Xu Liming said, "If men don't bully women, how can they fulfill the great mission of human reproduction? Besides, how do you know it was Zhao who bullied your daughter? Don't you think it might have been your daughter who bullied Zhao?"
Sun Junmei scolded her husband, "You men are all so cunning!"
Just then, a sweet cry suddenly came from the daughter's bedroom: "Oh dear!"
Sun Junmei was extremely nervous, and Xu Liming had to run out barefoot to pull her away. "Go back to your bedroom right now! Didn't you hear the two of them being affectionate? How can you, as their mother, be so insensitive?"
Sun Junmei clenched her fists: "Is Ya not used to it? I wonder if Zhao will be able to take care of a lady?"
Just then, Xu Xiaoya's giggles could be faintly heard from inside the room: "You big blockhead, you can't do anything! You lie down and let me go upstairs. You're so stupid. If something goes wrong at this time, you'll make me anxious to death. The upstairs and downstairs are different places. You can't just do whatever you want."
Zhao Qiang said, "Squad leader, please go easy on me, I'm afraid I can't take it!"
Xu Xiaoya laughed even harder, "Don't worry, I know how to love you, sweetie, here are the two of them for you."
Sun Junmei was finally relieved. She covered her mouth and pulled her husband back to the bedroom, and the night passed quietly.
Clang! Sun Junmei was awakened by a sound coming from the kitchen. She checked the time and saw that it was already morning. She got out of bed to check and found her daughter busy making breakfast. However, her cooking skills were really not good. Looking at the half-cooked eggs that she had fried and one side that was burnt black, Sun Junmei didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Ya, so early, and you're already in the kitchen making breakfast? Did the sun rise in the west?" Sun Junmei teased her daughter. Seeing her daughter's happy face and the fact that she didn't seem to be feeling unwell, she was completely relieved.
Xu Xiaoya threw down the spatula in her hand, sighed helplessly at the fried eggs, and said, "Mom, I'm really not suited to making this. Let's not fry any more, let's go out to eat."
Sun Junmei took the spatula and said, "Let me do it. Why aren't you sleeping? Is there something going on at the company so early?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "He's a hands-off manager; he doesn't bother the company when things happen. Today he's helping a friend repair a computer embroidery machine in the provincial capital. We're in a hurry, so we won't eat. We'll just grab some fried dough sticks and soy milk on the way."
Sun Junmei said, "Okay, then come home tonight. No matter how bad Mom's cooking is, it's still more hygienic than what you get at restaurants."
Xu Xiaoya chuckled and said, "Mom, did Dad say anything last night?" Xu Xiaoya was referring to the fact that Zhao Qiang stayed in the room overnight. If it were based on Xu Liming's previous attitude, he probably would have just taken a kitchen knife and gone in to chop Zhao Qiang up.
Sun Junmei was somewhat embarrassed by her daughter's question. Last night, she had overheard many things she shouldn't have heard in the living room. "What else can I say? He couldn't be happier. But Ya, you two shouldn't get pregnant yet, you know? I'm doing this for your own good. Actually, I'd rather have a nephew, but the country doesn't allow it yet."
Xu Xiaoya hugged her mother and kissed her on the cheek. "I know, Mom. Don't worry, I've taken my medicine. Zhao Qiang is very gentle with me. I'm the one who bullies him, he won't bully me."
Sun Junmei patted her daughter's forehead and said, "Then you should go. Don't delay our business."
Xu Xiaoya went back to her room to get her special bag and brought the uneasy Zhao Qiang out. When he saw his mother-in-law in the living room, Zhao Qiang didn't know how to face her. After all, he had just come from her daughter's bedroom! Last night, he had been having an affair with her daughter there, which was a blatant disregard for parental authority.
Sun Junmei chuckled inwardly. The young man in front of her wasn't her type. In her opinion, a man should be assertive; otherwise, how could he earn money to support his family and wife? But Sun Junmei knew Zhao Qiang's family background well. According to her daughter, a billion or more was easily within their grasp. Given that, why would she expect her son-in-law to be so manly? Wouldn't that just cause her daughter unhappiness? It was best if he was honest and dull like this, because then her daughter could bully him, but he couldn't bully her.
"Zhao, since you have something to do at the company, go take care of it. Come home for dinner tonight." Sun Junmei's gentle words broke the awkwardness for her son-in-law, and also implied that he could continue to come here to enjoy the comforts of the company that night, and that he had been accepted by them.
