Tian Aizhen knew quite a bit about Hong Lijun: “We’re more or less from the same village. He’s the kind of person who’s been active and running around since he was a teenager. I heard that back in the Southwest, he was even involved in pyramid schemes. But after he came back, I haven’t seen him doing that sort of thing. Makes sense—after all, a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its own burrow. Later, I heard that around the year 2000, he was lending money near gambling venues. You know what that means, right?” 

Lu Nan nodded: “Yeah, high-interest loans.” 

“Well, high? Not exactly. It was about a two percent monthly interest rate. In recent years, he’s become even more successful. He even set up a company for small loans. Of course, now it’s all legal, and the interest rates are a bit lower. So, aside from gamblers, a lot of people doing business but short on cash would turn to him for help. I’m not trying to badmouth him. Once you interact with him, Lu Nan, you’ll see—Hong Lijun is definitely capable. It’s just that, after doing quick-profit businesses for so long, who knows whether he’ll stick strictly to the rules when it comes to the wine business.” 

Lu Nan thought to herself: a two-percent monthly interest rate equals 24% annually—just within the legal limit.  

“I understand. Today, whatever I hear from you stays between us,” she nodded. She wouldn’t refuse to work with someone just because Tian Aizhen said the liquor boss’s background was shady. 

“No matter what, I should thank you, Sister Tian. You really are the go-to person in Hua’an City.” 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I used to be the women’s director in our village, so I got to know a lot about people. Later, working with Han Jianxin in the liquor business, well, Hua’an City isn’t very big. I’ve had some dealings with most of the people in the business scene here. But that’s just the older generation. As for the newer faces, I’m not too familiar with them.” 

After saying goodbye to Tian Aizhen, Lu Nan timed it perfectly and arrived ten minutes early at the flagship store of “Famous Liquors Family.” 

Huang Dafang had arrived even earlier, five minutes before her. 

Looks like even an old hand can get serious when he wants to. 

… 

More than half an hour later, Lu Nan and Huang Dafang left Mingjiu Shijia. 

In early March, Hua’an City was still swept by chilly winds. Huang Dafang, wearing a thin padded jacket, shivered as the cold hit him. 

Once outside, Old Huang started sneaking glances at Lu Nan’s face, again and again. 

“What are you looking at, being all sneaky?” Lu Nan asked. 

Huang Dafang hesitated and then said, “Manager Lu, you’re not… upset, are you?” 

Oh, so that’s what he’s worried about. 

Lu Nan chuckled lightly and said casually, “Why would I be upset?” 

Huang Dafang thought: But your expression and tone right now seem a bit sharp, and I’m nervous. 

Then he stammered, “Well, it’s just… I didn’t expect Mr. Hong to be so blunt. He kept bringing up how young you are… mentioned it several times…” 

If he had known it would turn out like this, he might have preferred to handle the negotiation himself. Now, the potential client might be slipping away, and the city manager might be upset. Maybe he really should’ve checked the almanac before heading out today. 

Lu Nan shook her head slightly: “Let’s walk a bit further before talking — we’re not even ten meters away from their store yet.” 

Huang Dafang immediately fell silent. 

After they had walked further, near the car, Lu Nan said calmly, “What Mr. Hong said is true. I am young.” 

“But being young doesn’t mean being incapable! Anyway, I, Huang Dafang, have a lot of respect for you now,” Huang Dafang patted his chest firmly. 

Lu Nan glanced at him: “You said now. So, when you first met me, you didn’t think that, did you?” 

Huang Dafang was at a loss for words. 

Lu Nan smiled casually: “See? It’s normal. When people meet for the first time, they tend to judge based on appearances.” 

When she had first been promoted to city manager, didn’t managers in other cities judge her based on her looks? 

Didn’t the newly arrived General Director Wu judge her too? 

And now in Hua’an City—weren’t her subordinates and new distributors doing the same? 

Without exception, all of them had at some point. 

Some just kept their doubts hidden better; others were more relaxed, thinking that even if she was inexperienced, as long as they didn’t follow her blindly, there wouldn’t be major problems since Yuan Chuan, the big company, had a solid reputation. 

Regardless of the type, as long as they were willing to communicate properly, Lu Nan could always prove her competence through her own efforts—making them forget she was “young and pretty” and remember only that she was “professional and capable.” 

However, there would always be people like Mr. Hong—stubborn and self-opinionated. 

Lu Nan thought to herself: For example, that young Mr. Zhang from Sifang Construction would probably get along well with someone like Mr. Hong. 

Huang Dafang sighed, “I thought after following up for ten days, we could land this one.” 

Lu Nan asked in surprise, “Signing a distributor contract isn’t that easy, especially since Mingjiu Shijia’s minimum deal size would be in the millions. Of course Mr. Hong would be cautious. Supervisor Huang, you’re not giving up just because of this, right?” 

“You mean… I can keep following up?” Huang Dafang said, a little incredulous—he thought for sure they had lost this client. 

Lu Nan almost wanted to say why not: “Of course. After all the preliminary screening, Mingjiu Shijia really is a good fit for Yuan Chuan as a distributor. Both their financial strength and market reach could really shake up the liquor market here in Hua’an. I’m very optimistic about them. Who said we blew it?” 

Huang Dafang scratched his head awkwardly, amazed that Lu Nan could guess exactly what he was thinking. 

He muttered, “I just thought… you might be upset.” 

“It’s really not a big deal. My youth is an unchangeable fact. If someone doubts me because of my age—well, I already told Mr. Hong: if Mingjiu Shijia agrees to sign, Supervisor Huang, will be their main contact. You’re mature, steady, and a local. Perfect fit.” 

Huang Dafang couldn’t tell whether Lu Nan was joking or being a little sarcastic, so he could only smile awkwardly. 

