Chapter 53: The Manuscript is Seen by the Clothing Factory Boss

Xu Jiaojiao coquettishly ran to Xie Zhi’s side, tugging at his sleeve, with a look of flattery on her face.

Xie Zhi looked at the girl, seemingly reluctant, his deep gaze filled with unspoken desire: “Jiaojiao, it’s not good for you to go to Wen Jing’s house alone. Let’s wait until we’ve spent more time together.”

She saw the disapproval on his face and, in frustration, punched him lightly: “Fine, we’ll do it your way.”

However, Xu Jiaojiao felt a bit irritable about needing others’ approval to decide where she could go.

Since getting along well with Xu Jiaojiao, she didn’t even want to call him “Xie Zhi Ge” anymore. After hearing her forward comments, she wasn’t shocked, but rather felt a sense of agreement.

“Women should never tie themselves to one tree, and they must have their own career. Men are unreliable.”

“Don’t think Xie Zhi likes me now. In the future, if I get old and ugly, he’ll probably dump me and go cheat.”

Xu Jiaojiao spoke with conviction to Wen Jing, as if she was afraid the other person wouldn’t believe her.

Xie Zhi: “……”

Shen Guanqi, watching the girl’s shocking statement, was startled. He leaned in: “Brother, aren’t you being too harsh on sister?”

Wen Jing looked at the man’s pale face across from her, then back at the girl who was speaking seriously, with a suspicious tone: “I see Xie Zhi likes you a lot. He’s definitely sincere.”

“I believe he’s sincere now, but who knows what will happen in the future. Let me tell you, we have many cases of men abandoning their wives and children. There’s one family that…”

Wen Jing smiled and put some food on the girl’s plate, praising her: “Xie Zhi, you really are lucky to be with Jiaojiao.”

Shen Guanqi looked at them with a confused expression and scoffed: “Didn’t you like chasing after Xie Zhi before?”

“What’s so great about chasing after a man? I’m so beautiful, why should I tie myself to one tree?” Wen Jing spoke dismissively.

After lunch, Wen Jing had something to do and left first, with Shen Guanqi saying his goodbyes and leaving.

It was the weekend, and all important matters were set aside. Xu Jiaojiao took Xie Zhi’s hand and wandered for a bit, watching Wen Jing’s retreating figure with genuine reluctance. It was rare for her to find someone with whom she clicked so well.

In the afternoon, they decided to visit the clothing factory for a bit of luck. Jiaojiao had brought her design draft from last night, showcasing a fashionable outfit.

They got on the bus and luckily found two seats at the back. After sitting down, Xie Zhi fell silent for a long time before finally speaking: “Jiaojiao, I won’t abandon you. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, I know,” Xu Jiaojiao smiled, though her smile didn’t reach her eyes. Xie Zhi immediately noticed she was just going through the motions.

But in the end, he simply tightened his grip on her hand. Sometimes, words were useless; he needed to prove his sincerity through actions.

They stood in front of the clothing factory’s gates. The large iron gates of both the entrance and exit were locked, and the security booth seemed to be empty, likely because the guard had gone to lunch.

Although they had expected it might be a waste of time, they still felt a bit disappointed seeing it for real.

“It’s okay, Jiaojiao. We’ll come back on Monday morning. You can prepare more drafts in the meantime,” Xie Zhi comforted her.

Just as they were about to leave, a voice called out from behind.

“What are you doing here?”

Xu Jiaojiao turned around and saw a man in a suit, carrying a briefcase. He looked like someone in charge of the factory.

She immediately jogged up to him: “Hello, I heard you’re recruiting designers, and I wanted to check it out.”

With that, she pulled out the design draft she had rolled up in her bag and handed it to him.

The man didn’t take it right away. Instead, he looked at the man beside her, scrutinizing him for a long time: “Xie Zhi, what are you doing here?”

“It’s Uncle Wang. This is my wife. I’m just accompanying her to the interview,” Xie Zhi explained.

The girl stared at him in surprise, her eyes full of doubt. You know such an important person, but she didn’t feel any desire to take shortcuts. She just smiled and greeted: “Uncle Wang, I’m Xu Jiaojiao. You can call me Jiaojiao.”

The man’s expression softened when he looked at the girl. He tucked his briefcase under his arm and accepted the design draft she handed him. As he unrolled it, he was immediately impressed by the quality of the design, especially the use of color.

He adjusted his sunglasses and studied the draft carefully, his expression improving with every second. Based on his years of experience in the clothing business, the more he looked, the more he felt that if this design was made, it would definitely sell well.

Xu Jiaojiao’s heart finally settled. It seemed like there was hope.

“This is your design?”

“Yes.”

“Did you study design professionally?” The man asked calmly.

“I’ve loved drawing since I was a child. I taught myself.”

Hearing her modest response, the man felt even more impressed. This girl seemed to have great potential.

Xie Zhi, standing beside them, chimed in with a bit of help: “Uncle Wang, Jiaojiao also speaks English. Recently, we’ve been receiving foreign clients from Qingcheng.”

The man smiled slightly, his eyes scanning them. Speaking English was a great skill, as everyone knew that dealing with foreigners was unavoidable in the future.

“Can you make patterns? Can you cut paper patterns?”

“Yes, I can. I can do all of those,” Xu Jiaojiao quickly replied.

The man took another look at the design draft in his hand to make sure he had noted everything down before handing it back to Xu Jiaojiao: “Come back on Monday morning for a trial.”

He then nodded at Xie Zhi and left, pushing his bicycle.

Xu Jiaojiao watched him disappear around the corner and could no longer contain her excitement. She happily jumped up and tightly hugged Xie Zhi.

“We did it, we did it.”

But this was just the first step on her road to success. Xu Jiaojiao was determined to make her first bucket of gold.

“Jiaojiao, have you thought about what we’ll do when we get back? You can’t work here.”

“I’ve already thought about it. You know, I can work from home. If needed, I’ll send the drafts in advance,” she replied confidently.

Xie Zhi asked again: “What if they don’t agree?”

“It’s okay. Talented people can make it anywhere. If they don’t accept it, I’ll go back to the county and work there. I’ll start exclusive custom designs.”

Xu Jiaojiao had already planned it out. If they accepted her designs, she would sell them the drafts, since anyone with taste could see that her designs had the potential to be a big hit.

There were clothing factories in the small county as well, and since her family was there, it might even be easier. However, Xu Jiaojiao longed for the life in a big city.

Xie Zhi, influenced by her excitement, felt a bit more hopeful as well. He held her close, shaking her gently, and spoke to her with hope in his eyes.