Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The man was tall and handsome, with a stern expression, but he seemed overly cold...

Standing there, it was as if the sun's light was completely blocked.

The air fell into an eerie silence for a moment.

Fortunately, Brother Zhang was quick-witted. Seeing that Ye Zhiqiu hadn't moved, he nudged him discreetly with his toe.

"Kid," he said, "didn't I tell you to go to the warehouse on your own?"

"Sure." Ye Zhiqiu smiled and subconsciously flicked the ash from his cigarette. "I just..."

"What's your excuse?" Brother Zhang scolded him in a low voice. "These people here are not ones VIA can afford to offend."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded with a smile, about to turn away, when the door on the other side of the Bentley suddenly swung open.

Meng Da rushed over in a few steps, stopping excitedly in front of Ye Zhiqiu.

"Are you... Xiao Ye?" he asked uncertainly.

"Hello, Professor Meng," Ye Zhiqiu greeted him with a smile.

Compared to Qin Jianhe's low profile, Meng Da had always been very active in the fashion circle.

Every year, Q.L.'s new product launches and brand events required his involvement.

So, Ye Zhiqiu recognized him at first sight.

"What a coincidence!" Meng Da rubbed his hands together happily, sizing up the young man before him.

Under the sunlight, his face, finely chiseled like jade, exuded a gentle smile that made him particularly approachable.

But...

Why did such a young person smoke?

After their last call, both had been busy and hadn't had the chance to meet formally yet. Meng Da felt a bit awkward about lecturing him right away.

But Ye Zhiqiu seemed particularly perceptive. He extinguished his cigarette, smiling as he explained, "It was offered by a senior; I couldn't refuse."

Meng Da's impression of Ye Zhiqiu improved even more.

"Come here." He pulled Ye Zhiqiu over to Qin Jianhe. "Mr. Qin, let me introduce you."

Compared to Qin Jianhe's cold and aloof demeanor, Meng Da was incredibly warm and friendly, like the kindest elder.

"This is Xiao Ye, whom I mentioned earlier," he said enthusiastically, repeating Ye Zhiqiu's name, "Ye Zhiqiu."

Ye Zhiqiu extended his hand first. "Hello, Mr. Qin. I am Ye Zhiqiu."

As a newcomer, he formed a stark contrast with Brother Zhang beside him.

Smiling gently, neither arrogant nor humble, he wore a casual sky-blue cotton jacket that looked clean and handsome.

Qin Jianhe looked at him for a while before extending his hand, holding the pale hand that glowed under the sunlight for just a moment before letting go.

"Qin Jianhe," he said succinctly.

His cold, clear baritone brushed past Ye Zhiqiu's ears, making his heart itch as if tickled by a feather.

"Well then..." Ye Zhiqiu took a step back inconspicuously. "You two carry on."

"Hold on, Xiao Ye," Meng Da wouldn't let him go so easily after finally meeting him. "Let's chat for a bit."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded slightly and stepped aside, moving away from Qin Jianhe and Brother Zhang.

He didn't know much about Qin Jianhe, but his intuition told him that the other might not like him.

Although standing where Qin Jianhe stood, one could look down upon most people in the world.

But from the moment the car entered the factory area and Brother Zhang politely thanked him for opening the door, Ye Zhiqiu knew that Qin Jianhe might be cold, but he wasn't lacking in manners.

So, there was only one possibility left.

Perhaps that day at the club, besides Meng Qingyan, Qin Jianhe was also in the same room with Jiang Nan.

He saw the scene where Ye Zhiqiu humiliated Qi Xin.

If this were true, Ye Zhiqiu didn't plan to establish any connection with Qin Jianhe at this moment.

"Xiao Ye," Meng Da, unaware of Ye Zhiqiu's thoughts, got straight to the point due to time constraints. "You're being foolish. With your talent, you shouldn't have chosen VIA."

He had always valued talent, which was why, despite not being the strongest, he had managed to hold the position of head of Q.L.'s Design Department steadily over the years.

Ye Zhiqiu knew he meant well.

VIA's current state was indeed a hot potato.

If he could single-handedly bring the company back to its feet or even just halt its decline, Ye Zhiqiu would quickly become a legend in the industry.

But if his joining ultimately proved futile, all the hard-earned honors he had gained would be silently erased.

If it weren't for the fact that in his previous life, he had single-handedly helped Qi Yun establish a foothold in the fashion world, Ye Zhiqiu would never have dared take such a risk.

He understood better than anyone that every step he took now needed to be even more stable.

However, all his previous works were imprinted in his mind—each one's impact, each one's rarity...

He had confidence in himself.

He knew he would win.

This was the sharpest weapon in his hand, unknown to anyone else, capable of opening up a new world for him.

"Sir, I understand your intentions," he said with a faint smile. "But I still want to try my hand outside first and see how far my abilities can take me."

He paused and then added, "Not signing a long-term contract is also for this reason."

"Do not renew it when it expires," Meng Da advised. "Your talent should not be buried by a single mistake made in youth. As the head of Q.L's Design Department, I can assure you that the doors of Q.L will always be open to you."

Ye Zhiqiu pursed his lips.

Would Meng Da be equally disappointed when he demanded a high price from Qin Jianhe?

"Thank you, sir," he said, glancing sideways at Qin Jianhe.

The man stood against the light, making his tall and straight figure even more prominent.

Despite his casual stance, his elegance remained undiminished.

With Ye Zhiqiu's precise eye as a designer, he could tell that Qin Jianhe had the perfect nine-head body ratio, something rare and unparalleled.

None of the top ten male models globally could match him.

Truly remarkable~

Qi Xin had a good figure and had always been proud of it; Ye Zhiqiu often used him as a temporary model.

But compared to Qin Jianhe...

Nothing at all!

