Seeing Xiao Qicai's stunned expression, Xuan Chen waved at the burly men. "Why aren't you greeting your new boss? From now on, she'll be the one paying your salaries!"
The curly-haired leader immediately understood. Raising his hand, he called out, "Brothers, follow my lead—Wif..."
Fortunately, Xuan Chen stepped on his foot just in time.
The man quickly corrected himself, "Boss!"
The other burly men echoed in unison, and Xuan Chen finally relaxed. Recruiting these workers hadn't been easy—most were reluctant to work under a young girl. He'd had to drop hints that their leader had special feelings for her, suggesting she might become their future madam. This "early allegiance" tactic had finally convinced fifty "clever" workers to sign up.
But he couldn't say this outright, knowing Xiao Qicai would be furious if she found out.
The thunderous greeting made Xiao Qicai's ears ring. She turned to 002 in confusion. "Did I just hear 'Wif...' something?"
"You must have misheard. They called you boss!" 002 insisted earnestly, though if it had a physical form, its eyes would be sparkling. This was exactly the scene it wanted—just like in those scripts where subordinates enthusiastically greet their boss's beloved wife.
Ah, such perfect romance material! Its masterpiece love story was nearly complete!
Luckily, Xiao Qicai didn't hear 002's inner monologue, focusing instead on the task at hand. Taking a deep breath, she faced the fifty intimidating workers. She'd managed hundreds before—these fifty shouldn't intimidate her, even if they were exceptionally burly.
"Ev—I mean, everyone! I'll assign tasks after inspecting the factory. No need to follow me now." She almost said "everyone" like 002's preferred "underlings," catching herself just in time. Xuan Chen chuckled nearby before seriously guiding her through the facility.
The factory's main advantage was its size—nearly 500 square meters. Xuan Chen explained it had been a vegetable oil plant before poor management led to its closure. Previously serving as a Dark Star gathering point, they'd cleared it for her use now.
The layout was chaotic, with sunlight streaming through holes in the ceiling. "Saves on lighting costs during daytime," Xuan Chen quipped. Most equipment was either rusted or damaged, but three massive oil presses remained—too bulky to remove or vandalize. Though dusty, they seemed functional.
Renting such space on Earth would be expensive, especially in Dongtiao District—4628 Planet's prime location. The free usage comforted Xiao Qicai, though she suspected her newly acquired 10 million starcoins would disappear quickly.
"Do you have floor plans or spatial diagrams?" she asked.
"Those things... of course not," Xuan Chen replied matter-of-factly.
The place they took over for gatherings didn’t come with such documents.
Left with no choice, Xiao Qicai had to rely on spatial measurement tools to take the measurements herself.
She gestured and sketched, quickly constructing a model diagram using the virtual network—impressively professional-looking, at least to the untrained eye.
Xuan Chen watched in awe. After all, no one in Dark Star bothered with such things.
No wonder she passed the actuary exam. She’s truly talented. The more he thought about it, the more satisfied he became. He was absolutely determined to recruit her—whether she walked the straight and narrow or the underworld path. If he could bring her to Dark Star, their future would be limitless!
"I need to plan the warehouse, the spatial layout for each production process, and the production lines. The prerequisites are ensuring the right environment and manufacturing equipment—of course, workers are also crucial."
Without hesitation, Xiao Qicai, aware of her limited time, immediately splurged over two million to hire a renovation company to refurbish and repair the factory. The project would take half a month.
As for the workers assigned to her, they temporarily assisted with the renovations while also ensuring the safety of the construction crew.
To keep them motivated, she promised each worker 50 starcoins per day and even advanced them a week’s wages.
This sent them into a frenzy of delight. After all, working as bodyguards—taking knives and bullets for others—only paid 1,000 starcoins on the market.
By this calculation, they’d earn 1,500 starcoins a month!
They had long heard their "boss’s woman" was generous, but they never expected such easy money—just supervising, guarding, and moving things around for 50 starcoins a day. Compared to risking their lives in dangerous jobs, this was both safer and more lucrative.
