Zhuang Hongxing agreed to Liu Chen's terms. However, regarding the higher concentration of Mei Mei Niu, Zhuang Hongxing generously ordered one hundred cases.
While this sounded like a lot, it was actually only an hour's worth of production.
After discussing everything, Liu Chen sat back in her chair, watching Zhuang Hongxing, waiting for her prize.
As expected, after the quantities were settled, Zhuang Hongxing brought up the issue of security.
"If the cooperation goes smoothly, shouldn't the production line for Mei Mei Niu be strictly protected? What if someone poisons it..."
Here it comes!!
Liu Chen rejoiced internally. The topic had finally shifted to this. Suppressing her racing heart, Liu Chen, as if just realizing this herself, looked at Zhuang Hongxing with a troubled expression, seeking advice.
"Uncle Zhuang, you didn't mention it, and I didn't even notice these details. What do you think I should do?"
Zhuang Hongxing had originally intended to offer a few hints, letting Liu Chen come up with a solution. However, seeing the young girl's troubled look, he couldn't help but want to help brainstorm a solution.
"How about this? For now, it's just an experiment. If the volume increases in the future, we can assign people to take turns guarding the production workshop. How does that sound?"
As Zhuang Hongxing said this, he was a little worried that the young girl in front of him wouldn't agree, as guarding the production workshop also involved the issue of the formula.
He expected the young girl to hesitate, but to his surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw her nod vigorously and agree repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, absolutely!"
"Alright, since we've agreed on everything, let's sign the contract to avoid any disputes."
Zhuang Hongxing also knew that Mei Mei Niu was a good product. If they didn't sign a contract, what would happen if production couldn't keep up in the future and they couldn't get the goods?
Both of them intended to finalize the contract, so signing it became a natural course of action.
When Liu Chen, holding the contract, arrived at the entrance of the office building, escorted by Zhuang Hongxing, both Xia Tian and Dong Tian couldn't help but glance at Zhuang Hongxing.
Although Zhuang Hongxing didn't know the two bodyguards standing at the door, he could sense a familiar discipline in their gazes.
"Take good care of Comrade Liu Chen."
Hearing this familiar, commanding tone, Xia Tian and Dong Tian not only weren't displeased but were somewhat excited. They managed to suppress the urge to salute the company commander, known as the "Wild Wolf of the Military," and responded loudly:
"Yes!"
On the way back, Liu Chen, Xia Tian, and Dong Tian were all exceptionally excited.
-
When Liu Chen returned home clutching the signed contract, she saw her mother sitting in the living room, clearly waiting for her with something to say.
"Mom? It's past ten o'clock, why aren't you asleep? Are the twins keeping you awake? Should I beat them up for you?"
As Liu Chen spoke, she pulled out the still-warm signed contract from her embrace and handed it to her mother, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Look, let me make you happy."
Liu Chen said this with a touch of smugness and overflowing pride.
"A contract? You went out to sign a contract? You seem so happy, what kind of big contract is it?"
Seeing Chen Chen's demeanor, Liu Fang also became curious. While asking, she opened the contract. Perhaps after being with Chen Long for so long, Liu Fang had developed the habit of carefully reviewing contracts.
As she read, Liu Fang's smile bloomed like spring, undeniable.
"When did you connect with the military? Mei Mei Niu, is that your newly launched product?"
Liu Fang said, looking up at Chen Chen, her eyes full of pride.
At this moment, Liu Fang had long forgotten her earlier worries while waiting for Chen Chen in the living room. At this moment, she even vaguely felt that what her daughter had said at dinner was correct.
She's so young, she should work hard. Marriage can wait!
After showing off the contract, Liu Chen finally remembered to ask her mother.
"By the way, Mom, what did you want to talk about sitting in the living room waiting for me?"
Liu Fang, who was full of joy, paused for a moment when Chen Chen asked. Then she quickly waved her hand and said, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask you what time your flight is tomorrow, so your Dad Chen and I can take you."
Liu Chen blinked. She felt her mother wasn't waiting just to ask this, but since her mother seemed unconcerned, it must not be important.
"I have classes at school tomorrow morning, so I'm taking the 5:30 AM flight. I'll arrive in Beijing at 8:00 AM, and I'll be back at school just in time for class."
