Chapter 38

 

The next day, after getting off work, Ming Xi took the bus to the Hongxing Agricultural Wholesale Market, the very first place in Haigang that she had become familiar with.

Unfortunately, even though she found a specialty store run by a Yunnan owner, she still couldn’t find the crispy candy that Mr. Mills asked her to find.

She asked the Yunnan boss if he knew any other fellow townsmen who also sold specialty products in Haigang.

The boss was also an enthusiastic person and recommended two stores to her.

While the stores were still open, Ming Xi rushed to each one—only to come up empty-handed again.

By the time she returned to the dorm that night, it was already very late.

Cai Ni, who was still training at Shuangyang, called when Ming Xi had just finished her shower. Sitting on the bed, she noticed two blisters on her toes—one big, one small. They were clear and plump, almost… cute.

She poked at them while listening to Cai Ni react in confusion to her story from the day:

“That foreigner isn’t even your client, he’s Ding Xiao’s. Why are you putting this much effort? Even if he comes to Longmao to buy clothes next time he’s in China, all you’ll earn is a little commission. Is it worth tiring yourself out like this?”

Cai Ni wasn’t wrong, but—

“I’m not doing this for the commission,” Ming Xi said.

She couldn’t be a sales associate at Longmao Parkson forever.

Why then? Cai Ni asked.

To do things well, Ming Xi thought. If she agreed to something, she wanted to do it to the best of her ability. That was her mindset now.

In a more elevated expression—just like Jiangliu Dadao wrote on the forum: being a person is like running a company, both require a level of credibility.

If she wanted to accomplish things in the future, she needed to become someone trustworthy. Only when she was worthy of trust would others entrust her with responsibilities.

So, she wasn’t earning commissions, she was earning trust.

However, despite her best efforts, she still couldn’t complete the task. That was fine too. As long as she did her best, she didn’t need to overburden herself; only then could people move forward.

After visiting three Yunnan specialty stores without success, Ming Xi decided on the third day to deliver the exchanged-size shirts to Mr. Mills by herself. This time, she didn’t go up to the hotel room, since Mr. Mills no longer needed to try them on.

She entrusted the shirt to the hotel concierge, along with a note in English. She explained that she hadn’t been able to find the crispy candy, so she could only deliver the shirts.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Mills. If I manage to find it in the future, I will mail it to you.”

—

Today, Ming Xi had a day off.

Coincidentally, Cai Ni also had a break after half a month of training—she finally got two days to breathe. After that, she would have to return for another two weeks, and only after completing training and passing the exam could she officially start work.

Shuangyang Electronics was a big corporation. During training, not only did they give Cai Ni a stipend, they also issued a stack of books.

Taking advantage of her two days off, Cai Ni immediately arranged to meet with Dezi and Junjun.

She actually brought back a large bundle of books, including two internal Shuangyang product reference books that were as thick as bricks. She groaned, “I didn’t study properly before, and now I can’t escape the pain of studying even after I start working…”

When she wasn’t studying hard as a child, she’d only been scolded. Now, if she couldn’t memorize Shuangyang’s internal product manual, she wasn’t just scolded, she was fired.

But… the product manual was so thick!

“Even PhD candidates don’t study this hard,” Cai Ni said miserably, looking at Ming Xi.

It was precisely because she didn’t study properly when she was younger that her current reading habits and methods were flawed… After experiencing the benefits of learning herself, Ming Xi had gradually figured out how to study effectively.

Patiently, she taught Cai Ni how to prioritize key points while reading and how to memorize information more efficiently—

Think while reading, prioritizing what’s important, and ultimately, learning to filter content.

Rote memorization was painful, but mastering the skills was truly rewarding.

Cai Ni naturally had a relaxed, laid-back personality. But after her parents were laid off and after seeing workplace competition up close, her desire to improve was finally triggered. She didn’t even need Ming Xi to supervise her—she made up her mind to memorize the key product information no matter what.

… Actually, she didn’t need to memorize everything.

Ming Xi flipped through the book, comparing them, and found a pattern among the appliance models. She placed the thick product catalog on her lap and, with a ballpoint pen, helped Cai Ni write down the pattern.

Cai Ni was also reading another book. After a few pages, she couldn’t resist leaning over, seeking validation from her friend.

