Chapter 32 – Don't Ask—Asking Only Hurts Feelings

Just like that, Su Ming suddenly understood the correct way to open packages.

As long as he truly latched onto Young Miss Xu’s coattails and played the role of a man with a weak stomach, Su Ming would no longer need to work so hard to earn chips for opening packages.

With Young Miss Xu’s generosity, even casually tossing a little his way would allow Su Ming to open who knows how many packages.

What’s even better is that a man with a weak stomach would likely be seen as an annoying extra in others’ eyes, allowing Su Ming to continue pursuing his dream of becoming the Sword God of Shili Slope.

Plus, without needing to run around everywhere, he could just stay home and sweet-talk Young Miss Xu, making her happy – life would become incredibly easy for Su Ming.

Isn’t this the correct way to open packages?

Isn’t this the proper posture for opening packages?

It definitely is!

A bold idea began to form in Su Ming’s heart.

The phrase “the devil is growing” might perfectly describe Su Ming at this moment.

Fortunately, his limited sense of dignity somewhat restrained the devil within, preventing Su Ming from heading down a path of no return.

So, after sincerely declaring “I don’t want to work hard anymore,” Su Ming still sat down in front of Xu Qianqian, who looked utterly shocked.

Of course, Su Ming wouldn’t admit that the presence of a watchful butler glaring at him with sharp, intimidating eyes from his aged, blurry vision was also a significant reason for his self-restraint.

Now bathed in the aura of generosity, Su Ming didn’t want to say much more. He directly handed a list to Xu Qianqian.

“Here, everything I want you to sell is written on this,” Su Ming said with little enthusiasm, as if everything had lost its meaning.

Xu Qianqian wordlessly took the list, casually scanning it with her eyes before suddenly pausing and looking at Su Ming in surprise.

“This much?”

That was her first thought.

There was no helping it – both the quantity and quality of items Su Ming had listed exceeded Xu Qianqian’s expectations.

“Is it a lot?”

Su Ming suddenly perked up a bit, whether out of competitiveness or something else, he even used two simple words to adorn himself with an air of generosity.

However, Su Ming indeed had the qualification to act this way.

The items he listed not only reached a quantity that ordinary students couldn’t possibly produce, but their quality was also exceptionally high.

At the very least, Xu Qianqian spotted several types of Phantom Demon materials on the list that were already in short supply on the market and had been bid up to astronomical prices.

There were also several alchemical tools that Xu Qianqian had only heard of but never seen before.

From what she knew, these alchemical tools were all highly effective but difficult to mass-produce due to either material scarcity or technical challenges, making them extremely rare and consequently incredibly expensive.

That Su Ming could casually produce such a batch of exceptionally high-quality goods truly surprised Xu Qianqian.

What Xu Qianqian didn’t know was that the items appearing on this list weren’t particularly precious by Su Ming’s standards.

Even though he had signed a contract with Xu Qianqian, Su Ming didn’t dare to bring out those truly valuable treasures that could make even a major Family like the Xu Family covetous.As the saying goes, wealth stirs men’s hearts; a commoner is innocent, but possessing a treasure becomes his crime. Su Ming was not foolish enough to casually challenge human nature and morality over a mere contract.

With this in mind, the items Su Ming intended to present were those that, while considered precious by ordinary people, would not be enough to tempt a behemoth like the Xu Family.

Xu Qianqian was only surprised because Su Ming had casually produced such a large quantity of goods.

After all, in her understanding, Su Ming had no particularly remarkable background, his family circumstances were quite ordinary, and he himself was so low-key. Logically speaking, he shouldn’t have been able to produce so many Extraordinary Items.

Su Ming had no intention of explaining and directly asked Xu Qianqian:

“Just tell me if you can handle it or not.”

Su Ming smiled at Xu Qianqian.

Xu Qianqian didn’t speak, only giving Su Ming a deep, searching look.

Clearly, the depth of Su Ming’s unfathomability in her mind had deepened another notch.

“How do you want to handle it?” Xu Qianqian then asked indifferently, “Do you want to sell them directly for money, or…?”

“Money is fine,” Su Ming replied without much thought. “But if possible, I’d like you to use the money to help me purchase some other things.”

As he spoke, Su Ming handed another list to Xu Qianqian.

This list didn’t contain the items he was about to produce but rather the things Su Ming wanted to acquire.

Xu Qianqian glanced over it, and this time her expression turned peculiar.

The reason was simple: the items on Su Ming’s list were all inexpensive but required in large quantities.

There were Phantom Demon Materials, alchemical tools, artificially synthesized Extraordinary Items, and various other miscellaneous things—all without exception demanding bulk quantities.

