit its historical low this year, falling below ten dollars. Many people thought Apple was finished then. But afterward, Apple launched several successful products, and its stock price soared to four hundred dollars. Wang Qiqi considered this return rate incredible. If she could buy a hundred thousand shares of Apple stock now, it could be forty million dollars within ten years. She could become a multimillionaire just by staying home and doing nothing. How could Wang Qiqi miss such a prime opportunity? Ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel—there are many ways to get rich, but having no money is the most frustrating thing.

"Yes, money, money, money." Shi Man slowly pulled the car to a stop, preparing to get out.

Wang Qiqi looked up and realized they were at a pizza place. She looked at Shi Man, surprised. Didn't she say she wanted steak? Why bring her here for pizza?

"The coffee and pizza here are great. I stumbled upon this place last time by chance and tried it; it was delicious. You stay in the car; I’ll grab a portion and be right back," Shi Man explained why they stopped. "We have things to discuss, so let's talk in the car." Since she had to bring something back for Shi Hongrui anyway, they might as well all eat pizza to avoid accusations of eating well while she got leftovers.

"Oh." Wang Qiqi yawned, leaning her head against the car window, lost in thought. Qiqi knew the best solution was to sell the house in China and invest everything in Apple stock, but such a drastic move would alert her family, and they would certainly think she was foolish for investing in a company widely expected to go bankrupt. Even Han Tao, no matter how good he was to her, wouldn't want her putting money into Apple stock. And Wang Qiqi absolutely could not tell Han Tao that she was reborn and knew Apple stock would hit four hundred. They would surely think she was madly obsessed with money.

"What are you thinking about?" Shi Man returned with two boxes of pizza and a large tub of Coke. She wanted Wang Qiqi to open the door for her but waited a moment only to find Qiqi still completely preoccupied. Helpless, Shi Man placed the items on the car roof and then opened the door herself. Surely this noise would snap Qiqi out of it, but she remained utterly focused.

"Thinking about money." Wang Qiqi sighed, letting out a long breath. "You never miss money until you need it. I always thought my net worth was decent, but now I realize I’m practically broke."

"Tell me about it." Shi Man felt the same way. "Sometimes I wish I could win the lottery, snag a few hundred million." Even a few million would delight Shi Man, but she knew the odds were minuscule; it was better to earn money steadily. "Or maybe bet on soccer, but we don't know anything about that. Stocks? We don't have the capital either."

Lottery? Betting on soccer? These were decent suggestions, but Wang Qiqi quickly dismissed the idea. In her past life, she only remembered the top four from the Korea-Japan World Cup because the buzz was so intense. As for the lottery, she wouldn't even bring it up. Even when she saw news online about a big winner, she'd just sigh about their good fortune, never bothering to memorize the numbers. Wang Qiqi regretted it; if she had known she would be reborn, she would have memorized those numbers even if it killed her.

Shi Man rolled her eyes right in front of her as she listened to Wang Qiqi’s unrealistic ideas. "Wake up! You have time to wait for that windfall? You’d better focus on the opportunities for wealth you actually have."

"Don't I already have one? It’s just that I lack the funds." Wang Qiqi had a headache. Money, money, money—she wished she could turn into a printing press. "I've decided: after graduation, I will work hard translating manuscripts to earn money." Wang Qiqi didn't possess the skills to make money in other fields; what else could she do besides translation? Besides, even if she couldn't buy Apple stock at the absolute bottom, as long as it was under thirty dollars, she still had a chance. In short, she would buy as much stock as she could manage in these coming years; becoming a millionaire should certainly be achievable. "Forget it, let’s take it step by step. We can skim some profits from the daigou business, and if that fails, we won't buy commercial property."

Everyone insisted on buying property to open a shop so that landlords wouldn't raise rents when business boomed, and with property values rising, they would also profit indirectly. But the immediate problem was that Wang Qiqi and Shi Man were short on cash. "Qiqi, what if we stop the daigou business?" Wang Qiqi suddenly had this thought.

Shi Man paused while eating pizza, looking at Wang Qiqi in disbelief. She found it strange; the daigou business was doing quite well; why would Qiqi suddenly want to change course?

"I was just thinking that as the number of wealthy people and expatriates increases, more people will notice the profit margins in the daigou business, and competition will drive profits down significantly." While there were solutions, they would require much more effort, such as sourcing unique items, which required someone to discover them. Right now, Shi Man could manage it alone, treating it like tourism, but eventually, she would marry and have children and need to focus on her family. Even if she could place orders remotely, Wang Qiqi felt that once certain items became mass-produced, they wouldn't be as appealing.

