SBTW 11

Shuttle Between Two Worlds: The Chief Minister’s E-Commerce Minion

Chapter 11: Winning Over the Future Mother-in-Law with Immortal-Realm Skincare

Modern time, twelve minutes past midnight.

Inside the basement e-commerce warehouse, the fluorescent light tubes emitted a faint, steady hum.

While replying to all sorts of eccentric customer inquiries on the Shopee chat window, Tian Qiqi calculated her plans rapidly in her head.

Tomorrow at noon, the transmission point would open directly inside the Duke of Zhenguo's estate.

And it was for a tea-and-meeting session personally requested by her future mother-in-law.

The moment Tian Qiqi thought of this, her familiar hustle-mode energy surged to full throttle. "No way, in an occasion like this, I absolutely cannot embarrass modern women."

She briskly closed her computer, grabbed her car keys and briefcase, and dashed straight to a twenty-four-hour drugstore in the middle of the night, even making a ruthless raid on Costco just as dawn was breaking.

In front of the cosmetics counter, Tian Qiqi stood with her arms crossed, looking as grimly focused as if she were mapping out a national-level commercial strategy.

"To handle an ancient high-society noble matron, ordinary defective e-commerce goods won't cut it."

She quickly locked onto her target. "Item number one: SK-II Facial Treatment Essence."

"Even though ancient times have pearl powder and floral waters, modern anti-aging tech is absolute dimensional reduction warfare." Finished with her assessment, she grandly grabbed an entire gift set.

"Item number two: Costco strawberry daifuku, mille-feuille pastries, and Yorkshire tea."

"Dessert diplomacy is forever the ultimate weapon."

After that, she even picked out an ergonomic electric massage hammer specially for the Duke. "A man like the Duke who glares with a straight face all day long screams neck stiffness and high blood pressure."

"This is bound to be practical." Tian Qiqi shopped all the way through with high-spirited bounce.

To her, this wasn't meeting the parents; it was a top-tier VIP client acquisition project.

Eleven-fifty-eight in the morning.

Tian Qiqi finished her shower and neatly re-tied her high ponytail, changing into a clean, crisp pink-and-white athletic sweatsuit that looked energetic without being overly flashy.

That gigantic pink backpack was stuffed to the brim once more, loaded with skincare items, desserts, tea bags, and even a steam eye mask and hand cream she had specially prepared for the Duchess.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Tian Qiqi stared at her digital watch while smoothing a light layer of lip balm across her lips in the mirror.

The girl in the reflection possessed bright eyes and a dazzling smile.

"Future mother-in-law, get ready for a reality check from modern skincare technology."

[Countdown: 00:00:00]

Hum—

The familiar weightless sensation washed over her.

The sound of the dehumidifier in the basement warehouse vanished instantly.

In its place came the melodious strains of a guqin, a faint whiff of agarwood, and the distant chirping of birds filtering in from outside.

When Tian Qiqi opened her eyes, she let out a mental breath of relief—good, she hadn't landed in the morgue this time.

Before her lay an exquisitely elegant ancient inner chamber.

Carved wooden windows were half-open, letting streams of sunlight spill across a room where a faint floral fragrance lingered in the air.

In the main seat, a noble and dignified matron held a teacup, gazing at her with a look of profound fascination.

The lady wore a magnificent crimson-and-green ceremonial gown, her brows gentle, every movement carrying the unhurried poise of a great clan's matriarch.

She was none other than the Duchess of Zhenguo.

Beside her stood Huangfu Ye, clad today in a moon-white robe that made him look as though he had stepped right out of a classical scroll, radiating refined nobility.

Though he had initially maintained his customary composure, the instant he saw Tian Qiqi appear precisely on schedule, the uncontrollable flash of light in his eyes still betrayed his emotions.

Almost instinctively.

Huangfu Ye stepped forward and took Tian Qiqi's hand directly.

"Qiqi," he murmured softly.

The reassurance of finding her safe and sound right before him was so clear that even the Duchess beside them picked up on it.

Tian Qiqi flashed him a brilliant smile. "Didn't I tell you? Twelve o'clock sharp for the time clock, never late."

