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

The small private room was bright and clean, with the afternoon sun shining obliquely through the glass.

The windows had been opened beforehand, allowing for air circulation and eliminating the stuffy, greasy smell typical of a cafeteria.

A clean, light-colored tablecloth was laid on the round table.

After entering the room, Zhou Qiwen deliberately stopped and turned around to look for Ye Wenxi, with a gentle smile on his face.

"Comrade Xiao Ye, come, sit here."

Ye Wenxi sat down in the guest seat next to him as instructed, and Lu Weidong sat down right next to her.

The waiter quickly brought out the dishes, which were clearly stir-fried separately. The meat and vegetable dishes were much more plentiful than those served outside, and several of them were hearty dishes that you wouldn't normally see in the cafeteria.

Zhou Qiwen picked up his chopsticks and greeted them with a smile.

"Don't be shy, eat first, and we can talk business after you've eaten your fill."

He started eating first, and the slightly awkward atmosphere at the table immediately eased.

Seeing this, everyone else also started eating.

Zhou Qiwen took a couple of bites of food, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked casually.

"Xiao Ye, did you study fashion design?"

Ye Wenxi answered naturally: "I haven't studied it systematically, I just like it and figure it out on my own."

Zhou Qiwen nodded and picked up a slice of meat: "Oh? How do you find it?"

Ye Wenxi sighed inwardly, "As expected, they've arrived."

Her chopsticks didn't stop; she picked up a piece of green vegetable, her tone and actions as natural as her words.

"My family wasn't well-off when I was a child, and we didn't have many toys."

"Sometimes I would use scraps of cloth to sew little clothes for the rag dolls."

As he spoke, he picked up the teapot and poured some water into the cup in front of Zhou Qiwen.

"Later, when I got older, there was an old tailor in the village. He was a kind man, and seeing that I liked him, he taught me a lot. That was my first real encounter with tailors."

She looked up, smiled shyly, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of braised pork on Lu Weidong's plate.

"After I learned to read, I browsed through a few books in the town's bookstore, such as 'Basic Knowledge of Clothing Cutting' and 'Simple Clothing Pattern Making'."

"If you only half understand what you're reading, you can use old newspapers to illustrate, or you can take apart and alter old clothes that you don't want anymore."

She put down her chopsticks, ate a bite of rice herself, swallowed it, and then continued speaking.

"That's how we slowly figured it out."

She described it casually, and the scene and process of her self-study were extremely relatable to a young girl from a rural background.

Because this was a prepared statement she had given in advance, her answer was natural and fluent, and there was not a single fault to be found.

Zhou Qiwen listened, his eyes filled with amazement:

"To have learned to this level through self-study, Xiao Ye, you're truly exceptional..."

His gaze fell on Ye Wenxi, and he looked her over again.

"If I'm not mistaken, you made this outfit yourself, didn't you?"

Ye Wenxi was holding a soup spoon, adding half a spoonful of soup to Lu Weidong's bowl beside her.

She looked up at the question and replied with a smile, "Yes, I designed it myself."

She put down her spoon, looked at Zhou Qiwen, and her eyes held just the right amount of expectation.

"Sir, you also think it's alright?"

Zhou Qiwen was amused by her feigned ignorance and burst out laughing.

It attracted so many people to watch at the entrance of the cafeteria. Its style, color, and design are all outstanding.

"It's more than just 'okay'!"

Zhou Qiwen spoke frankly, his tone revealing genuine appreciation.

"I really can't imagine where you get all these ideas from, it's like..."

He paused, seemingly searching for a suitable word, and finally shook his head with a smile.

"They look like they stepped out of a futuristic magazine..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wenxi smiled gently.

She didn't notice that Lu Weidong's expression paused slightly for a moment before returning to normal.

Then, Ye Wenxi clearly said a sentence that made everyone at the table stop what they were doing.

"You're right, this is indeed a 'future' design."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Zhou Qiwen put down his chopsticks: "Oh? What do you mean?"

