Chapter 79

 

Ming Xi gave a soft “Oh,” her expression clearly showing she was ready to hear more.

Liang Jiancheng shot his assistant Mark a look. Mark immediately understood that the boss was signaling him to leave. Although he was extremely curious about how his sharp and capable boss planned to persuade Miss Ming, he still quietly exited the director’s office and gently closed the door behind him.

The moment Mark stepped out, Lin Han—his closest colleague—jumped up from his desk and hurried over, asking with concern, “So what’s going on? Is Ming Xi coming to work at Xinghai too?”

Mark, who was both tight-lipped and prone to accidental leaks, said, “Probably not. Mr. Liang doesn’t seem to be recruiting Miss Ming.”

Lin Han was quite disappointed and shook his head and sighed at the closed door, “Mr. Liang really has no vision!”

Mark felt that Lin Han was the one lacking awareness. “Miss Ming and Mr. Liang are probably discussing another kind of cooperation,” he added, revealing a bit more.

Lin Han might be straightforward, but he wasn’t stupid. If Mr. Liang and Ming Xi weren’t talking about hiring, then there was only one possibility: Ming Xi planned to go solo and was negotiating an affiliation deal with Xinghai. If that was the case, as her friend, he really had to advise Ming Xi not to choose Xinghai!

Even though Xinghai was his own company, he genuinely hoped Ming Xi would stay far away from it!!!

It wasn’t that Xinghai was unreliable or lacked credibility—it was that Xinghai’s commission fees were simply too high. More importantly, Mr. Liang almost never lowered his rates.

On one hand, Xinghai didn’t rely on affiliation commissions to make money. On the other hand, Ming Xi coming directly to Mr. Liang to negotiate was honestly the wrong move. Everyone in the industry knew that Mr. Liang was a legendary negotiator, especially when it came to pricing—he held firm like a steel clamp. Ordinary people couldn’t bargain him down at all.

Foreign trade agency affiliation was essentially “borrowing a ship to sail overseas,” a common cooperation model in the industry. Nowadays, not just any company could obtain import-export licenses, so affiliation was often the only option. However, foreign trade payment procedures were complicated, involving overseas remittances, letters of credit, customs clearance, and tax rebates. Although the orders belonged to the agency company, all the money flow was handled by Xinghai.

The real risk wasn’t on Xinghai’s side—it was something the agency company had to be wary of. There had even been cases where foreign trade companies ran off with agency funds.

Furthermore, the agency must guard against foreign trade companies stealing their clients.

Xinghai’s reputation in the industry was unquestionable, yet minor frictions could still occur. That was why Mr. Liang wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about accepting affiliation partnerships, even though it was basically “easy money” for foreign trade companies.

At the root of it, Mr. Liang simply didn’t think much of this “fly-leg meat” level of profit. As a result, Xinghai charged 3% of export value as affiliation fees. Downstairs, Haiou publicly claimed 2%, but in reality, prices could often be negotiated down to around 1.2%–1.5%.

So… unless Ming Xi truly wanted to donate money to Mr. Liang, there was no reason for her to choose Xinghai.

That was Lin Han’s entire line of thought. As Ming Xi’s friend, he sincerely hoped she had just come up for a free cup of coffee, drink it, and then leave as soon as possible—before getting fooled by Their boss.

Their boss, Mr. Liang, was handsome, spoke slowly and methodically, had razor-sharp logic, and carried an elite aura. Negotiating with him felt like walking into a luxury boutique—it was easy to get carried away and spend a huge amount of money on something that looked good but wasn’t practical.

Ahem… of course, their boss, Mr. Liang, was also quite capable!

…

Inside the office, Ming Xi’s thoughts were almost identical to Lin Han’s.

Even after Liang Jiancheng explained Xinghai’s responsibilities and obligations towards the agency in detail, Ming Xi still had only one conclusion: Liang Jiancheng’s core message was this—Yes, I’m expensive, but I’m very useful.

Oh no… Xinghai’s services were very useful.

Ming Xi knew perfectly well that she needed a company with top-tier credibility, which was why Xinghai had been her first choice. Whether in terms of industry reputation or her understanding of Liang Jiancheng as a person, Xinghai was currently her best option.

