QTIMP -Chapter 97 Character Persona – Money Loving (Part 7)

So among the three girls who came along, two applied for the 500-yuan membership card, while the other applied for the 1,000-yuan one. As promised, Si Qiu naturally upgraded their membership level.

Si Qiu took out some beautiful bags and boxes from the shop and carefully sorted and packaged the items they had purchased. As if she were sharing a secret, she lowered her voice slightly and said,

“Some of the clothes in our shop are produced in limited quantities—sometimes only eight or ten pieces. When new arrivals come in, since you’re all members, our shop will call to notify you. That way you’ll get priority to buy them, and when you wear them out, you won’t run into the situation where everyone on the street is wearing the same thing.”

Those few sentences immediately eased the sting in the hearts of the girls who had just spent such large amounts of money.

The girl who had spent 1,000 yuan on the membership card leaned closer and asked, “When the time comes, you won’t forget to notify me, right?”

“Of course not. We register everything here, and when the time comes we’ll call each member one by one. High-level membership cards can even reserve specific items in advance. For example, if you take a liking to a certain piece of clothing but the store only receives three pieces this time—while the factory actually produced ten—you can reserve one of the remaining pieces from the factory if you didn’t manage to buy one of the three. Then we’ll specially transfer the item over so you can choose it. You’ll just need to wait a short while.”

A wide smile appeared on the girl’s face.

“My name is Gu Wen. Both of my parents are diplomats. The clothes here aren’t any worse than the ones they bring back for me from overseas. Your sense of aesthetics is really on point. Your shop suits my taste very well. I hope the two of us can become friends in the future.”

Si Qiu extended her hand and shook hers.

“It’s my honor to become your friend. And I should be thanking you for supporting my shop.”

“What are you two talking about? We’re going out for dinner. Qiuqiu, hurry up and tidy up. I’ve already reserved the place—we’ll head over now.”

The group soon arrived at the restaurant Gu Shimiao had booked. Friendship between girls forms easily, and before long everyone had blended together and become quite close.

“I’m planning to open a second branch,” Si Qiu said. “I’ve already found a location, but it needs to be renovated. The construction team that handled the previous job is busy lately and doesn’t have time. Tomorrow I’ll have to find another renovation team.”

“Will it be decorated like your current shop?” asked the chubby girl named Zhou Liu.

Luo Baibai had told her that in Zhou Liu’s family, the first five children were all boys. From Monday to Friday. When it came to her turn, the elders in the family thought naming a girl Zhou Liu (Saturday) wouldn’t sound nice, so they changed the character to Liu instead.

It sounded like a very interesting family—after all, even their naming style was amusing.

“Yes, roughly that style, though some details will be a bit different.”

“If you trust me, I can ask my fifth brother for you,” Zhou Liu offered. “He works at the Housing and Urban Construction Bureau and knows people in this field.”

As soon as Si Qiu heard this, she quickly smiled and responded, “Oh my, where did this adorable little angel come from? If you’re willing to introduce someone, you’ll really be saving me from a pressing problem.”

Zhou Liu’s cheeks immediately turned red from the praise.

“I-it’s nothing. I’ll tell my brother when I get back.”

Gu Shimiao teased from the side, “Qiuqiu, Liu Liu is helping you so much. Shouldn’t you show some appreciation?”

Si Qiu grabbed Liu Liu’s hand dramatically.

“My benefactor! I have no way to repay your kindness. You see, I’m not entirely unpleasant to look at—do you think I might catch your eye and repay your grace that way?”

Then she shot her an exaggerated flirtatious wink, her eyes full of charm. Zhou Liu’s face instantly turned bright red after being teased like that. She stammered, “I… I… my mom won’t allow it.”

The others immediately burst out laughing. Luo Baibai even walked around the others and put an arm around Si Qiu. “This young lady here is poor and dull. Why don’t you consider me instead? My family owns thousands of acres of fertile land and countless carriages and horses. Follow me and I guarantee you’ll live a life of luxury.”

As she spoke, she mischievously reached out and gave Si Qiu’s cheek a playful, slightly roguish rub. Si Qiu pretended to look troubled.

Luo Baibai feigned anger. “Even if she’s done you a favor, I’ve treated you well too. You can’t be so biased!”

Biting her lip, Si Qiu said, “Miss, your great kindness is something I cannot repay in this life. In the next life, I will surely repay it with utmost devotion.”

Luo Baibai glared at her. “What do you mean by that?”

Si Qiu spread her hands shamelessly. “I repay kindness with conditions. If the person is good-looking, I’ll devote myself to them. As for those I repay in the next life… well, naturally that means…”

After taking a moment to process it, Luo Baibai immediately lunged at Si Qiu and started tickling her. “You little rascal, Qiuqiu! You’re indirectly calling me ugly!”

Everyone else laughed along with them, until the sound of footsteps and voices coming from the corridor made them stop.

They had already noticed that the room wasn’t soundproof, and all their chattering felt a bit inappropriate.

“Well,” Si Qiu began, “Baibai mentioned before that staying at home all the time is boring. What if we find a larger courtyard and open a place just for girls to hang out? Inside we could have skincare and beauty treatments, as well as dancing and swimming.”

Si Qiu started the idea, and the others quickly joined in.

“We could also play sports—table tennis, badminton, tennis, all of it.”

Gu Wen leaned forward over the table. “We could drink a little wine, play cards. It would be even better if we could go horseback riding.”

Zhou Liu also raised her hand. “We could practice shooting too. By then we’ll hire female instructors and put up a sign—Men strictly forbidden.”

Everyone chimed in, adding activities they liked one after another.

Finally Si Qiu said, “We should set a high threshold for entry. People must be introduced by acquaintances and pay a high membership fee. Then we’ll hire retired female soldiers for security.”

Gu Shiyao tapped her fingers lightly on the table, looking thoughtful. “If that’s the case, first the venue needs to be very large. Many of these activities require wide spaces. Second, we’ll need reliable service staff. And finally, the most important thing—a large amount of capital.”

Si Qiu continued, “And it would be best if we buy the venue instead of renting it. As for funding, I can contribute some.”

“I actually have a five-courtyard estate,” said a girl who had been mostly silent before—apparently named He Hongxue. From her tone, she likely came from a once-prominent family. “But the place is quite run-down. Renovations would cost a lot. It was left to me by my mother as an inheritance, so I could use it as my investment.”

“I’ll handle finding the retired female soldiers,” said a short-haired girl who had only gotten a membership card earlier but hadn’t bought anything. “My whole family serves in the military, so it won’t be difficult.”

Si Qiu remembered her name seemed to be Hua Mingzhu—a woman who might not talk much but was impossible to overlook.

“Then we need to choose someone to manage this project,” Si Qiu said. “Whether it’s finding land and constructing buildings in the early stage, training staff, or running the place later on, we’ll need someone in charge. And this person needs to have a certain level of influence. After all, the people we’ll receive in the future will all be either rich or powerful. If conflicts happen, a manager without enough status won’t be able to keep things under control. Once the business runs smoothly for a while, we can always appoint a representative manager later.”