Born for Each Other

Qin Fen had never dabbled in flowers or potted plants. They were practically from different worlds, not even on the same plane, so he simply could not tell quality from price. Seeing how enthusiastic the owner was, along with the exchange between the two of them, he did not suspect the man of deliberately overcharging him. After all, such a large deal was right there.

But Sun Yujie was different. Her father loved this sort of thing and often brought home plants and flowers to fuss over. Over time, she had developed a sharp eye. Purple clay pots were not cheap, and this one was finely crafted, but it was nowhere near expensive enough to be that outrageous.

To put it bluntly, it was worth only one or two thousand at most. The owner had opened with a price of over ten thousand, and she was practically dizzy. He was clearly treating Qin Fen like some gullible sucker.

So the heroine who targeted people rather than matters made her move, and she went at it mercilessly, smashing it outright and leaving the owner too choked up to say a word. If she actually bought it and took it home, Uncle Sun would take one look and hear the price, then turn around and give Qin Fen a lesson. He would have no choice but to listen, and even when he got home, the old man would lecture him too. How could he dare? This blow was deadly.

She had struck right at the owner's weak spot. It was downright vicious.

"How could I take your money? You've only just started working. Forget it, forget it," the owner said. He was not falling for it. You had a black heart even as a child.

"How could that be? This is more than ten thousand," Sun Yujie said, still looking embarrassed.

Could you stop bringing that up? The owner wanted to throw up now. He wished he could slap himself. He should have quoted a lower price back then. He should not have tried to make money he should not make. Who knew this little devil would suddenly go mad and play this hard?

"What do you mean, how could it be? I'm the owner, so I make the call. We've known each other since we were kids. What's ten thousand? Do you think your brother is short on that bit of money? Fine, if you like it, I'll pick out another good one for you. Consider it a gift for Uncle Sun," the owner said. He was absolutely not taking the bait. Even if someone beat him to death, he would not take this money. If he did, he would be a pig. Forget ten thousand—even a hundred thousand, he would waive it.

"How could I possibly do that? It isn't easy for you to run a business either. How about you give me the cost price, and I'll compensate you?"

That was enough. The owner's expression collapsed. He knew this girl would not be easy to dismiss. Sure enough, here it came again, aimed straight at his cost price. Was he supposed to say it was not expensive, that the cost was only fourteen hundred? Wouldn't that be slapping his own face? If Qin Fen heard it, he would lose all his dignity.

"Uh, there's no need. Consider it a gift from your brother. You've just returned from abroad, and I haven't given you anything yet. I was even planning to treat you to a meal," the owner said. He would never fall for it. Trying to fish for information? Dream on. As someone raised in the compound, he was no fool.

"But—"

"No buts. It's settled," the owner said, cutting Sun Yujie off. He had caught on now. This girl not only knew this guy, but they were on pretty good terms too.

So he coughed. "Brother, sorry for holding you up. Since you're friends with Yujie, I'll give you an honest price. I'll knock some more off—five thousand. Five thousand each, and you can take it. Consider it a bargain for my new friend."

Qin Fen was stunned when he heard that. Good lord, the price had been cut in half at once. Before all this happened, he might really have thought the owner was an honest man who sincerely wanted to make the deal, willing to earn a little less. But now?

Qin Fen was not stupid. In fact, he was rather clever. After watching the two go back and forth for so long, he had sensed that something was off. The original price had definitely been inflated, and as the saying went, no merchant was without guile. This five thousand was definitely not the lowest price either.

He looked at Sun Yujie beside him. She looked back and winked at him.

Qin Fen understood everything even more clearly. A familiar feeling suddenly welled up inside him. He was actually very good at this kind of bargaining, except the people he usually faced were all rich, handsome men from the Heavenly Court.

"Five thousand? Then maybe forget it. I didn't bring much money with me. I'll come back another time," Qin Fen said, scratching his head with a deeply sincere expression of embarrassment.

The owner froze. Five thousand? That really was not much to him. He looked Qin Fen over, and the man's clothes really were quite ordinary. After thinking about it, he understood the hidden meaning: too expensive, not buying it. Coming back next time was pure nonsense.

As a businessman, he had dealt with buyers more than once or twice. Sellers named their price, buyers bargained it down. As long as the profit remained reasonable, and according to how much the customer liked it, he had to hold firm. He could tell that Qin Fen really liked it.

"Five thousand really isn't expensive. Look at the workmanship—it's made by a famous craftsman, and it's purple clay, so the base price is already high. I'm only making a few hundred off you, and that's only because of Xiaojie. We all know each other. This price is already close to my cost. I wouldn't even offer government procurement this low, and they buy in large quantities," the owner said.

"Then forget it. I really don't have enough money on me," Qin Fen said with an embarrassed smile.

The owner frowned and looked from Sun Yujie to Qin Fen. It was not impossible to lower the price further. It was only a little money to him. But he had not noticed the two acting especially intimate, and as a businessman, keeping hold of his profit had practically become a habit.

"That's a pity. How about you look at something else? I can recommend a few with good value for money," he said.

Sun Yujie spoke up. "How about you take the broken one home and show it to my dad? See if there's any way to fix it. It's broken, but not too badly."

Oh, so you two had teamed up to toy with me. The owner felt as if a stone were pressing on his chest. Uncle Sun again. You were ruthless.

Qin Fen was stunned at first when he heard the girl's words, then a smile appeared on his face. He nodded. "All right. We'll let Uncle take a look."

Sun Yujie smiled. Nice cooperation. Especially that instant change in Qin Fen's expression—he was practically a qualified actor.

"Don't, brother. Since you really like it, I'll sell it at a rock-bottom price today. Tell me how much you brought."

Qin Fen scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I only have five hundred on me."

You really could not judge a book by its cover. You bargained viciously! That was not even enough to cover my cost. The owner's face turned green as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

Gritting his teeth, he decided to take the loss and avert disaster. If he did not, Sun Yujie would keep hounding him forever. "Fine, five hundred it is. I'll make a friend of you today. Come by often in the future. Leave your address and phone number, and I'll have someone deliver them to you later."

After saying that, the owner let out a breath and glanced at Sun Yujie. You should be satisfied now, right?

Qin Fen scratched his head. "Um... sorry, but I want ten."

Didn't you say you only had five hundred? Ten? That made exactly five thousand. The owner's face darkened, then darkened further. "Didn't you only have five hundred? Why do you want so many?"

"I'll use my card!"

People really could not be this shameless!

PS: Thanks for the tip, fellow townsman! And thank you to all my readers for supporting me all this time. I'll keep writing diligently, build up some chapters, and repay everyone.