Chapter 21

"Keep your voice down." Xu Zhuwen frowned. "I'm just telling you to pay attention to hygiene, don't misinterpret it."

"I'm just making things up," Qian Song said angrily, hands on his hips. "What makes you think you can look down on me? You've spent your whole life sitting in this office, doing the same work any graduate could do. If you weren't here, you..."

Xu Zhuwen's face turned cold. "Qian Song, I can understand if you have emotions, but if you attack me because you have emotions, then I have to question your character."

"I have low moral character." Qian Song stood in front of Xu Zhuwen, glaring at her angrily, his eyes bloodshot, whether from anger or from staying up all night. "Ha, Xu Zhuwen, you think you have high moral character? You own several companies, employ a lot of people, and you think I can just talk so easily? What makes you think you can compare to me?"

"Why should I compare myself to you?" Xu Zhuwen scoffed. "Qian Song, don't you find that ridiculous?"

"Am I the ridiculous one, or are you?" Qian Song's temples throbbed with barely perceptible veins. "Do you know how meaningful and valuable what I'm doing is for the industry? Do you know how much it takes to accomplish this? You know nothing. All you know is to argue with me about trivial matters at home every day."

"You think I'm arguing with you over trivial family matters?" Xu Zhuwen sneered. "Are you saying I have a narrow mind and you have a broad mind?"

“I didn’t say that, you said it yourself.” Qian Song’s lips curled into a straight line. “I’m so sleepy, I don’t want to argue with you, Xu Zhuwen. I’m not in the mood or have the energy to play house with you lately, so don’t bother me.”

Xu Zhuwen stared at Qian Song expressionlessly for a while before turning and leaving.

...

Qian Song slammed the study door shut.

However, lying on the small bed in the study, he tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. He felt that when he closed his eyes, all he could see were various payment reminders, like ticking time bombs.

bite--

My phone received another message.

Qian Song's fingertips trembled slightly. He was hesitant to look at the message, yet he had no choice but to.

This time it wasn't a text message, but a WeChat message from assistant Xiao Wang: "Mr. Qian, the factory is calling again to ask for the final payment."

Qian Song suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard on the bed several times, making his phone bounce on the bed, but fortunately it didn't fall to the ground.

Qian Song's tense heart could not relax. He kept his eyes open, feeling a tightness in his chest, as if countless invisible hands were choking him, making it impossible for him to breathe.

After catching his breath in bed for a while, he picked up his phone and sent a message to Xiao Wang, "Tell them it will be soon, we will transfer the money to them very soon."

Assistant Xiao Wang seemed to be waiting for his response right in front of the phone, replying instantly, "Mr. Qian, the factory said that this time we absolutely must give them a definite date, otherwise they will come to the company to visit you in person."

This is a threat.

An absolute threat.

Qian Song gritted his teeth and sent a message to his assistant, "Try to get them to make an exception for you."

"I've covered all the possible scenarios."

Inside the simply furnished rented room, assistant Xiao Wang replied with a crying emoji.

He doesn't know how many times he's talked to his boss about this over the past few months. In the past, the partners would take their promises, but as they've been unable to fulfill their repayment commitments in recent months, the partners are no longer buying it.

Even though President Qian knew it himself, he still put him in the lead.

Assistant Xiao Wang put down his phone expressionlessly, deciding that he wouldn't reply to any more messages from the partner later.

Xiao Wang stopped replying to the partners' messages. Several of the pure-bule partners, who were in a hurry to collect payments, directly contacted Qian Song's phone.

Slow, melodious music drifted from outside the study; it was Xu Zhuwen doing yoga.

Upon hearing this sound, Qian Song would usually get up early to wash up and practice yoga with Xu Zhuwen. Sometimes, he would take a book, lie on the sofa, and read while having morning tea with Xu Zhuwen.

He drinks tea, while Xu Zhuwen drinks coffee.

Today, Qian Song only felt the noise.

He got up abruptly, rudely locked the door, and then pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from deep inside a drawer in his desk.

Xu Zhuwen doesn't like men smoking. After starting a relationship with her, Qian Song quit smoking, but he has started smoking again in recent months.

However, he usually smokes at the company and rarely smokes at home. Yet, in the last month or two, the cigarette packs in his drawer have been used up at an alarming rate.

Before he had even finished his cigarette, Qian Song sat down at his desk, turned on his computer (which he had brought back the night before and hadn't turned off yet), and the first thing he saw on the screen was last month's financial report—sales had declined by 80% year-on-year, inventory had piled up to 4 million yuan, and most importantly, office rents were going to increase again next quarter.