With that, she naturally took two paces forward and cupped her fists in a formal greeting toward the Duchess.

"Greetings, Your Grace. I am Tian Qiqi, and I've specially brought the immortal realm's finest premium high-society afternoon tea and skincare products to visit you today."

The Duchess studied her, her eyes brimming with fresh amusement.

Then she glanced back at her son—a young man famously plagued by severe germaphobia who kept strangers at arm's length, yet was currently gripping this girl's hand without letting go.

She finally failed to hold back a chuckle. "Lady Tian is truly interesting."

"Just this trick of appearing out of thin air has certainly opened this matron's eyes today."

Setting down her teacup, her tone softened noticeably. "Don't just stand there, take a seat."

"Thank you, Your Grace!" Tian Qiqi accepted crisply and cheerfully.

Pulling Huangfu Ye down beside her, she expertly unzipped her backpack.

"Your Grace, Huangfu Ye mentioned that you place great emphasis on skin maintenance, but those ancient cosmetic powders and rouges are actually terribly harsh on the skin."

As she spoke, she hauled that crystal-clear bottle of SK-II Treatment Essence straight out of her pack.

"Here, this is called Fairy Water, a top-tier celestial skincare treasure."

Tian Qiqi slid right over beside the Duchess to enthusiastically demonstrate how to use it.

She poured a few drops into her palm. "You gently pat it on like this—it hydrates, brightens, and refines the skin. It's incredibly effective."

Half-skeptical, the Duchess followed Tian Qiqi's instructions and smoothed the product over her skin. Though she had only intended to humor the test, a moment later she detected a striking difference.

Looking down at the back of her hand, she lightly stroked her fingertips back and forth across her skin as a flicker of genuine surprise bloomed in her eyes.

The areas that had previously felt slightly dry were now remarkably smooth and supple, and even her skin tone seemed to have lit up.

"This..." Uncharacteristically startled, the Duchess raised her gaze to look at Tian Qiqi. "Such miraculous results?"

"And that's just the basic tier!" Seeing her reaction, Tian Qiqi knew she had successfully hooked her fish, sliding right back into her familiar sales persona as she began pulling items out of the bottomless pit of her backpack.

Strawberry daifuku, mille-feuille pastries, and Yorkshire tea were lined up one after another on the table, not even leaving out a thermos filled with piping-hot boba milk tea.

In no time at all, the originally dignified and elegant tea table was largely occupied by various novelty treats from the modern era.

Beaming with crescent-shaped eyes, Tian Qiqi patted the edge of the table as if hosting a product exhibition. "Your Grace, skincare was just the appetizer. The real surprise is right here."

When the Duchess took her very first bite of the strawberry daifuku, she froze completely.

Soft, glutinous wrapper encasing a fresh strawberry and sweet cream filling.

The sweet fragrance melted across her palate—completely devoid of the heavy, cloying sweetness typical of ancient pastries—and when paired with a sip of rich milk tea...

"Ye'er," she turned her head to look at Huangfu Ye, a note of disbelief lacing her tone.

"Just where on earth did you manage to dig up a girl like this?"

Standing off to the side, Huangfu Ye watched as Tian Qiqi spent less than half an hour completely charming his notoriously picky mother into a state of delighted amusement.

The pride lurking in the depths of his eyes was nearly impossible to contain. Lowering his voice, he spoke up, "Mother, regarding that marriage decree..."

The Duchess set down her teacup instantly. "We must petition the Emperor for it immediately."

She reached out to grab Tian Qiqi's hand, growing more enchanted the longer she looked at her.

"Such a wonderful girl—if you let her slip away, the problem is entirely yours."

Having said that, she even shot Huangfu Ye a mild glare.

"You go petition the Emperor for the decree tomorrow. If you fail to keep your own wife, I'll be dealing with you first."

Tian Qiqi nearly burst out laughing, turning to blink playfully at Huangfu Ye.

And as Huangfu Ye gazed back down at her, the final trace of tenderness in his eyes could no longer be held back.

Inside the room, even the scent of agarwood seemed to grow warmer.

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