Chickens and dogs fly in chaos and rebirth

Chapter 133

"The profit margin for flower tea is actually so high..." He was utterly astonished.

"Beauty and skincare are good for physical and mental health. Never underestimate a woman's purchasing power." Shang Lin leaned back on the sofa, lounging around without any proper posture.

Everyone loves a bargain. The rose tea made by No. 5 was given away for free to tea merchants, beauty salons, and health pharmacies. Merchants came for profit, and after getting a bargain and benefits, they suddenly realized that not only was rose tea very profitable, but Bougainvillea Company also produced chrysanthemum, jasmine, mint, lotus leaf and other herbal teas.

Meanwhile, a trend of using floral teas for their aesthetic appeal swept through society, with beauty-conscious women flocking to buy and try them. In just one month, the Bougainvillea Company made a fortune.

Cheng Chong almost wanted to kneel down and worship: "Long live the internet, long live publicity..." The Mocha Cat team's carefully crafted publicity team showed extraordinary combat power at the critical moment. Despite working across disciplines, they still managed to develop the most convenient, fastest, and most cost-effective publicity methods within two days. Herbal tea print advertisements were everywhere, and the directors of various beauty salons received enthusiastic greetings from the Bougainvillea Herbal Tea sales team. Working tirelessly for a week, the popularity increased day by day, and the profits rose steadily. Cheng Chong bowed down in worship and offered the highest respect to the Mocha Cat publicity team.

Shanglin laughed at him, saying the strategy of "good wine needs no bush" was outdated. She urged him to build his own publicity and planning team long ago, but he simply didn't believe her. Bougainvillea was established early and developed rapidly, and although it was well-known in the industry, it wasn't familiar to the general public. Some industries need to hide their strength, while others must promote themselves. She had emphasized brand strategy for many years: a brand is a brand; a reputation within the industry alone is not enough. A brand must be known and trusted by the general public.

She considered sending the management team of Bougainvillea abroad in batches to learn the latest business strategies.

Perhaps the first one to be sent away will be Cheng Chong—even though he hates learning foreign languages the most.

Amidst the laughter and conversation, Shanglin received a phone call from home.

Zhang Hongwei inquired about the current situation of the Bougainvillea Company with concern, and said that if there were cash flow problems, they could first turn to the food company for funds. He added that the family would sell their land and even break their own pots and pans to absolutely support their daughter's career.

Shanglin was deeply moved.

After reassuring his mother for a few moments, Zhang Hongwei stammered, "I heard from your brother that Changsheng has also arrived in Kunming?"

Shang Lin was stunned: "Really?"

Zhang Hongwei asked with concern, "It seems there's a project involved. He's been in Kunming for almost a week, but you haven't been in contact with him?"

Shang Lin said casually, "Everyone's quite busy."

Zhang Hongwei sighed: "Your brother said that you two haven't seen each other for a long time. It's not that I'm criticizing you, but women shouldn't be too strong-willed. You have to balance career and love. Changsheng is stubborn and very strong-willed, so you have to coax him a bit more. Men are just like children..."

"Mom, I know."

"Don't blame me for scolding you. You and Changsheng are childhood sweethearts, and I'll feel at ease leaving you in his care. But why have you been getting closer to Yin Yeyao lately? It's not that that boy is bad, but I know a little about his family situation, and I'm not as at ease with Changsheng as I was with him growing up... Even if Changsheng is a man, seeing you get close to another man makes me angry, and even I feel it's inappropriate..."

After hanging up the phone, Shang Lin stared blankly into a corner.

Changsheng, what exactly happened between us?

They broke up

Love has a period of stagnation. Some say it's the seven-year itch, some say three years is already a long time, and some studies suggest that the hormones secreted by the human body disappear completely after a year.

Shanglin had no idea what had happened between her and Changsheng. The distance between them seemed to be widening little by little, almost imperceptibly.

At first, she was busy with work, and later Changsheng was also very busy; at first, Changsheng would contact her first, then she would take the initiative to contact Changsheng; and later, neither of them took the initiative to contact each other...

As soon as Old Master Yin made his statement, Changsheng flew into a rage. He hated that Qiu Shanglin and Yin Yeyao were involved, and he hated the entanglement between them. His busy work and Shanglin's increasingly successful career made him extremely anxious.