Initially, those selected had been resentful about taking orders from a young girl. Now, they were just grateful they’d been chosen. Those who weren’t picked, once dismissive, now burned with envy, eagerly asking if Xiao Qicai needed more hands.
Xuan Chen could only sigh in resignation. Xiao Qicai was poaching his people at an alarming speed.
Well, everyone yearns for a peaceful, stable, and well-paid life. Our days of living by the blade really should come to an end.
After signing the renovation contract, she had them clear out a warehouse first to receive the raw materials she’d ordered online. She then confirmed the details, motivated and reassured her 50 workers, and wrapped up the preliminary preparations.
Still, the money was draining fast. If she wanted to produce the beauty serum and start seeing returns, it would take at least a month.
At the very least, the 10-million-starcoin employment fee had to be paid.
So before full-scale production, she needed to figure out how to make more money.
Her gaze flickered toward Xuan Chen’s fair-skinned face.
He felt a chill run down his spine. "Didn’t you say you were going back to school soon? What kind of scheme are you plotting now?"
"You've got the wrong idea. It's just that making money is really hard, so I wanted to find a way first. Besides, this beauty potion actually uses substitutes for several ingredients—I'm not sure if we can replicate the exact same effects and functionality. Moreover, getting approval from the Union Government for mass production will take some time. Lord Xuanchen, could I ask for another favor?"
Whenever Xiao Qicai called him "Lord Xuanchen," he knew trouble was coming.
Xuanchen quickly shook his head:
"We're close enough—just call me Old Xuan. What do you need help with? I’ll say this upfront—I don’t just help anyone. I’m tight on funds lately…"
After all, he had just lost 1 million in a bet and transferred it to her.
Xuanchen winced at the thought, but he didn’t mention his gambling loss to Xiao Qicai.
"I wouldn’t dare call you Old Xuan. Since you’re a bit older than me, how about I call you Brother Xuan?" Xiao Qicai asked. "In your line of work, there must be underground auctions or something like that, right?"
Based on the novels she’d read, most of them had such things.
"Auctions? What auctions?"
"You know, where people bid on rare items together—or, say, a black market?"
"Oh, you mean underground trading auctions. Yeah, those exist. The seller introduces their product and its value, and buyers bid based on demand. But most transactions happen virtually, and the items traded are, well… uncommon. Let me be honest—they’re usually not exactly legal. So there’s definitely no auction house like you’re imagining. If all the underground big shots gathered in one place to bid on contraband, they’d just be handing themselves over to the government on a platter! For us, the most common bidding items are weapons—high-tech firearms, aircraft, things like that. Ordinary stuff isn’t worth bidding on since you can buy it online, even across planets. Plus, we have jargon for different categories, coded numbers. Once you win a bid, it’s delivered discreetly. Why do you want in? Do you have weapons to sell?"
"Just weapons? No rare materials?"
She remembered all the exotic treasures sold in auction houses from the novels she’d read.
"What would us rough folks want with antiques, jewelry, or materials? What use are they? Weapons are what we love most. If you’ve got something like that, I can help sell it—but I’ll take a cut."
"Really nothing else?"
"What are you getting at? You don’t mean the beauty potion, do you?"
"Exactly. Logically, there should be a market for this. Look—your face hasn’t had a relapse in so long, and your boss’s complexion improved a lot after taking my potion, right? I bet any hemorrhoids or skin issues cleared up too. Isn’t that a fantastic product?"
"Well… yeah, I guess. But most of us live life on the edge—appearance isn’t exactly a priority. I doubt your potion would sell well."
"Words are just words, but I believe where there's market demand, there's always opportunity! Never mind, I'll handle the product presentation—just help me set up a meeting or get me into the bidding session. Ideally when there are plenty of influential figures participating, alright? You'll get 10% of the profits. Even if nothing sells, I'll transfer you a million upfront."