“You…”

Xu Qianqian wanted to ask something.

Unfortunately, Su Ming preempted her.

“Don’t ask. Asking will only hurt our rapport.”

Su Ming’s straightforward remark left Xu Qianqian speechless on the spot.

Watching Xu Qianqian’s flustered expression, Su Ming chuckled inwardly.

He wasn’t worried that Xu Qianqian could deduce anything from this list.

After all, there was no way she could guess what Su Ming actually planned to do with these items.

Su Ming then spoke to Xu Qianqian:

“Following my instructions, how long will it take to get the things I want?”

This was the only point Su Ming cared about.

“It won’t take long,” Xu Qianqian said, no longer dwelling on it. “The items on your list are quite common. The Xu Family’s sales outlets should easily have them, though I’m not sure if we can gather the quantities you need.”

This was something Su Ming had also considered.

Due to the rules of the system’s exchange for crystal chips—which valued the effects and functions of the items themselves, disregarding market demand or rarity—Su Ming naturally targeted inexpensive Extraordinary Items with unique effects.

This way, Su Ming could purchase items in bulk at the lowest cost, which could then be exchanged for as many crystal chips as possible in the system, allowing him to profit handsomely.

And inexpensive Extraordinary Items usually meant they were easy to acquire, not highly rare, and wouldn’t be too difficult to obtain.But quantity is indeed an issue.

The goods Su Ming planned to hand over to Xu Qianqian for processing were items that weren’t particularly precious but could fetch high prices due to demand.

If all these goods were sold and used to purchase those peculiar items with low prices, the quantity that could be acquired would certainly be substantial.

Such a large quantity would indeed be difficult to gather completely in a short time.

“As quickly as possible,” Su Ming sighed as he spoke to Xu Qianqian. “We have to set off for Huaming District the day after tomorrow. If we can complete this transaction before then, it would be a great help to me.”

“Is that so?” Xu Qianqian nodded and said, “Then I’ll try my best to hurry things along for you.”

Xu Qianqian then handed the list to the elderly butler beside her.

The butler received it with utmost respect, glanced at Su Ming, and then withdrew.

Su Ming watched the elderly butler thoughtfully.

“Don’t worry,” Xu Qianqian said, noticing Su Ming’s pensive expression. “Grandpa Butler doesn’t know the specific details of our transaction. He won’t ask questions and will only carry out my instructions. He’s someone we can trust.”

Su Ming could see that.

Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn’t have discussed the transaction with Xu Qianqian in front of him.

Moreover, what if the other party did know about the transaction?

In his eyes, Su Ming was probably just a merchant trying to get rich by leveraging the Young Miss’s background.

With the contract in place, Su Ming wasn’t afraid that Xu Qianqian would reveal his true situation to the butler.

The only problem was…

“Why do I feel like the way he looks at me is a bit strange, almost unfriendly?”

Su Ming was only puzzled by this point.

In response, Xu Qianqian glanced at Su Ming and said,

“That’s because the last time you asked me to go to a hotel, it left a very bad impression on Grandpa Butler.”

Hearing this, Su Ming nearly choked on his own saliva.

Only then did Su Ming remember that when he last invited Xu Qianqian to a hotel, she had indeed mentioned consulting her butler about it.

At the time, her butler seemed to have scolded him, saying his excuse for inviting a girl to a hotel was really lousy…?

Damn it!

Su Ming’s lips twitched as he stared at Xu Qianqian.

Xu Qianqian then curled the corners of her lips slightly, as if amused by Su Ming’s flustered expression, and her mood improved.

“When will you hand over the goods on the list to me?”

Xu Qianqian asked lightly while sipping her black tea.

Seeing this, Su Ming, feeling teased, grew bold with mischief.

“Right now.”

Su Ming said this.

“Now?”

Xu Qianqian was taken aback.

Su Ming didn’t say another word, merely waving his hand.

“Whoosh—”

The next second, countless Phantom Demon materials, alchemical tools, and peculiar Extraordinary Items appeared without any warning, as if pouring down from the Void Realm, landing noisily on the ground and piling up into a large heap.

“Cough…!”

The sudden scene made Xu Qianqian’s beautiful eyes widen sharply. She inhaled sharply as if gasping, taking in a large mouthful of black tea, which left her choking and coughing uncontrollably.

“You…”Xu Qianqian covered her soaked chest, staring at Su Ming with a rare look of utter astonishment.

Su Ming felt a sudden clarity of thought, his heart swelling with indescribable satisfaction.

Serves you right for teasing me! O(∩_∩)O Haha~

(End of Chapter)