Wang Qiqi understood Li Qian's meaning, "Sister Qian, rest assured, my knife will certainly be sharpened to a keen edge." If they didn't fleece these wealthy people soundly, they'd be fools themselves. "When the time comes, Sister Qian, all your beauty treatments will be on us."

"Yes, yes, Sister Qian, you'll absolutely be our VIP client," Shi Man chimed in repeatedly from the side, nodding in agreement. She wasn't foolish; getting Li Qian squared away meant she'd be the best advertisement for the beauty salon. When Li Qian's transformation was noticed by her friends, even if Li Qian didn't mention it, plenty of people would inquire, leading to a flood of customers. Even if Li Qian didn't actively refer guests, given their long-standing relationship, she deserved the VIP card anyway.

Li Qian didn't lack a few amounts of money, but Qiqi and the others' attitude pleased her immensely. "Don't worry, I will definitely be a living advertisement. By the way, are you just planning on opening a beauty salon?" Li Qian had sensed Qiqi held back something in her answer earlier, so she asked with keen interest.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Li Qian to be so perceptive, catching the unspoken part of her reply. "Right now, just a beauty salon. In the future, I want to open one for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) wellness." This wasn't something everyone paid attention to now, but it would become a hot industry later. "Beauty is external, but treating the body from the inside out is what's truly best for health." As for the fact that no one understood TCM yet, Wang Qiqi wasn't in a hurry. They could hire a few veteran TCM practitioners and take on apprentices, gradually expanding the operation.

Ye Ruizhi quietly sipped his tea nearby, appearing uninterested in Wang Qiqi's topic. However, when he heard this, he stopped drinking, lifted his head, and fixed his gaze on Wang Qiqi. Nowadays, few people trusted TCM; after all, the effects of Chinese herbal medicine were quite slow compared to Western medicine. But Ye Ruizhi favored TCM. Whenever he felt slightly unwell, he preferred visiting a trusted old TCM doctor for a consultation. Under his influence, Li Qian had also become convinced of TCM. He hadn't expected this girl, Wang Qiqi, to think of the heritage of their ancestors as well—not bad, quite good.

To be honest, Li Qian wasn't particularly keen on the beauty industry, and besides, their current venture was already set up; joining in seemed pointless. She hadn't expected this girl Qiqi to have a backup plan: TCM wellness. That was a good idea. "Women need wellness, and men need wellness too. This industry is promising."

Shi Man was startled by Li Qian's sudden praise. Although the beauty salon was opening, they weren't entirely optimistic about the TCM wellness concept Qiqi proposed. One only had to look at the scale of current Chinese medicine hospitals compared to specialized Western medicine hospitals to see the difference. Yet, they couldn't openly object. Shi Man was surprised that the venture they were uncertain about elicited such excitement from Li Qian; judging by her tone, she thought highly of it. "Sister Qian, you think this industry is good?"

"How is it not good?" Li Qian was about to excitedly elaborate on her thoughts when she noticed Shi Man's expression wasn't one of happiness. A thought struck her—could this be an opportunity for her? "Is it possible you haven't reached a consensus internally about this so-called TCM wellness?"

Shi Man hummed and nodded, confirming that their internal opinions were divided. "But this is something for the future; we still need to discuss it." Shi Man wasn't naive. Although Ye Ruizhi hadn't spoken, the look on his face as he settled in showed he also favored TCM wellness. Not to mention Li Qian's excitement. Shi Man planned to talk with Song Yao and Zhu Lina that evening. Their couple had connections and had dealt with circles far beyond what they had encountered, and even Zhu Lina's substantial business hadn't touched those spheres.

Li Qian realized she had been overly excited moments before. If she hadn't been so animated, things might have developed in a way advantageous to her. But since it had evolved this way, all Li Qian could do was seize the opportunity to advocate for herself. "I think TCM wellness should be established separately from the beauty salon." This wasn't just for her own benefit; Li Qian felt that operating under the beauty salon would complicate the necessary paperwork, and in the long run, the disadvantages would outweigh the benefits. Since that was the case, it was better to separate the two from the start.

Li Qian knew she could open a TCM wellness center herself, but after years of living a leisurely life, the thought of constantly monitoring a shop was something she truly couldn't manage. In that case, rather than partnering with strangers, it was better to cooperate with Wang Qiqi and the others. Over the years, they had gotten along well, especially having gone into business together; while she might not know Qiqi and the others intimately, she certainly understood them well enough. What moved Li Qian most was that Qiqi's sister, Song Yao, was a management talent. If Li Qian ever returned to Beijing, Song Yao could help look after things, and she could travel freely. Moreover, Li Qian was confident that the intelligent Qiqi would choose to partner with her.

