Chapter 42

 

“Oh, you two are from Yicheng?”

Inside the manager’s office on the third floor, Manager Li wore a polite smile as he placed two cups of steaming green tea before the two “distinguished guests” who had taken the initiative to visit and discuss business.

Manager Li had been in the business world for many years and was considered a seasoned veteran. Even though these two didn’t look very reliable at first glance, his long-honed professionalism still compelled him to treat them with courtesy and respect.

Dezi was good at talking, and he always took the lead in the introductions.

“That’s right. Factory Director Han and I are both born and raised in Yicheng. His family has been in the garment business for many years. Back then they built their career in Beijing—his parents first worked near Dahongmen, made their money there, then returned to Yicheng to invest in a factory. Now, Factory Director Han is acting manager of the factory.”

This script was one Dezi had said so many times that he knew it by heart—where to pause, where to emphasize—every detail delivered with practiced precision.

By elevating Han Junjun’s identity in this way—while still sounding realistic—there was hardly any need for Dezi to explain who he was. Anyone following someone of such status wouldn’t be insignificant.

“Oh, my apologies,” Manager Li nodded.

Once the introduction ended, Dezi offered his business card respectfully with both hands.

Manager Li, who had been suppressing a faint urge to laugh, accepted it politely and glanced at it:

Yicheng Kangjun Garment Co., Ltd., General Manager Yang Kangde

Manager Li’s reaction was minimal; he lightly covered the card and placed it on his desk. Then he crossed one leg over the other and spoke with the air of a seasoned veteran: “Longmao Parkway is a large Sino-foreign joint venture department store. We don’t only sell top brands; we also have several sections catering to a more affordable market. But as for the factories and product quality we cooperate with, we have very high standards. We generally don’t consider small factories.”

Dezi nodded knowingly, smiling faintly as if amused by himself: “Of course I know Longmao Parkway is a large department store. That’s why I didn’t come today looking for a partnership—just came to get familiar with the place.”

Is that so?

Manager Li lifted his cup of green tea, took a small sip, spit out a tiny tea leaf, then laughed warmly. “There’s no need to specially come for that. Longmao is a large department store—our doors are always open to consumers.”

This made it very clear that in Manager Li’s eyes, they were merely customers, not potential business partners.

Yet Dezi remained completely unfazed. He smiled easily and continued: “Well, being able to meet Manager Li today is already a good thing for me. I have a friend who mentioned you before—said you’re quite the sharp mind in Haigang’s retail scene. I admire capable people, so I wasn’t afraid of being presumptuous and came to introduce myself. If you think well of me, there may be opportunities for cooperation in the future!”

His words were both brazen and sincere, with a subtle hint of ambiguity.

Manager Li was skilled at dealing with people and always adhered to the principle of leaving some room for future interactions. He naturally wouldn’t speak too definitively today, especially since this Mr. Yang had just mentioned having a friend who knew him, which piqued his curiosity.

Manager Yang asked in a drawn-out tone, “Oh? And who might this friend of yours be?”

Dezi immediately pursed his lips. He had only made it up casually; he couldn’t very well say it was Ming Xi, could he? If he did, Manager Li would probably laugh his head off.

“He…” The words hovered at his lips. Just as he was about to slip up, a name suddenly came to him—his family’s pride—Yang Minwen.

“Actually, he’s not exactly a friend, more like family,” Dezi said vaguely.

Manager Li reacted quickly. He picked up the business card again and glanced at it: Yang Kangde, from Yicheng.

“I also know a prominent gentleman from Yicheng—Yang Minwen. I wonder if you might know him?”

Upon hearing that name, Dezi and Han Junjun exchanged a shocked look. Their legs straightened instinctively as they sprang to their feet. Dezi thrust both hands out toward Manager Li and shook his hand tightly while exclaiming: “My goodness, what a coincidence! The person I was talking about is Brother Minwen!”

Now it was Manager Li’s turn to be stunned. His mouth fell slightly open, momentarily speechless. His sharp eyes studied the so-called young boss. Although not as handsome as Yang Minwen, he was still quite presentable.

At the same time, Manager Li couldn’t help but wonder: What kind of auspicious place is this Yicheng? How come so many people have suddenly appeared here?

Ming Xi, Jiang Cai Ni, and this Yang Kangde, Han Junjun…

Moreover, all of these people have intricate connections with Yang Minwen!

Manager Li had always been a sensible man—unlike those who believed Yang Minwen rose to success by “clinging to older women.” However, at this moment, a very real and worldly thought arose in his mind: The saying “When a person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven” was real!

“So it really is General Manager Xiao Yang!”

Manager Li’s smile instantly turned warm and affectionate—like he had just discovered a long-lost relative. He grabbed Dezi’s hands and shook them vigorously.

