Chapter 16: I Think It’s Because You Have a Great Figure

“Our shop is about to open. For the grand opening, how about we do a ‘buy one, get one free’ promotion? We could give away that batch of small socks we purchased earlier.”

“I think we could set up different tiers—spend a certain amount and get socks, spend a bit more and get one of the little crocheted dolls we made from yarn.”

“That way, we can encourage people to spend more. And we should also think in terms of matching sets—we could reach out to a shoe factory we like and ask them to make some shoes that pair well with our clothes.”

“That would basically be bundled sales.”

Gu Qiangwei had just finished speaking when Su Qingshuang couldn’t help but exclaim, “Qiangwei, how is your brain always so sharp? Why don’t I have a mind as clever as yours!”

“Don’t praise me like that. If you keep it up, I’ll grow a fox’s tail from all the flattery, and what if I mess everything up from getting cocky?”

Looking at Su Qingshuang’s expression, Gu Qiangwei couldn’t help but speak up.

She had always been like this in her past life—even though she was a businesswoman, she always acted like a child in front of her.

In their previous life, they became good friends precisely because they got along so well.

Now, in this life, they were following the same path, except Gu Qiangwei had the added benefit of her past-life experience. Not wanting to repeat old mistakes, she now made use of everything she had learned before.

“It’s fine! You’re amazing to begin with—me saying that is just stating the truth!”

The two of them happily discussed what shoe styles to go with their clothes. In her previous life, Gu Qiangwei had lived more than ten years longer than Su Qingshuang.

And those ten years had brought constant change—like waking up each day in a brand new world.

Gu Qiangwei had seen a lot, learned a lot about pairing outfits, and read plenty of magazines.

Her broader knowledge helped her find the right combinations. Since there were only a few days left until opening, they decided to just buy ready-made shoes.

With ready-made shoes, they could create full outfit sets, which would make customers feel more drawn in.

In the two days leading up to the grand opening, the two of them prepared various little gifts, thoroughly cleaned the shop, and finally began hanging up the clothes.

This batch of goods had been made under their supervision, and they had also redesigned the styles.

At the moment, there was nothing like their designs on the market, so while hanging the clothes, Gu Qiangwei couldn’t help but say, “I have a feeling that once we open, business is going to be amazing!”

“Really?”

Su Qingshuang spoke as she hung up the clothes, “To be honest, I’m a bit nervous. My mom runs her own business, and I want to be serious about this store too. I want to be a strong woman like her.”

“You totally can be!”

“Your mom’s so capable—it must mean you’ve got those business genes too! If we both work hard, I’m sure we can run this shop really well!”

Gu Qiangwei blinked playfully. Hearing her words, Su Qingshuang suddenly felt confident, “Then let’s go all in! I’m going to show my mom that I can do it too!”

“Absolutely!”

The two of them finished hanging up all the clothes and stored the rest of the stock in a small backroom. They had set up several shelves in there and sorted everything neatly. If the clothes outside sold out, they could quickly restock from the back.

Summer clothes didn’t take up much space, so the two of them looked at the inventory and exchanged a satisfied smile.

“We’re opening tomorrow—have the mannequins arrived yet?”

Everything else was ready—they were just waiting for the mannequins to arrive so they could dress them up and place them in the front display window.

They had already decorated the mannequin area a bit, placing a small shoe rack beside it with a pair of high heels on top.

It was a full outfit set.

“They’re here!”

Su Qingshuang saw a tricycle stop outside the shop, and the two of them quickly rushed out.

The deliveryman confirmed the address, then brought the mannequins inside.

After placing them in the correct spots, they thanked him, and Su Qingshuang paid the remaining balance.

The two mannequins were quite well made, each in a different pose.

The two of them picked out some of the more classic styles from their shop. One of them was a red dress, with a small hollowed-out design at the neckline.

The other model wore a breezy top paired with a pair of light-colored cropped pants.

Next to it, they placed matching light-colored sneakers.

Both styles were represented.

It was also their way of showing customers that they could come in and find something that suited their own tastes.

No need to worry about differences in style.

“Let’s wear some of our sample clothes from the store tomorrow,” Su Qingshuang said as she put her arm around Gu Qiangwei’s shoulder. “I’m telling you, your figure is amazing—you’ll definitely attract attention in those clothes.”

Gu Qiangwei gave Su Qingshuang a playful pinch on the waist. “I think you have the better figure!”

“Stop messing around!”

The two of them laughed and played around in the shop until they were covered in sweat, before finally dragging over a chair to sit down.

“I counted the little socks and small accessories we’ll be giving away tomorrow. There are about over a hundred sets. That should be enough, but if not, we still have some in the warehouse.”

Hearing this, Su Qingshuang gently took Gu Qiangwei’s hand and patted it lightly. “With a business partner and friend like you, things have been so much easier for me.”

“If I were doing this alone, there’s no way I could have opened the store this quickly.”

Gu Qiangwei just smiled without saying anything. The two of them had agreed early on that with every batch of clothing, they would each keep a few pieces to wear themselves. That way, they wouldn’t need to shop elsewhere.

And they could act as walking advertisements.

“If you have any friends coming by, they can get a discount too,” Su Qingshuang offered.

Hearing this, Gu Qiangwei frowned. “Other than you, I don’t really have any friends. If anyone pretends to be my friend, or tries to use my name to ask you for a discount, don’t pay them any mind.”

“Just treat them like scammers!”

Gu Qiangwei had no intention of dealing with those kinds of people.

Especially Wang Shufen and Lu Minghua. Now that those two were isolated and desperate, they’d definitely try something.

There was a good chance they’d come looking for her.

It was best to give Su Qingshuang a heads-up in advance, since she wouldn’t always be at the shop.

“I see.”

Su Qingshuang noticed something odd in Gu Qiangwei’s expression. She figured there must be something going on that Gu Qiangwei didn’t want to talk about, so she quickly changed the subject.

After they finished setting up the entire shop, they did one final inspection in the afternoon to make sure everything was in place before finally closing up and leaving.

They went to a restaurant and ordered a few of their favorite dishes, along with a bit of alcohol.

They had been like this in their previous life too.

Sometimes they’d drink a little and celebrate after getting through tough days.

“Cheers!”

Su Qingshuang raised her glass and clinked it lightly against Gu Qiangwei’s. For a moment, Gu Qiangwei was dazed—it felt just like in their previous life, when their business had finally started to succeed.

That was how they had celebrated back then too.

Su Qingshuang’s smile was as radiant as ever. Gu Qiangwei took a small sip, and the two of them ate while talking about their future plans, growing more and more excited as they spoke.

After dinner, the two of them strolled arm-in-arm through the streets. Lights lit up all around them, and they smiled as they looked at the colorful glow.

Gu Qiangwei mentioned that she was now living at her second address, and they could forget about the first one entirely.

Su Qingshuang really wanted to ask what exactly was going on, and if there was any way she could help, she absolutely would. But in the end, she held back all her questions.

Maybe Gu Qiangwei was carrying some pain in her heart. When she was ready to talk, she would.