"You were definitely a secret agent in your last life."
Chen Yansen lifted his head and glanced sideways.
The young woman standing in front of him had long, straight legs and skin as pale as porcelain. White canvas shoes hugged her slim ankles, making that ivory tone even more eye-catching.
Wang Ziyan slowly paced back and forth, a faint smile on her lips. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, a trace of pink coloring her cheeks.
"So," she said calmly, "how are you planning to silence me?"
Chen Yansen clicked his tongue, forced his gaze away, and reached into his pocket.
"Here. Fifty yuan. Go buy some candy."
"You think I'm a child?!"
Wang Ziyan stomped her foot, clearly dissatisfied.
"Aren't you?" Chen Yansen shot back with a grin.
In his previous life, he had suffered plenty at her hands. But the current Wang Ziyan was still far from her peak. There was no reason to fear her yet.
"Whatever you're planning," she said coldly, folding her arms, "you're taking me with you. Otherwise—"
"Huh?"
Before she could finish, a shocked voice rang out from the doorway.
"Haozi, what are you doing here?!"
Wang Zihao stood frozen, holding bottled water and ice cream, staring at the scene as if struck by lightning.
"Haozi, deal with her."
Chen Yansen didn't even turn around. He stood up, grabbed two bottles of water, handed one to the deliveryman, and twisted the other open.
The delivery guy sensed trouble immediately.
"Uh… then I'll be leaving."
He thanked them quickly and vanished down the alley.
What followed was chaos.
"Little sister, don't tell Dad, okay?"
"No."
"I'm your brother! You want Dad to beat me to death?!"
"Watch your language."
"Then what do you want?!"
"Take me with you."
No matter how Wang Zihao begged, Wang Ziyan remained unmoved.
In the end, he could only look helplessly at Chen Yansen.
"Useless."
Chen Yansen sighed inwardly. If Wang Zihao had even one-tenth of his sister's sharpness, he wouldn't have been scammed so badly in the future.
"Fine," Chen Yansen said at last. "She can stay."
He had already noticed the shipping labels on the crates. With Wang Ziyan's observational skills, hiding anything was pointless.
The small courtyard was packed with boxes—far more than two teenagers' pocket money could afford.
Something was obviously going on.
"You're really letting her stay?" Wang Zihao whispered nervously.
"Unless you can shut her up," Chen Yansen replied flatly.
"Brother," Wang Ziyan suddenly said sweetly, tugging Wang Zihao's sleeve, "am I getting paid?"
"You're my sister," Wang Zihao said weakly, pointing at Chen Yansen. "He's the boss."
"Ice cream. Unlimited. Take it or leave it," Chen Yansen said without mercy.
Then his tone turned serious.
"Haozi. Twenty boxes of MP3s—one hundred per box. Twelve boxes of MP4s—fifty per box. Randomly inspect five units per box."
"Check for scratches, dents, paint damage. Screens for dead pixels. Buttons for responsiveness."
"Wang Ziyan, you handle functional testing. Playback, charging, data transfer. Any unit that fails—reject it."
"Questions?"
"I have one!"
Wang Ziyan immediately raised her hand.
"Speak."
"What are you doing?"
"I'm the boss," Chen Yansen said leisurely. "I supervise."
"Dream on."
The siblings spoke in unison.
Before Chen Yansen could react, he was dragged toward the crates, a utility knife shoved into his hand.
"No slacking allowed," Wang Zihao laughed.
"Fine," Chen Yansen said through gritted teeth. "Call me Brother Sen when you need something—and Little Chen when you don't. Just wait till I dock your pay."
"Brother Sen, talking about money hurts feelings!"
Chen Yansen didn't bother responding. His focus returned to the inspection.
This shipment was his first real move. Any quality issue could ruin everything.
By the time they finished, it was already 2:30 p.m.
All three were drenched in sweat, exhausted, and starving. The cold mineral water barely lasted two minutes before warming in their hands.
"One scratched MP3 casing," Wang Zihao reported weakly, sprawled on the stone slab. "MP4s look fine. But the earphones… one in ten is faulty."
"Better than expected," Chen Yansen said decisively. "We start selling tomorrow."
"Where?" Wang Zihao shot up instantly.
"Chongqiao Town."
A bustling market town only twelve kilometers away. Market days meant crowds—perfect crowds.
"How do we transport everything?"
Chen Yansen lowered his voice.
"Do you know what Coach Huang's other job is?"
Wang Zihao's eyes lit up. "I knew it! You didn't choose him for no reason—"
"He drives an unlicensed taxi," Chen Yansen cut in. "Two hundred yuan a day, gas included. Deal's already done."
"…You're messing with me."
"Tongfei Gate. Seven a.m. sharp," Chen Yansen said, standing up. "Wear your work clothes."
Wang Ziyan blinked, clearly excited. "Do I have to wear it too?"
Chen Yansen paused at the door, turned back, scanned her from head to toe—
"What exactly do you think you're going to wear?"