Chapter 114
A month later, Chen Zhiyi drove to pick up Lin Ting and take her back to Haishi.
Lin Ting sat in the passenger seat, watching the scenery rushing past the car window. She recalled the tragic escape from Hai City four years ago. At that time, she vowed never to come back, but things are unpredictable. She came back anyway, with Qin Wei and Xiao Yuan. This time, the people she loved and needed were by her side. She was no longer lonely, no longer lost, and no longer afraid.
Xiaoyuan, equally conflicted, was also in the car. She hadn't yet recovered from the shocking news that her boss's boyfriend was a top celebrity. She wasn't a fan of stars and didn't usually follow such news, preferring instead to read about fashion. Therefore, she was unaware of the situation. Furthermore, Chen Zhiyi had already returned to Hai City when she came back. She only knew that her boss had a boyfriend, which she initially assumed was Han Ming, but she never imagined it would be the movie star Chen Zhiyi. Even more unexpected was the prospect of riding in his car—a superstar as her driver! She was truly basking in his glow!
Xiaoyuan stared at the back of Lin Ting's head, inwardly admiring her master.
Although she is over thirty, her profile is still beautiful and she looks like a gentle and sweet young girl. Her features are delicate and small, and her skin is so white that it is enviable. She never wears heavy makeup and always looks fresh and elegant, making her memorable at first glance. Such looks and temperament are rare even in the entertainment industry, so it is no wonder that she could make the movie emperor fall in love with her. He has not been able to forget her for ten years and has always been thinking about her.
With good looks, talent, and an enviable love life, Xiaoyuan thought, "My master is truly a winner in life!"
Sitting next to Xiaoyuan, Qin Wei was focused on the Lego in his hands, his fingers flying, constantly changing into various shapes, such as puppies, rabbits, robots, and even a rose. Then, with a shy expression, he placed the flower in Xiaoyuan's hand.
Xiaoyuan picked it up and examined it carefully, quite surprised. "How did you do that? Teach me!" In her early twenties, she was full of curiosity and wanted to try anything that interested her.
Qin Wei lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Xiao Yuan, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips and said, "Okay."
So the two of them began a pleasant teaching session in the back seat.
Chen Zhiyi saw all of this through the rearview mirror. This brother-in-law is quite shrewd, and his Lego skills are indeed superb. If he focuses on developing in this area, his future may be bright.
Everyone has their own area of expertise, and it is a kind of luck to discover and delve into that area.
Of course, Chen Zhiyi also noticed that Lin Ting was holding a piece of paper in her hand and asked, "What's that in your hand?"
Lin Ting unfolded the paper, which contained a name and contact information. "Master Hu gave it to me before I left. He knew I was rebuilding my team, and he recommended an old friend he met when we were apprentice tailors. When we were young, he was bolder than Master Hu and traveled all over the country, working as a sample maker for many well-known clothing brands. He has a wealth of experience and now lives in Haishi. He retired a couple of years ago and started his own small tailor shop at home, customizing clothes for others. He told me to contact him, saying he might be able to help me. Master Hu also told him about my situation, and he was very interested. Moreover, the clothing industry is a circle, and people in the circle know each other. He can also recommend other master tailors who currently live in Haishi."
"This is a good thing; recommendations from acquaintances are definitely reliable."
"Um."
Chen Zhiyi could see her worry. Not everyone has the courage to start over, and whether they would win or lose was unknown. He took her hand that was on his lap and said, "Don't worry, I'll cover for you."
Xiaoyuan didn't live with Lin Ting and the others. She had already asked an agent to find a house for her. It wasn't very close to the villa, about a 40-minute subway ride, but that commute time was considered short in Shanghai.
Lin Ting offered to subsidize her rent, but Xiao Yuan refused. Her current monthly salary already exceeded what someone with a vocational school diploma could earn, and her salary was more than enough to cover the rent. One should know how to be content, but also be willing to take on challenges.
Lin Ting also agreed. Even a doctoral student in Haishi would have to go through countless trials and tribulations to settle down in the city. She had gone through the same thing herself.
So, when they arrived in Haishi, they first took Xiaoyuan to her rented apartment complex, and then drove to Chen Zhiyi's house.
Qin Wei lived in the second bedroom, while Lin Ting and Chen Zhiyi lived in the master bedroom. The furnishings in the house had not changed. Even the succulents and fish tank that Lin Ting had bought were still there. Everything was so familiar that Lin Ting felt like she had never left in the past four years.
That evening, after Chen Zhiyi finished showering, he came out and saw Lin Ting standing in front of the French windows wearing a thin nightgown. He took a coat from the coat rack and covered her with it, saying, "It's chilly at night."
Lin Ting pulled her coat tighter around herself. "It's alright." But her gaze remained fixed on the house across the street, as if she wanted to see right through it and make out everything inside.