She agreed that in business, it was worth paying extra for trust. But wasn’t this trust just a little too expensive?

She wasn’t new to the industry. She knew the market rates for affiliation commissions. How could Liang Jiancheng quote her such a high price? Wasn’t he pushing her away on purpose? There wasn’t even a hint of “friendship pricing”—if anything, it felt slightly arrogant…

Of course, the price hadn’t been fully negotiated yet, so she wasn’t in a hurry. Ming Xi gently rubbed the rim of her coffee cup, occasionally lifting her eyes to look at Liang Jiancheng with a thoughtful gaze.

Similarly, Liang Jiancheng patiently awaited her response.

“Ming Xi, when starting a business, your primary concern shouldn’t be profit—it should be risk control. Many foreign trade companies do charge lower affiliation fees than Xinghai, but after tax rebates, they take additional cut. Xinghai doesn’t do that. Xinghai’s tax and foreign exchange management system is the most standardized and transparent in the industry.”

“Oh.” Ming Xi nodded and put down her coffee cup.

It seemed Liang Jiancheng was extremely confident that his price was fair and fully justified.

Naturally, she already knew all of Xinghai’s advantages—otherwise she wouldn’t have come upstairs with him. But even if she had settled on Xinghai, bargaining was still necessary. And when negotiating price, playing the “relationship card” was unavoidable.

“Mr. Liang, is there any room for negotiation on the 3% commission?” Ming Xi asked directly, returning to the key issue.

She focused only on the price because she had no problem with the other contract terms—especially the Capital Supervision Agreement Liang Jiancheng proposed, which completely eliminated her concerns about financial risk.

Liang Jiancheng’s attitude remained unchanged, his eyes clear and bright: “Miss Ming, this price isn’t targeted at you specifically. It’s Xinghai’s standard external rate.”

Oh, really?

So she was no different from anyone else in his eyes?

“Mr. Liang is joking. We have such a good relationship; why would Mr. Liang deliberately target me? It’s just that I suddenly felt a bit sad…” Ming Xi picked up the contract, glanced at it briefly, paused, and then placed it down with a hint of regret. Raising her head, her clear, dark eyes looked straight at Liang Jiancheng as she sighed softly. “Was I just being presumptuous? I always thought that, given our relationship, Mr. Liang would give me some preferential treatment regarding agency fees and commissions.”

Heh…

With just two casual sentences, Ming Xi made Liang Jiancheng feel that this negotiation was becoming difficult to continue. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, a charming smile reflected on his eyelashes. With a gentle, apologetic tone, he explained, “How could there be no special consideration? Although the commission rate is the same externally, take a closer look at the contract. I believe you’ve also seen Haiou’s agency agreement. I didn’t charge you any additional monthly interest on tax prepayments, nor extra bank fees for opening letters of credit.”

Ming Xi still shook her head and spoke more directly, pressing for emotional leverage. She no longer addressed him as “Mr. Liang,” but called him by name instead. “Liang Jiancheng, I think this is just consideration for an ordinary friend — not for me.”

Liang Jiancheng’s voice was gentle yet firm as he rejected her without mercy, “Ming Xi, feelings are feelings, business is business. They’re two separate things.”

“Liang Jiancheng, that’s just you brushing me off!” Ming Xi shot him a sideways glance and bluntly exposed his official rhetoric.

“I…” That wasn’t true.

“You’re saying this is strictly business now? I don’t buy it. You’re telling me you never consider personal relationships when negotiating contracts? Who are you trying to fool — a child? You know Jiangliu Dadao, right? He’s in foreign trade too, and he’s my good friend. He said that when there’s conflict between personal ties and profit— as long as the profit difference isn’t huge — he’ll always prioritize human relationships first!”

Ming Xi almost spat out the last sentence.

Liang Jiancheng was speechless: “…”

“I came upstairs with you full of expectations, and this is the contract you give me. Have you thought about how I feel as your friend? I’m really hurt. Really disappointed. I used to think you were as wise as Brother Jiangliu. Now it seems Jiangliu Dadao is the truly broad-minded and warm-hearted gentleman. And you, Mr. Liang — you know how hard it is for me to start a business, yet you still charge me a commission two points higher than the industry average. Toward me, your so-called good friend… you really show no sense of friendship at all!”

