101: Chapter 101 Quotations and Evening Drinks

At four o'clock sharp, the doorbell rang right on time.

Qiao Yichen stood up to open the door. Standing outside were two people—a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a casual suit and looking quite capable. Behind him followed an elderly man with graying hair, carrying a tool bag.

"Duan Peng," the middle-aged man introduced himself. "Introduced by Teacher Song. This is Old Chen, whom I've brought along to help appraise the piece."

Qiao Yichen quickly stepped aside. "Please come in, Teacher Duan, Teacher Chen."

After the two entered, Duan Peng didn't sit down; he stood in the center of the living room and looked around. Old Chen placed the tool bag on the coffee table, took the appraisal report from Qiao Yichen first, put on his reading glasses, and began to examine it carefully.

"Where is the item?" Duan Peng asked.

"The second bedroom, I'll take you there."

Qiao Yichen led the two to the door of the second bedroom. After reading the report, Old Chen put it down, took a magnifying glass and a flashlight from his tool bag, walked to the cabinet, and began to inspect it bit by bit.

Duan Peng stood the whole time without touching anything, only occasionally asking Old Chen, "How is it?" Old Chen didn't look up, only gave a grunt of affirmation and continued to focus on his inspection.

He looked it over for more than twenty minutes. Old Chen straightened up, packed his tools, and nodded to Duan Peng. "No problem, the item is authentic."

Duan Peng nodded without saying much and turned back toward the living room.

The three sat down in the living room. Old Chen packed his tools and sat to the side without a word. Duan Peng looked at Qiao Yichen and got straight to the point:

"I've seen the item, and as Old Chen said, there's no problem." He paused. "I'll offer 2.6 million. Think about it."

Qiao Yichen was stunned for a moment.

2.6 million was 50,000 higher than Zhou Huaiming's 2.55 million. It was even higher than he had expected.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Duan Peng added, "I'm a straightforward person; that's my price. If you think it's okay, contact Teacher Song anytime."

After saying that, he stood up and signaled to Old Chen. The two walked out one after the other.

Qiao Yichen saw them to the door, but Duan Peng waved his hand. "No need to see us out."

The door closed.

The living room became quiet once again.

Qiao Yichen walked back to the sofa, sat down, took out his phone, and listed today's offers one by one—

Wang Jianguo (Elder Zhou): 2.4 million

Zhou Huaiming (Teacher Song): 2.55 million

Duan Peng (Teacher Song): 2.6 million

Qian Zhengqing, Liu Wenyuan (Teacher Song): TBD

He stared at the screen for a few seconds, leaned back, and let out a long breath.

Qiao Yichen lay on the sofa, staring at the string of numbers on his phone screen for a while, then clicked on Liu Yanran's WeChat and briefly explained the afternoon's situation—

Wang Jianguo came from Elder Zhou's side and gave an offer of 2.4 million on the spot. Five people came from Teacher Song's side; Qian Zhengqing and Liu Wenyuan were together and didn't give a specific price, but Zhou Huaiming offered 2.55 million, and Duan Peng, who decided to come over last minute today, offered the highest price of 2.6 million.

Just after the message was sent, Liu Yanran's reply came through.

First were several kissing emojis, one after another, and then a voice message. He clicked it and heard her voice lowered, but her excitement couldn't be suppressed: "2.6 million? For real? So, what are you thinking?"

Listening to her voice, Qiao Yichen couldn't help but smile and typed back: "I'll consider it carefully first. But the people Teacher Song introduced are indeed reliable."

Liu Yanran replied instantly: "Of course, they're collectors; the people they know are all from the same circle."

After a while, she sent another one: "By the way, the company was mainly doing layout beautification and proofreading this afternoon, nothing major. I should be able to leave work early tonight."

Qiao Yichen looked at his phone and thought for a moment: "Then I'll go back to the company later to pick you up, and we'll have a good meal together."

Liu Yanran replied with a "Good" emoji and then added: "Working overtime these past few days has almost wrecked me, you know? Lin Wei and Su Qing asked me to go shopping, but I couldn't make it. They're both about to curse me to death."

