Chapter 46.2

“By the way, where are you staying now?” Qi Yangyan looked down at her and suggested, “Since you’ll be coming with me to Hong Kong City soon, why not come stay at my hotel for now? We can take care of the paperwork tomorrow.”

Qi Yangyan couldn’t help but size up Ruan Mingfu.

Her clothes were neat, her skin rosy and fair—clearly, she was doing well. His sister always knew how to act sweet and fit in wherever she went.

Hearing this, Ruan Mingfu felt a small twinge of guilt.

“I have a place to stay, so you don’t need to worry about me,” she said vaguely. “By the way, why did you come here?”

Qi Yangyan’s expression grew serious.

“I want to know why I ended up here,” he sighed. “I came under the pretense of an investment to look for clues.”

It seemed he was lucky. He found Ruan Mingfu on his first visit.

Qi Yangyan continued, “It’s good that I found you. You should come back with me for now.”

Having her under his watch would give him peace of mind.

“I feel like our parents might be here too…” Ruan Mingfu fidgeted with her fingers. “I mean Father Ruan and Mother Ruan.”

Since she had become someone else’s daughter, it wouldn’t be too surprising if her parents had become Father Ruan and Mother Ruan.

Ruan Mingfu thought for a moment. “It’s just my guess… I don’t know the specifics.”

Apart from exchanging letters, it had been nearly a year since she’d last seen Father Ruan and Mother Ruan.

She wasn’t sure.

As expected, Qi Yangyan immediately changed his mind.

“It’s fine,” he suppressed the excitement rising within him. “Once things are wrapped up here, I’ll go confirm it. But… you’ll have to stay here for a few more days.”

Hearing this, Ruan Mingfu nearly burst out laughing.

She mentioned Father Ruan and Mother Ruan not only because she wanted a family reunion, but also to steer Qi Yangyan away.

Of course, secrets couldn’t stay hidden forever, and sooner or later, her husband would meet her intimidating older brother. But delaying that moment would give her time to come up with a perfect plan—and keep her legs intact.

She is so smart!

“Young Master Qi, you’re here! I’ve been looking all over for you.”

As the siblings were talking, a hoarse voice suddenly interrupted from behind. The man spoke so fast that Ruan Mingfu couldn’t quite catch what he was saying.

Qi Yangyan turned around, “Oh, it’s Boss Zhang.”

Boss Zhang’s round face beamed with a friendly smile, but his eyes glanced over at Ruan Mingfu standing behind Qi Yangyan.

“Who is this with Young Master Qi?” he asked with a teasing look.

“A friend,” Qi Yangyan glanced back at Ruan Mingfu. “You head back first. I’ll find you in a bit.”

Ruan Mingfu took one look at the doughy, white-bunned Boss Zhang, then nodded and left.

As she walked away, Boss Zhang’s laughter grew increasingly lewd.

“Young Master Qi, you certainly have good fortune. This girl is even more stunning than those actresses…”

A flash of anger crossed Qi Yangyan’s eyes.

“She’s my sworn sister.”

Boss Zhang, upon hearing this, immediately retracted his teasing demeanor. Seeing Qi Yangyan’s serious expression, he realized the man wasn’t joking.

He straightened up and said solemnly, “You can rest assured, Young Master Qi. Your sister is like a sister to me too.”

Qi Yangyan responded with a light acknowledgement before turning to leave.

“Let’s go.”

Boss Zhang’s face lit up, and he hurried to follow.

…

When Ruan Mingfu returned to the exhibition hall, she saw that everyone was sitting idly at their stalls. The moment they saw her, their eyes brightened.

They quickly came up to her. “Comrade Ruan, we’ll be relying on you this afternoon.”

That was true.

Hadn’t they just seen the 4,000-pound order for Yunwu tea, bringing in over 100,000 yuan? The person who made the call had returned, boasting in front of them.

Representatives from other tea factories: …Don’t ask, if you do, we just want to hit someone.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to introduce everything properly.”

Whether the buyers purchased anything or not, however, was no longer her concern.