Lu Nan let out a soft “hai” and said, “I honestly didn’t take it to heart. Supervisor Huang, please continue following up. I suspect the representatives from our competitor might also show up later.” 

Huang Dafang was shocked. “You mean Mr. Hong didn’t just schedule a meeting with us today but also with competitors?” 

Lu Nan nodded. “Just by looking at Mr. Hong, you can tell he’s someone with a very packed schedule. He probably doesn’t usually get involved much in the liquor business. Since he’s decided to meet with suppliers today, it makes sense that he would meet them all at once to save time — that’s just his style.” 

“Then I’ll find a spot to keep an eye out!” Huang Dafang pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then pointed toward the nearby “Fine Liquor World” shop. “I’ll really keep watch, okay?” 

“Keep watch, keep watch. Mr. Hong didn’t say anything disrespectful. I’m still young—can’t people be a little skeptical?” Lu Nan glanced at her phone. “I’ll leave this to you, then. I have other things to take care of.” 

What things? At a time like this, Huang Dafang knew better than to ask. “Got it. I’ll send you a message later to report the situation.” 

Lu Nan gave him an OK gesture. 

Huang Dafang chuckled. “No wonder you’re the city manager—so open-minded! Thumbs up!” He raised his thumb. 

Lu Nan waved him off casually. “Save it, I’m not buying it.” 

… 

After getting in the car, before even starting it, Lu Nan took out her phone and called Ms. Huang. “Mom~ I’m done here. Where are you? I’ll come find you!” Her voice was a little playful. 

“Talk properly—you’re giving me goosebumps,” Ms. Huang said, sounding a bit surprised. “Didn’t you say you had a client meeting? You’re done already?” It was still not even two in the afternoon. 

“Yeah! I’m efficient!” Lu Nan urged, “Mom, just send me your location.” 

“You know Tianfu Community? There’s a street nearby with lots of toy and gift shops, it’s right…” Ms. Huang racked her brain trying to describe it to her daughter, because she herself wasn’t very familiar with this area—she had only visited three times in total, between last year and this year. 

Unexpectedly, Lu Nan immediately responded, “I know, I know. It’s the one next to the Customs Building. Driving there from here should take about an hour. See you soon~” 

Although Lu Nan’s voice sounded energetic on the phone, Ms. Huang still felt something wasn’t quite right—she couldn’t put her finger on it, but it felt off, like Lu Nan wasn’t entirely happy. 

So she stopped her daughter just before she could hang up. “Lu Nan, if you’re busy, just take care of your work first. No need to rush over.” 

“No, I’m really done with work,” Lu Nan replied earnestly. She just wanted to get some time on the highway—no hidden agenda—but there was no need to explain that to Ms. Huang to avoid getting scolded. 

“Didn’t you say you were going to visit some distributors here in Wucheng? Maybe do that first before coming to see me?” Ms. Huang, with her sharp memory, brought it up. 

“Oh, right, it’s important but not urgent. I’ll spend the afternoon with you first. Tonight, I’ll stay in Wucheng, and tomorrow morning I’ll visit the distributors,” Lu Nan said, giving an excuse. 

Ms. Huang pressed further, “Don’t you have a meeting tomorrow?” 

“I do, but our weekly meeting is in the afternoon. I can have lunch with you and head out after that.” 

Hearing that her daughter had it all planned out, Ms. Huang relaxed and said, “Alright then, no rush. Drive safely, okay?” 

“Got it,” Lu Nan promised. 

… 

Truth be told, Lu Nan was a little upset. 

Just a little—easy to shake off. 

She shifted the gear to the rarely used “Sport” mode and maintained a steady 120 km/h speed on the highway, without exceeding the limit or breaking any traffic rules. 

The highway was very empty on a weekday afternoon, making for a great driving experience. 

If only she had the GTI from her last life, the sense of control would’ve been even better. 

After driving from Hua’an City to Wucheng on the highway, Lu Nan felt her mindset had leveled up again: “Who cares about Mr. Hong? Is he that important? If he signs, great. If not, whatever! I refuse to believe that in the whole city of Hua’an, I can’t find capable distributors!” 

After getting off the highway, Lu Nan immediately slowed down and merged carefully into traffic. 

When Ms. Huang saw her daughter, she studied her closely. 

Lu Nan felt a little creeped out: “Mom, why are you staring at me?” 

“Just checking if you’ve lost weight,” Ms. Huang said. Seeing her daughter looking perfectly normal, she decided she was probably just overthinking earlier. She mumbled, “If only I could give you some of my extra weight—I’d give you ten pounds.” 

Recently, after returning to work, Ms. Huang had begun paying more attention to her appearance and weight, which was a good sign! 

Lu Nan frowned and shook her head repeatedly. “You really are my biological mom— you’re willing to give me 10 pounds of fat! Even if you’re willing to give, I’m not willing to accept… But honestly, if we could transfer it, you should give it to Lu Yang. He needs it more.” 

Thinking of Lu Yang, who had just entered puberty and was starting to shoot up in height, both mother and daughter couldn’t help laughing. 

That afternoon, Lu Nan accompanied Ms. Huang to stroll around the specialty toy and gift street. 

She watched as her mother, carrying a work notebook, stopped at each shop, pasting in business cards on new pages and carefully noting the store’s main products, bestsellers, and quotes—including whether the prices included tax, shipping, packaging details, quantities per carton, gross/net weight, minimum order quantities, payment terms, and so on. 

Lu Nan thought to herself: Mom is really serious about her work now. Her energy is completely different from a year ago. 

Seeing her mother carefully jotting down supplier information, Lu Nan couldn’t help but scold herself: “All I remembered was to buy a new phone—why didn’t I think of buying a tablet at the same time!”