Ever since that “Hongmen Banquet” incident, the gates of the Su family estate were practically worn down from constant visitors.
But this time, people weren’t coming to mock them.
They were coming to build connections.
The news of Su Huaijin stunning the entire capital circle that night—wearing a black velvet modernized qipao while standing beside her soldier husband, a legendary “King of Soldiers” whom even generals saluted—spread through Beijing’s elite courtyards like wildfire.
People were not only fascinated by Cheng Beitang’s extraordinary military achievements, but were also obsessed with the dress Su Huaijin wore that evening.
In an era where everyone dressed in dull blue, gray, and black with nearly identical styles, Su Huaijin’s qipao was like a bolt of lightning tearing across a gloomy night sky, making countless women restless with envy.
“Huaijin, where on earth did you buy that dress? I’ve gone to the Friendship Store several times and couldn’t even find a shadow of it!”
“That’s right, Huaijin! Can you help me get one too? Money isn’t an issue!”
Every day, the Su family living room was packed with curious relatives and socialites asking about the clothes.
Sitting gracefully on the sofa with a teacup in hand, Su Huaijin smiled politely.
“Aunties, there’s nowhere you can buy it. I designed and made it myself.”
The room instantly erupted in amazement.
If this had happened before, people might have dismissed it as “a waste of time.” But now, Su Huaijin was the “wife of the King of Soldiers,” a talent even the General Political Song and Dance Troupe wanted to recruit. Clothes she designed were no longer just garments—they were works of art and symbols of status.
…
Meanwhile, at Beijing No. 3 Garment Factory.
The factory director’s office was thick with cigarette smoke.
Director Li Guoqiang was so stressed he looked ready to pull all his hair out.
“Director, those dacron shirts in the warehouse still aren’t selling! Young people say our styles are outdated. They’re all buying bell-bottoms and floral shirts shipped from the south now!” the sales manager reported bitterly.
Beijing No. 3 Garment Factory was an old state-owned enterprise with excellent quality, but its designs were terribly outdated. Inventory kept piling up, and they were close to being unable to pay worker salaries.
“Designs! Designs! Where am I supposed to get new designs?” Li Guoqiang crushed his cigarette into the ashtray. “Those old tailors in our factory are great at making Lenin suits, but asking them to create fashion is like asking Zhang Fei to do embroidery!”
Just then, someone knocked on the office door.
“Come in!”
His daughter, Li Xiaomei, walked in. She was dressed especially beautifully today, wearing a stylish floral dress with a perfectly tailored waistline that looked both slimming and fashionable.
Li Guoqiang’s eyes lit up.
“Xiaomei? Where’d you buy that dress? It looks fantastic!”
Li Xiaomei spun around proudly.
“Dad, you can’t buy this anywhere! I had Su family’s eldest daughter, Su Huaijin, make it for me! It’s all the rage in the courtyard circles now. If someone can wear a ‘Su-style’ dress, it’s considered incredibly prestigious!”
“Su Huaijin?” Li Guoqiang paused. “The military wife who just returned from the northwest?”
“Exactly! Dad, you have no idea—her costume designs in the northwest were even featured in newspapers! Her aesthetic sense is unbelievable!”
As she spoke, she slapped a newspaper onto the desk.
It was a recent issue of the People’s Liberation Army Daily featuring photos from the Northwest Military District’s National Day performance. Though printed in black and white, the “Gobi Red Flower” costumes still looked breathtaking with their unique tailoring and striking composition.
Li Guoqiang stared at the newspaper, then at his daughter’s dress.
A sharp light suddenly flashed in his cloudy eyes.
This wasn’t just a dress.
It was the lifeline that could save their factory!
“Quick! Xiaomei! Prepare the car! Take me to the Su residence! I need to meet Comrade Su immediately!”
…
Inside the Su family study.
Su Huaijin was organizing her design sketches.
Cheng Beitang sat nearby in a carved wooden chair, a book in his hand, though his gaze never left his wife.
“Tired?” He put the book down and poured her a glass of water. “Those people are too noisy. Tomorrow I’ll have the guards stop them from coming in.”