“…”

Liang Jiancheng was completely defeated. He maintained his smile, but leaned back into the sofa in surrender.

Ming Xi wasn’t done yet. She still had a trump card — and she didn’t mind using it for her own benefit.

“If Mr. Liang won’t give me a friendship discount, then I guess I just don’t matter enough to you. In that case, I’ll have to ask the professor to help speak on my behalf. I wonder if Mr. Liang would give me a better deal out of respect for the professor?”

Liang Jiancheng: …

Thankfully, Mark wasn’t there. Otherwise, he would have witnessed how Miss Ming’s words nearly forced his boss into raising the white flag.

“Mr. Liang, I’m calling the professor now, okay?” Ming Xi picked up her phone, shamelessly and adorably asking Liang Jiancheng. In business, people stop at nothing for orders. In negotiations, they use every possible means to maximize profit.

Liang Jiancheng lowered his head slowly and couldn’t help laughing.

Ming Xi alternated between wounded reproach and playful teasing.

He finally understood that he should never negotiate business with a girl he liked, because it was destined to be a losing proposition. Fortunately, he was also someone who valued risk control and chose his partners carefully.

“How much commission are you willing to pay?” Liang Jiancheng stopped the negotiation game and asked Ming Xi.

Ming Xi held up two fingers to Liang Jiancheng, indicating she could accept a 2% commission, slightly higher than the industry average—a gesture of sincerity.

Cooperation, after all, requires mutual sincerity, right?

Liang Jiancheng nodded, understanding.

He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a brand-new contract, and handed it to her. “The previous one was just a template. This is the contract newly drafted for Miss Ming. Please review it again.”

Ming Xi was surprised and immediately broke into a wide grin: “…Liang Jiancheng, did you do that on purpose?”

She quickly flipped through the new contract and immediately saw the crucial commission information: not 3%, but 1%. Her shameless face flushed instantly, as if she had received a surprise gift. Overjoyed, she said, “Mr. Liang, with this price, I won’t hesitate; I’ll definitely sign it!”

“No need to be polite,” Liang Jiancheng waved his hand and sat down again. “Anyway, I make this money effortlessly. I believe in Miss Ming’s abilities. Even a 1% commission will bring Xinghai and myself a considerable surprise.”

Ming Xi: “…”

So, Liang Jiancheng deliberately used a fake contract to fool her earlier!

Not exactly. That wasn’t a fake contract — it was simply the standard template used for other agencies. As he always said, everything was negotiable. Reaching cooperation was what mattered most.

“Then why didn’t you take out this contract from the beginning…” Ming Xi said, still cautious as she carefully reread the new agreement.

“In negotiations, the greatest sincerity should always be shown last, shouldn’t it? As the primary party, I also needed to see your sincerity — whether you truly intended to choose Xinghai. If you were just asking for a quote to use Xinghai as a comparison before choosing someone else, then even if I offered my maximum sincerity, it wouldn’t really earn your favor.”

Liang Jiancheng frankly stated his considerations, even adding a lighthearted jab at her.

Ming Xi pursed her lips and could only respond sincerely, “Thank you, Mr. Liang. Thank you for giving me this friendship price.”

“You’re welcome.” Liang Jiancheng was in an exceptionally good mood. “Although the price has been lowered, the service quality will remain the same. Since Boss Ming has chosen Xinghai as your agent, Xinghai will do its utmost to help resolve any future issues. You can contact Xinghai, or of course, you can contact me directly.”

Since he had already extended this favor, he didn’t mind mixing a bit of personal feeling into it. To him, there wasn’t much difference anyway.

Holding the new contract, Ming Xi suggested, “How about I treat Mr. Liang to lunch?”

Liang Jiancheng smiled and declined, “I’ll treat you instead. From now on, Boss Ming will be making money for Xinghai, so it’s only right that I pay.”

—

Lunch was arranged at the nearby Heyue Restaurant.

At the table, Ming Xi asked bluntly, “Liang Jiancheng, did you give me such a big favor for personal reasons?”

