When Qing Ye saw Feng Bao at that moment, she felt embarrassed for him. She wanted to say something to ease the tension, but Feng Bao, perhaps severely frightened, grabbed his bag and ran away – ran away?

Qing Ye was stunned by his tiger-like swift movements. She immediately glared at Xing Wu: “You knew he hadn’t left, didn’t you?”

Xing Wu shrugged with his hands in his pockets as he turned to go inside. Qing Ye immediately chased after him and bumped him with her arm: “Stop acting innocent. What’s your real purpose for coming here today?”

He smiled ambiguously: “To study, of course. You haven’t forgotten that I’m taking the college entrance exam too, right?”

“Exam my foot! Then go home tonight and memorize vocabulary.”

He said pleasantly: “Sure, is there a reward?”

The more Qing Ye listened, the more she felt he was setting a trap. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him unfriendly, but Xing Wu suddenly turned around and said seriously: “Why did you suddenly mention chicken legs? Are you hungry?”

“…” Sometimes Qing Ye admired his perceptiveness – how could he make such connections?

She clenched her fist and said: “Don’t change the subject.”

Xing Wu rubbed his crew cut and simply stopped pretending, bending down to say to her: “What are you worried about?”

“Worried that others will say we’re morally corrupt.”

Xing Wu casually walked into the office: “That’s because you went around telling everyone I was your brother. Didn’t you think about falling into the trap you dug yourself?”

“Xing Wu!!!” With Qing Ye’s angry shout, Du Qiyan and Liu Nian in the office suddenly looked up and stared at Qing Ye in horror.

They even asked: “What’s wrong?”

Xing Wu pulled up a chair and sat down, saying with a half-smile: “Your Boss Qing is starting to act like a real boss.”

Qing Ye directly gave him a knee strike, which Xing Wu blocked with his elbow without even looking, everything happened so naturally. Du Qiyan and Liu Nian watched them and smiled.

Pang Hu had just returned from the bathroom when Qing Ye turned to look at him and asked: “Why haven’t you left either?”

He said sheepishly: “To see, see if there’s anything I can, can help with.”

So everyone began reporting their work. Liu Nian said that the handover of workers from Old Man Xie was complete, and they had tried out the machines and gone through the procedures these past few days – ready to go.

Du Qiyan’s online store had also been approved, and next, they needed product photos and descriptions for uploading.

Finally, Qing Ye summarized the current matters needing attention, including promotion channels, and she still insisted on spending some money to replace the existing product packaging.

She had done extensive work during this period, researching several low-cost promotion paths, and could contact some small streamers to try product placement and see the results.

The local mothers’ group chat that Liu Nian managed now had nearly several hundred members. She planned to make the group more active using that as a base, so Qing Ye directly presented an activity plan targeting local customers.

She planned to hold a tasting event in mid-March, inviting people from around the county to come try the products.

When Du Qiyan heard this, she weakly asked: “Does tasting mean it’s free?”

Qing Ye smiled and said: “Of course.”

Liu Nian and Du Qiyan looked at each other with worried expressions: “Won’t we lose money then?”

Qing Ye looked at Xing Wu: “When you talked with Old Man Xie, he agreed to support us with one batch of goods initially, right?”

Xing Wu sat in the corner with his legs crossed and nodded. Qing Ye immediately snapped her fingers and said: “Use Old Man Xie’s goods to advertise ourselves for free. Once we build recognition and customer flow comes in, we can sell a batch of goods along the way. Isn’t that great? Think long-term – we want to make our products, not rely on Old Man Xie’s goods to survive.”

Liu Nian and Du Qiyan suddenly felt their minds opening up.

Pang Hu, sitting to the side, interjected: “Q-Qing Ye, I know some streamers on Chang-chang ba, they also do those short videos and have quite a few followers. May-maybe we could contact them and discuss prices.”

Qing Ye clapped her hands: “That’s great, Singing God! I was just wondering how to contact these influencers. Help me check the market rates – I’m counting on you for this.”

