After receiving the location sent by Gu Xingzhao, Xu Shisan took his time picking out what he thought was a decent outfit, then quickly loaded his car with protective materials and boxes from the store. He drove as fast as he could to the location.

When he arrived, he stared at the sign that read “Good Luck Supermarket” in big letters, completely baffled. A supermarket?

After double-checking the address, he entered the store and saw Gu Xingzhao sitting at the checkout counter near the entrance. He was surprised. “So, you’re running a supermarket?”

“Yes,” Gu Xingzhao replied with a slight arch of her brow as she got up to close the store.

Xu Shisan watched her close the door, stunned. “???”

Why is she closing the door? His mind started racing with all sorts of wild thoughts: Is she planning to… do something to me?

No way!

I do like that jade pendant, but not enough to… well, you know…

No, wait. Gu Xingzhao doesn’t seem like that kind of person. But what if she is? Should I… or should I?

Seeing Xu Shisan looking oddly tense, Gu Xingzhao didn’t think much of it and explained, “The stuff is on the second floor, and with no one watching the first floor, I thought it best to close up.”

“Come on, let’s go upstairs and take a look.” With that, she led Xu Shisan to the second floor.

Hearing this, Xu Shisan breathed a sigh of relief and followed her up the stairs, silently patting his chest. Thank goodness she’s not after my body. That would have been hard to refuse.

The second floor was much more spacious than the ground level. As soon as he entered the living room, Xu Shisan saw the dozen or so artifacts laid out on the floor near the sofa, carelessly arranged as if they were nothing more than ordinary jars and vases.

Even though he’d seen photos before, seeing them like this in real life was still shocking. His family had plenty of artifacts, but he’d never dared to treat them so casually.

A sense of doubt began to creep into Xu Shisan’s mind: Is Gu Xingzhao really just running a supermarket?

He pulled out a pair of gloves from his pocket, carefully picked up each artifact, and examined them, occasionally taking out a magnifying glass for a closer look.

Since Xu Shisan was taking his time, Gu Xingzhao didn’t want to interrupt. She went to the fridge, took out two bottles of Wahaha drinks, and set them on the table.

After nearly an hour, Xu Shisan finished his assessment, made some notes, and finally sat down on the sofa. Removing his gloves, he handed the notebook to Gu Xingzhao. “The items are good. From their characteristics, they seem to be from the Southern Jin period. I can take them all, but some are too damaged to offer a high price.”

In the notebook, he’d listed the items with corresponding numbers and the prices he was willing to offer. He hadn’t lowballed her but had also made sure she wasn’t being overcharged.

Gu Xingzhao glanced at the notebook. Some of the gold items were priced quite high, but the more damaged pieces from Yu Heng’s collection were only worth a few tens of thousands each. All totaled, it was a decent amount—enough to cover her current needs. She was satisfied.

“The prices are fine. You can take the items now. When can I expect the payment?”

“The amount is a bit large, so it might take a couple of days for the full transfer,” Xu Shisan said, taking a sip of the Wahaha drink. “Are you in a hurry for the money?”

Gu Xingzhao replied, “Not really. Did you bring the boxes?”

Xu Shisan pulled out his car keys and handed them to her. “They’re in the trunk.”

Seeing him hand her the keys, Gu Xingzhao gave him a puzzled look.

With a smile, Xu Shisan explained, “I squatted for too long and my legs are numb. Could you please fetch them for me?”

Gu Xingzhao stared at him for a moment. He didn’t look like someone with numb legs—more like someone who was just being lazy.

Oh well, when someone’s paying you, they’re the boss.

“Alright, you wait here, I’ll go get them,” she said.

After Gu Xingzhao left, Xu Shisan took the opportunity to glance around the living room. The decor was nice, though the TV was a bit outdated and didn’t quite match the rest of the room. More importantly, it looked like she lived alone.

But doesn’t she have a daughter? he wondered.

