Chapter Sixty-four: Pots and Bowls Overflowing

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Time is money. Kevin immediately signed a contract with Lin Xiaolei for the purchase of three hundred thousand kilograms each of green tea and black tea, fearing that any delay would leave him without stock. According to the price list drafted by Lin Xiaolei, the export price for green tea was two thousand dollars per ton, while black tea was fifteen hundred dollars per ton. Three hundred tons each of black tea and green tea amounted to more than a million dollars—a figure not to be taken lightly. Though it wouldn’t restore “Zhongtian” to its former glory, it was enough to revive the company from the brink.

“Take care, Mr. Kevin!”

“Goodbye, Miss Amy!”

As Lin Xiaolei and Wang Zheng stood beneath the Yong An Tower, seeing Kevin and Amy into their car, Lin Xiaolei lowered her head, unable to contain her excitement. Her body trembled, her fists clenched tightly.

Suddenly, a large hand landed on her shoulder with a gentle slap. Lin Xiaolei didn’t look up; she knew whose hand it was.

“Let’s go back,” Wang Zheng said softly, gazing at her.

“Yes,” Lin Xiaolei nodded firmly and walked into the building.

Returning to her office, Lin Xiaolei had barely taken a few steps before she stopped. She bowed her head deeply, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably... Wang Zheng closed the door, then walked up to Lin Xiaolei and cupped her delicate face in his hands. Her cheeks were already streaked with tears, her eyes red and swollen. She didn’t know when the tears had started to fall.

“Are you crying?” Wang Zheng asked with a smile.

Lin Xiaolei shook her head and wiped her eyes, forcing a smile at Wang Zheng. But the tears would not stop; they continued to flow.

“Really not crying?” Wang Zheng asked, then wiped her eyes with his finger and showed her the wet fingertip. “What’s this?”

Lin Xiaolei pushed his hand away, wiping her tears again. When she realized that she truly couldn’t stop crying, she suddenly pressed her head against Wang Zheng’s chest. Her quiet sobs grew louder, and she began to cry openly.

Wang Zheng held Lin Xiaolei tightly in his arms. Let her cry—let her release all the grievances, hardships, and sorrows she had endured. A woman, faced with sudden loss and near despair, and then unexpectedly finding hope again—no matter how strong one’s heart, emotions would surge violently. All the more so for a woman.

There are no true “iron women” in this world, only those so-called “strong women,” for all women are made of water. To cry is only natural.

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Lin Xiaolei wept freely in Wang Zheng’s arms, pouring out all her emotions. It seemed as if she wanted to convey some special feeling to him through her tears. Wang Zheng stood silently, embracing her, sharing in the experience of everything she had endured, feeling the hardship and the transformation of a woman.

After a long time, Lin Xiaolei finally straightened up, leaving Wang Zheng’s embrace. She wiped her tears, flashed an embarrassed smile, her cheeks flushed, and returned to her desk to sit down.

“If you cry every time you sign a contract, I fear you’ll run out of tears!” Wang Zheng said, smiling as he sat across from her. A million dollars meant little to him—it was a drop in the ocean. So even as the contract was signed, Wang Zheng felt nothing special, especially since the money wasn’t his. Compared to a successful plan, Wang Zheng preferred to witness the transformation in a woman’s life; it promised more interesting things to come.

“I—I'm just excited! Zhongtian is finally saved!” Lin Xiaolei replied, her voice trembling. It was clear that her heart was still racing, unable to control her emotions.

Wang Zheng knew well the feeling of a miracle at the edge of disaster.

“I’ll go out now and leave you to it,” Wang Zheng said, then rose and walked to the door. As he opened it, he paused and added, “Now that the contract is signed, when you cry, think about the delivery. Get the goods to Kevin as soon as possible, or if something goes wrong, you might really have something to cry about!”

“Yes, understood. I’ll contact the warehouse right away!” Lin Xiaolei nodded, gratitude shining in her eyes as she looked at Wang Zheng.

Wang Zheng smiled and stepped out of the office. Suddenly, he felt something was off. He turned and saw a dozen pairs of eyes in the office area fixed on him.

