TRWSB – Chapter 204 You can marry into

Qi Shaorong’s Study.

“Young Master.” Qi Heng came looking for him.

“Ah Heng, what is it?” Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng’s troubled expression with interest and asked.

“Young Master, I heard that Zuo Yunfei came to see you earlier?” Qi Heng asked.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yes, he did.”

“Young Master, that guy doesn’t think before he speaks. Whatever he said, just don’t take it to heart,” Qi Heng said, taking a deep breath.

Qi Shaorong chuckled. “I won’t take it to heart. Ah Heng, you seem quite concerned about him.”

Qi Heng gave a wry smile. “Young Master, please don’t tease me.”

Qi Shaorong tilted his head, thinking: Could it be that Qi Heng is feeling shy?

“Young Master, what did Zuo Yunfei say to you?” Qi Heng asked tentatively.

“He said he wanted me to marry you off to him,” Qi Shaorong replied lightly.

Qi Heng looked up in shock, his expression changing dramatically. “He… he actually said that to you?”

“Yes. Did Zuo Yunfei mention to you that he would be talking to me about something?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Qi Heng shook his head. “No. He just said he had something to discuss, but didn’t say what it was.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “I see.”

“Young Master, what did you say?” Qi Heng asked.

“I said sure—if he prepares a betrothal gift of two billion,” Qi Shaorong said with a wide smile.

Qi Heng looked up at Qi Shaorong, disbelief written all over his face. “Two billion? That much?”

Qi Shaorong blinked innocently. “Two billion? Is that a lot?”

“Young Master, I’m not worth that much,” Qi Heng said with a bitter smile.

“Ah Heng, don’t underestimate yourself. Two billion is nothing—you’re definitely worth it!” Qi Shaorong said. “Don’t worry. If Zuo Yunfei gets scared off, you don’t need to be sad. I’ll help you find someone even better.”

“I’m not sad,” Qi Heng replied. “If he runs off, so be it. It’s not a big deal.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “That’s the best way to think about it.”

Elsewhere, in Qi Shaorong’s residence.

Yi Fan pulled Mu Tingxuan along as they walked into Qi Shaorong’s courtyard. In the corridor, they ran into Zuo Yunfei.

Seeing Zuo Yunfei, Yi Fan instinctively stopped. “Zuo Yunfei? Young Master Zuo?”

Zuo Yunfei sized them up and gave a slight nod. “You two must be like Qi Heng, also part of Qi Shaorong’s household, right?”

Yi Fan smiled. “I’m Yi Fan. A pleasure to meet you, Young Master Zuo.”

Zuo Yunfei glanced at their clasped hands, then back at Yi Fan, and said with a touch of envy, “Young Master Yi, you’re quite lucky.”

Yi Fan nodded. “Not bad. But Young Master Zuo, you don’t look so well. Something troubling you? Maybe I can help.”

Zuo Yunfei crossed his arms, growing impatient. “It’s nothing.”

“Not convenient to talk about? No need to be so distant with us,” Yi Fan said warmly.

Zuo Yunfei shot him an annoyed look and snapped, “Your young master wants two billion as a bride price before he’ll agree to marry off Qi Heng to me. He’s basically extorting me.”

Mu Tingxuan chuckled. “Two billion, huh? That is a bit steep. But Qi Heng’s been with the young master for years. Qi Shaorong invested a lot in him, raised him carefully. It’s only natural he’s reluctant to part with him.”

“Actually, this matter isn’t entirely without a solution,” Yi Fan said.

Mu Tingxuan turned and looked at him. “Yi Fan, do you have an idea?”

Yi Fan nodded. “Indeed. The young master just can’t bear to marry off Qi Heng. So, Young Master Zuo, why not marry into Qi Heng’s household instead? If Qi Heng marries you, it’s two billion. But if you marry into his family, maybe two hundred million will do.”

“Sure, being the one to marry in might be a bit humiliating for someone like you, but when it comes to getting the person you want, does pride really matter?” Yi Fan said, clapping Zuo Yunfei on the shoulder with emphasis.

Zuo Yunfei looked at Yi Fan and asked, “Young Master Yi, how much did you spend to marry Young Master Mu?”

Yi Fan smiled. “Tingxuan and I are part of the same household as the young master. We got an internal rate—no reference value. Let’s leave it at that. Anyway, I believe in you, Young Master Zuo. Keep at it! We’ll be going now.”

Zuo Yunfei watched them leave, his face dark and stormy.

Back inside.

Qi Heng was sitting in the room reading documents when Zuo Yunfei walked in.

Qi Heng looked up. “You’ve seemed irritated these past few days.”

“I told Qi Shaorong I want to marry you, and he asked for two billion in bride price. He’s basically robbing me!” Zuo Yunfei said bitterly.

Since Qi Heng had already heard the full story from Qi Shaorong, he wasn’t surprised.

“If your attitude hadn’t been so awful, maybe the young master wouldn’t have named such a high price,” Qi Heng said, shaking his head.