Zhao Qiang quickly bowed to express his gratitude: "Okay, Auntie. We'll be going now."
Xu Liming watched from the window as his daughter and Zhao Qiang walked out of the building hand in hand, chatting and laughing. Then his daughter drove Zhao Qiang away. He breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied. Now he had that guy under control. It was like having insurance. It would be hard for him not to get promoted in the future. But what's the point of getting promoted? He would have to start all over again in an unfamiliar place. Being his own local tyrant in the open district wasn't so bad.
When Zhao Qiang returned to the repair shop, he saw Liu Yiyi's Mercedes parked at the entrance. She seemed to have arrived quite early. Zhao Qiang got out of the car and knocked on the window. Liu Yiyi opened the door; she had dozed off in the driver's seat earlier. Getting up so early, and with so many things to handle every day, Liu Yiyi looked much more haggard.
"You're here so early. Sorry I'm late," Zhao Qiang said.
When Liu Yiyi saw Xu Xiaoya driving, she was a little curious, probably wondering where the two of them had spent the night if they were together so early in the morning. However, Liu Yiyi's expression quickly returned to normal. "It's nothing, I just came early. Haven't you eaten yet?"
Xu Xiaoya took a large bag of fried dough sticks and several cups of soy milk from the car and asked, "Sister Yiyi, have you eaten yet?"
Liu Yiyi said, "We've already eaten. Haha, so many fried dough sticks, even a dozen people couldn't finish them all."
Xu Xiaoya handed the fried dough sticks and soy milk to Zhao Qiang and said to Liu Yiyi, "He has a big appetite, there's nothing I can do. Zhao Qiang, you can eat this in the car yourself. Don't delay things. Finish the machine as soon as possible and come back early. There's chocolate and cigarettes in the computer bag. Don't cause trouble when you get to the provincial capital. It's not like Donghai City."
As Zhao Qiang got into Liu Yiyi's car, he said, "I understand. If you're going out, have Wang Meng accompany you. Don't let Luo Wei go out unless necessary. It's best to avoid her these next few days. If Luo Wanjiang has any problems, call me."
Liu Yiyi's Mercedes turned onto the highway, and she asked Zhao Qiang, "Don't we need to bring the repair tools?"
While eating fried dough sticks and drinking soy milk without any manners, Zhao Qiang said, "No need, I'm a repair tool myself, don't worry, I guarantee I'll get it done right away."
Liu Yiyi didn't ask any more questions. She had a lot of confidence in Zhao Qiang. Although she didn't know if Zhao Qiang had ever repaired a computer embroidery machine, people who could come back from the dead must have some special skills, and Zhao Qiang must be one of them.
The provincial capital isn't actually that far. Liu Yiyi is driving fast and on high altitudes, so she estimates they'll arrive around 9:30 AM, making the total journey about two and a half hours.
Zhao Qiang drank his soy milk while calling Su Su. Last night at Xu Xiaoya's house, he had to refrain from contacting her for fear of being overheard. Now, he didn't have that worry. Besides, Su Su wasn't in class right now, otherwise her phone would have been on silent.
"Hey, you big bad guy, up so early? Su Su's voice is still so pure and sweet, it's a waste that she doesn't sing."
Zhao Qiang wanted to scold her right away, but when he heard Su Su's voice, his bones softened. Alas, men can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Zhao Qiang could only change to a gentle tone and ask, "How have you been lately?"
Su Su said playfully, "What do you think? Don't I report to you two or three times almost every week?"
"Need money?" Zhao Qiang slowly steered the conversation to the main point.
Su Su chuckled: "With such a great boss like you, the last thing I lack now is money."
Zhao Qiang immediately retorted: "Then why are you still busking on the street?"
"Busting?" These two words clearly surprised Su Su. "Why do you say that?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I saw it online." As he spoke, he pulled out his laptop to search, though he hadn't actually found a single result. Wei left him a message on the screen, saying smugly, "Brother, I've been monitoring it the whole time. I've deleted all videos featuring Su. Don't worry, she doesn't have any backers or organizations; she won't become famous."
Su Su across from him breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Qiang, I didn't take any money. I was just doing a charity performance. It's also a way to improve my mental fortitude because my teacher said I'm always too stage-frightened and told me to practice more in public. So I came up with this idea of singing for people on the street, and it's actually worked! My teacher hasn't been criticizing me lately."
Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief: "So that's how it is. But you have to be careful. There are all kinds of people in public places. Don't dress so innocently anymore, lest you attract the attention of bad people. Also, don't go out to sing alone. It's best to bring a few friends with you. If something happens, you'll have someone to help you. If you can't handle it, call me and I'll find a friend to help you solve it right away."
Yang Shiqi and Hu Qian are both from Beijing, so Zhao Qiang dared to say such a thing. Given how many years they've been in Beijing, making a phone call to ask someone for help shouldn't be a problem for them.
Su Su said, "Okay, I understand, Brother Qiang. We've been really busy with schoolwork lately. I haven't been able to go out and sing in ages. I'm also learning to dance; I'll show you later, okay?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "Okay, just tell me if you need money, don't be shy."
Su Su said sweetly on the phone, "I'm not shy at all! I want you to support me for the rest of my life, Brother Qiang!"
Zhao Qiang put down the phone with a sweet feeling in his heart. Suddenly, Liu Yiyi, who had been silent all along, asked, "Are you and Xiaoya dating?"
Zhao Qiang naturally confirmed, "Yes."
Liu Yiyi pointed her slender finger at the phone in Zhao Qiang's hand: "Then what about the girl from earlier?" She'd be a fool if she couldn't tell the difference; Su Su's coquettish voice could charm a whole bunch of men.
Zhao Qiang's answer was quite difficult: "Good friend"
Volume 2 [248] Desperate Situation
Yi Yi didn't ask any more questions. She shouldn't have asked about these things in the first place, but Shi Qing was curious. She was really curious about Zhao Qiang. For the past six months, he had been so curious that she couldn't eat or sleep. But Zhao Qiang had disappeared and never contacted her. As a woman, she naturally couldn't take the initiative to go to Zhao Qiang's house. So she just kept it hanging until she met Zhao Qiang at Grandpa Luo's birthday banquet last night. Only then did Liu Yi Yi have a sudden idea and invite Zhao Qiang to help her repair her embroidery machine. In fact, she didn't have 100% confidence in Zhao Qiang. She was just trying her luck.
Zhao Qiang started eating fried dough sticks again. Although everyone says that fried dough sticks contain carcinogens, Zhao Qiang ignored it. Where would he get his energy if he didn't eat? Besides, he only ate them as a substitute when he didn't make breakfast. If he wasn't in a hurry, Luo Wei would usually cook porridge and a few dishes. He lived a very comfortable life and there was no need to eat out.
The road was traveled in silence. As they were about to descend the mountain, someone waved to Liu Yiyi's car at the tollbooth. Liu Yiyi saw him, pulled over to the side of the road after exiting the tollbooth, and smiled as she rolled down her window.
"Zhimeng, have you been waiting long?" Liu Yiyi's tone was different from when she met ordinary friends. This man was only in his early twenties. Could he be her boyfriend? Judging from her happy smile, it must be him. It would be very abnormal for a woman this age not to be in a relationship.
"No, I've only been here a little while. I'll have the driver take my car back. I'll give you a ride and be your guide." The man was dressed smartly and was definitely not someone like Zhao Qiang with an irregular lifestyle. He must be a successful person, an elite.
Liu Yiyi didn't refuse: "Okay, get in the car."
Zhao Qiang sat in the passenger seat. He was used to it; he usually rode in either Hu Qian's or Luo Wei's car. Since Xu Xiaoya came back, he naturally rode in her car, as it was easier to talk and observe from the front. As he got into the car, he stepped into the passenger seat again. The man bent down, glanced at Zhao Qiang, and then asked Liu Yiyi with a smile, "And this is?"
Liu Yiyi quickly introduced him to the two: "This is a repairman I invited from Donghai City. His name is Zhao Qiang. He's very skilled; whether or not the machines at the branch factory can be repaired depends on him."
The man walked to Zhao Qiang's side of the car door and greeted him through the glass: "Hello, my name is Xu Zhimeng, administrative assistant of Tianyi Group. Mr. Zhao, it's nice to meet you."
"
Even if Zhao Qiang was impolite, he couldn't stay in the car any longer. He quickly got out of the car, took Xu Zhimeng's hand, shook it, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Assistant Xu is young and promising, which I really envy." Zhao Qiang had heard of Dayi Group before. It was a first-class company in the provincial capital, with its main business scope including electronics, food, beverages, and services.