In the noisy Marceau bar, the senior colleague drank a large glass of wine offered by the construction company's manager, while the beautiful woman beside him cheered. Her exposed upper body was round and fair, and her hot pants were so short that they couldn't cover her buttocks. She wore heavy eyeshadow, and her face was carefully made up with countless layers of concealer.

A place of revelry, clinking glasses, and wild revelry, Marceau Bar is touted as Kunming's top entertainment venue. Its decor leans towards the Baroque style, with elaborate and ornate decorative lights hanging from the ceiling and stopping abruptly on the second floor. The intricate crystal pendants are dazzling.

The construction company deliberately chose to entertain them at Kunming's best bar, intending to showcase their financial strength to the architects from the capital's top architectural firm. The veterans, seasoned professionals, were well-adapted to this, and under the influence of alcohol, both sides enjoyed a pleasant conversation.

The senior colleague glanced at the uninterested colleague and asked in a low voice, "Unhappy?"

Changsheng leaned back on the sofa, watching with apathy as scantily clad men and women entwined together downstairs in a state of excitement, and casually hummed in agreement.

A senior colleague asked with concern, "Did you break up with Shanglin?"

If it were just a simple colleague relationship, he wouldn't have asked so directly. Over the past few years, Changsheng had worked under him, practically like a disciple. He was intelligent and sensible, and showed great respect and affection for his seniors, which pleased him greatly.

Chang Sheng smiled bitterly: "I don't know."

Although he had never heard him talk about their relationship, he had often heard the couple talking on the phone and had frequently been invited to Changsheng's house for meals, so he knew a little about it. But since a few months ago, he hadn't seen them contact each other anymore, and Changsheng never mentioned Qiu Shanglin's name again. The senior had a feeling that there was a problem with their relationship.

Although he felt regret, they were not close relatives or friends after all, so he just patted Changsheng on the shoulder with a sigh and said, "Oh well, there are so many other women in the world."

The construction foreman, with his sharp ears, smiled at Changsheng: "Young man, you're incredibly intelligent and talented; you'll never have trouble finding a wonderful wife!" With a single glance, the beautiful woman serving drinks, quick to read the situation, immediately squeezed next to Changsheng, hugging his shoulder and playfully rubbing her ample breasts against him, cooing softly.

"Handsome, wanna have a drink?"

Chang Sheng felt listless, but his colleagues and the other party who came with him were all cheering him on. He readily picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

The applause was immediate and enthusiastic.

The victor takes all. Before the fierce battle had truly concluded, those with foresight in the industry had already sensed a shift in the tide. Initially at a disadvantage, Bougainvillea employed several strategies simultaneously, quickly reversing its passive and defensive posture. Yin Xunzong intervened promptly; some witnessed Bougainvillea's general manager, Cheng Chong, and Yin Xunzong walking hand-in-hand onto the golf course, laughing and chatting, accompanied by a director and secretary-general from a government department.

The storm gradually subsided. While Qiu Shanglin might not become king, and Xu Mi was severely weakened, she wasn't necessarily destined to become a bandit. Having prepared for the worst, thinking that mutual destruction was the only option, Qiu Shanglin was truly surprised to find himself in the lead. Cheng Chong suggested a victory celebration. Although Shanglin disapproved of such a petty act, considering everyone's tireless work recently, he acquiesced, considering it a reward for the troops.

Stepping into Marceau Bar, the cacophony of music and shrill laughter startled Shang Lin. She disliked noisy places.

After getting along well, the female employees, who had taken Cheng Chong's hint, grabbed Shang Lin's arms from both sides and practically dragged her into the bar. Shang Lin was both amused and exasperated, and could only let them do as they pleased.

Cheng Chong booked a semi-open VIP room on the second floor. As he walked up the stairs, he happily boasted that it was impossible to book a private room at Marceau's bar without connections...

Shang Lin smiled slightly, turned to listen to his boasting, and glanced at the people in the private room out of the corner of her eye. She was stunned for a moment and instinctively felt that she was seeing things.

Changsheng's private room was located on the second floor, to the left of the stairs. It was semi-open, but a sliding door could be used for separation if desired. A colleague went out, opened the door, and didn't close it. He casually drank the strong liquor that the female escort offered him, his gaze unconsciously sweeping towards the corridor, where he suddenly paused, startled.

Two lovers who hadn't seen each other for half a year gazed at each other across the distance, and the music and chatter suddenly vanished into silence.