Zuo Yunfei looked at Qi Heng, disgruntled. “My attitude? I’ve been perfectly fine! What was so awful about it?”

Qi Heng rolled his eyes. “Sure. Compared to how you treat me, maybe your attitude toward the young master really wasn’t that bad.”

Zuo Yunfei was silent for a while, then muttered reluctantly, “Sorry.”

Qi Heng tilted his head and looked at Zuo Yunfei in surprise. “A change of heart? That’s rare! But I’m used to how you are. No need to change on my account.”

Zuo Yunfei: “…”

“I ran into Yi Fan and Mu Tingxuan on my way here,” Zuo Yunfei said.

Qi Heng raised an eyebrow. “You ran into them?”

Zuo Yunfei nodded and said through gritted teeth, “Those two aren’t good people either.”

Qi Heng: “…”

“Alright, stop complaining. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Go have some food,” Qi Heng urged.

“Will you eat with me?”

“No, you go ahead. I’m going to see the young master to discuss something,” Qi Heng replied.

Zuo Yunfei looked at Qi Heng with dissatisfaction. “Going to him again?”

Qi Heng nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m going too.”

Qi Heng looked at Zuo Yunfei and said, “We’re going to discuss confidential matters. What are you, an outsider, tagging along for? Young Master Zuo, you do realize this is the Evil Healer’s Manor…”

Zuo Yunfei nodded. “I know. I know this is the Evil Healer’s Manor. So what?”

Qi Heng shook his head helplessly. “Young Master Zuo, you really need to have some awareness. You’re a guest here, not back at the Zuo family where you can throw your weight around.”

Zuo Yunfei: “…”

+++++

Qi Heng walked into the conference room and saw that Qi Shaorong, Yi Fan, and Mu Tingxuan had all arrived.

“Ah Heng, did you calm down that jealous little jar of yours?” Qi Shaorong asked with a grin.

Qi Heng looked at him and said helplessly, “Young Master, he’s not mine yet.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Oh, right! I almost forgot. I got too excited and quoted him an astronomical bride price. At this rate, it’ll be a long, long time before that jealous guy becomes yours.”

Qi Heng: “…”

Qi Shaorong rested his chin on his hand. “Tell you what, Ah Heng. If you think that vinegar jar isn’t too bad, I can talk to him and maybe offer a friend discount, give him a little price cut.”

Qi Heng looked at him and said, “Young Master, please stop joking about my matters.”

Qi Shaorong looked at him with mock seriousness. “I’m not joking! I’m being serious.”

Qi Heng took a deep breath and said, “Young Master, let’s get back to business.”

Qi Shaorong chuckled. “Well, if you insist, then alright.”

Qi Heng: “…”

Qi Shaorong looked around and said, “I’ve already met with the elves. They’re willing to help us cultivate spiritual herbs and establish a partnership, but they have one condition—they want us to help recover their people who were trafficked.”

“Since we’re allies, it’s only right to help rescue the enslaved elven women.”

“To show their sincerity, the elves are willing to send a hundred elven archers to assist us,” Qi Shaorong added.

Mu Tingxuan and Yi Fan exchanged glances, while Qi Heng rested his chin in his hand, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Qi Shaorong looked at the three and asked, “Why are you all so quiet? Elves are all beauties! The elven princess I spoke with said we could choose between beautiful women and handsome men. Liu Yun isn’t around, but I still saved twenty beauties for him. What about you three? Want beauties or handsome men?”

Qi Heng looked at Qi Shaorong. “Young Master, stop joking.”

“Joking? I’m not joking! Qi Heng, are you afraid of Zuo Yunfei? You’re not even married yet and you’re already this afraid of him? That’s not a good sign,” Qi Shaorong said with mock concern.

“I’m fine with anything. Young Master can decide,” Qi Heng said, taking a deep breath.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Ah Heng, you’re great in every way, but you’re too indifferent about everything. Alright then, I’ll save ten elven beauties and ten handsome men for you. As they say, mixed teams make for less tiring work.”

Qi Heng: “…”

…

“Young Master, if the elves provide raw materials, we’ll need to expand our production,” Yi Fan said.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Exactly. Let’s buy some minotaurs from the orc tribes. Those guys are simple-minded but strong. Assign each batch to a different process. No need to worry about them leaking the formula. Although they eat a lot, their advantages outweigh their flaws.”

Yi Fan nodded. “Alright, I’ll handle it.”

“For the simple processes, leave them to those guys. For the core parts, Tingxuan, I’ll need you to oversee things,” Qi Shaorong said, looking at Mu Tingxuan.

Mu Tingxuan nodded. “Understood.”

“Ah Heng, since Princess Daya is your contact, you’ll be responsible for handling matters with the elves from now on,” Qi Shaorong said.

Qi Heng nodded. “Okay.” Initially, he thought Daya was just an elven noble, but after interacting with her, he realized she was actually a princess.

“Young Master, if the scale of Qingcheng Cosmetics keeps expanding, we won’t have enough people in management,” Yi Fan said.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “I know. It’s easy to get a thousand troops, but hard to find one good general. I’ll figure something out.”