“Ming Xi, are you proud of me for working so hard?”

Ming Xi, like an expressionless mother supervising her child’s homework, circled the key points and said calmly, “Your dad once said that how much food you eat in your life is predetermined, and I think the same goes for studying. Since you didn’t study much before, now it’s only right that you study more.”

“…Fine.”

Cai Ni raised her eyes slightly, wanting to refute but unable to form words. She stared blankly at Ming Xi, her clear eyes as pure as if they had never been tainted by knowledge.

Ming Xi suddenly remembered a time when they were having dinner at Cai Ni’s house. Cai Ni’s parents discussed who Cai Ni inherited her intelligence from, and concluded it was probably the dog they raised when she was little—since she had been closest to that dog as a child.

Ming Xi laughed silently at the thought, then covered it up with a half-hearted compliment: “Yes, yes, I’m proud. Now keep reading. When Dezi and Junjun get here for lunch, you’ll lose a few more hours.”

Cai Ni made a determined sound and continued to immerse herself in the soul-crushing text.

In this world, earning money wasn’t the hardest part—becoming someone capable of earning money was.

Ming Xi wanted to turn herself into someone who can earn money, and she hoped that Cai Ni could be too

So during this period… she had been a little strict with Cai Ni! But only a little. She had already told Dezi and the others: she would treat them to KFC for lunch!

Ding Xiao had given her a stack of KFC discount coupons—square sheets of paper like flyers, listing various burger, chicken wing, mashed potato, and cola combos. You could tear off each coupon like a stamp. A burger costing 10.5 yuan would be 0.5 yuan cheaper with a coupon.

This “massive” stack of coupons came from a fellow townsman who worked at KFC. But Ding Xiao thought the coupons barely counted as a discount—just disguised advertisements.

A few fries and half a corn cob costing ten yuan—highway robbery!

Even though Ding Xiao had good performance this month, she practically threw the coupons at her coworkers in disgust.

Since Ming Xi wanted them, Ding Xiao gave her the whole stack.

It’s true that Ming Xi liked to make money, but she wasn’t obsessive about saving. She wasn’t like Ding Xiao, who calculated every cent. Small savings were meaningless, and big savings were out of reach anyway.

This was where Cai Ni’s prejudice against Ding Xiao came from—

Ding Xiao was a good person, but too tense. And compared to the relaxed and carefree Cai Ni, the two were complete opposites. Maybe Ding Xiao envied Cai Ni, but Cai Ni avoided Ding Xiao.

Ming Xi, stuck between them, didn’t force anything. She believed relationships should develop naturally—whether between men and women, two men, or two women.

Cai Ni got absorbed in studying and ended up leaving half an hour late. Dezi and Han Junjun also rushed over around noon. Compared to last time—when they were full of energy—today they looked noticeably dispirited.

Dezi still tried to hide it, but Han Junjun was the type whose emotions were written all over his face. Since they had stayed in Haigang this whole time, whatever happened must have been related to their street stall business.

Ming Xi thought back to the twenty thousand yuan Dezi had mentioned during their last meeting. If that were true—Dezi twenty thousand, Han Junjun twenty thousand—then together they had invested forty thousand into this venture…

Such a large amount of money—if something goes wrong, it was no longer about profit, it was about whether they could recover their costs.

Cai Ni didn’t notice the gloomy expressions on the two men’s faces. Ming Xi didn’t want to ask right there, planning instead to find the right moment over lunch to probe how their business was doing.

The four of them walked together. Cai Ni held a flyer with discount bundles and focused on figuring out the best deals, suddenly becoming a math genius—only to walk into KFC and order a chaotic mix anyway.

Plans never keep up with Cai Ni’s spontaneity. Ming Xi was used to it and waited patiently with a smile.

Han Junjun and Dezi ordered hearty value meals.

While Ming Xi wanted to try something new on the menu.

They found a small square table in the back and sat down. Before Ming Xi could ask anything, Dezi spoke up on his own: “The weather got warm too fast. We stocked up on a lot of jackets. If we can’t sell them next week, they’ll be stuck until next year!

“Ah—those scientists on the news keep talking about global warming, but who would’ve thought it would affect small vendors like us…”

Dezi rambled on, while Han Junjun remained silent.

