RGL – Chapter 174

Liao Zhaodi was momentarily stunned and glanced at Su Min.

“You go ahead. I’ll take a look around first, and we can discuss it later.”

Only then did Liao Zhaodi nod and get up to head outside.

It was quite a while before she came back, her eyes red. “Su Min, after I finish handling this matter, can I take some time off?”

Su Min looked up in surprise. “What’s going on?”

Beaming with joy, Liao Zhaodi replied, “My sister came to find me.”

“Your sister came?”

Su Min was shocked to hear the news, then immediately felt happy for Liao Zhaodi.

“Alright, go take care of your stuff first. I’ll go report this to Director Li. We can talk it over tonight when we get home.”

At this point, Liao Zhaodi couldn’t sit still anymore. She gave a quick reply, grabbed her bag, and left.

It wasn’t until after dinner that evening that Liao Zhaodi returned home.

Seeing the joy on her face, Su Min smiled and said, “You must be thrilled to see your sister. By the way, where have they been all these years? How did they find us?”

After changing out of her shoes, Liao Zhaodi made her way to the sofa and sank into it, clearly exhausted. “Actually, I have to thank you for this.”

“Thank me?”

“Mhm.”

Liao Zhaodi nodded with a smile.

It turned out that after her eldest and second sisters left home, they had gone to the provincial capital to look for work. But jobs were hard to come by there, and when they heard that factories were opening up all over the South and hiring lots of women, they simply headed south.

Her second sister, Liao Laidi, had at least completed a year of high school, so among the many female workers, she was considered fairly educated. She was also very assertive, which made her highly valued at the factory. Later, she met a hardworking man there, and the two fell in love. Not long after, they got married and brought her eldest sister, Liao Youdi, out with them to start their own venture.

With skills, connections, and Liao Laidi’s gift of the gab, their small workshop gradually took off. After years of effort, they’d built it into a modestly sized hardware factory.

Later, they even went to the county to look for Liao Zhaodi, but couldn’t find her. It wasn’t until they stumbled upon a magazine with Zhaodi’s photo in it that they learned she worked at Xiuse Company and were able to track her down.

“Su Min, do you know, I’m so grateful you insisted I do that magazine shoot back then. Otherwise, they never would’ve found me.” Liao Zhaodi’s voice was full of relief. Back then, she’d really been reluctant to take those photos.

Su Min was amazed by the story. “Your second sister’s really something. She left home so young and still managed to carve out a place for herself in the South. That’s really impressive.”

“Isn’t it? They actually came this time for business and to see me. Too bad my eldest sister had to stay behind to manage the factory, so only my second sister and brother-in-law came.”

After thinking for a moment, Liao Zhaodi added, “Su Min, I want to go visit my eldest sister in the South during the National Day holiday.”

“Go for it. We get time off anyway. And as a humane boss, I won’t deprive you of your well-earned vacation.”

Liao Zhaodi rolled her eyes with a grin. “I think you just can’t wait for me, the third wheel, to get out of the way so you can go on your dates freely.”

“I’m just being thoughtful, and here you are accusing me,” Su Min said while munching on an apple, laughing.

“Still, now that you’re back in touch with your sisters, things are finally looking up.”

Liao Zhaodi nodded with a smile—but deep down, she also let out a quiet sigh.

Today, her second sister asked her to help out at the factory after graduation. After all, in the South, there were plenty of places where English was useful. But she didn’t agree. After all, Su Min had helped her so much—she couldn’t betray Su Min like that. Unless Su Min no longer needed her, she would never bring up the idea of leaving.

As far as Su Min was concerned, the offer from Liao Zhaodi’s second sister was just a minor interlude.

Right now, her main focus was on the second collaboration with Alice.

Having learned from the first experience, this time Su Min really grasped the Westerners’ preferences—bold, unrestrained, and with a touch of mystery.

Now that she had the Li Group backing her, Su Min hired professional models, so the final product was even better than before.

After seeing the newly released print photos, Li Weisi was very satisfied. He immediately had someone from the international department send the photos to Fashion Weekly.

“This time, you can start preparing even before the magazine is out.”

Li Weisi took a sip of his coffee and suddenly said this out of the blue.

Sitting across from him, Su Min was briefly stunned, then quickly understood. Her face lit up with joy. “You mean…?”

“I’ve already submitted the application for you to participate in the fashion exhibition. Although the official invitation hasn’t been issued yet, the fact that Alice took the initiative to contact you—there’s no doubt about it now.”

As the queen of fashion, Alice would never miss news like this. Given Alice’s move, Li Weisi was confident the application had been approved.

