They're looking for small businesses, but they worry the other party won't be able to keep up with production. If they had more money, they'd do it themselves. Unfortunately, they only have so much money; expanding the project would be gone in the blink of an eye.

Xing Baohua thought that if he wanted to continue looking for contract manufacturers, he would have to visit each one individually. To save trouble, he had no choice but to contact Section Chief Shen Jie.

But it's still unknown whether Section Chief Shen can be persuaded.

Sending a gift? That's the only option. Go back and get some good stuff from Liu Haibo, like cigarettes and alcohol, and deliver it to Section Chief Shen tonight. As long as it helps him find a reliable OEM manufacturer, that's fine.

I checked out of the hotel around 7 a.m. and went out. It's about a half-hour walk to the west gate of Daming Lake.

Passing by Furong Street, I bought a local specialty, fried dough twists. They were delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The outer layer was incredibly crunchy. I bought three and ordered a bowl of sweet porridge, then sat at the greasy little table, watching the people cycling to work.

After breakfast, I strolled along the moat at the west gate and arrived at the west gate of Daming Lake. This used to be the main gate, and most people entered from here.

Xing Baohua stood under the archway waiting for Su Ya.

They were quite looking forward to it, after all, this was the first time the two of them had gone out to travel and enjoy some time alone together.

Sometimes, the more you expect something, the more disappointed you will be. Suya came with a follower.

Although she's a woman, Xing Baohua was still incredibly frustrated. They couldn't even manage to hold hands properly in their relationship.

"Have you been waiting long? Let me introduce you. This is my cousin, she's a few months older than me," Su Ya said as she approached Xing Baohua.

"It hasn't been long, hello!" Xing Baohua replied to Su Ya first, and then greeted her cousin.

Moreover, Xing Baohua winked at Su Ya, as if to say: Why did you bring a third wheel?

Of course, the concept of a third wheel didn't exist back then. But it did hinder their relationship from developing further! What if things could have progressed a little more today?

"Hello, my name is Geng Ling." This young cousin also extended her hand generously. She was wearing a green floral dress and had a camera hanging on her chest with the words "Seagull" prominently displayed.

Xing Baohua shook hands lightly with the other person and asked Su Ya, "Have you eaten?"

"I've already eaten," Su Ya replied, giving Xing Baohua a helpless look.

It's obvious that this older cousin came along, but I wonder if Su Ya told her about their relationship.

"Sister, this is the colleague I was talking about. It was quite a coincidence that we met on the train." After introducing her to Geng Ling, she turned to Xing Baohua and asked, "Have you finished your business? When are you going back?"

"It's all done. If you hadn't suggested coming here for fun, I would have gone back today," Xing Baohua said. There's nothing interesting about being here anyway, and she's not in the mood for sightseeing.

After buying a ticket and entering, you walk a short distance and see a fighter jet, the model of which Xing Baohua cannot identify.

Su Ya happily went over to have her cousin take a picture for her, and then pulled Xing Baohua over as well.

Of course, both of them stood there very properly.

My cousin asked Xing Baohua, "Do you know how to use it?"

Xing Baohua shook his head slightly. He had seen this thing before, but had never handled it.

"I'll teach you, it's very simple. There's a lever here, that's the shutter button. Press it once, then flick the lever. Just make sure you see the two of us standing together in the frame. Got it?" The older cousin said, shoving the camera into Xing Baohua's hands. After giving her some instructions, she ran to stand next to Su Ya.

I've never played with a mechanical one, but I have with digital ones! They're roughly the same. Find a good angle and let the photographer be in place.

Unfortunately, it's a point-and-shoot camera; you can't adjust the shutter speed or lens, you can only use a lever and the shutter button.

Xing Baohua wanted to show off some of his old SLR camera skills, but unfortunately, he had no chance to use them.

"Xiaofang, is she really your colleague?" My cousin is quite perceptive; she noticed some of their subtle interactions. If they were just ordinary colleagues, would they be engaging in such ambiguous behavior?

Suspicion lingered in his mind, so he couldn't help but ask Su Ya.

Suya swayed her braids, smiled sweetly, and said to her little cousin, "Guess?"

"Guess what?! Let me tell you, you can't let anyone fool you, or I'll tell my aunt." Geng Ling whispered to Su Ya.

"Oh, but you can't tell anyone, okay? He's my boyfriend." Despite being best friends, she spoke of her boyfriend with a happy smile and a slight shyness.

"Ah!" The little cousin was genuinely shocked, her voice so loud that Xing Baohua, who was walking in front, turned around to look behind her, thinking something had happened.

Seeing the two sisters whispering to each other, Xing Baohua continued to look at the scenery, feeling quite bored.

"With his looks, how could you possibly be interested in him? You must be blind! What's his family background?" The older cousin asked, staring at Xing Baohua's back with an X-ray-like gaze, trying to see right through him.

I still don't understand why the two of them could get together. The only thing I can understand is that Xing Baohua's family is the same as theirs.

“His dad is the workshop director at our factory, and he’s the workshop director too. Pretty impressive, right?” Su Ya said proudly.

"You were kidnapped by some lousy director?"