Chapter 40
It had been nearly ten days since Chu Hong had proposed to cut off the supply to Huayan Fang. These days, Yuli was overwhelmed, but she was also methodically resolving the crisis.
She first suspended the pre-orders for “Ronghua Lihua,” then launched other styles made with colors from other silk thread workshops. Many of the previous flowers were now less impressive. There were still many customers who came to buy velvet flowers because of their reputation, but the sales volume had decreased significantly.
The third-party transit trade that Yuli had come up with was to ensure that the orders that had already been placed could be delivered on time.
In order not to be discovered by Wanse Fang, Yuli found two embroidery workshops and made up an excuse for them, saying that they wanted to imitate the embroidery pattern of Huayan Fang’s “Ronghua Lihua.”
She had bought them back at a price 30% higher than the original, which had already reduced her profits a lot. But integrity was crucial in business, especially for her luxury goods that were sold at a very high price.
She hadn’t expected that she would be so careful, yet still be discovered by Wanse Fang.
Chu Hong had come to her door, and he had even brought the owner of one of the embroidery workshops. Yuli knew that the matter had been exposed, and that he would surely embarrass her.
Yuli called Jingyu and Xiyun to put up a front, and also placed the two guards at the door. Only then did she invite them into the north room of the backyard.
These days, Jingyu and Xiyun had been following Yuli to meet suppliers everywhere, and they had seen all kinds of bosses. Xiyun, who had been looking around, lively and clever at first, had also lost her novelty after seeing the two-faced nature of the businessmen.
Jingyu was always calm and showed a very respectful attitude towards Yuli, which had greatly enhanced Yuli’s prestige. Although Xiyun didn’t quite like Jingyu’s overly respectful and less humane manner, it was indeed effective in the business world, so she followed Jingyu’s example and learned eight-tenths of her air.
Chu Hong ignored the two guards at the door and walked in. He saw Yuli sitting behind the desk at the head of the room, with Jingyu and Xiyun standing on either side. Xiyun was grinding ink for her, and Jingyu was handing her tea.
Yuli was wearing a light purple scholar’s robe, with a brocade pattern of intertwining flowers and birds, a diexie belt, and jade ornaments. A bright yellow velvet flower in the shape of a winter jasmine was pinned to her collar. She had her hair in a man’s chignon, but the black jade hairpin was a woman’s style. Her whole person looked very special, but also very pleasing to the eye.
Chu Hong took a careful look at Yuli, from her eyebrows and eyes to the curve of her fingers, everything was to his liking.
But he only looked for a moment and then turned to look elsewhere.
When Yuli saw him, she forced a smile, stood up, and walked out from behind the desk. “What wind has blown Young Master Chu here? Please, have a seat.”
Chu Hong smiled slightly, flicked open his folding fan, and sat down in an armchair, his legs wide open, his arms on the armrests, looking at ease, as if he were at home.
“Not bad,” Chu Hong said, looking around the study. “Madam Song has indeed excellent taste. If I were to move into this study, I wouldn’t need to change a thing.”
Yuli’s smile froze.
Chu Hong: “Madam Song doesn’t have to be so wary of me. Actually, I would very much like to reach a direct cooperation with Madam Song, so that this middleman doesn’t have to earn Madam Song’s silver once more.”
Yuli stopped pretending. Her smile remained, but it was tinged with coldness. “Young Master Chu is so considerate of me. Are you here to discuss next month’s order?”
“Not at all. I’m here to offer Madam Song a profit. If Madam Song agrees to transfer Huayan Fang to me now, I will give Madam Song a 50% profit every year,” Chu Hong said with full confidence.
Yuli chuckled. “Let alone a 50% profit, even if I were to hire you as a shopkeeper and all 100% of the profit went to me, it would be impossible.”
Even if it were like Xie Yao, where he gave her all the revenue, she would not be willing.
