"Fixed price, 1,000 dollars each. It’s out of stock this year." Lan Jin was about to say that he could shuttle between China and the US 10 times a month to bring more scarves, but Cong Nianwei covered his mouth and pulled him outside.

 "I’ll buy them all!" the fiercest girl shouted loudly. She came from France and she was one of the purchasing agents of Hermes. She had gone to the Chelsea Fair after the New York Fas.h.i.+on Week just to kill some time before returning to France.

 She had found that fantastic store by accident. As a textile addict, she had gone crazy.

 Hermes was the top scarf brand in the world, so an ordinary silk Hermes scarf cost thousands of dollars. Made-in-China silk scarves cost only 1,000 yuan each, which was nothing for her.

 Her statement shocked everyone. No other designer had brought so much money along to buy silk scarves as thin as paper.

 "I’m Sandrina, purchasing agent at Hermes, Accessories Department… Oh, I know you! You are the CK apparel model! You were in the inner pages of VOGUE... No wonder..."

 Guo Nuoyan let her into the store through a small gap.

 A golden credit card and a Hermes business card were dropped in Qin Guan's hand.

 "I would suggest that you expand your business to France. Americans cannot appreciate the beauty of Asia. They are so rude and uncultivated. They have no history or civilization, so they know nothing about design."

 Dear lady, it was a Chinese person who blocked you outside the store. Qin Guan shrugged as 5,000 dollars vanished from her card.

 He returned the credit card to Sanderina, but kept her business card.

 "Thank you for your words. Looking forward to cooperating with you in the future. Here is my card..."

 Guo Nuoyan grimaced. On the card was the number of the QC accounting firm. Qin Guan was both the CEO and chief accountant.

 Dude, you are so shameless. How can you be sure that you will pa.s.s the accountant exams?

 Girls always admired students who majored in science.

 The French girl left, looking back repeatedly with every step she took. What a pity! All the good men are married or already have girlfriends.

 The fight ended and everyone was dismissed. The name of the store spread among the designers though.

 Purchasing studio staff, gallery owners, art fair directors and exhibition sponsors all acknowledged the mysterious paradise of oriental artwork.

 It was said that all the paintings belonged to Resnais, the best art dealer in California. Seldom would silk scarves made of the best brocade in the world appear in a store, which was what drove all those women crazy.

 It was said that the staff of Hermes and Burberry had had a fierce fight over a thin silk scarf in that store.

 Stories were already spreading. Besides, the boss opened the store irregularly. If she was in a good mood, the female shopkeeper would make small drawings for designers that seemed like real artwork.

 Cong Nianwei was making good use of the spare room as Qin Guan focused on his exams.

 Founded in 1887, the American Inst.i.tute of Certified Public Accountants was the most influential professional organization for accountants. It accepted applications according to nationality. As an international student, Qin Guan had to have his tutor sign his application form to be qualified to take the exam in a foreign country.

 Putting on his gla.s.ses with a sigh, Prof. Martin tried over and over again to discourage him from proceeding. The boy seemed as tame as a quail though.

 "It’s the f*cking dean’s fault for making the university a practical one!"

 "You are a born economist, Qin Guan. Accountants deal with the stink of money. Will you get a n.o.bel prize for that? Or any kind of honor, for that matter?"

 "I just want to make some money and open a small accounting firm..."

 "What are you talking about?"

 "Nothing, Prof. Martin. As you know, AICPA is the most difficult exam. After getting the certificate, I plan on saving Chinese corporations. I’ll help them grow legally..."

 Liar!

 "p.i.s.s off with that form. If you fail the exams, don’t come to my cla.s.s again! What a shame!"

 Qin Guan smiled at the old man and rushed to the library happily.

 He could register for the exam every day except on Sunday, or in March, June, September or December.

 Time was pressing. Christmas was drawing near. Qin Guan decided to take the exam just after New Year’s.

 The students in the library witnessed a terrible scene. Qin Guan, the fas.h.i.+on genius and leader of the Chinese freshmen, was working at an astonis.h.i.+ng speed.

 There were four piles of CPA paperwork, the simplest of which were the regulations.

 His extraordinary retentive memory could tackle any subject.

 That subject didn't occupy any of his studying time. All his attention was on Auditing, Financial Accounting and Reporting, and Business Environment and Concepts.

 The difficulty of AICPA lay in the practical questions, namely the business cases, which would take up 40% of the total score. Each exam would take the candidates a lot of time.