“I was blind not to recognize greatness! My hospitality has been terribly insufficient—please forgive me, please forgive me!”

…

Three parts luck, seven parts action.

Although the cooperation with Longmao Parkway didn’t materialize, at least he gained some face in front of Manager Li. It seems this trip wasn’t a complete waste!

Dezi had never expected that Brother Minwen’s name would carry so much weight now—just mentioning it was enough to turn Manager Li, who had been lukewarm at best, instantly polite.

He couldn’t help thinking Longmao might not be as big and intimidating as it seemed.

But even if he thought so, he didn’t dare act recklessly.

Relying on Yang Minwen’s name to do business wasn’t a long-term plan anyway. He was running a small business now, and the momentum was good. “Going with the flow” might not be worse than “riding the wave.”

Before leaving, Dezi earnestly pleaded with Manager Li, “Manager Li, please don’t tell my brother that I came here to see you, or that I happened to meet you. My brother has indeed helped me a lot, but I still want to rely on my own abilities to make my way in the future. If one day my clothing can be displayed in Longmao’s shelves, then we can have a good proper meal together.”

Dezi’s words were both frank and intelligent.

Manager Li, who admired ambitious young people, smiled and said, “As I said before, Longmao always welcomes sincere, capable partners!”

Dezi and Han Junjun stepped out of the general manager’s office, exchanging a glance as they came out: dealing with these high-positioned workplace elites wasn’t nearly as difficult as they had imagined.

Isn’t doing business all about building momentum through repeated interactions?

“I didn’t expect Brother Minwen to have connections in Longmao…” Han Junjun murmured, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks.

Hmph, now he called him Brother Minwen—this wasn’t his attitude before.

Dezi shot his partner an annoyed sideways glance and snorted, “He’s my Brother Minwen, not yours. You should call him Mr. Yang.”

Han Junjun was speechless, feeling guilty for his previous inappropriate remarks in the heat of the moment. Especially since the clothes he was wearing now were provided by Yang Minwen.

 

He and Dezi weren’t the same size; he was five or six centimeters taller than both Dezi and Yang Minwen. The shirt barely fit, but the pants didn’t, so Brother Minwen bought him a pair himself.

Actually, Yang Minwen could have given Han Junjun the clothes Liang Jiancheng had left at home that he no longer wanted. Those were high-quality pieces Liang Jiancheng no longer wore. Yang Minwen took care of Gu Shuangyang’s household; anything related to managing old belongings was his responsibility. Liang Jiancheng had asked him to dispose of old clothes before, so giving a few to Han Junjun wouldn’t have been inappropriate.

However, Yang Minwen wouldn’t do something so thoughtless. Even though in that household both Gu Shuangyang and Liang Jiancheng never questioned anything he decided—both were always too busy to care about such details—Yang Minwen still handled everything with meticulous care.

Whether the clothes left behind were ones Liang Jiancheng mailed home while studying abroad or ones Gu Shuangyang asked Minwen to purchase, Yang Minwen stored them neatly, had the housekeeper regularly iron, organize, and dust them.

The relationship between Yang Minwen and Liang Jiancheng might be delicate, but after so many years, they were something like a subtle yet respectable family.

…

As for Dezi, all of Ming Xi’s initial worries had unexpectedly turned into envy.

In less than a week, Dezi and Han Junjun seemed to have unlocked a cheat code, not only clearing out their 40,000 yuan worth of stockpiled inventory but also successfully signing long-term distribution contracts with four clothing supermarkets.

After careful calculation, they found that this business, with an investment of 40,000 yuan, actually yielded a profit of nearly 10,000 yuan after deducting warehouse rental and transportation costs.

This solid profit was truly surprising.

With these deals secured, future business opportunities began to open up. It felt like stumbling across a door in the dark that led straight into light—the future was full of possibilities.

This was truly exhilarating.

Ming Xi, as their friend, was overjoyed, let alone Dezi and Han Junjun themselves.

Catching the wave, the two became bolder yet more cautious. Even their speech and thinking shifted.

When Ming Xi handed over the exhibition tickets she had obtained from Mr. He to Dezi and Han Junjun, Dezi surprisingly said, ” We already bought tickets from a friend. Junjun and I went to check it out.”

Ming Xi: …

Sorry, apparently she was the one lagging behind.

“How was it?” she asked Dezi.

“Very high-end. It’s all foreign-trade companies. We even saw Mr. Liang’s company; it turns out his company does import and export business.” Dezi also brought her some information.

“Did you notice Haiou Foreign Trade?” Ming Xi asked Dezi again.

“Ming Xi, you should go there yourself,” Dezi said earnestly.

