Chapter 19 Chapter 19
Guan Haifu tossed and turned late into the night, still unable to fall asleep. A full day of intense filming was nothing to her youthful and exuberant energy; what truly lingered in her mind were the night breeze, the fragrance of flowers, and the bright moon.
And the man next to her who always had a calm attitude and kept a half-meter distance from her.
She shed her reserved attitude during a one-on-one conversation and worked hard to maintain her enthusiasm and enthusiasm, never letting the conversation get boring. Lu Ye also took good care of her, answering every question and even offering to treat her the next time he turned her down for some reason.
During a break, she even heard the staff discussing how Lu Ye was being particularly cooperative today. Some were even discussing arranging more plot interactions for them.
It seemed like a perfect start to others, but only she, who was on the scene, could see its true nature. Lu Ye's responses to her were perfectly honest and impeccable, but she could still sense a vague and unspoken unease amidst his cheerful humor.
If you feel very happy getting along with someone, it is not necessarily because your personalities are compatible, but more likely because you are being tolerated by the other person.
That seemed to be how Lu Ye treated her.
So when she followed the script and tentatively leaned against his left shoulder, the other's instantly gathered muscles and stagnant breath were exposed to her without any concealment. She lowered her eyes and saw that Lu Ye's left hand was already clenched into a fist, and he silently bent his elbow, drawing a fire line between them.
Guan Haifu immediately remembered the last time he had personally argued with the female director, and guessed that perhaps he wasn't used to such intimate scenes. She quietly withdrew a little, fearing that she would offend him again.
Fortunately, he remained frozen in place for more than ten seconds before he could no longer resist and stood up. The director questioned him with some dissatisfaction as to why he didn't cooperate and hug Hai Fu. Lu Ye's face turned pale, like a cat being forced into water, and his cold anger was about to burst out.
Guan Haifu hurried forward to smooth things over, saying that she had asked Teacher Lu to do this, and because she was too shy to do so, the matter was hastily concluded.
It was just a shoulder support, so why would she mind? Guan Haifu turned over, sighed softly, and glanced at the clock, which read 2:30 in the morning. Suddenly, she sat up again. This kind of internal restlessness was not a solution. She might as well drink a cup of hot milk and go to bed early.
Guan Haifu, wearing a white rabbit-ear nightgown, tiptoed downstairs, only to see that the floor lamp was flickeringly lit, and a neatly dressed man was sitting on the sofa, staring at his phone listlessly.
"Zhan Nianqing?"
She called out uncertainly, and the man turned his head tiredly and forced a smile at her.
"Haifu, you're still awake so late."
"I can't sleep tonight." Guan Haifu blinked and replied, "Why don't you go back to your room?"
"I'm waiting for dawn."
"Dawn?"
"Yes, my flight is tomorrow morning." Zhan Nianqing pointed to the packed suitcase in the shadows. "There's a problem with the supply chain. We need to deal with it quickly."
Guan Haifu nodded sensibly and said nothing more. She sat down quietly with the hot milk in her hand, sipping it. Zhan Nianqing suddenly thought of something and asked, "Haifu, when we first met, I brought you some of our company's products. Did you try them on? Do you think they were okay?"
He was just conducting customer experience research, but he forgot that his product is a special and intimate item called "underwear." In the middle of the night, a man and a woman sitting together and chatting about the experience of wearing underwear is indeed a bit ambiguous.
Seeing Hai Fu bit her lip and didn't answer, Zhan Nianqing realized that his question had crossed the line. As a decent and honest man, he became even more flustered. He apologized profusely, explaining the problems his company had encountered and saying that he just wanted to confirm the quality of the previous batch of materials.
Guan Haifu was cheerful and open-minded because of her young age. She trusted Zhan Nianqing's character even more. After hearing about his experience, she quickly shared her experience with him without fear.
"The rebound and wrapping feeling are very good, which is completely superior to ordinary sponge pads."
"The outer layer of seamless material is also very comfortable. I actually pulled it quite hard when I hand-washed it, but I found that the fabric was so dense that there were no holes at all."
A hint of pride crossed Zhan Nianqing's tired face. He had chosen this track because he was attracted by the new lining material that far surpassed ordinary sponges. He then traveled to various manufacturers in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to select the most suitable outer material, creating a small hit underwear made of this new material.
He has always believed that gold will always shine, and with the success of the Any brand, he has become less sensitive to publicity and marketing.
For other brands, a batch of products failing inspection might be a public relations issue that could be resolved in a day or two. However, his competitors seized on this weakness and made a big fuss about it.
The overwhelming amount of negative comments made this timid businessman feel heartbroken, so he packed up his suitcase in the middle of the night and waited anxiously for dawn.
Guan Haifu listened silently, then suddenly stood up and ran upstairs, leaving her rabbit-ear nightcap behind.
After a moment, she held up her phone with the screen on, and stood in front of Zhan Nianqing, panting, "Boss Zhan, look."
