Chapter 11: Oh, I Finally Have to Shine Brightly!

【Europa Apparel】.

A small suit factory located in the Dongqu Industrial Park of Beijing, primarily engaged in OEM suit processing, garment manufacturing, supplying retail stores, and custom clothing production.

The owner of 【Europa Apparel】 is Xu Wei, a name so ordinary it borders on cliché—he’s exactly forty years old.

In 1990, he left Guangzhou with dreams in his heart and came to Beijing to launch his own clothing brand; after thirteen years of market turbulence, he suffered many hidden losses and learned how harsh society could be, eventually losing his dreams amid the neon lights and revelry, settling down to quietly run a suit OEM and private-label business just to make ends meet.

【Europa Suit】 was actually Xu Wei’s first self-made suit brand, born from years of struggle—he produced about three thousand pieces initially and spent his savings to open his own brand store.

But after selling for over two years, hundreds of suits still sat unsold in the warehouse, and it was during last month’s warehouse clearance that he met Zhou Yang.

He assumed a suit priced at two hundred yuan was affordable for any adult, but he ran into a guy who couldn’t even pull out a hundred yuan yet loved putting on airs; he still doesn’t know how he got swayed, but ended up renting a high-end suit to Zhou Yang for four yuan a day.

But the key point is, a whole month has passed, and he hasn’t seen a single cent of the four-yuan daily rent.

When he calls, Zhou Yang answers; he doesn’t run away.

Not only doesn’t he run away, he pops by every few days to mooch meals—and worse, a while back his phone got cut off, and he shamelessly borrowed twenty yuan from Xu Wei just to recharge it.

Xu Wei stared at Zhou Yang—broke as a beggar, yet carrying a briefcase, hair neatly combed, acting like some high-ranking executive coming and going daily—and was utterly speechless.

He’d urged Zhou Yang multiple times: find a real job, young man; if you really can’t, come work in suit processing—you’ll at least eat in Beijing—but Zhou Yang never listened, borrowing ten or twenty yuan here and there for pocket money while still coming and going every day, doing god-knows-what…

……………………

June 25.

Orange twilight blanketed the horizon.

Inside the 【Europa Apparel】 factory, workers sweated profusely.

“Leave him some.”

“How much?”

“Leave him some meat and vegetables, leave him some wine…”

“Alright.”

In a temporary shed in the warehouse corner.

Xu Wei glanced at the food on the table and gave a few instructions to his wife, Liu Aihua, who was clearing the dishes.

Liu Aihua nodded and made space.

Although Zhou Yang was poor, liked to sneak small advantages, and loved to brag, strangely, this young man seemed to possess an innate charm that drew people to him…

Though Xu Wei and his wife always urged Zhou Yang to be practical and pressed him for repayment, their attitude was more one of pity for a younger generation.

From Zhou Yang’s fragmented words, they knew he was a pitiful soul.

The sun set.

The twilight spread across the sky.

Just as Xu Wei stood up to leave, a car engine roared at the entrance.

When a red Audi A6 rolled down the narrow road, he instinctively stood and walked toward it.

Someone driving a car like that was likely a major client or a business partner coming to inspect the factory.

“Boss Xu, business thriving!”

“Hello, thriving business—wait, you… Zhou Yang?”

When Zhou Yang, briefcase in hand, looking refined and composed, stepped out of the driver’s seat, Xu Wei froze.

“Zhou Yang, this… where did you steal this car from?”

“Boss Xu, that’s not fair—steal? This car is borrowed…”

“Zhou Yang, I’m telling you, this is a law-abiding society—don’t mess around! This car costs over a million—you…”

Xu Wei’s face turned pale; he quickly pulled Zhou Yang aside, glanced warily around, and, seeing no one was watching, lowered his voice.

Getting caught stealing an Audi A6 meant jail time!

How could this guy have such audacity?

“Boss Xu, why won’t you believe me? This car is borrowed from the set of ‘Love Ferris Wheel’—after I finish talking with you, I have to return it…”

“Really borrowed?” Xu Wei opened his mouth, skeptical.