Some people really knew how to push their luck. Liang Jiancheng sighed helplessly. “Ming Xi, you probably don’t understand me well enough — maybe even less than you understand Jiangliu. I think the same way he does: if personal ties conflict with profit, and the profit difference isn’t big, I’ll also prioritize relationships. Of course, I didn’t just give you this favor. I also…”

“It’s because of the professor, right?” Ming Xi smiled even brighter, deliberately teasing him in a lowered voice. “Liang Jiancheng, are you afraid I’ll tell the professor that you’re making money off me again and he’ll scold you?”

Liang Jiancheng echoed her in a low voice, “Yes, so will you tell that professor? I’m really afraid of him…”

Ming Xi laughed happily. “Of course… I’ll tell him everything… I’ll tell him how powerful and impressive Boss Liang really is…”

Liang Jiancheng: “… Oh.”

At this moment, he felt childish and unfamiliar, yet incredibly happy.

Liang Jiancheng’s lips curled slightly upward. Watching Ming Xi’s confident and radiant expression, Liang Jiancheng couldn’t help recalling the first time he saw her in his father’s professor dormitory in Yicheng. Back then, she had short, light hair, stubborn eyes, and a cautious, ingratiating smile.

Now, her long curls fell over her shoulders, her gaze was bright and confident, and her smile was captivating.

If he had known back then that he would end up liking this girl so much, he would have smiled more when opening the door that day, greeted her with a better mood. Unfortunately, he had planned to rest at Old Liang’s place and had been woken up by her knocking. Even though he tried to restrain himself, he still couldn’t help but politely try to usher her out.

“Ming Xi, what was your first impression of me?” Liang Jiancheng asked as lunch was ending.

Ming Xi thought for a moment. They had known each other for about a year and a half. Their first meeting had been when she went to deliver a gift.

“Very handsome,” Ming Xi propped up half her face and studied him carefully. She had to admit that although Liang Jiancheng was still handsome now, the version she saw in the winter of 1999 somehow felt even more striking.

Why did she feel that way?

Because back then, she hadn’t seen much of the world, and seeing a handsome man who looked like he stepped out of a movie for the first time was simply breathtaking.

Now…

Her taste hadn’t changed, but her horizons had broadened. Honestly, she wasn’t so high-minded as to look down on Liang Jiancheng; it was just that while she once could only look up at him, now she could lift her gaze beyond his head and look at the sky above him.

He stood there, and she stood here. Her gaze was still drawn to him, but her heart was free.

She could freely look at him, and freely look wherever she wanted.

This feeling was truly wonderful, as if she possessed her own bright universe, and he was merely a stellar star within it.

Taking the opportunity, Ming Xi told Liang Jiancheng the name of her agency service company.

After hearing it, Liang Jiancheng could only sigh in admiration: if company names could foreshadow future potential, then Boss Ming’s company would surely be even more powerful than Xinghai.

Because his company was called Xinghai (星海 – Sea of stars), while hers was called “Mingzhou” (明宙 – Bright Universe).

A sea of stars within a bright universe, however vast and boundless, was only a part of her universe. And she, was the eternally bright universe in his heart.

Liang Jiancheng smiled, and just as he was about to share his understanding, Ming Xi said with a hint of distress, “A few days ago I went to register the trademark. At first I wanted to call it ‘Mingzhou,’ (明晝) — the ‘zhou’ from zhouye (晝夜 – day and night) — but I found that the trademark was already registered. Then I had a flash of inspiration and came up with this ‘Mingzhou.’ (明宙) Isn’t that even better? A bright universe — it sounds grand and full of promise, like boundless prospects ahead… right, Mr. Liang?”

More than just boundless prospects, the name struck directly at his heart.

“It’s perfect. Congratulations, Miss Ming.”

Ming Xi tilted her head: “Mr. Liang, you’re not angry, are you?”

“Why would I be angry?” Liang Jiancheng asked, puzzled.

Ming Xi lowered her eyes shyly, not bothering to hide it, and shamelessly voiced her dream: “Liang Jiancheng, haven’t you noticed? I named it Mingzhou because I want my company to surpass Xinghai one day…”

Oh. So that was it.

He had thought the name carried some hidden emotional meaning. Turns out he had been overthinking it.

“I’m not angry. I’m looking forward to that day.”