Su Min hadn’t expected the opportunity to come so soon, and her heart surged with excitement. “President Li, thank you! I’ll make sure to prepare properly.”

Li Weisi smiled and nodded. “I trust your ability, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. This is your first time participating—just making an appearance is enough. Once you’ve been seen once, opportunities will keep coming.”

Su Min agreed, but she had already resolved to give it her all.

Not long after Su Min left the office, Li Weisi’s phone rang.

He answered with a teasing smile, “I knew it was you—so impatient. Don’t worry, how could I not follow your instructions? Everything’s been arranged, rest assured.”

After speaking, he hung up the phone with a laugh, not bothering to respond to the thanks on the other end.

This time, Su Min poured a great deal of effort into preparing for the Paris fashion exhibition.

It wasn’t just the pressure from Li Weisi. More importantly, this was Xiuse’s first official debut on the fashion stage—something of great significance. To get ready for Paris Fashion Week, Su Min spent an entire month either attending school or holed up in her study designing the pieces for the show.

“You haven’t met up with Xue Mian for a whole month. Is that really okay?”

Liao Zhaodi handed Su Min a cup of coffee and sat down beside her.

They’d just started dating, and already they hadn’t seen each other for such a long time. Could the relationship even survive?

Su Min took a sip of coffee without looking up. “Don’t worry. I have faith in him. Besides, he’s busy too. His company is launching a product, and he’s in R&D. He’s even busier than I am.”

Liao Zhaodi curled her lip. “You two are really a perfect match.”

She took a sip of her own coffee and smiled. “But it’s nice, really. So young, and both already building their careers.” Then she sighed. “My sister’s been going on these past few days about wanting me to go down South. I haven’t agreed. Now I don’t even know how to explain it to her. My second sister used to be stubborn, sure, but at least she wasn’t this headstrong. Now her personality’s totally changed. Is this what happens when someone becomes a boss? But you’re a boss too, and you’re not like that.”

Talking about it made Liao Zhaodi feel suffocated. She used to think that as long as she found her two sisters and the family reunited, everything would be okay. And now that they were reunited, the way they interacted no longer had the purity it once did.

Turns out, growing up meant losing that simplicity.

“If you really want to go help your sister, don’t worry about me. If things get too busy here, I can ask headquarters to send more people.”

Su Min didn’t want Liao Zhaodi to fall out with her family on her account.

But Liao Zhaodi shook her head. “No need. I don’t want to go. I’m doing well at Xiuse and really enjoy this line of work. I don’t want to switch. And if the whole workplace is filled with family, it just doesn’t feel right. My eldest sister and brother-in-law are already there, and the two bosses are my second sister and her husband. If I go too, wouldn’t the whole factory just be my family?”

“That’s true,” Su Min nodded in understanding. “Then make sure you explain it to them clearly. No need to strain your relationship over this.”

“Yeah. I’ll find a chance to talk to them.” Liao Zhaodi sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, her second sister, Liao Laidi, was throwing a fit at home.

“Zhou Wu, what on earth are you thinking? We’ve just started developing things, and now you want to stay here? What about the South? B City isn’t the right place for us to grow—no money, no connections. You’re just waiting to get crushed!”

Liao Laidi was furious.

Over the years, she had built herself up through sheer effort and drive. Whether in appearance or demeanor, she now fully embodied the look of a strong career woman. Her career was flourishing, and she had even reconnected with her younger sister. Everything should’ve been going well. But now, the usually honest and reliable husband of hers was suddenly acting out of character and insisting on staying here.

Zhou Wu lowered his head and rubbed his face. “Laidi, listen. I really want to develop my own path here. I can’t always rely on you, don’t you think? You said you needed my skills those first two years, but now the factory has master craftsmen—I’m not needed there anymore. Just let me try to make it here.”

“No, I don’t agree,” Liao Laidi said firmly. “We’re husband and wife—one in the south, one in the north—what kind of arrangement is that? Besides, even if you want to build your career, you can do it in the south too.”

“It’s not the same,” Zhou Wu felt a sudden tightness in his chest. Wenwen was right—this woman just wanted to control him, not let him, as a man, succeed.

“There’s no difference. In any case, I don’t agree. Think it over yourself.” With that, Liao Laidi stormed out the door.

Watching her back as she left, Zhou Wu’s face grew redder and redder with frustration.

After a while, he also picked up his wallet and left the house.

After exiting the temporary rented apartment, Zhou Wu drove straight to a residential area in the city, heading up to the second floor of a building with practiced familiarity.

