Now that she had decided to give it a try with Shen Yi and be in a serious relationship, Qin Jiao was deeply aware that while dating could be just between two people, marriage was the union of two families.
Du Liya, Beidou, and Mr. Du were all very good to them, but Qin Jiao didn’t want her own family to hold them back.
Besides, opening a restaurant had always been her parents’ dream, and her uncle-in-law, Sun Jianhua, was destined to become a prominent figure. Her family members would all do better and better. Rationally speaking, this would help maintain a better relationship between the two families.
After all, the Du family’s circumstances were far, far better than the Qin family’s.
That evening, Qin Jiao told Shen Yi about her plan to open a noodle shop for her parents. Shen Yi had heard her mention it before and didn’t think much of it, because he knew Qin Jiao was strong-willed and always worked hard, hoping her family could live the life they wanted.
Shen Yi said, "It’s perfect. We have some free time right now, so we can help look for a shop. It would be best if it’s close to our school. That way, we can go over for lunch."
"Is food all you ever think about?!"
A smile played on Shen Yi’s lips as he leaned in and kissed her, affirming, "Mhm, you’re right. Eating is all I know."
Qin Jiao: "..."
As soon as the Jiuyi Clothing Factory launched its new product advertisements, the factory began rushing production. Before long, news reached Donghong.
Ji Lidong called his sister, Ji Yuehong, and Li Xiaomei to discuss the matter.
He said suspiciously, "What the hell is going on with Jiu Yi? Didn’t they just launch new products? What are they up to now?"
Li Xiaomei frowned, her mind racing. "Do you think they felt their previous styles weren’t good enough, so they’re pushing out new ones?"
From their perspective, the styles were all quite innovative. Besides, they knew this group didn’t know the first thing about market research. After all, their own motives for getting into the clothing business weren’t pure to begin with.
Li Xiaomei simply wanted to act out of spite against Du Liya.
She was also furious that Shen Zhengfeng had actually given such a large clothing factory to that mother-son pair, Du Liya and Shen Yi!
Ji Yuehong was even more clueless. She said in frustration, "So what do we do now? Do we start making their new styles?"
"But we’ve already made so many of the previous style. The warehouse is full of them! If we want to make this new style, we’ll have to buy on credit. We’re out of money."
They had used all their working capital to rush-produce the design they had acquired earlier. In order to crush Jiu Yi in one fell swoop, both Li Xiaomei and Ji Yuehong had even taken out some of their personal savings to fund the production.
They still hadn’t paid the workers their overtime wages from before the New Year. Where would they find the money to rush another order?
Li Xiaomei frowned. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
But Ji Lidong was unconcerned. "The weather’s about to warm up anyway," he said. "They won’t be able to produce that many pieces in time. We just need to focus on selling what we have now. We’ll stick to the low prices, and this time we’ll make them lose everything. Then they’ll have nothing, and we can completely take over their market. I’ve already talked to those few department stores. For their sales outlets in the South, I figure if we lower the price even more, they’ll definitely prioritize our goods!"
With no better plan at the moment, Li Xiaomei could only say, "Still, we need to keep a close eye on Jiu Yi and see if they make any other moves."
"Consider it done! When I’m on the job, what’s there to worry about?" Ji Lidong grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth from his long-term smoking habit.
Li Xiaomei furrowed her brow but ultimately said nothing more, pulling Ji Yuehong out the door with her.
Seeing Li Xiaomei’s worried expression, Ji Yuehong asked curiously, "Xiao Mei, what’s wrong? You look so troubled."