Holding the cup in his hand, Liang Jiancheng looked like a gentlemanly, confident young capitalist. Facing this partner — and future competitor — who wanted to surpass him, he offered not only his greatest blessing, but also his highest expectations.

“I’ll be waiting to see it happen, Ming Xi.”

“All right, Liang Jiancheng.”

By mid-May, most of the procedures for Ming Xi’s agency service company, “Mingzhou,” had been completed. To control startup costs, she registered the company address in a newly developed entrepreneurship park in Haigang, while her actual office was the vintage apartment she was currently renting. Since most of her work involved contacting clients, developing customers, and visiting factories to study products, a single computer was usually enough.

Still, she bought a fax machine, a printer, and an ergonomic office chair suitable for long hours of work.

Cai Ni was somewhat puzzled by this work setup.

Ming Xi explained in English that her work style could be called “Small Office & Home Office,” or SOHO for short.

Cai Ni was incredibly envious. She wondered if working from home meant being able to wake up whenever you wanted and getting off work whenever you wanted.

However, before Cai Ni could even feel envious for a day, she discovered that Ming Xi, this SOHO worker, was even busier than her, a mall saleswoman. Ming Xi still woke up earlier and finished work later every day, spending half her 24 hours a day traveling to factories at her own expense. Her work pace was even more demanding than when she worked at Haiou.

Of course, starting her own business was risky, so she naturally needed to be full of fighting spirit and determination—

Ming Xi invested almost all her savings into the startup. At the time, internet advertising hadn’t yet become widespread. Product promotion still relied on traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, and television — and those costs were simply too high for her to consider.

When Ji Runze in Beijing learned of her plan to go solo, he provided her with numerous overseas forums where she could post free advertisements, such as the early eBay community and ThomasNet.

Ming Xi spent two thousand yuan to purchase a directory on the Foreign Trade Yellow Pages (a platform specifically for import and export companies to publish information), listing her company name. She wasn’t sure if it would be effective, but overseas clients actually contacted her through the Yellow Pages directory.

Nowadays, traditional foreign trade companies mostly acquire clients through exhibitions, but she didn’t consider doing so for one reason: she doesn’t have the money.

For domestic exhibitions like the Canton Fair, even an average booth cost thirty thousand yuan.

So while international internet penetration was still relatively low, Ming Xi chose this needle-in-a-haystack approach to find clients. Even if it was difficult, it might allow her to seize the early advantage.

As for what products she mainly handled — naturally, she based it on the resources she already had. At present, her competitive products fell into two categories: first, textiles supplied by friends like Dezi and Junjun; second, small household appliances and general merchandise she had always wanted to continue working with.

Looking back at the time when Mr. He and Mr. Huang dividing the company, she spent three whole months in the factory.

Everything seemed like a carefully orchestrated arrangement by fate. She had resources, experience, and increasingly fluent communication skills. Her clients would inevitably return to her — it was only a matter of time.

People under heaven bustle about, all for profit.

Ming Xi wanted to revise that saying. Life itself might be ordinary, but orders and wealth would illuminate her chosen path with undeniable clarity.

Mindset truly seemed to affect luck. Since going solo, Ming Xi increasingly felt that she wasn’t suited to working for others — especially not for men. In just three months, she had expected her savings to be nearly wiped out. Instead, the results shocked her.

Three months later, she received her first payment from Xinghai Foreign Trade.

After deducting costs and various miscellaneous expenses, she carefully calculated her profits—

She had made one hundred thousand yuan.

The first thing Ming Xi did upon receiving the money was to call Liang Jiancheng, offering a polite yet sincere thank you.

“Liang Jiancheng… I received the payment. Thank you, Boss Liang… Thank you, Xinghai.” She was practically beaming with joy.

According to the contract, payment should have arrived within three working days. She hadn’t expected Xinghai to be so fast — the money came in just one day. Now it seemed that that one-percent commission she paid had truly been worth it.

“It’s Xinghai who should thank Boss Ming… I’m going to Guangzhou, just about to board the plane.” Liang Jiancheng answered her call at the airport, not taking credit for her efforts, but instead expressing gratitude to his partner.