Just as Qiao Yichen was about to reply, she sent another one: "Oh, right, right! How about we go to Yunjian Restaurant? The one we went to before. Let's call Lin Wei and Su Qing to join us?"

He was taken aback and typed: "Now?"

"Yeah, it's not like there's anything else to do tonight, so it's a good time to treat ourselves. Besides, the wine we stored at that wine bar before isn't finished yet. Shall we go and sit for a bit? I haven't relaxed in so long."

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen and grinned. She had been cooped up for too long.

"Sure, you decide."

Liu Yanran replied with an "Alrighty," and then didn't reply further—she was probably contacting those two.

Qiao Yichen put his phone down, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.

These past few days didn't seem so tiring anymore.

After lying on the sofa for a while, Qiao Yichen checked the time, got up, and went out.

Driving to the company building, he didn't go up. He adjusted his seat back and leaned in the car to take a nap.

At a quarter past six, the passenger door was gently pulled open.

Qiao Yichen didn't open his eyes. He felt someone sit in, and then a familiar scent wafted over. Then, fingertips gently brushed across his cheek, tickling him.

He reached out and grabbed the mischievous hand, opening his eyes.

Liu Yanran was startled by him, then burst into laughter. "You're awake?"

"I wasn't deeply asleep anyway." Qiao Yichen didn't let go of her hand. "Finished work?"

Liu Yanran nodded. "Yeah, everything's done." She checked the time. "Leaving now? Should we pick up Lin Wei and Su Qing?"

Qiao Yichen let go of her hand and started the car. "Where to first?"

"Let's go to Su Qing's law firm first; her place is closer. Then we'll pick up Lin Wei."

The car drove out of the parking lot and merged into the evening rush hour traffic.

When they picked up Su Qing, she was standing downstairs at the law firm looking at her phone. She pulled open the car door and sat in the back seat, nodding to the two in front. "Thanks for the trouble, you two."

"Don't mention it." Qiao Yichen glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "What about Lin Wei? Have you contacted her?"

Liu Yanran lowered her head to type. "She said she's coming out right now. She's telling me to hurry, hurry, hurry—it's like she's hounding me to death."

Just as she was speaking, Lin Wei's message arrived. Liu Yanran took a look. "She's out, she's out. She's waiting at the intersection ahead."

Once they picked up Lin Wei, the car suddenly became lively. As soon as Lin Wei got in, she started clamoring, "Oh my goodness, you guys have no idea how tired I've been this week. My Taobao shop almost exploded with orders, you know? I was so busy I was practically flying, I didn't even have time for a sip of water—"

Su Qing added faintly from the side, "You say that every time."

"This time it's for real! Really, really!" Lin Wei grabbed the front seat. "I'm telling you, that new design—"

"Talk after you're in. Put on your seatbelt first." Qiao Yichen glanced at her in the rearview mirror.

Lin Wei gave an "Oh" and obediently buckled her seatbelt, but her mouth didn't stop. "Anyway, it's just super popular. I didn't even expect it to sell so well..."

The group laughed and joked as the car drove toward Yunjian Restaurant.

Just after seven, the car stopped at the restaurant entrance.

They ordered their food and chatted about the week's events while eating. Lin Wei talked about a bizarre buyer she encountered who bought three dresses and returned two, the reason being "the color is different from the picture," which made her so angry she almost wanted to crawl through the network cable to argue with them.

Su Qing chimed in, "The law firm is full of people like that too. They don't look at anything when they sign a contract, and when something goes wrong, they blame the lawyer for everything, as if we forced them to sign it."

"Exactly, exactly!" Lin Wei nodded vigorously. "That's the kind of person, exactly that kind!"

Liu Yanran laughed beside them. "You two could form a victims' alliance."

Qiao Yichen sat next to Liu Yanran, listening to them chat and occasionally chipping in. He watched Lin Wei gesticulating wildly about how annoying the buyer was, saw Su Qing calmly venting about the law firm's daily routine, and saw Liu Yanran's eyes curve with laughter.

They finished dinner at eight o'clock.

Leaving the restaurant, they walked slowly along the sycamore-lined street. Not far away, the sign of the wine bar glowed faintly, its wooden doors revealing a warm, soft light.