Xu Zhimeng chuckled and moved closer to Zhao Qiang. He lowered his voice and said, "Master Zhao, I need to ask you something. How about I sit in the passenger seat?"
Zhao Qiang, of course, couldn't resist the temptation. He turned around and took out a large bag of fried dough sticks and two leftover cups of soy milk from the passenger seat. He opened the back door and got in. Xu Zhimeng naturally climbed into the driver's seat so he could get a better look at Liu Yiyi. Liu Yiyi was a woman he knew very well, and Zhao Qiang was already a little tempted by her. How much more so Xu Zhimeng, who was just as mature as her? It was probably more than just a matter of being tempted; otherwise, he wouldn't have swallowed his pride and begged Zhao Qiang to switch seats.
Zhao Qiang found the rest of the journey unbearable. Xu Zhimeng and Liu Yiyi chatted and laughed, leaving Zhao Qiang to sit on the sidelines. Helpless, he could only continue to rave about the fried dough sticks. Finally, he finished all of the nearly twenty pounds of fried dough sticks, which shocked Xu Zhimeng, who saw this in the rearview mirror. He turned around and asked, "Master Zhao, are you hungry? We'll be at our destination soon. Let's eat first."
To be honest, Xu Zhimeng had no good feelings towards Zhao Qiang at this moment. What should have been a fragrant and beautiful car was now filled with the smell of fried dough sticks, so much so that Xu Zhimeng couldn't even smell Liu Yiyi's pleasant body fragrance. The smell of fried dough sticks still lingered on Xu Zhimeng's hands from shaking hands with Zhao Qiang earlier. How could the clean-loving Xu Zhimeng not feel resentful? However, his good manners prevented him from showing it.
Zhao Qiang was still drinking the remaining soy milk, but it tasted a bit sour. He didn't know if it was because it had been sitting for a long time or because of his mood. He said, "I'm almost full. I'll go now. I can't eat when I have something on my mind."
Xu Zhimeng chuckled. "You call this not being able to eat? If you could eat, wouldn't you be able to eat fifty pounds?" With that, Xu Zhimeng labeled Zhao Qiang a glutton. There was no way around it; Zhao Qiang's performance was indeed far too disappointing. If Liu Yiyi hadn't known some of his secrets beforehand, she probably would have given him the same evaluation.
Actually, Liu Yiyi and Xu Zhimeng's relationship has nothing to do with Zhao Qiang. But men often have this mentality: they don't want to see good girls in someone else's arms, and if they do, they'll inevitably curse that good cabbages have been eaten by pigs. Besides, Liu Yiyi and Zhao Qiang had physical intimacy. At the Holiday Inn, to prevent her clothes from melting and burning her skin, Liu Yiyi had taken off her clothes and let Zhao Qiang hold her, even though she was still wearing a bra and underwear. But what's the difference between that and being naked? With that kind of relationship, Zhao...
He didn't want to see her and Xu Zhiming being so affectionate. But what could he do? He couldn't force them to date; he wasn't the Jade Emperor.
They were entering the main urban area. The provincial capital was indeed bustling, dazzling Zhao Qiang's eyes. Beautiful women appeared frequently on the roadside, their sexy clothes and full breasts gleaming in the sunlight. Of course, whether their breasts were real or padded or injected with water was unknown. Zhao Qiang was too embarrassed to use his X-ray glasses to look; that would be too vulgar. Just seeing them was enough to stir his lust. Watching the beautiful women pass by, Zhao Qiang sighed inwardly. Big cities were so open; he couldn't stay cooped up in Donghai City any longer. Even if it was just to see beautiful women, he had to come out. Maybe in America, beautiful women walked around naked.
Liu Yiyi's branch factory was not located in the main urban area. However, the route required passing through the main urban area. Fortunately, it was not rush hour, so it took half an hour to reach Yiyi Fashion Company's branch factory in the provincial capital. It was a small factory with eight workshops and a small office building. The person in charge of the business here was a woman in her forties named Li Lanxiang, whom Liu Yiyi called Sister Li.
"General Manager Liu" Li Lanxiang had received a call in advance and was already waiting at the factory gate. In addition, more than a dozen employees lined up to applaud and welcome her. The scene was quite impressive. It would have been even better if they had been holding up two red flowers.