Chu Hong’s smile also froze for a moment. It seemed that there was really no room for negotiation.
“Has Madam Song heard of the Chu clan of Jiangnan?” Chu Hong said. Yuli did not respond, and he continued, “If Madam Song wants to do business related to silk threads, you cannot bypass my Chu clan. It would be better to admit defeat while I am still willing to offer a high price, and not regret it when you are at your wit’s end and Huayan Fang’s reputation is ruined.”
“I have said before, I would rather close Huayan Fang, smash it, than sell it.”
“Madam Song is probably not short of money. Why be so stubborn? My Chu clan’s silk thread workshops are all over the world. If Madam Song wants to expand, you can’t do it alone. It would be beneficial and not harmful to you to cooperate with my Chu clan.”
Yuli: “I am indeed not short of money. Enticement with profit is useless.”
Chu Hong was choked for a moment, then smiled. “I heard that Madam Song has recently visited almost all the weaving and dyeing workshops in the capital. You must have a deep understanding of the weaving and dyeing industry by now, but you still can’t find a substitute for Wanse Fang. Today, I have cut off your path to buy from a third party. I’m afraid that in a few days, you will not be able to deliver your goods. At that time, it will surely be embarrassing and chaotic. Why does Madam Song have to ask for trouble?”
Yuli: “I have had it too sweet recently. I just want to find some trouble to eat.”
Chu Hong: …
Yuli: “Are there any other tricks? Bring them all out.”
Chu Hong: “Madam Song is so stubborn. Does your husband know?”
Yuli said seriously, “Let’s talk business. I advise you not to mention my husband.” This is for your own good!
Chu Hong was a little helpless, and also had a strange bitterness. How could he have met her in such a situation?
Chu Hong smiled and said, “Madam Song is new to the business world and probably doesn’t know much about some of the darker things.”
Yuli was at ease.
“My Chu clan has a backer in the court.”
As if no one else does.
“I’m afraid it will scare you if I say it.”
Heh, if I say mine, it will scare me first.
Yuli’s lips curled into an inscrutable, cold smile. She was impervious to both soft and hard tactics.
In the end, Chu Hong had nothing more to say.
As he left, he said, “No matter when Madam Song comes to her senses, you can come to Wanse Fang to find me. I will be waiting at any time.”
Chu Hong left, but Shopkeeper Zhu of the embroidery workshop stayed behind. He stood up and bowed to Yuli in apology. “Shopkeeper Song is a young heroine, so resolute and decisive. I am truly in awe. It is my subordinate who was not careful enough in his work and was caught by Young Master Chu. It is my fault. I hope Shopkeeper Song can be magnanimous.”
Yuli’s heart was heavy. She knew that it was useless to argue with him. She waved her hand and signaled for Jingyu to see the guest out.
Before Shopkeeper Zhu left, he couldn’t help but say to Yuli, “Shopkeeper Song is young and promising and must be high-spirited. I will presume to say a few words from the heart as an experienced person. Actually, the conditions that the second Chu offered are already generous enough.”
Yuli snorted lightly.
The other party continued, “Shopkeeper Song probably doesn’t know about the Chu clan of Jiangnan. Let’s put it this way, of all the silk threads in the world, the Chu clan accounts for six-tenths. Their financial resources and accumulation are not something we can compare to. If we offend them, I’m afraid my embroidery workshop will also be difficult to operate.”
Yuli: “Shopkeeper Zhu is mistaken. If his Chu clan is really so big, why would he be fixated on a start-up jewelry shop of mine?” It’s clear that they have reached a bottleneck in their development and are desperate.
Shopkeeper Zhu smiled. “The Chu clan is big, but… this young master of the Chu family is out on his own. Perhaps he wants to make some achievements to fight for a place in the family, so that he can occupy a high position when he returns to the Chu clan in the future.”
Yuli had only known that Chu Hong’s background was not low before. Today was the first time she had heard the inside story. It turned out that he was a rich second generation starting a business. No wonder he was so aggressive.
