“Of course not.” Zhu Jiayu looked at her and smiled. “As I said, Miss Gu, all conditions are negotiable. If you are not interested, that’s fine. I can make other plans.”
"But after I made this decision, the first person I thought of was you. So while there is still room for negotiation, I hope you can consider it, or rather, what kind of concessions you would like me to make."
She spoke frankly: "If I were only seeking to do clothing business in one or two cities, I naturally wouldn't be able to easily grant Miss Gu's requests. But Miss Gu, my ambitions are far greater. What you consider crucial may not be what I'm focusing on. Have you thought about that?"
Zhu Jiayu looked up and looked at her seriously: "Originally, I wanted to ask Song Jiangmei to negotiate with you. She is very good at social maneuvering and is best at understanding people's hearts. But last night I thought about it for a long time and decided to visit you in person. Miss Gu, I am sincere."
Gu Heguang also looked at her.
Their eyes met and collided in mid-air. After a moment, Gu Heguang was the first to look away.
Zhu Jiayu's keen business acumen has been evident in today's events. If Gu Heguang were to be her opponent, he would worry about his situation. She is the kind of person who, once she makes up her mind to do something, will do it to the best of her ability. If she puts in the effort but cannot get the results she wants, she would rather it had never happened.
She silently watched the rising steam from the tea in front of her. Zhu Jiayu's beautiful features were blurred in the steam, creating a vibrant watercolor painting that exuded wealth and elegance.
Gu Heguang stared at her: "What do you want? Most women in the world pray to grow old with their ideal husband, or to live a life of wealth and leisure. Miss Zhu is born with a beautiful face, has a discerning eye, and is exceptionally capable. What do you want?"
Perhaps realizing she had been too aggressive, she smiled and softened her tone, apologizing, "I had no intention of prying into Miss Zhu's privacy, but if we're going to discuss cooperation, I think some things should be made clear beforehand."
Zhu Jiayu nodded: "If these are Miss Gu's concerns, I can assure you that none of what you said will happen. I have hatred in my heart and want to find someone to take revenge on, but before that, I need to accumulate strength."
At this point, Gu Heguang understood somewhat: "The embroidery shop business is the savings you've prepared?"
“Yes, but that’s not all. The embroidery workshop is just the first step.” Zhu Jiayu stopped there and looked at Gu Heguang. “No matter what my situation is in the future, I can promise Miss Gu that I will not implicate you and the embroidery workshop. I only ask that if I fail in the future, Miss Gu can take care of my relatives.”
Gu Heguang looked at her with amusement: "You don't even have the belief that you can win, so what are you talking about in terms of revenge?"
"Human effort can be exhausted, but fate is hard to defy. I believe in myself, but I cannot believe in fate."
"Even so, you still want to do it?"
"I demand justice." Zhu Jiayu's hand, hidden under her wide sleeve, gradually tightened. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the white porcelain cup. She said softly but firmly, "A heart filled with injustice cannot be soothed by wine. Only by pointing a sword at the clouds can one find true satisfaction."
"Okay, I'll help you."
A breeze stirred by the window, dispersing the tea smoke and revealing Zhu Jiayu's beautiful face once more. Gu Heguang saw the deep hatred in her calm eyes and laughed, "I'd like to see how you seek justice and satisfaction."
"Let's discuss the terms. If you're certain that the Zhu Family Embroidery Workshop will open a branch in Heling, I will close down Yuchaifeng and manage the Zhu Family Embroidery Workshop full-time, but not as an assistant, but as the second owner. You will decide the general direction of the workshop's operation, but the specific styles and patterns, as well as how to select and launch new products, will all be under my control. Not only in Heling City, but also in other branches in the future, I will uniformly assign managers, supervisors, and staff."
"If we're going to do it, let's do it big, how about that?"
Zhu Jiayu replied without hesitation, "I will do whatever Miss Gu says."
“Just call me A-Yu. My nickname is A-Yu. When my mother gave birth to me, she hoped that I would bring honor to my family and achieve great things.” Gu Heguang said to her, “Tell me your plans.”
Zhu Jiayu then told her about his original plans for the embroidery workshop. He mentioned that he had asked the shopkeeper in Suiping to send experienced embroiderers to Heling, and that he had also asked him to send embroidered garments that met the aesthetic standards of the women in Heling. Now all that was left was to hire employees and rent a shop.
Gu Heguang replied, "That's no trouble at all. I have the shop and manpower ready. If you want, the Zhu Family Embroidery Workshop can be opened tomorrow."
Zhu Jiayu smiled and said, "There's no need to rush. Why don't you put the embroidery and ready-made clothes sent from Suiping in your shop to sell first? We can see the market and make some improvements while we still have time."
Gu Heguang also thought it was feasible and said, "Then have someone send the things over later."
Zhu Jiayu agreed, took out two scrolls from her sleeve, and handed one of them to Gu Heguang.
Gu Heguang opened the scroll and found it to be a contract. The rights and obligations of Party A and Party B were all blank, except for Zhu Jiayu's signature in the lower right corner.
"Ayu, please complete it. You can keep this copy," Zhu Jiayu said.
Gu Heguang's eyes flickered slightly, and he muttered softly, "You actually believe me."
What shocked her even more was Zhu Jiayu's courage.
However, she didn't know that Zhu Jiayu had a backup plan for producing such a blank contract.
Zhu Jiayu smiled slightly and offered no explanation. She handed the other portion to Gu Heguang, saying, "You can make up for this one too, and give it to me later."
Gu Heguang nodded.
Zhu Jiayu then stood up: "It's getting late, I should go back. Goodbye, Ayu."
Gu Heguang escorted her downstairs and then began to arrange for Yuchai Feng to be transformed.
After leaving the Jade Hairpin Phoenix, Zhu Jiayu and Lüzheng were walking along the road when they suddenly heard the sound of approaching hooves. Before she could even react, she was blinded by the sand and dust coming towards her.
The next moment, she was pulled aside, and as soon as she stood still, she saw the person next to her draw a long sword and slash at her.
The maddened horse's legs were severed, and the tall horse fell to the ground neighing. The rider was also saved and quickly dismounted to thank the swordsman.
Zhu Jiayu then came to her senses and recognized the person who had saved her.
It is Wei Qinglou.
The scene before my eyes overlapped with the scene at the Suiping city gate back then.
She felt that fate had its own design.
If she hadn't witnessed him saving someone back then, she wouldn't have saved him again in the wilderness, much less told him to live well. Now, with the horse in danger, probably no one would have come to her rescue.
She looked up, met the boy's eyes as he turned back, and smiled, "This time it's my turn to thank you."
Wei Qinglou also smiled: "Indeed rare."
They were laughing happily, while Shu Jian, who was standing to the side, was almost scared out of his wits. His young master always valued his life the most and would avoid any dangerous situation in the past. But just now, the situation was so critical, yet he actually rushed straight up. The guards didn't even have time to react!
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