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

Secretary Peter then neatly placed several magazines on the mahogany desk in front of Michael.

"Michael, this is the latest batch sent from the mainland." Peter adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and ran his finger across the magazine covers one by one: "The bi-weekly bound volume of the *People's Daily*, *China Light Industry* from the Ministry of Light Industry, the internal monthly magazine of the Beijing Garment Factory, a briefing from the Shanghai Textile Bureau, and..."

He pulled out several small booklets with brightly colored covers: "Women of China," "Half the Sky Newsletter," and "Women of Heilongjiang," all under the Women's Federation, as well as this one, "Popular Cinema."

There were more than a dozen magazines piled on the table. The paper was rough, the printing was blurry, and some of the inner pages still had the astringent smell of undried ink.

In order to obtain these items, which are almost "semi-internally circulated" in mainland China, the group has to spend a channel maintenance fee every year.

Some were legally transferred through cooperative units of joint venture state-owned factories, while others were photocopies "borrowed" from the post office system through shady connections.

In short, whatever you can find on the mainland market, Michael has on his desk, and whatever you can't find on the market, he also has a copy on his desk.

Michael leaned back in his leather chair, his gaze sweeping over the pile of magazines.

He asked calmly, "The conclusion?"

Peter opened his notebook and cleared his throat: "Let's start with the policy aspect. Judging from these materials, the policy direction of reform and opening up in mainland China is indeed continuing to loosen. The Ministry of Light Industry has issued three documents in succession to encourage local governments to revitalize their economies and support collective enterprises and individual businesses. In Harbin, the Light Industry Bureau has already begun to proactively contact Hong Kong investment, and the approval process is much faster than expected."

Michael nodded, tapping his finger on the table: "What about fashion advertising?"

Peter paused, his voice lowering slightly: "Currently, among all the publications circulating in mainland China, there isn't a single one with content directly related to fashion or clothing brand promotion. They only talk about production volume and planned targets, without any design aesthetics, let alone branding."

He picked up the copy of *Popular Cinema* and turned to a page: "This is probably the most 'fashionable' publication in mainland China, but the 'fashion' in it is nothing more than stills of movie actors' outfits; there's no exposure of any commercial brands. The Women's Federation's *Longjiang Women's*..."

He picked up another book. "There was a report about a military dependents' clothing company. The report, written by the widow of a soldier named Wang Yingxue, mentioned a collective enterprise called Wenxi Clothing Company. They made some design innovations, but the article was very short and was written from the perspective of 'supporting the military and their families' and 'women's employment,' without any concept of commercial fashion."

Michael took the book "Women of Longjiang" and turned to the page where Peter had folded the corner.

He stared at the blurry photo for a few seconds. Wang Yingxue was standing next to a sewing machine, wearing an "employee shirt" issued by Wenxi Clothing Company, with a simple smile. The background was a simple factory building.

The caption accompanying the photo reads: "The Indomitable Spirit of the Military Family Garment Company."

"So what's your conclusion?" Michael put down the magazine, his voice calm.

Peter closed his notebook and gave his final assessment: "The conclusion is... the mainland is still a 'vacuum zone' in terms of publicity. Although some aspects have loosened up, policies for commercial brand communication have not been opened up."

"Currently, no foreign apparel brand has appeared in any publicly available publications in mainland China, and no domestic company has made any moves to establish a foothold in the fashion industry. For us, this is both an opportunity and an obstacle."

Michael leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on his abdomen, and remained silent for a moment.

He investigated these things for two reasons.

The first step is to grasp the prevailing winds in mainland China and determine when to make the next move.

Second, he was verifying whether someone was lying to him.

Lin Wanzhi – that intelligent, sharp, and ambitious woman.

Before he left, he repeatedly emphasized that she should expand her publicity and influence in the mainland and find channels and connections. With her abilities, she could completely create some openings and gradually penetrate the market.

However, Lin Wanzhi always gave the same response: the mainland authorities strictly control commercial promotion, foreign brands are prohibited from creating hype, channels cannot be opened, and policies do not allow it.

Peter's report just now perfectly confirms the "truthfulness" of this claim; there is indeed no sign of any fashion promotion.

But Michael knew Lin Wanzhi too well.

Although that is indeed the policy, this woman is just using it as a shield because she doesn't want to do it at all.

Since Lin Wanzhi proposed a betting scheme with the Light Industry Bureau in her report last time, the unspoken understanding between the two has been completely broken.

Lin Wanzhi is the most outstanding professional manager in the Far East region of the British Air Group. She can even venture into the mainland alone to fight for the market. Even the group headquarters praises her highly.

The export sales figures she holds in her hands are her shield and protection.

This gave her the confidence to reveal her ambitions, with her sights set on becoming the "Independent Partner of the British Group in the Far East".

Michael also laid it all out: he would not give her resources to help her rise to the top, much less cultivate a competitor of equal standing for himself.

Thus, although the relationship between superiors and subordinates maintained a superficial semblance of civility, the underlying conflicts of interest had become completely public.

Lin Wanzhi's current goal is very simple: foreign exchange figures and export orders. Anything that can help her achieve her performance targets is her priority.

As for mainland promotion, long-term planning, and sowing seeds?

That was Michael's goal, not her task. He knew perfectly well that she was just going through the motions.

The two of them are each pursuing their own agendas, and they've already laid their cards on the table.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Michael's mouth.

He picked up the whiskey on the table, took a sip, and the ice cubes clinked crisply against the glass.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a cargo ship was slowly sailing through Victoria Harbour, its stern navigation lights leaving a long red trail in the night.

"Peter, how far is Linda's performance from the partner's evaluation standard?"

Peter opened the folder in his hand and cautiously replied, "She's still short about $300,000. Compared to the other candidates within the group, she's currently ranked slightly in the middle. But if she can secure an additional $600,000, she'll very likely lock in the Far East Independent Partner position."

Michael leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers interlaced on his abdomen, and remained silent for a moment.

"The designer I was originally planning to transfer to her, the one in Italy," he suddenly said, his tone calm. "I've considered it. With the group's resources so strained right now, the growth pressure in Southeast Asia is clearly even more pressing. Let's transfer him to Bangkok."

Peter paused, then nodded knowingly, "Understood. What about Linda..."

"I acknowledge Linda's abilities." Michael picked up his glass and swirled it, the ice cubes clinking crisply in the amber liquid. "With her outstanding professional skills, I believe she could achieve the same results with any other designer."

He said this with a cryptic smile on his lips and a deep gaze.

"The overall interests of the group must be put first, and resources should naturally be optimally allocated, tilting towards where they are most needed. Don't you agree?"