At the mention of money, Xuan Chen's eyes instantly lit up. She could finally understand why those underlings had been so eager to switch allegiances.
A cool million just like that—this Xiao Qicai girl... seemed even more generous than her own boss.
And sharp-witted too. Who knows? She might actually pull off selling that so-called "beauty elixir" and strike gold.
——
Xiao Qicai declined Xuan Chen's offer to stay. She decided to spend one final night at the shelter before heading to school registration the next day.
The shelter wasn't particularly crowded, as most preferred government-subsidized housing or livelier areas like Dongtiao District to scrape by.
Those remaining were largely fence-sitters—honest folk lacking the nerve for outright dishonesty, or the dishonest lacking conviction.
Having kept a low profile for days without territorial disputes, she'd encountered no issues.
Though this might've been due to the two bodyguards Xuan Chen had discreetly assigned her, as mentioned earlier.
Curled against the wall with her blanket, Xiao Qicai closed her eyes briefly—a rare break from her previous sleepless virtual network marathons.
But the reprieve was short-lived. A commotion soon jolted her awake.
First came shrill screams, then desperate cries for help.
Nearly every shelter resident stirred, turning toward the noise.
There knelt a grimy little girl beside a woman shrouded in tattered blankets, alternating between begging her motionless mother to wake up and pleading with the onlookers to save her.
All eyes were drawn to the scene, yet indifference prevailed.
After all, who'd end up here unless utterly destitute?
Pennilessness was the common denominator.
Though some were visibly moved, none offered assistance—only an elderly bystander advised rushing to a hospital if they had money, while there was still hope.
A laughable suggestion. Would they be here if they could afford hospitals?
The mother-daughter pair's disheveled state clearly indicated otherwise.
Soon, most spectators turned away, covering their ears to resume sleep—such tragedies were routine here.
Many initially watched with morbid curiosity, but within minutes grew irritated by the girl's wails. Some even shouted at her to shut up, suggesting the corpse be hauled out for government disposal crews.
Xiao Qicai frowned. After confirming this wasn't some scam, she approached.
Kneeling beside the girl, she gently patted her back before checking the mother's pulse during the child's stunned silence.
"Don't cry yet—she's still breathing. Little one, what happened? Your mom seemed fine days ago."
When she first arrived at the shelter, she took a quick glance around and did notice this mother and daughter huddled in the corner.
"My... my mom is having an attack. It's a type of asthma caused by air poisoning. But we've run out of medicine. Big sister, please help us, save her!"
Only then did Xiao Qicai turn on her terminal's auxiliary light to examine the mother's face closely. Indeed, she saw the woman's complexion turning blue, her breathing becoming increasingly labored, muscles tensing up.
"Should I call the medical team for you?"
"No, please don't! We have no money. The hospital would just turn us away!"
"I'll pay for it!" Xiao Qicai frowned deeply.
"No, sister, we... we..."
"If we get admitted and our information gets recorded, the system will automatically send the bill to my father as her registered partner. He'll definitely come beat me and mom to death!"
"I need asthma medicine! I need asthma medicine!" The little girl sobbed desperately.
"But I don't have asthma medicine," Xiao Qicai said with a frown.
The girl turned to beg others around her for help. Since this was a common condition, many people carried the medication. But who in the shelter would give away life-saving medicine? No one responded, some even deliberately tightened their grip on their pockets.
Despair gradually spread across the little girl's face.
Meanwhile, the mother on the ground began convulsing violently, veins bulging—her body issuing its final warning.
After a moment's thought, Xiao Qicai made a decision. She pulled out a bottle of medicinal liquid from her robe and poured it into the mother's mouth.
At this point, it was a case of trying anything—if this potion could flush out bodily toxins, perhaps it might alleviate this air poisoning symptom.
Fortunately, her gamble paid off!
After administering the small bottle of liquid, the mother's face suddenly calmed remarkably. Then, amazingly, the rashes and bluish discoloration on her face began fading away.
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