Although the terms of the cooperation agreement have not yet been fully negotiated, the order in front of them cannot be pushed away. 

Lu Nan nodded. “Brother Xu is just testing the waters. As I mentioned earlier, for the first batch of liquor, I will only make a profit from the tax rebate, and I will cover the sea shipping until it reaches the port. For the other goods, we will discuss a suitable commission later.” 

Xu Chengzhi really wasn’t used to this. 

First, he wasn’t accustomed to talking about money directly with others. 

Second, he wasn’t used to discussing money directly with a young lady. 

But Lu Nan seemed to notice his discomfort and smiled. “Brother Xu, business is business. When it comes to money, we should make things clear upfront so that our cooperation can last.” 

Since Lu Nan said this, Xu Chengzhi felt that if he didn’t speak up, it would be too awkward, so he decided to put aside his years of teaching experience and start discussing the next steps of the collaboration with Lu Nan. 

Lu Nan said, “I’ve drafted an agreement. I’ll send you the electronic version later. If Brother Xu has any thoughts, we can discuss and improve the agreement.” 

By the end of the conversation, Xu Chengzhi suddenly realized: Wait, isn’t my partner Lu Nan’s mother? Why is the agreement being drafted by Lu Nan? Are recent college graduates really this capable? 

“Your mother…” Xu Chengzhi asked in confusion, “Isn’t she supposed to meet with me to discuss things? Or… will she only appear when it’s time to sign the agreement?” 

Lu Nan smiled. “She still has some things to handle at home. I think she’ll come over the day after tomorrow.” 

… 

If Lu Nan’s mother often said to her daughter, “Don’t think I don’t know all your little tricks,” 

Then now, Lu Nan could also read her mother like an open book. If she said tomorrow or the day after, then it would definitely be tomorrow or the day after. 

On Monday at noon, she received a call from her mother: “I’m taking the bus to Hailin this afternoon. Give me your dorm address.” 

Lu Nan’s mother probably thought her sudden arrival would be quite impressive. 

“What time is the bus? I’ll pick you up,” Lu Nan said. 

She guessed her mother wouldn’t agree. First, she didn’t want to disturb Lu Nan’s work (even though she didn’t like Lu Nan’s current job, Lu Nan’s mother had a responsible personality and didn’t want to inconvenience anyone, including her own family). Second, it was meant to catch her off guard. 

Sure enough, Lu Nan’s guess was right! 

Her mother said, “No need, I’ve been to Hailin City before. Just give me the dorm address. I’ll find a hotel nearby when I get there.” 

In order to give her mother a sense of accomplishment, Lu Nan didn’t insist on picking her up at the bus station. Instead, she provided an address: “This hotel has a partnership with our company. It’s close to both our company and my dorm. You’ll get a discounted rate upon check-in. I’ll call the front desk later and leave my name and phone number, so you just need to mention these when you check in. Then, after work, I’ll come by to find you—don’t worry about writing it down, I’ll send you a text with the details after we hang up.” 

Just as her mother was about to grab a pen to write down the hotel address, she hesitated slightly before replying, “Okay.” 

After finishing the call with her mother, Lu Nan immediately called Teacher Zhang: “Teacher Zhang, my mother is coming today. I’ll bring her to visit you in the evening and let her meet Brother Xu. After all, she’ll handle the future matters, and she’s much more familiar with import and export trade procedures than I am.” 

Teacher Zhang readily agreed: “Alright, you mentioned yesterday that your mother is coming over. Brother Xu has been waiting for news. I’ll send him a message to let him know, and we’ll see each other tonight.” 

“See you tonight.” 

After hanging up with Teacher Zhang, Lu Nan quickly dialed the front desk phone number for Green Trading: “Hello, I’m looking for Manager Ni. I’d like to discuss liquor sales cooperation. My last name is Huang, the character for ‘Huang’ with the grass radical.” 

After the front desk transferred the call, Lu Nan lowered her voice to sound more mature, introduced herself directly, and said she was interested in purchasing a batch of Harmony Wine, worth around 200,000. She asked if it would be convenient for her to visit tomorrow morning. 

Manager Ni, frustrated over inventory issues, was more than happy to hear someone was interested and agreed to meet at 10 AM the next day at Green Trading. After hanging up, she realized she hadn’t asked for the company name, but decided it wasn’t necessary since the other party was coming to her company to discuss matters. They would just talk in person tomorrow. 

After hanging up, Lu Nan, who had briefly impersonated her mother, put her phone down and absentmindedly tapped her fingers on the table: Everything is ready, now it’s time to… lure her in. 

Ah, describing my mother like that doesn’t seem quite right. Lu Nan smiled to herself. 