Chen Zhiyi hugged her from behind, saying, "I've already bought that house, so no one will be watching us anymore."
"You...you know?"
“I saw the anonymously sent photos. Based on the numerical code on the photos, I found out the camera brand. This brand is very niche and only supports offline sales, so very few people buy it. Moreover, there are only two physical stores in the entire city, so it is easy to find the purchase record. I never expected that Qin Fei’s love for me would be so obsessive.”
Lin Ting sighed, "Qin Fei's love is too obsessive."
Chen Zhiyi immediately corrected, "It's not love she has for me, it's control, absolute control. She wants us to be like puppets, obeying her every command."
"No, Qin Fei told me a lot in that house. She loves you, but her love is absolute possessiveness, ruthless, and a love that inflicts pain on others. If she can't have it, she'd rather destroy it. Her love is terrifying. That day was like a nightmare. From the moment I stepped into that house, I fell into an abyss, plagued by nightmares." Thinking of everything that happened that day, Lin Ting's body trembled involuntarily. Human hearts are so terrifying. To get what they want, to satisfy their selfish desires, they can do anything.
Chen Zhiyi turned her around and pulled her into his arms. "The nightmare is over, only sweet dreams remain. I sealed off that house as soon as I bought it. I invested in the property management of the entire community and upgraded the security system. There will be no more surveillance."
Lin Ting nodded. "I know, but just thinking about what happened that day scares me. It's so hard to fall in love."
Chen Zhiyi found the last sentence grating. He grabbed her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, "It's not difficult. As long as you have me, nothing else matters."
Lin Ting was softened once again by the determination in his eyes, "Okay."
"Stop overthinking. We need to check on the renovation progress tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, we were supposed to go today, but we arrived in Haishi so late. All our communication was just theoretical. I want to see the actual situation."
Chen Zhiyi kept everyone in suspense, "Okay, there will be a surprise for you later."
"Surprise? What?" Lin Ting's eyes widened, full of curiosity.
"Want to know?"
Lin Ting nodded quickly.
As a result, Chen Zhiyi picked him up around the waist and carried him to the bedside. "Okay, let's pay some consultation fees first."
After being apart for a while, they missed each other terribly. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and they were inseparable during those beautiful moments.
After a night of commotion, Lin Ting was sore all over that she couldn't even lift a finger, let alone chase after Chen Zhiyi for answers. She fell into a deep sleep without even taking a shower.
Chen Zhiyi brought a hot towel to wipe her clean, removing all traces. Looking at Lin Ting's sleeping face, he gently kissed her forehead, saying, "Our love will last a lifetime, and we will never be apart again."
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The next morning, Lin Ting and Xiao Yuan agreed to meet at the villa at a certain time, but Chen Zhiyi took Qin Wei away early in the morning, acting mysteriously, saying he had a surprise for him. After last night, Lin Ting felt dizzy at the word "surprise," and thought that one should not easily believe a man's words.
Chen Zhiyi told Lin Ting to drive the car in the garage. He wasn't a car enthusiast; in his eyes, cars were everyday items, not status symbols. So, he only had two cars in the garage: a Maybach and a Volkswagen, just like four years ago, and he hadn't changed them.
Lin Ting chose Volkswagen without hesitation because she wouldn't feel bad about driving it. In the past few years, when she was running a shop in the county, she bought a small van for the convenience of purchasing goods. She had become quite skilled at driving, but she was still a little hesitant to drive a luxury car, afraid of bumping or scratching it.
Chen Zhiyi joked, "Even if you wrecked ten Maybachs, he wouldn't care."
You may not care, but I'll be punished, won't I? Will I have to scrap ten of them?
Lin Ting drove his Volkswagen to pick up Xiao Yuan at the subway station exit, and they soon arrived at the villa.
As Lin Ting approached the gate, she heard a girl's voice inside. It sounded very familiar, and she finally understood what Chen Zhiyi meant by the surprise.
I eagerly pushed open the door and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure from behind.
Just as Lin Ting opened her mouth to call out her name, she saw her turn around, their eyes met, and she smiled brightly, just as warm and cheerful as when they first met. Then she rushed over and hugged Lin Ting, saying, "It's been so long, I've missed you so much." She acted as if they hadn't lost contact for the past four years.
Lin Ting also hated this about herself. When faced with difficulties, she liked to hide away and silently endure them. She was very afraid of exposing her weaknesses and unbearable side to people she knew. She was afraid of seeing the surprise, disgust, pity, contempt, and other looks that made her feel ashamed.
So she fled, she hid, preferring to cut off all contact and hide in a place where no one knew her.
But time and again, it is the people around you who tell you that the people who truly care about you and love you will only feel sorry for what you have gone through and want to face it with you. They will all hope that you will get better and better. How could they possibly hate you or despise you?
