Chapter 199: New Year

On the day Xia Hua launched its winter collection, the first school funded by Xia Hua in a poor mountainous area began formal enrollment.

At the same time, the television station's interview with Su Ruo was also broadcast.

Su Ruo, Li Zhaodi, and Bai Xinya's greatest wish was that once they had money, they would build schools so that children unable to attend due to family poverty could have books to read and schooling.

The first Hope Elementary School Su Ruo built was located in Da Qing Shan Li Family Village, which was also where the three of them first met.

Su Ruo and her companions would provide food and lodging for every child studying there until they graduated from elementary school.

Those with excellent grades would be supported by Su Ruo and her companions to attend junior high, high school, and even university.

Su Ruo and her companions hoped that these children trapped in the mountains could change their fate through knowledge and go out to see the world.

Old Branch Secretary and the villagers warmly accepted the reporters' interview, each beaming with happy smiles.

They sincerely expressed their gratitude to Su Ruo and her companions.

Old Branch Secretary said: "They are good children; I hope they can come back to visit when they have time—this place will always be their home."

Through the camera, Su Ruo saw that the courtyard of her clinic remained exactly as she had left it, unchanged, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Beside her, Li Zhaodi burst into tears, thinking she had only hatred and resentment for that place.

Who would have thought that after leaving, she would still miss it—perhaps this is what hometown means!

Seeing the villagers' familiar faces, everyone felt deeply moved.

After the villagers' interview, the camera shifted to the Xia Hua Clothing Factory, where all workers wore clean, neat blue work uniforms, looking energetic and positive.

The reporter randomly interviewed several workers; they all expressed gratitude to the factory, saying they no longer had to work endless overtime, their wages had risen, and their time was now free—there could be nothing better for them.

Finally, the reporter interviewed Su Ruo, asking why, with the clothing factory just established and facing its toughest period, she would build a school now.

Su Ruo's firm gaze told her that enabling every impoverished girl to afford schooling was the original intention behind founding Xia Hua.

In the future, she would build more schools; she believed that one day every child on the land of China would be able to afford schooling, and their country would surely become better and stronger.

Su Ruo's words moved the reporter to tears; after the program aired, it sparked a strong response.

Su Ruo was also named the most beautiful female entrepreneur, and Xia Hua quickly entered the public eye.

As soon as Xia Hua's winter wear hit the market, it was immediately sold out.

The clothing empire built by Su Ruo and her companions rose rapidly on this wave.

Su Ruo, Li Zhaodi, and Bai Xinya seized the era's dividend, becoming truly deserving pioneers of the new generation.

At dinner, the group gathered to celebrate properly; Die Lian thought hiring a celebrity would crush them, but she never expected Su Ruo and her companions to use this interview for a stunning counterattack.

However, Su Ruo's retaliation had just begun, while Xia Hua's clothing sales were booming.

Online, the scandal of Ye Yu was exposed—she was kept by a wealthy businessman from Gangshi, forced her assistant to kneel, slapped newcomers, and even pushed a rival female artist to the ground, causing a miscarriage, among other news.

Each report was well-founded, with photos or videos as evidence, and victims themselves came forward to testify, essentially condemning Ye Yu outright.

Once the reports came out, people's goddess filter for Ye Yu shattered instantly; she had been a national idol adored by all, and the next moment everyone shouted at her like a rotten egg.

Even Die Lian was somewhat implicated; people said they could find such a scandalous artist to endorse—what kind of people could they be? They also claimed they had wrongly accused Xia Hua of plagiarism, which was simply crying wolf.

Under such massive public pressure, Ye Yu hastily fled to Gangshi; it was foreseeable that her comeback would be nearly impossible.

Die Lian even stayed up all night to take down all of Ye Yu's promotional posters, fearing she would be dragged down by Ye Yu and pelted with rotten eggs.

However, the funds they had previously invested were completely lost; after this incident, Die Lian would never dare to casually hire celebrity endorsers again.

Even if they wanted to, the bosses behind them would not want to keep investing money.

Losing the halo of celebrity endorsement, Die Lian became just an ordinary clothing store.

Customers liked the light pink clothes, but few bought them, because after all, people buy clothes to wear, and no one wants to bring home something to be worshipped like an ancestor.

Moreover, Die Lian's clothing designs and workmanship were not particularly outstanding, and they simply could not compare to Xia Hua's.

Seeing customers only try on clothes without buying, the staff gradually grew resentful, and besides, they would be scolded if the clothes got dirty.

So, a "No Trying Without Buying" sign soon appeared in the shop, making the already bleak business even worse.

Left with no choice, to avoid having these clothes pile up in their hands, Die Lian could only sell them at a loss.

Die Lian's repeated troubles resulted in direct losses; the behind-the-scenes investors failed to recover their capital—truly a case of losing the wife and losing the troops.

Three months later, Die Lian was forced to announce bankruptcy; this once grandly founded company thus completely vanished from sight.

In contrast, Xia Hua's sales continued to rise steadily.

After everything settled, Su Ruo returned to the school to take the final exam; although she had been busy with factory affairs these six months, she did not neglect her studies, after all she could not disgrace her master.

Seeing her master again, Su Ruo felt a little guilty, because she had asked the master's wife to be an endorser without telling the master first—acting before reporting.

But the master raised his hand and rubbed Su Ruo's head, saying: "You've done well."

Yan Jiu has never been a rigid person; if Su Ruo's actions could help more people, he naturally would not oppose.

Su Ruo saw on her master's desk a photo taken when the master's wife filmed the promotional poster.

In the photo, the master's wife wore a gorgeous red qipao; the master's finger lightly traced the photo, his eyes full of longing, yet that gaze seemed to look through the master's wife at another person.

Not long after Su Ruo finished the exam, the year's end arrived; to celebrate the New Year, Li Zhaodi specially bought a television set, because they had been too busy before, but now the factory was on holiday and they could rest properly.

On New Year's Eve, Su Ruo and her companions gathered with Bai Xinya's couple to celebrate the New Year together, making dumplings, while the children set off firecrackers outside, and the adults bustled while watching TV—truly filled with the New Year atmosphere.