Chapter 43: Unseen Rivalry

Xu Xingtao’s expression didn’t change.

But Liang Yu, who knew him well, recognized that his mood was fluctuating greatly.

Chen Tao, as the audience, kept his head down and ate, his eyes darting back and forth, watching the drama unfold.

To be honest, he was no less surprised than the other two today.

He had known Qin Zhiyi for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen him be so considerate to someone other than his family.

He could even say that he was gentle.

Thinking about the word “gentle” being applied to Qin Zhiyi, who was as cold and hard as a rock, he just couldn’t believe it.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed anyone.

Before, he was still wondering whether Da Qin had any feelings for Xu Sangluo.

Now he didn’t need to guess anymore.

He didn’t know why, but besides being surprised, he also felt a little bit of regret.

The atmosphere at the dinner table instantly turned cold.

Fortunately, Xu Sangluo followed up with a sentence.

“Because of some things, I’m temporarily staying at the Qin family.”

Liang Yu and Xu Xingtao were both visibly surprised.

Then they immediately looked at Qin Zhiyi.

Qin Zhiyi happened to be lowering his head to eat, so they couldn’t see his expression.

Then they turned to look at Chen Tao.

Chen Tao was eating very intently.

A glimmer of light flashed in both of their eyes.

It was like a ray of sunshine suddenly shone on the sea surface covered by dark clouds and fog.

Liang Yu immediately asked, “Hey, so you’re not related? You seem to be very close, are you childhood friends? Lao Xu and I are childhood friends, and I often stay at his house.”

Xu Sangluo was slightly stunned for a second, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.

Close? Were they?

She couldn’t help but glance at Qin Zhiyi.

She answered Liang Yu’s question without revealing anything, smiling, “No, last month, something happened, and luckily, I was saved by Zhiyi Ge. I was alone here, and luckily the Qin family took me in, otherwise, I wouldn’t know where I would be living now.”

The two of them were surprised again.

They didn’t expect things to be like this.

Liang Yu’s heart wasn’t relieved at all this time, instead, he was even more worried.

He turned his head to look at his friend, who was obviously relaxed, and his brows were furrowed.

They had previously guessed that Xu Sangluo was from the town and that her family should be well-off.

Their family doesn’t hold the concept of “matching families” very deeply, so as long as Xu Sangluo’s conditions are acceptable, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

But now, it seems that Xu Sangluo has a lot of secrets, and her background is unclear. She’s currently living at the Qin family.

He knows the Xu family. He can’t say anything about others, but Xu Mama’s personality…

She might accept a poor country girl as her daughter-in-law, but she would never accept someone with an unclear background.

Liang Yu wanted to ask for more details, but Xu Sangluo was vague, clearly unwilling to reveal more, and he didn’t want to pry.

Xu Xingtao, however, directly changed the subject, “You said yesterday that you wanted to make clothes, do you want to start a clothing business in the future? I asked around yesterday, and the Dongtai Garment Factory in the city will be holding a garment sales conference in mid-next month. They will invite other manufacturers to set up stalls and sell their goods. Maybe you can try it. Your taste is very good, and the clothes you make will definitely have a good market.”

Xu Sangluo’s eyes lit up.

Guangzhou’s garment manufacturing is very famous.

When she was doing her clothing business, she got a lot of goods at low prices in Guangzhou and then sold them at higher prices elsewhere, with very good sales.

It might be because Guangzhou borders Hong Kong, so they have a keen sense of fashion, and their clothing styles are very trendy.

But she hadn’t thought about expanding her clothing business, so she hadn’t considered these things.

After all, with just a small family workshop, hair accessories already took up most of their time, and adding clothing would be too much to handle.

But Xu Xingtao’s suggestion reminded her of something else.

She had been thinking about what excuse to use to go to the city to do business with fruits and vegetables.

If she brought her clothing business to the city, wouldn’t that be an excuse?

Although it would be more tiring, it would be worth it considering the future.

So, she smiled and thanked Xu Xingtao, saying that she would go to the city to scout it out in a few days.

Then the two of them started talking about clothes, fabrics, and accessory materials.

After confirming that Xu Sangluo and Qin Zhiyi weren’t in that kind of relationship, and sensing Qin Zhiyi’s intentions, Xu Xingtao, who was usually mild-mannered, became a little more aggressive.

His aggression was all displayed in his connections, vision, background, and strength.

Almost everything could bring great help to Xu Sangluo, who was currently exploring and developing the market.

Now, it was Qin Zhiyi’s turn to change his expression.

Chen Tao also felt a little worried, his mood was surprisingly in sync with Liang Yu’s.

After the meal, except for Xu Sangluo,

Except for Xu Sangluo, the rest of them were all thinking different things, none of them truly savoring the taste of the food.

When the textile factory started work, Xu Sangluo followed the two men inside.

Xu Xingtao personally took her to the sales department.

Qin Zhiyi and Chen Tao waited outside.

Chen Tao stood by the door, looking around with his hands behind his back.

The guard had met him before, and he invited them in to sit, but Chen Tao politely declined.

Then he strolled back to Qin Zhiyi, who was sitting by the cart, arms crossed, pretending to be asleep.

He took a look, trying to figure something out from his expression.

Qin Zhiyi opened his eyes and glanced at him, “Something wrong?”

Chen Tao coughed, looked back at the factory, and nudged his arm with his elbow.

“Cough, Da Qin, don’t be discouraged, don’t forget you have the advantage of being close to the water.”

Qin Zhiyi frowned, “What are you talking about?”

Chen Tao chuckled, winking suggestively, “Don’t pretend, I know you. I’m saying, buddy, if you have feelings, then take action. Look at her, your opponent is not easy. Take advantage of your current advantage, quickly get her, or she’ll be someone else’s wife.”

Qin Zhiyi glanced at him, but didn’t say anything.

Chen Tao continued to chuckle, bumping him with his elbow, “Tsk, I never thought you’d ever wake up. You’re actually ahead of me. Keep it up, buddy. If you need any help, just tell your brother, I’ll go through fire and water to help you get your little sister-in-law.”

Qin Zhiyi scoffed, “Mind your own business.”

He ignored him and turned his head to look at the gate of the textile factory.

A moment later, Xu Sangluo finally appeared in their field of vision.

She was followed by a few workers who were helping to carry the fabric.

This time, she bought 100 rolls of new fabric from the textile factory.

Although it wasn’t much for such a large factory, Xu Sangluo said that she might buy another batch in a few days.

If it could be stabilized, it would be a sales channel.

After all, the factory’s efficiency wasn’t good, and every bit counts.

Plus, Xu Xingtao’s influence was there, so the sales department was very nice to her, and they even pulled a few people to help carry the goods.

After thanking everyone, they rode their bikes and planned to return.

On the way, Chen Tao, sweating profusely as he pedaled the cart carrying over two hundred pounds of goods, glanced sideways at the two people on the bicycle next to him.

He sighed in his heart, for the sake of his brother’s happiness, he really wasn’t easy.