Su Huaijin smiled and shook her head.
“I’m not tired. This is market research too.”
She picked up a sketch, ambition gleaming in her eyes.
“Beitang, I’ve made up my mind. Making a few dresses for aunties is just small business. If I’m going to do this, I’m doing it big.”
“You want to open a factory?” Cheng Beitang raised an eyebrow.
“Policies haven’t fully loosened yet. Opening a private factory now is too risky.” Su Huaijin possessed business insight far ahead of her time. “I want to borrow someone else’s resources. I’ll partner with a state-owned factory—I provide the designs, they provide the production line, and we split the profits.”
Just then, Aunt Zhang knocked and entered.
“Miss, Young Master. There’s someone outside claiming to be the director of the city’s Third Garment Factory. His surname is Li. He says he has an urgent business deal to discuss.”
Su Huaijin and Cheng Beitang exchanged a glance.
What a coincidence.
…
In the living room.
Li Guoqiang sat stiffly, extremely nervous. He had assumed Su Huaijin was merely a talented young woman, but the moment he entered, he saw the legendary “Living King of Hell,” Cheng Beitang, seated in the place of honor, staring coldly at him.
That murderous aura nearly made Director Li drop his teacup.
“Director Li, please have some tea.”
Su Huaijin sat across from him calmly and confidently. Today she wore a white silk blouse paired with black wide-leg trousers, looking elegant, capable, and every bit the professional businesswoman.
“Comrade Su, Regiment Commander Cheng.”
Li Guoqiang wiped away his sweat and got straight to the point.
“To be honest, I came today to beg Comrade Su to save our factory!”
He explained the factory’s difficulties in detail before looking at Su Huaijin with hopeful eyes.
“I saw your designs—they’re absolutely astonishing! If you’re willing to sell your sketches to our factory, name your price! We won’t bargain!”
In his mind, offering several hundred yuan for design sketches was already an astronomical amount for an individual.
But Su Huaijin merely shook her head gently.
“Director Li, I’m not selling my designs.”
Li Guoqiang’s heart sank.
“Too little? Then… one thousand yuan?”
In this era, that was a fortune large enough to buy a small courtyard house.
Yet Su Huaijin continued smiling and shaking her head.
She picked up several design drafts from the table and pushed them toward him.
“Director Li, giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. I’m not selling designs—I want to cooperate with you.”
“Cooperate?” Li Guoqiang was stunned.
“That’s right. I’ll invest with my skills.”
Calmly and methodically, Su Huaijin laid out her proposal:
“I’ll become your factory’s special design consultant and provide four new designs every month. We’ll launch an entirely new product line called the ‘Gobi Series,’ focusing on fashionable women’s clothing that blends military elements with ethnic-inspired styles.”
“As for payment…”
She paused and raised one finger.
“I don’t want a fixed salary. I want ten percent of the sales profits from the series.”
“What?!”
Li Guoqiang jumped to his feet in shock.
Profit sharing? In this era, such a concept was unheard of! This girl’s appetite was enormous!
“Comrade Su, this… this isn’t according to regulations…” he said awkwardly.
“Rules are made by people.”
Cheng Beitang, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
He set down his teacup with a soft clink. His cold eyes swept over Li Guoqiang, carrying an invisible pressure.
“Director Li, how much inventory is piled up in your warehouse now? How many months of wages are owed to workers? If you don’t come up with a hit product soon, your factory is finished.”
“Ten percent in exchange for bringing your factory back to life. Is that really such a hard calculation?”
Though he didn’t understand business, he understood situations—and he certainly knew how to support his wife during negotiations.
Grateful, Su Huaijin glanced at him before continuing:
“Director Li, take a look at these sketches. These are trench coats and modified work pants designed specifically for modern young women. They fit current tastes while still feeling stylish. I guarantee that once they hit the market, they’ll sell out instantly.”
Li Guoqiang lowered his head to examine the designs.
Even as a layman, he could instantly see how beautiful the clothes were. The clean, elegant, yet feminine lines felt perfectly tailored to the current market.
