A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

Ye Wenxi and Lu Weidong finished lunch at a time that was neither too early nor too late.

She had to go to the military district gate to pick someone up later, so she didn't go back to the clothing store. Instead, she sat and chatted with Lu Weidong under the shade of a tree for a while.

Lu Weidong: "Wang Hao called me this morning; he called from his home."

Ye Wenxi: "You left Jiahe's house so quickly?"

Lu Weidong: "He said he had already spoken with his parents and that he would apply for marriage as soon as he got back. If the process goes smoothly, it could be approved in less than a month."

"That's great. These two have finally made it to the altar," Ye Wenxi remarked with a sigh.

He glanced at his watch and said, "Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. I have to go pick someone up at the military district gate."

"Okay, go ahead."

She got on her bicycle and rode towards the military district gate, arriving at the gate in three to five minutes.

I spotted that person immediately.

White shirt, black trousers, and gleaming leather shoes.

Her hair was parted to the side and had been styled with hair wax, giving it a Hong Kong style vibe.

Xie Linfeng stood under the shade of a tree, holding a briefcase in one hand and with the other hand in his pocket, his back to Ye Wenxi, looking at the distant mountain peaks.

Ye Wenxi parked the car and went to greet him: "Hello, are you Comrade Xie Linfeng?"

Xie Linfeng turned his head, saw her, smiled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Comrade Ye?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm Ye Wenxi."

"Thank you for your trouble, Comrade Ye. It's such a hot day, and you still came all the way to pick me up."

"You're too kind, Comrade Xie. Please come with me."

Xie Linfeng took out his household registration booklet, registered at the gate, and followed Ye Wenxi into the military region.

"Let's take the shortcut, it's shorter." Ye Wenxi led him through the path next to the training ground. "That area ahead is a military zone, we can't go there. It'll be a bit troublesome to get in and out now, but there might be a side gate later that leads directly to the clothing company."

Xie Linfeng nodded and looked around.

The military compound features blue brick roads, poplar trees, and gray buildings. Occasionally, soldiers march by in formation, their steps neat and their slogans short and powerful.

Xie Linfeng's expression was indifferent, revealing no particular emotion.

A dozen minutes later, the two arrived at the clothing store. Ye Wenxi led him into a small conference room.

"Please sit down. Did you bring your design portfolio?"

"I brought it." Xie Linfeng took out a stack of sketches from his bag and spread them on the table.

Ye Wenxi picked it up and looked through it.

The paper contains a hand-drawn rendering with clean lines. The style is typical of Hong Kong fashion in the late 1970s, featuring padded shoulders, a fitted waist, a large lapel, and straight-leg trousers.

The technique is good, the proportions are accurate, and the combination is well-organized.

But Ye Wenxi glanced at it a few times and put it down.

Xie Linfeng has the professional skills, but compared to Xiao He, he lacks a bit of talent.

Of course. With his fashion sense and design skills, he's more than capable compared to the current average level in mainland China.

Ye Wenxi's action surprised Xie Linfeng.

Although he knew that the clothing company's designs were quite avant-garde, he did not expect Ye Wenxi to be so calm and composed when looking at his work.

"That's a good piece of work. Now I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Okay, sure."

Ye Wenxi then asked many questions about design and fabric technology.

Xie Linfeng's answers were all clear and organized.

This reminded Ye Wenxi of a modern term that hadn't been on her mind for a long time: "workplace professionalism".

Xie Linfeng demonstrated comprehensive abilities in this area, not just in design.

They speak logically and rhythmically, have a broad perspective, can quickly grasp the key points, and have a good sense of tact when communicating with others.

These all fall under the category of professional competence in the workplace.

Ye Wenxi hadn't met someone like this in a long time. She always interacted with the garment company's employees in the most down-to-earth way, communicating and deploying work.

After talking to someone as professional as Xie Linfeng, Ye Wenxi felt comfortable and at ease.

"Comrade Xie, do you have any other questions you'd like to ask me?"

"Can I... take a look at the office and production areas?" Xie Linfeng asked Ye Wenxi.

"OK."

Ye Wenxi took him out to visit the clothing company's office area. As they walked, she gave him a general introduction to the division of labor in each area.

Xie Linfeng watched the whole thing without showing any emotion.

As I approached the warehouse, I saw Shen Hongmei carrying rat poison out of it.

"Wenxi, I've finished spraying the medicine in your area and put out three mousetraps. Don't worry, there definitely won't be any more."

Ye Wenxi smiled awkwardly and nodded to Xie Linfeng: "Sorry, we had a rat here this morning...hehe."

Xie Linfeng smiled but didn't say anything.

"This must be the comrade who came back from the port city, right?" Zhang Yunxia walked over and looked him up and down.

"Hello, my name is Xie Linfeng."

"How about it, Comrade Xie? We're no worse than those big companies in Hong Kong, are we?"

"I'm not bragging, but our Wenxi Garment Company is definitely the most promising place, the place where you can best utilize your talents." Zhang Yunxia's tone was confident as she pointed ahead, "You can take a look at the clothes designed by Wenxi in a little while; there's an exhibition area over there."

Xie Linfeng smiled faintly and nodded: "Ah, yes. It's very nice. I've seen the clothes before, they're very good."

Ye Wenxi neither responded nor offered an explanation.

Perhaps in Zhang Yunxia's eyes, Ye Wenxi's designs and the scale and philosophy of Wenxi Garment Company are already unique in this place.

Having seen the world, Xie Linfeng probably just smiled faintly at the statement, "We are no worse than the big companies in Hong Kong."

Zhang Yunxia was still enthusiastically introducing the product.

"Look, this is our clothing company's logo; it's on the packaging." She picked up a bag, turned it over to show Xie Linfeng, and her tone was filled with undisguised pride.

Xie Linfeng nodded but didn't reply.

In his eyes, the clothing company is indeed a comprehensive office complex with a very advanced concept, more advanced than many traditional manufacturers, and its thinking is on a completely different level.

But the place in front of us was just there: dilapidated windows, peeling paint on the walls, some light bulbs lit and some not, and the cement floor was full of potholes.

Xie Linfeng looked at this scene as if it were a microcosm of this era and this society. It was too dilapidated, too old.

Although new buds are sprouting, as far as the eye can see, there is old soil that has not yet been turned over.

Compared to the bustling city of Hong Kong, the difference is simply too great.

"Comrade Xie, as you can see," Ye Wenxi led him back, "we work here. The conditions are so-so, but there will be some renovations later, including the staff dormitory."

"However... if I start now, the accommodation conditions might be a bit different."

They returned to the small conference room and sat down again.

"Let's talk about the compensation," Ye Wenxi said, getting straight to the point. "That's the situation. If you're willing, the salary is 130 yuan a month, including room and board. That's the highest we can offer right now."

"One hundred and thirty, is that just BaSe's salary?"

"What?" Ye Wenxi pretended not to understand.

"Excuse me, I meant to ask, is this the base salary? Are there any bonuses or incentive-related benefits?" Xie Linfeng asked a professional question.

The moment Ye Wenxi heard this question, she almost felt like she was back in a job interview in the 21st century.

She smiled faintly: "Yes, that's just the base salary. If our designs are adopted and sales are high, we'll also have incentive bonuses."

"Salary is adjusted annually, and a new piece of clothing is given out every month..."

Ye Wenxi explained to Xie Linfeng almost all the benefits and treatment they had already secured.

But they didn't ask Xie Linfeng about his expected salary.