Chapter 749: Jiaojiao 29

Zong Qi said, “Peng City isn’t exactly peaceful either. If Li Shun and his men go over, I’m afraid they won’t be able to keep people in line.”

Chen Jiao teased, “There’s always a way. Besides, that’s at least a year from now. Who knows, maybe my reputation will be even bigger by then? You never know.”

Zong Qi’s lips curled up slightly. “Are you talking about your reputation on the streets or in show business?”

Chen Jiao said, “In show business, of course. I have no interest in being a mob boss’s wife, but we can’t let ourselves be pushed around either.”

Having a reputation on the streets and being *in* the streets were two different concepts. Chen Jiao preferred to have a reputation for not being someone to mess with. That’s just how the world was—the strong prey on the weak.

While Li Shun and the others were at home scrubbing themselves clean, Chen Jiao and Zong Qi were having dinner. While they were rummaging through their homes, Chen Jiao was tracing Tan You’s design sketches.

While Li Shun and his men were too excited to sleep, Chen Jiao was already in her big bed, sleeping so soundly she was practically blowing snot bubbles. After completely dealing with Ye Rong and Yuan Sheng, this was the first time Chen Jiao could get a truly peaceful night’s sleep.

Because she had to go to Tanhou Village the next day, Chen Jiao got up before six. After an hour of practicing her basic dance skills in her room, she heard a knock on the door as she was finishing washing up.

Drying her hair, Chen Jiao went to open the door. “Your timing is impeccable, isn’t it?”

Zong Qi smiled faintly. “Even though you have to go to Tanhou Village today, I knew you wouldn’t want to disrupt your usual routine; you’d just start it earlier. It’s a two-hour drive from here to Tanhou Village, so it was easy to estimate when you’d wake up.”

Chen Jiao wrinkled her nose. “Come in. I’ll be ready to go as soon as I dry my hair.”

With that, she went into the bathroom to blow-dry her hair, while Zong Qi went inside to pack her personal belongings. Having been her assistant for a few days, the task was already second nature to him.

At first, Chen Jiao didn’t let Zong Qi pack for her. But she was just too careless and always forgot things. She’d either forget her room key, her phone, or some other small item.

But Zong Qi was meticulous. When he packed Chen Jiao’s bag for her, he made sure to bring everything she might need and could tell her exactly where each item was.

Eventually, Chen Jiao just gave in. It was a good thing to have someone managing her life so methodically.

After Chen Jiao finished drying her hair and putting on some light makeup, Zong Qi was also done packing. The two left the hotel and headed straight for Tanhou Village. At the same time, Li Shun and the others were being hauled out of bed by their families.

Ah Mei had come over early to wake Big Guy up. He was good-natured, and when he was woken, he just sat there on his bed, staring blankly at Ah Mei. After a moment, he finally broke into a grin. “Sis.”

“Mhm, get up and have breakfast,” Ah Mei replied. “It’s your first day of work. You need to make a good impression on the boss.”

“Got it, I’m up.” Big Guy scrambled out of bed, shuffled into his cloth shoes, and rushed outside. After wincing from the shock of the cold water, he quickly washed up and ran back inside. “Sis, can you check me over?”

Ah Mei walked a circle around him. “You look pretty neat. Not bad.”

Big Guy smiled sheepishly. ‘I wonder when Brother Shun and the others are heading out.’

“They’ll definitely come get you,” Big Guy’s grandpa said, tapping the table. “Be more steady when you’re out there working. If anyone actually dares to bully you…”

“I know. I’ll hit them back.” Big Guy clenched his fist. “I get it.”

Big Guy’s grandpa was somewhat reassured but then added a few more reminders. He couldn’t help but worry. His grandson, Big Guy, was the most simple-minded of the eight young men. He wasn’t worried about the others; he was just afraid his grandson would be bullied after leaving home.

Ah Mei comforted her grandpa, “Don’t you worry. The people in charge of Ashun’s group are the big bosses. Miss Chen is so capable, and Big Guy, Ashun, and the others are on her side. They’ll be representing Miss Chen there. Who would be foolish enough to offend them?”

“Besides, have you forgotten? Big Guy still has that medicine.”

The old man thought about it and agreed. “You’re right. You’re all family, so it’s impossible not to worry. Even if you were the one going off to work, I’d still be worried sick.”

Ah Mei smiled. “I’m not asking for much. It would be best if I could find a job close to home. That way, I could still look after the family.”

Big Guy might be simple, but he wasn’t stupid. He scratched his head. “After we get familiar with the factory, I’ll ask Miss Chen. If they’re hiring, they have to hire someone, right? And my sister is so great.”

Ah Mei’s lips curled. “Okay, but I’m not in that much of a hurry.”

“This is important. Once you have a job and Miss Chen is looking out for you, no one will dare to bully you,” Big Guy said with a simple smile. “I’ll definitely ask Miss Chen.”

“Ah Mei seems quite mature, and her character is good too.” Tan You played this segment for Chen Jiao in the car, giving a fair assessment of Ah Mei.

Chen Jiao leaned against the car window. “She really is. I feel like she and Big Guy are polar opposites. Big Guy is so simple, while Ah Mei looks exceptionally smart.”

“And she is indeed very smart,” Tan You said with a smile. “She’s only two years older than Big Guy. When he was out making a name for himself, Ah Mei was undoubtedly the one planning things for him from behind the scenes.”

“It’s just a pity that her background has limited her talent.”

Chen Jiao sighed. “Only after coming out into the world did I realize how many talented people there are. It feels like I can’t compare to anyone in any respect.”

Tan You glanced at her sideways. Sure enough, the next second, Chen Jiao perked up again. “But it’s okay! I have you on my side, Teacher. I’ll learn slowly, and I’ll get there eventually.”

A smile spread in Tan You’s eyes. She liked this kind of optimist—someone who might feel down for a moment but could always bounce back quickly.

“So, should we have Ah Mei come to the factory?” Chen Jiao asked tentatively. “I was thinking, Teacher, since you’re opening a clothing factory, you’ll definitely need female workers. No matter how smart Li Shun and Little Liu are, they can’t get too close to the female staff.”

Tan You narrowed her eyes. “A good point. Continue.”

“So we need a female worker for that role,” Chen Jiao said, growing bolder with the encouragement. “Didn’t you say Ah Mei is smart? We can have her help manage the female workers. It would save us a lot of time and trouble.”

Tan You nodded slightly. “Alright. You can tell Big Guy yourself in a bit.”

Chen Jiao stretched contentedly. “You got it.”

The two chatted idly all the way to Tanhou Village. When they arrived at the factory entrance, Li Shun, Little Liu, and the others all swarmed over. One of them even stumbled, as if his legs had gone numb from squatting for too long.

Chen Jiao didn’t say anything. ‘They’re just trying to secure a job for themselves, giving it their all. What’s there to laugh at?’

Zong Qi was even less likely to say anything. After glancing at the way the eight men were dressed, he simply nodded. “Let’s go inside.”

Li Shun and Little Liu immediately fell in line behind Zong Qi. As for Chen Jiao, they wouldn’t dare try to curry favor with her in front of Zong Qi. With those two taking the lead, the rest of the men all crowded around Zong Qi.

It made Zong Qi look like the leader of the pack.