“Just say the word.”

Qing Ye pointed at the notes in her notebook: “The most urgent issue now is the packaging. We might need to buy vacuum packaging machines, redesign the outer packaging, and produce some high-end photos.”

Of course, when facing difficulties, she first looked at the silent sniper master sitting in the corner. In all of Zhazha Pavilion, she believed no one was more resourceful than him. Xing Wu saw her pleading puppy eyes and smiled: “You were just angry at me, now you need me?”

If there weren’t so many people around, Qing Ye would have jumped on him to force him to make a decision.

Seeing her frustrated expression, Xing Wu tugged at the corner of his mouth and sat up straight: “I’ll help you get the machine in the next couple of days, and I’ll call Quan Ya over tomorrow for the packaging and photography.”

He said it casually, but Qing Ye asked doubtfully: “Can Quan Ya do it?”

Xing Wu smiled: “Just tell him whatever requirements you have.”

Although Xing Wu said this, Qing Ye remained skeptical.

However, this was their first collective meeting of core staff since taking over the small food factory. Although it was somewhat casual and all over the place, after the brainstorming session, they had found preliminary solutions to all the current problems.

The school would officially start the day after tomorrow, so the tutoring class was suspended for a day tomorrow. Qing Ye could use this day to resolve the packaging issue. If they wanted to hold the tasting event in mid-March, all production had to be in place before the 10th – time was extremely tight.

Xing Wu still had to go to the hospital in the morning and couldn’t accompany Qing Ye to the factory, but when Qing Ye arrived, Quan Ya was already there, with a DSLR camera around his neck and a cigarette in his mouth, photographing the big dog in the courtyard.

Perhaps because of the Shu Han incident, when Xing Wu wasn’t around, Qing Ye always felt somewhat awkward facing Quan Ya alone. She jogged a few steps to him and casually greeted him: “You’re here so early?”

Quan Ya’s lens panned directly to her face, “click” capturing Qing Ye’s awkward expression, then he looked down at the photo, corners of his mouth slightly curling as he replied: “Nothing else to do.”

Qing Ye then remembered that Shun Yi had closed, so Quan Ya should also be unemployed now.

She pointed at the camera: “Is it yours?”

“Yeah, just a hobby.”

Qing Ye looked him over carefully again, unable to tell that Quan Ya’s hobby was photography. He put out his cigarette and said to her: “Let’s get to work, show me the products.”

So Qing Ye led him to the workshop. Their first batch included eight products, all relatively inexpensive snacks in terms of unit price, focusing on sugar-free, oil-free sweet potato chips and various mixed fruit and vegetable chips.

She said somewhat embarrassedly: “We’ve applied for an online store and need some appetizing photos for promotion.”

She felt uncertain even saying this because Old Man Xie had previously paid no attention to appearances, so making things look appealing would require godlike photography skills.

Quan Ya showed no particular expression, pointing his lens for a while. Qing Ye didn’t dare disturb him, and after quite some time weakly said: “If it’s too difficult, we can just take some casual photos to use for now.”

But Quan Ya suddenly looked up and said to her: “Have someone sort out samples of each type for me. Also, I heard from Wu Zi that these raw materials are from your production?”

Qing Ye nodded: “The original owner’s family produces and sells their goods.”

“Give me their contact information, I’ll take a trip to the production site tomorrow when I have time.”

Qing Ye didn’t know why he wanted to go to Old Man Xie’s place, but she still helped Quan Ya contact the old man.

Then he put away his camera and said to her: “Let’s find a place to discuss the packaging design.”

Qing Ye asked in surprise: “You studied graphic design?”

“No.”

“…”

Qing Ye took Quan Ya to the office and shared her ideas with him, hoping for individual vacuum packaging for the sweet potato chips and preferably self-sealing outer bags.

“Three-side sealed bags or eight-side sealed bags?”

