RGL – Chapter 170

Su Min was flipping through a book, looking at styles of clothing from the past.

“We already have so many orders. What’s the point of designing new ones? Just show them the old samples. Unless it’s a particularly important client, then I’ll design something special for them.”

There were so many orders—if everyone got a custom design, even if she could manage to keep up, Xiuse’s value would go down.

Sun Yan was at her wit’s end. Hearing Su Min’s decision, she quickly passed the instructions down to the team.

Seeing everyone busy and frazzled, Su Min once again went to find Li Weisi’s.

“Boss, please—I really have no other choice now. We have to bring in more designers.”

Li Weisi’s was sitting behind his large desk, head down reviewing the latest reports. He looked up with a smile. “Can’t hold on anymore?”

“It’s not about whether I can hold on. There’s no need to hold on in the first place! You went and stirred up the entire domestic market all at once—I simply can’t handle this volume.”

Who would’ve thought Li Weisi’s would go all out like this—launching so many ads at once, even hiring big-name celebrities to film commercials.

Who knows how many clothes we’ll need to sell just to break even on those ad costs?

Li Weisi’s stood up and walked over to the bar to make some coffee. “Sugar?”

“No thanks. I’ll stick with tea.” Su Min shook her head. She didn’t like coffee.

Li Weisi’s turned around and made her a cup of tea instead. He brought it over and placed it on the side table next to her, then sat down on the sofa opposite her with his own cup of coffee.

“There’s no need to hire anyone for now.”

Hearing this, Su Min’s eyes widened. So all that she just said was for nothing?

Li Weisi’s chuckled. “Not only will we not hire new designers—I’m actually planning to reduce the output of new products.”

Su Min nodded. “That’s how I’ve been arranging things too, but this isn’t a long-term solution.”

“Because your timing isn’t right yet.” Li Weisi’s looked at her, a calculating glint in his eyes. “You haven’t graduated. If people find out that the founder of Xiuse is still a college student, what do you think will happen?”

Su Min was stunned.

She really hadn’t thought about that. Before, the reason she never publicized herself was simply because she didn’t think it was necessary—she didn’t want to be flashy. But now, hearing Li Weisi’s bring it up, she began to consider the consequences.

People are quick to judge.

If she were a seasoned designer, then even if she scribbled out a messy design, others would still second-guess themselves, wondering if their own taste was flawed. But if people found out she was just a college student, they might discount her work before even seeing it.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Li Weisi’s smiled and shook his head. “You don’t need to worry. In truth, your background isn’t a secret. The reason I’ve arranged things this way is to prevent another designer from suddenly appearing at Xiuse and competing with you. There’s a big difference between a chief designer and any other designer. Until you’ve fully established your authority, I won’t be hiring anyone new.”

“Thank you, Mr. Li.” Su Min said respectfully, her gratitude and admiration sincere.

If he really had brought in another designer—especially one with more experience—it wouldn’t be surprising if people eventually overlooked her completely.

Li Weisi’s clasped his fingers together, looking quite relaxed. “It’s nothing. Since I chose to work with you, of course I’ll protect your interests. And as for Xiuse, I don’t want it to become just another overexposed brand. Good designers are hard to find, and we can’t force it. Until the right person comes along, with you as our sole designer, we don’t need high volume. Between increasing production and increasing price, I’ll always choose the latter. Remember, no matter how expensive something is, there’s always someone who can afford it—so don’t worry about pricing too high.”

Su Min nodded, taking his words to heart.

After the orders for Xiuse started flooding in, she’d gotten anxious and didn’t dare decline them like before. As for raising prices, she was hesitant—afraid that if they were too high, customers wouldn’t buy.

It turns out rich people really do understand other rich people better.

Next to Li Weisi’s, her mindset as someone from a humble background did seem a bit out of place.

With Li Weisi’s guidance, Su Min returned to the Xiuse office building and held a meeting with Sun Yan and the rest of the team.

All of Xiuse’s custom orders would now be doubled in price. The more expensive the item, the more it would be marked up.

The news shocked everyone—their jaws nearly hit the floor.

Zhang Qingqing asked nervously, “What if no one buys them?”

Su Min smiled. “If you liked something, would William refuse to buy it for you?”

Zhang Qingqing blushed. William definitely would buy it. Last time they went on a trip abroad together, they came across a piece of gemstone jewelry at a market. It was pricey. She hadn’t even said anything, but William bought it anyway.

