Chapter 744 - 257: Eloping to the Qiao Family (Part 2)

Qin Mei watched as Li Rui sniffed the medicine. ’Is he an expert?’ she wondered, looking toward Jie Jingchen.

Right in front of Li Rui, Jie Jingchen said bluntly, "Don’t mind him. He’s just putting on a show."

"Pretending to be an expert when he’s not?" Qin Mei blurted out. When Jie Jingchen nodded, she looked puzzled. ’Is that really necessary?’

’So he actually suspected I would try to scam him with fake medicine? I haven’t even officially started my business yet, and I’m going to ruin my own reputation with fakes? Am I crazy?’

’I’m serious about a long-term partnership; I’d never try to fool him with fake medicine.’

"Don’t mind me, it’s just a force of habit." Exposed by Jie Jingchen, Li Rui didn’t seem embarrassed at all. "Three pills last time, ten this time, so thirteen thousand in total. I’ll have someone transfer the money to your account in a moment."

Qin Mei didn’t have an account in Xiangjiang, so the money was to be transferred to Jie Jingchen’s account. ’Jie Jingchen wouldn’t pocket my money,’ she thought, ’but having the profits from my medicine sent to his account... why does it make me feel so insecure?’

’I want to work with Li Rui long-term. Even after I go back to Huaxia, I want to keep this partnership going.’

"I want cash," Qin Mei said.

"Cash?" Li Rui looked at Qin Mei and asked, "Thirteen thousand, and you’re sure you want it in cash?"

"How much?" Qin Mei was stunned. The price she had set was one hundred per pill. This was ten times that amount.

Qin Mei took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Too little?" Li Rui raised an eyebrow. ’Is she trying to jack up the price on the spot?’ he wondered. ’Jie Jingchen doesn’t seem like the type to go back on his word. There’s only one other possibility: the two of them hadn’t agreed on a price beforehand.’

And they indeed hadn’t discussed the price. When Jie Jingchen had asked Qin Mei for the three pills, he’d expected her to grill him about it. Instead, she had readily handed them over without a single question. He couldn’t predict the future, and he didn’t know if the pills would even sell. He was afraid of getting her hopes up only to disappoint her.

So, he figured he would just wait until they were sold before telling Qin Mei anything.

When setting the price, he had aimed as high as he could, quoting one thousand per pill and expecting Li Rui to bargain him down. But who would have thought that Li Rui was also so decisive? He didn’t haggle in the slightest; the price was a thousand, and he agreed to a thousand.

’Too little? He’s completely misunderstood. I think it’s too much!’

Qin Mei looked at Jie Jingchen. ’This guy is even better at quoting an outrageous price than I am. A true profiteer! The cost of materials and labor is ten yuan at most, but he’s selling them for a thousand. That’s an insane profit!’

"You set the price?" Qin Mei asked Jie Jingchen. Seeing him nod, she thought for a moment before saying in a deadpan voice, "Alright then, we’ll go with your price."

"Do you want cash?" Li Rui asked.

Qin Mei didn’t answer, asking instead, "Are you interested in a long-term partnership?"

"Of course," Li Rui nodded.

Qin Mei ran upstairs again and came back down a moment later, handing a piece of paper to Li Rui. "Here."

"What’s this?" Li Rui took the paper, glanced at Jie Jingchen, and then unfolded it. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"My account in Huaxia," Qin Mei said, beaming at Li Rui as if he were her personal God of Wealth. Back in Shijiu City, people like Second Granny and Granny Ning had treated *her* like a God of Wealth. Now, here in Xiangjiang, she was the one looking at someone else that way.

Li Rui glanced at Jie Jingchen again. Seeing that he had no objections, Li Rui didn’t say another word. He simply folded the paper and put it in his pocket. "Alright. I’ll transfer the money to this account when I get back."

"A pleasure doing business with you," Qin Mei said, extending her hand in a friendly gesture.

"A pleasure," Li Rui smiled and moved to shake her hand, but Jie Jingchen pulled Qin Mei back.

"Alright, you can go now," Jie Jingchen said, effectively kicking him out.

Li Rui didn’t linger. He was in a hurry to cash in on these pills, so he left with a cheerful grin.

Qin Mei saw him as her God of Wealth, but in his eyes, wasn’t she his God of Wealth, too?

One thousand a pill was an astronomical price for the average person, but for those rich, hedonistic heirs, it was merely expensive, not unattainable.

What Qin Mei didn’t know was that the price of her medicine was being driven sky-high on the resale market.

"Jie Jingsi," Qin Mei said, eyeing Jie Jingchen. She wanted to thank him but was afraid he’d blow up at her. "Jie Jingsi, I’ll split the money I earned with you, fifty-fifty."

Jie Jingchen gazed at her. ’She wouldn’t even let Li Rui transfer the money into my account, she was that wary of me. And now she wants to give me half?’ The frustration he’d been feeling a moment ago instantly evaporated.

Jie Jingchen grabbed her wrist and gave it a gentle tug, pulling Qin Mei right onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Qin Mei put up a token struggle and pinched the back of his hand, reminding him, "Jie Jingsi, we’re in the living room. Don’t get any ideas."

Jie Jingchen held her tighter, burying his head in the crook of her neck. "The money I make is for you to spend," he murmured. "And the money you make is for you to spend."

His words went straight to her heart. ’Jie Jingchen really knows all the right things to say,’ she thought. Qin Mei shifted, turning to cup his face in her hands and plant a sweet kiss on him. "Your reward."