Chapter 223: The First PK Between Gong Yu and Zhu Lin

Wei Ming put away Melinda's letter; from today on, he was officially an overseas asset holder.

Never put all your eggs in one basket—that's wisdom passed down from our ancestors.

He admired those who burned their bridges and left themselves no retreat, but he never held himself to such strict standards; being ordinary was fine.

Aside from eating lunch at the staff cafeteria, Wei Ming stayed at school all day, as his new fairy tale for Melinda had reached its final stages, written entirely in stolen moments.

Today he intended to finish it once and for all.

At lunch, he also ran into Uncle Anping.

Because Wei Ming had been so busy, this was the first time the uncle and nephew had met since his return.

"I heard from Xiao Hong that your father went to Shandong?"

"Yeah, he was raising cattle for the film crew before; now the cows are acting, so he has to stay with them. I recently got a letter from him—he said he wants to raise a dairy cow next."

"Haha, that's putting his skills to good use—just keep them as pets. With you as his son, he doesn't need to strive anymore~"

Yes, Wei Ming was even envious of Old Wei—his luck was truly good.

"Your aunt brought back more letters from your readers; pick them up when you have time—they're quite a few, but you probably don't worry about space anymore."

"Yeah~" He'd bought another sihe courtyard—definitely enough space; if not, he'd buy another.

Wei Ming felt he should tell Uncle Anping about his new house purchase, since he also wanted to install a phone there and might need to leverage Peking University's connections.

"I was just about to say," Uncle Anping added, "why don't you invite Xiao Hong and Yunyun over? Your aunt's been saying she wants to host them for a meal at home."

Wei Ming said, "Why not have it at my place? That way they can get familiar with the place too."

"Get familiar with what? Don't you remember? Your aunt's been there," Wei Anping laughed.

Wei Ming: "I mean my new home."

"Huh?" Uncle Anping's smile froze. "New? New purchase?"

"Yeah. I thought all those U. . dollars sitting around were useless, so when Xiao Mei and Biaozi quit to start their own business, I invested some money in a clothing store in Xidan. But I still had a lot left, so I just bought a sihe courtyard near the Forbidden City."

"Uh…" Wei Anping was speechless. Wei Jiefang didn't just need to stop striving—he could squander his fortune freely for the rest of his life!

At that moment, Wei Anping even envied his brother Jiefang—he wondered if Xile would ever have half the success of his Ming-ge.

"Alright then, when are we going? I'll pick up Xile from his grandpa's."

Wei Ming said, "The clothing store opens officially on the 20th—it'll be busy. Plus, I haven't officially taken possession of the house yet. I'll probably get the paperwork sorted by month's end."

"Alright, how's your store doing?" Wei Anping asked again, now deeply interested—he was also trying to increase income, so business mattered to him.

Wei Ming: "So far, no problems. Sales broke a thousand on day one. You and your wife should come check it out—Xiao Mei will give you a serious discount."

Wei Ming then gave Uncle Anping the exact address, who nodded with satisfaction and memorized it.

"Actually, I have good news too—Professor Wang Xuan's project took another step forward today!"

"Oh?"

Today they output a full-size newspaper negative from the laser typesetter—the project was drawing closer to practical application.

Once implemented, all those publishing houses and printing plants across the country would be enough for Peking University to make a fortune—it was a huge market. Wei Anping even imagined joining international competition to earn foreign exchange.

After returning to the library post-lunch, Wei Ming finished the final chapter in an hour, then spent two more hours reading it from start to finish—highly satisfied.

Before leaving the library, he returned the popular science books on Africa and Shakespeare's Hamlet he'd borrowed for research.

He also borrowed some economics books for Xiao Hong.

The librarian, Ms. Lin, smiled: "When are you joining our library staff, Xiao Wei?"

It seemed everyone at the library knew.

Wei Ming laughed: "Probably after I get into the correspondence course—I'll work and study at the same time."

"We'd warmly welcome you. Our work environment isn't worse than the school newsletter office, and we just got a photocopier."

"Oh, really!" Wei Ming was thrilled—then he wouldn't need to borrow from the newsletter office anymore.

China began importing foreign photocopier production lines in 1978—from Canon, Ricoh, and Konica—marking the first wave of modern office equipment adoption.

But these machines were expensive—over a hundred thousand yuan each—even universities rarely had them.

But they were incredibly convenient. Wei Ming's manuscripts needed multiple submissions, and he wanted to keep copies too—tens of thousands of characters handwritten was exhausting, so now he always used the newsletter office's photocopier to make a copy after finishing, paying full price.

Actually, if Xiao Hong copied his work for him, it'd probably cost far less than a photocopier.

Sighing at the price of photocopiers, Wei Ming thought: I still don't have enough money.

