Dazzling

The fourth zone of the target factory was not in the same location as the second zone they had visited last time. This fourth zone seemed slightly more populated than the second. As soon as they entered the main gate, there was a logistics company with piles of messy cardboard boxes at the entrance, resembling a garbage recycling station.

This was Qing Ye’s first time formally negotiating a partnership with someone. She remembered how her father would always dress impressively and stand out before meeting with business partners. Her father had told her that doing so would ensure others wouldn’t dare underestimate her at first glance.

Qing Ye had taken her father’s words to heart and wanted to make a strong impression from the start. However, when they arrived at the place, she finally understood the teasing look in Xing Wu’s eyes. She had really overthought things.

She hadn’t expected the food factory to be particularly large, but she had assumed it would at least be a proper factory with assembly lines. Instead, it was just a rundown courtyard, resembling a small workshop. As soon as they entered, an enormous wolf dog charged at Qing Ye, barking fiercely. She was so frightened that she immediately jumped behind Xing Wu, almost clinging to his neck.

Xing Wu frowned, walked over, and subdued the dog in a few swift moves. He quickly clamped its mouth shut. Animals have an innate ability to sense aggression in others, and when they realize they’re outmatched, most will choose to submit. For instance, this wolf dog, now under Xing Wu’s control, whimpered weakly and didn’t dare bark again.

Someone from the courtyard walked out and called, “Gou Dan!”

“…” What a refreshingly unique name.

The big black dog then dropped its ferocious demeanor and began wagging its tail and shaking its head. Xing Wu released it.

Qing Ye finally met the legendary person in charge—a middle-aged man, about 1.6 meters tall, wearing a mustard-yellow jacket reminiscent of the 1990s factory style, with slicked-back hair. As soon as he saw Xing Wu, he exclaimed in surprise, “Oh, Boss Xing, are you here to see me?”

“???” Qing Ye turned to look at Xing Wu. Since when had he become a boss?

Xing Wu shoved his hands into his pockets and casually replied, “I’m not here for you. I’m accompanying them.”

Qing Ye glanced at them suspiciously, wondering to herself if there was anyone in this rundown place who didn’t know Xing Wu. How was it that everywhere they went, someone recognized him?

The person in charge of this food factory—if it could even be called a factory—was surnamed Xie, the man with the slicked-back hair. He sized up Qing Ye, perhaps thinking she looked wealthy, and greeted her with considerable enthusiasm.

When General Xie learned that Qing Ye was there to discuss distributing sweet potato jerky, he formally gave them a tour of the food factory. There wasn’t much to see—just a 500-square-meter workshop with a few old machines, and that was about it.

He then showed Qing Ye the food products they manufactured: simply packaged snacks, fruits, and vegetables, all placed in grimy large baskets that made them look utterly unappetizing.

General Xie, however, was very polite and encouraged her to try some. Qing Ye wasn’t particularly fond of these rustic snacks. She could somewhat understand taro sticks, but dried shiitake mushrooms? What kind of strange snacks were these? No wonder the place was on the verge of shutting down.

Nevertheless, General Xie enthusiastically praised his products, claiming they were far superior to those from larger factories. He emphasized that they contained no additives, the raw materials were sourced directly from his hometown, and the taste was unbeatable.Since he had said so, Qing Ye felt it would be impolite not to try. So she picked up the rather peculiar dried shiitake mushroom. It was indeed dry and hard as a rock. She put it in her mouth and chewed. Surprisingly, despite its odd appearance, it was crispy and actually quite fragrant. How bizarre.

General Xie eagerly brought out the dried dates for her to try. Qing Ye had eaten dried red dates before, but she had never seen ones this big. What in the world were these?

But with one bite, they were crispy and plump—clearly a perfect date.

After the tour, General Xie took them to a shed beside the courtyard for tea. Qing Ye got straight to the point: "I can take the products, but the packaging must be changed. With the current packaging, no one outside your county would want them."

General Xie rubbed his greasy hair and poured her a cup of tea. "These are cheap goods to begin with. Changing the packaging would just increase costs."

Qing Ye glanced at the teacup he had placed before her after touching his hair and didn’t dare touch it. Frowning, she said, "First, your current packaging has a short shelf life. If the goods don’t sell and pile up, that’s a loss in itself. Second, the packaging looks unappealing. Food goes into people’s stomachs—if the packaging looks dirty, who would want to buy it? This vicious cycle will only make business harder."

"People in big cities have different consumption habits. Sometimes, unique packaging can make ordinary products popular. That’s the visual effect."

Well, looking at General Xie’s blank expression, Qing Ye felt that discussing visual effects with him was pointless. Then she heard him ask, "So how do you want to change the packaging?"

Qing Ye pointed to the sweet potato jerky by the door. "All of those need to be in vacuum individual packaging."

General Xie burst out laughing as if he had heard something absurd. "If you want them packaged by the pound or two pounds, that’s no problem. But this stuff isn’t gold—why individually vacuum-pack them? You’re too naive, young lady."

Qing Ye looked at him expressionlessly, not a hint of a smile on her face. "If even you think what you’re selling is junk, how can you expect customers to buy it?"

General Xie replied bluntly, "I can’t do this packaging. I don’t have the machines for vacuum sealing. To be honest, this place isn’t profitable now, and I can’t afford to buy new equipment. How about this: if you’re interested in our products, you can buy our existing machines. I’ll give you a good price."

Qing Ye lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. "How much for all the machines?"

At this, General Xie glanced at Xing Wu. Xing Wu didn’t seem interested in any of this. While they were touring and talking, he had been sitting on a recliner in the courtyard.

