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

"Brother... what happened?"

Wang Yingxue smiled gently, and then began to explain slowly.

She said that Fang Ruijun came to see her in the hospital that day, and she told him about her situation. She mentioned his family's situation as an only child, and about Wang Yingxue's father and brother...

Ye Wenxi froze on the spot after hearing the whole thing, unable to recover for a long time.

Her playful, gossipy mood was suddenly clouded by something.

She knew nothing about Wang Yingxue's family affairs.

Ye Wenxi closed her eyes briefly, wishing she could slap herself.

She was just calling him "brother" and "sweetheart" all the time, but now that she knows the significance behind it, she has no interest in chatting about anything else.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know about these things." Ye Wenxi's voice lowered, filled with guilt.

Wang Yingxue shook her head, a faint smile still on her lips: "It's nothing, Comrade Fang is a very good person, I know that. It's just..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

Ye Wenxi understood. Wang Yingxue carried too heavy a burden of the past in her heart; her hard shell isolated her from the pain and the warmth offered by others.

Fang Ruijun happened to appear at this moment. For someone who was covered in injuries, the identity of "brother" was perhaps the only reason that she could accept.

Ye Wenxi reached out and patted Wang Yingxue on the shoulder: "You're fine. Go back and rest."

Wang Yingxue hummed in agreement, gathered the photos together, and got up to leave.

The restaurant at the Harbin International Hotel has white tablecloths and the high-backed wooden chairs are polished to a shine.

Several Russian-style oil paintings hung on the wall, and the air was filled with the aroma of borscht and baked bread.

Lin Wanzhi slowly and methodically cut the braised beef in the pot on her plate, while Cai Shan across from her had already put down her knife and fork.

"Linda," Cai Shan said in a low voice, "when I went to pay the bill just now, the staff said that the Light Industry Bureau left us a message and would send a car to pick us up at 1:30."

Lin Wanzhi didn't even look up, lightly tapping the plate with the tip of her fork: "OK, I understand."

Lin Wanzhi didn't look up, continuing to cut the beef: "Are the gifts ready?"

"All ready." Cai Shan took out a small gift box from the package. "Calculators and pens, ten sets each."

Lin Wanzhi glanced at it and nodded.

These were shipped from overseas via express delivery in advance from the port city.

Japanese imported ultra-thin metal calculator and American imported Parker pen set.

Calculators from the mainland are thick and heavy, with raised keys that click when pressed, like a typewriter. This calculator sits quietly on the table, like a precision instrument.

The pen is also a limited edition, with finely engraved patterns on the barrel and a small dark green gemstone set in the clip. This style will only be found in high-end shopping malls in the port city.

Lin Wanzhi was quite satisfied with the two gifts Cai Shan had chosen. She knew that gifts were not accepted in mainland China, but she wouldn't be foolish enough to come empty-handed.

"Are you clear about the key points of today's meeting?" Lin Wanzhi put down her coffee, her tone indifferent.

"Understood. We will do our best to gain a share of the domestic market." Cai Shan nodded, her expression serious.

Lin Wanzhi did not look up, but a sharp, cold glint flashed in her eyes.

"Amy, how long have you been following me?"

Cai Shan was taken aback by this sudden question.

"Two and a half years..." she answered softly, her tone slightly careless.

"As my assistant, you haven't grasped my key points and goals in two and a half years. Isn't your judgment a bit too weak?" Lin Wanzhi's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her tone sharp.

Cai Shan's heart tightened, and she lowered her shoulders in a flustered manner.

"Sorry, Linda. Michael emphasized that at the previous mobilization meeting, so I thought the goal of this trip to the mainland was to prioritize the development of domestic sales channels," Cai Shan quickly explained.

Lin Wanzhi sneered, "Are you my assistant, or his assistant?"