"I'm sorry, Xiaolei."
Song Xiaolei ignored Lin Ting's apology, turned around and wrapped her arm around hers, "What's there to apologize for? Everyone makes choices. I'm happy that you chose to come back. We can fight side by side again. Come on, let me show you the progress of the renovation and see if it meets your expectations?"
Lin understood. "So you've been keeping an eye on things here for me all this time?"
"This is a great job! A month as a supervisor gets me a lifetime chance to redeem concert tickets. I've really hit the jackpot! That's the good thing about my brother-in-law, he's so generous." Song Xiaolei gave a thumbs up.
Lin Tingdu was amused by her smug tone. That's just how Chen Zhiyi is; he loves everything about her and her friends.
"I know you're back in Haishi this time to establish your own high-end fashion brand and need to build a team. May I offer my services?"
Lin Ting covered her eyes and laughed, then, with tears in her eyes, she tightly grasped Song Xiaolei's hand, "Of course, I couldn't ask for more."
“Me too. After you left M Group, I left as well. I’ve changed jobs several times in the past few years, but I can never find like-minded colleagues. I still miss the time we worked together. My previous company suffered heavy losses during the pandemic and it was hard to maintain its profitability. My brother-in-law just told me about your situation, and I resigned without hesitation to join you. I remember that our shared wish at M Group was to become true designers, so that everyone would be proud to wear our designs. Now we can work together to realize our dream.”
It's a good thing for people with the same dream to work together to start a business, but Lin Ting has some concerns. "I'm very happy that you came, but I don't know if we can succeed. I'm worried that we might not even be able to pay salaries in the early stages."
After all, even brothers need to keep clear accounts, and Lin Ting couldn't bear to owe her anything.
Song Xiaolei was displeased. "Do I look like someone who's short of money? As a native of Haishi, I own several properties. Besides, can my dream be measured by money? That's insulting. Moreover, with my brother-in-law as a major shareholder, what do I have to worry about? It would only cause me trouble. My brother-in-law is my biggest source of confidence. And I'm not taking a salary because I'm investing my technology. If the company goes public, remember to give me some shares, okay?"
This is going too far afield, but Lin Ting knew that Xiao Lei said this to put her mind at ease.
Standing to the side, Xiaoyuan spoke up, "Great, I have another beautiful boss now."
"And who is this?" Song Xiaolei asked.
Xiaoyuan confidently replied, "My name is Xiaoyuan. I'm Teacher Lin's apprentice and assistant. I know a little about design, embroidery, cutting, and sewing. I can also do live streaming operations. I'm a jack-of-all-trades. Please guide me in the future." She extended her hand to Song Xiaolei.
Song Xiaolei grasped it, "Confident enough, I like it. But I don't like the title of beautiful boss. It sounds too tiring. You have to be beautiful and manage the company at the same time. I prefer the title of beautiful technical consultant. It sounds like you only need to give some pointers. It's not tiring and you can even put on a show. How great is that?"
Everyone laughed at this.
Before lunch, Lin Ting and Song Xiaolei often went to a barbecue restaurant for a get-together. The three had different styles: one was aloof and gentle, one was cheerful and bright, and the other was youthful and energetic. When they sat together, they were a beautiful sight in the restaurant, attracting the attention of people around them from time to time.
When good friends meet, they always have so much to talk about, and they want to share everything that has happened to them over the past few years.
M Group has not performed well in the past four years. E-commerce and live streaming have had a great impact on the physical store economy. Many directly operated stores have been closed, and many agents have also withdrawn. Last year, it even withdrew from the stock market.
Zhang Ying also left, remarried, and said she immigrated abroad with her new husband. Even just hearing her name, Lin Ting felt grateful to her.
Yao Yanyan also left, paying the company a large sum of money in compensation. They initially intended to send her to prison, but the company's higher-ups, considering her young age and several years of service, took pity on her and allowed her to pay the compensation and sign an intellectual property transfer agreement, transferring all her designs to the company. The reason was that the company's network system had been hacked, and everyone received records of Yao Yanyan receiving bribes, as well as chat logs of her private conversations with fabric suppliers, confirming that she had framed Lin Ting for plagiarism.
Song Xiaolei stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth and said indistinctly, "It's a pity I left at the time, otherwise I would have seen that woman's miserable state. She lost a lot of money, and it was also found out that the house she bought was with stolen money, which was also confiscated. She is now burdened with debt and has a bad reputation. The clothing industry doesn't want her anymore. I heard that she went back to her hometown. I don't know what she is doing now. Anyway, it's gratifying. Retribution may be late, but it has come."
