"Huh? No... I can't sign?"

Zhang Guoqiang's hand holding the pen trembled violently, his face turned pale, and he asked in a trembling voice.

As the deputy director of the No. 1 Garment Factory in G City, with the director frequently absent due to leave, the entire burden of the factory rested on his shoulders.

The factory employs seven or eight hundred people, and their families depend on him for a living.

He has put in a lot of effort over the past year to revive the factory, but with little success.

Now, the factory is in its most difficult situation.

He was losing money every month, and the Light Industry Bureau would call him in for talks every few days.

He finally found hope in Zhou Qiqi and showed her his utmost sincerity.

Although the general content of the contract was as agreed by both parties, Zhang Guoqiang basically handed over the initiative to Zhou Qiqi in other minor details, without imposing any restrictions.

Even the profit margin was reduced from 15% to 16% due to strong opposition from the leaders of the Light Industry Bureau.

He desperately wanted to save the factory.

However, to his surprise, even after he had shown such sincerity, Zhou Qiqi still said she couldn't sign. He found it hard to accept, and his eyes even turned red.

Zhou Qiqi didn't expect him to react so strongly, so she quickly smiled apologetically and explained.

"Hey, Director Zhang, don't misunderstand. I mean we can't sign right now, not that we don't want to."

Zhang Guoqiang quickly wiped the sweat from his face and hurriedly asked, "So you mean...?"

Zhou Qiqi said.

“This is a big deal. I need to take the contract back to my husband so he can have a better understanding of the situation.”

This was something she and Shen Huaichuan had agreed upon. After all, once a contract is signed, it becomes legally binding, and every clause must be carefully reviewed before signing it directly.

"I didn't think it was anything special. It's just what I should do, it's just what I should do."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guoqiang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly patted his chest. He had almost wanted to take a nitroglycerin pill just now, but now a smile was back on his face.

"Now that we're married, it's true that we should discuss such important matters with our spouses. I didn't think it through. If my wife were still here, I would definitely do the same."

Zhou Qiqi looked up. "Ah... Brother Zhang, you're still so young, how come your wife is already..."

When talking about his deceased wife, Zhang Guoqiang's eyes instantly reddened again.

"She was in poor health and developed a tumor eight years ago, which was not cured."

Zhou Qiqi quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm clumsy with words, I shouldn't have brought these things up."

Zhang Guoqiang waved his hand.

"No, no, no, I said it myself, how can I blame you? Let's continue talking about the contract. Is there anything else that needs to be changed?"

Zhou Qiqi smiled slightly.

"There really is one, a small detail that I feel needs to be changed."

"Okay, go ahead."

Hearing Zhou Qiqi say it was a small detail, Zhang Guoqiang leaned back in his chair and listened attentively. But as he listened, he quickly picked up his pen and notebook and started writing.

After Zhou Qiqi finished speaking, a bitter smile appeared on his face, and he slowly closed the notebook.

"This is no small detail; it's a major change. It seems Comrade Zhou still doesn't trust me."

Zhou Qiqi's eyes were bright, and she chuckled softly.

"Hey, Director Zhang, you're mistaken. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I really don't have the time. Compared to business, the health of my family is more important. What do you think?"

The "small details" Zhou Qiqi mentioned were about changing the overall framework of the contract to a phased contract.

The inventory of more than a dozen items in the warehouse was divided into three phases, and each phase was completed one by one. After the first phase was completed, both parties signed a contract for the next phase.

With Shen Huaichuan currently injured and hospitalized, she simply doesn't have the energy to deliver so many design drawings at once.

What she said made sense, and Zhang Guoqiang was very understanding. He slowly closed his notebook and said with a smile.

"Yes, yes, no problem, everything will be done as you said. As for the contract... I'll draft a new one and send it to you tomorrow?"

Zhou Qiqi shook her head.

"No, I'll make the trip again."

It's a business collaboration after all. Asking someone to go to the hospital would inevitably cost money, which isn't appropriate. Besides, I'm also afraid of revealing my identity as a military wife.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Zhou Qiqi decided to leave.

She had two large pieces of beef shank left over from lunch, which she planned to braise into stewed beef, as she was running late.

Before she left, Zhang Guoqiang deliberately pulled out a large snakeskin bag from under his desk, saying, "Please take these."

"No, no, I can't accept this." Zhou Qiqi waved her hand.

She knew Zhang, the deputy factory director's, financial situation well. He only received the lowest salary each month and had to support two children, so she couldn't accept his gifts.

Besides, this is a business collaboration. Accepting gifts would change the nature of the relationship, and if people find out, it could lead to serious trouble.

Zhang Guoqiang waved his hand and unzipped the snakeskin bag.

"Hey, it's nothing precious. It's just some fabric I got for free from the Light Industry Bureau. It's from the coast, and you can't buy it anywhere else."

Zhou Qiqi leaned closer to take a look and saw that the snakeskin bag was full of fabrics, all kinds of colors, including nylon, acrylic, and some plain crepe satin, georgette and the like, all of which she could not find in the fabric market.

However, they are not in large quantities; most are only a few meters long, and some are just small pieces. I guess they were taken by various factories for research.

This week, Qiqi didn't hold back. As a fashion designer, her favorite thing is fabric, and she couldn't refuse at all. She quickly thanked Deputy Factory Director Zhang.

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