Among their Yicheng group, if Cai Ni was the one who knew Ming Xi best, Dezi was second. Cai Ni had told him that Ming Xi had been studying foreign-trade materials every day, so he understood she wouldn’t be staying in high-end retail forever.

“Oh,” Ming Xi responded.

Dezi gave her a knowing smile.

Ming Xi felt there was something hidden in Dezi’s smile, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Meanwhile, Cai Ni returned from training and, hearing that Dezi and Han Junjun’s business might be taking off, acted as though Dezi had won the lottery—demanding he treat them to dinner.

Dezi immediately agreed, but kept the details of the meal a secret.

That afternoon, while Ming Xi was still organizing merchandise at the counter, Dezi sent her the address of a hotel and the specific private room number.

Ming Xi glanced at the hotel name… it truly was a meticulously planned feast.

In the evening, Ming Xi and Cai Ni entered the hotel’s private room hand in hand. Seeing Yang Minwen sitting inside, she could only sigh: Dezi’s planning wasn’t just meticulous, it was perfectly on point!

At the round table in the private room, Dezi sat at the host’s seat, knees together, respectfully facing Yang Minwen while recounting how he and Han Junjun had pulled off a reversal in their dire situation.

Throughout the entire process, Yang Minwen listened quietly with a gentle and appreciative expression.

“Third Brother, I really have to thank you! If it weren’t for the outfits you lent us to look presentable—and that car—we never could’ve closed those deals. No matter how good I am with words, if they saw me dressed the way I usually was, they would’ve shooed me away like a beggar…”

Dezi’s words were heartfelt, sincere and without any pretense.

Watching this transformed Dezi, Cai Ni blinked a couple of times, completely speechless. It had only been two weeks—how had her good friends become different people?

Han Junjun, too—his hair was styled in a neat 3:7 part, making him look like he had just walked off a film set. When he saw the two girls enter, he merely nodded politely.

His expression seemed to say: You’re here? Sit down, then.

Compared to the stunned Cai Ni, Ming Xi had already witnessed their transformation at the Longmao counter, so she was more composed and familiar with the situation.

Ming Xi greeted Yang Minwen first: “Hello, Mr. Yang.”

Yang Minwen, truly a refined gentleman, smiled. “No need to be so formal. Hello, Ming Xi.” Then he also greeted the girl beside her—

“Hello, Cai Ni too.”

Afterwards, Dezi, who was sitting next to Yang Minwen, stood up and arranged seats for them: “Ming Xi, you sit here, Cai Ni will sit next to you.”

“Okay.” Ming Xi replied. As she sat, she noticed one empty seat. There were only five people in the room, yet there were six settings at the table.

Who was the sixth for?

Cai Ni couldn’t help but glance over at Dezi’s manner of arranging seats. Who knew that once he sat down again, he’d immediately turn on the charm full force and say to Yang Minwen with a broad smile: “Brother, all the kindness you’ve shown us—we’ve engraved it deep in our hearts. Tonight, I’m hosting this dinner partly to thank you for helping us out with the business troubles, and also for taking care of Cai Ni and Ming Xi’s work. Later we’ll all toast you properly—please accept our gratitude!”

Hearing Dezi’s words, Cai Ni immediately shut her mouth. She wasn’t very good at this kind of thing, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t appreciate Dezi’s gesture.

Ming Xi, her eyes curved in a cooperative smile, responded at just the right moment: “Thank you, Dezi, for giving Cai Ni and me this opportunity to properly thank Brother Minwen.”

Hearing their words, Yang Minwen smiled and shook his head, replying in a gentle, elder-like tone, “In my eyes, you’re still young kids. I didn’t expect that after developing your career in Haigang for a while, you’ve become so organized in your words and actions.”

Ming Xi smiled faintly, and Cai Ni couldn’t help but grin, almost blurting out something.

Under the table, Ming Xi discretely placed a hand on Cai Ni’s leg—a silent reminder that seemed to smack right into Cai Ni’s brain.

Cai Ni pursed her lips and nodded.

Ming Xi’s gaze fell on the empty seat next to her, and asked Dezi, “Boss De, is there another guest coming?” She didn’t address Dezi as “Mr. Yang” or “Xiao Yang,” afraid of clashing with Yang Minwen’s title.

It had to be admitted that when it came to words and actions, Ming Xi always seemed to have two more brains than anyone else.

Cai Ni fell completely silent. Since she was the worst at talking, she’d just be the best at eating. Cai Ni glanced expectantly at Dezi, wanting to ask if he had ordered the food, what he had ordered, and if he had ordered her favorite stir-fried snails.

Dezi gave Cai Ni a meaningful look.

Sorry… I really didn’t order these cheap dishes.

“There’s one more person, and you all know him,” Dezi said. Then he turned toward Yang Minwen and almost in a business-report tone explained: “Brother Jiancheng should be on his way now. He said he had to pick up a client tonight, so he’ll arrive late.”

