Chapter 94: Strong Ally

Li Zhaodi stood in front of the department store, feeling very nervous; this was still her first time traveling far away, and everything here made her feel unfamiliar and novel.

Su Ruo, however, walked in calmly; she first strolled around the whole department store, and after understanding the styles and prices of these clothes, she told a sales clerk: I want to see their manager.

The sales clerks here had all received professional training, so there was no sign of looking down on people; they quickly took Su Ruo and her to the manager's office.

"Manager Huang, these two ladies want to see you." The sales clerk's tone was very respectful, and did not neglect them just because Su Ruo and the other were young.

The manager looked at Su Ruo and the other with some doubt; after hearing Su Ruo say that they were two little girls who wanted to sell him clothes, he initially didn't think much of it.

But when he saw the clothes Su Ruo took out, Manager Huang immediately sat up straight, his eyes bright with excitement.

Especially after Su Ruo put on a coat and displayed it in front of him, the manager could no longer contain himself; his inner excitement surged, and he kept saying "good" repeatedly.

Su Ruo was already beautiful; wearing this outfit made her look even more noble and refined.

Manager Huang knew that clothing of this quality and style was not available here, nor even in Hai Shi or Gangcheng.

But he still steadied his emotions and asked: "I don't know how many of these clothes you have, and what price you want to sell them for."

The year-end is approaching soon; these clothes are of such high quality that if the quantity is sufficient, they could completely become the flagship product of their department store.

Su Ruo calmly said: "One hundred pieces."

Upon hearing that, the manager was even more delighted, but then Su Ruo's next words made him frown involuntarily.

"One hundred yuan each, no bargaining."

Manager Huang originally thought Su Ruo was young and easy to fool, but he didn't expect her to be so ruthless; she opened with a price of one hundred yuan right away.

You should know that even the goods they import from Gangcheng cost no more than one hundred and twenty yuan.

Manager Huang frowned and said: "Little girl, isn't one hundred yuan a bit too expensive?"

Su Ruo said unhurriedly: "Manager Huang, you've seen our clothes; this quality and style, coupled with the year-end demand, will definitely fetch a good price once put on display."

Moreover, when I just came in, I already checked the prices of coats in your department store; they are priced at one hundred seventy to eighty yuan each, and their style and quality are inferior to the ones I made.

If you purchase our coats at this price, you will definitely not lose out.

Manager Huang's heart suddenly jumped; he had thought Su Ruo was young and easy to fool, but he didn't expect her to have inquired about the prices of all the clothes in their mall, leaving him with nothing to say he wanted to say, stuck in his throat.

Su Ruo stood up directly to say goodbye: "If you haven't decided yet, we can go to the foreign exchange store next door; I'm sure they will give us a satisfactory price."

Upon hearing that, Manager Huang became anxious; their department store and the neighboring foreign trade store are originally competitors, and this competition intensifies as the year-end approaches, so no matter what, he cannot let this batch of clothes fall into the hands of the foreign trade store.

Seeing that Su Ruo really intended to leave, Manager Huang gritted his teeth and said: "Alright, I'll take these clothes!"

Based on Manager Huang's many years of experience, he knows this batch of clothes will definitely sell well.

Su Ruo's face showed a look of sudden understanding; she extended her hand and said: "Pleasant cooperation."

The two simply drafted an agreement; Su Ruo called the truck driver, letting him drive the vehicle in; Manager Huang had people unload the clothes, carefully inspected them, found no problems, and promptly paid.

When leaving, Manager Huang personally saw Su Ruo and her to the door; they exchanged phone numbers, and if these clothes sell well, they will certainly continue to cooperate in the future.

After getting in the car, Su Ruo's tense nerves finally completely relaxed; although she appeared calm and carefree, inside she was extremely nervous, after all this was her first time negotiating business with someone, but fortunately the outcome turned out better than expected.

Su Ruo shoved the money bag into Li Zhaodi's arms, then lay down on the seat and fell asleep; dealing with businesspeople is tiring, and moreover they had set out at midnight the previous night, so now she is truly exhausted.

