Chapter 184: Becoming a Benchmark

The three sat down, and Lin Xiao brought over tea.

"The plan for the Autumn Joint Press Conference is already preliminarily drafted on our side," Chen Mingyuan opened his briefcase, "The time is set for mid‑September, and the venue is the Provincial Art Museum."

"Besides Chongsu, three other Local Brands will participate. As for media, we have invited three national fashion magazines, and the Provincial TV Station will do a special report."

He handed the plan to Su Ruan: "President Su, take a look and see if anything needs adjusting."

Su Ruan examined it carefully.

The plan was very professional, covering everything from venue layout to media invitations, from schedule arrangement to follow‑up promotion.

"The scale is larger than I imagined," she looked up, "Budget…"

"No need to worry about the budget," Chen Mingyuan said with a smile, "For this press conference, our Association secured cultural‑industry support funds. The brand side only needs to cover its own garment production and model costs."

That was undoubtedly good news.

Jiang Ran and Su Ran exchanged a glance, each seeing excitement in the other's eyes.

National media, the Provincial Art Museum venue—this is a key step for the Chongsu brand's upgrade.

"We'll join," Jiang Ran decided on the spot, "Whatever coordination is needed, Mr Chen, just tell us."

"Great!" Chen Mingyuan was also pleased, "I'll go back and push the follow‑up work. By the way, the conference theme is City and Nature, so President Su can steer the design in that direction."

After discussing some details, Chen Mingyuan took his leave, and before departing said, "Next week I'll have my assistant send over the contract. I wish us a pleasant cooperation in advance."

After seeing Chen Mingyuan off, Su Ruan returned to the office and immediately took out her sketchbook to start brainstorming.

City and Nature… many images flashed through her mind.

A splash of green amid reinforced concrete, a lone leaf drifting among the traffic streams, the softness hidden beneath the suit and leather…

The pencil rustled on the paper, and the lines gradually became clear.

Jiang Ran pushed the door open, saw her focused demeanor, softened his steps, and walked to stand behind her.

"Got inspiration?"

"Hmm," Su Ruan didn't lift her head, "Look at this. The suit fabric is a slightly textured linen‑blend, colored slate‑gray, like a cement wall. But the lining is a soft ivory silk, at the collar here…"

She tapped the tip of her pen, "Embroider a minimalist leaf outline."

"Hard on the outside, soft inside," Jiang Ran understood, "The duality of city dwellers?"

"Right." Su Ruan finally looked up, eyes shining, "And this dress: the cut is a crisp A‑line, but the fabric is a flowing silk chiffon, with a print that looks like ink‑washed distant mountains."

"This is good," Jiang Ran nodded, "It has both modern feel and Eastern charm. Perfect for the City and Nature theme."

He leaned in closer, pointing to a detail on the sketch, "What about adding a detachable waist belt here? Leather, stiff, to contrast with the soft fabric."

"Good idea!" Su Ruan immediately added to the drawing, "A detachable design gives the garment two ways to wear. With the belt, it's a corporate elite; without, a literary young woman."

The two became more engrossed as they discussed, completely forgetting the time.

Until Douzi knocked on the door: "Brother Jiang, Sister Su, Manager Li from the department store has arrived."

"Send him to the first‑floor VIP Room, we'll come down right away," Jiang Ran replied.

Su Ruan set down her pen and tidied her hair and clothes.

Jiang Ran straightened his tie; he still wasn't used to wearing a suit, but important occasions required it.

In the first‑floor VIP Room, Manager Li was already there.

He was the purchasing head of the largest department store in the Provincial Capital, had cooperated with Chongsu for half a year, and his performance had been consistently good.

"President Jiang, President Su, the new venue is truly impressive!" Manager Li said with a smile, shrewd yet amiable.

"You're too kind, Manager Li," Jiang Ran shook his hand, "We also have to thank your company for giving us such a prime boutique spot."

After the small talk, they got down to business. Yaya brought in two colleagues and pushed in the new season's samples, displaying them one by one.

Manager Li examined them closely, occasionally reaching out to feel the fabric and inspect the workmanship.

"This coat…" he pointed to a camel‑colored double‑faced wool piece, "Is the material imported?"

"Yes, Italian‑imported wool," Su Ruan explained, "We applied a special post‑treatment, making it lighter and warmer."

"What about pricing?"

"Suggested retail price is twelve hundred."

Manager Li pondered briefly, "Fine. However, we would like an exclusive sales period of one month, then open it to other channels."

That's a common commercial strategy. Jiang Ran nodded, "Okay, but we need a guaranteed minimum order quantity."

"Three hundred units?"

"Five hundred."

The two went back and forth in negotiation, finally settling on four hundred units with a one‑month exclusive period.

The other styles were also finalized one by one. By the time everything was done, it was almost six o'clock.

"Will Manager Li also attend the Management Committee dinner tonight?" Jiang Ran asked.

"Of course, I'll go," Manager Li said with a smile, "I can introduce a few friends to you."

The High‑tech Zone will build a Clothing Industry Park next year; you might consider moving in.

After seeing Manager Li off, the two hurried back to the office to change clothes; the dinner required formal attire.

Su Ruan changed into a black cocktail dress she had designed herself, with a minimalist cut; the only adornment was a pearl brooch at the neckline, matching the ring Jiang Ran had given her.

Jiang Ran wore a dark‑gray suit with a deep‑red tie.

"How does it look?" he spun in front of Su Ruan, "Does it look like a successful person?"

Su Ruan laughed, adjusting his tie, "It does. Especially so."

She paused, then said softly, "Jiang Ran, sometimes I really feel… like a dream. A year ago we were still worrying whether we could get into the Incubation Park. Now…"

"Now we ourselves are the Incubation Park," Jiang Ran clasped her hand, "Sweetheart, this isn't a dream; it's the path we've built step by step."

He lowered his head and gave her lips a light kiss, "And the road still stretches ahead."

The dinner was held in the banquet hall of the High‑tech Zone Management Committee.

Most of those present were representatives of newly settled companies, and there were also leaders of the management committee.

Jiang Ran and Su Ruan, as soon as they appeared, attracted a lot of attention.

The young entrepreneur couple, a brand that grew locally, was already very newsworthy.

Chen Mingyuan was also there, and he proactively came over to introduce them.

"This is Wang Zhuren of the High‑tech Zone Management Committee."

"Hello, Wang Zhuren, I am Jiang Ran of Chongsu, and this is my wife Su Ruan."

"Director Jiang, Director Su, I've heard of you for a long time," Wang Zhuren, in his fifties and with a friendly demeanor, said, "I know Chongsu, the brand that won an award at last year's exhibition. So young and promising!"

"You flatter me."

"This is Secretary‑General Liu of the Provincial Textile Association."

"Hello, Secretary‑General Liu."

After a round of introductions, the two collected a stack of business cards in their hands.

After the banquet began, Wang Zhuren went on stage to speak, welcoming the newly settled companies and introducing the High‑tech Zone's support policies.

When mentioning the Clothing Industry Park, he specifically mentioned Chongsu: "Brands like Chongsu, a home‑grown original brand, are the key targets of our support."

The words carried weight. Many people cast envious or inquisitive glances at Jiang Ran and Su Ruan.

Jiang Ran, under the table, grasped Su Ruan's hand and whispered, "Did you hear? We've become a benchmark now."