39: Chapter 39 At the End of the Road

Saturday, 9:30 PM.

Qiao Yichen finished showering and came out. His phone screen lit up; it was a message from Liu Yanran.

“Made it home?”

He wiped his hair dry and sat down, replying, “Just finished showering. Are you asleep yet?”

The message returned almost instantly: “Not yet.”

Qiao Yichen looked at those two words, his fingers pausing over the screen for a few seconds.

The kiss at her doorstep today, her last words “Be careful on the road,” and the flustered way she shut the door—all of it replayed repeatedly in his mind.

He took a deep breath, deciding not to beat around the bush anymore.

“Things didn't go too smoothly at the Jiayi Xuan Auction House today,” he typed. “The entry threshold for that Private Negotiation Fair is higher than I thought; it requires a recommendation from an existing client. Over here... I temporarily don't know anyone in that circle.”

He sent it.

This time, the wait was a bit longer.

About three minutes later, Liu Yanran replied, “Is it very troublesome?”

“A little,” Qiao Yichen answered truthfully. “But it’s fine, I’ll think of another way.”

Two more minutes passed.

“I’ll ask Lin Wei and Su Qing for you,” she messaged. “One of them does business and the other is a lawyer; they should know quite a few people.”

Qiao Yichen felt a warmth in his heart and was about to reply, “No need to trouble yourself,” when she sent another follow-up: “Wait for my news.”

“Okay,” he finally replied with just that one word.

...

Sunday morning, 8 AM. The first thing Liu Yanran did upon waking was reach for the phone beside her pillow.

The screen was still paused on the chat page with Qiao Yichen. Below the line “Wait for my news,” was his final reply, “Okay.”

Her fingertips hovered over the screen for a long time before she finally tapped open the chat box with Lin Wei.

She didn't waste time on pleasantries, cutting straight to the point: “Lin Wei, I need a favor. That Auction House Private Negotiation Fair Qiao Yichen mentioned yesterday requires a recommendation from an existing client. You have wide connections; do you know anyone who could open that line for us?”

After sending the message, Liu Yanran set her phone aside and got up to wash up.

Amidst the sound of running water, Lin Wei’s perpetually smiling face, the kind that seemed to know everyone, flashed through her mind.

When she returned, wiping her face dry, Lin Wei’s reply was already on the screen.

“Just saw this! I’ll ask around for you right away!” followed by a fist emoji.

Liu Yanran felt a slight easing of tension and replied with a “Thanks.”

For the next half hour, Liu Yanran tidied her room while occasionally glancing at her phone.

Just past nine o'clock, Lin Wei’s message arrived.

“Honey, I asked around...” followed by a sighing emoji.

Liu Yanran’s heart sank a little.

“I asked everyone in my contact list who might possibly be related—people in jewelry, people in luxury goods, even two bosses who wholesale rosewood furniture—everyone,” Lin Wei’s voice note played, carrying clear frustration and apology. “There’s really no one. They either have absolutely no contact with that world, or they’ve heard the name Jiayi Xuan Auction House but aren't clients themselves.”

“The antique auction circle really seems quite different from the business fields we usually deal with,” Lin Wei sent another text message. “It’s particularly closed-off and places great importance on seniority and background. I’m sorry, Yanran, I truly can’t help this time.”

Liu Yanran looked at the lines of text, tapping her fingers lightly on the screen, finally replying with just one sentence: “It’s fine, thank you for your effort.”

Exiting Lin Wei’s chat box, she took a deep breath and tapped on Su Qing’s avatar.

Compared to Lin Wei’s broad net, Su Qing’s resources might be more targeted.

“Su Qing, morning. I need to ask you for a favor regarding something,” Liu Yanran typed. “Qiao Yichen needs to find a recommendation from an existing client of the Jiayi Xuan Auction House to participate in a Private Negotiation Fair. Among your clients, is there anyone who fits the criteria or could connect us to that line?”

Su Qing’s reply arrived ten minutes later:

“Just woke up and saw your message.” The beginning carried the languid tone of someone just getting out of bed. “That Jiayi Xuan matter? I already thought it would be tough when we were eating last night.”