Ming Xi knew Liang Jiancheng was going to Guangdong for an exhibition. She wasn’t qualified for the autumn exhibition this year, but she hoped to participate in next year’s spring fair.

“Oh… I’m flying to South Korea next week too.” She also shared her itinerary with Liang Jiancheng.

“Are you discussing orders?” Liang Jiancheng asked.

“Not orders, it’s about trademark usage rights.” Ming Xi didn’t mind revealing some business secrets to Liang Jiancheng.

“Alright, best wishes in advance, Boss Ming.”

“And best wishes to Boss Liang as well.”

Standing on the balcony of the vintage apartment, Ming Xi hung up her phone. It was early autumn, and a morning breeze swept in from the alleyway, gently ruffling her hair and the hem of her clothes.

Her thoughts suddenly became tangled.

If her earlier feelings for Liang Jiancheng had only been attraction, now they were unmistakably clear — she truly liked him. Yet they still interacted as good friends. Was she being timid? Of course not.

It was just that, at this moment, she couldn’t be sure how long this feeling for Liang Jiancheng would last. Attraction between men and women was like shifting light and shadow — bright and shimmering, captivating, yet able to slip unnoticed from the eaves, glide past the window, and vanish into a street corner.

This emotion, like love and opportunity granted by God, was touching and joyful — but it could never be held tightly in one’s hands like cash. Only her own resolve had to stand firm and unshakable, like the century-old building she lived in.

Because she was filled with boundless fighting spirit, even facing great risk, when she decided to resign in April, she and Dezi carefully calculated everything and still took down those three containers of Korean goods. Ms. Luo from Seoul, who had previously failed to cooperate with her, ended up giving her a strong start after she went solo.

The Korean products in those three containers were of excellent quality. Dezi was unwilling to sell them through distributors. So they decided to fly to Seoul again to negotiate directly with Benjamin, aiming to buy out the trademark usage rights of his clothing brand in China.

From Ms. Luo, they learned that Benjamin was facing severe cash flow problems. The price Ming Xi could offer might be insignificant to him — far from solving his immediate crisis. But she wasn’t going there to throw money around. She was bringing hope.

Although distant water couldn’t immediately quench a nearby fire, China’s market was vast and would only continue to grow. If a brand could gain a firm foothold in China, selling the trademark rights cheaply to her might actually be a turning point. For Ming Xi and Dezi, owning the trademark rights would maximize the profit from those three containers of clothes. With the rights secured, profit margins could rise to thirty percent per piece. At the same time, if they successfully developed the domestic market, it would create entirely new opportunities for Benjamin as well.

Perhaps then, distant water would not only quench the fire — China’s market might even push this brand onto the global stage.

This time, Ming Xi and Dezi would go to Seoul together. The negotiation script they prepared might sound like selling dreams — full of exaggerated promises.

Of course it was! They were there to sell dreams. Otherwise, how could they create the greatest profit with the least capital?

Business had always worked this way. Large corporations often sold grand visions — so small operators like her and Dezi naturally had to learn the same tactic. In foreign trade, she had to sell dreams not only to domestic clients, but also to overseas ones…

…

In the blink of an eye, winter arrived.

The winter sunlight was clear and bright, yet dazzling all the same.

When Ming Xi stepped off the plane, she instinctively narrowed her eyes and then put on her sunglasses.

This flight back from South Korea didn’t connect to a jet bridge, so passengers had to take a shuttle bus to the terminal. Sitting on the bus, Ming Xi was still calculating the profits from her latest order in her head, her thoughts organized and steady.

Over the past six months, she and Dezi had been busy buying out trademark rights and handling Korean goods. At the same time, several of her major orders had come from South Korea. Yicheng was famous for its fabrics, and even He Yuan, a Haigang native, was doing Yicheng textile business because of its high profit margins. Naturally, Ming Xi, who had a keen nose for money, wasn’t about to miss out on such lucrative deals — especially since she herself was born and raised in Yicheng.

Wherever there was money to be made, that was where she would go. She wasn’t some modest gentleman, but a profit-driven woman.

When it came to fabric and textile orders, Ming Xi handled them with ease and confidence. Her tiny agency company had already snatched two orders away from Haiou over the past six months.

The feeling was simply amazing!