In fact, Liu Chen had originally booked a flight back to Beijing for tonight, planning to sleep soundly in her dorm with her own pillow. However, because of this contract, Liu Chen spent the same amount of money to change her flight.
Hearing the flight time, Liu Fang immediately forgot about her pride and urged Liu Chen.
"A 5:30 AM flight? Then you should go to bed quickly. I'll wake you up tomorrow."
"Should I go upstairs, Mom?"
"Yes, go on!"
-
Late at night, Ren Yu lay in the empty bedroom of "Phoenix City." Although Liu Chen and her mother rarely stayed at "Phoenix City" now, Ren Yu (Ren Yuan Ying) still lived there.
It wasn't for any other reason than to easily gather mahjong partners, so she hadn't moved out.
Tonight, the moon outside was exceptionally bright, shining through the glass window and falling onto the solid wood floor, feeling a little cold.
"Chen Chen is still too young, it's normal for her not to want to get married."
Ren Yu said, but then couldn't help but sigh.
However, despite saying she understood, Ren Yu's figure lying on the bed looked somewhat lonely.
-
Because the ticket was bought last minute and she was too excited about discussing the contract, Liu Chen only remembered after queuing for security, when her mother asked.
"I forgot to tell Ren Yu..."
After saying this, Liu Chen felt it was a bit absurd and couldn't help but touch the back of her head and give an awkward smile.
"It's probably too late to say it now. I'll send him a message later. Goodbye, Mom. The line ahead is moving."
As Liu Chen spoke, she pushed her small suitcase and, with Xia Tian and Dong Tian flanking her, walked towards the front of the queue.
Liu Fang and Chen Long stood outside the cordoned-off waiting area. After watching Chen Chen get her ticket checked and go through security, Liu Fang sighed softly.
"Chen Long, you know, when I first found out they were dating, I was a little worried about Chen Chen. She's young and attractive, I was afraid she'd be swayed by Ren Yu, and not know her limits."
Chen Long placed his hand on Liu Fang's shoulder. Hearing this, he chuckled and asked, "And now?"
"Now?"
Liu Fang pursed her lips, a little embarrassed.
"Now I'm just worried that Chen Chen won't hurt Ren Yu's feelings. After all, someone who truly loves you can make your life easier."
Liu Fang said this with heartfelt empathy.
Chen Long, however, laughed like a fool. He slid his hand off Liu Fang's shoulder, lowered his head slightly to look at her, and then slipped his hand into hers, opening his palm to interlock their fingers.
"Children have their own fortunes. Let's go, everyone at the shop misses you."
As it was the first day after a long holiday, the airport was more crowded than usual. Liu Fang felt Chen Long's gesture and her cheeks flushed slightly. She tried to pull away, feeling a little shy.
"Fang Jie, let's go."
After struggling a couple of times and failing to break free, Liu Fang could only follow Chen Long's lead, shamelessly enduring the curious glances of others as they walked towards the parking lot.
-
Liu Chen kept her word. While waiting for her flight, she sent Ren Yu a message saying she was about to board her flight back to Beijing and made plans to meet him there.
By the time Ren Yu saw the message, it was already 7:30 in the morning. Ren Yu was used to waking up at this time. After washing up, he opened his phone to check for any messages that needed to be dealt with.
And then he saw the message from Liu Chen.
"Sigh."
Looking at the traffic jam, Liu Chen couldn't help but sigh. She glanced at the time on her wrist. If it continued like this, she would definitely be late for her first class after the holiday.
Just as Liu Chen sighed, the cars ahead of her on the overpass finally started moving. There was no choice. Like Liu Chen, many people chose to stay out an extra night and fly back to Beijing on red-eye flights on weekdays.
Fortunately, it was still 2010, not 2020. Even with the traffic, due to the city's vehicle saturation, Liu Chen still managed to reach the classroom before the start of the first class.
As it was the first day after the holiday, most of the day's classes were theoretical, with no hands-on laboratory work. Perhaps they were worried that students wouldn't have settled down after the holiday and doing experiments would be a waste of materials.
Before class started, Liu Chen entered through the back door and took a seat in the last row.
Standing at the podium was a student Liu Chen didn't quite recognize, or rather, had never seen before.