Curious, questioning, ambiguous... All sorts of looks, complicated and layered.

“What are you staring at? Do you think I’m handsome?” Wang Zheng said, then walked to the nearest desk, propping his arm on the partition. He looked at the women and said, “If you have something to say, just say it—don’t hold it in or you’ll end up with gynecological problems!”

The women didn’t reply, quickly bowing their heads and pretending to work diligently. Clearly, as it was their first day, none had grown familiar with Wang Zheng or knew how to interact with the assistant to the general manager. Though he was only the assistant, these women sensed something unusual about him. On interview day, he seemed to run the show, more like a general manager than the actual one. For now, they were confused and could only “work” earnestly.

“Well, aren’t you all dedicated?” Wang Zheng said teasingly. “Even I, the assistant, don’t know what work needs to be done. Why are you all so busy? Come on, we’re all on the same team. I promise I won’t report you to the general manager.”

“I have a question!” said the woman closest to Wang Zheng. “Aside from the fifteen of us, are there any other employees at Zhongtian Import and Export?”

“Yes, what’s your question?”

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“If I’m not mistaken, the fifteen of us all passed the interviews yesterday. So before we arrived, the company had only you and the general manager, right?” the woman continued.

Wang Zheng understood her point—she was questioning the strength of Zhongtian. When they first entered, aside from the general manager and his assistant, there was no one else. Did this look like a legitimate company? Not at all.

“I know what you want to ask, and I can assure you: coming to Zhongtian is absolutely the right choice. At its peak, Zhongtian Import and Export had over a hundred employees. Recently, problems arose, competition in the industry intensified, and many employees were tempted away by other firms. As for the results... you saw them on interview day. But things are much better now. You all saw the foreign buyers just now; we’ve just signed a big contract. So, you are now the backbone of the company. In the future, when Zhongtian grows, you’ll be the veterans.”

“Is that true? You’re not lying to us, are you?”

“You’ve all signed labor contracts. What is there to worry about?” Wang Zheng reassured them. “Of course, you need to work hard. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, no free salary. How much you earn is up to you—but you need to deliver results, understand?”

“What’s your relationship with the general manager?” a woman in the distance asked.

“The relationship between Huang Shiren and Yang Bailao! I wonder if this answer satisfies your curiosity?” Wang Zheng replied. These questions had been anticipated; they were perfectly normal. Women weren’t women if they weren’t a little gossipy.

A few women clearly didn’t believe him, their faces skeptical, as if saying: Are you just making things up?

“All right, Q&A time is over!” Wang Zheng announced. “Since you’re new here, look over the materials I gave you, get familiar with your future work. Today is your first day—I’ll allow you to relax. But starting tomorrow, everything will be by company rules. Don’t blame me for being tough, ladies!”

The news that Mr. Kevin, the American buyer, had signed a contract with Zhongtian Import and Export for the export of six hundred thousand kilograms of tea somehow leaked out. Within half a day, all tea merchants in Jinghua City knew about it. This was big—buyers from various countries, originally planning to wait and see, suddenly followed Kevin’s lead. In a short time, they contacted all tea exporters in Jinghua City and signed purchase orders. Green tea, especially, was in such demand it was almost snatched away.

Sitting in his office, Wang Zheng listened to the constant ringing of phones from next door, a satisfied smile on his lips. With unity, outsmarting foreigners was child’s play.

In three days, the green tea that had been piling up in four exporters’ warehouses was completely sold out, fetching excellent prices. Although black tea sold at a slightly lower price, profits from green tea more than made up for it—everybody earned a fortune and couldn’t stop smiling. The other three company owners even took the initiative to invite Lin Xiaolei and Wang Zheng to dinner and apologized for their previous exclusion.

Profit—always the greatest concern of businessmen. Without it, nothing matters. With it, they become sworn brothers.

That night, Lin Xiaolei drank heavily, utterly intoxicated. When Wang Zheng carried her home, she cried again, finally drifting into sleep amidst her tears.