Twenty thousand yuan each was a considerable sum for them. For Han Junjun, at least it was family money. Dezi, however, had borrowed his from Liu Xinjun.

Ming Xi felt uneasy… She no longer harbored resentment toward Liu Xinjun, but the psychological aftereffects were still there.

“Can’t you just keep them until next year?” Cai Ni whispered, worried.

Ming Xi replied, “If you hold them till next year, they’ll be out of style.”

Street vendor’s products depend entirely on trends.

Cai Ni grew even more anxious for them. She was usually loud and carefree, but whenever Dezi got into trouble, she genuinely worried: “Then what do we do? I can ask my coworkers at the training center to buy some. And Ming Xi can always bring in a few customers.”

Dezi waved her off lightly: “Alright, alright. As long as you two care, I’m already comforted.”

Han Junjun also gave them an appreciative smile. Though silent at first, his words were more confident than Dezi’s. “It’s okay, no need to worry too much. We’ll try a few more markets. We’ve only been selling in Xujiang District. We can try Jianghui next.”

“Yeah!” Cai Ni nodded repeatedly, pointing at them. “That’s a good idea.”

Ming Xi pondered, then suddenly had an idea. “Would you consider distributing your stock to different shops in different markets?”

Dezi, being quick-witted, immediately understood what she meant.

If they used a distribution model, they could clear out the inventory much faster.

“How about this—I’m free this afternoon. I’ll take a look at your stock.” Ming Xi volunteered.

Dezi remembered Ming Xi’s words about having more than one friend to discuss things with when out in the world. “Thank you, Boss Ming,” he said, his playful smile tinged with a touch of gratitude.

Han Junjun looked at Ming Xi with unwavering trust—as if looking at his future wife coming to save the day.

Cai Ni glanced weakly at Ming Xi and negotiated, “Can I come help too? I’ll study after I get back later.”

Ming Xi rubbed her nose, feeling perhaps she’d been too strict lately. She licked off the leftover ketchup on her lip and smiled: “I think working is also a form of learning. Let’s go learn together?”

As the saying goes: When two people are united, they can cut through metal—when four people join forces, they can weather any storm together.

After eating at KFC, Ming Xi and Cai Ni followed Dezi and Han Junjun to their rented temporary warehouse. The moment the door opened, both girls were stunned. Bundles of clothing were stacked so high they formed a small mountain, filling the entire space.

Cai Ni looked up, her eyes wide, completely speechless with shock. After a long pause, she swallowed and slowly turned her head. “You guys are too bold!”

Dezi felt a little embarrassed. They had grown up together, so whether he was bold or not, she knew all too well.

Cai Ni then turned her gaze to Han Junjun. “And you didn’t stop him?”

Han Junjun only blushed and said nothing.

Dezi slinged an arm around his shoulder helplessly and grinned: “Didn’t you notice? Our supposedly honest and well-behaved Junjun here—his ambitions are bigger than mine.”

Ming Xi didn’t join their bickering. Working at Longmao, her job besides selling was stocking. As she examined their inventory, she discovered two completely different quality levels: one batch of high-quality garments, and another batch that was clearly cheap street vendor-level goods.

“We bought from several different sources, thinking we could spread out the risk,” Han Junjun explained to Ming Xi.

But now that everything was piled up, all the risk had gathered together instead.

Ming Xi could help them spend the entire afternoon sorting everything, but what to do next? Following the line of thought she had in KFC—if it were just a few hundred or a few thousand yuan, a street stall could handle it. But 40,000 yuan worth of stock would beyond what a casual vendor can unload—they needed to shift their mindset and identity.

If they remained simple resellers, even next year they wouldn’t finish selling.

“Dezi, later print two boxes of business cards.” Ming Xi said, turning to look at him. She wasn’t sure whether her idea would work, but they had no other options. How did Ming Decheng earn his first pot of gold? By pretending to be a big shot and fooling people.

She wasn’t asking Dezi to scam anyone—only to raise their perceived status to sell better.

Business cards?

Dezi’s eyes darted, beginning to grasp her intent.

Ming Xi glanced at the dazed Han Junjun, then at the worried Cai Ni, before finally returning her gaze to Dezi. She spoke seriously, “Dezi, from now on—you’re no longer a small-town vendor from Yicheng setting up stall in Haigang. You’re Yang Kangde, General Manager Yang, who’s come to Haigang from Yicheng to explore partnerships.”

