Ye Xiaoqiong rarely spoke much in front of Du Zhaoqi.

When Du Zhaoqi assigned her tasks, she never dared to admit if she couldn’t do them.

After all, capitalists don’t pay employees to hear “I can’t do it.”

Whenever Ye Xiaoqiong encountered something she didn’t understand, she would agree on the spot and figure it out later – whether by asking others or researching, even if it meant staying up all night, she would definitely complete whatever Du Zhaoqi assigned.

She wouldn’t just complete it by the deadline – she would rush to finish at the fastest speed possible. If the boss asked for a document tomorrow, it didn’t mean by tomorrow’s end of the day, but rather it should be ready when work started tomorrow. If the boss wasn’t satisfied, there would still be time for revisions!

So even though Ye Xiaoqiong had never experienced an auction before, she didn’t ask questions. She would understand once she attended one herself.

When Du Zhaoqi told her to buy better, more expensive clothes on the way, Ye Xiaoqiong didn’t explain how insufficient her salary was… What would be the point? It would only make Du Zhaoqi think she was an unprofessional secretary.

When they passed several high-end clothing stores, Du Zhaoqi had the driver stop.

“Can you manage in 20 minutes?”

Women’s shopping was usually troublesome – when Du Zhaoqi accompanied his mother and sisters shopping, they could shop for an entire day!

Ye Xiaoqiong looked at the gleaming, high-end storefront, struggling to maintain composure: “Boss, I’ll be out in 20 minutes.”

Du Zhaoqi liked efficiency, and Ye Xiaoqiong quietly got out of the car.

Since she stepped out of a luxury business car, the sales assistants all developed wealthy customer eyes, warmly welcoming Ye Xiaoqiong.

They praised her figure, beauty, and elegant demeanor.

Ye Xiaoqiong only smiled at them.

There was a good reason why the clothes were expensive – under the lights, the tailoring and fabric quality made Ye Xiaoqiong stare without blinking.

But the price tags made her heartache.

Buying one outfit here would deplete all her savings from working at the Cheng Rong Group!

Just as Ye Xiaoqiong was struggling with her decision, someone appeared like a savior from heaven – not Du Zhaoqi showing sympathy for her plight, but rather a woman at the counter returning several bags of items. The staff checked the clothes with a good attitude and processed the return smoothly, making Ye Xiaoqiong stare in amazement.

You could return purchases.

This was unimaginable in mainland China.

Those state-owned store clerks had worse attitudes than the next, and Ye Xiaoqiong had never heard of anyone daring to return worn clothes.

Hong Kong truly was different from the mainland in every way. Afraid of misunderstanding, Ye Xiaoqiong confirmed:

“Can clothes bought at your store be returned?”

The sales assistant was taken aback – this wasn’t someone pretending to be humble while actually being wealthy, but someone who genuinely couldn’t afford it?

Since Ye Xiaoqiong had stepped out of a luxury business car, the sales assistant’s attitude didn’t change:

“Yes, customer, items can be returned. As long as the clothes have no stains or damage and the tags are intact, they can be returned or exchanged unconditionally within two weeks.”

Ye Xiaoqiong hesitated no longer and directly changed into a dress suit that cost all her savings.

From entering to leaving the store only took 15 minutes. Du Zhaoqi had no idea how Ye Xiaoqiong had agonized in the clothing store. He merely glanced at her outfit, thought it was acceptable, and had the driver continue.

Ye Xiaoqiong had discovered a new world – if she could be thick-skinned enough, she wouldn’t have to worry about dressing appropriately for formal occasions for quite a while… She felt both proud of her discovery and pitiful for her shamelessness.

The Ye family had been scholars for generations, a family of literary tradition. If they knew she had even abandoned a scholar’s integrity, her ancestors would surely be disappointed.

But if she stubbornly stuck to old rules without adapting, how could she ever succeed?

She would only be bullied to death!

Ye Xiaoqiong rarely felt like crying lately – when she did, she would look up at the sky to keep the tears from falling.

The weak couldn’t live well in mainland China, and they certainly couldn’t live well in Hong Kong either!

Soon, they arrived at the auction Du Zhaoqi was attending.

This was a small auction being held in a villa. As soon as Du Zhaoqi arrived, someone handed him an elegantly printed auction catalog.

Du Zhaoqi casually passed it to Ye Xiaoqiong:

“Look through and select two items in the mid-range price. Remind me when to raise the paddle later.”

What they were bidding on was secondary – the important thing was the auction guests.

A secretary was meant to do what the boss didn’t want to do.

As Du Zhaoqi handed her the catalog, Ye Xiaoqiong obediently compared prices.

The lowest starting price in the catalog was 30,000 Hong Kong dollars.

The 30,000 item was a snuff bottle, reportedly from the Qianlong period.

Ye Xiaoqiong couldn’t tell much just from the photos. She only thought these Hong Kong people were truly wealthy, and now understood that when Second Young Master mentioned an auction, he meant an antique auction. Where did Hong Kong get so many antiques if not from mainland China? After the 30,000 items, the starting prices jumped straight to 100,000.

100,000 counted as mid-range.

Would Second Young Master like this Kangxi-period imperial vase?

Ye Xiaoqiong turned another page and suddenly widened her eyes.

“Starting price 120,000, Ming Dynasty artist-“

Her fingers gripped the auction catalog tightly. How could this painting be here?

Ye Xiaoqiong’s whole body trembled.

Losing a scholar’s integrity wasn’t the worst thing.

The worst was losing her ancestral heirlooms!

No matter how poor or down on their luck the Ye family became, there were things they would never sell.

During those years when the Cultural Revolution was investigated strictly, no matter how those people pressured and questioned them, the Ye family remained tight-lipped about these items. Yet now one appeared at some Hong Kong auction!

Ye Xiaoqiong’s eyes reddened, her whole body filled with rage as she mumbled:

“This is too much, too cruel…”

It was because she was weak and easy to bully that things had come to this. Ye Xiaoqiong flipped through the catalog but only saw one painting. The other items that had been with the painting – she didn’t know if they remained unsold or had scattered elsewhere.

Du Zhaoqi happened to walk over. “The auction’s about to start. Have you chosen?”

Ye Xiaoqiong flipped past the vase she had originally considered and forced herself to stay calm: “Boss, what do you think of this painting?”

Starting price of 120,000, an authentic work by a Ming Dynasty painter.

Du Zhaoqi had studied abroad from a young age and didn’t know much about traditional Chinese culture. His eyes swept over the auction catalog: “That’s fine. Pick another one.”

Ye Xiaoqiong nearly wept with joy.

She didn’t know if she could ever earn enough money to buy back the painting, but if someone else bought it, it would be even harder to recover.

Having Second Young Master buy it was the best option. Second Young Master didn’t care about these things at all – if she saved enough money in the future and explained the situation to him, he might sell it to her!

Du Zhaoqi gave Ye Xiaoqiong a strange look.

How could looking at an auction catalog make someone’s eyes red?

And when he agreed to buy the painting, her tense shoulders immediately relaxed.

“You understand these things?”

Ye Xiaoqiong hesitated, unsure what Du Zhaoqi meant – did he want to hear that she did or didn’t understand?

Ye Xiaoqiong decided to tell the truth:

“I know a little about paintings and calligraphy.”

If she said she didn’t understand, what if Du Zhaoqi stopped bringing her to such occasions in the future?

Ye Xiaoqiong still wanted to see if she could find out what had happened to the other items.

Du Zhaoqi was genuinely surprised. Though he didn’t like traditional culture, he knew it wasn’t easy to cultivate someone who could appreciate these things.

This country bumpkin understood – it seemed she had quite a background.