However, Liu Yiyi was not a national leader, and she waved her hand somewhat unhappily, saying, "Everyone, disperse. Go do what you were doing."
Li Lanxiang could tell that Liu Yiyi didn't like this approach, so she immediately dismissed the employees. Liu Yiyi said, "Let's go, let's go to the workshop."
Li Lanxiang didn't dare to delay and immediately led the way, with Zhao Qiang and Xu Zhimeng following closely behind. The workshop was quiet, much quieter than the entrance, with only two or three workers chatting in hushed tones, and a few grease-covered repairmen guarding a pile of parts, seemingly discussing something.
"Did you open it?" Liu Yiyi asked.
Li Lanxiang said, "Yes, everything seems to be fine, but there are still some discrepancies in the reassembly. Dozens of pieces of fabric have already been ruined. The embroidery was stable at the beginning, but it got messed up in the middle."
Liu Yiyi said to Zhao Qiang, "I'll have a repairman come over and explain the situation to you."
Zhao Qiang said, "No need to rush. Do you have an instruction manual? Give me a copy. I don't understand this thing yet; I need to learn how to operate it first."
Liu Yiyi was somewhat taken aback, while Li Lanxiang's mouth hung open. This was the expert the boss had hired from so far away? He actually said he didn't know anything about the equipment that needed repair. Wouldn't it be strange if he could fix it?
The reference materials arrived quickly. These embroidery machines were all flat embroidery machines of the same model, suitable for leather, handbags, shoes, hats, and large-scale garment processing. In fact, the technology of domestic products was quite good, but Liu Yiyi, a woman who pursued exquisiteness, still trusted European and American products. When they were first bought, the quality of the finished products was indeed higher than that of domestic products, which made everyone give Liu Yiyi a thumbs up for her taste. However, soon after, they started to break down. At first, the repairmen could still manage to fix them, but the problems became more and more numerous and complex, and the factory's repairmen were completely confused.
Zhao Qiang was squatting behind a machine with a document in his hand, looking like he was going to the toilet. Li Lanxiang couldn't stand it, so she ignored him. Xu Zhimeng found it funny, but he didn't say anything in front of Liu Yiyi. Liu Yiyi was busy asking about the recent situation at the branch factory, so no one paid any attention to Zhao Qiang.
"President Liu, Haicheng Foreign Trade is pressing us very urgently. They said they'll sue us for breach of contract if we can't deliver today. That's a contract worth over a million. If we breach the contract, we'll have to pay three times the amount in compensation. What do you think we should do? Even if we get it repaired today, we still can't finish the project. It was originally scheduled for half a month." Li Lanxiang said anxiously.
Liu Yiyi also frowned. Haicheng Foreign Trade has always been a partner of Yiyi Fashion. Especially after the establishment of the branch factory in the provincial capital, Haicheng Trade has to process a large number of export orders every month, which is also the main source of income for the branch.
Unless it's a well-known brand, ready-made garments won't have much sales volume. The main purpose of establishing a branch company is to process supplied materials or make garments for big brands.
Xu Zhimeng said, "Is Zhu Haicheng being too pushy? I'll call and ask him." Xu Zhimeng and Zhu Haicheng, the owner of Haicheng Trading, knew each other since they lived in the same city. It could be said that this deal was only secured because of his connections.
Liu Yiyi nodded. "Zhimeng, if possible, we can compensate Haicheng Trading for some of its losses, but if we ask for triple compensation, we'll go bankrupt. Yiyi Fashion has some reputation in Donghai City, but its profitability is far inferior to Zhao Qiang's companies. Even in the best year, it might not make more than three million, and it's estimated that it's lucky to make a million a year. Zhao Qiang's daily income is hundreds or even thousands of times that. In fact, how many companies in the whole country can make money like Zhao Qiang?"
Volume 2 [249] Mixed Goods
Zhiming called Zhu Haicheng from the side. Li Xiang continued yelling at Liu Yiyi, "Three orders have been cancelled by the other party. They couldn't wait and didn't want us to compensate them. However, this time we have lost our reputation. I'm afraid they may not be willing to cooperate with us again in the future."
Liu Yiyi said, "We can't worry about that now. Let's get this big order from Haicheng Trading sorted out first. Can you help me contact our counterparts in the provincial capital and see if we can borrow their machines? I'm willing to pay double the processing fee."
Li Lanxiang said, "President Liu, I tried your method the day before yesterday."