Chapter 15

 

Yesterday during the day, Liang Jiancheng had been in Guangzhou attending a trade exhibition and negotiating business. That night, he went to Zhongshan Port in person to oversee the loading of twenty-five shipping containers onto a freighter. The shipment—worth six million U.S. dollars—was bound for Russia.

These six million dollars were a lifeline that saved a household-goods factory teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

By the time everything was finished, it was already four in the morning. After standing in the sea breeze, Liang Jiancheng’s throat felt dry and hoarse.

When Ming Xi called, Liang Jiancheng was preparing to return to Haigang and was waiting in the Guangdong Airport lounge to rest. The plane was delayed, so he leaned back on the sofa with his head propped up, closed his eyes, and dozed off.

He had one bad habit: when he’d just woken up, he always sounded curt and indifferent.

He’d been sleeping soundly, and hadn’t heard his phone ring for half a minute. It was the waiter in the VIP lounge who woke him up. “Mr. Liang, sir, you have a call…”

Because of his upbringing, Liang Jiancheng was the kind of man who almost never lied—not in serious matters, not even in trivial ones.

When Ming Xi asked him that question on the phone, he took a few seconds to organize his thoughts and quickly figured out where the misunderstanding had come from.

“Yes.” Liang Jiancheng gave a clear answer. Regarding Ming Xi’s question – were you planning to hire me as a foreign trade sales representative before?

His original instructions to Maggie were: “Show her around the company, introduce her to this year’s Xinghai export orders. The company’s still small, but if she’s willing to learn, I’ll train her myself.”

He didn’t know how Maggie had relayed that to Ming Xi, but clearly not the way he’d said it. Since Ming Xi had already found another job, she wouldn’t have any reason to make something like this up—so why had Jiang Meiqian done it? Liang had his suspicions, though he didn’t want to dwell on them; it would only make his judgment look poor.

Liang Jiancheng’s simple “yes” on the phone made everything clear to Ming Xi. Holding her phone, she smiled faintly—since she’d missed the chance, so be it.

“Thank you, Mr. Liang, thank you for thinking so highly of me.” Ming Xi, who had always seen herself as a person from the bottom rung, spoke again with words full of sincere gratitude.

Over the phone, Liang Jiancheng couldn’t exactly reprimand Maggie for taking things into her own hands. After a short pause, he asked, “Which company did you decide on?”

“Longmao Parkway, as a general office clerk.” she replied.

A clerk job like that was a good start for a girl fresh out of school. Longmao was a big name with a strong department store business, so that was a stable, respectable position for her. No wonder the discerning Professor Liang approved of this job.

“Alright.” Liang Jiancheng changed the subject calmly. “There’s a good coffee shop in Longmao. I often discuss business there. When you officially start working, I’ll treat you to coffee.”

“…Oh.” She nearly choked in surprise.

So that’s why Maggie had wanted to invite her to coffee—it was her boss’s habit!

“Alright, thank you, Boss Liang…”

“You don’t even come to my company, so you don’t have to call me Boss Liang.” Liang Jiancheng joked lightly. His voice was no longer dry from just waking up, and his tone was relaxed. “I’m a few years older than you—if you’d like, you can…”

Ming Xi said cheerfully, “Then I’ll call you Master Liang.”

Liang Jiancheng paused for a moment, then replied, “—It’s up to you.”

“Then I’m hanging up, Master Liang…”

“Go ahead.”

Ming Xi hung up quickly!

The call duration, when it ended, was seven minutes and two seconds.

Less than half a minute later, a message came in reminding her of her outstanding bills.

Account balance insufficient — you owe 10.20 yuan.

Ming Xi: ….

She sighed, scolding herself inwardly. How useless of her—getting stingy over a few yuan. If she kept being this small-minded, how would she ever earn millions one day?

And what had she just called him? Master Liang? Disgusting! Why hadn’t she seized the moment and called him something like Brother Liang, Big Brother Liang, or even Handsome Liang? All would’ve sounded better than Master Liang.

Why had she been so fake and stiff?

The only reason, really, was that Liang Jiancheng was too good-looking. If he’d been ordinary—or plain, or ugly—she’d have joked freely, even called him Brother without a thought. For someone like him, with a good family background and strong abilities who had already established himself in Haigang, it wouldn’t matter for her to call him Brother or Cousin Liang, or even changed her surname to Liang to match his.

But he was simply too handsome!

And handsome men… were nothing but trouble. A single wrong move and she’d look as though she had ulterior motives—and she was at the age where people might think that.

She couldn’t be shameless. Professor Liang had found her a job—she couldn’t turn around and start flirting with his son.

Honestly, what kind of person would that make her?

Ming Xi ridiculed herself bitterly in her heart.

…

New Year’s Day had passed, but the spirit of entering the new millennium still permeated everyone’s anticipation. A month later, the Spring Festival became the new highlight of celebration.

