Encountering Qin Nian here was a genuine surprise.
Li Sangyue turned her head to look at the pair sitting by the window. The adult was trying to feed something to the child, but the little one furrowed her brows, refused to open her mouth, and turned her face away, crossing her small arms in a huff. Instead of getting angry, the adult coaxed her with a smile. After a long while, the little one reluctantly sat up straight and pushed away the plate of matcha cake in front of her. The adult blanked for a second before finally realizing the child disliked that flavor, yet she had kept trying to make her eat it. Realizing why she was upset, the adult called the server to take the matcha cake away and replace it with a caramel pudding, which was much more popular with children.
Taiyang was happy now. Without needing Qin Nian’s help, she dug out a large spoonful. She hesitated for a moment before awkwardly offering it to Qin Nian’s mouth. She did not say a word, her large, round eyes darting around everywhere. Her rosy cheeks looked like ripe peaches; red and adorable. Since Auntie Qin had given her a puppy and taught her how to build a dog house, she had started to like her a little.
Qin Nian froze again, her eyes actually glistening slightly. She opened her mouth, ate the pudding, and then pulled Taiyang into her arms to kiss the top of her head.
To an outsider’s eyes, this scene invited a completely different interpretation.
Xi Wei watched those two similar faces, her mind already racing with calculations. As long as she could hitch a ride on the massive ship that was the Qin family, she would be perfectly fine managing Li Sangyue’s account and assisting with her commercialization for free.
As for her original plan to sneak clauses into the contract to ensure she would eventually own all the capital gains from the “Li Sangyue” trademark, she suppressed it immediately. She felt lucky to have discovered the relationship between Li Sangyue and Qin Nian ahead of time; otherwise, there would have been big trouble later.
“I truly did not expect Sangyue and the Third Young Lady of the Qin family to be so close.” Xi Wei could not help but wonder how these two knew each other. There was even a child, looking to be six or seven years old, yet there had never been a whisper about it in their social circles.
Li Sangyue felt that President Xi must be misunderstanding something. “Qin Nian and I are just ordinary friends.”
Xi Wei picked up her teacup and took a small sip. “More than that, surely?” Her tone was teasing, but she did not press further. Instead, she reassured Sangyue, “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. I am not the type to gossip. I will not mention this to anyone.”
Li Sangyue laughed awkwardly. The more she tried to explain, the messier it became. Who could blame them when Taiyang and Qin Nian looked so much alike?
To be honest, she had suspected it before. She had even asked her mother, but her mother had denied it categorically and told her not to have wild thoughts.
This little interlude made the contract signing exceptionally smooth. The cooperation model was even different from other influencers; Xi Wei proposed establishing a company for Li Sangyue within Taining, first registering the “Li Sangyue” trademark, and then developing product lines.
The peanut oil, sesame oil, millet, and mung beans previously sold in the livestream could all be under the “Li Sangyue” brand. Fruits like cherries were seasonal, but the brand needed products that could be supplied long term.
Li Sangyue had never even considered the things Xi Wei mentioned. She had only thought about signing to improve the quality of her videos. Starting a company, building her own brand; could she really do that? With her education, it was hard enough to find a decent job outside. She worried she would not do a good job once the company opened. Moreover, she knew nothing about running a business and would eventually have to rely entirely on Xi Wei. Was it good to be so deeply entangled? She knew this way of thinking was a bit uninspiring, but she truly preferred doing what she was good at.
“President Xi, let’s forget the company. I am not cut out for that.” She spoke truthfully; there was nothing to be ashamed of. It was better than pretending to be something she was not.
“You do not need to worry about that at all. My side can provide any resources; you just need to be responsible for the video content creation.” If this collaboration fell through today, Xi Wei would want to slap herself.
Then, Xi Wei spoke at length with Li Sangyue. For her to have built such a large company with her sister, Xi Ling, she naturally possessed real talent. Incubating IPs was her specialty. Guanghe Xingcheng had many top influencers, including some in the same niche as Li Sangyue, but none were as beautiful, and their content lacked her emotional resonance. The scenes of Li Sangyue going door to door to collect local goods and interacting with villagers had moved many people working far from home. That was the real reason her videos went viral.
Xi Wei expressed that to help more villagers and sell their goods, commercialization was necessary. She urged Sangyue not to be afraid; since it was a partnership, they would strive for a win win situation. Professionals would be assigned to handle the things she was not good at.
At this point, Li Sangyue was swayed. She turned to look at her mother.
Li Ningjun had not said a word until now. From a long term development perspective, she agreed with Xi Wei, but she preferred to respect Xiaoyue’s wishes. If Xiaoyue did not want to do it, she would support her unconditionally. They could earn less money; what mattered was Xiaoyue’s happiness.
“President Xi.” Li Ningjun looked up and stared directly at Xi Wei.
Xi Wei was surprised. She unconsciously straightened her back, her nerves tightening, and her tone even became respectful.
“Please, go ahead.”
She did not even know why she felt this way, nor did she find it odd; it just felt like the natural way of things.
Then, Li Ningjun launched a series of questions that forced Xi Wei to respond with extreme caution. Her palms began to sweat. She felt immensely relieved that she had pulled back in time and had not dug any pits for Li Sangyue to fall into; otherwise, this collaboration would have certainly failed. Li Sangyue might be naive to the ways of the world, but her mother was no simple person. A few sentences struck the heart of the matter; her words were sharp and her insight was piercing. Xi Wei felt inferior in comparison, and beside her, Xi Ling’s eyes lit up with admiration as she looked at Li Ningjun.
