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Chapter 17: The New Store’s First Day Went Surprisingly Well
After walking together for a bit, Su Qingshuang and Gu Qiangwei parted ways at the intersection, each heading back to their own home.
Su Qingshuang returned home with a radiant smile on her face.
Her mother was away on business again recently, so it was just her father at home. Seeing her so cheerful, he put down his newspaper and looked up, “Our little Shuang seems quite happy—did something good happen?”
“I remember you said you wanted to open a store. Is it happening around this time?”
Su Zhentong was always good at emotional support—he remembered everything she said. That’s why Su Qingshuang had the closest relationship with her father.
It’s not that she had a bad relationship with her mother, but there was always a bit of quiet competition between them. Seeing how successful her mother was in business, Su Qingshuang always felt she could do just as well.
“Exactly!”
Su Qingshuang, eager to share, walked over and sat across from her father on the couch. “Dad, I met someone amazing—she’s my business partner.”
“You wouldn’t believe it—she’s good at everything, and she totally gets me.”
Su Qingshuang gushed non-stop about all of Gu Qiangwei’s strengths. After listening, Su Zhentong laughed, “There are really people that talented?”
“Yup! We haven’t known each other long, but she came up with a great idea, and now we’ve officially partnered up.”
Su Qingshuang explained their business model, and Su Zhentong nodded. “The idea sounds solid. And it’s a fair partnership—no one’s taking advantage of the other.”
One of them was the designer, while the other handled store operations and strategy.
With each focused on a different area, they really had a shot at success.
“When business picks up a bit, bring her home for dinner. Let the whole family get to know her.”
“You’ve had a lot of friends growing up, but I’ve never heard you praise anyone like this!”
Su Zhentong chuckled heartily, while Su Qingshuang scratched her chin and muttered, “Really? I’ve never praised anyone like this before?”
That can’t be right…
She was sure she had!
“When you were a kid, all you ever told me was how you got into fights at school—beating up boys who bullied the girls.”
“You never talked about anything else!”
“And you always liked being friends with boys. It wasn’t until you got older that you started hanging out with girls.”
Su Qingshuang waved dismissively, “Okay okay, let’s not talk about the past.”
Her father laughed again.
Since she was opening the store the next day, he told her to get to bed early so she could look her best.
“I’ll head to my room now!”
After that, Su Qingshuang went to her room, washed up, and lay in bed. With the covers pulled up, she stared at the ceiling, a smile tugging uncontrollably at her lips.
Meanwhile, Gu Qiangwei returned home.
She closed the window and ran her hand across the warm quilt sun-dried during the day. Taking off her jacket, she lay on the bed spread-eagle like a giant “X.”
Just lying there casually felt amazing. No more staying in that cramped, narrow room at the Lu family home.
After resting a bit, she got up to wash up and officially went to sleep.
Before sleeping, she also wandered around her space again. It was still completely bare—nothing except what she had brought in herself.
She sighed.
How exactly had she activated the space in her past life? How did that farmland appear?
Could someone please give her a hint?
The Next Morning
Since it was their grand opening day, both women wore sample outfits from the store, dressed up beautifully, and headed over to the shop.
After setting off firecrackers, they officially opened for business. They placed a small blackboard outside with their promotion:
Grand Opening: 20% off everything.
They also had a tiered gift system for purchases:
Besides firecrackers, they used a loudspeaker at the entrance to broadcast the promotion.
With their store’s unique decor and the mannequin in the window wearing a striking red dress, they quickly attracted attention. Many people thought the style looked great and came in to check it out.
Some were just curious about the crowd, while others genuinely liked the clothes.
Not long after the firecrackers were done, early shoppers began entering.
“This dress is so pretty!”
“I haven’t seen this style anywhere else!”
“I want to try it on!”
A group of young girls came in, originally just out browsing, but drawn in by the grand opening. Once inside, they were hooked.
