6: Chapter 6: Solitary Perseverance

To be honest, Zhang Menglu was not a promiscuous woman.

In the past, she would never have been so intimate with a man she had just met.

It wasn't easy for university students to start businesses; finding a good job was hard, and even if she found one, the salary and benefits for a job unrelated to her major were barely satisfactory.

So, after graduation, on a whim, she opened this hosiery store with her Best Friend, starting her own business as the boss.

The ideal was grand, but reality was harsh.

Since her Best Friend withdrew her investment, for nearly three months, only Zhang Menglu had been struggling to keep the shop running alone.

She was lonely, desolate, and desperately needed someone to comfort her.

After persisting for three months, the loneliness she had nowhere to place, the harbor she had nothing to lean on, made each passing day harder to endure.

Just when she was about to give up, Heaven sent a man, Chen Hao, to save her and her failing little shop.

The hosiery store was her dream, and also her stubborn pursuit.

Even knowing Chen Hao's motives might not be pure, she didn't care.

Because this man, Chen Hao, was a marketing genius.

When he helped her sell stockings, he spoke eloquently, commanding the situation, as if he were radiating light.

This kind of confidence was something she had never seen in her ex-boyfriend.

He helped her earn 45,000 in one night; tell me, what kind of person could do that?

This was also the reason she fell for him.

As an exchange of knowledge, Zhang Menglu was willing to pay the price.

It wasn't because of love, but simply because Chen Hao's complete willingness to teach benefited Zhang Menglu immensely and gave her the courage to stay in the big city and continue striving.

...

Afterward.

The two were tightly embracing, squeezed onto the small single bed, panting, savoring the lingering passion of the moment.

Doing this in the hosiery store was an unparalleled experience for Chen Hao.

"You lie down first, I'll tidy up a bit."

As Zhang Menglu got up to leave, Chen Hao stopped her.

"Wait a moment. Didn't we agree that you would give me the stockings you wore?"

Zhang Menglu was stunned.

"You really want them?"

"I want to keep them as a souvenir."

"I give up."

She sat on the bed, casually pulled off the stockings, and tossed them to Chen Hao.

Putting on a T-shirt, she started cleaning up the remnants in her bare feet.

Her T-shirt just covered her bottom, and her fair legs swayed in the air.

Chen Hao finally experienced what it meant to be a feast for the eyes, beautiful beyond compare.

"Ding"

"Exchangeable goddess token detected, do you wish to exchange?"

The system prompt brought Chen Hao back to his senses.

First, take care of business.

"Ahem."

He silently commanded in his mind.

"Exchange."

The next second, the stockings in his hand vanished into thin air.

"Exchange complete."

"System determination: Zhang Menglu's current favorability towards the host is 60. Token exchange grants 60 points."

This was equivalent to 600,000!

This money came too easily!

Amidst his excitement, Chen Hao had a sudden idea.

Since this was a hosiery store, he decided to try taking another pair of stockings to see if they could be exchanged.

"Exchange invalid. This item is ownerless, not a goddess token. It does not come with favorability enhancement and cannot be exchanged."

As expected, it didn't work.

It seemed the rules were fixed; there was no way to exploit a bug.

Never mind that, first, convert the 60 points into cash and cash out.

Bank card arrival notification.

"Your ICBC card number 0178 account has received a transfer of 600,000 yuan in total from another bank. Current balance is 4.64 million yuan."

Who could earn 600,000 in one night? This was much better than working a job!

Looking at Zhang Menglu again, not only was she beautiful, but she could also provide a large number of points.

Compared to her, his ex-girlfriend, Lin Xiaomeng, was utterly worthless.

Zhang Menglu finished tidying up and lay down on the single bed. Chen Hao pulled her into his arms, gave her a sweet kiss on her forehead, and just like that, the two embraced and slept soundly.

...

The next day.

Chen Hao was startled awake by the sound of the rolling shutter door.

Opening his eyes, he saw Zhang Menglu wearing denim hot pants and a T-shirt on top. After opening the rolling shutter door, she took breakfast from the delivery guy and scurried back inside.

"You're awake, eat breakfast."

There were two bowls of hot dry noodles placed on the table; one for Chen Hao, one for Zhang Menglu.

Chen Hao got dressed first and went to the bathroom to wash up. When he came out, Zhang Menglu quickly put down her phone and asked with a smile.

"Are you free in a few days?"

"I'm always free."

Chen Hao sat opposite her.

"Why are you asking if I'm free?"

She looked a little embarrassed and said hesitantly.

"After I sell for a few more days and earn some money for inventory, I want to take a trip to Guangcheng. But I don't know anyone there in Guangcheng, and I want you to accompany me. Is that okay?"

Chen Hao smiled confidently.

"I'll arrange the whole trip, and I'll help you establish the channels. You only need to go once. In the future, if you need to stock up, just call the manufacturer and have them ship via logistics, so you won't have to travel all the way to Guangcheng."

"Really?"

She smiled brilliantly and even passed an egg to Chen Hao.

"You are so kind."

"Consider it repayment for accompanying me to my satisfaction last night."

"Oh."

She immediately performed the 'smile vanishing trick'.

A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea; she was probably considering how to define their relationship.

Apprentice, boyfriend, or just a fling?

Chen Hao was scrolling through his phone while eating. There were several missed calls, all from Lin Xiaomeng, and her WeChat was also full of messages from Lin Xiaomeng.

"Where the hell are you? Hurry up and come back!"

"Why aren't you replying to my messages?"

"I order you to appear before me immediately!"

Chen Hao's good mood vanished instantly. He typed a reply.

"Are you sick! We already broke up. You have no right to control where I go!"

Immediately following that, Lin Xiaomeng's call came through.

"Chen Hao, have you gone crazy!"

"You won't answer calls or reply to texts. How old are you to play hide-and-seek? Can't you stop being so childish?"

Chen Hao responded irritably.

"If you have something to say, say it. If not, I'm hanging up!"

"You dare hang up on me..."

Chen Hao didn't want to listen to her nagging and directly hung up the phone.

Immediately after, Lin Xiaomeng called again.

"You really dare hang up on me?"

Chen Hao questioned her irritably.

"What is it?"

"What's your attitude? The sales department staff said you left without handing over anything. All projects have stalled. The contracts that needed signing weren't finalized. Do you know how much loss you caused the company?"

Chen Hao didn't want to listen to her nonsense and hung up the phone again.

The atmosphere in the hosiery store was unusually tense. Zhang Menglu ate her meal cautiously and asked tentatively.

"Who was calling you and shouting so loudly?"

"A former colleague from the company."

Chen Hao replied casually.

The phone rang again, still Lin Xiaomeng. This time Chen Hao directly chose to reject the call and even blocked her.

Not long after, a call came from a different number. The caller ID was surprisingly Manager Wang Kaiming.

Chen Hao calmly answered.

"Say what you need to say, spit it out."

"Chen Hao, let's put our personal grievances aside for now. You must return to the company today and hand over all the work you need to transfer."