Realizing she was no longer needed, Li Sangyue finally breathed a sigh of relief. Bringing her mother along was definitely the right choice. She had not thought of any of the points her mother raised. She could also tell that President Xi had not expected them either. President Xi could answer at first, but later she was practically asking for advice, even bringing up difficulties her own company faced to see if Sangyue’s mother had a solution. By the time her mother pointed the way for Xi Wei in just a few words, Li Sangyue had gone from relaxed to shocked.
“Mama, you’re incredible! Why haven’t I ever heard you talk about these things before?” After drinking a bellyful of tea, Li Sangyue needed the restroom. Her mother accompanied her, and since the bathroom was empty, the two finally had a chance for some quiet words.
Li Ningjun shook the water droplets off her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. Everyone said she looked young for her age, but in truth, there were some traces of time at the corners of her eyes; she just appeared younger than her peers.
She did not want Xiaoyue to know too much about her past. Those were not particularly happy memories and might even bring danger to Xiaoyue. That was also why she refused to appear in any of Xiaoyue’s videos. From the day she became pregnant with Xiaoyue, her wish had been simple: for Xiaoyue to be happy and carefree. But in the end, she had not protected Xiaoyue well enough and let her be bullied by that person named Qin.
“How would I know all that? I actually just learned it on the fly from the internet,” she whispered.
“Huh?” Li Sangyue thought her mother naturally knew these things.
“I came here to back up my daughter, so how could I come unprepared? I put on a good act just now, didn’t I? I did not let anything slip, right?”
Li Sangyue gave her a thumbs up, full of admiration. “It was just like the real thing. I totally believed it.”
She actually did believe her mother’s words. Her grandmother always said she was easy going and did not take things to heart; basically, she was simple minded and did not have many schemes.
But thinking about it differently, it actually made sense. Her mother had lived in the south for so many years and had worked in a large company; her experience was surely different, so she could plausibly talk her way through it.
Li Sangyue did not think much more about it. After washing her hands, she returned to the tea room with her mother.
It was already lunchtime. The hotel had a restaurant, but Taiyang wanted pizza. It just so happened that the restaurant Li Sangyue had booked served fresh wood fired pizza. The family had celebrated Taiyang’s birthday there last year; it was considered a very cost effective Western restaurant in the county. Their pan seared steaks were also delicious. Li Sangyue’s original plan was to have steak for lunch and then arrange for President Xi and her group to try some Taining specialties in the evening.
Qin Nian held Taiyang’s small hand, bending down to speak softly to her. “Taiyang, Mama needs to talk to people. How about Auntie takes you to eat? Auntie will get Taiyang a super big pizza with shrimp, beef, and tons of cheese.”
Taiyang pouted, looking reluctant. “No, I want Mama to take me.”
“Sangyue has already booked a restaurant? That’s great! You won’t mind if we tag along to grab a meal, right?” Xi Wei joked.
Li Sangyue stepped aside and made a “please” gesture. “I was originally planning to host a welcome lunch for you all anyway.”
“Then we will not stand on ceremony.” Xi Wei did not take the lead, tactfully letting Qin Nian go first.
Qin Nian nodded and smiled. “President Xi, I’ll be counting on you to look after my Xiaoyue in the future.”
Having learned which company Li Sangyue was signing with, she had asked a friend to look into it and quickly found out about Xi Wei’s background.
Xi Wei was flattered and hurriedly said, “Miss Qin is being too kind. It is an honor for Guanghe Xingcheng to collaborate with Sangyue.”
Her attitude was humble, but her mind was pondering the deeper meaning of Qin Nian’s words. This further proved that the relationship between Li Sangyue and Qin Nian was anything but simple.
Qin Nian was not surprised that Xi Wei recognized her. She left it at that and did not say more, then gently took Li Sangyue’s arm. “Let’s go, Xiaoyue.”
Before she and Li Sangyue walked out, she moved aside to let Li Ningjun go first.
Li Ningjun glanced at her, not being polite at all.
Xi Wei and the others had also driven their own cars and followed Li Sangyue’s car to the restaurant.
After getting in the car, Qin Nian sat in the passenger seat while Li Ningjun and Taiyang sat in the back. Even then, Li Ningjun was very unhappy.
“Miss Qin does not need to come along, surely?” The hotel had all sorts of delicacies; there was no need to be so thick skinned as to follow them.
“I am tired of the hotel food and want to try something different.”
“There are plenty of good restaurants nearby.”
“Eating with many people is more lively. I like it lively.”
“Miss Qin is wealthy and powerful; you could spend a little money to hire some people and make it as lively as you want.”
“Strangers cannot give me the liveliness of a family. I am sure Auntie can empathize with my feelings.”
Li Ningjun grit her teeth; she was already on the verge of cursing.
Driving the car, Li Sangyue finally sensed the smell of gunpowder between her mother and Qin Nian. She could not help but wonder what was going on between them.
“Mama?” She could not ask Qin Nian, so she could only seek an answer from her mother.
Li Ningjun suppressed her anger. “It is nothing. I am just chatting with Miss Qin. Focus on your driving.”
“Oh.” Her mother really treated her like a child.