A typewriter was also essential for writers—it wasn't that expensive, but Chinese typewriters now were far too inconvenient. He'd have to wait a few more years until the Suntong Chinese typewriter arrived, then he could buy a set.

But what he truly looked forward to was the era of personal computers!

Amid reflections and daydreams, Wei Ming left the newsletter office. It was late today—he'd mail it tomorrow.

When he got home, Xiao Hong and Yunyun hadn't returned yet—probably because new staff hadn't arrived. Wei Ming casually turned on the TV, watched the news, then the weather forecast.

The "Weather Forecast" program was newly launched this month—meteorologists from the National Meteorological Bureau came daily to CCTV studios to record it; it wouldn't be hosted by CCTV presenters until years later, gradually becoming the familiar version.

When Xiao Hong and Yunyun returned, their first question was: "Brother, did you watch the weather forecast? Will it rain tomorrow?"

Hearing it would be sunny, they relaxed—rain made travel inconvenient and hurt clothing store sales.

"Brother, today Culture Brother let me handle cash and accounts—guess how much we sold today!"

"Still over a thousand?"

"One thousand three hundred and eighty-six!" Xiao Hong proudly announced the exact number—higher than day one.

Usually, opening day—even trial day—sales were higher, but now sales kept rising, suggesting customers had accepted the shopping model, perhaps even begun spreading word of mouth.

Wei Ming remained calm—he might only get excited when sales hit five digits.

"Brother, I overheard customers talking about 'Lushan Love'—they said the movie's amazing, and our clothes are exactly like the female lead's." Xiao Hong added.

Wei Ming: "Of course—they're based directly on that movie. They're identical."

"Is the movie really that good?" Wei Hong looked hopeful.

Yunyun added: "Culture Brother said two new sales assistants are joining tomorrow—we can leave early, so Xiao Hong wants to see the movie."

Xiao Hong nodded eagerly—she'd never seen a movie in a theater before; her few viewing experiences were all outdoor screenings in the village.

Wei Ming: "Oh, really? It's worth watching. If you want to see it, I'll get you two tickets tomorrow."

He also needed to meet Master Wei to inspect the posters.

"Aren't you coming with us? Let's watch together," Xiao Hong said.

Wei Ming: "Oh, I've already seen it."

Why waste time watching a movie with them when he could spend it with Lin-jie?

The next day at noon, Wei Ming went to Daguan Building—the queue for daytime screenings stretched far down the street. "Lushan Love" was truly popular; recent newspapers, even unrelated ones, kept reporting on it.

He first slipped through the back entrance to get two tickets, then went to Master Wei's workshop.

Master Wei was painting two posters for "Lushan Love" simultaneously—another cinema had also hired him. With the film's popularity, one poster could last months.

Wei Ming glanced at the two giant posters of the two sisters: "They don't look alike."

Master Wei said nothing, just quietly hung both paintings and motioned for Wei Ming to step back.

"Wow! They're identical! You captured the essence of both models perfectly—Master Wei, your skill is incredible!"

Master Wei: "Just hang them at this height."

Wei Ming paid the final balance without hesitation.

They couldn't hang them yet—he took the posters to Mei Wenhua and told him to hang them after closing on the 19th, so the posters and sign would debut together.

"And the firecrackers ready?"

Mei Wenhua: "Don't worry—totally set!"

Then Wei Ming gave the tickets to Xiao Hong and Yunyun and left.

Mei Wenhua stared longingly at the two tickets—he desperately wanted to go to the movie with Yunyun; he'd heard it was a romance. But he couldn't leave the store.

If he wasn't at the counter handling accounts, he'd need to hire another person. Already, besides Xiao Hong, there were five sales assistants—no need to add more yet.

At the same time, in Shanghai.

Gong Yu looked at the ticket in Gong Ying's hand and smiled helplessly.

"We need to shoot a night scene today, so I can't take you to the movie tonight," Gong Yu told her sister. "Why don't you ask your sister-in-law or older sister?"

"My sister-in-law and brother-in-law, older sister and brother-in-law have already seen it," Gong Ying sighed. "I'll find someone else to go with."

"Mm, the movie's so popular now—people are lining up and can't even get tickets. If you shout in the theater, you might even resell them at a markup," Gong Yu chuckled.

Gong Ying pouted: "Then I'd be a scalper."

Actually, Gong Yu also wanted to see it. Living in Shanghai, she felt "Lushan Love"'s heat more intensely than those in Beijing—her mother had already asked her father to find a tailor to make several outfits like Zhang Yu's in the film.

And Guo Kaimin—he'd become even more obnoxious on set. Though Zhang Yu was the real star, Guo Kaimin was the male lead, so he had reason to be proud.

But Zhang Zhihua had been in a bad mood lately—more and more people knew Zhang Yu had kissed her boyfriend, and now she was dripping with jealousy.