As the time passed, Lu Nan began thinking about how to allocate the 30,000 USD worth of Harmony Liquor. It wasn’t difficult for her. According to Xu Chengzhi, the 9-year and 12-year Harmony Liquor were the most highly regarded, so she would allocate the smallest amount of the 6-year variant, though she still couldn’t leave it out entirely, as the price for the 6-year variant was very competitive once converted to the exchange rate. 

In just three to five minutes, she roughly worked out the quantities, then estimated the volume and weight, and calculated the sea shipping. Lu Nan stared at the half-page of paper, lost in thought. 

Last time during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, when she returned home, things didn’t go well, so she didn’t return for New Year’s and spent the night with her college friends in Hailin City. 

She had returned to her dorm quite late that night—but that wasn’t the reason Dong Hui had locked the door, was it? 

When she inserted the key into the lock, it wouldn’t turn. The only possibility was that the door had been locked from the inside. 

Yes, Lu Nan was sure it was Dong Hui’s doing. 

Because all the other girls from Yunnan Province had gone home. 

And Dong Hui, ever since their big argument over Zhou Lei staying the night, had been giving her the cold shoulder. 

Lu Nan wasn’t stupid. She knew that this time, she had been careless and unlucky, giving Dong Hui the perfect chance for revenge. 

Once the door was locked from the inside, there was no way to open it from the outside. 

It was the middle of the night, and it was hard to find a locksmith. She didn’t want to disturb the neighbors by knocking too loudly, so Lu Nan kept calling Dong Hui and gently knocking on the door. 

But the phone kept getting a busy signal, and the person inside completely ignored the knocking. 

The winter in Hailin City was very cold, and Lu Nan paced back and forth in the corridor leading to the entrance, triggering the motion sensor lights. 

It wasn’t until the security guard saw the surveillance footage and called the owner that Lu Nan was rescued. 

At that age, Lu Nan never thought of going to a hotel to sleep. Moreover, it was both frustrating and cold at the time, and she was determined to fight with the door and get it open. 

When Teacher Zhang arrived in her cotton pajamas, she saw Lu Nan and said, “Ah, what are you doing messing around so late at night? Aren’t you cold? Come sleep at my place.” 

Lu Nan, still in a daze, walked with Teacher Zhang without even thinking about what would happen if the other person was a bad person… 

Later, her relationship with Teacher Zhang became closer. After the New Year, Lu Nan was transferred to the Harmonious Liquor Group’s purchasing department. Struggling with the pressure to attract investment, she accidentally started supplying wine for Xu Chengzhi for a while—she even made a little profit from the price difference. 

However, due to issues like age, experience, and capital, the cooperation between the two wasn’t on equal terms, and it was inconvenient over time. So later, Xu Chengzhi discussed with Lu Nan and decided to get products directly from Green Trading, and for other small items, he chose a professional agent who specialized in import-export trade. 

Though Lu Nan was young, she could understand Xu Chengzhi’s decision. Business wasn’t about charity, and when the financial capabilities of partners weren’t equal, splitting up was normal. 

Both parties parted on good terms. Later, on holidays, Lu Nan would often video chat with Teacher Zhang. She also kept in touch with Xu Chengzhi and Wu Li. 

Reflecting on this, Lu Nan thought: Because of this, I have a lot of confidence in Teacher Zhang and her family’s character. 

*** 

At around 5:40 PM, Lu Nan’s mother arrived at the hotel, looking not too well. 

Lu Nan had already been waiting for a while in the lobby and sighed when she saw her—clearly, she had taken the bus. Didn’t she know how badly she got motion sickness? 

But she didn’t say it out loud, because she already knew her mother’s response would be: “You think taking a taxi is free?” 

Sigh, her mother wasn’t always like this… 

Lu Nan walked up and linked arms with her. “Come on, let’s check you in.” 

Suddenly having her daughter’s arm around hers, Lu Nan’s mother stiffened, as if she wasn’t used to such intimate contact. 

In her mind, her daughter hadn’t been this close to her in many years. This kind of arm-linking was something that only happened between her daughter and her grandmother. 

Then, Lu Nan’s mother absentmindedly asked, “Are you off work now?” 

“I’m off work,” Lu Nan signaled the front desk and asked for a room with a double bed. She took her mother’s ID card and paid the deposit before her mother could react. 

In public, Lu Nan’s mother just glanced at her daughter and followed her into the elevator. 

Once inside the elevator, just the two of them, her mother said stiffly, “I’ll give you the room fee later.” 

“No need.” 

“No need? Have you calculated how much you owe for the mortgage, car loan, and interest? You’re spending too much money…” 

Ding. The elevator arrived. 

When the door opened, there were other guests waiting, so her mother immediately fell silent. 

Out in public, always caring about appearances and image. It’s just too easy to be held hostage by this stuff. Lu Nan chuckled quietly to herself, making sure her mother didn’t notice, then led her to the room. 

