Chapter 110: Happiness Came Too Suddenly

Following Li Yi’s instruction, Yue’er slowly placed the basin of water she was carrying onto a table not far from Zheng An. She then produced a square, white object she had prepared in advance, roughly the size of a palm.

"Master Zheng, you must watch closely!" Yue’er whispered a reminder before slightly dampening the white object and scrubbing it against the soiled garment.

She then began to wash the clothes quite openly.

"..." Zheng An and his servant were left speechless. They had been curious about the "important business" Li Yi wished to discuss, never imagining it would involve watching a maid do laundry. What on earth was this? Watch closely? Was that really necessary? Who hadn't seen someone wash clothes before? Zheng An’s mouth twitched slightly. He glanced at the basin, then back at Li Yi, struggling to suppress a retort.

"Young Master, why must you play such games with me?" Zheng An asked, his tone laced with annoyance. His steward wore a similar expression, staring at Li Yi with visible dissatisfaction. They truly could not fathom why Li Yi would toy with them.

Seeing this, Li Yi shook his head with a faint smile and waved his hand. "Brother Zheng, if you haven’t watched carefully, how can you claim I am playing games? Be patient, observe closely, and then draw your conclusions."

Zheng An felt a pang of frustration. Seeing that Li Yi did not seem to be joking, he turned his head and forced himself to focus on the basin. After a short, sullen wait, he suddenly noticed something strange. The clear water in the basin was now brimming with white foam.

"Wait, what is this?" Zheng An exclaimed. He stood up from his seat in a start and hurried over to look. His steward, seeing this, widened his eyes in shock and followed close behind. The master and servant hovered beside Yue’er, their eyes locked on the basin. They saw the white, square object resting by the side of the clothing, topped with a mound of white bubbles.

"Miss Yue’er, this... what is this white thing in your hand?" Zheng An stared blankly, his mind racing with guesses. "Is it... is it soap?"

Zheng An’s steward shook his head, his expression grave. "Master, this doesn't look like soap!"

"Then what on earth is it?" Zheng An asked, looking up at Yue’er with a bewildered expression. The steward watched her with equal intensity.

Seeing their astonishment, Yue’er pursed her lips into a smile. Instead of explaining, she teased, "Master Zheng, didn't you just say that my young master was playing games with you?"

"Uh..." Embarrassed by her words, Zheng An laughed awkwardly and waved his hands. "It’s all a misunderstanding, haha, a misunderstanding..." The steward chimed in with a forced, obsequious grin.

Despite their outward display, their hearts were racing with indescribable excitement. *This is a treasure!* That was the only thought echoing in their minds. As merchants, they knew that a golden opportunity was right before their eyes—a once-in-a-lifetime chance they had to seize!

Zheng An immediately turned to Li Yi, offered a bow, and said with a fawning smile, "Young Master, I was blind and failed to recognize a true treasure. I wronged you. I hope you can be magnanimous and forgive me." Having witnessed the effectiveness of the product, all of Zheng An’s resentment vanished, replaced by immense gratitude. He knew that if he could secure this deal with Li Yi, it would be an incredibly profitable venture.

Seeing Zheng An’s sudden shift to a celebratory mood, Li Yi rolled his eyes. "Brother Zheng, your smile is truly insincere."

"Not at all, not at all," Zheng An insisted, trying to look serious. "Young Master, this smile comes from the bottom of my heart!"

Li Yi: "..."
Yue’er: "..."

Watching Zheng An shamelessly flatter him, Li Yi realized that when it came to shamelessness, he couldn't even compare to a fraction of a percent of Zheng An. *What a shameless man!*

After a dry cough, Li Yi decided not to dwell on it. He gestured toward Yue’er and ordered, "Yue’er, bring the soap over."

"Yes, Young Master." Yue’er nodded and walked over with the used bar of soap.

Only then did the master and servant realize that this miraculous object, which resembled soap but could clean clothes so thoroughly, was called "soap."

Li Yi looked at the soap in Yue’er’s hand, then at Zheng An, and asked with a smile, "Brother Zheng, you previously said you could offer me a high enough price and better profit margins than anyone else. Does that still hold true?"

Zheng An froze. As he recalled his earlier words and connected them to the current situation, his mouth twitched. He realized too late that Li Yi had dug a massive pit just waiting for him to jump in. By the time he caught on, he was already stuck deep within it. He had never felt that anyone was as cunning as Li Yi; he had thoughts he didn't dare voice. He considered himself a veteran of the business and political worlds, yet he never expected to be outmaneuvered by Li Yi today. He wanted to slap himself to wake up.

However, even though he knew he had been outplayed, the massive profits behind the soap business were too tempting to walk away from.

"Ahem..." After a moment of contemplation, Zheng An offered a sheepish smile. "Young Master, how about this? Let us each write a price, and see if we can reach an agreement that satisfies both parties. What do you think?"

Li Yi immediately understood Zheng An’s scheme. He smiled and nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

"Then, Young Master... are you ready?" Zheng An asked with a smile.

"Let’s show our hands!" Li Yi said.

"Good!" Zheng An nodded.

Both men extended their hands simultaneously. When they opened them, they were stunned to see that both had held up three fingers. Zheng An stood there, momentarily dazed. He couldn't believe that Li Yi had held up three fingers as well, exactly matching his own thought. Was this happiness... coming a bit too suddenly?

As he regained his composure, Zheng An looked at Li Yi, about to speak, but Li Yi waved his hand and settled the matter definitively: "Fine, it is settled. Brother Zheng, I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"

"Pleasant cooperation..." Zheng An shook hands with Li Yi, his mind a complete blank.