“Although I feel like I’m flattering myself, you…” Tian Tian looked up, meeting Zhou Haoting’s eyes seriously. “You like me, don’t you?”
As soon as she said it, Zhou Haoting’s mind buzzed, and his ears turned bright red. Struggling to stay calm, he gave a firm nod.
Tian Tian tilted her head in confusion. “What do you like about me? We’ve only known each other for half a day.”
It wasn’t that she was overly curious—she just found this whole thing hard to believe. How could someone like someone they’d only just met half a day ago?
Hearing this, Zhou Haoting’s ears seemed to grow even redder. But his demeanor became more resolute. “Actually, I’ve known you for more than a day.”
Tian Tian thought to herself, Half a day versus a full day—what’s the real difference?
“That evening in the village, when you almost got hit by a bicycle, I saw your back and felt inexplicably lighter. Then later, when I saw you selling flip-flops at Granny Cui’s gate, I found you utterly charming.”
Tian Tian replayed that evening in her mind—arguing with that woman, shouting those ridiculous sales slogans. She had a hard time finding any charm in any of that.
Except, of course, for her pretty face and good figure.
At that thought, her gaze toward Zhou Haoting turned serious.
As if reading her mind, Zhou Haoting nodded directly. “You’re right—there’s probably some lust at first sight involved.”
There was no shame in admitting he was attracted to her looks. Tian Tian was beautiful, and she fit every one of his aesthetic preferences. She was also energetic, poised, and graceful. Wasn’t it only natural that he liked her?
Tian Tian’s eyes widened. She had thought people of this era were still quite reserved—that no one would openly admit to being drawn to a woman’s appearance. Wouldn’t that be admitting they lacked depth and only cared about a pretty face?
But the man before her was remarkably honest. So honest that Tian Tian found it refreshing.
She liked dealing with honest people. No need to guess endlessly and still get nowhere.
For the first time, Tian Tian gave Zhou Haoting a serious once-over from head to toe.
He was over 1.8 meters tall, wearing a light jacket with the zipper half-pulled, revealing clear muscle definition. His arms and legs looked strong. His shoulders were broad—leaning on them would probably feel safe.
His looks needed no comment. He was the most handsome ordinary person Tian Tian had seen in years. Clean, short hair; a high nose bridge; deep, defined eyes; lips neither too thin nor too thick. When he put on a serious face, he looked cool; when he smiled, he made you feel at ease.
Well, Tian Tian thought, I might be a little attracted to his looks too.
“Do I pass as decent-looking?” Zhou Haoting asked unexpectedly.
Tian Tian coughed dryly and gave a vague nod.
“Then can I have the chance to pursue you?”
“What?” Tian Tian felt things were moving a bit fast. But then she thought about how people in this era could meet at a matchmaking session and get married the next day. By comparison, this didn’t seem fast at all.
“Hmm…” Tian Tian glanced at Zhou Haoting’s handsome face again, pinched her earlobe, took a deep breath, and said, “Alright!”
Her voice was so loud that even passersby nearby were startled.
Zhou Haoting, who had been extremely nervous, held back a smile and said, “Hello, Comrade Tian Tian. I’m glad you’ve accepted my pursuit. Let me properly introduce myself again.”
Then Tian Tian listened as Zhou Haoting gave an account of his life from birth to the present, leaving nothing out. If he’d had more time, he probably would have gone into every detail of what had happened to him growing up.
Even the abridged version was enough to shock Tian Tian.
Zhou Haoting had never seen his father. Apparently, the man wasn’t dead, but Zhou’s mother never said where he was. Still, since his family had deep roots in Tianfu Village, no one dared bully him even though he grew up with only one parent. Half the village were his relatives. He had five uncles alone. The eldest was the village chief, and the others were also formidable. There were also countless female cousins, male cousins, and various elders.
Tian Tian had grown up in a village too, but her family wasn’t that large. Hearing this made her head spin. Dealing with so many relatives would be a huge hassle.
Zhou Haoting seemed to read her mind and quickly clarified, “My mom and I live alone in a two-story house. The house is my mom’s—no entanglements with relatives. Besides that, I’ve also secured a piece of land for a house in the village. When I get married, I can build a house and live separately. Or I can buy an apartment in the city.”
“As for savings, I have a total of—”
Tian Tian quickly cut him off before he could list his assets.
Zhou Haoting looked at her in confusion.
Tian Tian said, “We can talk about assets later. How about we first discuss what Brother Meng brought up earlier?”
She had just agreed to let him pursue her. Marriage was still a million miles away. Learning about his net worth right now felt a bit odd. But thinking about his sincerity, she also found it rather refreshing. Especially since he was so tall and handsome.
As soon as Brother Meng was mentioned, the softness around Zhou Haoting vanished, replaced by sharpness. He wanted to say, I’ll handle it. But seeing Tian Tian’s expression, he instinctively started discussing it with her instead.
Tian Tian was pleased with Zhou Haoting’s attitude. She wasn’t a clingy vine who needed a man to take care of everything. She preferred discussing things together, not the “I know what’s best for you” approach where one person hides things from the other.
“Hecheng has been active here since the reform and opening up. I’ve heard the top boss was originally a fisherman from Shenzhen. He snuck into Hong Kong years ago and joined a syndicate leader there. Later, he married the leader’s daughter and rose to power. After the leader died, he started chasing women openly.”
Tian Tian frowned at the story of this phoenix-man’s rise.
“As for Xiao Ming, he’s surfaced in the last couple of years. Rumor has it he’s from the Kowloon Walled City. Also a top graduate from the University of Hong Kong.”