It was a picture and text post she had just edited and posted on a certain social networking platform. It detailed her true feelings after trying on Any underwear, and her words were full of love for this underwear made of new materials.
Zhan Nianqing looked up at her sparkling eyes in surprise, with milk foam on her moving lips. He was speechless and wanted to say something but stopped.
Guan Haifu straightened her messy hair, as if she wanted to pass on some kind of power to him, and nodded at him eagerly and firmly.
"I've accumulated tens of thousands of followers on this platform, so my posts will be quite popular. Tomorrow I'll ask other blogger friends to try on Any underwear and share their true feelings."
"Mr. Zhan, this is actually a good opportunity for publicity. The smear campaign by the online troll army actually provides exposure, and we can use this exposure to build our reputation."
Zhan Nianqing was shocked, his eyes were wet, and he turned his face away slightly to wipe away his tears in the dark.
He was filled with gratitude for the enthusiastic feedback from consumers for his hard work, and also for the young girl in front of him who was willing to help him even though he had only a brief relationship with her.
Such sincerity reminded him of himself when he first started working. Back then, he was still a student and was often bullied for no reason.
A friend from the same department set up traps for him when he was about to get promoted. He was loyal to his leader, but was pushed to take the blame by the leader.
Although he is full of passion, he is tortured by the rigid regulations like a lost lamb and has to drink ice for many years.
He finally chose to start his own business because he was unwilling to give up the remaining sincerity in his heart.
Zhan Nianqing calmed down and turned around. Guan Haifu, who had put on her nightcap again, looked like a soft and obedient little white rabbit. She had already sat cross-legged and was chatting privately with her blogger friends one by one.
"It's indeed a good time for publicity." He agreed. "Director An said the same thing this afternoon."
"Who?" Guan Haifu didn't react for a moment and asked.
"Director An, An Jiyue. This time, it's all thanks to her help. She also said she would help me check the garment factory that I'm working with."
Guan Haifu nodded, thinking: "Oh, she seems to be away during the filming tonight."
"She said she was suspended recently." Zhan Nianqing felt particularly unhappy. "I was the guest she selected, and she also brought a commercial advertisement. Maybe it was because of me..."
"What did you say?"
Suddenly, a clear, handsome and deep male voice came from the stairs. The man holding the mug stopped and looked at Zhan Nianqing, who was blaming himself. There seemed to be a hint of uneasiness in his usually deep black eyes.
"It's Lu Ye, you haven't slept yet?"
Lu Ye walked down the stairs, also dressed in a proper suit, an indigo suit jacket over a dark grey flannel shirt. He shook the liquid in the mug in his hand a few times, and a sweet and rich fragrance overflowed, which did not match his temperament at all.
"There was a roadshow that just ended. What did Mr. Zhan say? Director An was suspended?"
A roadshow in the middle of the night, with clients presumably overseas. Guan Haifu felt terrified. It was surprising that Lu Ye could endure such a demanding work schedule.
"Yes, Director An also plans to go to City G for me."
Lu Ye's expression suddenly changed, his breathing became heavy, his eyes were burning, and the quiet air in the night seemed to be scorched.
City G is famous for its port and cheap labor, and over the years, it has attracted a large number of garment factories. Since An Jiyue said she wanted to investigate, the factory that Zhan Nianqing was working with was likely located here.
But she may not know that most of the textile and clothing businessmen in City G are family-based, with branches attached to them. Their power is so strong that it is impossible to get in, and sometimes even the legitimate departments are helpless.
For a woman with no foundation like her to go into such a dangerous place alone, not only would she not be able to achieve any results, but she was also not sure whether her personal safety could be guaranteed.
"Give me the factory name and address." Lu Ye ordered in a low voice, his face pale and his voice seemed to be suppressing the urgency and ruthlessness that was about to explode.
An Jiyue was a quick-tempered person who dared to think and act, and she had already been suspended because of this matter. He was afraid that she would leave as soon as she said so, so he rushed there overnight.
His slender fingers gripping the sofa backrest were now white at the knuckles, their fingertips digging deep into the cushions. The cuff of his shirt, pulled up to his forearm, suddenly trembled, and with a snap, the tense muscles instantly broke the sturdy stitching of the cufflinks, sending them dangling and hanging listlessly against the side of his wrist.
The factory name was sent to Shen Xingyu, who was asked to help with the background check. He quickly packed his suitcase and arranged for a car to pick him up.
The business car with its headlights on was waiting under the dim blue sky. Lu Ye quickly sat down, his pounding heart surging with the sound of the accelerator.
The screen of the phone that he almost crushed was covered with a dazzling red light, and no one answered the several calls he made to An Jiyue.
"Go directly to City G."
The man in the back seat had a rolling Adam's apple, his eyes burning with flames, but his tone was colder than the fog at five in the morning.
"The sooner the better."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