Everyone understood this logic.

But hearing her say it still made them feel a bit more at ease.

Ruan Mingfu had just sat down for a while when Professor Hu came over with Gu Qingsong and greeted her with a smile on their faces.

“Comrade Ruan, how are you adjusting?”

“I’m doing well,” Ruan Mingfu replied, starting to stand up, but Professor Hu waved her off.

Gu Qingsong, being quite perceptive, quickly brought over two empty chairs. Once Professor Hu sat down, he nodded repeatedly.

“Comrade Ruan, I heard you helped secure a 4,000-pound order for the tea factory!”

“It’s the talk of the place,” Professor Hu beamed, proud of the honor Ruan Mingfu had brought him. Even Gu Qingsong, his mischievous student, seemed more tolerable to him now.

Ruan Mingfu remained humble, but inwardly, she was extremely pleased.

“Oh, it was nothing.”

Professor Hu continued, “Comrade Ruan, don’t downplay your abilities. You’re truly remarkable.”

As he said this, he shot a disappointed glare at Gu Qingsong.

Gu Qingsong: “…”

What did he do? Just a moment ago, he was in the professor’s good graces.

Ruan Mingfu’s smile deepened. “If you keep complimenting me like this, I might actually blush.”

“It’s nothing,” Professor Hu said, “I’ve arranged for two more translators to assist you this afternoon, so you won’t be too overwhelmed.”

Normally, five translators would be assigned to an event like this.

But good translators were hard to come by, and Professor Hu had high standards. He was worried that an inexperienced one might cause international embarrassment.

Professor Hu couldn’t risk that.

“That sounds wonderful.”

Ruan Mingfu thought back to the dozen people in the morning, talking like a flock of ducks. If she hadn’t impressed them with a bit of her tea art, leaving them only able to exclaim “amazing,” she would have been overwhelmed.

Professor Hu smiled, gesturing to Gu Qingsong. “Stick with Comrade Ruan and learn from her.”

Gu Qingsong blinked in surprise at first, but his eyes soon lit up when he heard this.

“Got it, Professor!” he replied quickly, full of joy and excitement, which made Professor Hu feel a slight pang in his chest.

He decided it was best to just ignore him.

Meanwhile, Gu Qingsong’s mind was entirely focused on the fact that he would be working with his goddess, oblivious to anything else.

Professor Hu glanced at him from the corner of his eye, feeling even more exasperated.

…

Aside from Gu Qingsong, Professor Hu also assigned a female student to assist Ruan Mingfu.

Since she had earned Professor Hu’s approval, Ruan Mingfu trusted her abilities. As she had done in the morning, she sent them to explore the tea exhibition, asking them to take note of the unique qualities of each tea.

It seemed that Professor Hu had given the female student some instructions, as she was very obedient.

As for Gu Qingsong, he followed orders without question.

At two in the afternoon, Ruan Mingfu remained seated, observing the bustling crowd from a high vantage point.

Half an hour passed, and still, no one had approached their stall. The female student appeared a bit anxious, opening her mouth as if to speak but hesitated since she wasn’t familiar with the people here.

Ruan Mingfu ignored her, leisurely sipping her tea.

One perk of translating for a tea factory was having free access to all the tea she wanted.

As time passed, not a single visitor arrived.

Even Gu Qingsong, usually calm, started to grow restless. He glanced at Ruan Mingfu, his face full of hesitation.

Ruan Mingfu stayed seated, unmoved.

Young people were always impatient. They were translators, not salespeople. If no one came, so be it. What, were they supposed to go out and drag people in?

Just as the two were feeling on edge, a group of foreigners approached their stall.

The female student quickly stood up. “They’re coming, they’re coming.”

This group was much larger than the one in the morning.

Ruan Mingfu also stood, smiling as she watched them.

One of the foreigners sniffed the air, intrigued by the faint, astringent aroma of tea, a curious look in his eyes.

The tea factory representatives, who had already prepared tea, were waiting for these guests.