At this, Tian Tian was astonished. The Kowloon Walled City—what kind of place was that? A den of gangsters and underworld figures. And yet someone had managed to get into the University of Hong Kong from an environment like that.
What a talent!
It felt a bit incongruous for someone with that kind of talent to be working as a lackey for a syndicate boss. But considering his background, maybe the boss had funded his education to groom him as a loyal dog.
This world was far removed from her own. In her previous life, she had worked as a foreign trade document clerk at a Hong Kong-funded company and had never encountered such things.
But Tian Tian understood human nature.
“Xiao Ming clawed his way out of that environment, and now he’s made something of himself. No matter how unhinged he might be, he’s not going to put himself in real danger.”
So she leaned toward the belief that he wouldn’t do anything too extreme.
There were plenty of pretty girls out there. If she didn’t take the bait, surely he wouldn’t fixate on her. She wasn’t some celestial goddess.
Zhou Haoting partly agreed with Tian Tian’s reasoning. He had actually crossed paths with Xiao Ming a few times in business settings. From what he’d seen, the man was ruthless. But beyond his ruthlessness, he was also very good at protecting himself.
Still, better safe than sorry. Zhou Haoting couldn’t just gamble on hope.
“You’ll probably be busy selling flip-flops for the next couple of days. After that, are you going to keep buying and selling them?”
Tian Tian shook her head. She looked at Zhou Haoting. Since they’d both been so open with each other, asking him a few questions shouldn’t be a problem.
“Next, I want to find a small garment workshop to make a batch of clothes.”
Zhou Haoting was sharp. He immediately said, “I know quite a few people in the clothing business. After we get back, I’ll introduce you?”
“Alright, I won’t stand on ceremony. If it works out, I’ll give you a finder’s fee.”
Zhou Haoting laughed. “No need. Just buy me a meal.”
Tian Tian realized this guy was good at seizing an opportunity. But she didn’t mind. As she’d said before, she liked honesty—no games, no guessing, no pointless back-and-forth. She never understood people who acted like they had no mouth when it came to relationships, causing misunderstandings and wasting their own lives.
“Deal.”
Zhou Haoting picked up the two burlap sacks filled with flip-flops. “Then let’s go back and sell them. I’ll find someone to get more information on Xiao Ming.”
As she watched him head toward the motorcycle, Tian Tian teased, “Not going to check out the shop anymore?”
Zhou Haoting was no longer nervous. He said generously, “You’re more important.”
—
When the villagers saw Zhou Haoting ride his motorcycle directly to Granny Cui’s gate with Tian Tian, the whole village was abuzz.
When the two had left earlier that morning, there hadn’t been many people on the road from the village committee to the village entrance. But now it was mealtime, and they ran into many folks heading home to eat.
Word spread like wildfire. Before a single meal could be finished, the entire village knew that Cai Xiaomei’s son—the one who worked at the machinery factory—had taken a liking to the new female renter at Granny Cui’s place.
Looking at the villagers gathered around her, Tian Tian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Should she thank Zhou Haoting for being so popular in the village? Otherwise, these curious onlookers wouldn’t be buying flip-flops one pair at a time, only to stand around afterward staring at her like she was a monkey in a zoo.
She had initially thought the village could absorb at most two or three hundred more pairs—after all, she’d already sold 500 pairs here yesterday. But because of these people, all 1,000 pairs sold without ever leaving the village.
After finishing her sales, Tian Tian smiled at the villagers and quickly scurried upstairs. By the time the villagers who’d wanted to chat with her realized what had happened, they were calling after her not to be shy.
“Tian Tian, what’s going on down there? It’s been so lively all afternoon.”
From the room next door, Liu Chunfen stepped out and saw Tian Tian carrying a bulging bag.
Tian Tian tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head. “Nothing much. Aunt Liu, no handiwork today?”
Liu Chunfen usually took on work making plastic flowers, often doing it in her room or downstairs in the living room with Granny Cui.
She shook her head. “Just delivered a batch. The factory doesn’t have any more work for now.”
That brought her back to the thoughts she’d had earlier. Watching how brisk Tian Tian’s flip-flop business was, Liu Chunfen felt that if she had been brave enough yesterday, she might have gotten a good cut today. She rehearsed the pitch in her mind and was about to suggest they go into business together. But when she looked up, Tian Tian had already returned to her room.
How rude!
Liu Chunfen felt upset. But then she figured she wasn’t anyone important. It was natural for Tian Tian to look down on her. Swallowing her frustration, she went downstairs to see what all the commotion was about.
Soon, a familiar-looking woman pulled her aside.
Tian Tian had no idea what was happening downstairs. Seeing that hesitant, hopeful look in Liu Chunfen’s eyes made her uncomfortable.
Xu Lifen used to look at her exactly like that. And Tian Tian used to help her over and over again—only to be stabbed in the back each time. In this life, she’d nearly lost her life because of her.
Now Liu Chunfen was giving her that same look, and Tian Tian instinctively wanted to keep her distance.
Maybe people like that weren’t truly evil. But getting involved with them never led to anything good.
Putting those unpleasant thoughts aside, Tian Tian happily started counting her money.
She had bought the flip-flops for 60 cents a pair and sold them at two and a half yuan for two pairs or one yuan and thirty cents for one pair. Her total revenue came to 1,283.30 yuan. After deducting costs and various expenses, and adding the 4,357.60 yuan she already had on hand, Tian Tian now had a total of 5,000 yuan.
Five thousand yuan—enough to fund her next venture.
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