“Boss Xu, come on, what’s with that look? I’m not some con artist… look, here’s my contract!”

“…”

The last rays of the sun lit up Zhou Yang’s face.

Zhou Yang pulled out a contract and handed it to Xu Wei right in front of him.

Xu Wei carefully took the contract, stared in shock at the legal clauses, then looked at Zhou Yang in disbelief.

After a long silence, he stared blankly at the Audi A6, then dazedly turned back to Zhou Yang: “You? The third male lead?”

Seeing Xu Wei’s stunned expression, Zhou Yang quietly closed the car door and gazed at the twilight: “Do you remember what I told you before?”

“What?”

“Within two months, I’ll bring 【Europa Suit】 back to life!”

“…”

Xu Wei suppressed his shock and stared at the contract for a long time.

Finally, he looked again at the red Audi A6, uncertain.

The air was hot and stuffy, thick with an unreal warmth.

How had this guy suddenly become an actor?

This…

“You saved me some food? Good, good, haha… Sister-in-law is great!”

Zhou Yang spotted the small table by the shed, his eyes lit up, then rushed over and, as if it were his own home, expertly served himself a full meal.

Xu Wei looked at the contract in his hand, then at Zhou Yang again.

This contract really does seem genuine!

‘Love Ferris Wheel’… where had he heard that before…

He looked again at Zhou Yang’s appearance—truthfully, aside from his shameless, always-showing-off demeanor, he wasn’t any worse than those stars on TV.

He sighed helplessly and sat down across from Zhou Yang.

He’d intended to pour him a drink, but then remembered the Audi A6 and suddenly frowned: “You have a driver’s license, right?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I got it last year…”

“But weren’t you seventeen last year? How could you get a license? You didn’t buy a fake one, did you?”

Zhou Yang slapped his license on the table and kept wolfing down his food: “The inspection wasn’t that strict—I half-bought, half-passed it…”

“Oh.”

Xu Wei nodded.

Time passed slowly.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Yang straightened his suit and elegantly wiped his mouth with a napkin: “Boss Xu, it’s time…”

“What’s time?”

“Boss Xu, it’s time to revive the 【Europa Brand】…”

“That’s all in the past… I gave up on that idea long ago.” Xu Wei sighed, gazing at the fading sunset, his voice hollow.

There were still a hundred or so 【Europa Suit】 pieces left in the warehouse—cheaply priced, sold at a loss…

Launching a branded suit line isn’t that easy.

He was forty now, no longer the young fool who’d come to Beijing with a few hundred yuan in his pocket.

That past failure had crushed his spirit—he’d rather stick to the safe path, run a modest OEM factory, and at least ensure a basic living.

“Boss Xu, your suits have always been excellent—quality and materials, I love them… Do you know what you lacked in your last venture?”

“What?” Thinking of past struggles, Xu Wei grimaced and poured himself a glass of baijiu.

“Even the best wine suffers if it’s in a deep alley. Relying solely on quality is one path, but building reputation takes far too long…”

“Advertising is too expensive—CCTV ads cost hundreds of thousands…” Xu Wei sighed, took a sip: “Small businesses can’t afford that. Other TV stations or radio are cheaper, but I’ve checked—no effect in one or two months; you need constant, long-term advertising—but that kind of spending is staggering…”

“…”

Zhou Yang watched Xu Wei’s gloomy expression but said nothing, instead gazing silently into the distance.

“Boss Xu, I’ve always hoped I could earn my living through my own ability—but recently, I was forced to accept reality…”

“What reality?”

“Compared to talent, I’m probably better suited to make a living with my face…”

“????”

Xu Wei had been feeling sad.

But seeing Zhou Yang’s shameless expression, he suddenly wanted to smash the bottle into his face.

Can this guy say something human?

Suppressing the urge, Xu Wei noticed Zhou Yang putting on his glasses and standing up.

His gaze turned distant, eyes complex; he adjusted his glasses and sighed: “I never thought… I’d finally have to walk this path of universal attention…”

“????”

“As one of the few witnesses, Boss Xu, just pay me thirty thousand yuan as endorsement fee—then sit back and count your money!”

“????”