Brother Jiancheng…

Hearing this address, Ming Xi thought to herself, she had guessed right.

She and Liang Jiancheng were now inextricably linked, and they couldn’t avoid seeing each other.

After all, relationships and benefactors among friends often meant mutual use of connections. The way Dezi arranged this dinner clearly showed that this was meant to be their “opening banquet,” a formal start to their push into Haigang’s clothing business.

“Ming Xi, you don’t mind that I invited Mr. Liang, do you?” Dezi tossed the joke over to her.

Ming Xi was startled, looking at Dezi in disbelief.

Today, Dezi had his hair slicked back, looking more sharp and handsome than usual, always smiling at everyone. He looked downright formidable.

Especially after saying that last sentence…

Ming Xi involuntarily straightened her back.

Once Dezi said that, Yang Minwen’s gaze followed, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity, inquiry, and a barely perceptible lingering thought.

…This lighthearted joke had really gotten her into trouble!

Dezi might have meant to use the joke to bring everyone closer—but he didn’t know that Liang Jiancheng already had someone else. A single subtle “You don’t mind” implied there might be something complicated between her and Liang Jiancheng.

At the same time, hearing Dezi’s words, Cai Ni panicked. That night, Ming Xi had already told her the truth, and because the relationship was indeed a bit delicate, Cai Ni kept it a secret and never tell Dezi.

Unfortunately, Liang Jiancheng’s attitude that night had already led Dezi to misunderstand.

What to do? Cai Ni wanted to speak up for Ming Xi, but her reaction wasn’t quick enough; she couldn’t think of a solution and became increasingly anxious.

Ming Xi, as the person involved, remained calm. Her mind raced, then—pretending not to understand what was implied—she lightly raised her brow, and deflected the question with another joke, replying to Dezi,

“Who you invite is your business. Your partners have no objections, so why should I? Does Boss De expect Cai Ni and me to split the bill this time? If that’s the case, I’ll have to think about it—after all, one extra person means extra budget.”

Yang Minwen smiled, turned to Dezi, and said, “Let me treat you to the meal tonight. You’ve come all this way to Haigang; as your older brother, I haven’t properly treated you to a meal yet.”

“Third Brother, if you want to treat, we can do it next time, or we can visit your home later. This meal is on me,” Dezi insisted.

Yang Minwen smiled, no longer refusing.

“Visit your home”—only true relatives would dare to have such a wild idea.

Ming Xi was both amused and exasperated by Dezi tonight. She glanced at the empty seat next to her, raised her wrist, and checked the time.

She was wearing a watch today; a stylish quartz watch she’d bought for a hundred yuan at a watch shop. It had a thin leather strap, an oval case back, and a clear sapphire crystal glass—very beautiful.

Ming Xi liked the watch very much.

Longmao Parkway had luxury brand watch shops where a single watch could easily cost tens of thousands of yuan. It just showed how many wealthy people existed in the world—far more than she imagined.

Now even Dezi was putting up the image of a rich man—at least acting like one.

Ming Xi sat quietly, eyes calmly watching Dezi and Han Junjun. Maybe if they kept “acting the part,” they really might become rich people someday.

They had found a way to make money—and they had ambition. They could stand proudly, but also humble themselves low. Just like “Brother Jiangliu” on the Tianya forum wrote: for people down below wanting to rise up while chasing wealth, a little cunning and a little trickery are sometimes necessary. Capital naturally chases profit. If you want a slice of the big economic pie, you can’t just wait honestly.

Ming Xi was so engrossed in pondering Jiangliu’s views that she didn’t even glance at Liang Jiancheng as he pushed open the door to the private room.

Liang Jiancheng, dressed in a Burberry dark blue trench coat, calmly and steadily pushed open the heavy wooden door of the hotel private room. Before he even fully stepped inside, Dezi and Han Junjun, showing excellent hospitality, stood up. Cai Ni glanced at him and also stood up politely.

Seeing this, Ming Xi couldn’t remain seated and stood up as well.

Yang Minwen, watching this scene, chuckled softly and also stood up gracefully.

Liang Jiancheng: …

All eyes shone as they looked at him. In that moment of entry, Liang Jiancheng felt like he was the capital cake about to be divvied up.

But Ming Xi didn’t think that way.

In her mind earlier, she’d resolved: from now on she couldn’t keep calling herself poor. She had to learn from Dezi—have a little arrogance and learn to control her tone. When the time was ripe, she had to make her own shrewd plans. Maybe then she too could step onto a road of real prosperity.

Liang Jiancheng was indeed a wealthy man with both appearance and substance, but she also wouldn’t be any less—

Because she too was a would-be rich person, waiting for the moment to rise.

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