"What can you do? If you love someone, you have to compromise. Either you compromise with him, or she compromises with you..." Zhu's ninth sentence made Qin Xiaoyu feel uneasy. Was this A Lei pouring out his troubles to him?

Standing outside for a while was still a bit chilly, so Qin Xiaoyu hugged her shoulders and went back inside. She snuggled into the still-warm blankets and instantly felt alive. She went over what she had just seen in her mind a few times, but before she could figure it out, she was already asleep.

When she got up in the morning, she was startled and sat up abruptly, only to see A Lei staring at her.

"You're back?"

"Where did I go?" Are asked, puzzled.

"Last night, I dreamt that you were drinking with your martial uncle," Qin Xiaoyu asked tentatively.

“That’s just wishful thinking,” Are said bluntly.

"It's like a dream, it feels so real." Qin Xiaoyu pouted as she got out of bed, put her feet into her cotton slippers, then stopped. Why is there dirt on the soles of these slippers?

Was last night not a dream? Zhu Jiudi likes A Lei, not her?

Qin Xiaoyu stared at A Lei in shock, asking, "You're not gay, are you?"

"What's wrong?" A Lei touched her forehead, then touched his own.

"Okay, it's nothing, I was just overthinking it." Qin Xiaoyu chuckled. This is just her true nature as a fujoshi, stop teasing yourself.

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Zhu Jiujiu's words resonated with her. Now it seems that A Lei was the one who was going along with her and cooperating with her all along.

She should also be more mindful of her priorities. Don't lose the person you love most.

With the addition of Xiangyang Garment Factory, Qin Xiaoyu's pressure was immediately relieved. The old factory sent technicians and managers, and production soon began.

She can now return to Guangzhou with peace of mind.

Now that the four garment factories have resumed production and things have stabilized, Qin Xiaoyu is starting to plan for the next step. Setting up a factory in Guangzhou is now a necessity, as north-south transportation is inconvenient, making a local factory essential.

We still need to ask Ye Qiu for help with this. No one else is genuinely willing to help; they're all incredibly slick.

“There are a few villages down there with many small workshops, but they’re not large-scale. Why don’t you find a couple to try out first?” Ye Qiu was quite knowledgeable about the market.

"I want to mass-produce and maintain high quality, but I'm afraid a small workshop won't do," Qin Xiaoyu said, somewhat troubled.

"By the way, I was thinking of coming here alone. You were here when we ate together last time, that Mr. Dong, the one who gave me his business card? What a coincidence, I ran into him a couple of days ago, and he got tricked by Gao Daxiong."

"What do you mean?" Qin Xiaoyu asked curiously, because this matter was related to Gao Daxiong. There were rumors that he and his wife had fled to Taiwan to avoid trouble, and that Master K had issued a kill order.

"Gao Daxiong wanted to make high-quality counterfeits, so we set up a factory for him to cooperate with. Who knew someone would report him, and the anti-counterfeiting authorities shut down the factory. Gao Daxiong was disloyal. He wouldn't pay a single penny of the fine, and the two of them broke up. His business is mainly in other provinces, and he only invested in this one factory in Guangzhou. Now Gao Daxiong can't find him either; he's too far away to manage him."

"So he owns a factory?" Qin Xiaoyu's eyes lit up when she heard that. A factory that can produce high-quality replicas for Gao Daxiong must have good technology.

"Yes, it's a new machine. Now that the cooperation with Gao Daxiong has fallen through, we don't know what to do next. You know how the market is now. If we don't make high-quality replicas, it's hard to sell them. But if we do, there will always be inspections." Ye Qiu sighed.

"It's tough to create original designs these days. I'm pushing myself to the limit," Qin Xiaoyu said with a wry smile. People would rather buy a knock-off of a big brand than an original product than pay the same price for the same item.

I still need to build a reputation.

"If you're interested, I'll arrange to meet him and we can talk."

Qin Xiaoyu never expected that Ye Qiu would invite Boss Dong to a karaoke bar.

"You're not allowed to go." A Lei frowned.

"You stay with me." Qin Xiaoyu pouted again.

"Hurry up and bring Dada and the others over, I can't control you anymore." A Lei's protests were useless, so he could only obediently get into the car.

Upon meeting Ye Qiu, Qin Xiaoyu learned that the location had been chosen by Boss Dong. She felt a little uneasy; the old man was wicked and had no good intentions.

A Lei didn't go into the private room; he sat down outside.

Qin Xiaoyu deliberately chose a conservative outfit, but A Lei stared at her back, still feeling displeased.

Mr. Dong was already sitting inside waiting. There were two bottles of red wine on the table. When they came in, he smiled broadly.

"Mr. Qin, it's a pity we didn't have a proper chat last time we met." Mr. Dong extended his hand, but Qin Xiaoyu simply sat down opposite him without taking it.

Ye Qiu sat between Boss Dong and Qin Xiaoyu, separating them.

"Mr. Dong, your business is big, and I know you're very busy. Let's get straight to the point and discuss the factory matter so we can finalize it."

"No way, I finally managed to get two beautiful ladies out for a karaoke session and some drinks." Boss Dong wasn't about to talk about the factory directly. He could tell that Qin Xiaoyu was interested in acquiring it, and even more so, she wanted a piece of the pie.

"Come on, let's sing." Qin Xiaoyu understood what he meant as soon as she saw him like this, so she decided to teach him a lesson.

"Ms. Qin is beautiful, so her singing must be sweet too. Please sing one for me." Mr. Dong eagerly went up to select a song.

"Give me a song, 'The Moon Walks, I Walk Too.'" Qin Xiaoyu saw this song on the list and immediately selected it.

Qin Xiaoyu did it on purpose. Although she wasn't a very good singer, she had still captivated Zhou Xing.

But this time she was just there to cause trouble, and without any regard for the consequences, she started singing off-key, every single line completely out of tune. After the song was over, Ye Qiu laughed until his stomach hurt, while Boss Dong's expression wasn't very pleasant.

"One more song?" Qin Xiaoyu continued to request songs.

"No, Little Fish, I'm going deaf. Let's talk about serious matters," Ye Qiu pleaded.

"Mr. Dong? Shall we talk business or go sing karaoke?"

"Let's get down to business. Come on, Mr. Qin, have a drink."

"Sorry, I'm allergic and don't drink alcohol at all." Qin Xiaoyu pushed the glass back directly.

"Mr. Qin, this attitude is not right. Doing business requires sincerity, and you're showing a complete lack of sincerity." Mr. Dong's expression grew increasingly grim.

"If you don't want to talk, then we'll be leaving. Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Dong." Qin Xiaoyu winked at Ye Qiu.

"Fine, forget it then." Boss Dong sullenly sat back down on the sofa. It seems this guy is also well-off and unyielding.

Qin Xiaoyu remembered that when she was negotiating with people, if they couldn't agree on a price, she would be called back if she slowly walked forward. This Boss Dong really knows how to hold back.

When she saw A Lei, who was sitting idly in the lobby, her eyes betrayed her disappointment.

"The talks didn't go through?"

"Um."

"He sent you here, why couldn't the talks be completed?" A Lei was getting agitated.

“I sang him a song, and he didn’t want to talk to me anymore.” “You wait.”

A Lei strode towards the private room. Qin Xiaoyu panicked a little. Was he going to beat someone up?

Ye Qiu, at a loss, pulled her along. The two waited for about five minutes before A Lei, his hair still perfectly styled, came out from inside.