He gritted his teeth.
Fine. He’d gamble on it!
The factory was dying anyway—better to take one desperate shot.
“Alright!”
Li Guoqiang slapped his thigh.
“Comrade Su, Regiment Commander Cheng, I agree! Ten percent it is! Let’s sign the contract!”
…
One week later.
A brand-new counter suddenly appeared inside Beijing Department Store:
“Red Star · Gobi Series.”
There was no massive advertising campaign—only two mannequins in the display window, dressed in Su Huaijin’s khaki belted trench coat and dark green wide-leg utility trousers.
The response exploded instantly.
“Oh my god! These clothes are gorgeous! What brand is this?”
“Isn’t this the style Commander Cheng’s wife wore that night? They’re finally selling them!”
“I want this one! Get me my size!”
“Me too! Don’t cut in line!”
The counter was swarmed by frantic shoppers. In less than half a day, the first batch of five hundred garments sold out completely.
The “Red Star · Gobi” collection was a sensation.
It swept across all of Beijing.
Women with even a little money proudly wore “Gobi-style” clothing. That heroic yet feminine aesthetic became the season’s biggest fashion trend.
And Su Huaijin, the designer behind it all, became a legend in Beijing’s fashion circles.
Even leaders from the General Political Song and Dance Troupe visited again—this time not to recruit her, but to request a collaboration and ask her to design uniforms for an overseas performance tour.
Su Huaijin’s reputation was now firmly established.
She was no longer someone’s abandoned daughter, nor merely someone’s wife.
She was Su Huaijin—the undisputed queen of Beijing fashion.
…
Inside the Su family villa bedroom.
Su Huaijin had no idea that poisonous snakes were already hissing in the shadows.
She sat before her vanity table, counting this month’s profit share.
“One thousand, two thousand, three thousand…”
Looking at the thick stack of bills, she smiled like a cat that had stolen cream.
This was only the first month! Ten percent profit sharing had already earned her over three thousand yuan! In an era when the average monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan, she was practically rich.
“Finished counting?”
Cheng Beitang stepped out of the shower wearing only a towel around his waist, exposing his powerful upper body. Water droplets slid down his abs and disappeared beneath his V-line, making him dangerously attractive.
He walked over and wrapped his arms around Su Huaijin from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder while staring at the money covering the table.
“That much?”
Even knowing business was good, Cheng Beitang was still surprised seeing the actual cash. His monthly military allowance was less than a hundred yuan, while his wife had earned several years’ worth of his salary in a single month.
“Of course!” Su Huaijin proudly lifted her chin and pulled out half the money, slapping it boldly against his chest.
“Commander Cheng, here’s your household allowance! From now on, buy as many cigarettes and drinks as you want! This lady will support you!”
Cheng Beitang was amused by her little “nouveau riche” act.
He chuckled deeply, the vibration against his chest making her back tingle.
“Alright then, Boss Su.”
Instead of refusing out of masculine pride, he casually grabbed the money and tossed it into a drawer before suddenly scooping her up and carrying her toward the bed.
“Since I’m taking Boss Su’s money, I suppose I should properly ‘serve’ Boss Su.”
Su Huaijin yelped, instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist.
“Cheng Beitang! What are you doing?! It’s broad daylight!”
“The curtains are closed.”
He pressed her onto the soft bed, his eyes turning dark and scorching, as though he wanted to devour her whole.
“You’re too capable, wife. You’re making me seem useless.”
“So…”
Lowering his head, he captured her chattering lips in a deep kiss while his hand slipped beneath the hem of her clothes.
“I’ll just have to regain some dignity somewhere else.”
“Mmph… Cheng Beitang… you hooligan…”
Her protests were quickly swallowed by his fierce and possessive kiss.
Outside, the winter wind howled.
Inside, spring passion flourished.
At that moment, Su Huaijin had a successful career, a loving husband by her side, and a recovering grandfather.
She thought she had already reached the pinnacle of life.
Little did she know, a final,疯狂 act of revenge was quietly drawing near.