Tang Hong’en and Ji Ya had been divorced for twelve years, and Old Ji was Tang Hong’en’s former father-in-law.
When Old Ji passed away, Tang Hong’en attended neither the memorial service nor the funeral, but he felt that paying his respects at Old Ji’s grave was the least he could do to honor his conscience.
Before his divorce from Ji Ya, Old Ji had been an elder whom Tang Hong’en deeply respected. After the divorce, everyone in the Ji family turned against him, including Old Ji himself.
Tang Hong’en didn’t want to dwell on these matters. After more than a decade, it was difficult to determine right from wrong. He couldn’t make demands of others; he could only do what he felt was right.
Beijing.
It was Chen Xiliang’s first time on an airplane.
Actually, with Chen’s wealth as a businessman, he could afford to fly whenever he traveled long distances, but tickets were hard to come by, and old habits died hard. Nobody made money easily – wholesale clothing only brought in a few yuan per piece, while a single plane ticket wasn’t cheap.
But choosing the train from Yangcheng to Beijing would take far too long!
Summer Xiaolan had finally agreed to partner in the women’s clothing business. Chen Xiliang was eager and found the train journey too time-consuming, so he pulled some strings to get a plane ticket, rushing to Beijing as soon as he received Summer Xiaolan’s telegram.
The moment he stepped off the plane, the cold wind on the tarmac chilled him to the bone.
People from Yangcheng struggled to adapt to the northern cold. Chen Xiliang’s first thought was that in Beijing’s winter, they shouldn’t focus on selling coats – thick cotton jackets and duck-down garments should be heavily promoted instead.
Duck-down garments, in particular, were warmer and more convenient than cotton jackets.
Summer Xiaolan said the duck down wasn’t fine enough and asked Chen Xiliang to solve this problem. If they could remove the quills from the duck-down garments, they could be called “feather down garments,” and each piece would only need about 100 grams of duck-down while providing better warmth than bulky cotton coats.
This was a technical issue affecting the entire industry. Normally, a small start-up brand wouldn’t need to consider such long-term matters, but if a brand could master technology that others didn’t have, wouldn’t its rapid rise be justified?
Chen Xiliang had been contemplating Summer Xiaolan’s concept of “brand competitiveness.” He found her very knowledgeable – wasn’t this how university graduates should be? After all, Summer Xiaolan was the only particularly clever university student Chen Xiliang knew, so he was determined to stick with her.
At present, wholesale might be more profitable than creating a women’s clothing brand – wholesale requires much less effort!
But everyone needed to plan for the future and have “aspirations.” Chen Xiliang was passionate about the fashion industry; he dreamed of being a designer and had ambitions to build something significant!
Being viewed as just a private merchant by others, looked down upon by those with secure government jobs – it felt terrible. Wholesale traders could only make money, but what about social status? Chen Xiliang pondered this: his brother-in-law He Congsheng lived on a salary that was far less than Chen’s income, but He Congsheng’s social status was much higher because he was a garment factory owner who managed many employees – a “leader”!
Chen Xiliang couldn’t return to factory work, but he couldn’t live without money. How could he achieve social status? Moving from wholesale to building a brand meant becoming an industrialist, providing employment opportunities, and creating economic value – not just moving goods around. That would bring social status.
“After hearing you out, it’s like the fog has cleared from my vision.”
As the two discussed nearby, sharing their thoughts, Chen Xiliang and Summer Xiaolan each had notebooks in front of them filled with various ideas.
Their meeting place was no longer the small restaurant at Huaqing Gate.
Previously, Summer Xiaolan had nowhere else to go, but now she had her own courtyard house at Shichahai – her own home – which made conversations more convenient.
The courtyard hadn’t been tidied up yet. Summer Xiaolan had only bought a new table and set up a charcoal stove, which could hold a kettle. They could warm themselves by the fire while enjoying hot tea – certainly better than the greasy tables at the small restaurant.
It was quiet with no interruptions, and they didn’t have to worry about running into acquaintances from school. The conversation flowed freely without restrictions, allowing their thoughts to expand.
Summer Xiaolan was explaining to Chen Xiliang the difference between a “profiteer” and an “industrialist.”
Becoming nouveau riche was relatively easy – just follow the money and trade whatever was profitable. With Summer Xiaolan’s knowledge of future trends, they wouldn’t need to work particularly hard; when the time was right, they could invest in whatever would bring returns… Of course, she wouldn’t foolishly reject such investments. But was living a second life just about being a speculator?
Those in the industry earned less than property speculators, who in turn earned less than celebrities.
Should everyone crowd into the entertainment industry then? Or since the film industry wasn’t profitable yet, should Summer Xiaolan invest her money in real estate in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai, just waiting for property values to rise?
…But then who would develop the industry?
These thoughts had only recently occurred to Summer Xiaolan.
After resolving her survival crisis, she too yearned to prove herself, to leave her mark on this era, and to contribute something meaningful.
After their long discussion, they both understood each other’s positions clearly.
“I agree to build the brand, but I still have my studies to consider. I can’t possibly devote myself entirely to its creation. At most, I can act as an advisor. As for initial investment, I can provide my share.”
No matter the business, starting from scratch was always difficult. If Summer Xiaolan had the time, why would she partner with Chen Xiliang? She could do it herself without constraints. But human energy was limited – university wasn’t like high school, and Huaqing wouldn’t allow her to study independently… Choosing architecture as her major meant Summer Xiaolan couldn’t slack off during her university years.
Including the building materials store – why had she guided Bai Zhenzhu to set up a stall in Pengcheng to make money? Could one person earn all the money in the world?
Every industry could be profitable, but she was just one person, not superhuman. Time and energy were limited. If something could be delegated to others, she would happily do so. Having her friends become wealthy wasn’t a bad thing – money could be made together, and it was better not to burn bridges!
Chen Xiliang hadn’t expected Summer Xiaolan to manage specific affairs; being an “advisor” was fine – setting the direction for development and having someone to consult with during critical moments. This was what Chen Xiliang had planned all along. How could he expect Summer Xiaolan to quit Huaqing and follow him around doing business every day?
Chen Xiliang wouldn’t dare to be so presumptuous.
The initial investment was 400,000 yuan, split equally between Summer Xiaolan and Chen Xiliang.
Summer Xiaolan wasn’t seeking control – she wouldn’t be involved in management, and Chen Xiliang had more resources in the clothing industry. Without participating in daily management, she would take 45% of the shares, while Chen Xiliang would have 55%.
Their respective contributions to “Luna” would be reflected in additional compensation.
The 200,000 yuan wouldn’t be given to Chen Xiliang all at once. He first needed to secure the trademark and brand registration, and there was much to be done. It was already December – Luna might not even make it in time for next year’s spring collection, but they had to at least be ready for the summer line!
“Where should we open that specialty store you mentioned?”
A mid-range women’s clothing brand?
Summer Xiaolan sighed in resignation – her previous market research for her family’s clothing store had actually been laying the groundwork for Chen Xiliang’s business… No, this was their joint venture. The capital came from Zhou Cheng, and the profits would go to Zhou Cheng, but the sense of achievement in building a clothing brand from nothing would belong to Summer Xiaolan.