I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

"Sister Yumei, with your vision, if the two of us sisters join forces, the beauty market in Qinghe County will be a piece of cake!"

The woman who said this was named Wang Lihua.

She was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, with a neat perm and wearing a beige Chanel jacket—at least the logo printed on the buttons was Chanel.

She wore half a pound of foundation on her face, her lips were painted as red as dripping blood, and when she smiled, she revealed a row of neat porcelain teeth that were so white they reflected light.

She met Sun Yumei when she was getting a facial at the "Yueyan International Beauty Salon" in the county town.

The process of getting to know each other was very simple.

Sun Yumei walked into the beauty salon with a black card containing 300 million yuan and ordered the most expensive package.

Wang Lihua was receiving treatment in the VIP room next door.

The two met in the lounge.

To show off, Sun Yumei flashed the black card on the table.

Wang Lihua's eyes never left that card.

From that day on, Wang Lihua picked up Sun Yumei every day in a white Porsche Cayenne.

She treated us to meals—every meal was the most expensive private kitchen in the county.

She paid for the shopping trip—picking out two "limited edition" bags for Sun Yumei.

She accompanied me to my beauty treatments—calling me "Sister Yumei" sweetly, even more so than a biological sister.

After three days, Sun Yumei had come to regard Wang Lihua as her best friend in this life.

Fourth day.

Wang Lihua finally revealed her hand.

She took a laptop out of the trunk of the Porsche and showed Sun Yumei a PowerPoint presentation for a full hour in the most expensive coffee shop in the county.

"Sister Yumei, look at these figures—the Beijing-based 'Yueyan International' brand has over 300 chain stores nationwide, with an annual turnover exceeding 5 billion yuan."

The numbers on the PowerPoint presentation were colorful, and the bar charts were getting taller and taller.

"Qinghe County is still a blank market! As long as you secure the exclusive distributorship, you can break even in one year and earn 100 million yuan in three years. I guarantee it!"

Sun Yumei stared at the number "one hundred million" on the PPT, rubbing her hands together repeatedly.

Her biggest worry in life was that she couldn't stand Jiang Chen being richer than her.

Back in the village, she was the head of the second wife's household and considered herself shrewd and capable.

As a result, that young upstart turned the world upside down within a year, trampling the entire village underfoot.

She was kicked out.

They got the 300 million, but they couldn't swallow it all.

"I'm going to start a business too!"

Sun Yumei's eyes darted around: "How much will the total investment be?"

Wang Lihua held up one finger: "Ten million for the general agency fee. Transfer it to the headquarters account, and you can get the authorization letter that same day."

"Ten million?"

"Sister Yumei, think about it. Ten million to secure the exclusive operating rights for a county. The first year's revenue is conservatively estimated at thirty million. After deducting costs, the net profit is fifteen million. It doubles in the second year, and in the third year—"

"Alright, alright!" Sun Yumei waved her hand.

She turned her head and glanced at Jiang Jianmin sitting next to her.

Jiang Jianmin remained silent.

He listened from beginning to end, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"Honey, the money we have is hard-earned..." Jiang Jianmin carefully chose his words, "It's safer to just put it in the bank. I don't think investing is a reliable idea."

"What do you think?" Sun Yumei's voice immediately rose three octaves. "What do you think my ass! You've spent your whole life cowering, have you ever earned a single penny?"

She stuck her finger into Jiang Jianmin's forehead.

"Back in the village you were afraid of Jiang Chen, but now that we're out here, are you still afraid? I'm going to show you what I'm made of! I'll let that brat Jiang Chen see that I can still make a fortune without him!"

Jiang Jianmin shrank back.

Sun Yumei slammed her hand on the table, turned to Wang Lihua, and said, "Transfer eight million first, and give the remaining two million after I see the authorization letter!"

Wang Lihua smiled brightly: "Sister Yumei is so generous! Here, take my bank account number—"

"Wait!" Jiang Jianmin exclaimed urgently, grabbing Sun Yumei's arm. "Eight million is no small sum! We've only known this Sister Wang for a few days! Shouldn't we investigate her company first—"

"Snapped!"

Sun Yumei slapped Jiang Jianmin across the back of the head.

"What are you investigating! He drives a Porsche and carries a Hermes bag; he's a million times more successful than you! If you had half his talent, would I have spent half my life stuck in that run-down village?"

Jiang Jianmin covered the back of his head and dared not utter a sound.

That afternoon.

Eight million, transfer complete.

When the bank's SMS notification sounded, Sun Yumei stared at the words "transfer successful" on her phone screen, and her heart skipped a beat.

But that initial enthusiasm was quickly dissipated by Wang Lihua's passion.

"Sister Yumei! Come, come, let's go look at store locations! The best business district in Qinghe County is in the central square area, and I've already picked out two spots—"

Sun Yumei's anxiety was instantly overshadowed by excitement.

She started planning in her mind that once the beauty salon opened, she would hang a big sign at the entrance, then film a video and post it online so that everyone in Jiangjia Village could see it.

the next day.

Wang Lihua said she would take Sun Yumei to the provincial headquarters to sign a formal contract.

Sun Yumei excitedly changed into a new outfit, put on heavy makeup, and waited in the hotel lobby for an hour.

Wang Lihua did not come.

Call up.

"Beep—beep—beep—The number you dialed is not in service. Please verify and dial again."

Sun Yumei paused for a moment, then dialed again.

The number is invalid.

Dial again.

It's still an invalid number.

She changed to another number—the "private number" that Wang Lihua had given her before.

The number is invalid.

Sun Yumei's hands began to tremble.

She grabbed her phone and rushed out of the hotel, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the "Yueyan International Beauty Salon".

The car stopped in front of the beauty salon.

The gate was locked.

The roller shutter door was halfway down, and there were several cardboard boxes and a bag of garbage piled up at the entrance.

A notice posted by the property management was pasted on the glass door.

"The lease has been terminated because the tenant failed to pay rent and property management fees for three consecutive months. Please be aware."

Sun Yumei stood at the door, her legs went weak.

She sat down on the ground with a "thud".

Passersby glanced in this direction a couple of times, then walked around it.

Jiang Jianmin ran over from behind and was stunned when he saw the locked gate and the notice on the ground.

"What did I say? What did I say!" He squatted down next to Sun Yumei, his face pale. "I told you to investigate! But you wouldn't listen! Eight million! Eight million just vanished like that?!"

"Shut up!!!"

Sun Yumei lay on the cold cement ground, pounding her fists on the ground and crying loudly.

"You damned liar! My eight million!"