The second-year class counselor stood there with an indulgent smile, introducing the exchange student standing beside him.
"This is Sun Jin, an exchange student from New York University in America. He is an overseas Chinese compatriot who is very interested in our Chinese culture, so he participated in this exchange program. Please give him a round of applause."
To be honest, Liu Chen wasn't very familiar with the second-year counselor, but she could tell that the counselor was genuinely happy. After all, in 2010, people generally believed that the moon was rounder elsewhere.
At this time, for an overseas Chinese to have such a high level of patriotic awareness, as a citizen of China, it was naturally a cause for joy.
While the counselor was introducing the exchange student, Liu Chen was also observing him.
This exchange student named Sun Jin gave Liu Chen a very strange feeling. How to put it?
Because Liu Chen herself had the psychological age of an adult in her thirties, and Mi Zhu Zhu occasionally teased her after her rebirth, saying that Liu Chen suddenly seemed mature like an adult, not at all like a freshman in college.
At this moment, Liu Chen wanted to convey this sentiment verbatim to this freshman named Sun Jin.
Despite being in the prime of his youth at twenty, with a sunny and cheerful appearance and a well-proportioned physique, he always involuntarily puffed out his stomach slightly when standing. His feet were also planted in a V-shape, and his eyes were somewhat cloudy, like those of a greasy middle-aged man.
Perhaps Liu Chen's gaze had lingered for too long. Sun Jin, standing on the podium, instinctively glared in the direction of the person staring at him.
But upon seeing that the person staring at him was Liu Chen, Sun Jin paused for a moment, and then his face lit up with a standard, brilliant smile.
After seeing this smile, Liu Chen's discomfort intensified.
This smile, even though Sun Jin looked like a typical American sunny boy on the outside, always reminded Liu Chen of a middle-aged, overweight man who had drunk too much late at night and saw a young girl on the street – that greasy feeling.
It was as if his eyes were covered in a layer of lard.
Liu Chen lowered her eyelids and couldn't help but whisper, "Grant me a pair of eyes not covered in lard."
Heaven seemed not to have heard Liu Chen's plea. On the podium, the teacher was asking Sun Jin to find a seat, as class was about to begin.
"Teacher, I'll sit next to that female classmate."
Sun Jin, standing on the podium, smiled and pointed casually towards Liu Chen's seat in the last row. The classmates followed Sun Jin's gaze and looked back, finally noticing Liu Chen, who was sitting in the last row due to being late.
At this point, what else did the classmates not understand?
"Sun Jin, I'd advise you to stop smiling. Liu Chen already has a boyfriend!"
"That's right, and her boyfriend, senior Ren Yu, is very capable!"
"Exactly!"
The classmates in the class were all speaking up for Ren Yu, their urgency surprising even Liu Chen.
Perhaps Liu Chen's surprise was too obvious. A girl sitting in the front row turned around and chuckled, explaining.
"You don't know yet? Senior Shen Hong asked us to take good care of you and sponsored this semester's class fund. He also topped up everyone's campus card with a thousand yuan."
Liu Chen: ???
Well, this was indeed something Shen Hong would do. But... Ren Yu must have agreed, otherwise Shen Hong wouldn't dare.
Sun Jin, standing on the podium, could only see that the girl in front of Liu Chen had turned and said something, after which Liu Chen lowered her head and smiled slightly.
For a moment, Sun Jin became even more confident.
"It's okay! We're not married yet, so it's a fair competition for everyone!"
After saying this, Sun Jin, holding his books, walked towards the last row, his target clear: the empty seat next to Liu Chen.
However, when Sun Jin reached the second-to-last row, he saw a round-faced female classmate in the last row abruptly stand up and move to sit next to Liu Chen.
Seeing this, Sun Jin frowned slightly and was about to scold her when he saw Liu Chen look up.
Sun Jin finally came to his senses. He glared at the round-faced girl, carried his textbook, and walked to the row in front of Liu Chen, sitting down.
After the teacher for this class began the lecture normally, Sun Jin leaned slightly to the side, resting his right arm on the desk behind him, and ran his left hand through his newly permed, short, golden-blonde hair from his forehead.
His eyes narrowed, and he looked at Liu Chen, baring all eight of his teeth and smiling.
"Liu Chen, I like you."