Qian Song took a deep drag of his cigarette, picked up his phone, scrolled through it, found a certain name, and sent a message: "Sister Li, have you been following Blue Ocean lately? I saw in the news that 'Ni Chang' just received Series B funding, which was invested by Blue Ocean."

"Really? I know the owner of 'Ni Chang'. Blue Ocean invested in them? I didn't know that. Don't worry, I'll ask someone to find out what's going on." President Li replied to Qian Song quickly, but Qian Song couldn't relax after receiving the message.

The brand "Ni Chang" has an outstanding reputation in the industry, especially in the last two years, with its sports and outdoor series selling exceptionally well, with sales increasing several times over. The recent news from Blue Ocean is that they invested in "Ni Chang". With such a successful example, would they still be interested in "pure-bule"?

In the WeChat conversation, Mr. Li's voice sounded deliberately lazy: "I told you before, traditional clothing has no future, you have to tell a technology story."

“I’m already making progress here. The sample garments are ready and have been shown to the investors at Blue Ocean. The technical team is also assembled, and we’re just waiting for the funding to come in.” Qian Song pulled a wet tissue from the table and shook the ash off his cigarette. “Blue Ocean keeps asking about technical details, which is a bit annoying.”

"Are you stupid? Just find a technical partner to lend their name to," Mr. Li chuckled. "I know a PhD who returned from overseas. I can use his resume by giving him some shares. Are you free this weekend? If you are, I'll take you to meet other investors. Let's find a few more companies. Remember to make the PPT a bit more high-tech."

The investors at Blue Ocean Capital are the ones Qian Song has met so far who have treated him the best. As for the other investors, he recalls the arrogant and mean faces of those investors at the previous parties.

Then think about all the exorbitant meal expenses incurred later to smooth things over, and...

Qian Song silently lowered his head, looking at the well-tailored designer suit he was wearing. No one knew that he had already maxed out three credit cards for it.

I don't know what Mr. Li on the other end of the line was busy with. When he didn't say anything, he quickly said that he was busy and hung up the phone.

Qian Song switched his phone screen with a gloomy expression, opened the bank app, and stared at the shockingly negative balance.

Thinking back to the eve of starting his business, he was still talking about "brand premium" at a college reunion, but now he can't even pay tens of thousands of yuan for the fabric from the supplier.

To make matters worse, knowing that he had recently been meeting and dining with investors, his relatives and friends would always ask about the company's situation, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes, when he got optimistic, he would blurt out that "we're about to get tens of millions in investment."

"Screw it." Qian Song stubbed out his cigarette hard on the already damp disinfectant wipe.

Considering the recent distant attitude of Blue Ocean Capital investors and Li Hui's monotonous rhetoric, I wondered if the so-called "smart jeans" she mentioned to him was just a concept she made up. Otherwise, why didn't she add such a good idea and model to her own company's product line?

Thinking this, a strong sense of hostility welled up between Qian Song's brows.

With a gloomy expression, he took out a cigarette from the drawer, lit it, took a few deep drags, leaned back in his ergonomic chair, and took out his phone to idly scroll through his WeChat Moments.

On his WeChat Moments, Zou Chao, a college classmate, posted a picture of his newly purchased Porsche with the caption, "Fifth year of entrepreneurship, thanks to the team."

Qian Song squinted and stared silently for a long time before slowly giving a like, only to quickly delete it.

The study was filled with smoke. Qian Song stared blankly as he scrolled through his WeChat Moments, his eyes dark and swollen.

Soon, the music in the living room outside the door stopped. Qian Song accidentally clicked on a short video. The moment the sound started, his hand trembled, and he quickly turned it off.

Xu Zhuwen was changing her shoes at the door with her bag on her back when she heard the sound of a short video playing in the study. She paused for a moment, and instead of wearing high heels, she grabbed a pair of sneakers.

Qian Song, who was sitting in his study, heard the door close outside. He sat for almost ten minutes before opening the study door, smoking a cigarette, and walking out.

The living room was quiet, with Xu Zhuwen's unfinished fruit on the dining table.

He glanced around a few times, then plunged into the kitchen. The only thing on the countertop was a coffee cup draining.

Xu Zhuwen did not make his breakfast.

Qian Song felt an uncontrollable surge of anger welling up in his heart. He lashed out, not intending to knock anything over, but accidentally knocked over Xu Zhuwen's coffee cup.