So Gong Yu resolved silently: to prevent Xiao Wei from becoming like Zhang Zhihua, she'd never shoot such intimate scenes again.

Thinking of intimacy, she couldn't help recalling Xiao Wei's textbook-perfect kiss—ah, she couldn't think about it anymore.

After seeing her sister off, Gong Yu returned to Shanghai Film Studio. As she entered, the guard called out: "Little Gong, you've got a package—from Beijing. Remember to pick it up when you leave."

"Oh, I'll get it now." She knew it was from Xiao Wei—she couldn't wait until after work.

Before official filming began, she opened the package and peeked inside—it was clothes! The female lead's outfits from "Lushan Love"!

Not all of them—just the ones Wei Ming had selected to suit Xue-jie's temperament.

He figured Shanghai wouldn't quickly see copies of "Lushan Love" women's wear, so he rushed these to Xue-jie to keep her at the forefront of fashion.

Gong Yu was delighted and planned to write him a letter when she got home.

When Gong Ying arrived at the Grand Guangming Cinema, the queue stretched out onto the street—her show was sold out; everyone waiting was there for either the evening or tomorrow's screening.

She'd queued early for her ticket, only to be stood up by her sister.

She was just wondering how to broach selling her extra ticket when someone called her name: "Ying-jie?"

Then Gong Ying spotted a familiar figure in the long queue.

"Ah Long!" Gong Ying smiled. "Are you lining up for 'Love on Mount Lu'?"

!

"Mm."

"By yourself?"

"Mm."

Gong Ying immediately pulled him out: "You're lucky—sister's treating you to the movie."

"Huh?"

"Come on, I've an extra ticket."

Liu Ruilong shuffled in with his feet turned inward: "Sister Ying, is your foot all right now?"

"Two days' rest fixed it—no problem."

Though she said that, after the movie, Liu Ruilong insisted on walking her home: "It's dark now—unsafe."

"Fine," Gong Ying agreed. It wasn't the first time, and they could chat about the film on the way.

But it got awkward when they were spotted at the alley entrance by Gong Ying's older brother, Gong Xu.

Gong Xu interrogated Liu Ruilong like a criminal: "How old are you? Where are you from?"

Gong Ying felt embarrassed: "Big brother, we're not dating—Ah Long's just an ordinary friend."

Liu Ruilong: "Yeah, just an ordinary friend. We just finished watching 'Love on Mount Lu.' I was worried about safety after dark."

Oh boy—he'd just finished watching 'Love on Mount Lu'? Case closed.

Gong Xu chuckled: "Your sister and brother-in-law denied it too when I caught them. Want to come up for a visit?"

"No thanks, Big Brother—I'm afraid I'll miss the last bus. I've got to go." Terrified by this scene for the first time, Liu Ruilong fled. Later, he replayed it in his mind and wondered why he'd been scared at all—shouldn't Wei Ming be the one afraid?

After returning home, Gong Xu immediately reported to their parents about his little sister's "ordinary friend" Ah Long. Gong Shu had already come back and was silently watching the drama with wide eyes.

Hearing they'd watched a movie together, the parents misunderstood and immediately asked their son about the young man's background—they hoped their 24-year-old daughter would settle her life soon and set an example for the second daughter.

Gong Ying: "Fine, I'll answer myself. First, he's from out of town—Hebei."

At this, the parents' excitement instantly dimmed—out-of-towner.

Gong Ying continued: "And he's only 19, with no formal job."

"What!" Her father jumped to his feet—he thought a five-year age gap was too wide.

Gong Ying sighed in relief—finally, her ears were quiet.

But Gong Shu, silently watching, grew gloomy—if her father couldn't accept five years, how could he accept eight?

Gong Ying realized this too. That night, she tried to comfort her sister before sleep.

"Wei Ming is far superior to Ah Long. Mom and Dad have no grounds to criticize him—just relax."

Gong Shu finally smiled faintly: "Since you're so sweet-tongued, I brought back a few clothes today—pick one."

"Huh?" Gong Ying flipped through them. "These—these are the clothes Zhang Yu wore in the movie!"

Gong Shu: "These aren't props. Wei Ming sent them to me—they're new clothes sold at his clothing shop."

"Oh wow, Wei Ming's so smart—he'll make a fortune!" Gong Ying said. "I'll take this one."

Gong Shu thought: Probably. Wei Ming had said he'd buy himself an old-style mansion in Shanghai once he made money.

But why Shanghai? Did he plan to stay there with her?

Thinking of this, Gong Shu's heart warmed again.

On the 19th, after sending off the sales assistants, Mei Wenhua had someone set up ladders to hang the posters.

After finishing, he looked at his two sisters-in-law and thought: Perfect—just these two beauties would draw countless customers.