Gu Qiangwei guided them to the fitting room. She trusted both her and Su Qingshuang’s fashion instincts—once someone tried on the clothes, they’d have a hard time saying no.
And sure enough.
The first girl tried on a floral dress and excitedly called to her friend, “This fit is amazing! Go grab another one to try on too.”
“You’ll look great in it!”
Her friend, slightly chubby, hesitated. “Nah, if you think it’ll look good on me, I’ll just buy one. Let’s wear them when we go to the movies!”
“Come on!”
The girl tugged her friend’s hand, “You can’t just buy clothes without trying them!”
But the friend looked uneasy. She had a pear-shaped figure and was used to being laughed at in other stores when trying clothes—some clerks would even try to hide their smirks.
She was afraid.
Gu Qiangwei noticed her insecurity immediately.
The girl did have a pear shape and was a bit chubby—tight pants wouldn’t suit her.
“Trying clothes is the best way to find what looks good,” Gu Qiangwei said gently, handing her a short-sleeved top and a long skirt. “Try this set.”
The girl took the outfit and was pulled into the fitting room by her friend. They spent more than ten minutes inside.
When they finally came out, the friend exclaimed, “See! I told you it would look good. I wasn’t lying!”
She pulled her hair in front of the mirror.
Her friend looked at her reflection. Somehow, she didn’t look fat at all. Her figure looked balanced—even a little cute.
She was stunned.
“You could try trimming your hair a bit and wearing a high ponytail,” Gu Qiangwei suggested. “You may be a bit plump, but you’re adorable. Your long neck is a strength!”
“Wearing your hair down is fine, but why not try something new? Just like how you normally wear baggy clothes, but now you’re in a fitted top and skirt—you look great!”
The girl nodded excitedly and gave Gu Qiangwei a thumbs up. “That’s my friend—she just doesn’t have much confidence in her figure.”
“Lots of people feel that way,” Gu Qiangwei replied. “But you have to face your body and learn what suits you.”
It wasn’t too busy that morning, so Gu Qiangwei had time to chat with them. The two girls were impressed by her attitude, browsed a little longer, and picked out two sets of clothes.
Their total reached the threshold for a gift, so Gu Qiangwei gave each of them a little crocheted flower she had made herself.
The flowers were adorable, and the girls were thrilled. Smiling, they left the store with their bags in hand.
As they walked out arm-in-arm, one said, “This shop is amazing! We’re definitely coming back—and we’ll recommend it to our friends!”
Her friend nodded. “She even taught me how to match outfits—I suddenly feel so much more confident!”
“Told you we’d find something good today!”
After sending off their first wave of customers, more started trickling in.
The morning was a bit slower, but nearly everyone who entered was drawn to the clothes and ended up trying things on.
And once they tried something—they almost always bought it.
Hearing about the discounts and the free gifts, some customers even came in just to stock up on summer tops.
Sales in the morning were already impressive.
By midday and afternoon, it got even better. Morning shoppers shared the news with their friends: 20% off everything, and the clothes are super cute.
The foot traffic surged.
They had set up three fitting rooms, but even so, customers had to queue.
When someone came out of the fitting room, Gu Qiangwei and Su Qingshuang would offer gentle, appropriate advice. But while customers were browsing, they gave them space to explore freely—only stepping in when needed.
By the end of the day, around 8 PM, the flow of customers finally slowed.
The two of them pulled over chairs and sat down. Su Qingshuang took a sip of water and handed another glass to Gu Qiangwei. “Take a break. Let’s grab dinner after this.”
They’d had time for lunch, but by the afternoon they were so busy they couldn’t even eat. Now, both of them were starving.
Gu Qiangwei gulped down a full glass of water and leaned back in her chair. “I told you we’d do great today. I can’t believe how smoothly everything went!”
“Exactly!” Su Qingshuang nodded. “It’s all thanks to your suggestions. That red dress by the entrance alone sold two or three pieces!”