"Tickets checked." Two train conductors walked in.

Qin Xiaoyu was well-prepared this time, bringing letters of introduction. A Lei's briefcase seemed to be overflowing with protective charms; any one of them could command respect. Without another word, they left.

“This is really bad timing,” Are said, distressed.

"You better behave yourself, or I'll be rude." Qin Xiaoyu was glad that the ticket check had been timely.

"Well, although I've lived abroad for a long time, I've also met quite a few women in China. When are you going to accept me?" A Lei was getting a little impatient.

"What kind of women do you associate with?" Qin Xiaoyu sneered.

“We have all kinds,” Are replied confidently.

"Was the smoky eye makeup from last time one of them?" Qin Xiaoyu thought of that bottle and felt that it hadn't been smashed too lightly.

"Fine, why is there a sour tone in your words?"

"Don't worry, she's not even worthy of my jealousy. You have bad taste," Qin Xiaoyu said smugly.

"Hmph." A Lei's eyes lit up again, and he laughed, "Actually, my relationship with her hasn't reached that point yet. If I hadn't run into you at the restaurant, something might have happened."

"So it's my fault?" Qin Xiaoyu was too lazy to argue with him, so she turned to lie down facing the partition. As if on purpose, there was another thud next to her, and Qin Xiaoyu's body jumped up abruptly.

The neighbors started again, leaving Qin Xiaoyu speechless.

What happened? It was supposed to be seven minutes.

A Lei watched her with schadenfreude, making her face grow increasingly red, until she could no longer sit still.

Qin Xiaoyu put on her shoes and walked out of the private room. At the junction of the carriages, a gust of cold wind calmed her down.

The door was flung open with a bang, and a man stumbled in. He was holding an unlit cigarette and hiccuping.

Qin Xiaoyu was most afraid of this kind of person and wanted to get back to the private room as soon as possible, but he was swaying and blocking the doorway, making it impossible for her to get through.

The man took out a match, struggled to light his cigarette, took a deep drag and exhaled, instantly filling the small space with the strong smell of tobacco.

Cough cough, Qin Xiaoyu couldn't help but cough out.

The man staggered back and saw Qin Xiaoyu standing to one side.

He suddenly steadied himself, and his eyes sharpened.

Qin Xiaoyu knew they were on a train and didn't dare to do anything reckless, but reasoning with a drunkard seemed a bit foolish, so he decided to run away quickly.

She gritted her teeth, walked over, and whispered, "Excuse me!"

"Hey, little girl, where are you going? We're going the same way." The man said, deliberately closing the door to prevent Qin Xiaoyu from opening it.

"Let me through!" Qin Xiaoyu was already making a backup plan. If this way was blocked, she would rather go to the other carriage and ask the train conductor for help.

"Don't rush off, have a good chat with me, I'm really lonely!" The man reached out to grab Qin Xiaoyu's arm, and she ran to the other side. She had only opened the door halfway when the man pressed his entire body against her, pinning Qin Xiaoyu to the glass door.

Just then, Qin Xiaoyu heard the wind whistling past her ears. When she finally managed to see clearly, the man was already lying on the ground, his face covered in blood.

A Lei picked her up, held her in his arms, and walked towards the private room.

The train conductor and police officer, realizing what was happening, ran over.

"He flirted with my fiancée," A Lei said coldly, then carried Qin Xiaoyu into the private room and threw her onto the bed.

Qin Xiaoyu was trembling uncontrollably. She knew she had gotten herself into trouble, so she didn't dare to look up and huddled under the covers with her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Alright, it's all over." A Lei walked over with a livid face, suddenly reached out and pulled her into a hug.

Qin Xiaoyu, feeling wronged from who-knows-where, burst into tears. A Lei gently patted her back, like comforting a child, until she calmed down.

“Not everyone in this world is as good as me, so you’d better not be so bold,” A Lei lectured her. Although Qin Xiaoyu didn’t admit it verbally, she was already convinced in her heart.

She hasn't seen enough ugliness; she should be more careful in the future.

It takes a total of twenty hours by train to get to Fengcheng. The train is so slow it's like crawling, and it stops whenever there's a battle.

They got off the bus in the early hours of the morning.

This must have been the coldest time of day, and it was the coldest period of winter in Northeast China. Qin Xiaoyu felt as if all the heat in her body had been drained away.

Ah Lei wasn't much better off than her. This young master loved to dress up, wearing a woolen overcoat, and his face was all scrunched up.

Qin Xiaoyu's suitcase was also in A Lei's hands. She hunched her shoulders, straightened her voice, and strode forward. Suddenly, she felt a little empty behind her and turned around to see if A Lei was following.

Before she even saw him, she felt a warmth spread through her body, and then she saw that A Lei's coat was already on her.

"You'll freeze!" Qin Xiaoyu blurted out, as A Lei was only wearing a wool sweater underneath.

"Hurry up and leave, so I won't get cold." A Lei's mouth was a little slurred.

Qin Xiaoyu obeyed and ran after him. When they got off the platform, they saw a Cherokee parked at the bottom of the steps, and the driver had already gotten out and opened the door.

"Your car?" Qin Xiaoyu knew that A Lei liked the Cherokee, but she couldn't have someone drive the car around with her wherever she went. This kind of show was a bit too extravagant.

"Fool," A Lei commented on her.

Qin Xiaoyu sat in the car and saw the different seat cushions before he realized that he simply owned a Cherokee in different cities. Could it be that he also had one or two women with him?

Thinking about this, Qin Xiaoyu felt annoyed. Why bother? Was this something she should care about?

The accommodation was ready and arranged, but they didn't have much time. By the time they finished getting ready, it was already dawn, and they left after breakfast.

They were going to conduct an undercover investigation.

All the state-run stores had agreed to open at 8:30 a.m. The first half hour had very few customers, and Qin Xiaoyu and A Lei, being such outstanding individuals, attracted a lot of attention.

When this counter was set up, Manager Chen stipulated that the goods would be directly sourced from Riyue Apparel, and the staff would be hired locally.

So the staff at the store didn't recognize Qin Xiaoyu, but when they saw her coming to look at clothes, they greeted her very warmly.

It's clear that there are no problems with the product display and management of the counter, so why are the sales so poor?

Qin Xiaoyu had more and more questions in her mind.

She changed into an outfit and came out of the fitting room.

“Great, I’ll buy it.” A Lei waved his hand and took out his wallet.

Qin Xiaoyu had no idea what he was up to, so she didn't stop him.

"I'll bring you a new one. This is a sample; many people have tried it," the waiter said considerately.

The waiter quickly retrieved a set of clothes from under the counter behind the counter. The packaging was correct, the style was correct, and the label was correct, but Qin Xiaoyu could tell there was a problem as soon as she touched the fabric.

This wasn't produced by Riyue Apparel. Could it have been replaced with something else?