Chapter 8: I'm Saving Fabric for the Country!

The Jindu Hotel is not far from the residential complex.

Tang Ye and Gu Wenqin walk side by side.

They haven't walked many steps when a fine, misty rain begins to fall.

Her dress, thin as gauze, clings to her skin, yet Gu Wenqin seems not to notice.

As the cool, damp mist brushes against his face, Tang Ye's intoxication fades slightly.

Gu Wenqin suddenly asks, "Town Mayor Tang, did you draw the product designs in the proposal yourself?"

Tang Ye tells her the truth, "I traced the patterns from new arrivals in *VOGUE* magazine and made quite a few changes! Is there something wrong with them?"

Gu Wenqin shakes her head, smiling charmingly, as if pondering something, "Not for now! I didn't expect you to understand women better than women do."

Tang Ye slows his pace and says self-deprecatingly, "You don't think I'm a pervert, do you?"

Gu Wenqin covers her mouth with her jade-onion-like fingers and chuckles, "Town Mayor Tang, don't think of me as so shallow! I've read it several times; you put a lot of heart into it. Of course... the ideas, well, they are indeed a bit bold."

After the turn of the millennium, women's purchasing power has gradually increased.

Industries like cosmetics and women's apparel are blossoming.

However, because women's lingerie involves privacy and is constrained by national culture, it has not received widespread attention.

Tang Ye explains patiently, "I am mainly considering production costs and profit. Women's lingerie uses little fabric; as long as the design is beautiful and the quality is reliable, the profit margin is very large."

A flush spreads across Gu Wenqin's face; discussing this topic with a young man in the middle of the night under a curtain of rain, the scene before her and the surrounding atmosphere take on a warm, rosy hue.

"Will it be difficult to promote?"

Tang Ye laughs nonchalantly, "The difficulty and the barrier to entry are precisely the opportunity for Qin Ge! It won't be easily imitated. We'll start by making a few products to test the waters, and once we have experience and have pinpointed the market direction, we will fully transform..."

"Why did you choose Qin Ge? Boman has a better foundation."

"Because Boman can live very well without transforming, but Qin Ge is different."

"So it turns out you're afraid I'll go bankrupt!" Gu Wenqin says self-deprecatingly.

"I hope you all live better," Tang Ye says with extreme seriousness, "I want to find a time to go to the Qin Ge factory and see it in person."

"The leadership is welcome to provide guidance! Shall we set a time?"

"After work tomorrow!"

Tang Ye stops and says goodbye to Gu Wenqin under the yellowing streetlamp.

Watching Tang Ye's tall figure gradually fade away from the second floor, Gu Wenqin's heart thumps wildly.

After her husband passed away, the garment factory's efficiency plummeted, and she has had to support it independently, struggling to keep it running.

Now, at last, someone is willing to stand up and discuss with her what can be done for the future and what she should do.

Although she cannot see the direction clearly, at least someone is willing to help her share the burden.

Tang Ye's "earnest advice" still rings in her ears—

"People's concepts are changing, social trends are shifting, and most of the money is controlled by women; women's purchasing power is particularly strong."

"Especially the women's lingerie track, which has great prospects; it's a necessity for half the sky, and the market will always be there."

"For other clothing, customers will haggle over costs or whether they are being shortchanged, but for this product, the less material used, the more popular it might be. Customers are all calling to liberate their constraints, liberate themselves, and pursue lightness and airiness. Isn't there that saying: I'm flat-chested and I'm proud, I save fabric for the country!"

"Add a bit of 'tech-heavy' flair, like push-up, shaping, or erotic features, and a profit margin of three hundred percent is possible!"

After Tang Ye returns home, he opens his laptop and pulls up a document titled "World Underwear Capital."

His vision is not as simple as just building one lingerie company.

The proposal given to Gu Wenqin is only a small piece of it.

Only by having a template and a benchmark can one drive the entire industrial sector.

Just as he is about to close the computer, his QQ avatar flashes incessantly.

Cheng Lin has sent a message.

"Are you adapting to your new position?"

Tang Ye didn't expect Cheng Lin to take the initiative to message him so late, so he quickly taps the keyboard.

"I've adapted physically, but it's hard to accept psychologically; I really miss my old colleagues and those old leaders. Every time I miss you all, I take out the group photo from our last trip to Yancheng and look at it for a long time."

A group photo appears in the chat box.

Cheng Lin has just finished showering, her hair wrapped in a towel, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a soft smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

She finds herself on the right side of the first row.

Tang Ye is standing in the third row, confident, sunny, and imposing.

"A bunch of heads squeezed into a matchbox, can you even see clearly?"

"Hey, a hungry man eating melon seeds—it's just to satisfy a craving! Or, Sister, could you send me a high-definition photo separately?"

"Pah! In your dreams!"

Humor is a man's best cosmetic; every time she chats with Tang Ye, her mood becomes relaxed.

"You were transferred away, and many of the old comrades aren't quite used to it."

Tang Ye laughs dumbly, pondering for a long while before replying, "The Old Cadre Bureau isn't lacking in errand runners; there are plenty who are better at handling things than I am. Of course, if you need anything, call me anytime; I am always reliable!"

Cheng Lin replies quite quickly, "What the old comrades lack is emotional companionship; there really aren't many who can talk and coax people as well as you can."