“You pretty much know what kind of people my clients are—those burning cash on apps, those raising funds for chain stores, and a few who run influencer brands. They might not lack money, but you expect them to bid on antiques at an Auction House?” Su Qing sent a [crying-laughing] emoji.

She sent another message, her tone more candid: “And even taking a step back, even if I truly knew a magnate collector, how would I even ask? ‘Mr. Wang, hello, my best friend’s boyfriend wants to get into an auction, could you recommend him?’—Yanran, given our relationship, I’ll be honest, I really couldn’t bring myself to say that. It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but the ‘cost of asking’ for this favor is too high—so high that it might ruin the professional trust between me and my client.”

Finally, Su Qing added a closing sentence, her tone softening: “I really can’t help with this. But speaking of which, why is Qiao Yichen suddenly so interested in antiques? If he really wants to enter that circle, he probably needs to look for those old-school bosses in this city who have been in established industries for decades and have a habit of collecting.”

“Sorry about that,” she concluded.

Lin Wei and Su Qing, these two best friends, were already the people with the widest social connections among those she knew.

...

At 10 AM, Qiao Yichen received Liu Yanran’s message.

“I asked Lin Wei and Su Qing; on their end... they don’t have any resources in this area.”

Immediately followed by another line: “Sorry, I couldn’t help you.”

Qiao Yichen looked at those two lines, and a certain spot in his heart softened. He could picture her asking people early in the morning, then typing those words out in disappointment.

He could almost see her slightly furrowed brow, her fingertips lightly tapping the screen.

“What’s there to be sorry about?” he typed quickly. “Just the fact that you were willing to ask for me already makes me very happy.”

“But I couldn’t help...”

“Yanran,” he interrupted her, his tone serious. “Your willingness to put effort in for me is more important than anything.”

There was a silence from the other end for a moment.

“Really?”

“Really.” Qiao Yichen typed, word by word. “So don’t overthink it. I will handle it myself. You don’t need to worry.”

This time, Liu Yanran replied very quickly: “Mm.”

After a while, she sent another message: “If you need me to do anything, just say the word.”

“Okay.”

The conversation ended there. Qiao Yichen put down his phone and walked to the window.

Morning light flooded the entire room, and he suddenly felt that even if he couldn't get into the Private Negotiation Fair, it didn't seem that important anymore.

Time moved to 11 AM. Qiao Yichen sat at his desk, reorganizing the connections he had on hand.

He had already checked with Liu Yanran’s side; nothing.

His own side... He suddenly remembered Wang Xiao, that channel distributor.

Without hesitation, he directly dialed Wang Xiao’s number.

“Brother Wang, sorry to bother you on the weekend,” Qiao Yichen got straight to the point. “I wanted to ask you about something.”

“Go ahead, Brother Qiao,” Wang Xiao’s voice had some background noise, sounding like he was outside.

“Do you know anyone in the antique Auction House circle? Like the Jiayi Xuan Auction House.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Antique Auction House?” Wang Xiao’s voice held confusion. “Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

“I want to attend one of their Private Negotiation Fairs; it requires a recommendation from an existing client.”

Wang Xiao was silent for a few seconds, then sighed: “Brother Qiao, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. I deal with internet traffic; everyone I know is a platform representative, an agent, or a brand owner. Antique auctions... that stuff is too far removed from me. I don’t even know which way their door faces.”

Qiao Yichen’s heart sank, but he still spoke politely, “I understand, thank you for your trouble, Brother Wang.”

“No problem.” Wang Xiao paused. “If you really want to enter that circle, you need to find those old bosses in established industries, or leaders in cultural departments. They are the ones who have influence.”

“Got it, thanks, Brother Wang.”

Hanging up the phone, Qiao Yichen leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

Wang Xiao’s path was also blocked.

At 2 PM, Qiao Yichen paced back and forth in his room.

The Private Negotiation Fair was scheduled for next Wednesday, leaving only four days if you counted strictly.

He went through everyone possible in his mind—colleagues, clients, former classmates.

Not a single one could connect him to that line.

He walked to his desk, intending to look again at that book, “research on huanghuali furniture,” perhaps finding some other angle in the text.

The book was open, with several sticky notes and a pen scattered beside it.

Just as he reached out to pick up the book, his gaze swept across the corner of the desk—a pure white business card, handed to him on Friday night, was pressed there.