Li Zhaodi held a bundle of ten thousand yuan in her arms, feeling both excited and nervous inside!

Just now, while Su Ruo was negotiating business, she didn't dare to say a single word throughout, not even dare to breathe loudly, for fear that a careless mistake would ruin her master's plan.

At this moment she carefully held the money bundle in her arms, as if holding a bomb, not daring to blink an eye, for fear that a careless mistake would make the money disappear.

This is ten thousand yuan; Li Zhaodi has never seen so much money in her life; if it were before, she wouldn't even dare to think about it.

Whenever Li Zhaodi thinks that this money is earned by herself, she feels her blood boil with excitement all over her body; she really cannot understand how her master can remain so calm.

Or perhaps she has seen too little of the world; Li Zhaodi feels she should learn to be calm like her master.

When Su Ruo and her returned to Li Family Village, it was already night; Bai Xinya and An'an were anxiously waiting at the door for them to return, with Zhou Feng standing beside them.

Su Ruo had slept all the way; at this moment she was spirited; she first picked up An'an, kissed her on the cheek, then greeted Bai Xinya and the others to come inside; it was time to divide the money.

The fabric for the clothes cost five hundred yuan, the wages for ten workers were three hundred yuan, but because they did well, to meet the deadline they additionally worked several extra days, so Su Ruo gave each worker an extra ten yuan, a total of four hundred yuan.

The truck driver together with fuel cost one hundred yuan; total cost was one thousand yuan.

This money was all advanced by Su Ruo; after deducting that, there remained nine thousand yuan.

Su Ruo divided it into three parts; she, Li Zhaodi, and Bai Xinya each received three thousand yuan.

But Li Zhaodi and Bai Xinya both refused to accept.

Li Zhaodi quickly waved her hand and said: "Master, I cannot take this money; these days I have been eating and lodging for free with you, and you even spent money to help me cut ties with my family, so I can escape that household and have the ability to choose my own life; now I have only done a bit of work for you, how can I take money?"

Bai Xiya also refused, saying: "No merit, no reward; I haven't done anything, so I cannot take this money."

Su Ruo, however, would not allow the two to refuse; she said: "The business of selling clothes was originally proposed by Li Zhaodi; if it weren't for her, I wouldn't have thought of this way to make money.

Moreover, the later production and manufacturing of the clothes were entirely overseen by Li Zhaodi, so she is the greatest contributor; if she doesn't take this money, then I won't either."

After Su Ruo finished speaking to Li Zhaodi, she turned to Bai Xinya: "Making clothes is not just this one-time deal; I want to establish my own clothing brand.

But Li Zhaodi and I are still too weak; once our business grows, we will surely be besieged by hungry wolves and become fat meat in others' eyes, so we need you, or rather the Bai and Zhou families behind you, as our backing.

My two lifetimes of experience have let me deeply see the darkness of human nature, and also understand the principle that an innocent man who hides a jewel brings guilt upon himself.

If a person possesses great wealth but lacks the strength to protect it, he will become fish on the chopping block for others, able only to be slaughtered at will.

Therefore I need Bai Xinya as my ally to back me up, so I can expand without any worries.

Moreover, during this period of interaction I have discovered that Bai Xinya has a very high aesthetic sense and artistic talent, which is exactly what Li Zhaodi and I lack; with Bai Xinya's joining and help, the clothes we produce can reach a higher level.

Su Ruo said: "I want to develop Xia Hua into the nation's first high-end luxury brand; in the future we will not only deal with clothing, but also shoes and bags, and even cosmetics……

Ms. Bai, I sincerely invite you to join us; I hope we can work together to strive and create a clothing chain brand that belongs to us."

Bai Xinya looked at Su Ruo in shock; thinking back a few months ago, she never imagined that one day she would become friends with Su Ruo.

At this moment, in Bai Xinya's eyes, Su Ruo seemed to be glowing; the future she described made Bai Xinya unable to help but yearn for it.

Bai Xinya realized for the first time that women are not necessarily confined to the family, trapped between husband and children.

She can also have her own pursuits, dreams, and careers……