Chapter 626: Could I Still Be Fooled By You?

When she heard her brother mention going abroad, Lu Ying glanced up and down, even thinking she had misheard.

"Which country? Are you going to the Russians for duty?"

Lu Ying knew that Beijing Station had a Beijing–Russia line, but the train service ran only rarely, essentially reserved for officials handling affairs, leaders on visits, or overseas students who got the chance to ride.

Lu Cheng inhaled lightly, trying to make himself look serious.

"It's not for duty, nor to the Russians, but to the Americans."

Lu Ying couldn't help but startle; after all, in these days, anyone going abroad is a rare occurrence.

"Why go so far? You're not kidding me, are you?"

Lu Cheng pulled a stern face: "It's the middle of the night, I'm almost dead sleepy, I have no time to joke with you."

"But... that's way too sudden. Why are you going abroad? Is there some work directive from the bureau?"

It was indeed a bit sudden; to prevent his sister from catching any clue, Lu Cheng helped her onto a stool.

"Don't be impatient, sis, listen as I explain slowly..."

Lu Cheng also pulled over a small folding stool and sat in front of the fan.

"As for going abroad, on one hand it's for work, on the other hand, it's entirely for you."

"For me?"

"Exactly. The Induction Cooker has already been handed over to our Research Institute; it won't be long before we can manufacture it. But once it's produced, we can't just sell it to ordinary folks like we do with the Electric Heating Blanket, can we?"

Lu Ying shook her head; that certainly couldn't happen. After all, although the Electric Heating Blanket isn't cheap, ordinary people can still scrape together enough to buy it.

But the Induction Cooker is different; even with low cost, it's in the same appliance class as refrigerators and televisions, which ordinary people simply can't afford.

At present, the better way to sell it is to export it abroad and earn Foreign Exchange.

Lu Ying guessed roughly: "You aren't planning this because of the Induction Cooker, are you?"

Lu Cheng clapped his hands: "Either you call my older sister smart, and you're right. This time, through a friend, I established a sales channel abroad. To be safe and to assess the counterpart's strength, I think it's necessary to go see the site in person."

Lu Ying nodded, finding it reasonable: "But the bureau's person in charge has also, through higher connections, linked up with some foreign market channels."

Lu Cheng shook his head.

"The bureau's contacts are the bureau's, your contacts are yours. Even though the Railway Department is now investing, at any time you must hold a portion of authority yourself.

Take this market channel, for example. If you rely solely on the Railway Department's channel, you'll be very passive in the future, and you, as Factory Director, will have little say."

Lu Ying understood again; her brother's point was simple: the bureau can promote her to Factory Director now, but can also kick her out and replace her with someone else.

Only by gripping the sales channel tightly in her hand will the Railway Department dare not move her lightly.

"I get it. It does seem necessary to establish our own sales channel."

Seeing his sister convinced, Lu Cheng immediately seized the moment: "Right, so..."

"So..." Lu Ying suddenly recalled something: "So I should go then."

"Huh?" Lu Cheng was taken aback.

"It was that way from the start; this has nothing to do with you."

"How can it have nothing to do with me? You're my sister; your matters are my matters."

"No, no, no, that's not what I mean. I mean, this is a factory matter; I'm the Factory Director, so I should represent the factory in meeting the foreign business partners."

Lu Cheng blinked, wondering what was going on—why his sister wanted to go herself.

"Hey, Lu Cheng, this is a trip abroad; it'll cost quite a bit, right?"

Lu Cheng hadn't reacted yet: "Ah, of course. That's why I came to you..."

"Then lend me some money; my current funds are insufficient. This time I'm representing the country to meet the partners, and I can't appear shabby, can't disgrace our motherland's people. Whatever money you have, give it to me."

Lu Cheng immediately clutched his pocket.

No, no, he came to ask his sister for money, how did it turn around so she's asking him for money?

Seeing her brother like that, Lu Ying fumed: "Are you really doing this? I haven't stopped giving you money, and now you can't even ask to borrow a bit? Fine, Lu Cheng, from now on you shouldn't think of asking me for money; from today onward, I'm not your sister..."

Lu Cheng hurriedly forced a smile: "It's not, sis, you misunderstood! I didn't mean that..."

"Then what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you shouldn't go abroad, right? I'm thinking of your safety... Think about it, foreign lands are chaotic, not like our country."

"You say you'd go to a foreign country, as a young woman, unfamiliar with everything—how could I not worry? I don't want this channel, and I can't watch my sister take such a risk; if anything happens to you, I wouldn't live on."

Lu Ying blinked, looking at her brother: "Do you truly care about me?"

"You say that, you're my sister, my only real sister. If I don't care about you, who else could I care for? Not everyone has the right to be recognized as my sister."

Lu Ying finally brightened, pursing her lips, her mouth corners almost lifted to the heavens.

"I haven't cared for you in vain; you have a conscience... but I also worry about you. If something happens to you, I couldn't survive either."

"Then maybe I should go. Our big brother isn't in the Capital City; you're now the pillar of the family, so yes, I should go."

Lu Cheng inhaled, feeling that his earlier concern had gone too far; clearly his sister was beginning to show affection.

That doesn't match his sister's temperament; it seemed he couldn't play the emotional card any longer.

"Actually, I... also want to sightsee along the way. You know I've never been abroad; I want to see the world outside, and this rare chance..."

Lu Ying snorted through her nose: "Finally telling the truth, huh? Still trying to fool me?"

"I knew you had an agenda; you think you can fool me! I said that on purpose just to see if you'd speak honestly."

Lu Cheng silently wiped his brow, nervous, almost falling into his sister's trap.

That earlier thing was off, thank goodness the 'truth' came out.

"Yes, yes, my sister is so clever, she definitely can't fool you! Sis, just grant me this once; I want to see if the foreign moon is rounder than ours."

Lu Ying thought for a moment, then said, "Fine, I really don't have time, but you must promise me one thing: you can sightsee, but you must not let it delay the real business."

Lu Cheng instantly raised his finger: "Don't worry, sis, I definitely won't be greedy for fun; I'll firmly put work first."

Lu Ying pulled a drawer: "I know you're here to ask for money. Going far away without cash on hand is impossible. So, tell me, how much do you need?"

Lu Cheng, swearing, held up two fingers that remained stuck there unmoving, and blurted out.

"Two thousand!"

Lu Ying's motion of pulling the drawer halted, and she immediately turned her body and said, "You really treat me like a money‑printing machine! Just two hundred—take it or not, these two hundred are the ones I've saved for a long time."

"Want it, want it."

Lu Cheng wanted exactly two hundred; he knew his sister could at most produce that amount.

He deliberately said two thousand to raise his sister's expectations first, so that when she offered two hundred, it would be much easier for her to accept psychologically.