In the blink of an eye, the handmade ceramic coffee cup, as beautiful as a watercolor painting, fell to the ground, scattering shards of porcelain everywhere.

That was a handmade ceramic cup that he made together when he and Xu Zhuwen first started dating and went to Jingdezhen. Xu Zhuwen personally drew the shape, color, and pattern and made it herself.

That day, in order to make this cup, he spent the whole day with her at a popular handmade ceramics workshop in Jingdezhen.

When Xu Zhuwen first received the cup, he was overjoyed and used it for coffee at home ever since. Now, it has shattered before his very eyes.

Qian Song's brow twitched violently. He stood there, staring at the broken porcelain shards on the ground for a long time before slowly squatting down. He was originally going to pick up the shards, but for some reason, his hand didn't reach out for a long time.

...

Evening, Shuangshuiwan Residential Area.

"Happy housewarming." Xu Zhuwen handed a bouquet of bright red flowers to Li Chi'an, who was standing by the door smiling at her.

"Wow, so beautiful!" Li Chi'an exclaimed, his eyes sparkling as he held the bouquet of flowers. "Did you order them online?"

“If you ordered online, I would have delivered it directly to your home,” Xu Zhuwen explained with a smile. “The flowers online aren’t very pretty. I went to the florist myself, picked out the flowers, and had the florist arrange them. Aren’t they beautiful?”

“Absolutely gorgeous,” Li Chi’an said with a smile. “I love this candelabra and the ruby.”

"Right?" Xu Zhuwen placed the sneakers she had taken off on the shoe cabinet. "I knew you would like them."

"Mua~" Li Chian happily blew a kiss to his cousin, then looked down and saw the shoes in her hand. "It's rare to see you wearing sneakers. Did you drive here today?"

Xu Zhuwen shook her head, "I came by subway."

Seeing his cousin's face suddenly calm down, Li Chi'an said softly, "Don't buy me flowers if you're taking the subway, they're too hard to carry."

"It's alright. When I carry flowers onto the subway, many people deliberately keep their distance from me," Xu Zhuwen said with a smile, recalling her previous experience on the subway.

"Wow~" Li Chian couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he thought of what his cousin had said.

Then, the two cousins ​​slowly walked into the house.

Xu Zhuwen carefully examined the house in front of her. The brown-red archway and frosted glass in the entrance hall created a hazy interplay of light and shadow. Green plants stretched their vitality next to the glass partition surrounded by LED strip lights. In the living room, a golden chandelier scattered starlight, and a straw mat was laid on the herringbone wooden floor.

The entire house seems to have been crafted by a pair of skillful hands into a living space that flows with poetry and warmth. Every corner hides a surprise, and you can relax unconsciously as soon as you enter.

"Did you rearrange the interior design?" She remembered that her cousin had posted pictures in the group chat when she first rented the house, and the scene in front of her was different.

Li Chi'an, who was looking for a suitable place to put the flowers, smiled and said, "Yes, it looks much better than before, doesn't it?"

"It's not only beautiful, but also very comfortable." Xu Zhuwen walked through the arched doorway and gazed at the distant island through the window.

“How can you not feel comfortable?” Li Chi’an raised an eyebrow. “A house can be rented, but a home is your own.”

Xu Zhuwen smiled, "That's true."

Putting myself in her shoes, I realized that when she rented this apartment, she also spent a considerable amount of time decorating it. "Your place is more comfortable than mine."

“Your home is nice too.” Li Chi’an placed the flowers on an empty table. “Is it alright to put the flowers here?”

“Okay.” Xu Zhuwen took out her phone and snapped a few pictures of Li Chian arranging the flowers. “The colors are very festive.”

"Beautiful." After carefully placing the flowers, Li Chi'an stopped, satisfied. "Are you hungry? Would you like to eat first or have some tea first?"

"What do you want to eat?" Xu Zhuwen walked towards the kitchen. "Is my aunt making this?"

“Yes.” Li Chi’an smiled. “She said there wasn’t enough fruit, so she took Zui Zui downstairs to buy some. She just came downstairs before you arrived.”

"My aunt just loves me so much." Xu Zhuwen's voice became sweet. "Let's eat after my aunt and Zuizui come back. Let's have some tea first."

"Okay." Li Chi'an reached out and opened the cabinet in front of him. "How about some Phoenix Dancong tea?"

“Okay.” Xu Zhuwen rummaged around in the kitchen and saw several dishes that were still warm on the stove. She looked pleased. “Wow, there’s fish soup and stir-fried beef. They look delicious.”