Yuli calmed down. “Thank you for your advice, Shopkeeper Zhu. But this business of mine must also succeed. His Boss Chu is a newborn calf who is not afraid of a tiger. Am I not a young phoenix who does not know the height of the sky? Please do not worry, Shopkeeper Zhu. In the future, you can be on good terms with Wanse Fang. I will not hold a grudge over such a small matter.”
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhu smiled kindly, said his farewells, and left.
After everyone had left, Yuli slowly sat back down in the armchair, raised her fingers to support her forehead, and closed her eyes to think.
After a long moment, Yuli opened her eyes and saw Jingyu and Xiyun looking worried. She quickly put away her dejection and said with a smile, “If you rely on a mountain, the mountain will fall. If you rely on people, people will run away. It’s better now. I can’t rely on anyone, so I can only go and dye the silk threads myself.”
“Jingyu, you are familiar with the major weaving and dyeing workshops. Go and find a way to poach a few experienced weaving and dyeing workers and start to build our own dyeing workshop.”
“Xiyun, go and call Lizhen. I have important matters to discuss with her.”
After the two of them had taken their orders and left, Yuli sighed.
She had thought of this day, but she hadn’t expected it to come so soon. The decline in orders was not a big deal. That Chu Hong had hit the mark accurately, knowing that the biggest headache for Huayan Fang right now was the inability to deliver on time.
Without more than a dozen colors, the “Ronghua Lihua” could not be so stunning. She would not use inferior products to pass off as good ones. She could only delay delivery, or simply stop the supply and let the customers choose other styles.
Individual customers were easy to deal with, but most of those who ordered the “Ronghua Lihua” were purchasing agents from wealthy families. She could have Lizhen find a way to stabilize the purchasing agents, but behind the purchasing agents were a whole family of wealthy young ladies and noblewomen. As long as they took a fancy to something, they would have to get it with a single word. Being able to wait for ten days to half a month to get it was already the limit.
If she simply didn’t deliver, some of the more spoiled young ladies would surely be unhappy and would be dissatisfied with the purchasing agent. It was also possible that they would scold them a few times. After the purchasing agent was angered, they would naturally take it out on her, a merchant.
Right now, Lizhen was under great pressure. She had to discuss a countermeasure with Lizhen.
It would be best if she could settle it with money, but there were always those with their eyes on the top of their heads who would be dismissive of her small amount of money and would want Lizhen to bow and scrape and apologize. It would probably also involve her, the behind-the-scenes boss.
In this way, Huayan Fang’s reputation would surely be damaged, which would be very detrimental to its long-term development.
Yuli thought of many ways and discussed them with Lizhen for a long time. It was getting late, so she returned to the Xie Residence.
Xie Yao had not returned yet. She washed her face first and cheered herself up.
She was waiting in the room and began to daze off again. She only noticed when Xie Yao had walked into the hall.
Yuli forced a smile to greet him. He looked at her for a while, then held her first, without mentioning today’s events, and had his meal as usual.
The food was still as delicious, but Yuli had no appetite.
Xie Yao served her a chopstick-full of food. “Concentrate on your meal.”
Only then did Yuli put aside the outside matters and eat properly.
After the meal, Yuli still felt tired. She took a bath first and prepared to go to bed early. After getting into bed, she tossed and turned, with things on her mind, and couldn’t sleep.
Xie Yao got into bed and came over, holding her from behind.
He pressed against her earlobe and gently bit it. “What are you thinking about?”
Yuli trembled all over, turned back, and held his waist. “I’ve run into a problem.”
Xie Yao caressed her back and said with a smile, “Mm, I’ve heard. How about it, do you want me to solve it for you?”
Yuli thought of him saying to make the other person disappear, and her mind instantly cleared.
It’s just a business war. There’s no need to throw a nuclear bomb.