When Sister CC secretly messaged her on QQ to ask how it felt, Ming Xi told her exactly what she was thinking, without holding back.

Afterwards, Ming Xi retrieved her black suitcase from the baggage carousel.

She glanced at the electronic screen on the carousel; it showed the next baggage transfer was for a flight returning to Haigang from the United States.

She remembered Liang Jiancheng messaging her last night, saying he seemed to be flying back to Haigang today as well.

Were they so destined to land so close together?

Ming Xi hesitated for a second, considering whether she should stay at the airport to wait for him. But after grabbing her luggage, she headed straight for the exit.

Wait for what?

Time was precious. She didn’t want to waste it standing around waiting for someone. Even though she hadn’t seen Liang Jiancheng in half a month and missed him quite a bit, she still chose to leave.

This week was Christmas again. Ming Xi walked out of the exit, slightly raised her head, and looked at the large characters displayed ahead, sensing that Haigang would be exceptionally lively this year — especially within the foreign trade circle.

Two weeks ago, on December 11, 2001, China officially joined the World Trade Organization, becoming its 143rd member. What did that mean? It meant that every foreign trade professional in Haigang now felt as though a massive money tree was growing right in front of them.

People joked that these days, even a pig could make a fortune in foreign trade.

Of course, the pig had to know foreign languages.

As Ming Xi’s taxi pulled out of the airport parking area and hadn’t yet fully merged onto the airport highway, a text message from Liang Jiancheng came in.

“I’ve arrived.”

“So have I. Five minutes earlier than you.”

Unfortunately, text messages didn’t support emojis yet — otherwise Liang Jiancheng would surely have sent her a tiny “broken heart” emoji.

It was only five minutes. She wouldn’t even wait for him?

Why should she wait? It wasn’t like they’d never see each other again. If Liang Jiancheng attended the Christmas Night event organized by the Haigang Foreign Trade Association this year, they would meet again on Saturday.

To gain a foothold in an industry, especially as a newcomer, one had to find an organization to belong to. Ming Xi hadn’t been particularly fast in this regard. Only after going solo for several months — and after persistent invitations from Director Du — did she finally join the Haigang Foreign Trade Association, which was led by the local government, becoming one of its junior members.

This year, China’s entry into the WTO could be considered the first year of a new era for foreign trade, as well as a major milestone in China’s opening-up. Just as “Brother Jiangliu” had shared on the forum, from this point on, China had officially entered the fast lane toward becoming the “world’s factory.”

The era would bring enormous globalization dividends to Chinese merchants riding the wave. Perhaps one day they would also shoulder global economic risks together. But right now, standing before these immense opportunities, everyone was inflated with excitement and ambition — and this was vividly on display during Saturday’s Christmas celebration.

This year, association members would celebrate together at the Haigang’s Scully Hotel. Naturally, the big bosses in the industry would cover the expenses.

Ming Xi, as a junior member of the association, was honored to receive an invitation.

However, somewhat disappointingly, He Yuan had become the vice-chairman of the association. Probably bought his way in…

Since she had left Haiou, many people in the industry thought she had made a foolish decision. But after Saturday’s Christmas gathering, perhaps no one would say that anymore.

Blessings and misfortune not only coexist — they also transform into each other.

Because this foreign trade gathering wasn’t just attended by industry peers; the local government had also invited executives from several well-known foreign companies. So even though Ming Xi didn’t particularly want to see He Yuan, she still had to give it her all and present herself perfectly.

And for a woman, “perfect” naturally included makeup and appearance.

Ding Xiao had reserved a limited-edition green velvet dress for her and paired it with a pure white blazer. Ming Xi was extremely satisfied with this outfit as her “battle armor” for Saturday night.

Good clothes naturally need good jewelry to match.

The emerald necklace Liang Jiancheng had given her as a Christmas gift last year had never had a chance to be worn — until now.

On Saturday evening, before heading to the Christmas party—

Ming Xi left a message on QQ for the man she admired and respected the most: “China has joined the WTO, Brother Jiangliu, after the party tonight, would you like to meet up?”

At this moment, Liang Jiancheng received this message at Xinghai’s office. He smiled faintly and typed back: “Alright, Boss Ming.”

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