“I think it’s great!” Ren Xiaoqi suddenly interjected, “Imagine, under the blue sky and sea, girls dressed in all kinds of spring clothes, full of poetic charm and a sense of the times, and they also look unique and elegant. It’s a very special idea.”
I couldn't hide my emotions and glanced at Manager Ren Xiaoqi in surprise. Her expression was serious, not like she was joking. I looked around at the people: Yu Lishui shook her head, it was hard to tell if she was nodding or shaking her head; Zhou Yuhong was diligently taking notes on a piece of paper; while "Hu Yitui" looked smug and carefree. The others were all looking down, I couldn't tell if they were thinking or just spacing out.
My turn came. I was quite confident in my proposal, but at that moment, I suddenly hoped I wouldn't be chosen.
The key to my plan is to organize a "Fisherman's Festival," primarily leveraging urban dwellers' desire to reconnect with nature and their curiosity for novelty. The entire resort will be decorated to resemble a fishing village, and unique religious ceremonies by the sea will be held, inviting guests to participate. Simultaneously, we will collaborate with surrounding fishing villages to rent small fishing boats, allowing guests to go fishing with authentic local fishermen and enjoy the catch. We can co-organize the event with the town government, which means we can share many resources, and the company can also save on investment costs.
As soon as I finished explaining my plan, Yu Lishui immediately asked, "So, how should we arrange the promotional channels?"
"I think the main focus of the campaign advertising should be on Shenzhen and Guangzhou, two cities with a large number of new immigrants, high-quality residents, and huge tourism markets. Ideally, we should leverage our long-standing relationships with travel agencies and media outlets to present the campaign as soft news in major print media, highlighting it as the new trend in tourism this year."
"Hmm, this is a good suggestion!" Yu Lishui, unusually, didn't mince words and expressed her opinion firmly. Zhou Yuhong also finally lowered her guard and looked up from her notebook: "The suggestion to join forces with the town government is good. At least when requisitioning fishing boats, with the town government as our backer, we can definitely control a reasonable price. Also, with the town government involved, all aspects of the work will be easier to handle."
Everyone got excited: "Yes, we can call our theme 'Fishing and Enjoying It Yourself'."
“Travel agencies that have a good relationship with us, like Youth Travel Agency, have a very good relationship with the Guangzhou Daily and advertise there every Friday. I’ll contact them.”
“I have a good relationship with the mayor’s brother-in-law, so I can do the work at the town government.”
"What does our resort's activities have to do with the town government?" Ren Xiaoqi suddenly asked me. I was taken aback for a moment: "We just want to work with the town government to make the activities more impactful and easier to implement."
"Oh, you mean the town government will fund the event? That's impossible." Ren Xiaoqi curled her lip in disdain, seemingly saddened by my ignorance.
"It's not about the town government paying for it, it's about them providing their resources." I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with my presentation when I was explaining the plan.
"Provide resources? What do you mean? How do you provide them?" Manager Ren Xiaoqi continued to ask questions without hesitation, and I knew my face must have turned red. Fortunately, Yu Lishui took the lead and explained my plan again. This time, Ren Xiaoqi finally understood and said, "Ah, I get it. It's about leveraging the town government's influence. Actually, I think this plan could be combined with Hu Saifeng's plan; it has both a fishing village flavor and urban vitality!"
I don't know if it's because I didn't eat breakfast this morning, but I feel a little dizzy! Could this be the legendary "great wisdom appearing as foolishness"?
After lunch, I sat on the rocks by the sea with A-Lian. A-Lian listened quietly to my complaints, and then smiled and said, "I think your plan is very good, and it's quite feasible. Yu Lishui will definitely not give up on Zhou Yuhong's plan, and Ren Xiaoqi will definitely support Hu Saifeng. I'm very curious how Yu Lishui can be so comprehensive this time."
"You know what? I've finally witnessed her brilliance. No wonder the company paid such a high salary to hire her: the whole plan is based on the 'Fisherman's Day,' Zhou Yuhong is in charge of customer acquisition, mainly developing group consumption, 'Hu Yitui' is in charge of plan execution, and I'm responsible for assisting 'Yitui'. In other words, all the hard work is mine! I just want to cry right now!"
"Then I'll lend you my shoulder," Ah Lian said, seemingly very generous.
"Forget it, I'd rather just grab any migrant worker off the street, pay him to get him cleaned up, and lean on him!"