“…”

Quan Ya directly searched and showed her a row of styles on the computer. He turned the notebook to show her, and Qing Ye’s eyes lit up as she studied them for a while: “This type.”

Quan Ya made an affirming sound: “What about materials? PET, OPP, composite aluminum foil?”

“Wait, I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

Quan Ya glanced up at her, closed the notebook, and stood up: “I got it.”

Qing Ye also stood up: “Got it?”

“Yeah, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out.”

Qing Ye watched Quan Ya’s hastily retreating figure in bewilderment, breaking out in a cold sweat.

That evening, Qing Ye stood on the bed with her hands on her hips, looking at Xing Wu who was leaning against the headboard: “Really, he just said ‘I got it’ and left? What does that mean?”

Xing Wu raised his head with a slight smile: “Don’t stand so high, you’ll fall. Come down.”

“I won’t come down. Is Quan Ya harboring resentment towards me because he thinks I ruined his sister’s relationship?”

Xing Wu shook his head helplessly: “You’re my person, what opinion could he have of you? Come here.”

Qing Ye sat down cross-legged with big pitiful eyes. Xing Wu smiled and said: “Did he ask you something and you had no clue about any of it?”

Qing Ye said guiltily: “Well… he did mention something about composite aluminum foil and stuff. How was I supposed to know what he was talking about?”

Xing Wu pulled her into his arms: “He’s not ignoring you. Since you don’t understand material price differences, he probably didn’t know how to explain it to you. Quan Ya is trustworthy in his work, just leave it to him. Don’t worry about this anymore. Have you prepared your things for school tomorrow?”

Qing Ye flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes: “No, don’t want to pack, annoying.”

Xing Wu had to get up and take out her bag, carefully packing everything she needed for the first day of school, and then checking everything again. He had never been this meticulous about his school preparations, but having an academic girlfriend changed his attitude toward the start of school.

To Qing Ye’s surprise, after worrying for two days, unable to eat or sleep well, and constantly anxious, when she returned to the factory after school two days later, the entire structure of their online store was already set up.

Quan Ya was sitting next to Du Qiyan, who was making final adjustments while Quan Ya occasionally offered guidance.

Du Qiyan saw Qing Ye return and asked her to come take a look – if there were no problems, they could upload the product descriptions directly.

When Qing Ye went over, she discovered all products were already listed, and what surprised her more was that the photos far exceeded her expectations. Clicking on individual links revealed photos of the raw food ingredients as well. She hadn’t expected Quan Ya to be so attentive – the plating with green leaf garnishes created the exact impression of natural green food products that she had wanted.

The homepage even featured photos of the homemade farming base, which lit up Qing Ye’s eyes. The vast harvests and farmers’ production process were clear at a glance – no promotion could be more effective than this.

Quan Ya opened a computer folder and stood up, saying to Qing Ye: “I had someone create three different style versions for the packaging design. The last spreadsheet shows corresponding prices for materials and specifications. Sit down and look first, I’m going out for a smoke.”

Qing Ye sat down dazedly, holding the mouse while staring at Quan Ya’s retreating figure, feeling a mix of emotions.

In three days, from on-site investigation and photography to post-production editing, to designing covers and consulting material quotes – what Qing Ye thought would require an entire department’s manpower, Quan Ya had completed alone in three days.

She instantly understood Xing Wu’s trust in Quan Ya. No wonder while she had been anxiously fretting these past few days, Xing Wu hadn’t been worried at all and had told her not to concern herself.

She finally understood why among all his brothers, Xing Wu uniquely chose to run Shun Yi with Quan Ya. She felt ashamed for having previously judged him with a petty mind, and couldn’t help but laugh self-mockingly at the thought.

That night, Qing Ye, Quan Ya, and Du Qiyan finalized the plans. The factory was very quiet – Quan Ya and Du Qiyan were busy in the office while Liu Nian was studying the vacuum packaging machine Xing Wu had just delivered yesterday, calculating production quantities based on the new specifications.

