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

Lin Wanzhi and Cai Shan returned to the International Hotel. As they walked through the lobby on the first floor, the receptionist recognized her and greeted them with a smile, "Ms. Lin, please wait a moment."

Lin Wanzhi stopped in her tracks.

"You received a call today from the port city; they left a message for you." The waiter took a note from the drawer. "The caller hopes you will call them back when you return."

Lin Wanzhi took the note, glanced at the number on it, folded it up casually, and stuffed it into her handbag: "Okay, I understand."

She and Cai Shan walked towards the stairwell.

Cai Shan turned to look at her: "Aren't you going to call Michael back?"

"No rush, we'll talk about it later."

She could roughly guess why Michael had contacted her this time; he probably saw those magazines.

"Half the Sky Newsletter," "Popular Cinema," and "Longjiang Women" almost simultaneously launched intensive publicity campaigns for Wenxi Garment Company.

This level of surprise surprised not only Michael, but even she herself.

When she reported to Michael, she always made it clear that the mainland system would not provide any official propaganda support to non-state-owned commercial enterprises.

That was indeed the truth at the time; she wasn't lying.

But things changed in the past month.

The driving force behind Ye Wenxi. The Women's Federation, the Light Industry Bureau, Ji Tinglan, the Military Region's Military Dependents Committee... these organizations created a mutually influential effect.

Almost simultaneously, these events brought a previously unaccountable collective household into the spotlight.

Lin Wanzhi had inquired in the province and knew that there were complex policy orientations, the Women's Federation's proactive involvement, and some tacit cooperation that was hard to explain.

The fact that Wenxi Garment Company has reached this point cannot be simply attributed to "having the support of the military region".

But Michael wouldn't care about any of that.

He only saw one result: a mainland garment company was having an influence that exceeded her expectations, and its style and positioning were highly consistent with Huitong's upcoming expansion into the mainland market.

The two went upstairs, and Lin Wanzhi returned to her room.

Cai Shan followed her into the room and closed the door behind her: "What are you planning to tell Michael?"

Lin Wanzhi threw her handbag on the bed, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains.

Outside the window, the sky over Harbin was hazy and gray, and in the distance, you could see several factory chimneys belching white smoke.

"I haven't decided yet." That's the truth.

She stood by the window, arms crossed, her mind like a scale, the two ends swaying back and forth.

One end is Wenxi Clothing Company.

She saw it with her own eyes today, and objectively speaking, it is the closest commercial entity she has seen in mainland China to the standards of Hong Kong.

If FX678 really wants to enter the mainland market in the future, Ye Wenxi could be a bridge or an obstacle.

On the other end is Michael.

Her current boss holds the power of discourse in the Greater China region of Huitong Apparel.

Lin Wanzhi took a deep breath, the curtain fabric slipping through her fingertips.

For Lin Wanzhi, becoming a partner of Huitong Far East is her only goal and way out at present, and it is also a countdown hanging over her head.

If she doesn't get this qualification, no matter how well Huitong develops or how big Michael's business empire becomes, it will have nothing to do with her.

Michea will no longer be retained by Huitong. She will be transferred back to Hong Kong to sit on the sidelines, or simply be kicked out.

As for what Michael shouts on the phone now.

With promotional channels being seized and aesthetic discourse diluted, ready-to-wear companies face potential competitive risks.

Lin Wanzhi agreed, "That's right, all of these exist."

But for Lin Wanzhi, these were secondary concerns.

At least not until they become partners.

She loosened the curtains, turned around, and her face had returned to calm.

"I'm going to take a shower first," she said to Cai Shan. "Let me think about how to get back to Michael."

Michael was waiting for her call back, waiting for her to prove her worth with intelligence and judgment.

But she knew even better that in this game, whoever revealed their hand first would lose.

Outside the window, dusk was gradually settling over Harbin.

Lin Wanzhi went back to her room, took a shower, changed into loose and warm clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, and spread the packaging bag she brought back from Wenxi Clothing Company on her lap.

The brochure was printed with great care, both in terms of texture and style.

The coated paper has a matte finish, making it smooth and resilient to the touch, and it won't leave fingerprints when you turn the pages.

The photos inside the pages are of extremely high quality, with the model's pose, the arrangement of light and shadow, the interplay of light and shadow in the background, and even the balance of white space in the layout all handled with precision.

She placed the catalog in a department store in the port city, and it would definitely be presentable.

Lin Wanzhi gripped the brochure tightly; she had made her decision.

I went downstairs to the front desk to make a long-distance call to the port city.

The operator dialed a number, put the receiver to her ear, and listened to the intermittent electrical noise coming from the line.

"Feed?"

"Michael, it's me, Linda."

"Linda, were you busy during the day?" Michael's voice came through the transoceanic line, still gentle, like chatting with an old friend.

"I visited several partner organizations and just got back when I saw your message."

Michael paused for a moment, then got to the point, "Recently, Peter and I have been doing some public opinion policy analysis and learned about that clothing company you mentioned before. I heard... they're doing quite well?"

Lin Wanzhi tightened her grip on the microphone.

She doesn't intend to lie about this; it's pointless, and Michael has other ways to verify it.

"Yes. It's already quite established in Harbin, and we've even opened a physical store. Public acceptance and recognition are pretty good."

"Is it because of their background?"

"It must be related." Lin Wanzhi carefully chose her words. "After all, I haven't seen another purely self-employed business receive such treatment. It has the military region's backing, and in every aspect... it will get the green light."

"Oh... how much do you know about the clothing company?"

"Actually, I don't know much about it, since I haven't had the opportunity to contact them directly. I just know that it's a business started by military families, and I just learned a key piece of information..." Lin Wanzhi paused for a moment, "They have a designer who came back from Hong Kong."

"Back from Hong Kong?" Michael's voice rose slightly.

"Yes."

Michael chuckled on the other end of the phone, his expression ambiguous: "No wonder. Could we perhaps make contact with that designer?"

Lin Wanzhi lowered her eyes, looking at the pattern on the marble countertop: "I'm afraid it's not suitable. This company is currently highly regarded in mainland China, receiving a lot of attention from both the military and the government. If we contact its designer now, I'm afraid..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already there.

Michael could definitely tell the difference.

Linda didn't want to help him in this regard; she was determined to become his partner and was afraid of getting involved in trouble or complications with the garment company.

"Okay." Michael's voice remained calm and even. "Keep an eye on things over there. Report back to me when you have time. Is everything else going smoothly?"

"It's going very smoothly. We held an internal seminar with the joint venture factory in Hongxing a while ago, and the process is faster than expected. We should be able to officially take over and start construction within the next ten days."

"Okay, sure. I'll report back as there are any updates."

"Okay, goodbye Michael."

"goodbye."