Lu Weidong also turned his head to look at his wife's calm profile.

"The 'future' here does not refer to time."

"This is the place we are destined to reach."

Ye Wenxi quietly stated:

"I was just the one who dared to raise my head first, look ahead more, and try to sew my imagination into reality."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Zhou Qiwen asked with a smile, "Sew imagination into reality?"

Ye Wenxi smiled gently and raised her hand to touch the buttons on her cotton-padded jacket.

"Take this piece of clothing as an example."

The conversation had already begun, and Ye Wenxi decided to seize the opportunity and continue.

She stood up and deftly unbuttoned the first wooden button on her diagonal jacket.

The action came suddenly, and the leaders at the table were clearly taken aback, their eyes instinctively turning to Lu Weidong.

Lu Weidong simply sat quietly, his gaze fixed on Ye Wenxi, as calm as if he had already expected it.

Ye Wenxi took off her light pink coat, revealing a beige shirt and light-colored sweater underneath.

She then began to explain how to incorporate floral elements into the outfit.

From pattern design to color, from embroidery pattern to cutting...

"What supports my design is only one extremely contrasting, even somewhat avant-garde, concept."

She looked at Zhou Qiwen, her voice clear:

"That is, in winter, so that women who wear this outfit can also bloom and be beautiful like flowers."

Zhou Qiwen nodded slightly.

"The idea is bold, yet it can be put into practice."

"Xiao Ye, your design skills are evident to all."

Several leaders at the table nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"It's really novel and very good."

"Hmm...daring to think and daring to do."

Zhou Qiwen then turned to Lu Weidong, his tone softening slightly, but his words becoming even more serious:

"Weidong, I have carefully read the report you submitted."

He put down his teacup, the bottom of which lightly touched the table.

"However, the military region has officially approved organizations with a business nature."

"It seems... there's no precedent for this."

There was a moment of silence at the table after these words were spoken.

There is no precedent.

This is both the reality before us and a threshold that requires wisdom and courage to cross.

But Zhou Qiwen said this while looking at Lu Weidong.

Ye Wenxi picked up the warm water in front of her and took a sip, not in a hurry to reply.

"Sir, let me share my thoughts."

Lu Weidong sat up straight and cleared his throat:

"Leaving aside my relationship with my partner, let's analyze it from a purely practical perspective."

"There was no precedent before because the time wasn't right and the policies hadn't opened up any possibilities."

"And also because, before, no one dared to think about it, nor could anyone figure it out or do it."

He continued, his tone impartial, stating only the facts.

"Comrade Ye Wenxi approached the initial stages of this garment cooperative and mutual aid society with a systematic mindset."

"From material selection and pricing to recruitment and training, and then to quality control and profit distribution, she has a methodical approach."

He went on to explain Yeh Wen-hsi's clear and logical considerations regarding scaling up, standardization, and even future development.

There was no exaggeration or embellishment; it simply and precisely grasped the concerns of the leaders present, analyzing them step by step.

Ye Wenxi opened her eyes slightly and looked at him.

She had no idea when he had figured out her ideas and thoughts so clearly.

That night, after she fell asleep, she flipped through her notes and account books page by page.

Or is it something you notice during casual conversations?

She looked at Lu Weidong in front of her and, in an extremely calm tone, explained her analysis without any emotional coloring.

At this moment, what she heard sounded like the most passionate words of love.

Every word struck her heart, making her feel hot.

"We have just come through a difficult period, and many things were abruptly cut off," Lu Weidong continued.

These words reminded everyone present of that turbulent decade.

"Now that the situation has eased up a bit, people's courage to do things seems to be constrained, for fear of making a mistake."

"Therefore, I think Comrade Ye Wenxi is absolutely right."

"We should be bolder, look forward, and envision the future, instead of constantly looking back and comparing ourselves to the old framework."

"That concludes my thoughts."

After Lu Weidong finished speaking, he nodded to everyone as if he were giving a report.