What?

Ming Xi’s serious nonsense was hilarious. Cai Ni immediately glanced at Dezi. The tension on her face melted and she burst into amusement.

Dezi? And General Manager Yang…?

But Dezi was quick-witted and already understood the game. He straightened his posture, glanced at Han Junjun, raised his brows, and slipped perfectly into character. In a mock authoritative tone, he said: “Well, Factory Director Han, we accidentally overproduced this year. Now tell me—how should we handle such a major oversight? We need to recover funds quickly so we can reinvest in next season’s production… You understand?”

The most ridiculous words were said in the most serious tone—Cai Ni was stunned speechless. She shook her head, thinking this was ridiculous… yet maybe workable.

Meanwhile, Ming Xi’s eyes curved into crescents, full of amusement.

Whether it would succeed was unknown—but not trying guaranteed failure.

Dezi immediately ran to a nearby printing shop and printed out two boxes of business cards.

One for him and one for Han Junjun.

The names on the business cards were: Yang Kangde, General Manager of Kangjun Clothing Sales Co., Ltd., Yicheng, and Han Junjun, Factory Director of Kangjun Textile Production Plant, Yicheng.

In just half an hour, the identities of the two men had changed dramatically, and their status had doubled.

Dezi, who was originally worried about not being able to sell the stockpiled goods in a short time, suddenly didn’t seem so hopeless once he put the general manager’s business card in his pocket. Business required two things: brains and guts. Since the money was already sunk, he might as well treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

Instead of shouting in the streets selling from a stall, it would be better to take the initiative and visit every major clothing mall in Haigang and negotiate consignment distribution with them.

The sales pitch Dezi prepared went like this:

“These are clothes produced carefully by our factory, but these are all samples. You can place them in your shop for consignment at no cost. I’m willing to offer them to you at cost price—how much you sell them for will be up to you. If you want, I can give you a reference price range. If our cooperation goes well, you can place direct orders with us in the future. We focus on quality at a good price. Our sales back home are excellent, and now we’re hoping to expand and open up new channels… This is my business card. My surname is Yang, and this here is Director Han from our factory.”

Out in the world, identity is something you give yourself; value is something you have to hype. Any business philosophy that works becomes “commercial strategy.” In this, both Ming Xi and Dezi shared the same bold recklessness.

They already have solutions for the high-quality goods, but what about the lesser-quality street vendor goods?

Two burlap sacks sat there, with a megaphone on top. Ming Xi picked it up, pressed play, and Dezi’s hoarse street-vendor shout blasted out:

“Come look, come look, handsome boys and pretty girls—”

His voice had a sort of magic, but Ming Xi felt it still wasn’t attention-grabbing enough for a stall gimmick. She thought of Sister Lingna—though she’d left Longmao long ago, people were still gossiping about her and that boss.

As the saying goes, there’s nothing new under the sun, and even advertising needs a topic.

After thinking it over, Ming Xi pressed the record button and helped record a message.

Her voice was soft and clear. When she said those words, Cai Ni’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

But it didn’t matter. Ming Xi had Dezi repeat it.

Soon, Dezi adjusted it slightly and delivered it with his own dramatic flair. Once blasted out through the megaphone, the effect was so startling even stray dogs passing by would probably stop to listen.

The recording went something like this:

“The largest and best clothing factory in Yicheng has gone bankrupt! The bastard boss, Ming Decheng went drinking, gambling and whoring, owing 30 million yuan and ran away with his wife’s sister! We had no choice but to take some clothes as payment for our wages…. Ming Decheng, you bastard! You’re not human! We worked half a year for you! You refuse to pay us—give back our blood and sweat money! Give it back!”

…

Helping others, helping herself—Ming Xi never expected that the Yunnan crispy candy she’d been unable to find would appear while she was yelling into a loudspeaker helping Dezi and Han Junjun run their night-market stall.

Earlier, Dezi said vendors came from all over the country, so she asked whether there were any from Yunnan. He said, “Sure, there’s even one who sells trinkets.”

After searching high and low, she actually stumbled on it effortlessly. Ming Xi bought two large bags on the spot, so happy she practically jumped up and down in the middle of the night market.