Su Min smiled and said, “Wealthy women are the most willing to spend, and the men of wealthy women are even more generous. So we don’t need to worry about not being able to sell. As I always say—stick to your responsibilities and make sure no one can find fault with our work. As long as that’s the case, our products are qualified.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Once Su Min gave the directive, half of Xiuse’s orders were immediately declined.

Any clients wanting to place new orders afterward were all quoted higher prices.

As for the reasoning, of course, they couldn’t be blunt about it. Sun Yan prepared a slew of excuses, like improved craftsmanship, more refined details, limited editions, exclusive customizations, and so on.

These explanations actually piqued many customers’ interest even more.

Even with the price hikes, a lot of people were still buying.

Three full months after Xiuse had joined the Li Group, Su Min reviewed the quarterly financial records and found that profits had increased by more than six times.

Previously, her quarterly net profit—what she personally received—was around 20,000 yuan at best. Now, just one quarter brought in over 100,000 yuan. In a year, that would be several hundred thousand.

At that time, such an amount was a major fortune.

When everyone heard that profits had gone up more than sixfold, they were stunned into silence for a moment—then burst into cheers.

Xiuse’s employees were already earning quite well before. Even the lowest-paid worker could earn five or six hundred yuan a month. Now with the earnings doubled or more, it meant several thousand yuan per person.

“I don’t feel like we’ve been that much busier. Just a little more than before—how did we end up making so much more?”

Sun Yan felt like it was all a bit unreal.

The others also thought it was unbelievable.

Su Min carefully put away the account books. “We haven’t been much busier, true—but we raised the prices across the board, and the volume went up a little too.”

“This is amazing. From now on, we’ve got to grit our teeth and keep making more money!”

Tian Su said excitedly.

She had already calculated everything—once she got her share, she would buy food and supplies for the orphanage. Winter was approaching, and she wanted to make sure the kids at the orphanage had a warm season.

At that moment, in the chairman’s office of the Li Group, Li Weisi glanced at the documents on his desk.

The middle-aged assistant smiled and said, “Xiuse’s revenue this quarter has clearly increased significantly.”

But Li Weisi shook his head with a smile. “It’s not enough.”

The assistant raised an eyebrow, thinking—Not enough? Didn’t you say before that even if we had to lose money, we’d still help Xiuse? Now that they’re making money, you think it’s still not enough?

Li Weisi said nothing, just smiled.

He knew Su Min’s potential very well. This wasn’t her peak yet.

Looks like it was time to stoke the fire again.

His gaze fell on the Paris Fashion Week invitation on the desk. The corners of his lips lifted in a faint smile.

A design that couldn’t place at an event like this—how could that ever be enough to satisfy him?

Winter in City B was harsh.

As soon as finals were over, Su Min quickly started packing up to head home.

Counting summer break, it had been almost a year since she last went back. She really missed her family.

“Still not going home this year?” Su Min asked, glancing at Liao Zhaodi while they packed.

Liao Zhaodi shook her head. “I already made plans with Tian Su—we’re going to the orphanage again this year.”

“You still haven’t forgotten about that Han Lei?”

Su Min remembered that Liao Zhaodi had met Han Lei at the orphanage the previous year. She’d been pretty down about him for quite a while.

But Liao Zhaodi just smiled and shook her head. “He’s who he is, and I’m who I am. I see things clearly, don’t worry. I won’t get stuck on something hopeless.”

“I’m not telling you to give up,” Su Min said, “I just don’t want you to be upset over someone again.”

“I know.” Liao Zhaodi smiled and bit her lip, looking as if she had it all figured out. “When it comes to feelings, I think I’m actually more open-minded than you. I know he doesn’t like me. So I won’t push myself on him. But if there’s ever even the slightest chance—maybe then my thinking will change.”

She looked up at Su Min. “Su Min, you know what? You’re just too scared.”

Su Min’s heart tightened. She kept her head down as she packed. “What scared? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Do you really not like Xue Mian?” Liao Zhaodi asked curiously. “Forget about everything else. Be honest with yourself—do you truly have no feelings for him at all? He’s loved you wholeheartedly for so many years. Knowing your personality, you wouldn’t just ignore that.”

If she really didn’t like him, she wouldn’t have gone all these years without ever showing interest in another man. Sometimes, she even seemed lost in thought.

They had been friends for years. Liao Zhaodi knew Su Min’s personality well. For someone so strong and independent, the fact that she’d ever let herself be dazed over someone meant that person definitely wasn’t insignificant.

Su Min kept her head down as she folded the clothes. “Being moved isn’t the same as liking someone. You can’t spend a lifetime with someone just because you’re touched by them. Besides, you know I have other concerns.”