“Then why don’t you ask my Ah Zhong? He’s still reluctant to go back to Guangzhou. If you ask him, he’ll definitely be more than willing,” Ah Lian suddenly said. I fell silent. I hadn’t quite adjusted my nerves regarding this matter and continued to joke indifferently.
"Alright, alright, I know why you'd be interested in Ah Zhong. It's just that I have some selfish motives towards my only brother, so I wanted to give it a try. Okay, I understand. I'll handle things with Ah Zhong. We all value friends like you." Ah Lian was indeed a smart woman. She immediately understood my attitude and simply stated it herself. This way, I wouldn't feel awkward seeing her or Zhou Dezhong in the future.
I couldn't help but smile and said, "You really are very shrewd. I wonder what kind of good deeds a man must have done in his past life to be so lucky as to marry you."
"Don't flatter me. You want to be Hu Saifeng, but I don't want to be Ren Xiaoqi." Hearing the clever and rational A-Lian tease someone so unrestrained for the first time made me very happy. I felt much closer to her and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Don't interrupt. I've heard that you're having an affair with some rich young master. Come on, tell me!"
“Don’t listen to Hu Saifeng’s nonsense. He’s actually our family’s benefactor. That summer, our island was hit by a typhoon we hadn’t seen in decades. My father tried to moor our fishing boat in the harbor when the typhoon first hit, but he didn’t make it in time. The boat was smashed, and my father was hit by the falling mast and fractured his lumbar spine. He was in the hospital for half of the treatment when our family ran out of money and had to go home to recover on his own. My sister and brother-in-law borrowed money everywhere to repair the fishing boat so they could go out to sea and earn money as soon as possible. I had just received my university admission notice. I was the first university student on our island, but I knew I wouldn’t have the chance to go. But I didn’t even feel like crying. I packed my bags and planned to go to Guangzhou to work and earn money.” Although A-Lian’s tone was calm, I felt as if I had witnessed the desperate situation of her whole family at that time.
“He happened to be on the island with his company evaluating the plans to build a resort when he overheard about this. Then, just like in many cheap, vulgar novels, he not only paid for my father to be sent back to the hospital and repaired our boat, but also sponsored all my college expenses. To this day, I still remember the first time he came to our house. The door opened, and he stood against the sunlight, his whole body seemingly coated with a layer of shimmering gold. When he smiled at me, I suddenly felt a hundred times braver. Don't smile! I won't say anything more!” Ah Lian's cheeks were flushed, as beautiful as peach blossoms.
“I’m not making fun of you, but what you just described sounded like a god, not a person.” It was the first time I’d heard someone describe a living person so exaggeratedly, and I found it utterly unbelievable. Only after I pleaded and coaxed her repeatedly did A-Lian continue: “I didn’t know how I could repay him, so when choosing my major, I gave up other popular majors and chose hotel management. My greatest dream is to work here for him for the rest of my life.” A-Lian’s eyes were burning with passion, and her expression was sincere, making me afraid to speak lightly of her.
“I don’t know if this counts as love,” A-Lian said with a slightly embarrassed smile. “Maybe it was just a sudden act of kindness on his part, but I’ve long believed he’s the sunshine that has illuminated my entire life. For four years of university, I tried my best to suppress my feelings, afraid of bothering him. I only dared to write him a letter at the end of each semester when I sent my report card. Sometimes he would reply very promptly, and sometimes he would reply a month or two later. Our correspondence was nothing more than talking about school and studies. We never crossed the line between sponsor and recipient. After graduation, with his guarantee, I got a job at the resort, starting as a supervisor and working my way up to where I am now. But as I get older, I’m increasingly convinced that I will never trust or rely on any other man besides my family like that again.”
"Does he know?"
Ah Lian shook her head.
What if he gets a girlfriend or gets married?
"I don't know, maybe I'll be a spinster for life." It was clear that A-Lian had thought about this question many times, but it seemed she still hadn't found an answer. Her smile was still bright, but I saw a profound sadness within it. As someone who's been through it all, I understand that so-called gratitude is merely a small boat used to ferry emotions; what's truly unforgettable is A-Lian's accumulated love. The fact that A-Lian could be so infatuated made me curious about that mysterious man I'd never met.
"What is your ideal?" A-Lian asked me.
"My ideal?" I repeated subconsciously. It seems so far away. My garden, my swing, my Andersen fairy tales... But I completely forgot to include a prince in my ideal who would promise me a future.
