Chapter 141: A Brother’s Life Matters Too!
’That mall is already doing quite well,’ Zelda thought. ’Even if it were in my hands, I’m not sure I could produce better results.’ After a moment of consideration, he said, "We do have a new project. We’ll need about two floors."
Bai Zhi agreed without a second thought. "That’s fine."
Zelda hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. He couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t you have any conditions?"
Bai Zhi thought for a moment, tilting her head slightly. "Pay rent on time? And don’t wreck my mall?"
Zelda: "..."
Seeing Zelda’s dumbfounded expression, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but laugh.
’Of course, that’s impossible,’ she thought. But remembering how aggressive Zelda had been during the negotiation, Bai Zhi couldn’t resist a little payback.
It was much more satisfying to get revenge on the spot. In any case, seeing the frustrated look on Zelda’s face put her in a rather good mood.
Seeing her mischievousness, Hu Yan said nothing, simply watching her with a smile.
Zelda clearly saw that Bai Zhi was being deliberate. He shot Hu Yan a look, wiggling his eyebrows and silently asking why he wasn’t putting in a good word for him.
Although his position as Clan Leader was now set in stone, there were still many matters he needed to discuss with the clan elders. He did, however, have the final say and the power to mobilize the entire Sel Family.
But after a single glance, Hu Yan completely ignored him. Zelda felt even more thwarted. ’This guy is no brother of mine!’
Bai Zhi couldn’t help but laugh even harder at Hu Yan’s reaction.
Zelda’s expression hadn’t yet recovered. He spoke through gritted teeth, "Don’t worry. I’ll pay you the market rate for rent, and I won’t wreck your mall. Let me know when you’ve cleared out the space, and I’ll prepare my team to move in."
Bai Zhi nodded. "I’ll find some time to head over and clear out two floors for you."
Zelda stood up. "Let’s go. I’ll take you next door to have a look. Construction is more than halfway done. It should be finished in a few more days, and we can open for business within a month at most."
"That fast?" Bai Zhi asked, shocked.
She stood up as she spoke, and the others followed suit.
"It’s not that fast," Zelda explained. "The construction and renovation are secondary. The main delay is that some auction items are extremely valuable and have to be collected in person. Plus, other delivered items need to be appraised, so that takes some time."
Bai Zhi remembered that she was now a major shareholder, so it wouldn’t be right to just stand idly by—especially since she had invested in her capacity as a Purification Master. "Is there anything I can help with?" she asked.
Zelda nodded. "Actually, there is. A few items will be arriving in a couple of days that need purification. I can have the items sent to you, and once you’ve purified them, I’ll have someone bring them back."
Bai Zhi considered it. "How about I make a trip over there instead? Transporting them back and forth sounds like a hassle."
Zelda replied, "If you don’t think it’s too much trouble, that works."
"It’ll be on my way."
’Even if I didn’t have to go for this, I go out shopping every day anyway,’ she thought. ’It’s just a quick stop on the way.’
Bai Zhi walked beside Hu Yan. Not wanting to be subjected to their public displays of affection, Zelda walked a few steps ahead.
A smile danced in Hu Yan’s light blue eyes. "Well done," he praised.
"I learned it from you," Bai Zhi replied, beaming.
Hu Yan raised an eyebrow. "I certainly never taught you that."
Bai Zhi said, "Your trick for dealing with Yun Xi back on Blue Star."
At her words, Hu Yan was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. "In that case, the student has truly surpassed the master."
’Back then, I used psychological warfare, exploiting my opponent’s weakness,’ he reflected. ’Bai Zhi also used a psychological tactic, but hers was backed by real leverage, making the mind games almost secondary.’
Bai Zhi lifted her chin proudly, like a child waiting for praise. "Still, you have to admit I did well. You said the bottom line was forty-five percent, and I secured this contract at forty-six."
Hu Yan praised her warmly. "Mhm, my wife is incredible. I knew you could do it."
Zelda coughed loudly from up ahead, trying to interrupt their sickeningly sweet conversation. "AHEM, AHEM, AHEM..."
Hu Yan glanced up, his tone flat. "If you’re sick, you should take some medicine."
Zelda was speechless.
’So it’s true,’ he thought. ’Once you get a female, your bros mean absolutely nothing!’
’Brothers have rights, too!’
"Have some consideration for me, would you?" Zelda snapped. "I can hear everything you’re saying!"
Hu Yan offered a serious suggestion. "Oh. Then you could cover your ears."
Zelda: "..."
Just then, Yue Junxiao came forward and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll go on ahead and take a look."
"That’s right," Yan Yichen added. "We’re pretty interested in that auction house of yours."
And just like that, the two of them dragged Zelda away, one on his left and one on his right.
Lang Qiu and Sang Mo hung back, following from a comfortable distance.
Once Zelda had been dragged off, Bai Zhi turned to Hu Yan. "If you have something else to do, you can go ahead."
’The contract is signed now,’ she thought. ’If Hu Yan has other business, he might not say anything, but I can’t be thoughtless. His work is much more important than accompanying me on a tour.’
’The lives and fortunes of countless people are at stake.’
"It’s fine," Hu Yan said. "I’m not in a rush."
Bai Zhi studied his expression. Seeing that he truly didn’t seem anxious, she said no more. Secretly, she was hoping he would stay with her anyway.
Yue Junxiao and the others had already gone on ahead. They had only glanced at the building from the outside before, without seeing the interior.
Now that they were inside, they saw it had six floors and stood about forty to fifty meters tall. The ceiling on each floor was much higher than in a typical mall, making the space feel exceptionally large.
Construction costs alone had run into the hundreds of millions, and the subsequent renovations would require another huge sum. A project on the scale of two to three billion was considered sizable even on the Main Star.
Zelda led them on a tour. Currently, construction had reached the fourth floor.
Bai Zhi had only ever been to the Grey Family’s auction house on Blue Star, but this one felt much more impressive.
Even though it wasn’t finished, its basic structure was already clear.
"I drew the blueprints for this myself," Zelda explained as they walked. "I visited countless auction houses, large and small, but was never fully satisfied. I commissioned several drafts, but I didn’t like any of them, so in the end, I took on the task myself."
You could tell from his tone that he was very proud of his creation—and justifiably so, as it was indeed impressive.
He even told Bai Zhi and the others every last detail—what would go where, how it would be decorated, and what kind of materials would be used for each section. Zelda described it all with such clarity and logic that it was obvious he had been preparing for this for a long time.
From Zelda’s description, Bai Zhi could already imagine how high-end and luxurious it would look on opening day.
After listening to him, Bai Zhi felt that Zelda had a real talent for this. If he were to open a design and construction firm, he would probably be very successful.
She just wondered if there was a market for that kind of business here.