In the stillness of the night, the sounds of cicadas and frogs filled the Xianghu Bay villa.
Because they were going to the wholesale market the next day, Xue Qiandai and Jian Yan went to bed before 11 p.m.
About half an hour later, a gasp came from Xue Qiandai's room.
"Dad, Dad, don't leave me alone! Dad..."
Xue Qiandai sat up abruptly, still shaken, her forehead covered in sweat. She patted her chest, panting heavily.
Jian Yan rushed over to her bedside. "Dai Dai, are you alright? I'm here."
The nightlights were on, but the light was dim. Xue Qiandai looked up at Jian Yan, as if a drowning person had grasped at a straw. "Jian, I dreamed about my father."
Since the two started living together, Xue Qiandai has never mentioned her family background; everything that can be reported is already in the news. If Xue Qiandai doesn't want to talk about it, Jian Yan won't ask any further questions.
"Dai Dai, your father will be alright." Such comfort was weak and powerless, but she had to say something.
Xue Qiandai hugged Jian Yan, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Jian, sleep with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."
After the incident at Youyue Club, Xue Qiandai had a premonition that her father had been framed. His enemies were now targeting her. However, with a beautiful woman by her side before, this insecurity was selectively forgotten. In fact, she had been under immense pressure these past few days.
Jian Yan helped her lie down, her voice gentle and soft, "Okay, let's sleep together."
Staring at the ceiling, Xue Qiandai was wide awake. She suddenly said, "Jane, you don't seem to have any interest in my family's story at all."
The once-powerful Xue family business empire is now in decline. Who wouldn't be interested? Jian Yan is very perceptive. "If you want to tell me, you will. If you don't want to tell me, there's no point in me asking."
"Let me tell you about my father's rise to wealth." It was a long time ago, but Xue Qiandai knew it like the back of her hand. "My father was from Chaoshan. He had an older brother and a younger sister. There's a saying that goes, 'Wherever there is sea, there are Chinese people, and wherever there are Chinese people, there are Fujian merchants.' He went through a period of poverty in his childhood. He was influenced by his mother, my grandmother, from a young age and started working at a young age to help support the family."
“My dad and uncle went to Northeast China to pan for gold before he finished junior high school. People said that the black soil there was full of treasures. My dad never said what he did that year, but he did whatever made money. In short, they saved up five thousand yuan in a year.”
"Perhaps my father felt that there weren't many opportunities in Northeast China. He was preparing to return to Chaoshan. When he passed through Beijing, he was stranded for a few days because of the shortage of train tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush. In the mid-1980s, Xidan and Wangfujing department stores had already opened in Beijing. The spring tide of reform and opening up made everyone feel excited."
“My father had never seen a big city like Beijing before. When he had nothing to do, he would go shopping in Xidan and Wangfujing. People in Beijing dress fashionably, which is far superior to that in Northeast China. Once, while strolling around, he discovered a prime location near the Second Ring Road where time-honored brands were selling their products, but business was dismal. He had an idea: he could source goods from the south and sell them there, which might be very popular.”
"So, he gambled on the 5,000 yuan he had earned in Northeast China and borrowed another 30,000 yuan from relatives and friends to take over a shop near the Second Ring Road. My father sourced goods from Guangdong and overseas, and the business started to improve. At that time, many clothing stores were still state-owned, and their strength and channels were stronger than my father's. After discussing with my uncle, my father established the business strategy of 'insisting on retail and small profits but quick turnover'."
"In the early 1990s, my father's business acumen became apparent. He was the first to use the margin of the Beijing Youth Daily to advertise Xue's Clothing City. In the minds of people at that time, 'only things that don't sell need advertising,' but my father changed the views of a generation. He published the prices of new products and promotional items every month. Xue's Clothing City's business flourished."
“In the early 1990s, my father had already opened several chain stores in the clothing market in Beijing. My uncle wanted to develop his business in Guangdong, and the two disagreed and separated.”
"Later, Xue's clothing chain stores expanded nationwide. At the beginning of the millennium, at its peak, it controlled more than 200 clothing stores. With this, he became the most dazzling entrepreneur in the capital and ranked among the top of the Fortune list."
These untold stories, told by Xue Qiandai, made Jian Yan feel as if she had witnessed history firsthand. Through this glimpse, she gained a glimpse into the spirit of the first generation of entrepreneurs.
"Dai Dai, where is your mother?" Jian Yan asked curiously.
"Mom?" Xue Qiandai's voice was calm, without self-pity or sorrow. "I only heard Dad say that she came from a wealthy family in the capital and was very well-educated and cultured. She met Dad in the late 1980s, and it was a whirlwind marriage. Her health was never good, and she suffered a severe hemorrhage during my birth and passed away. I've lived with Dad all these years. Dad must have loved Mom very much, which is why he hasn't remarried all these years."
Jian Yan grasped Xue Qiandai's hand. Her life seemed glamorous, but without her mother's companionship, she must have suffered greatly. "And then?"
Xue Qiandai didn't say anything, "Jane, let's go to sleep. Tomorrow we'll have the final showdown at Dongpi."
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Huo Yunchao, returning from a social engagement, went back to the 27th floor of Yintai Center.
It was past midnight, and no one was in the company except for one light that was still on—Li Xing's.
"Mr. Huo, you...you're still here?" Li Xing was a little flustered, after all, it was the first time he had met his boss while working overtime.
Huo Yunchao looked at him and said, "It's so late, go home after get off work. Remember to take the receipts and ask Fang Yun for reimbursement."
Li Xing scratched his head and casually pointed to a sleeping bag on the ground. He hadn't been home for several days, and apart from showering at the gym in Yintai, he'd been eating, sleeping, and living at the company. He handed over a thick stack of documents. "President Huo, this is a summary of the brands and merchants in over a hundred business districts in the 20 cities we initially plan to enter. We'll be calling each merchant via telemarketing. For merchants we can't win over, we'll negotiate on-site. I've already agreed on the commission policy with my former employer."
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