156 Seeking a Way Out

Jin Yulian’s intention was crystal clear: she wanted me to break away from Elder Sister Yang and pursue Han Lingxue instead. If the Han family was willing to accept me, I could leverage their capital and connections to develop the land owned by Jin Yulian’s company.

In this way, Jin Yulian’s company would be able to retain a portion of its assets. Even if calculated at just one-third, it should still amount to millions, which would be enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

All men are ambitious. According to Jin Yulian’s plan, not only would I win Lingxue’s heart, but she was also willing to become my mistress. This held an immense temptation for me.

After all, Elder Sister Yang’s factory was too small, and she already had a daughter. My relationship with her was essentially just satisfying certain mutual needs.

Jin Yulian made sense; I should end my ambiguous relationship with Elder Sister Yang. Such an improper entanglement would ultimately harm everyone involved if it wasn't cut short. However, before leaving Elder Sister Yang, I needed to help her resolve the difficulties facing her factory, which would at least repay the favor she had shown me.

"Elder Sister Yulian, what you say makes sense, and I know what to do," I said.

Jin Yulian smiled and said, "Feng, I am relieved to see that you are willing to turn over a new leaf. Remember, I will not stand in your way of pursuing Lingxue. If you ever need me, you can come to me anytime, anywhere. I will be waiting for you."

After finishing her beef noodles, Jin Yulian prepared to say goodbye. Seeing me slowly walk back by myself, she asked if I wanted a ride. I smiled and declined, "No need, I'd rather walk!" Jin Yulian drove away, and I slowly made my way back to Elder Sister Yang’s villa.

I opened the bedroom door and saw Elder Sister Yang watching television. Seeing me push the door open, she wore a half-mocking, half-serious smile and said, "Back so early? Why didn't you go check into a hotel?"

I smiled back. "Aren't you jealous that I went to a hotel with another woman?"

Elder Sister Yang replied, "If jealousy were of any use, I would certainly indulge in it. Unfortunately, it's useless, so I can only choose to let nature take its course."

"Elder Sister Yang," I said, "tomorrow I plan to go to the Mingzhou Foreign Trade Company to see if there are any products we can develop..."

"You are a man," she said. "You don't need to consult me on decisions you make. Just decide for yourself."

"Developing new products will definitely require capital..." I hinted.

Elder Sister Yang sighed, "Feng, you know the financial standing of my factory. Large funds are definitely out of the question. I can scrape together at most one hundred thousand for you. If it fails, then so be it; I simply can't afford to lose any more than that."

I nodded. "Alright, we'll start small and strive for success."

After chatting with her for a few more moments, she couldn't help but pull me into her arms. I wanted to resist, but once again, I failed to exercise self-control.

Actually, this feeling was much like smoking. Even though you clearly knew smoking was bad for you and genuinely wanted to quit, the moment you saw a cigarette, you couldn't help but want to light up.

The next day, when Elder Sister Yang dropped her daughter off at school, she gave me a ride to the subway station along the way. At that moment, I felt I was doing even worse off than Fatty; at least he owned his own car.

I had nothing at all. I was merely working for Elder Sister Yang, and the salary she gave me arbitrarily was just enough for pocket change, meaning I didn't even have enough money in my pocket to buy a second-hand domestic car.

I had to change this situation. Simply put, I needed to save money and stop spending recklessly or working for free.

Jin Yulian’s words had reawakened my ambitions: I would earn my own money, establish my own company, and no longer depend on women or live off them as a kept man!

The women I liked should rely on me, not the other way around!

My first thought was to visit Elder Sister Li’s foreign trade company. To avoid alarming her, I didn't call either Elder Sister Li or Xiao Lu.

In less than an hour, I arrived at the office building rented by Elder Sister Li’s foreign trade company.

When I went inside, the security guard questioned me casually for a moment before letting me pass. After all, I had worked there before and was familiar with the surroundings, so my answers had no flaws or suspicious points.

When I reached the entrance of Elder Sister Li’s foreign trade company, I heard voices speaking inside, which meant someone was at work.

With a fluttering heart, I pushed the door open, and the scene inside immediately lit up my eyes because I recognized those familiar faces.

The people inside were also startled by someone suddenly barging in. When they saw it was me, a beautiful woman exclaimed in pleasant surprise, "Ah Feng, it's you! What made you think of coming here?"

To my surprise, Elder Sister Fang and Younger Sister Fu were also here. I asked with curiosity, "Elder Sister Fang, you're here too? That's wonderful, saving me the trouble of looking for you."

Elder Sister Fang looked puzzled. "Ah Feng, do you have business with me?"

"Of course I do," I replied. "But first, I came here to see Elder Sister Li. Is she around?"

Xiao Lu chimed in, "Ah Feng, why didn't you call Elder Sister Li before coming over?"

I smiled awkwardly. "I wanted to give her a surprise, so I didn't call ahead."

Xiao Lu said, "Elder Sister Li hasn't been to the company for several days."

I was stunned. "What? Isn't this Elder Sister Li's company?"

Xiao Lu smiled. "Elder Sister Li has entrusted the management of this company to Elder Sister Fang now."

I looked at Elder Sister Fang in pleasant surprise. "So Elder Sister Fang and Younger Sister Fu are both working here now."

Xiao Lu smiled broadly. "Ah Feng, Elder Sister Fang is now one of the bosses of this company too."

Hearing this, I grinned and said, "Congratulations, Elder Sister Fang."

Elder Sister Fang smiled and said, "Ah Feng, what did you come to see me about? Let's go inside and talk."

I nodded. "Sorry to trouble you, Elder Sister Fang." With that, I followed her into her office.

I noticed her office had been partitioned out of Elder Sister Li's original office. Simply put, there were now two offices inside. Naturally, for a newly established company, the office conditions were modest and had to suffice.

Elder Sister Fang poured me a cup of tea and said, "Ah Feng, we're old friends. If you have something to say, just say it directly. No need to beat around the bush."

I smiled. "Elder Sister Fang, did Elder Sister Li transfer this company to you?"

Elder Sister Fang chuckled. "I don't have the capital or the nerve to start an independent business quite yet. This company is a joint venture between Elder Sister Li, myself, and a few other sisters."

Seeing the curious look on my face, Elder Sister Fang added, "Right now, Elder Sister Li holds a forty percent stake, I hold thirty percent, Xiao Lu holds twenty percent, and Xiao Fu holds ten percent. We're running it together."

Hearing this, I thought to myself that since Younger Sister Fu, who had just graduated from university not long ago, was already involved in founding a company, I certainly couldn't afford to idle my life away any longer.

"Elder Sister Fang," I said, "I wanted to ask if your export business handles anything other than garments and textiles... like mechanical products, for instance."

Elder Sister Fang smiled. "As long as it's not illegal and can make money, we handle all kinds of products."

"Elder Sister Fang," I continued, "a friend of mine runs a small machinery factory. Previously, she mainly produced parts for other companies, but now she wants to manufacture her own products. Do you have any demand for that kind of product here?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Sister Fang asked, "Ah Feng, do you mean that I can tell you what kind of products we need for export, provide you with samples, and then you'll manufacture them, right?"