If he could use Qin Jianhe as a temporary model...

Ye Zhiqiu: "..."

"After the Spring Festival, when your collaboration with VIA ends, I'll contact you," Meng Da patted Ye Zhiqiu on the shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

"Alright, thank you, sir," Ye Zhiqiu said again.

Having already taken several minutes of Meng Da's time, he didn't want to delay further, so he smiled and waved goodbye. "Goodbye, sir."

At this hour, most workers were busy, and there weren't many people around the factory.

As Ye Zhiqiu was wondering where to find someone to ask about the warehouse location, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

He turned around and saw Brother Zhang rushing towards him.

Ye Zhiqiu stopped to wait for him. Before he could speak, Brother Zhang started complaining.

"Xiao Ye, why didn't you mention you know Sir Meng?" he said, no longer calling him "young man" or "kid."

Ye Zhiqiu thought seriously and explained, "Actually, we weren't really acquainted before."

Brother Zhang didn't believe him.

"Aren't you supposed to entertain Mr. Qin?" Ye Zhiqiu asked, amused.

"You're asking," Brother Zhang complained, drawing out his words. "Mr. Qin said since you arrived first, I should handle your matters first."

Recalling the natural authority in the man's tone, Brother Zhang involuntarily shrank back.

Ye Zhiqiu didn't notice his reaction. He was slightly taken aback but then smiled and looked back.

The factory was large, with several asphalt paths crisscrossing. The person who had just left was no longer in sight.

"Our President Huang just found out Mr. Qin is here and is rushing over," Brother Zhang explained, seeing Ye Zhiqiu turn back. "Mr. Qin and Sir Meng went to meet with the project technical team."

Ye Zhiqiu nodded without further questions and followed Brother Zhang to the warehouse.

In his previous life, he had designed countless outfits for Qi Yun and thus had extensive experience with various fabrics.

Even after Qi Xin rose and began to undermine his work, saying his designs were no longer popular and that he shouldn't pick up the fabric scissors anymore...

His years of intense, high-quality work had ingrained his professional skills deeply.

Ye Zhiqiu worked quickly and asked very precise questions.

Soon, Brother Zhang no longer dared to underestimate this "not yet graduated" young man.

When they finished their work and were leaving, Brother Zhang couldn't help but give Ye Zhiqiu some heartfelt advice.

"With your skill level, you shouldn't go to VIA," he said. "And since you know the higher-ups at Q.L, wouldn't it be easy to get a better position?"

Lowering his voice slightly, he added,

"If your other talents aren't enough, you could do fabric quality control too."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled.

"Okay," he said. "I'll consider it."

As he spoke, he put away the notebook into his backpack and waved goodbye to Brother Zhang.

Near the factory was a sizable wetland park. In winter, it was cold and almost deserted.

Ye Zhiqiu drove into the park and parked in front of a wide lawn, then took out his drone from his bag.

Looking at the instructions, he began practicing how to control the drone for the first time.

He practiced for over half an hour until the drone stopped constantly falling and started flying in a wobbly manner for a short distance.

Only when he was sweating did Ye Zhiqiu stop.

He sat on a park bench, unscrewed his water bottle, took a sip, and then checked the time on his phone.

It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.

The group chat was filled with numerous messages, still popping up nonstop.

As he drank water, he opened the chat, and sure enough, most of the messages were from Jin Baobao, who had gone to the celebration banquet.

"Zhaocaijinbao: Aaaaaaaaah, we made it in, image.jpg"

"Zhaocaijinbao: Oooooooh, everyone here is a big shot, image.jpg"

"Zhaocaijinbao: Having a little drink first, image.jpg."

"Zhaocaijinbao: Damn, the head of Q.L didn't come."

"Le Le: It's their investment department head who came; he's very nice."

"Zhaocaijinbao: Oooooooh, Yan Yan is so cool and handsome, he looks a million times better in person than on TV, even his refusal to take a photo with me makes me want to climax, aaaaah, I'm done..."

"Le Le: It seems that Actor Meng isn't too happy about us amateurs being here."

"..."

Li Shaojun had a soccer game today and didn't join in, so it was mostly Jin Baobao going off by himself, with Tang Yue supplementing.

Ye Zhiqiu paused for a moment before typing on the screen.

Soon a new message appeared in the group chat.

"Yizhiqiu: I saw Qin Jianhe and Teacher Meng Da at the factory."

Jin Baobao replied instantly, somehow managing to multitask.

"Zhaocaijinbao: Holy shit, you're right not to come today."

A moment later, Tang Yue's reply popped up as well.

"Le Le: Xiao Qiu's luck is really good, I envy him."

Ye Zhiqiu smiled slightly, about to type again when Zhang Mian's name suddenly appeared on the screen, accompanied by an urgent ringtone.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately put everything else aside to answer the call.

"How...?"

"It worked." Before he could finish his question, Zhang Mian's excited voice came through, "It worked, Ye Zhiqiu."

Zhang Mian was overly excited, but Ye Zhiqiu remained calm.

"The money will be in your account in the next day or two," he said with a smile, "I'll leave the rest to you."

"What are you talking about?" Zhang Mian quickly got into character, "This is your business, and mine too. I'll do my best."

After hanging up, Ye Zhiqiu tagged Li Shaojun in the group chat.

"Yizhiqiu: @Li Shao, after your soccer game, go to Ye Ding and find my brother. Take my car to Niutou Mountain."

Li Shaojun had no classes in the afternoon and was reliable, making him the best choice for this task.

"Zhaocaijinbao: Holy shit, Qiu'er, you're taking the car out for a race right after getting it?"

"Yizhiqiu: Yes, it's already arranged."

"Zhaocaijinbao: Wait for it, tonight I'll bring a cheerleading squad to cheer you on, crush them."