Qiuyun could only offer an apologetic smile.
She said nothing.
The two of them left the outpatient office.
Still somewhat dazed, she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me beforehand that he was your grandfather?”
Pei Cizhou sighed. “I didn’t want to put too much pressure on you. I was worried you’d think I’d deliberately tricked you into meeting my family.”
Who could have guessed that his grandfather, despite agreeing beforehand, would start causing trouble again at the crucial moment? The old man really had no sense of propriety.
Qiuyun asked tactfully, “Um… about what your grandfather said, about having me go to your house for follow-up appointments…”
Seeing Miss Qiuyun’s silent refusal, Pei Cizhou pressed a hand to his forehead. “My grandfather talks nonsense all the time. He studied medicine overseas, but he also practices traditional Chinese pulse diagnosis. From now on, don’t believe anything he says.”
Huh?
She glanced down at the prescription slip in her hand.
“Ahem. You can trust him when it comes to the medicine. He may be unreliable as a person, but his medical skills are still passable.” Pei Cizhou took the slip and went to the pharmacy window to collect the medicine.
He had only prescribed some mecobalamin tablets, vitamin B1, and potassium magnesium aspartate tablets—mainly to replenish trace elements that she might be lacking.
Apparently, her checkup results showed no major problems.
Pei Cizhou felt slightly relieved.
While standing in the outpatient hall, Qiuyun spotted a photograph of Pei Cizhou’s grandfather, Pei Jiahong, on a bulletin board showcasing distinguished medical professionals.
Among the long list of titles, she noticed several especially eye-catching words:
President of the General Hospital of the Military Region.
“…”
His medical skills were “passable,” huh?
Pei Cizhou bought a small pillbox and put the medicine she needed to take each day inside. “These are all trace-element supplements. Take them once a day, after a meal and before bed.”
Qiuyun accepted it, mentally adding this favor to the considerable debt she owed him. “Thank you.”
They drove away.
Halfway there, Daniel tactfully said, “Mr. Pei, my girlfriend needs me.”
Pei Cizhou generously replied, “Go ahead. I’ll give you the afternoon off. I’ll drive this afternoon.”
Then he turned to Miss Qiuyun. “Come to think of it, you still haven’t taken the written driving test?”
“I haven’t had time. I’ll do it the next time I have a day off.” Qiuyun messaged her instructor and asked her to register and book an appointment.
After Daniel left, the two of them arrived at a distressed-style restaurant. Its name was quite grand, though: a string of English words followed by “Molecular Fusion Cuisine.”
It didn’t look like the kind of place one would take a date.
Qiuyun accepted the menu Pei Cizhou handed her. “It’s quite a distance from our factory, isn’t it? Is the food really that good?”
“The flavor is decent. Mostly, the presentation is interesting.”
“Oh?” Qiuyun opened the menu.
What?
“Don’t Blow Your Steak Without a Plan, Young Lotus Just Reveals Its Pan-Fried Dumpling Tips, The Mapo Tofu Is Loaded with Wealth, My Life Is Like a Mung Bean Cake, Willow Branches Unintentionally Create Orange Juice, Will You Sushi Me?”
Honestly, with names this unusual, she really wanted to see what the dishes looked like.
Normally, three or four dishes would have been enough for the two of them, but Pei Cizhou said that the portions here were tiny—almost every dish was only a single bite.
So she ordered two more: “Life Is Short, Eat Chicken Wings” and “This Person Is Definitely Not a Scallop.”
When the dishes arrived, they were indeed exquisitely beautiful.
Even Qiuyun, who had seen imperial cuisine in ancient times, couldn’t resist taking photos before eating. She thought she could bring her maids and Xiaoheng here to have fun next time.
“How did you find this place?” After taking pictures, Qiuyun looked around. There weren’t many customers, and it didn’t seem like the sort of restaurant famous for social-media check-ins.
“A friend of mine just opened it. He posted a recommendation for a free tasting on his social feed, and they’re still in the trial-opening period.” Pei Cizhou pushed the milk tea he had ordered over to her.
“That explains it.”
She took a sip and found that it tasted pretty good too.
The two of them chatted as they ate.
Pei Cizhou said, “Daniel showed me the factory you picked out. It’s a great deal—practically a steal.”
“It was a coincidence. I happened to come across a clothing factory that had gone bankrupt because it was overstocked, so I bought it together with the workers.” Qiuyun said, “Our cosplay costumes start at over a thousand yuan each. We’re focusing on quality rather than volume, so we’ll definitely only be keeping the more experienced workers.”
“I looked over the property. It’s fairly large. The extra space could be used to make merchandise or other products.”
“Forget it. Just acquiring the factory has already cost me eighty million yuan, all told, and the paperwork still isn’t finished.”
The clothing factory occupied 9.2 mu, or roughly six thousand square meters—about the size of a soccer field.
The only reason she had been able to acquire it in the capital at that price was because she could pay such a large sum in cash immediately.
The factory had yet to get up and running, and her company also needed money. Setting up a new factory and purchasing machinery would cost at least tens of millions of yuan.
She had to keep some reserves for emergencies.
“But the severance and relocation payments for the remaining workers will also be a considerable expense,” Pei Cizhou pointed out.
Qiuyun pulled a long face. “Sigh. Tell me about it.”
“Here’s an idea.” He offered a solution. “I can use the company as collateral for a loan. By pledging my equity to a commercial bank, I should be able to borrow at least fifty million yuan.”
Previously, his older brother had held too large a share of the company, so there had been no way to use the equity as collateral for a loan.
Now that he had reclaimed those shares and converted the five hundred million yuan into a loan, he alone held eighty-five percent of the company, making this arrangement possible.
“…That could work, but it would put a lot of pressure on you.”
If the gaming company was poorly managed and they failed to keep up with the repayments, the bank could simply seize the company. All the work they had put in over such a long period would be wasted.
Resting his chin on his hand, Pei Cizhou said, “I already have a plan for the publicity. When it comes to this, I want to do it in one decisive move.”
That way, he wouldn’t give his parents even the slightest chance to back out.
Qiuyun also preferred taking decisive action. “All right. Since the paperwork isn’t finished yet, we can go sign the factory’s equity agreement and divide the shares according to our respective investments.”
They had agreed on this before the confession incident. During the acquisition, bidding, and paperwork stages, Qiuyun had directly assigned the team from Tanmeng to handle everything.
Daniel had also had little to do while his boss was being confined, so he had mainly been handling matters related to the factory afterward.
If she went back on her word now, well… it would be a little unethical, especially since they were still business partners.
Amused by her straightforwardness, Pei Cizhou’s eyes curved into a smile. “All right.”
After lunch, they went to the newly acquired factory.
The old clothing factory’s name had not yet been removed, and the workshops were still operating.
After all, the fabric in stock was unsuitable for their cosplay costumes. They could only use it all up, then wholesale the finished clothes to stalls in various local markets at low prices in the hope of clearing the inventory quickly.
The two of them stood at the factory gates.
The factory had two workshops, a warehouse, and an office building.
The surrounding amenities were fairly convenient, with restaurants, convenience stores, parcel stations, and other facilities nearby. However…
Pei Cizhou asked, “Director Liu, why is there an apartment building next door as well? I thought this area was designated for industrial use.”
Director Liu from logistics explained, “That building was constructed a long time ago. The workers in this area all rent rooms there, and the factory’s staff housing is there too.”
Qiuyun glanced at the building’s name, then looked at its size. “It’s so densely packed. The floor-area ratio must be over 5.0. Do the workers live comfortably?”