After closing the door, Mother Lu said, “Take a day off tomorrow, and I’ll go with you to the bank to pay off the loan early.” 

Of course, Lu Nan refused. But instead of arguing with her, which wouldn’t be wise, she reluctantly nodded. 

Her mother seemed satisfied, a look of contentment appearing on her face. 

“Mom, you should rest a bit. I’ll take you to eat later.” 

Mother Lu said, “It’s almost six. No need to rest, let’s go eat now. Something light.” 

Lu Nan guessed her mother was worried she might be hungry after work—probably not just her imagination. 

For something light and close to the dorm, Zhenjiang Noodle Soup was the best choice. 

Lu Nan had carbs once or twice a week in the evening, so she ordered a three-flavor noodle soup, asking for fewer noodles. She then added, “Mom likes pig liver noodles, right?” 

Lu Nan’s mother wasn’t used to her daughter being so affectionate, but since it was something she liked, she nodded. 

Lu Nan told the owner to add a serving of pig liver noodles. 

When the food came, Lu Mu inevitably started nagging again, saying Lu Nan ate too little. 

Lu Nan thought, “Ignore her, just like listening to a chant.” 

After they finished eating, Lu Nan suggested walking to digest the food. Since her daughter was supposedly quitting her job by the end of the year (a wishful assumption—Mother Lu thought her daughter would eventually agree, especially since she had already compromised on the loan), Mother Lu didn’t want to go back to the dorm. Seeing a bunch of lively young girls and having to chat was tiring. 

“Let’s just take a walk around the neighborhood,” Lu Nan suggested. 

While walking, they coincidentally ran into Teacher Zhang. 

Teacher Zhang enthusiastically asked, “Oh, your mom’s here?” 

Lu Nan nodded sweetly and introduced them. Mother Lu politely greeted Teacher Zhang, “Thank you for looking after Lu Nan while she’s here. Sorry for any trouble she’s caused.” 

“It’s no trouble at all, Lu Nan is a very good girl. I like her a lot,” Teacher Zhang said, taking her mother’s hand. “Come, come, come, let’s sit at my place. I actually have something to discuss.” 

See? Now she’s been ‘kidnapped’ Lu Nan silently gave Teacher Zhang a thumbs-up behind her mother’s back. 

Teacher Zhang glanced back at her and made an ‘OK’ sign. 

When they arrived at Teacher Zhang’s house, she took out the cooperation agreement that she and her son had drafted and revised over the computer with Lu Nan: “Here, Lu Nan’s mom, take a look.” 

Lu Nan’s mother was stunned. She had only come to sit at her daughter’s landlord’s place, not to discuss any cooperation… Oh!!! 

Suddenly, she remembered that her daughter had mentioned before that she and the landlord’s son wanted to cooperate in import-export trade. Lu Nan’s mother froze for a moment, vaguely understanding that she had been ‘tricked.’ 

She looked down at the document, noticing that the other party was listed as her own name: Huang Li. 

How dare she decide without asking me! 

Anger started to rise within her, but since she was at someone else’s house, she just shot Lu Nan a subtle glare. 

This level of ‘threat’ was already ineffective on Lu Nan. She even peeled an orange and asked her mother, “Want some?” 

Her mother, not in the mood to eat, briefly flipped through the documents in her hand, then decided to confront Teacher Zhang: “Teacher Zhang, I think there’s some misunderstanding with this…” 

Before she could elaborate, Lu Nan interrupted her: “Mom, take a look at the attachment in the agreement. Party A, which is Brother Xu, has already placed the first batch of orders. The attachment says that for $30,000 worth of goods, we’ll handle the tax refund and shipping… Take a look, I’ve already received the deposit.” Of course, this was just a temporary tactic, a little white lie. 

Seeing the words $30,000 and the deposit, Lu Nan’s mother couldn’t pretend nothing had happened. She looked up and saw Teacher Zhang and her daughter both staring at her intently. She shifted a bit uncomfortably in her seat, adjusted her posture, and looked down to carefully read through the agreement and its specific details. 

She wasn’t unfamiliar with this kind of contract. She had done similar work at her ex-husband’s company, essentially managing the big picture. 

Internally: sorting and filing orders, verifying employee wages and bonuses, ensuring employee benefits… 

Externally: organizing accounts with suppliers for her ex-husband’s payments, using the electronic port card for customs declarations… 

In short, she managed the accounts, not the money. 

Later on, the accounts weren’t even fully reported to her; her ex-husband said it was better to hire professional accountants and financial experts to keep the books looking good. 

Returning to the matter at hand, this cooperation agreement was much simpler than an import-export purchasing contract. 

Mother Lu began reviewing it carefully from the beginning, gradually immersing herself in the details.