“I just think… meeting someone you love, who also loves you back, is so rare,” Liao Zhaodi said with a soft smile as she looked down. “Maybe it’s because of my parents, but I find that kind of love incredibly precious. If someone I liked even liked me a little, I might just throw caution to the wind.”

It was precisely because she saw it as so precious that she didn’t want Su Min to miss out on it.

But Su Min shook her head firmly. “Zhaodi, don’t say any more. There’s no future between Xue Mian and me. Look at us — we’re not even in contact anymore. Let’s not bring this up again.”

Seeing that Su Min remained resolute, Liao Zhaodi sighed.

This New Year, Su Min was the only one going back home.

Zhang Qingqing and William were celebrating in their new home in B City this year — their first New Year together there.

Grandma Zhang had originally planned to return to her hometown, but William and Zhang Qingqing convinced her to stay. After all, her hometown was just Zhang Qingqing’s parents’ house — not much different. It was livelier to stay in B City and celebrate with the young couple.

Most importantly, Qingqing was heavily pregnant now and couldn’t manage the train ride.

Su Min boarded the train alone. As the scenery outside the window gradually receded into the distance, a trace of melancholy rose in her heart.

She kept trying not to think about what Zhaodi had said, but the words wouldn’t leave her mind.

Did she really not like Xue Mian?

In the past, she would’ve confidently said she didn’t like him. But lately, just thinking about him made her feel increasingly unsettled.

Sometimes she tried not to think about it — maybe because she was afraid. Afraid she’d let go of the beliefs she had clung to so firmly.

She didn’t know if this was what it meant to like someone.

She wasn’t young anymore. Combining the years of two lifetimes, she was already in her mid-thirties. She no longer had the heart of a young girl in love.

At least, that’s what she had always believed.

But now… she found herself yearning a little.

Yearning to fall in love like young people did — a real, reckless kind of love. Even if it left her bruised all over, she wanted to believe she could still heal quickly.

The train finally arrived at the city station in her hometown.

Su Min had just stepped off the train with her suitcase when Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang spotted her.

Bundled up in thick padded jackets, they rushed over — one took her luggage, the other pulled her into a hug.

“Cold? Let’s get you home. We’ve got soup waiting. You’ve lost weight again. Even thinner than when we saw you last in B City,” Sun Qiufang said with concern.

Su Changrong nodded in agreement. “Maybe we should just move to B City too. Without you around, it always feels like we’re not taking care of you properly.”

Su Min laughed and waved them off. “I’m already this old. I don’t want you two following me around everywhere. Besides, things are going well here at home. Isn’t Rongfang still managing the business? You think you two can just leave?”

At that, Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang both fell silent. They really couldn’t leave now. It wasn’t just the supermarket anymore — the company now employed over a hundred people. If they left, who would run things?

Once they got in the car, Sun Qiufang began grumbling, “If we’d known things would turn out like this, we shouldn’t have started the company. Now we’re stuck.”

Leaning back in her seat, Su Min chuckled. “I think it’s great. You and Dad have worked so hard for me all these years. Now, in your later years, you get to fulfill your own dreams. One day when you look back, there’ll be something to remember fondly.”

Speaking of dreams, Su Changrong lit up.

Though he doted on his daughter, he was still a man with ambitions of his own. “Minzi, you know, I have this idea — wouldn’t it be amazing if our supermarkets were all over the country? That way, no matter where you go, you’d always be able to find one of our stores.”

“Look at you, always showing off,” Sun Qiufang laughed. “You should worry about keeping those hundreds of employees fed first.”

She smiled and looked at her daughter. Su Min’s complexion was fair, her features delicate, and her expression carried a calm, mature air.

After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her voice and asked, “Sweetheart, be honest with me. Are you seeing someone at school?”

Su Min widened her eyes. “Mom! What are you thinking? I don’t even have the time for that right now.”

“It’s okay if you are. You’re in your mid-twenties already — it’s time to think about it. There’s no rule saying college students can’t date.”

Hearing his wife suggest their daughter date, Su Changrong immediately objected while driving, “No way! Our daughter can’t just date anyone. We need to check him out first.”

It hadn’t been easy raising her. Now they only saw her a few times a year — if she started dating, she might stop coming home at all.

Just the thought of it made Su Changrong feel uneasy.

Who knew which brat was going to steal his daughter away?

Seeing her parents getting worked up, Su Min quickly said, “What are you two even thinking about? I really don’t have any intentions like that.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem to be lying, Sun Qiufang relented. “Alright, alright. I won’t push you. Let nature take its course.”