Part Two, Chapter Seven
I never expected my curiosity to be satisfied so quickly—about half a month later, I had the honor of meeting A-Lian's "benefactor"—a senior executive from the group who came down to inspect business operations in various locations.
I don't know if the "Hu Yitui" news was inaccurate or if she was intentionally misleading me, but Ah Lian's "him" wasn't some rich kid at all. He was a group vice president, a professional manager, about thirty-two or thirty-three years old, named Cheng Jinghui—a very ordinary name, just like him: medium build, a bit thin, fair-skinned, with clean-shaven cheeks, but still showing some light stubble. I had expected to meet a fresh-faced young man, and his ordinary appearance was somewhat disappointing to someone like me who had been poisoned by idol dramas for years. Fortunately, he had a very calm demeanor, and the determined look in his eyes behind his glasses made him seem quite upright, which redeemed him somewhat.
To my shame, when Huang Yongshun, the resort's general manager, led his group into the public relations department, the first person I noticed was another young man. His demeanor was similar to Yin Tianyu's—sunny, but with a somewhat brazen look in his eyes. His eyes lit up when he saw Yu Lishui, and when he saw Ren Xiaoqi, his initial distraction vanished instantly. Seeing him like this, I was greatly disappointed. How could A-Lian have fallen for a playboy?! Fortunately, Hu Saifeng nudged me and pointed to Cheng Jinghui, making me realize my mistake. But Cheng Jinghui's shirt collar was snow-white, his shoes gleaming, and as he passed by, I could even smell the earthy scent of fabric softener. I sensitively detected a scent only a well-bred, domestic man possessed—a scent all too familiar to me. Only men meticulously cared for by women would have this smell. My heart pounded with worry for A-Lian. Unfortunately, A-Lian happened to be in Guangzhou that week, and I didn't know how to bring it up.
Everyone lined up and was introduced to the executives one by one. Everyone wore flattered smiles, their movements stiff. I'd heard that this opportunity to meet the group's top executives usually only happened once a year, so I obediently waited at the end of the line to be received. But when I saw that playboy flick his index finger as he shook hands with Ren Xiaoqi, I couldn't help but want to burst out laughing. I quickly lowered my head, lowered it even further, and coughed several times to suppress it. Ren Xiaoqi, however, wasn't so composed. She paused for a moment, then gave him a flirtatious wink and flicked the guy back with her finger. But her technique wasn't quite right; the flick turned into a pinch, and she hit him a little too hard, causing him to wince in pain. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but this time I couldn't hold back any longer. I said, "Excuse me, I need to pee," and dashed out to the restroom, laughing for three minutes straight.
Just as I figured the important people had all left, I returned to my office, only to find "Hu Yitui" frantically searching for me: "Where have you been?! I was in a meeting with the higher-ups discussing the 'Fisherman's Day' plan! I've been looking everywhere for you!"
"You're in charge, why don't you just explain the situation?" I said, bewildered.
"But you're the one who's overseeing the specific progress. I only know the general situation; you're responsible for the details yourself!" "Hu Yitui" boasted shamelessly.
"I'm not in charge, what right do I have to go? I'm not going." It's her fault for always being a suck-up and not caring about anything else. When it comes down to it, she knows nothing. She deserves it. I can't think of any reason to help her. I feel a little smug.
“But if you don’t go, you might not get the planning bonus the company is giving to the public relations department this time!” “Hu Yitui’s” dead fish eyes suddenly became deep and sentimental, and I jumped up immediately as if I had been pricked with a needle: “Let’s go, let’s go right now.”
The conference room was packed with people, and I quietly sat down next to Zhou Yuhong. The dignitaries seemed very interested in the "Fisherman's Day" project, especially Cheng Jinghui, who asked about every single detail, focusing on the most error-prone aspects of execution. His thinking was incredibly sharp, and I had to be on high alert to answer. No wonder "Hu Yitui" was so determined to get me. I felt a surge of respect for Cheng Jinghui; only someone who truly gets things done could ask such questions. Fortunately, my answers seemed to temporarily quench his thirst, and he finally nodded to the person next to him. I breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's your name?" Cheng Jinghui suddenly asked me unexpectedly.
I was taken aback for a moment, and Ren Xiaoqi immediately chimed in, "Oh, her name is Li Hao, she works with me in the public relations department."
I wish I could bark loudly twice to repay her for the kindness of bringing my dog with me.
The expression on Cheng Jinghui's face immediately told me that this wasn't the first time he had heard my name.