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

Ye Wenxi gave Lu Weihua a long and earnest pep talk.

I don't know if they listened or not.

"Do you understand?" Ye Wenxi rubbed her temples.

"Yes! I understand!" Lu Weihua said confidently.

"Okay, is there anything else? If not, go to sleep early." Ye Wenxi was about to hang up the phone.

Lu Weihua: "Wait a minute, something's come up."

Ye Wenxi: "What?"

Lu Weihua: "Um... his birthday is next week, could you expedite the making of that shirt?"

Ye Wenxi: "........."

Ye Wenxi took a deep breath:

"I've figured it out. You're not stupid, you're just stubborn! You're the second most stubborn person in the Lu family."

Lu Weihua: "Please tell me first if it's possible."

Ye Wenxi: "Yes!! This is so annoying, I'm hanging up!"

"Snap—"

Lu Zhenghua and Liu Xiuyun were reading the newspaper on their bed in the bedroom when they heard Ye Wenxi muttering and grumbling on the stairs outside.

"What's wrong? Did they have a fight?" Liu Xiuyun adjusted her reading glasses and peeked towards the door.

"The two of them? They're so close they could share a pair of pants, they could argue and never break up." Lu Zhenghua reached behind him and twisted his body.

"By the way, Wenxi is going out tomorrow, so don't play chess, stay home and wait for orders," Liu Xiuyun said without looking up.

"Okay~ I guarantee I'll complete the mission." Lu Zhenghua agreed readily, then twisted his body and leaned closer, "Hiss... scratch my back."

......

Over the next few days, Ye Wenxi, dragging her still-healing foot, had Lu Zhenghua drive her to several textile factories.

She wasn't there to buy supplies; she was there to discuss custom orders.

In two months, summer clothes will be on the market. As the weather gets hotter, consumers will change their clothes more frequently, and the overall demand for summer clothes will definitely surge.

She wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to increase production volume and finalize the long-term supply relationship with the textile factory.

To this end, she first identified the fabrics that these textile factories were currently suitable for making summer clothes, learned about dyeing and printing techniques, and designed a batch of original printed patterns according to the characteristics of the fabrics, the degree of color rendering, and the limitations of the process.

These days, she takes these drawings and talks to each company one by one.

But progress was not smooth.

After two days of haggling, sending materials back and forth by errand runners, and obtaining qualification certificates from the military region and the light industry bureau, a textile factory finally agreed to give it a try.

She can make samples of simple designs, but she has to pay for the plate making fee and the machine start-up costs.

The other companies were polite on the surface and said they "supported" us, but then they never followed up.

Ye Wenxi repeatedly assured that the basic order quantity would not be less, and that she could sign a contract and make an advance payment.

But these are all large state-owned factories, with no shortage of profitable jobs and workers with endless tasks. They might not even be interested in her small amount of work.

Moreover, her requirements were high: consistent quality, unique fabric, and an exclusive contract.

What gives them the right?

The same old question still looms before her: besides the military region's reputation, what else can she bring to these large factories?

A military region's endorsement might get the other party to nod in agreement, but it won't make them willingly comply.

To get people to take her jobs and cooperate with her long-term, she needs to offer tangible benefits: stable orders, long-term growth, and a promising market.

But right now, all of this is just wishful thinking.

But Ye Wenxi had to push this forward, not just for the sake of profit; she was making a bigger move in the next stage of her strategy.

This is one step in brand building, and the first battle in laying out anti-counterfeiting measures and building barriers.

Since she had no policy or legal backing for fighting or plagiarism, her biggest reliance was not the military region or the Light Industry Bureau, but the eyes and reputation of the people.

The uniqueness of the materials will be one of the easiest anti-counterfeiting features for consumers to identify.

She wants consumers to be able to tell at a touch that this is Wenxi Clothing Company's fabric.

She wanted to make counterfeiters shudder at the sight of this material, knowing they couldn't get their hands on it.

When Lu Zhenghua brought Ye Wenxi back, Liu Xiuyun was putting dishes on the table.

"You're back? Did you close the deal today?" Liu Xiuyun knew what she had been busy with these past two days.

"It's still the same. They said they'd consider it, study it further, and then contact me again." Ye Wenxi washed her hands, her tone showing no disappointment.

Liu Xiuyun comforted her, "It's okay, take your time. We already have one company that has agreed, right? Once we achieve results and build a reputation, others will come to us on their own."

Lu Zhenghua sat on the sofa, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly spoke:

"Wenxi, how about I ask around for you? Some of my old comrades-in-arms are still working in the industrial sector..."

"No need," Ye Wenxi interrupted him, wiping her hands. "No."

Before retiring, Lu Zhenghua held a very high position in the military. For families like theirs, the biggest taboo is family members engaging in business or using connections to seek special treatment.

She didn't need to ask to guess that now that she had started a clothing company, many people were watching her closely, waiting to gossip or make a fuss about it.

These past few days, chatting with Liu Xiuyun, she discovered that Lu Zhenghua was even more upright and stubborn than she had known.

The Lu family's stubbornness was entirely inherited from him.

Water that is too clear has no fish, but Lu Zhenghua is different. He has always adhered to that bottom line and never used his privileges to benefit his family.

There might be 'enemies' watching, just waiting for Lu Zhenghua to slip up.

How could Ye Wenxi allow this upright and innocent old soldier to break his vows for her?

"My mom is right. As long as one company succeeds and the results are visible, other factories will come knocking on our door." She washed her hands and sat down at the dining table.

Lu Zhenghua thought for a moment, then raised another question:

"But didn't you say you needed a lot of new designs? One print isn't enough!"

"It's alright." Ye Wenxi picked up her bowl, smiled, and said, "I'll just design more styles. Anyway, we're hiring design assistants. It'll just be a little slower, it won't be a problem."

"Oh, right, Mom, Weidong is taking a day off tomorrow. He said he's going home to stay for a day," Ye Wenxi said.

"Okay, let's make dumplings tomorrow," Liu Xiuyun said happily.

After finishing his meal, Ye Wenxi put on his thick coat and went for a walk in the family compound. Ye Wenxi's feet were basically able to walk again, but he still couldn't walk for too long.

Spring has arrived in Northeast China, and the nighttime temperatures are not so cold.

As night deepened, the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, illuminating the road in a hazy, indistinct way.

Ye Wenxi wrapped his coat tighter, lowered his head, and walked slowly, pondering the unresolved issues as he went.

As I was walking, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me.

Ye Wenxi was taken aback, and so was the person opposite her. Clearly, neither of them had expected to meet the other here.

Ye Wenxi lowered her eyes, pretending not to see, and stepped aside.

"Comrade Ye," Xu Miao said.

Ye Wenxi stopped walking, but did not turn around.

"I'm sorry, Comrade Ye. I didn't expect to run into you today. I apologize for my previous behavior. I'm sorry for the harm I caused you." Xu Miao's soft voice came from behind.

Ye Wenxi remembered that the last time they met, Xu's father dealt with her seriously, even detaining her for three days.

She didn't know what happened after that.

Ye Wenxi sighed and turned around.

"I heard you quit your job and went to another city."

"Yes." Xu Miao nodded. "I went to Yunnan to support the military hospital there."

Ye Wenxi was taken aback; she hadn't expected this. But Xu Miao was a nurse, and this kind of support mission could very well have been arranged by Xu's father with a hint of 'punishment' in mind.

"There, I saw a lot and looked back at my former self."

"That's so stupid and ridiculous."

"So, I've been wanting to formally apologize to you. I never expected to run into you today."

She looked up at Ye Wenxi:

"I'm sorry, Comrade Ye."