Chapter 154: I Ran Into Liu Wen Bin

Su Ruan smiled and poured him a glass of water: "Well said. Especially the part you talked about at the beginning; I almost forgot how chaotic you were back then."

Jiang Ran took the cup, gulped a big mouthful, and chuckled: "That's called strategy! Otherwise how could I bring my wife, this true goddess, back home?"

He leaned close to Su Ruan, lowered his voice, "But, hearing you talk about staying up late to draw, I feel… a bit uneasy."

"From now on you can't pull all‑nighters, got it? No design, however important, is more important than your health."

His eyes showed genuine concern, without pretense.

Su Ruan felt warm inside, lightly nodded: "Mm, understood. From now on… with you watching over me."

While they were talking, Douzi poked his head out of the front shop, his face flushed with excitement: "Brother Jiang, Sister Su! Two people are at the door, saying they're from the city's… Industrial Planning Office? They're holding introduction letters, here to discuss Incubation Park matters with you!"

"They're here! So fast!"

Su Ruan and Jiang Ran quickly smoothed their clothes, exchanged a glance, each seeing seriousness and eager anticipation in the other's eyes.

"Please come in!" Jiang Ran called out loudly, instinctively straightening his back.

The Planning Office sent a man and a woman, both in their thirties, dressed in crisp Zhongshan suits, holding briefcases, their demeanor courteous and meticulous.

The male lead, surnamed Zhou, wore glasses and spoke with clear logic; the female, surnamed Wu, was mainly in charge of taking notes.

After brief pleasantries, Comrade Zhou got straight to the point: "Comrade Jiang Ran, Comrade Su Ruan, we are here mainly to hear your thoughts on the upcoming textile and apparel Incubation Park, especially regarding a design‑driven brand like Chongsu, regarding its specific needs, difficulties, and expectations."

"Your opinions are crucial for us to refine the park's planning and formulate support policies."

Jiang Ran glanced at Su Ruan, who gave a slight nod, indicating he should speak first.

Jiang Ran cleared his throat, laid out the ideas discussed with Su Ruan last night point by point, speaking earnestly: "Comrade Zhou, Comrade Wu, the biggest hurdles for Chongsu right now are, first, the space is small. Design and production are cramped together; when clients visit it looks chaotic, and the craftsmen can't work freely."

"Second, equipment. Good fabrics need good machines; we've bitten the bullet and bought some, but they're still far behind the real big factories."

"Third, talent. We lack good tailors, and even more, young people who understand design and the market."

"Fourth, information. In our small town, we learn about trends and new fabrics always half a beat slower than Guangzhou or Shanghai."

He spoke plainly; Comrades Zhou and Wu listened attentively, nodding and taking notes from time to time.

After Jiang Ran finished, Su Ruan added in a gentle voice, focusing more on design and branding: "Besides the hardware, we think it would be great if the park could provide a platform for exchange."

"So that small brands like ours have the chance to learn from each other, and we can regularly invite outside senior designers and fabric merchants to give lectures."

"Also, if you could help solve some professional legal and financial issues, that would be a huge help. After all, we're good at making clothes; these areas are our weak points."

Comrade Zhou adjusted his glasses, a approving smile appearing: "Your ideas are very concrete and constructive."

"The original purpose of the park's planning is to solve these common challenges that local excellent brands face in development."

"Regarding space, we preliminarily plan to offer standardized studios and shared workrooms ranging from dozens to hundreds of square meters."

"On equipment, we plan to introduce some high‑end shared devices to reduce individual companies' investment costs."

"Talent and information exchange are precisely the core of building the Incubation Park's ecosystem…"

He gave a detailed presentation of the park's preliminary concept, many aspects aligning perfectly with Su Ruan and Jiang Ran's expectations, even more comprehensively considered.

Comrade Wu occasionally asked for details, such as Chongsu's current turnover, staff composition, and the specific model of cooperation with Guangzhou.

The conversation lasted nearly two hours, the atmosphere friendly yet pragmatic.

Finally, Comrade Zhou closed his notebook, solemnly saying: "Thank you very much for your valuable time and suggestions. We will take what we learned today back and incorporate it into the planning proposal."

"We expect that early next month there will be a more detailed plan briefing and a forum for prospective resident companies, at which time formal invitations will be issued."

"We hope Chongsu can become one of the park's first partners and a benchmark."

After seeing off the Planning Office officials, Su Ruan and Jiang Ran both let out long sighs, their eyes shining even brighter.

"Did you hear that? Shared equipment! Exchange platform! It's practically tailor‑made for us!" Jiang Ran rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Mm," Su Ruan could barely hide her excitement, "the most important thing is that they're truly listening to us and want to get things done right. We must seize this opportunity."

In the days that followed, Chongsu's internal and external operations entered high‑speed mode.

The potential effect of the magazine interview began to show, with occasional strangers bringing past issues of "Fashion Life" to the shop to inquire.

Although the Incubation Park news hasn't been public yet, word has already spread in a small circle, quietly raising Chongsu's profile in the local business community.

Su Ruan and Jiang Ran became even less willing to slack off.

Su Ruan, besides her daily design work, began deliberately compiling Chongsu's brand story and design philosophy, preparing for possible park exhibitions and promotion.

Jiang Ran tightened internal management, demanding meticulousness in everything; in his words: "We're now a model workshop; everything inside and out must be bright."

That afternoon, Jiang Ran went to the post office to collect the second batch of fabric swatches and a new cooperation draft sent by the Chen Family.

When he returned, his expression was somewhat grim.

Su Ruan was discussing the embroidery placement of a dress with Sun Shifu when she felt a sudden thump in her heart, stepped forward and whispered: "What's wrong? Is the material off? Or is there a problem with the cooperation?"

Jiang Ran shook his head, set the package and letters down, led Su Ruan to a secluded corner of the backyard, then lowered his voice: "The material's fine, I've read the cooperation draft, the terms are better than last time. On the way back, I ran into Liu Wen Bin."

Liu Wen Bin?

Su Ruan's brows twitched slightly.

Since the fiasco with Su Yanhua, they haven't had any contact with that side.

"He saw me, didn't avoid me, and even came up to greet me," Jiang Ran said with disgust and a hint of wariness, "feigning sincerity, asking if my business was getting bigger, and spouting 'young people have talent, bright futures,' which made my skin crawl."

Su Ruan's heart sank slightly.

Liu Wen Bin is a hypocritical yet shrewd person who would never extend goodwill without a reason.

"What's he saying that for? Gathering information?"