Pushing the door open, everything was the same as before. The waiter recognized them and smilingly led them to a private booth. The group sank into their chairs, letting out a satisfied sigh.

The half-bottle of Chardonnay left over from last time was brought out first. Liu Yanran flipped through the wine list and ordered a bottle of New Zealand Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and a bottle of German Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling Kabinett.

"Ordering so much?" Su Qing looked at her.

Liu Yanran smiled. "It's a rare chance to relax, let's drink."

The wine arrived, accompanied by nuts and cheese. The group leaned back in their chairs, chatting casually.

From the weather to the upcoming summer, and from summer to weight and body shape. Lin Wei pinched her waist and muttered, "I've gained weight these past few days; I feel like I can't even fit into my dresses anymore."

Su Qing reached out and pinched her back, saying, "This is called being voluptuous, okay? Don't you understand?"

"Give it a rest—" Lin Wei slapped her hand away.

Liu Yanran chimed in with a laugh, "That's enough, you two. I'm still sitting here."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Wei reached over to pinch her, and Su Qing joined the fray.

The three of them messed around, pinching each other back and forth, completely forgetting that Qiao Yichen was still beside them.

Qiao Yichen leaned against the back of his chair with his wine glass, watching the three women play around, and his lips couldn't help but curl up. He suddenly felt that this kind of life was actually quite good.

After a few glasses of wine, the conversation opened up completely.

Liu Yanran brought up the afternoon's events: "Several groups of people came this afternoon. One person offered 2.4 million, and a few others were together and didn't give a specific price. Two others—one offered 2.55 million, and one offered 2.6 million."

Lin Wei's eyes lit up instantly. "2.6 million? Oh, that's pretty good! I think you can sell!"

Su Qing held her wine glass and slowly shook her head. "If you're not in a hurry, you can wait and see. If someone offers 2.6 million, it means someone else might offer more. Why don't you wait a bit longer? Or try to push the price up?"

Liu Yanran looked at Qiao Yichen; he was holding his wine glass and didn't speak, as if he were thinking about something.

"What do you think yourself?" Su Qing asked him.

Qiao Yichen took a sip of wine and said slowly, "Let's wait a bit longer."

After several rounds of drinks, Liu Yanran and Lin Wei had both drunk a bit too much, leaning against the backs of their chairs with a flush on their faces.

Su Qing, however, was still sober. She checked the time. "It's about time to head out, right?"

Coming out of the bar, the night breeze blew over, carrying the coolness of early summer. Liu Yanran leaned on Qiao Yichen's shoulder, her steps a bit unsteady, but she was still somewhat conscious. Lin Wei was completely drunk, hanging onto Su Qing, muttering, "I'm not drunk, really not drunk, I can still drink."

Su Qing said expressionlessly, "Yeah, you're not drunk, it's the road that's swaying. The road had too much to drink."

They called a designated driver and sent Su Qing home first. She lived the closest. As she got out of the car, she glanced back at the back seat—Lin Wei was slumped over, and Liu Yanran was also leaning against the seat back with her eyes closed—then looked at Qiao Yichen in the passenger seat and waved at him. "I'll leave them to you."

The car door closed, and the car continued forward.

Qiao Yichen turned back from the passenger seat and shared a look with Liu Yanran. They originally intended to send Lin Wei home, but seeing her state, they both understood that if they sent her back like this, there would be no one to take care of her. Better to take her home with them.

It was almost eleven when they reached home.

The two of them worked together to help Lin Wei into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. As soon as she hit the pillow, she rolled over, muttered something unintelligible, and then fell completely asleep.

Liu Yanran stood by the bed and glanced at her, feeling a bit helpless yet amused. "When she gets up tomorrow, she'll definitely ask why she's here."

Qiao Yichen took a quilt out of the closet. "Let her sleep."

Liu Yanran changed into her pajamas and lay on the bed. Qiao Yichen helped tuck her in and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight."

Liu Yanran grabbed his hand. "Where are you going?"

"The second bedroom." Qiao Yichen pointed outside. "The two of you are sleeping here; I can't exactly squeeze in with you."

Liu Yanran smiled and let go of his hand.

Qiao Yichen turned off the light, closed the door, and walked into the second bedroom.