When Ming Xi joined Longmao Parkway at the end of the lunar year, it happened to be the busiest time of the season.

There was no internship or transition period—she was thrown straight into work.

She learned quickly, had a good sense of organization, and after a week, she was already familiar with her duties.

She was just a junior clerk—her work wasn’t important, but it was tedious and dull. Every day she checked invoices and handled VIP returns and exchanges.

Checking invoices required care; dealing with customers face-to-face required patience. Neither was particularly difficult for her.

What really tested her were the two senior “big sisters” in the office.

They were both locals of Haigang and got married early. One husband worked in a foreign company and the other husband worked in well-connected government department. Their families were well-off, and they’d joined Longmao through connections mainly to find an easy job to pass the time.

Year-end meant not only more work at the office but also more family matters for them. So when Ming Xi arrived, she became the perfect person to take on the burdens they shrugged off in order to “focus on family.” Their tasks weren’t hard—just bothersome.

Every day, besides finishing her own work, Ming Xi had to take the big sister’s assignments back to her dorm to complete.

“This one’s easy,” they would say. “Just make sure there aren’t any mistakes.”

The big sister had a relaxed attitude and an excellent work mood, but they were also really… irresponsible. The office had two computers, which they often used for endless rounds of Solitaire. The two women were close and also constantly compared themselves to each other, competing over their husbands’ salaries and benefits—but neither could outshine the other in the only way that mattered to them:

Able to afford buying shoes and coats from Longmao’s imported section.

In their eyes, a woman who could buy her coat and shoes from the import section at Longmao was truly a lady of taste and means.

Ming Xi had been in Longmao for a week and had not yet visited Longmao’s most luxurious and expensive import section. Coincidentally, a sales associate inside needed her to deliver a receipt, so she took this opportunity to take a peek.

Seeing is believing, and once you do, you’ll get shocked. A single pair of shoes was more expensive than her entire monthly salary!

In the men’s footwear section, she even spotted the very same boots Liang Jiancheng had worn the first time she met him. Seeing their price tag, she suddenly decided the boots weren’t all that good-looking after all. Her heart naturally revealed the simple and true thoughts of the ordinary people at the bottom of society about material things:

What’s the point of spending so much money on a pair of shoes?

Ming Xi didn’t understand—until she saw fashionable city women, dressed stylishly even in sub-zero weather, strolling gracefully through the import section. Their movements were unhurried, their manner elegant, their eyes soft or critical—but never timid or anxious.

Then she understood.

In this world, there were people like her who lack money—and people who didn’t.

Even among the wealthy, there were those who loved to spend money.

And among that small number, there were some who didn’t just love spending money—they loved to spend it recklessly!

Within the same department store, the sales associate in the import section were all prettier than those in other areas, with carefully applied makeup and soft, well-trained voices.

“Don’t underestimate those sales associate. They make a lot—sometimes their commissions alone equal our whole month’s salary.”

One of the office big sisters told Ming Xi. Then she shook her head. “But so what if they make a lot? They have to smile all day, bowing and scraping—so exhausting.”

Ming Xi wasn’t afraid of hard work, and hearing that, she felt intrigued.

The big sister saw the look in her eyes and said, “You couldn’t do it. You need to speak good English. Many foreigners buy those imported stuffs. Once they exchanged US dollars for RMB, it won’t be expensive!”

Ming Xi was even more interested after hearing this.

Wasn’t that perfect for her? She spoke good English, she could bow and scrape—and most importantly—

She had a great smile!

Seeing her expression, the big sister—who was fond of Ming Xi’s clever looks and helpful nature—offered her some kindly “guidance,” speaking with that deliberate, superior tone locals used with newcomers from out of town:

“You’re young—it’s fine to want to earn money. But money’s endless; you can’t earn it all. You’re a girl, the most important thing is to find a reliable man to marry. A clerk’s salary here is already decent—it sounds good when people ask, not much different from those office jobs in government units.

“Just work steadily and honestly—people notice that. Isn’t that better than being a salesperson? I’ve got nothing against them, but as women, we’ve got to keep ourselves clean and proper. Once you get splashed with dirty water, you’ll never live it down!”

As she finished, the other big sister joined in, delicately picking up a small piece of mung bean cake and putting it in her mouth. She sighed with affected grace: “Well, everyone’s got different priorities. But yes, money—everyone loves it.”

The more enthusiastic big sister shook her head and continued, “That’s true, but you can’t live like that. I get what those saleswomen are thinking—they want to meet rich men and marry into money. But rich men are also shrewd. They’re surrounded by women all the time—they’ve developed radar for that sort of thing. The ones they marry are always the proper, gentle, home-loving types… Ming girl, we’ve got to think long-term, don’t you agree?”