Qing Ye didn’t understand why General Xie was looking at Xing Wu. She turned to look as well. The fierce wolf dog that had seemed so intimidating earlier was now lying obediently by his side. Xing Wu’s eyes were half-closed as he lazily stroked the dog, his long legs stretched out casually, looking completely at ease.

Then General Xie lowered his voice and held up five fingers to Qing Ye. "This much. All the machines, and I’ll even supply you with raw materials."

Qing Ye thought it over. The machines would be useless to her—she had nowhere to put them and no workers. It wasn’t practical. So she just exchanged contact information with General Xie and took her leave for the time being.Once outside, Qing Ye muttered, "Fifty thousand for all the machines isn't exactly expensive. If I had the people and the space, I'd do it myself."

Xing Wu shot her a sidelong glance with a faintly mocking expression. Sensing something off, Qing Ye immediately turned to glare at him. "Why did General Xie call you Boss Xing?"

Xing Wu replied nonchalantly, "Because I've repaired most of the machines in his factory. Know how much they're worth?"

Qing Ye blinked. Seeing her look of someone who'd been ripped off, the corner of Xing Wu's mouth twitched upward. "That batch of secondhand junk wouldn't sell for more than twenty thousand."

Qing Ye froze. So that's why General Xie had glanced at Xing Wu when she asked about the price—the old man had a guilty conscience! That crafty old bastard!

And here she'd deliberately dressed up like this just to be taken for a fool. If she'd known, she would've borrowed some clothes from Li Lanfang to blend in as a local. Damn it!

Puffing her cheeks in anger, Qing Ye wrapped her coat tighter around herself. The wind had picked up, and the sky had darkened ominously. They had planned to head back immediately, but then Xing Wu received a call from Quan Ya saying Shu Han had been summoned by Boss Jiang. Worried she might be in trouble, Quan Ya asked Xing Wu to come check on the situation.

After hanging up, Xing Wu decided to go straight to the county town. Qing Ye said with concern, "I'm coming with you."

The Star of Joy was a place with all sorts of shady characters, and Xing Wu didn't want Qing Ye tagging along. He told her, "It's not a good place."

Qing Ye stayed silent, just looking at him. Since it involved Shu Han, he didn't want Qing Ye to overthink things and didn't insist on her staying behind.

Du Qiyan returned to Dazzle Island first. Xing Wu hailed a cab to pick up Quan Ya. When Quan Ya got in and saw Qing Ye, he gave her a look but didn't say anything.

Xing Wu asked him what happened. Quan Ya explained that in the afternoon, a group of friends had gone to the Star of Joy to see Shu Han. Coincidentally, Boss Jiang had sent people to invite her over. She refused, and tensions escalated between the two sides. Boss Jiang's men ended up beating up two of Shu Han's friends. Later, Shu Han's friends urgently called Quan Ya, saying Shu Han had been forcibly taken to face Boss Jiang.

Xing Wu frowned, his expression darkening. Qing Ye asked, "Is this Boss Jiang very powerful?"

Quan Ya, sitting in the passenger seat, replied, "All the notable entertainment venues in the county are his. The Star of Joy we're heading to now is owned by Boss Jiang."

Realizing they were dealing with trouble, Qing Ye turned to Xing Wu. "Are you familiar with this Boss Jiang?"

"We met years ago when he organized a shooting competition—over a decade now. We have some acquaintance, but I wouldn't call us close."

Qing Ye suddenly recalled what Huang Mao had mentioned before about a big shot in the county who'd hosted a CS tournament. Xing Wu, just a kid back then, had gone to challenge them. That big shot was probably this Boss Jiang.

By the time the car pulled up at the Star of Joy's entrance, night had fully fallen. The moment Qing Ye stepped out, the wind whipped her hair into a frenzy. Xing Wu turned and offered his hand; she quickly grabbed his arm, feeling like the gale might sweep her away.

Before entering, Xing Wu instructed her, "Stay close to me and don't wander off."

Qing Ye looked up at the sign: "Star of Joy Club" in large letters, with a KTV logo below. Inside, she realized the place was massive, decorated with a garish, nouveau-riche gold aesthetic—definitely upscale for a county town.

A manager in a suit approached them. Xing Wu directly told him to inform Boss Jiang that Xing Wu was here.His gaze was cold and sharp as he stared straight ahead, appearing quite unapproachable. The manager didn't dare neglect him and contacted someone close to Boss Jiang. Soon after, he received a call inviting Xing Wu over.

Thus, Qing Ye followed behind Xing Wu and Quan Ya, occasionally glancing around as they walked through a long corridor lined with KTV rooms on both sides. At first, Qing Ye thought this was just a singing venue, but later facts proved her too naive. After turning past the KTV rooms, they entered an elevator that went directly upstairs to a dance floor.

It resembled a bar, with performances in the middle and booth seating arranged around it. There was also a DJ spinning tracks. Probably because people here ended their nightlife relatively early, such venues started attracting crowds from the afternoon onward.

Qing Ye had been to KTVs with classmates back in Beijing—those rich second-generation kids from her class would frequently book luxury rooms for wild eating, drinking, and parties. But this kind of place, which was neither a proper KTV nor a decent bar, was truly her first time experiencing.

Along the way, many provocatively dressed young women flirted frivolously with Xing Wu and Quan Ya. Xing Wu glanced back at Qing Ye, who had her hands tucked in her coat pockets with an indifferent expression. Seeing him look back, she asked, "What's with those girls?"

"Exactly what you're thinking."

Noticing Qing Ye's tense expression, he deliberately slowed his pace to walk beside her and asked, "First time here?"

"You think my dad would've brought me along when he visited prostitutes?"

"..."

She then looked up at Xing Wu and asked, "What about you? Come here often?"

Xing Wu lowered his eyes with playful amusement. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm still a student."

"..."

Student my ass.