Tang Ye is stunned for a moment and promises, "I didn't expect I was that important. When I return to the city, I will definitely visit them. By the way, I'll introduce you to an old Chinese medicine doctor to treat the acne on your face!"

Cheng Lin cannot help but laugh, "You still remember that? It's much better recently, no need to go to the trouble."

Tang Ye does not insist, "It's better, but not completely healed. How can we use the word 'trouble' between us? How distant!"

"Fine, let's connect when you return to the city."

They each send an emoji and bid each other goodnight.

Looking at the avatar that has turned gray after going offline, Cheng Lin stares blankly.

Tang Ye has changed quite a bit, especially after he risked his life to save Hong Ruilin; it's as if he's become a different person.

When he speaks and chats with her, he is no longer as respectful and submissive as before.

Sometimes he jokes, sometimes he is distant, and sometimes he vanishes into thin air!

Although she knows it has to do with the change in Tang Ye's position, she still inevitably feels a bit lost.

The younger brother who used to always follow by her side, asking after her well-being, has now become distant, and she always feels a sense of listlessness.

Could it be that his various acts of consideration for her back then were only because she was his superior?

Although she had always treated him like a colleague, there were occasional moments when she also viewed him as someone she could confide her troubles in.

It is truly terrifying when a person develops a habit; it is just like a nicotine addiction—it is particularly painful to go through withdrawal.

Once he reaches a new environment, he will have new colleagues and will likely meet young girls, too.

The pattering sound of rain beats against the clear glass, emitting a crisp, rhythmic sound.

She suddenly realizes that she has been overly sentimental.

……

The next day, Tang Ye headed to the County Government to attend a meeting.

In the spacious conference room, twenty or thirty people sat in a dense crowd around a round table; the theme of today's meeting was the "Quarterly Economic Situation Analysis Meeting."

Tang Ye had done thorough preparatory work, summarizing and reporting on the economic situation of Pinghu Town for the first quarter, and conducting an assessment of the economic situation for the second quarter.

His speech was appropriate, and he made no mistakes.

It was just that Pinghu Town was at the bottom of the list, and its presence was extremely low.

This dealt a "critical hit" to Tang Ye's self-esteem!

The day slipped away just like that, and it was already nine o'clock in the evening when he returned to Pinghu Town.

Tang Ye hurried to Qinge Clothing Factory; although it was late, there were still people working overtime at the factory.

The person keeping the door was an old man with gray hair who stopped Tang Ye, and only let him pass once Gu Wenqin rushed to the entrance.

Tang Ye hadn't walked many steps before he turned around and glanced at the guard room, "The factory isn't big, but the management is very rigorous; you can tell just from the quality of the guard!"

Gu Wenqin explained earnestly, "Don't look at Lin Daye's legs as being bad; if he were to make a move, even two of you might not be his match."

"Then you underestimate me; the fist fears the young and strong, and I'm no pushover either." Tang Ye rolled up his sleeve and patted his bicep.

Gu Wenqin couldn't help but laugh, "Don't take it seriously."

Tang Ye realized it was inappropriate to compete with an old man, so he laughed out loud and mocked himself, "Look at this damn competitive spirit of mine!"

Tang Ye had checked the records for Qinge, and the factory employed several disabled people, one of whom was surnamed Lin.

Having had a brief exchange with him just now, he faintly sensed that Lin Daye was indeed no ordinary person.

The factory's footprint was not small, with three rows of two-story buildings and quite a few green plants planted around.

Upon entering the workshop, one could see an island-style layout.

At over a dozen workstations, female workers wearing white caps were focused on operating their sewing machines, and the machines emitted a *da-da-da* sound.

The sewn clothes were already semi-finished products, piled up in the corner like a small mountain.

Next, the clothes would be sent to the ironing workshop to use high-temperature steam to process the uneven parts of the garments.

It was the night shift, so there were not many workers in the factory.

"The factory was founded by my father. Our employees are quite stable, and many have worked here their whole lives. After I took over, I initially felt it was a burden and wanted to wash my hands of it, but people have feelings. If I stop doing this and hand the factory over to others, the equipment might be kept, but a portion of the people would be laid off."

"When a boss values relationships and righteousness, the employees will stay through thick and thin." Tang Ye smiled slightly, "Don't give up; the factory will get better and better under your leadership."

"I don't have much ambition."

"There's no need to hide things between the two of us. I don't believe you don't want to become a rich lady!"

Gu Wenqin secretly glanced at Tang Ye, too lazy to argue, "Fine, fine, fine, I especially want to be a rich lady, okay?"

The two left the garment workshop.

The dim, yellow light stretched their shadows out at an angle.

*Meow-woo! * A shrill cat cry drew the attention of the two.

They looked in the direction of the sound.

A black shadow was straddling the top of the wall.

The two people below were handing up an oversized bag.

The person on the wall transported the bag to the other side of the wall.

"Who are you!" "We've been discovered!" "Run quickly!" "Damn it, give me a hand!"

Gu Wenqin's heart skipped a beat; that was the warehouse, and if the goods were lost, how could she answer for it?

Before she could react, Tang Ye rushed out like an arrow...

The thief on the wall felt a chill on his backside, "Ah... my pants..."