Separate operations? Wang Qiqi understood that separating them was feasible, but if they separated, "Sister Qian, you mean you want to scale this up?" Wang Qiqi inwardly groaned. She had initially hoped to use the prestige of TCM wellness to attract more customers and elevate the beauty salon's business. But she truly hadn't considered how large to make it. Scaling up an enterprise meant attracting more envious eyes and potentially causing trouble. Even if claiming the boss was a foreigner might deter some envious people, could she handle someone with backing who was still an idiot?

"Everything must be done big," Li Qian stated. Seeing Wang Qiqi's hesitation, she understood: Wang Qiqi had never intended to build the TCM wellness into something massive. "While attaching TCM wellness to the beauty salon is acceptable, it might always feel unprofessional. Separate them, but keep a connection between the two; then, why would customers worry?"

If Wang Qiqi didn't understand now, she truly was dense. "Sister Qian, you're interested too, aren't you? Why don't we sit down and talk while I'm still in the country?" If Li Qian was willing to join, Wang Qiqi felt it wasn't a problem. Moreover, Li Qian and Ye Ruizhi had extensive connections. Even if they couldn't secure top-tier TCM doctors, they could certainly find a few competent apprentices or disciples. If the boss could push harder and persuade those veteran TCM doctors to come in for one day a week, Qiqi's business would truly profit immensely. As for the idea of "scaling up," Wang Qiqi felt she'd become fixated. Does it necessarily require a huge storefront? As long as the doctors' skills are excellent and the Chinese herbs are high quality, why would customers be lacking? With a few wealthy patrons, why worry about insufficient profit? Opening a shop isn't about the size of the premises; the key is the profit margin.

More importantly, with Uncle Ye's involvement, Wang Qiqi was certain that if any reckless young men caused trouble, Uncle Ye wouldn't stand idly by. Such a good partner could not be missed. Wang Qiqi glanced at Shi Man. If Shi Man agreed, then Zhu Lina wouldn't be an issue. Seeing Shi Man nod, she knew she concurred. Since that was the case, some things shouldn't be delayed. "Funding is easy to arrange, space is not an issue; the key is selecting the veteran TCM practitioners. Sister Qian, you'll have to put in the effort for this." Even if the TCM wellness center wasn't opening immediately, they had to start arranging things now, especially because truly good doctors couldn't be missed.

"Fine." Li Qian downed the now-cold tea in her cup in one gulp. "Old Ye, this matter will be troublesome for you. You handle the business licenses; you know many people. The TCM doctors will be your responsibility." Since they were family, Li Qian bossed around Ye Ruizhi with practiced ease.

"Done." His wife had given an order, and Ye Ruizhi agreed without a second thought. "I will activate my network to look for them."

"No, look quietly," Li Qian cautioned, worried someone else might also have their eye on this industry. If their TCM wellness center hadn't even opened, someone else might have already beaten them to it. While the pioneers would bear many risks, they would also create significant pressure for latecomers, especially if the good TCM doctors were poached—that would make Li Qian truly cry.

"Understood," Ye Ruizhi replied good-naturedly. "I'll keep the matter of finding TCM doctors in mind, but you all can look too." Although Ye Ruizhi could guarantee results, he couldn't make all the decisions on this. "But this can't be rushed." Ye Ruizhi had already formulated a plan: he would ask the old TCM doctor who treated him regularly. His connections were wide; this wasn't about promoting Chinese cultural heritage, so the doctor would surely agree.

"We're counting on Uncle Ye," Wang Qiqi thought. If she had to search, her mind would go blank. Should she look in hospitals? First, she wouldn't know their skill level; even if she did, they were likely the treasures of their respective institutions and wouldn't be easily lured away. Moreover, as a young person, she would likely give the impression of being unreliable. Uncle Ye was much better.

"Exactly, Old Ye, put some effort into this. Qiqi, you also hurry up with setting up our meeting," Li Qian urged, being a brisk and energetic person. "Once the doctors are assembled, our wellness center can open. After all, setting this up isn't easy; we might even need to run to the Bureau of Health for permits."

Shi Man hadn't realized this would involve the Bureau of Health. That part was notoriously difficult to navigate; without connections at the top, just preparing the required documentation could be a huge headache. She realized starting a company was tough. Now, with Uncle Ye involved, these weren't things they needed to worry about. "We trust Uncle Ye. I'm already looking forward to seeing the dividends later." Of course, Shi Man was prepared not to see any dividends for the first two or three years. It wasn't because she thought the wellness center wouldn't be profitable, but because she knew if it did make money, the profits would likely be reinvested to expand the scale.