Lin Ting still remembers the last time she saw her. Her arrogant victorious demeanor and the contemptuous look she gave him made it seem as if he was less than an ant in her eyes. It's a pity that such a beautiful and flamboyant girl went astray for the sake of power and money, and ended up like this. She wonders if the girl regrets it.
The good news is that Lu Fan got married and actually found a girl who is eight years younger than him. The girl even took the initiative to pursue him. It's true that it's easy for a woman to pursue a man. Last year, they had a big, healthy baby boy, and the family of three is very happy.
The three of them laughed, sighed, and reminisced, talking about the past and the future, sharing everyday stories and simple truths, wanting to say everything they had accumulated over the years.
At this moment, a girl walked up to the table and said to Lin Wen with a hint of shyness, "Hello, sister-in-law! I'm a big fan of Chen Zhiyi. May I take a picture with you?"
Lin Ting was stunned. Song Xiaolei, on the other hand, was very proactive and offered her seat, saying, "Sit here, I'll take your picture."
Proving the identity of the person in question is a must, and strengthening the relationship with fans is an inescapable duty for the "sister-in-law".
After taking one photo, several others in the store came over and asked to take photos with her, and Lin Ting obliged them all.
Fans who got the group photo posted it online, and it quickly became a trending topic on Weibo.
"My sister-in-law is really beautiful and gentle. My brother has great taste."
"To be honest, she's good-looking enough to debut as a celebrity right now."
"Yes, and her face is so small. When we take pictures together, my face looks like a pancake. Her skin is so white it's glowing. No wonder my brother has had a crush on her since he was nineteen. She's definitely the face of a first love, the white moonlight."
"They even treated us to the juice from the shop." (Photo of the juice attached.)
"She's so down-to-earth and approachable. She's having dinner with her good friends, drinking and chatting. She's very genuine. She even promised to help us get Chen Zhiyi's autographed photo. My sister-in-law is so kind and down-to-earth."
"Which store? I'll go check next time to see if I can catch her there."
I'm so envious!
The heat didn't subside even into the evening.
Lin Ting looked at the persistently high trending topics list with a worried expression. Just then, Chen Zhiyi came to the bedside after taking a shower. She showed him her phone, feeling a little aggrieved, "Could you spend some money to take down the trending topics?"
Chen Zhiyi joked, "I think your fans will soon surpass mine."
"Don't laugh at me, it's making me afraid to go out to eat."
Chen Zhiyi lifted the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his arm around her shoulder. "No, just be yourself. It's much better to be open and honest. I think they prefer your authenticity to your emptiness. I was quite happy to see these photos. I was worried that you would feel disturbed or that they were a bit noisy."
Lin Ting shook her head. "No, they are all very cute. Besides, they only noticed me because they like you. They are all people who like you, so why would I think they are noisy?"
"That's good. Don't worry about it trending on social media. I've already had the PR department contact them, and it should go down by tomorrow morning."
"Uh-huh."
Chen Zhiyi asked, "How's the renovation progressing?"
"That's great, it should be finished in about a month." Then she poked Chen Zhiyi's chest. "I received the surprise, thank you. With Xiaolei joining us, I'll feel less pressure."
"That's good. Don't worry about the funds. Go ahead and do it boldly. I'll back you up, just like I said."
"I know, but..." Lin Ting hesitated.
"But what?"
"In the world of haute couture, reputation and brand influence are key, and I don't have any of those. It's very difficult for a brand new brand to establish itself and convince others of its capabilities. Moreover, haute couture mainly serves existing clients, and it takes time for them to build a network by referring new clients. Besides, with so many high-end luxury brands already established in Shanghai, there's no competition at all." This was Lin Ting's biggest concern.
To put it bluntly, without reputation and fame, everything is just empty talk.
Chen Zhiyi took a folder from the bedside table. Lin Ting flipped through it; it seemed to be information on artists under his company. But what was the purpose of it?
Chen Zhiyi slowly explained, "Two months from now, there will be a grand entertainment event in Haishi. It should be the first large-scale entertainment event since the pandemic. There will be a red carpet ceremony, performances, an awards ceremony, and of course, individual interviews. People from the industry will all be there." Pointing to two artists on the folder, a man and a woman, "I will bring them with me. The TV series they co-starred in at the beginning of the year was very popular and was nominated for awards, so it shouldn't be difficult for Designer Lin to customize an evening gown for each of the three of us in two months, right?"
Lin Ting wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss. "It's not difficult. I promise I won't fail you." This was definitely the first and most powerful shot in launching the brand's appeal. Chen Zhiyi's ability to drive sales should not be underestimated.
"If you promote this publicly like this, won't they think you're using public office for private gain?"
Chen Zhiyi laughed and said, "It's been trending on Weibo for half a day, why are you still messaging me?"
Lin Ting kicked him, "Bullshit."
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