"Even if it's lower, it's still money. Without the daigou business, how will we expand?" Shi Man had already considered this. While the business had been good over the years, and the volume of goods handled had increased annually, the actual profit hadn't increased proportionally. "Once the beauty business is established, we can stop the daigou business. Oh, and what about your sister-in-law’s side?" Shi Man figured Song Yao wouldn't have a major reaction; with stakes in both the beauty salon and the English tutoring school, losing one revenue stream would allow her to manage the beauty business better. But Yang Jing was different; if she wasn't included in this new beauty venture, would she willingly step aside?

"My sister-in-law probably has her own ideas. She might be planning trips to Japan and South Korea this year; the goods over there are excellent." Yang Jing mentioning this beforehand suggested she already harbored thoughts of striking out on her own. Now that she had established a solid foundation and client base, once she controlled the sourcing channels, she could undoubtedly do better than sourcing through us. However, she was concerned about Qiqi's reaction, so she was starting with Japan and South Korea, areas Qiqi hadn't infiltrated yet. In time, Wang Qiqi was certain Yang Jing would figure out a way to source from Europe herself; with high volume, the flight costs would surely be recouped, plus she'd get a nice trip. "If she finds out we aren't continuing the daigou business, she’ll be thrilled." Who wouldn't be happy to keep all the money they could potentially earn instead of splitting some of it?

"Ah, no wonder." Shi Man’s mouth dropped open. She had been wondering why Song Yao flat-out said not to include her sister-in-law. It turned out she had already conceived this idea. "Once people get money, their intentions shift." Shi Man felt speechless. Although things might eventually diverge based on individual aspirations, it still left a chill.

Wang Qiqi hummed in agreement. Before the four of them had their online meeting, Wang Qiqi had discussed with Song Yao whether to bring Yang Jing in on the venture. At the time, Song Yao asked Wang Qiqi how long she planned to stay in the beauty industry. If it was only for two or three years, then bringing Yang Jing along would be fine. If the plan was for the long haul, Song Yao advised against it, citing Yang Jing's excessive scheming. Wang Qiqi couldn't reveal everything, and Song Yao wouldn't reveal all the Song family matters, but it was clear Song Yao had grown distant from Yang Jing. Given that, Wang Qiqi was happy not to involve her.

Shi Man didn't press further. If they weren't bringing her, so be it. "I don't think we need to make the beauty salon huge right away, either. We can just secure (agency rights) for a few brands, open one shop in the capital, and grow from there." This would lessen the financial pressure and allow development based on circumstances, rather than opening branches in several major cities simultaneously. "Although we are borrowing money to buy the shops in the building Juliet’s family developed, we shouldn't put her in an awkward position," especially since Juliet’s stake in the venture couldn't be revealed.

Opening just one store—Wang Qiqi understood this eased the pressure, but the issue was, "Ask Nana and my sister." Those two were the big spenders! Wang Qiqi didn't want her and Shi Man to work tirelessly only to end up with a pitifully small share of the equity. While not necessarily splitting the shares equally, she and Shi Man together should at least hold thirty percent. But this hope looked shaky right now.

"Okay." Seeing Wang Qiqi agree, Shi Man knew this part of the plan was half-succeeded. As for Song Yao and Juliet, she wasn't worried yet. "Are we done eating? Let's go back. Oh, right, JOHN said he’s treating us to dinner tomorrow. Don’t work overtime tomorrow." Shi Man knew tomorrow Wang Qiqi was due back at school and the studio, likely to be very busy, possibly working late. She immediately fixed Wang Qiqi’s schedule for the next day.

"JOHN is treating us?" Wang Qiqi thought; he had visited so many times, why was he only inviting them now? Had someone instigated this? It was a custom back home, but uncommon abroad. "Was Shi Hongrui the one who egged him on?" Wang Qiqi couldn't suspect anyone else. She truly didn't understand; Shi Hongrui wasn't exactly struggling for money, and they all ate reasonably well, yet why did she jump at every chance to be treated or to treat others? Wang Qiqi and Shi Man had already treated everyone several times, and even Zhang Yan and Zhao Rongrong had hosted. As for whether Shi Hongrui had ever treated anyone, Wang Qiqi paused to recall. "She doesn't seem to have treated us yet, does she? Didn't she say she has a boyfriend?"

"Well, since Zhang Yan insisted on treating this time, she’ll foot the bill, and then she’ll just egg Shi Hongrui into treating next time." Everyone was truly starting to feel a bit weary of Shi Hongrui. Although the reasons she gave for making someone else pay were often plausible, the issue was that she never seemed to have any genuinely happy news to celebrate with a dinner. This time, even though she had a boyfriend, she didn't once suggest he treat, instead complaining to Zhang Yan’s face about how stingy JOHN was—a comment that infuriated Zhang Yan to no end.

Wang Qiqi listened to Shi Man recount the situation and could only offer a wry smile; truly, no one could save someone determined to court disaster.