Especially female customers. After years of drab blue and green clothes, seeing two beautiful women in stylish outfits would make them want to try the same on themselves.

So Mei Wenhua had already told the garment factory: he'd ordered the largest quantity of these two outfits.

Today, Xiao Hong left work early and didn't bring the day's sales figures to Wei Ming. Mei Wenhua truly wanted Ming-ge to know—the store's sales had already exceeded 2, 00 yuan!

So after deducting all expenses and costs, their monthly net profit might surpass 20, 00 yuan!

If not for the tight headband on his head, he'd have hired ten sales assistants, plus a store manager and an accountant, freeing himself entirely for more important work.

Thinking of how 'Love on Mount Lu' had become a nationwide sensation, yet Dongfang Xintiandi could only sell clothes in Beijing, he felt heartbroken.

What a vast business opportunity—wasted, damn it.

The 20th was Sunday—the busiest day of the week on Xidan Commercial Street.

Wei Ming, who usually paid little attention to Dongfang Xintiandi, had to go help today—he feared they'd be overwhelmed.

After so many days, 'Love on Mount Lu' had fully fermented—tens of thousands of fashionable young people in Beijing had seen it.

And news of a new, unusual clothing store in Xidan—offering fresh styles and direct contact with the garments—had spread by word of mouth from customers over the past few days, giving it some recognition.

At seven a. ., Wei Ming rode his bike with his two younger sisters to Dongfang Xintiandi. The street was still empty, but anyone passing by paused to admire the posters of Gong Shu and Zhu Lin.

One reason: they were huge.

Two: they were beautiful.

Wei Hong was stunned: "I thought it was something else—I saw it from far away!"

Yunyun gazed upward: "So beautiful!" The two sisters looked like goddesses descending.

Wei Hong suddenly realized: "Hey, the other one isn't Sister Zhu Lin!"

At first she'd thought they were both Zhu Lin, but now she saw clearly—they were two different people.

"The other one's my friend too," Wei Ming said, looking at the posters. The two posters faced each other, as if gazing at one another. Between them hung their signboard—still covered, not yet unveiled.

Inside the store, besides Mei Wenhua, there were four full-time staff in uniform and four temporary workers in casual clothes—all still on probation.

They were all young women in their early twenties. Mei Wenhua deliberately chose those with higher looks and friendlier faces.

Of course, they all fell short next to Yunyun—her warmth was obvious to everyone in the store. Even though she spoke little, she remained the top salesperson.

Ten sales assistants should be enough. Mei Wenhua, as manager, looked as if facing an army.

Wei Ming comforted him: "Relax. Maybe not so many people will come. Sales might be similar to yesterday—how much was it yesterday?"

"Two thousand," he whispered.

Wei Ming: "Aim for three thousand today."

Before opening time, a crowd had already gathered outside—mostly drawn by the two giant posters, many of them employees from nearby shops.

This new neighbor had been making waves lately—many had visited and had excellent experiences. Today was finally the grand opening.

Since none of them were in the clothing business, they welcomed the store. More customers might mean more profit for them too.

Even if it stole their business, so what? All were state-run enterprises—better sales didn't raise wages, and worse sales meant less work.

Soon, Biao Ma arrived too. Today there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony, to be performed by her and Mei Wenhua. Wei Ming, as a public figure, chose to minimize exposure to avoid consuming public resources.

At eight sharp, Xiao Hong and Yunyun lit two strings of red firecrackers—modest in power but loud and numerous, scattering red paper everywhere, adding festive cheer.

Then Mei Wenhua, Biao Ma, and a street official completed the ribbon-cutting. This official had always supported them and hoped they'd help ease employment pressure—but Mei Wenhua was too timid to take bigger steps.

If negative public opinion arose, the official might be the first to sacrifice him to protect himself.

Afterward, the signboard was unveiled: "Dongfang Xintiandi"—the five characters written by Mr. Wu Zuoren, for whom Wei Ming had paid a brush fee.

After opening, besides the "80% off" sign, another line appeared: "Two items, 70% off!"

Meaning: buy any two items—clothes, hats, scarves, shoes, belts, sunglasses—and get 30% off.

"This discount lasts only today! Don't miss your chance!" Mei Wenhua shouted, then opened the door to customers.

As the grand opening day, Mei Wenhua was willing to offer heavy discounts to firmly establish "Dongfang Xintiandi's" reputation.

Ming-ge said 3, 00 yuan in sales was enough—but he believed they could hit 5, 00!

Hearing such a big discount, some customers were already tempted to buy two items. But many others rushed home to fetch neighbors and friends to come together.

Two people pretending to be one—still 70% off!

…

(Today's minimum—please vote for monthly tickets!)

(End of chapter)