Gu Xingzhao quickly returned with the boxes, and the two of them carefully wrapped the artifacts and packed them away. It was a meticulous process, considering the bumpy ride ahead.

As they worked, Xu Shisan asked curiously, “Sister, doesn’t your daughter live with you?”

Gu Xingzhao hesitated for a moment. After accepting so much money from him, she felt bad about continuing the lie. “I don’t have a daughter. I made that up.”

Xu Shisan was momentarily surprised, then grinned, revealing two small tiger-like teeth. “I thought so. You look so young; it didn’t make sense for you to have a daughter.”

Just then, the doorbell rang. Gu Xingzhao checked the time—it was 5 p.m. It was the time of day when Aunt Wang would be busy, so could it be Lin Ting?

Understanding the situation, Xu Shisan took the items from Gu Xingzhao, letting her go answer the door.

A moment later, Lin Ting walked in, carrying a bag. “Sister, did you know Gu—”

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the scene in the living room: Gu Xingzhao sitting cross-legged on the floor, packing things up with a man in a floral shirt. The two of them seemed familiar, working together with practiced ease.

Lin Ting swallowed the rest of his sentence, his gaze fixed on the unfamiliar man in the room. Who is this?

Xu Shisan also studied the newcomer, noting that he seemed younger—probably a few years younger than himself.

Lin Ting’s thin lips curved slightly as he nonchalantly took his slippers from the shoe cabinet and put them on, placing the bag he was carrying on the living room table. “You have company?”

“Mm, a friend who is a junk collector,” Gu Xingzhao replied, now that the first layer of wrapping on the artifacts was complete. She wasn’t worried about Lin Ting seeing anything.

Xu Shisan’s face filled with question marks. “???”

A junk collector? Is that supposed to be me???

He quickly realized that Gu Xingzhao didn’t want anyone to know she was selling artifacts, and he smiled, thinking, This must be a secret just between the two of us.

Lin Ting’s lips tightened. Antiques don’t need to be wrapped up so carefully. And who shows up in a luxury car just to deal in antiques? Seeing how close Xu Shisan was sitting to Gu Xingzhao, he felt a sudden surge of jealousy.

As a businessman, Xu Shisan was skilled at reading people. He quickly noticed the change in Lin Ting’s demeanor and asked Gu Xingzhao curiously, “Is this your little brother?”

Lin Ting’s ears prickled with irritation at the way Xu Shisan addressed her as “Sister,” and his gaze grew cold. He calls her ‘Sister’ too?

Gu Xingzhao finally introduced them, “This is my neighbor’s younger brother, Lin Ting.”

“And Lin Ting, this is my friend, Xu Shisan.”

Xu Shisan smiled warmly. “Ah, the neighbor’s little brother. You’re quite cute.”

Gu Xingzhao looked between Lin Ting and Xu Shisan, silently thinking, Lin Ting may be younger, but he’s mature and serious. If anyone here is ‘cute,’ it’s probably Xu Shisan.

At that moment, Lin Ting’s eyes fell on the two bottles of Wahaha drinks on the table.

“!” Sister actually gave someone else “Wahaha” to drink?

This discovery sent Lin Ting’s sense of caution skyrocketing.

Wahaha (娃哈哈) is a popular Chinese brand known primarily for its beverages, particularly for its range of flavored milk drinks, juices, and bottled water. The brand’s most iconic product is a sweet, yogurt-flavored milk drink that has been especially popular among children and young adults in China.

Founded in 1987 by Zong Qinghou, Wahaha grew rapidly to become one of China’s largest and most recognizable beverage companies. The brand name “Wahaha” is derived from a Chinese expression that mimics the sound of children laughing, which aligns with the brand’s focus on products that appeal to younger consumers.

In the context of the story, the reference to “Wahaha” likely refers to one of the brand’s small, yogurt-flavored drinks that are commonly associated with childhood nostalgia in China.