The sleek black Hongqi sedan glided through the congested morning traffic, its polished chassis reflecting the bright red banners draped across the grand gates of the 1995 Town Textile Fair. This exhibition was the premier economic event of the year, a chaotic battleground where state-owned factory cadres, private vendors, and regional distributors gathered to part ition the local textile market.
Inside the quiet luxury of the cabin, Li Hua smoothed the lapels of her custom charcoal-grey blazer. The structured shoulders and sharp tailoring cinched tightly at her 82-kilogram hourglass frame, completely projecting the aura of a high-powered corporate executive from a Hong Kong television drama.
"Director Zhang of the State Factory has a financial stake in the Gu family's inventory," Ye Feng said, his fingers resting casually on the steering wheel as the car approached the heavily guarded VIP entrance. "He personally signed the order to seize your exhibition permit at dawn. How do you plan to bypass a state-sanctioned blockade, Miss Li?"
Li Hua met his dark, calculating gaze behind his silver spectacles, a fearless smile cutting across her cream-porcelain jawline. "A blockade is only effective if the gates remain closed, Mr. Ye. Let's open them."
The Hongqi came to a smooth halt right before the main exhibition checkpoint. Standing on the concrete platform, flanked by private security guards, was Gu Yan. He looked pathetic in his faded grey suit, standing next to a mountain of stacked bolts. Beside him, Lin Meimei was draped in a flimsy, bright pink lace dress that looked like a cheap living room curtain.
"I don't care who she thinks she knows!" Director Zhang, a rotund cadre in a wrinkled uniform, was barking furiously at a gate supervisor. "The Li family's eldest daughter has no commercial license! Her rags are an embarrassment to our local industry. If she shows her face here, throw her out!"
"Director Zhang is right!" Lin Meimei chirped vindictively, batting her mascara-heavy eyelashes. "Li Hua is just a bloated, arrogant thief who spent her father's retirement money on black-market designs. She doesn't belong among legitimate entrepreneurs!"
The heavy rear door of the Hongqi clicked open.
As Li Hua stepped onto the pavement, her heels striking the stone floor with a rhythmic, thunderous cadence, the immediate crowd of onlookers went completely silent. Her porcelain skin glowed with supernatural health under the morning sun, her thick black hair pulled back into a high, commanding ponytail.
Gu Yan's jaw dropped so violently his cigarette slipped from his lips, landing in the dirt. He stared at the radiant, high-fashion goddess walking toward him, his brain entirely failing to reconcile her with the "breeding sow" he had discarded days ago.
"Li... Li Hua?" Gu Yan stammered, his voice cracking. "How... what happened to you?"
Lin Meimei's face twisted into an expression of pure, suffocating venom. She clawed at her pink lace dress in sheer disbelief. "No! That's impossible! Gu Yan, don't look at her! She... she's a fraud!"
Li Hua bypassed them both as if they were invisible insects, her Level 2 Socialite Aura instantly projecting an oppressive, intimidating weight that made Director Zhang instinctively step backward.
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[Ding! 'Vogue Vision' Active. Scanning Blockade Assets...]
[Detected: Gu Family 'Eternal Bloom' Fabric. Composition: 90% Low-Grade Polyester, 10% Recycled Scrap. True Market Value: 1 Yuan per meter. Structural Defect: Highly flammable, zero breathability.]
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"Director Zhang," Li Hua's melodic voice cut through the noisy square like a crystal bell. "You claim my garments are an embarrassment to the local industry? Yet you are using state security to guard a mountain of industrial garbage."
She extended a long, elegant finger, dragging it across a bolt of the Gu family's fabric. "Ninety percent low-grade polyester. Within three washes, this brilliant pink will turn a sickly, faded grey, and the static electricity will make it stick to the consumer's skin like a plastic bag. Is this how the State Factory intends to represent our province at the National Gala? By peddling flammable trash to our citizens?"
The surrounding textile distributors and regional buyers, who had been waiting in line, began to whisper furiously, looking at the fabric with sudden suspicion.
"You insolent girl!" Director Zhang roared, his face flushing a dangerous shade of purple. "I am the director of this exhibition! Your permit is revoked! Guards, remove her!"
"Touch her, and the State Bureau revokes your director seat by noon," a freezing, authoritative baritone echoed from behind her.
Ye Feng stepped into the sunlight, his towering frame casting a long shadow over the platform. The simple sight of his charcoal trench coat and the elite capital license plate on his Hongqi made Director Zhang's knees violently buckle.
"Master... Master Ye?" Director Zhang's voice trembled, his arrogant posture collapsing instantly. "This... this girl is a rogue vendor—"
"This girl is the exclusive designer for Madam Qin's National Day wardrobe," Ye Feng interrupted coldly, standing directly at Li Hua's shoulder. "And her enterprise operates under the direct endorsement of the Beijing Commercial Council. If you wish to challenge her permit, Director Zhang, I can call the Central Ministry right now."
Director Zhang broke into a cold, torrential sweat, bowing frantically. "No! No need! It was a misunderstanding! Open the gates! Give Miss Li the premier center pavilion immediately!"
Gu Yan watched his entire institutional backing crumble in ten seconds, his face pale with utter humiliation. "Li Hua... please, we can talk about this... the engagement—"
"Keep the suit, Gu Yan," Li Hua said, her eyes flashing with a predatory, lethal light as she stepped past him into the grand exhibition hall. "It matches the trash you're selling."
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[Ding! Elite Blockade Shattered! Massive Face-Slap Successful!]
[Rewards Issued: +500 System Points, -2kg Weight Loss, 'Business Negotiator' Skill Unlocked! Current Weight: 80kg!]
[Main Quest Triggered: The Sovereign Supply. Secure the City School Uniform Monopoly Contract. Target Value: 10,000 Yuan Capital.]
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A sudden surge of metabolic heat refined her frame even further, her waist tapering into a flawless, elite silhouette. As she walked toward the grand center pavilion, Ye Feng matched her stride, his eyes holding a dark, intense look of profound respect.
"The gate was easy," Ye Feng murmured, leaning down slightly toward her ear. "But the Director of the Education Bureau is currently inside the VIP lounge. He is a strict traditionalist who hates modern luxury, and he controls the 10,000 Yuan uniform contract. Let's see how your new negotiator skill handles a real politician."
Li Hua adjusted her cuffs, her eyes blazing with the fire of an empire. "He's already my client, Mr. Ye. He just doesn't know it yet."