Chapter 153: Finding Joy in the Process
Su He had just sat down with her dinner tray, ready to dig in, when a foreign guest named Lisa approached her.
“Su,” Lisa began, “when I toured the textile factory earlier, I saw a few fabrics I liked. But the prices weren’t quite right, so I didn’t negotiate with them. Why don’t you talk to them for me? If the price is right, I’ll sign a contract.”
Su He: “…”
Heavens above, Earth below—she only wanted to snag a few fabric sample books, and now a real order had landed on her lap?!
Although surprised and secretly delighted, Su He kept her composure.
“Ms. Lisa, which fabrics are you interested in? How much do you need? What’s your target price?”
After hearing the quantities Lisa wanted, Su He completely lost her appetite—she wanted to run straight to Section Chief Yu to talk prices!
Altogether, Lisa wanted to order nearly 100,000 meters of fabric. Even though the materials were on the cheaper end, priced between $1 and $2 per meter, it still amounted to a significant sum.
Su He noted Lisa’s target price and said, “I’ll try my best to negotiate a lower price. I’ll give you a definitive answer tomorrow.”
Once Lisa left, Daniel leaned over and whispered, “That woman’s a real Scrooge. Her price is 10% below market. The textile factory will never agree to it. Don’t waste your time.”
Su He knew Daniel meant well. As for why he was being so friendly after getting scolded before, she figured some people just needed a little tough love. Once they’re properly dealt with, they don’t resent you—they actually warm up to you.
Su He thanked Daniel and began considering how to make this deal happen. The textile factory wouldn’t do business at a loss, and Lisa didn’t want to pay more, so she had to find a way to make it work.
Distracted during dinner, Su He returned to her room, where Principal Chen asked, “Little Su, is something wrong?”
Su He explained the situation.
Principal Chen shook his head. “This is a tough one. Fabric costs money to produce, and if the textile factory offers Lisa a discount, what happens if other foreign buyers find out? Things will spiral out of control! Just go through the motions tomorrow and let it go. You’ve done your part by bringing in a potential order. Chief Yu won’t fault you.”
Seeing Su He frowning, Principal Chen hesitated, then said, “Little Su, as someone older, I want to give you some advice.”
Su He immediately straightened up. “Please, Principal, go ahead.”
“We haven’t known each other long, but you’ve been remarkably successful—doing things most people only dream of. But life won’t always go your way. You’ll face setbacks in the future. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself, and don’t carry too many burdens. If the sky falls, taller people will hold it up. You’re just a young girl—there’s no need to push yourself so hard.”
Principal Chen spoke from the heart.
To him, Su He was still a kid—always busy like a spinning top. Watching her work so hard made him feel sorry for her. No one sails through life smoothly forever. He figured he’d give her a bit of a reality check before she got hit with disappointment.
Su He felt warmth flood her chest, her nose tingling with emotion.
“Thank you, Principal. I understand.”
Just as Principal Chen was about to continue comforting her, Su He added with a grin, “But I’m enjoying this!”
Principal Chen: “…”
Why did I even bother feeling sorry for this girl?!
Su He smiled brightly. “Principal, I know you’re worried about me, but trust me—I know what I’m doing. I’m prepared for setbacks. Besides, problems are temporary. Isn’t life just a process of solving one issue after another?”
Seeing that she had a healthy mindset, Principal Chen didn’t press further.
Though, in his heart, he was sure Lisa’s order wouldn’t go through.
After seeing him out, Su He summoned the Trading Post system. “Got any ideas to help me close this deal? If you manage it, I’ll buy you ten sets of skins!”
The system twisted itself into a knot but couldn’t come up with anything.
Su He hadn’t expected much from it anyway—this was just to remind it how useless it was! Better to keep it humble than have it dreaming of digging traps for her.
Sure, this was her first time transmigrating, but that didn’t mean she was clueless!
These systems—show them a little kindness, and they start overstepping!
Between a host and a system, it’s a power struggle—one must dominate the other. And she intended to stay on top!
Poor Trading Post had no idea what Su He was really thinking. It kept trying, turning red like a ninja turtle from the strain!
Lying in bed, Su He tried to recall everything she knew about the textile factory—from the gossip Old Luo shared to reports in S City Daily…
Too exhausted, she fell asleep mid-thought.
But in the middle of the night, she suddenly bolted upright.
The Trading Post popped out. “Host, are you a zombie now?!”
Su He ignored it. She’d just remembered something Old Luo once told her in passing.
Last year, the textile factory had taken an order from Country R for printed burlap. But there was a printing error—patterns overlapped and became jumbled—so they had to remake the entire batch.
Because it was a production error, several people were disciplined.
Back then, she’d treated it as idle gossip, but now… maybe there was a way to turn that to her advantage.
Su He mulled it over for a while, then finally drifted back to sleep.
Even the Trading Post stopped bouncing around and powered down.
—
The next morning after breakfast, Su He hired a tricycle and brought Principal Chen to the textile factory.
Sure, she could have sweet-talked Chief Yu into sending a car again, but there was no need.
First, she wasn’t that close to him. Second, the deal might not happen—better to keep things low-key.
Yesterday, they had arrived in the afternoon when the factory entrance was relatively quiet.
Today, though, it was packed.
Su He walked straight to the front with Principal Chen, ignoring the security guards completely—like she worked there.
The guards exchanged looks but didn’t stop her. After all, the day before she had left in the factory’s private car—clearly someone important!
At Chief Yu’s office, Su He knocked, but no one answered.
A quick inquiry at the adjacent Procurement Office revealed that Chief Yu was at the factory’s morning meeting.
So Su He struck up a conversation with the people inside, and before long, everyone was chatting like old friends.
She even snagged two seats and two cups of tea.
Principal Chen, sitting quietly like a quail: “…”
He suddenly remembered what Su He had said before they arrived in the city: “Once I walk around S City, I’ll know people everywhere!”
At the time, he’d thought the young girl was boasting. But now? He realized she had understated it.
It wasn’t just that she knew people—she had relatives everywhere!
As Chief Yu returned from his meeting and passed the Procurement Office, he paused.
Laughter?
Auntie Zhang from Procurement was notorious for being cranky—always complaining or arguing. Why was she laughing now?
