The Red Star Textile Factory was a relic of the old era—a sprawling complex of red-brick buildings and rusting chimneys that had once been the pride of the town. For Li Hua, it was a place of ghosts. It was here her father had worked himself to an early grave, and here where Auntie Mei had spent years skimming profits to fund Li Lulu's lifestyle.
As the 10,000 Yuan deposit sat warm in her account, Li Hua stood at the iron gates. She was no longer the girl who snuck in through the back to bring her father lunch.
She was wearing a tailored, double-breasted cream suit that contrasted sharply with her raven-black hair. Her weight had dropped to 77kg, and while she still possessed a healthy, curvaceous figure, she moved with the predatory grace of a leopard. Her 'Socialite Aura' was turned up to the maximum.
[Ding! Side-Quest Triggered: The Great Cleansing.]
[Task: Formalize the buyout and fire the 'Leeches'. Reward: +30 Business IQ, 'Industrial Machinery' Mastery, -3kg Weight Loss.]
Beside her, Ye Feng leaned against his Hongqi car, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched her with an unreadable expression. "You know, Li Hua, you could have just asked me to buy this place for you. It would have taken one phone call."
Li Hua didn't look at him. She adjusted her sunglasses, her gaze fixed on the factory chimney. "Mr. Ye, a kingdom bought by another is just a gilded cage. I want my father's name on that deed, paid for with my own sweat. If you want to help, just stand back and watch the fireworks."
Ye Feng's lips quirked. "As you wish, Boss Li."
They walked into the administrative building. The air inside smelled of stale tea and old paper. In the main office, Auntie Mei was sitting at the director's desk, her feet up, gossiping with a group of warehouse workers.
"I'm telling you," Auntie Mei cackled, "that brat Li Hua must have sold herself to some old sugar daddy in the capital to get that money. But it won't last. Once she's used up, she'll come crawling back here for a job, and I'll make her scrub the toilets!"
The workers laughed, but the laughter died instantly as the door swung open.
Li Hua walked in, the clicking of her high-end heels sounding like a death knell. The room went silent. Auntie Mei's feet hit the floor so hard her tea spilled.
"Li... Li Hua?" Auntie Mei stammered, her eyes bulging as she took in the cream suit and the cold, diamond-sharp gaze of her step-daughter. "What are you doing here? This is a place of business! Get out!"
Li Hua didn't say a word. She walked to the desk, took the lukewarm tea cup, and tipped it over the side, letting the brown liquid soak into Auntie Mei's paperwork.
"You're right, Auntie. This is a place of business," Li Hua said, her voice dropping like a heavy blade. "And since I just signed the bankruptcy acquisition papers with the City Council this morning, I am the owner of this business. Which means you are currently trespassing."
Auntie Mei's face turned a ghostly white. "Acquisition? Bankruptcy? You... you lie! Your father left this to me!"
"My father left this to his heir," Li Hua pulled a red-stamped document from her leather briefcase and slammed it onto the desk. "You've spent three years running it into the ground, stealing fabric to sell on the black market. I've already handed the evidence of your 'extra' income to the police. They'll be arriving in twenty minutes."
The workers who had been laughing earlier began to edge toward the door, their faces pale.
"As for the rest of you," Li Hua turned her head, her 'Vogue' Vision scanning the room. "You were all part of Auntie Mei's 'special' circle. You took the bribes. You ignored the safety violations. You're fired. Effective immediately. Pack your things and leave. If I find a single spool of thread missing, I'll add 'Theft of State Assets' to your police reports."
"You can't do this!" Li Lulu shrieked, running into the room. She had been hiding in the breakroom. "We're family! You have to take care of us!"
Li Hua looked at her half-sister—the girl who had stolen her clothes and mocked her weight for a decade. "Family? When you let me starve so you could buy hair ribbons? When you laughed while Gu Yan called me a pig? We aren't family, Lulu. We're just people who happened to live in the same house. And today, the lease is up."
[Ding! 'The Great Cleansing' 80% Complete! The 'Leeches' are in despair!]
Auntie Mei lunged at Li Hua, her nails clawing for that porcelain-white skin. "I'll kill you! You ruined everything!"
Before Auntie Mei could even get close, a large, gloved hand caught her wrist. Ye Feng had stepped into the room, his presence making the cramped office feel like a freezer. He didn't even look at Auntie Mei; he just squeezed her wrist until she dropped to her knees with a whimper.
"Touch her again," Ye Feng said, his voice a low, terrifying growl, "and I'll make sure you don't just lose your job. I'll make sure you lose your freedom in a prison so far north the sun never rises."
He tossed the woman aside as if she were a piece of trash.
Li Hua stood over her fallen step-mother. "Mr. Chen is outside with his cart, Auntie. He's the scrap collector you tried to hire to sell my mother's machine. I've hired him as my new Head of Logistics. He'll be happy to escort you and your daughter to the gate."
As the police sirens began to wail in the distance, Li Hua turned her back on the crying women. She walked to the window and looked out at the factory floor. The workers there, the honest ones who had been suppressed for years were looking up, waiting for a leader.
[Ding! Mission Complete! Rewards Issued!]
[Weight Loss: -3kg. Current Weight: 74kg!]
[New Skill: 'Industrial Machinery' Mastery. You can now fix and optimize any 90s loom.]
Li Hua felt the surge of power. Her body felt tighter, stronger, and her mind was suddenly filled with the blueprints of the factory's machines. She knew exactly how to make this place the fashion capital of the East.
She turned to Ye Feng, who was watching her with a newfound respect—and perhaps something warmer.
"Well, Mr. Ye," she said, a faint, victorious smile on her lips. "The trash has been cleared. Now, do you want to see how a 'fat girl' runs a production line?"