Chapter 020: Wen Ni Gave Him a Hard Lesson

Ning Sui, infuriated, said, “All the silk in Liji Town has been maliciously bought up at inflated prices. There's not a single strand left. Li Dafu won’t even answer my calls. It’s outrageous.”

The silk from Liji Town had always supplied the Wen family’s kesi silk workshop and several Su embroidery studios in the South. Years ago, Grandmother had tried sourcing silk from other regions, but the results were unsatisfactory—either it broke easily, wore out too quickly, or the colors weren’t accurate. Even those that compared favorably at first would, over time, cause the finished kesi to fade. Thus, the workshop had always worked with Liji Town, an arrangement dating back to Grandmother’s mother’s generation.

Just last year, their clan leader, Mr. Li Yinghua, had passed away. Li Dafu, as his only nephew, inherited the position. Who would have thought that in his very first year, he’d start causing such trouble.

Wen Ni, exasperated, said, “I’ll call Li Dafu myself.”

Ning Sui replied, “I spoke to a local kid. Li Dafu has taken his wife and daughter on vacation to the Maldives. No one can reach him.”

She paused. “Teacher Ji has already started contacting other silk sellers.”

Wen Ni pressed her lips together. Other silk wouldn’t do. It had to be Liji Town’s.

She asked, “Sui Sui, don’t panic yet. Try to find out from the locals who bought up all their silk this season. If need be, take whatever measures are necessary—just say I ordered it.”

Ning Sui agreed.

After the call ended, Wen Ni sat for a while, her fair cheeks flushed crimson with anger. She was breathing heavily, like a dog suffering through a muggy summer.

Meanwhile, Zhou Jingyi sipped his tea with an air of unruffled elegance, a sharp contrast to Wen Ni’s agitation.

He asked leisurely, “What’s happened?”

Wen Ni shot him a resentful look. “The silk is gone.”

Zhou Jingyi replied offhandedly, “Then just change suppliers.”

Wen Ni frowned. “No. We’re already halfway through. No matter where the new silk comes from, there will be differences. And as time goes on, those differences will only grow. I won’t risk my reputation.”

Zhou Jingyi countered, “Then give me a solution.”

Wen Ni stood up and headed for the door.

Zhou Jingyi frowned, “Wen Ni.”

But she was already gone, calling back as she walked, “I’ll give you an answer when I return.”

Wen Ni got in her car and sat for a moment.

Just as she was about to start the engine, a call came from Ning Sui. Wen Ni hurried to answer.

Ning Sui, breathless, reported, “Teacher Wen, I found out—the entire stock of silk in Liji Town was bought up in two rounds. The first was purchased at an inflated price by the Xue Ning Kesi Studio. The second was bought at the original price by a friend of Li Dafu’s.”

So it was the Shen Xue Ning family after all. Wen Ni was thoroughly disgusted.

She asked, “Who made the second purchase? Can you find out?”

Ning Sui replied, “Yes, but it’s odd. I’ve checked the buyer’s assets; there’s no connection to textiles, fashion, cosmetics, healthcare, or any intangible cultural heritage workshops.”

Wen Ni pressed, “What’s the name?”

“Jiang Shaozhang.”

Wen Ni thought she’d misheard. “Who?”

“Jiang Shaozhang. Also from the capital—a notorious playboy. The Jiang family is involved in AI-driven vehicles and petrochemicals, nothing to do with silk.”

Wen Ni suddenly laughed. “I understand. Come back and call my brother too—tell him to come back as soon as possible. This is aimed at me.”

Ning Sui was silent.

Wen Ni said, “I’ll handle it.”

Driving, Wen Ni couldn’t help but laugh to herself. Jiang Shaozhang. The young master of the Jiang family. Once, after getting drunk and causing a scene at a bar, he’d tried to flirt with her. She’d responded by breaking a bottle over his head, earning him eighteen stitches. The Jiang family had wanted to cause trouble, but at the time, Zhou Mingfan had just started courting Wen Ni, doting on her like a precious treasure, so the Jiangs had chosen to let it go.

Now, barely had “Zhou Mingfan” died, Jiang Shaozhang could no longer restrain himself from seeking revenge. But Wen Ni figured this scheme with the silk wasn’t his idea—it had to be someone behind the scenes. If she remembered correctly, the Jiang and Shen families were related, and back when she’d dealt with Jiang Shaozhang, Shen Xue Ning had supposedly helped out—though whether she was truly helpful or not was another matter.

Wen Ni drove straight to the Jiang residence. The butler told her that the young master hadn’t been home in a week; waiting here would be pointless.

As she was about to leave, the butler seemed to recall something. “Are you Miss Wen?”

She turned and nodded. “I am.”

The butler said, “Then it’s you. Our young master left word: if a Miss Wen comes looking, tell her—where you fall is where you must rise again.”

Wen Ni understood. She thanked him and immediately got in her car. Where you fall is where you must rise again—a clear hint that the bar, the scene of their original conflict, would also be where it ended.

She drove straight to the bar.

Upon arrival, she remembered the place didn’t open until 6:30 in the evening. It was only noon. So she went to the workshop and took inventory of the remaining silk—enough for about three more days.

An embroiderer greeted her warmly, “Little Wen, how is Teacher Wen’s health?”

“Still the same,” she replied.

The embroiderer couldn’t help but say, “I hope Teacher Wen wakes up soon.”

“She will.”

The embroiderer continued, “We’ve heard about Mr. Zhou. We wanted to visit you together, but didn’t know what to say. Little Wen, you’re still young—surely you’ll meet someone better in the future.”

Wen Ni nodded, patting her on the shoulder. “Sister Rong, I’ll count on your words. When the time comes, I’ll give you wedding candies.”

Sister Rong confided, “That young man who came yesterday isn’t bad. I know Mr. Zhou just passed, so it may sound tactless, but good men are rare. If you hesitate, you might regret it.”

Wen Ni smiled.

Sister Rong said, “We’ve watched you grow up. At three, you were already sleeping among skeins of silk. We all hope you’ll be happy.”

A slight moisture glistened in Wen Ni’s eyes. “Don’t worry, Sister Rong. I’ll be fine. I have good fortune—I’ll never have a bad life.”

Sister Rong pinched her cheek with a smile. “That’s the right attitude. Now we can rest easy.”

Night fell. Wen Ni checked the time. “Sister Rong, I have urgent business. I’ll go ahead. You all should finish early too. The deadline matters, but don’t wear yourselves out.”

With that, she left for the bar.

As she pushed open the door, a wave of heavy metal music mixed with the scent of alcohol hit her. The frenetic electronic beats roared like savage beasts, shaking her to the core.

Wen Ni frowned, weaving through the crowd toward the interior. The private rooms were upstairs; she had to find the elevator. Finally squeezing through, she took a deep breath and entered. The elevator rose slowly to the eighth floor.

Stepping out, she found the decor markedly different from the ground floor—understated and luxurious.

Drawing a deep breath, she forced a smile and walked toward the same private room as before. She was a little nervous, her gaze fixed ahead as she passed the restroom, where she brushed past Shen Qinglan without noticing.

Shen Qinglan, curious, watched Wen Ni’s retreating figure and turned to Zhou Jingyi, who was leisurely drying his hands, “I just saw your niece-in-law.”