Dezi and Han Junjun had no idea why she was so happy.

Because it was a kind of surprise gifted by fate.

Her desire to find the candy wasn’t to help Mr. Mills or to gain his favor. For her, everything was a game of cards. She had been ready to fold and leave the table, yet she drew a card that could change everything.

That pure joy—no wonder she was thrilled.

The poor rely on fortune-tellers, the rich burn incense. In this world, nothing matters more than luck.

Hard work would keep her steady, but a dash of luck would make her much happier.

—

The next day, after work, Ming Xi carried the crispy candy and took a taxi to the Scully Hotel.

She sat in the back seat, watching the sky shift from clear blue to warm orange. The day’s final rays slid from the top of Jianghui’s tallest building down to rest in her open palm.

Traffic was jammed, the taxi inching forward. Approaching the Scully Hotel, she glanced at the sky again—the rosy haze had already deepened into dark blue, tinged with inky black.

Ming Xi rarely took taxis, but this time she did so because it would take her directly to the lavish and imposing lobby of the Scully Hotel. However, before the taxi could even reach the marble-pillared porch, she was stunned by the scene before her.

The hotel was jammed with cars.

All of them were luxury cars.

Rows of long, gleaming luxury cars were lined up in an orderly fashion. From a distance, they looked like giant pythons coiled in exaggerated and wild shapes, encircling the entire Scully Hotel.

At this moment, the hotel’s outdoor parking spaces were all occupied.

Uniformed valet staff waved his arm, signaling a Jaguar sports car in front to back up. He leaned down to tell them they couldn’t go any further.

The car window lowered, revealing a middle-aged man with a thick neck and a gold chain. He launched into a haughty, rant, “You look down on me! Do you know who I am?”

His manner was exactly like Ming Decheng—using volume to intimidate whenever dissatisfied.

The valet, remaining polite, tried to persuade him, “Sir, there’s really no more space. If you park here, the guests getting out won’t even have room to stand.”

The Jaguar driver ignored him and tried to drive forward, but just then another car pulled in behind them, trapping Ming Xi’s taxi between them.

“Sir, the car behind you needs to back up too,” the valet said, still gentle.

The Jaguar’s owner snapped angrily, “I am the sole authorized general agent for the Japanese-American company’s Haigang office!”

A sole authorized general agent… sounded impressive.

Surprisingly, the taxi drivers in Haigang were also quite knowledgeable. He rolled down his windows to watch the excitement, then scoffed disdainfully at this remark, saying, “He’s just a small-time comprador, renting a luxury car to act rich. He really thinks he’s a big shot.”

Ming Xi: “…”

She couldn’t help but ask the driver, “Driver, why are there so many people at the Scully Hotel today?”

“You don’t know?” The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror and spoke like a local expert on Haigang affairs. “This week is the Haigang International Trade Exchange Conference, and all the foreign businessmen are staying at the Scully. Today should be the last day, and everyone’s flocking here. Whether they’re foreign trade bosses or middlemen, they all want to entertain the foreign guests. Even small deals can make a fortune.”

Ming Xi understood why Mr. Mills had purchased two suits—not just for meetings, but also for socializing. And why did Liang Jiancheng come out of Mr. Mills’ room? It turned out he was waiting to catch clients.

Ahead, the Jaguar owner was still arguing, asking why the car in front could stay while he could not.

The valet kept patiently explaining.

No need to wait—Ming Xi paid the fare, grabbed her bags of candy, and got out of the taxi.

Before closing the door, she quietly sneered at the Jaguar owner. She couldn’t be sure whether he was truly a poser or not, but someone who wasted time quarrelling like this probably wouldn’t make much money.

If the driver was right and this was a place where you could strike gold just by bumping into the right person—and today was the last day—he was wasting precious time.

Time is money!

In business, timing comes first, efficiency second!

Ming Xi walked quickly, even in her work heels. Her steps were sharp, her posture decisive, radiating the brisk, vigorous energy of youth from head to toe.

Passion emanated from her, as if the rising winds of the era pushing her forward.

She needed to move fast—faster—so that opportunity could fall into her hands like that last ray of sunset on her palm.

And once it fell, she would catch it.

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Translator’s note:

How I wish I have even half of Ming Xi’s ingenuity!