As long as Xie Yao was behind her, she would never really mess up Huayan Fang. Then she didn’t have to worry about the consequences. She could do whatever she wanted. Anyway, she had the money he had given her. The money she had been reluctant to spend before, she could now spend here with a clear conscience.
Yuli’s fighting spirit was suddenly rekindled. “No, I can do it.”
His Chu Hong is a rich nth generation of an old money family, and she is the unknown hidden wife of a big shot.
If he fails, he can go home with his tail between his legs and inherit the family business.
If she fails, she can take half a step back and become Xie Yao’s canary again.
They are evenly matched, no, they are on equal footing! She is not afraid of him.
Yuli suddenly swept away her dejection. Xie Yao knew in his heart that she had not yet reached the most difficult time and did not press the issue.
But, the things in her mind were related to another man. Although it was a head-on confrontation and there were no good feelings, it always made him feel like a fishbone in his throat.
After this matter was over, it was better not to keep that second Chu.
Xie Yao’s hand holding Yuli slowly tightened, and he moved along her skin to her collar, exploring inside.
Xie Yao’s palm was scorching hot, and his force was heavy. Yuli knew what he wanted to do. Seeing that it was still early, she let him be.
At first, Yuli was a little distracted. Xie Yao held her wrists, pressed her head with one hand, and pressed down heavily. Only then did Yuli pull her thoughts back.
Xie Yao looked down at her. Yuli looked into his eyes, as if there were an abyss that would pull her in.
“Concentrate,” Xie Yao said, staring at her.
Yuli couldn’t help but tremble. She nodded and hummed in agreement. Xie Yao kissed her lips, moving back and forth sucking. Her lips were numb and painful, and she was a little breathless.
After kissing for a long time, Xie Yao let her go, held her cheeks, and forced her to look at him. But his other hand did not stop. Yuli couldn’t take it and wanted to push him, or have him hurry up.
But his eyes were dark and gloomy, with a cold lust, and a full sense of oppression, as if he would not tolerate disobedience.
But he seemed to be doing it on purpose, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, which made her very unhappy. Yuli’s slender hands clutched his forearm. The blue veins on it were slightly raised, changing their course. Yuli didn’t know whether to push or pull.
“You want it?” Xie Yao’s voice was dark and deep, with a seductive smile.
But Yuli saw him curl his lips, and there was a clear coldness.
Yuli nodded and hummed in agreement.
Xie Yao moved his hand away, slowly wiped it with a cloth, and pressed close without moving, waiting for Yuli to focus on him before moving forward.
Yuli bit her lip and hummed softly, suddenly feeling a little wronged.
Xie Yao seemed to be not normal again. She couldn’t guess what he was thinking. Dealing with the abnormal him was even more difficult than winning the business war with Chu Hong.
Xie Yao suddenly used heavy force. Tears welled up in Yuli’s eyes.
“Still distracted,” Xie Yao panted lightly.
Yuli’s eyes were misty with tears. She sobbed and shouted, “The people outside are bullying me, and you are bullying me too.”
As she spoke, two lines of tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.
Xie Yao stiffened for a moment, as if he had come to his senses. He leaned down by Yuli’s ear. “Alright, my fault. I won’t play anymore.”
Xie Yao returned to normal. Yuli was still shaken. She turned her head and didn’t look at him. Xie Yao stopped his movements, bent down to kiss her forehead, held her, and patted her back. “Good Yuli, I can’t bear to see you suffer. Why don’t you leave Huayan Fang to me? I’ll take care of it for you, and you just have to collect the money.”
Yuli hummed. “No, I want to make a lot of money and buy my own house.”
Xie Yao held her and secretly suppressed his impulse. He had already indulged her for so long. He would wait a little longer. She might come back crying for his support in a few days.
Xie Yao held Yuli, his chin resting on her forehead, his palm gently caressing her cheek, with a faint smile.
At that time, not a single one who had displeased her would be left.