Cai Shan lowered her head, her throat tightening slightly: "I understand. Today's government-business meeting will focus on showcasing our overseas supply chain resources and large-scale production capabilities, aligning with the mainland's 'processing with supplied materials, processing with supplied samples, and compensation trade' policy direction. The most important thing is to secure mid-to-upstream garment processing plants as the core foundation for our joint venture."

In 1979, as China began to open its doors to the world, new policies such as processing trade and Sino-foreign joint ventures were implemented one after another.

Foreign capital, sensing the cheap labor and land dividends in mainland China, has been tentatively entering the market.

However, the domestic industry is still protected, and foreign-invested joint ventures are strictly restricted from selling domestically. They can only get a maximum of 30% of the market share, while the remaining 70% must be exported to earn foreign exchange.

At that time, the mainland had just emerged from a special period and was in dire need of reconstruction. Foreign exchange was a real hard currency and the most scarce lifeline resource of the country.

Domestic industrial equipment, precision machine tools, fertilizers and pesticides, advanced technologies, medicines and medical devices all rely on foreign exchange to be imported from overseas; infrastructure construction, military industry, scientific research, and improvement of people's livelihoods all cannot be separated from foreign currency payments.

However, there are almost no mature channels for export and foreign exchange earnings in China, local products are not competitive in the international market, and foreign exchange reserves are always tight.

The country urgently needs to exchange labor for foreign exchange through processing trade and foreign-funded OEM manufacturing, and use the foreign currency earned from exports to support domestic construction. This is also the fundamental reason why the policy mandates that 70% of foreign-invested products must be exported.

Huitong Apparel, a subsidiary of British Far East, is one of the pioneers. Lin Wanzhi, due to her steady approach and outstanding business skills, was specially appointed by the headquarters as the person in charge of the Harbin project.

However, Lin Wanzhi knew that the group regarded this matter as a key strategic plan for the future—the group was not only interested in the OEM capabilities and cheap resources here.

The two came out of the restaurant. Lin Wanzhi, carrying a calculator and a gift set of pens, stood at the door waiting for their car. Cai Shan followed beside her, carrying a briefcase.

A moment later, a black sedan pulled up in front of the building. The door opened, and a young staff member got out, glanced at the man, and politely asked, "Hello, are you Ms. Lin Wanzhi from Huitong Garments?"

Lin Wanzhi nodded slightly: "Yes, that's me."

"Hello Ms. Lin, I am Zhou, an officer from the External Liaison Section of the Light Industry Bureau. Director Liu asked me to pick you up."

"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Wanzhi smiled.

After the group got into the car, Zhou, the clerk, said to the driver, "Let's go," and the car slowly drove away.

Lin Wanzhi turned her head to look out the window. The streets of Harbin were dusty and gray, the buildings were not tall, the walls were mottled, and occasionally a few roadside trees could be seen, their leaves curled up by the sun.

The sound of bicycle bells rose and fell, and most pedestrians were dressed in dark clothes, a gray-blue color scheme, and there was nothing particularly eye-catching about the place.

But as she passed by the Sanhu Department Store, she suddenly saw several young women walking out of the store entrance, wearing stylish dresses and light-colored shirts.

Walking on the gray, misty streets, they stood out like pebbles thrown into murky water.

Lin Wanzhi's gaze followed them for a moment, but before she could think it through, the car had already turned a corner and was waiting for the red light at the intersection.

Her gaze inadvertently swept to the roadside—a bulletin board with three huge posters on it.

The poster was huge; it was clearly visible even through the car window.

The model on the poster stands naturally, not stiffly, unlike the posed photos commonly seen in this city—one leg slightly stretched forward, one hand in her skirt pocket, and the other hand hanging down naturally, as if captured unintentionally.

The clothes were novel in style, with contrasting colors and a neckline design that had a distinctly modern feel, even reminding her of the street style of those young designers in Hong Kong.

Lin Wanzhi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Her gaze was fixed on the bulletin board, scanning the large characters word by word: "Wenxi Garment Company. Exclusive Custom-Made, Meticulously Crafted."