While everyone was doing practice problems, Qing Ye rushed to write product descriptions. They had all been staying late recently – she had classes so she wouldn’t stay past midnight, but sometimes Liu Nian and Du Qiyan stayed even later. As long as they were there, evening self-study would continue. Some of the more hardworking students would stay at the factory until leaving with Du Qiyan and others, like Fang Lei and Shi Min. Of course, Pang Hu would stay late studying with them every day to safely escort them home.

So after most people had left, Qing Ye read through her freshly written descriptions to get everyone’s opinions. The small group that remained gave Qing Ye many insights, so what started as her working alone ended up becoming a group effort in writing descriptions. Many hands make light work – that evening they finalized descriptions for all products.

During final proofreading, as she was typing the text into the computer, she looked up inadvertently to find five or six people gathered behind her to help check the wording.

At that moment, Qing Ye felt her nose tingle and her heart burn with passion – experiencing the excitement of entrepreneurship for the first time in her life. She suddenly thought of her father – was he like this when he was young? She wondered if he would feel bitter or proud seeing her now. Thinking of her father filled Qing Ye with renewed motivation.

Originally Qing Ye had told Du Qiyan to upload the descriptions tomorrow, but Du Qiyan insisted on finishing before leaving. Pang Hu had left to escort Shi Min and the others home. Xing Wu was also working late tonight and had called to tell Qing Ye to wait for him – he was on his way to pick her up.

So Qing Ye stretched and went to pour a cup of water for a break. Through the factory doors, she saw Quan Ya sitting under the withered tree in the courtyard, so she poured another cup of water and walked over to hand it to him: “Thank you for your hard work.”

Quan Ya looked up at her briefly, took the cup, and resumed gazing at the row of dark staff quarters in front of the target factory.

Qing Ye dragged over a small stool and sat beside him, looking in the same direction. Neither spoke.

After a long while, Quan Ya suddenly spoke: “Are you still planning to go abroad?”

This path had been set for her by her family since childhood – she had attended international school all these years to prepare for studying overseas. But now too many issues lay before her, both financial pressure and emotional choices making her waver.

Quan Ya sighed: “I always hoped you would go abroad quickly so Wu Zi would have one less thing to worry about. His family situation has dragged him down enough these years – none of his brothers have had it as rough as him. But now…”

Quan Ya pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag and exhaling wisps of smoke into the night sky: “Now if you leave him, it’ll tear Wu Zi apart.”

Qing Ye’s heart ached. Regarding studying abroad, Xing Wu had always been very firm but had never mentioned what would happen to him after she left.

This was the first time Qing Ye heard this cruel answer from one of his brothers. Even Quan Ya could see their relationship had become inseparable. In three months, they would have to face this choice – the matter weighed on Qing Ye’s chest like a boulder.

She suddenly tugged at the corner of her mouth, looking down at her shadow: “Remember that bet? I said I would lead him onto a different path.”

Quan Ya turned to look at her, his cigarette burning faintly between his fingers. Qing Ye slowly raised her head to gaze at the vast night sky, a slight curve appearing at her lips: “Do you believe it? I’m almost winning.”

Quan Ya looked at her confident expression and also tugged at his mouth: “How so?”

“When I made that bet with you, I was only confident of living in his memory. But now, I’m confident of being carved into his heart. A person can live without memories, but can’t live even a day without their heart beating.”

Quan Ya’s brows gradually furrowed as he absorbed the power of these words in amazement.

In the distance, Little Angel’s sound rang out. Qing Ye withdrew her gaze to look at Quan Ya: “Do you hate me? Because of my appearance, your sister compromised with life.”

Quan Ya watched the figure dismounting from the motorcycle, his gaze profound: “Wu Zi is my brother, you are Wu Zi’s woman.”

Qing Ye watched Xing Wu walking towards her and suddenly smiled in understanding.