After knocking on the door, a crisp female voice came from inside, making Zhou Wu feel uneasy. “Wenwen, it’s me, Zhou Wu.”

“So it’s you, Brother Zhou.” The door opened to reveal a young and pretty face.

If Su Min were here, she would instantly recognize this woman as Su Wenwen—the one who had a bitter grudge against her.

Looking at Zhou Wu, Su Wenwen blushed slightly. “Come on in, Brother Zhou.”

She stepped aside to let him in.

Zhou Wu entered with a grin on his face.

Watching Su Wenwen gently pour water, he suddenly recalled the first time they met—Su Wenwen had fainted on the street, and he was the one who found her. Who knows what would have happened otherwise?

“Have your injuries healed?” Zhou Wu asked softly as he took the water she handed him.

Su Wenwen nodded with a smile. “They’ve long healed. It wasn’t even a serious injury.”

“Sigh, those people were awful. They stole your things and even beat you. I used to think the capital had good public safety, but now I’m not so sure. It might be worse than the south.”

Zhou Wu’s face was full of righteous indignation.

A glint flashed in Su Wenwen’s eyes. “By the way, you mentioned last time that you were going to see your wife’s younger sister. Did you find her?”

“I did,” Zhou Wu sighed. “It was supposed to be a casual errand. I even planned to take her south with me, but she wasn’t willing. Since she didn’t want to go, fine—but I was thinking of staying in the north anyway. And now my wife is upset with me. We had a big fight today.”

“You argued with your wife?” Su Wenwen sat down beside him, looking concerned. “Brother Zhou, you mustn’t argue with her. In outsiders’ eyes, that factory is still seen as your wife’s. If you two argue, those snobs in the factory will only take the chance to bully you.”

“They wouldn’t dare!”

“Why wouldn’t they? I’ve seen enough of this cold, harsh world. Honestly, if you were the boss, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.”

Zhou Wu’s face dimmed. He knew he lacked the drive and courage Laidi had in business. “My wife doesn’t want me to stay in the north. But honestly, I do want to stay.” As he looked at Su Wenwen’s delicate features, he suddenly swallowed nervously and lowered his head.

Seeing this, Su Wenwen softly said, “If you go south, I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t even have a home right now. I really don’t know what to do in the future.” As she spoke, she started to wipe her tears.

Seeing Su Wenwen cry, Zhou Wu immediately panicked and grabbed her hand. “Don’t cry, Wenwen. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything for you. If you don’t want to go south, then I won’t either. I’ll stay here in the north and take care of you.”

“But… but you have a wife,” Su Wenwen said, her eyes red as she looked at him.

Zhou Wu’s heart tightened under her gaze, and he quickly said, “I’ll take care of you like a little sister. In the future, I’ll help you find a good husband.”

Hearing that, Su Wenwen’s lips twitched, and she suddenly threw herself into his arms, crying, “I don’t want to be your little sister.”

Having a woman throw herself into his arms like that—Zhou Wu had never experienced anything like it. Su Wenwen’s body was soft, completely different from his wife’s. And she smelled fragrant too—unlike Laidi, who always dressed like a man and had no scent at all.

Thinking that, Zhou Wu suddenly wondered: why had he married a woman like that?

If he hadn’t married Laidi back then, maybe now he could be with a good girl like Wenwen, openly and honorably. Zhou Wu couldn’t help but wrap his arms around Su Wenwen.

After talking things through with Su Min and resolving her inner turmoil, a few days later, Liao Zhaodi asked her second sister, Liao Laidi, to meet up and have a clear discussion.

Although the two sisters had their differences, they were still family and didn’t fall out completely. Once they were at the restaurant, Liao Laidi said, “You really won’t come back with me? I’m doing this for your own good. You know what our family situation is like—having parents is no different from not having them. In the end, it’s just the three of us sisters looking after ourselves. Big Sis and I are both doing well now. If you come back to the south, we can all live together. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Liao Zhaodi shook her head. “Sis, I’ve thought it through. I want to work on clothing exports with Su Min. Xiuse is doing good business now, and I’m her assistant. The work is directly related to my field, and I’ve become familiar with it too.”

“What kind of future is there in being an assistant?” Liao Laidi said, clearly unhappy. “You’re just running errands for someone else. I know that Su Min treats you well, but you can’t throw away your future just to repay a favor. Zhaodi, don’t be foolish.”

“Sis!” Liao Zhaodi’s tone grew heavier. “This isn’t about repaying a favor—it’s Su Min who gave me this opportunity. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even have graduated yet, let alone found such a good job.”