They mimicked Ruan Mingfu’s gesture of holding the teacup with three fingers, though their fingers were too thick, and the cups were too small. To Ruan Mingfu, it looked like Zhang Fei trying to thread a needle^[1]The saying “Zhang Fei trying to thread a needle” (张飞穿针) refers to a situation where someone is attempting to perform a delicate or intricate task that is not suited to their … Continue reading.

As they drank, they nodded, shouting “Good! Good!”

They had always been fascinated by tea.

Ruan Mingfu began to introduce the characteristics of each tea, occasionally sharing little stories about them, which left the foreigners in awe.

Professor Hu had mentioned that Comrade Ruan was impressive, but they hadn’t realized just how capable she truly was.

Looking at Ruan Mingfu, who was standing in front of a group of foreigners and still looked very confident, Gu Qingsong felt that she was glowing.

The goddess is worthy of being a goddess.

Not only was she beautiful, but her professional skills surpassed his, and her abilities outshined him by miles.

Just look at that female classmate—completely stunned.

Gu Qingsong thought for a moment.

It seemed that Ruan Mingfu could single-handedly carry the entire tea exhibition.

After all, these foreigners were being completely charmed by the occasional stories she told. Most of the crowd had gathered around her.

Meanwhile, there was no one around him and that female classmate.

The contrast was beyond pitiful.

Under the expectant gazes of several tea factory representatives, Ruan Mingfu slowly handed over a cup. “This guest, please try our Maojian tea. Trust me, it will amaze you.”

The tea factory representative who produced the Maojian tea instantly looked thrilled.

Finally, fortune had smiled upon him!

Other tea factory representatives: “…”

Staring—

Jealousy, pure jealousy!

The foreign guest tasted the tea, shook his head, and pointed to a nearby cup. “I still prefer this one.”

Even someone as well-versed as Ruan Mingfu was stunned.

She looked at the cup he pointed to, confirmed it several times, and then, speechless, turned to Gu Qingsong. “Comrade Gu, he wants to buy porcelain. Please take him to the porcelain booth.”

Gu Qingsong: “…”

What kind of experience is it to come to a tea booth and be interested in the cups?

Gu Qingsong froze for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and escorted the foreigner away.

Maojian tea factory representative: “…”

He had already thought about what words he would say when he called back to the factory to claim credit.

And this is it? This?

Do you believe he could cough up blood out of sheer frustration?!

Other tea factory representatives, witnessing this blunder, had expressions of suppressed laughter.

Maojian tea factory representative: “…”

Damn it!

Fortunately, the other foreigners hadn’t left, and they were still very curious about the Maojian tea Ruan Mingfu had recommended. One of them was conversing rapidly with her, and none of the onlookers could understand a word.

They could only turn to the female student nearby. “What are they talking about?”

The female student glanced at them and explained, “Comrade Ruan is talking about the advantages of various teas. The foreign guest was very interested and asked many questions… but they’re speaking too fast, so I can’t catch everything.”

After saying this, the female student blushed.

The person she was translating for was even younger than her, yet so much more capable. Remembering the disdain she had felt when she first met Ruan Mingfu, the female student now felt deeply ashamed.

She knew she still had a lot to learn.

Ruan Mingfu, after exchanging a few more words with the foreigners, glanced over at Uncle Liu.

He caught on instantly, not needing any further prompting from Ruan Mingfu, and hurried over, pushing through the crowd.

“Uncle Liu, one thousand pounds.”

Uncle Liu was stunned.

Finally, their luck had arrived.

Although it wasn’t as much as the 4,000 pounds sold by the Yunwu tea factory earlier, it was still enough to satisfy him.

“We have it, we have stock,” Uncle Liu’s eyes lit up. “We can sign the contract now, and I can arrange for delivery immediately.”

It wouldn’t be possible to deliver the full amount at once.

But shipping three to four hundred pounds wasn’t a problem.

This was part of the stock the factory had prepared for this exhibition. The rest would require a quick call to the factory to arrange more shipments.