The beautiful woman accompanying him peeled a grape and sweetly offered it to Changsheng's lips. His gaze lingered on Shanglin, their eyes meeting, while his mouth mechanically opened and he chewed. The woman said something, then burst into laughter, leaning against him, breathless, but Changsheng remained oblivious.

The senior was the first to notice that Changsheng's expression was strange. He looked down into the corridor and was shocked. He stood up in a panic: "Shanglin!"

He immediately realized they had broken up. And since he hadn't exactly taken Changsheng to another debauched place, he breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't very well sit back down. Changsheng made no attempt to greet him, so he had to get up and step forward, calling out, "What a coincidence, Shanglin is also in Kunming?"

Shang Lin withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly: "Mm."

Changsheng still seemed to have no intention of greeting him. The senior made a few small talk, but couldn't get the conversation going, so he had to awkwardly return to his seat and pretend to be busy.

Cheng Chong, on the other hand, was overjoyed to see Chang Sheng, a fellow countryman, and was quite excited. After a few drinks, he belatedly realized the strange atmosphere between the two and awkwardly asked, "What's wrong with you two?"

Chang Sheng replied calmly, "I don't know."

Cheng Chong scratched his head, returned to his seat, and asked Shang Lin again, "What's wrong with you guys?"

The answer is almost always the same: "I don't know."

Shanglin was certainly feeling bad, but Changsheng, sitting there, was like a pancake on a griddle, tormented from both ends.

Life isn't a TV drama, much less a romance novel. The male and female protagonists live happily ever after, overcoming many obstacles, but unable to defy the magic of time. Chang Sheng grows stronger day by day, hailed as a formidable rising star in the architectural world. His salary at the firm keeps increasing, and many firms secretly contact him to poach him. Meanwhile, his seniors gradually entrust him with smaller projects, earning him considerable praise.

Being busy brings more than just physical fatigue.

Exhausted, he longed for Shanglin's comfort. He longed to be with Shanglin, head to head, hand in hand, quietly together. But Shanglin was busier than him.

If it were just about being busy with her career, that would be one thing, but unfortunately, her busyness was inseparable from Yin Yeyao. She knew that Yin Yeyao had ulterior motives towards her, she knew that Yin Yeyao was always trying to please her, she knew everything, but she was powerless to stop him. This sense of powerlessness gradually made Changsheng disheartened.

She wouldn't listen after I told her several times. At first, out of spite, Changsheng thought I would just stop contacting her and make her anxious and disappointed so that she would think more about my good points.

Little did they know that Shanglin was no pushover. Initially busy, she forgot to contact him, but later, sensing something amiss, she noticed Changsheng deliberately refusing to call. This unusual display of her petty, womanly temper flared up. As the cold war dragged on, awkwardness crept in. It was as if two countries had signed an agreement, neither willing to cross the line.

During the meal, Shang Lin went to the restroom and was stunned when he came out. Li Changsheng leaned against the corner, smoking a cigarette with practiced ease.

She hesitated, then softly uttered, "Chang Sheng."

A pang of sadness shot through him, but he forced himself to suppress his emotions and looked up at her with a detached expression. Years of exposure had allowed Changsheng to perfectly mimic her cold demeanor. Seeing his attitude, Shanglin felt a chill run through her.

Who are you? Do we know each other? — This is the kind of attitude she usually adopts when facing people she dislikes.

And today, Changsheng is using this same tactic against him. Qiu Shanglin wonders if this is what they call an eye for an eye…

She gave a wry smile: "The two of us..."

Chang Sheng stared at her with a complicated expression: "Have you severed ties with Yin Yeyao?"

Shanglin smiled bitterly: "Changsheng." She called softly, her expression somber: "Even if we can't be lovers, I hope we can still be friends."

His hand seemed to tremble slightly, the cigarette glowing and dimming. He stared intently at Qiu Shanglin again, as if trying to memorize her face. He hardened his heart:

"I will wait for you for three years. If you do not come after three years, I will pretend that we are strangers."

Three years later, Qiu Shanglin was twenty-seven years old.

Watching Changsheng's proud figure walk away, she felt a pang of melancholy. This stubborn child, this inflexible child, from childhood to adulthood, had buried his stubbornness beneath a cheerful exterior, almost deceiving even herself... What was he lacking? What exactly was he lacking...?

Shang Lin vaguely thought that perhaps the lack of experience from two lifetimes, the lack of fear of poverty, and the lack of a heart that was growing old day by day...

That night, Qiu Shanglin got drunk and lost consciousness.