Ming Xi had always been a person who listens to advice. She also understood the principles of the world, and the big sister had spoken plainly enough.

However, she only took in the advice that suited her. There were many truths in the world, and everyone had their own. There was no right or wrong—only cause and consequence.

…

Opportunities come when they were least expected. At the end of the year, the import section was in urgent need of a sales associate, and Manager Li decided to recruit internally.

Ming Xi had always kept up her English studies. Her spoken English was good, she was attentive, and she had courage. When she went to sign up, Manager Li was a little surprised — wasn’t working in the office better than being a sales associate? Was this girl overly ambitious, or just reckless?

Although…the income of sales associate in the import section was quite impressive.

Ming Xi said sincerely and directly: “Sales work is the most challenging job. A good sales associate can be a good clerk — but a clerk may not make a good sales associate.”

Manager Li was a smart man. He knew Ming Xi was introduced by Shuangyang, and since Longmao and Shuangyang Electronics were long-term partners, he’d found Ming Xi a comfortable office position as a favor. Yet this young woman wasn’t satisfied — she wanted to challenge herself through sales…

Naturally, he wouldn’t turn her down. In fact, she met all the requirements — and her appearance stood out among the other candidates.

She spoke with ease, never flustered or shy. She really did seem born for sales.

But—

Manager Li pointed at Ming Xi’s hair and said, “You’ll need to take care of your hair… Do you know how to put on makeup? If not, go find He Lingna. She’s the best at putting on makeup in the sales department. Learn from her and tell her I sent you.”

Ming Xi nodded earnestly, remembering every word.

Manager Li was a good person, and he was also an out-of-town manager who knew how to make a good use of people’s talents. When Yang Minwen recommended this person to him, he thought it was just someone from the same hometown as Yang Minwen. But seeing that Yang Minwen was Gu Shuangyang’s person, could it be that Ming Xi was also connected to Gu Shuangyang?

In a network built on relationships, one always had to stay alert. His mind turning, Manager Li asked casually: “Ming Xi, do you know Director Gu from Shuangyang Electronics? Are you related?”

This question came too suddenly…

Ming Xi raised her eyebrows in surprise, her tone half-puzzled, half-playful: “Why do you ask? Do I look like her?”

Well, no, not really. Since she said no connection, then forget it…

Still, Manager Li was pleased with her — perceptive, capable, and tactful. Someone worth cultivating.

“Alright then, it’s settled. Your English is better than any of the others who applied. If I pick you, no one can complain.”

Ming Xi smiled brightly: “Thank you, Manager Li.”

Manager Li, who was quite humorous, nodded and said, “If anyone comes to argue with you, just argue back in English — that’ll shut them up.”

There were many saleswomen in Longmao, and they often get into disputes over commissions and bonuses. Manager Li had long since accepted that women loved to quarrel.

Ming Xi kept her polite smile, though she couldn’t help feeling a little proud — not because she’d been chosen, but because her extra skills really were paying off. She reminded herself: she needed to keep studying, keep learning.

…

When Ming Xi quit being a clerk to become a saleswoman in the import section, the two office “big sisters” could only sigh.

They sighed because the office was losing a diligent worker — and also because they thought Ming Xi was too eager for quick money.

These girls from out of town are different, they thought. They’ll do anything, don’t care about gossip or reputation. To them, money’s the only thing that matters.

Ming Xi saw their reactions clearly and understood them perfectly.

Were they truly worried for her? Did they sincerely think she was making a mistake?

Of course not. All their sighs and half-spoken warnings came from one thing only — she hadn’t chosen their path.

People often defend their own choices by invalidating others’. To prove that their own way is “right,” instead of strengthen their reasoning, they tear down others, twist it, or use morality as a weapon to suppress others.

Once she understood that, Ming Xi no longer felt hurt.

Before leaving, she went to a nearby tea and snack shop to buy some walnut cookies and honey twists. After wrapping them nicely, she gave them to two local big sisters in the office.

They smiled and accepted them, then setting the small gifts aside on their desks — trinkets not worth fussing over, nothing of “class.”

“If you don’t want to be a sales associate anymore, I’ll talk to Manager Li for you and transfer you back,” said the more talkative big sister, and from her tone, Manager Li might listen to her.

Ming Xi thanked her with a gentle smile.

The other woman was more indifferent, keeping herself aloof — as if to say that if Ming Xi wanted to “enter the tiger’s den,” that was her business.

But even if they wanted to stop her, they couldn’t.

In truth, no one could stop her — not them, not anyone — from earning as much money as she possibly could.

On January 19, 2000, Ming Xi officially became a female sales associate at the men’s appearance and trade counter in the Longmao Import Section.

Her mentor was He Lingna.

This person, who taught Ming Xi how to put on makeup and dress up, was from Guangzhou, could speak Cantonese-accented English, and had a very good performance.

She was also Ming Xi’s first friend here.

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