Chapter 37: We must fight a good turnaround
Everyone looked at each other and swore again and again.
Su Hexi remained unmoved. "Words are nothing. If you want to come back, you can. Each of you must sign a guarantee contract, clearly spelling it out in black and white. If you are absent without reason during rehearsals or the show, cause trouble, or make any additional demands again, which affects the normal progress of the show, you must compensate me for all losses. The amount... will be ten times your last bonus. If you dare to sign, you can come back. If you don't dare, please leave now."
This condition was extremely harsh, but the models thought of the glory of their previous catwalks and the long-term opportunities it might bring. After much hesitation, they finally gritted their teeth and agreed, each going to find paper and pen to write a guarantee contract.
The problems of venue and model have been temporarily solved, but the biggest difficulty is still the fabric, which is like a mountain pressing down on us.
She could buy ordinary cloth, but she lacked the money.
Late at night, Zhou Lin quietly approached the warehouse of the textile factory. Su Hexi had no hope of obtaining fabric through regular channels.
An adventurous idea grew in his mind. Since he couldn't buy it, he would just go and "take it"! He had already divorced her, so no matter what happened, she would not be implicated!
Just as he was about to pick the lock, a low female voice sounded behind him: "Zhou Lin? What are you doing here sneaking around?"
Zhou Lin was startled and turned around suddenly. It was Cai Jinglin! She was on the night shift tonight.
"I..." Zhou Lin was speechless for a moment.
Cai Jinglin looked at the tools in his hands and the warehouse in front of him, and instantly understood: "You want to steal fabric? What's the point of a grown man like you stealing fabric?" She suddenly thought of something and looked at him with complicated eyes, "Are you doing this for Su Hexi?"
Under Cai Jinglin's questioning, Zhou Lin could no longer hide it and told her everything about Tang Yuelin's gambling agreement, the fabric blockade, and the desperate situation Su Hexi was facing at the moment.
After the divorce, he was worried that Su Hexi had nowhere to go, so he went to find Tang Yuelin.
He stood in Tang Yuelin's imposing office. Without any pleasantries, he got straight to the point. His voice was low but carried undeniable seriousness: "Director Tang, Xiaoxi has divorced me now. She is alone, helpless, and stubborn. From now on... please treat her well."
Tang Yuelin sat behind his large desk, looking with amusement at this man who, despite being out of the game, still came to entrust his ex-wife with his affairs. He smiled, his tone tinged with a hint of superiority, "Don't worry about that. Su Hexi is a rare talent, and I will naturally cherish her."
Zhou Lin's jawline tightened, and without saying anything else, he turned and left. It seemed that this was all he could do.
After that, Zhou Lin began to secretly monitor Su Hexi's movements. He thought he would see her accept Tang Yuelin's help and step by step walk towards the golden road paved for her by that man.
However, what he saw was her like a butterfly trapped in a spider web, struggling desperately, but getting tighter and tighter, and she didn't look like she was going to throw herself into Tang Yuelin's arms at all.
Zhou Lin's mind was filled with suspicion. Relying on his connections and sheer brute force, he began asking around. After much deliberation, he finally managed to extract information from several foremen he'd previously worked with, as well as the owner of the site who had ultimately reneged on his decision. It was Tang Yuelin behind the scenes, deliberately making things difficult for him!
Zhou Lin's blood rushed to his head and he rushed directly to Tang Yuelin's office, angrily asking him why he was targeting Su Hexi everywhere.
Tang Yuelin looked at her angry ex-husband without getting angry. Instead, she smiled calmly, even with a hint of cruelty, admiring the struggles of her prey. "Why? Because she and I have a gambling agreement. If she wins, I will devote all my resources to supporting her; if she loses, she and her brand will belong to me. It's interesting, isn't it? I'm just fulfilling the terms of the agreement and setting up some small obstacles for her."
Betting agreement!
Zhou Lin was struck by lightning! It suddenly dawned on him! She was under such immense pressure! All her stubbornness and persistence were meant to fight against such a behemoth! And he had actually misunderstood her as having found a good place to live, thinking that the divorce was for her own good… A huge sense of guilt and heartache instantly overwhelmed him.
He was just about to rush out to find Su Hexi, tell her everything, and find a way to help her, when he happened to see the restaurant owner waving a broom to hit her! Without a second thought, his body reacted faster than his brain, and he rushed forward to block the blow.
"...I can't just watch her lose. I don't want to see her being controlled by Tang Yuelin..."
His voice was filled with pain and determination. He couldn't give her a good life, but he would do everything in his power, even if it was clumsy or stupid, to help her.
Cai Jinglin was silent.
She felt a pang of bitterness as she watched Zhou Lin risk his life for another woman. But even more powerful was a feeling she'd been touched by when Su Hexi had helped Sun Moju get a divorce. She remembered Su Hexi's words about female support and courage.
After a long moment, she took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind: "...I'll help you."
Zhou Lin was stunned: "Jinglin, no! This is too dangerous! It will implicate you!"
Cai Jinglin shook her head, her eyes resolute. "I'm not helping her, nor am I helping you. I'm helping Su Hexi, the one who dared to speak up for Sister Sun and tell women they can divorce and live for themselves! If she can do it, so can I, Cai Jinglin! Women should help each other! Don't tell me, I know everything there is to know. I know which batches of material are good, and I know how to avoid patrols. With internal and external cooperation, the success rate is even higher!"
She was firm in her attitude. Zhou Lin knew he couldn't persuade her. With mixed feelings in his heart, he finally nodded heavily: "...Thank you!"
With Cai Jinglin as their insider, things went surprisingly smoothly. They cleverly avoided inspections and moved several rolls of high-quality fabrics from an inconspicuous corner of the warehouse.
That night, these precious pieces of cloth were quietly transported to the small room in Sun Moju Restaurant where Su Hexi was temporarily staying.
When Su Hexi saw these high-quality fabrics that she had always dreamed of suddenly appearing, she was so shocked that she was speechless.
She looked at Zhou Lin, then at Cai Jinglin, who had a somewhat unnatural expression on her face, completely confused as to what was going on: "Where did you... where did you get this fabric? How could you..."
Cai Jinglin turned her face away, her tone firm, yet with a subtle hint of awkwardness and persistence: "Although I don't like you, but... I don't want to see you lose!"
Zhou Lin looked at Su Hexi with complicated eyes, but didn't say much.
Su Hexi's gaze shifted from the fabric to Zhou Lin, then to Cai Jinglin, instantly realizing the fabric's origins might be far from simple. Her heart felt like it had been struck by something, a wave of bitterness, surprise, and an indescribable emotion surging through her.
But in the end, all her emotions dissolved into a fiercer fighting spirit and pride. She raised her chin, her eyes blazing with light, as if all her difficulties had vanished. She looked at the fabrics as if she were looking at a victory within reach, her voice clear and powerful:
"Thank you. Don't worry, not only will I not lose, but I will win beautifully!"
With these high-quality fabrics, her show would only be the icing on the cake, and she also borrowed money from Sun Moju and Cai Jinglin to buy ordinary fabrics.
Next, Su Hexi devoted herself to the preparations for the Winter Solstice Show. With the help of so many people, she must make a beautiful comeback and make all those who helped her proud of her!
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