Chapter 18

After having a simple lunch at Wu Shulan's place, Wu Cheng saw that Wu Mingquan was still resting, so he didn't disturb him and left directly, as he had things to do in the afternoon.

Before leaving, he asked Wu Shulan to start creating momentum in the newspapers, guiding the public's attention to fashion trends: "What is fashion? The Urban Entertainment Weekly will tell you!"

Starting from the afternoon, Wu Cheng began to encounter obstacles everywhere, just like in the morning. By evening, Wu Cheng was somewhat disheartened, wondering if his previous ideas were too idealistic. Were these people all short-sighted and lacking in foresight?

As he walked, Wu Cheng silently cursed in his heart: "My plan is so perfect, why can't they see the huge business opportunity hidden in it! No wonder these clothing stores can't grow, they have no courage or determination. Should I go to the big clothing factories?"

Thinking about this, Wu Cheng felt that it would be fine to visit the big clothing factories again tomorrow.

Wu Cheng sighed, looked up at the sky, and decided to take a taxi home. He had almost toured half of Hong Kong but still couldn't find a satisfactory partner.

But as he looked up, he noticed a small shop at the street corner with a sign that read 'Zhong's Women's Wear.' He thought for a moment and decided to walk over, thinking: "This is the last one. If it doesn't work out, I'll go home and visit the big clothing companies tomorrow."

Actually, he was reluctant to go to the big clothing companies because he knew that even if he cooperated with these companies, he wouldn't get much benefit. They had their own brands, and it was already noble of them not to steal his ideas. Expecting them to give up part of their profits was too much to ask.

Entering the clothing store, Wu Cheng looked around and saw a girl slumped at the counter, looking listless. Seeing Wu Cheng looking around suspiciously, the girl said, "Hey, kid, this is a women's clothing store. What are you doing here?"

"Huh? Why does this person seem familiar?" Wu Cheng thought to himself as he looked at the girl.

"Hey! Kid, why are you staring at me like that?" The girl felt a bit embarrassed by Wu Cheng's gaze, wondering if there was something on her face, and even touched her face a couple of times.

"Oh! Pretty sister, what's your name? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before!"

The girl rolled her eyes at Wu Cheng's words, thinking: "Where did this little brat come from? At such a young age, he's already trying to flirt with girls. That's really inappropriate."

"Kid, I'm sure we've never met before!" The girl put her hands on the counter, leaned forward, and scolded Wu Cheng, "At such a young age, you're already learning to flirt with girls. Are you as tall as me? Being so lecherous at such a young age, what will you be like when you grow up? Where are your parents? I'll tell them to educate you properly!"

Wu Cheng blinked and thought: "This girl is quite sharp-tongued! She's a little firecracker!"

"Pretty sister, my parents passed away a long time ago. If you want to meet them, you might have to wait until you're old, but I don't dare to ask you to go see them now." Wu Cheng looked at her with an innocent expression.

"Uh!" The girl was taken aback, then stuck out her tongue awkwardly and said, "Sorry! I didn't know!"

She felt that this boy wouldn't lie about such a thing. After all, who would curse their own parents to die early? If that were the case, this person would be beyond help.

"It's okay! I'm used to it!" Wu Cheng sighed, shook his head, and then said seriously, "Sister, call the owner out! I have something to discuss with the owner!"

"Tell me what it is! My name is Zhong Chuhong, and what's yours?"

"Zhong Chuhong!? Red Lady!" Wu Cheng stared at her with wide eyes, looking her up and down. Indeed, she did look a bit familiar... No, not just a bit, but she was the same person, just younger. He had noticed her eyes were particularly distinctive, giving off a hard-to-describe feeling.

Now he remembered that the most unforgettable thing about Red Lady was her eyes. Just one look, without any special attire, could make people feel very alluring and sexy.

This talent was unique among Hong Kong and Taiwan actresses.

However, this sexy goddess was still in her teenage years, and her charm had not fully blossomed, like a flower bud about to bloom.

"Red Lady? Am I that old? Little brat, you're so impolite!" Zhong Chuhong rolled her eyes at Wu Cheng and pouted, seemingly not fond of this nickname.

Wu Cheng was embarrassed, wondering if this nickname wasn't given by her.

"Uh, I meant Red Lady. By the way, where are your parents? I want to discuss a business deal with them!"

"Ha, a little brat like you talking about business? Are you just here to play around?" Zhong Chuhong looked at Wu Cheng with distrust. It wasn't that she was underestimating him, but a normal person would find it impossible.

This was also the main reason most store owners directly rejected Wu Cheng—too young, not convincing!

Wu Cheng rolled his eyes at her and said, "Don't think that just because you're older than me, you're necessarily more capable. Why don't we see who's better?"

"Hey, you little brat, you're quite confident!" Zhong Chuhong was amused and said, "Tell me, what big business have you done to make money? Let me admire you!"

"Ha, you'll be kneeling before me soon!"

"What do you mean?"

"Kneel down!"

"Ha ha ha... You little brat, you're quite funny!" Zhong Chuhong couldn't help but laugh, feeling less tired and in a better mood.

Wu Cheng chuckled and handed her the hand-drawn sketches, saying, "Take a look at these sketches first. Do you think the clothes made from these designs will be beautiful?"

Zhong Chuhong took the sketches and nodded, "They are quite novel, but these are for adults. You can't be telling me that you drew these!"

"Do you have paper and a pen?" Wu Cheng raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Wait a moment!"

When Zhong Chuhong brought the paper and pen, Wu Cheng looked at her again and started drawing on the paper. As Wu Cheng drew, a middle-aged man came down from upstairs and quietly stood beside them, watching the novel clothing designs emerge from Wu Cheng's hand.

"Done!" When the last one was completed, Wu Cheng called out, put down the pen, and turned to the middle-aged man with respect, saying, "Uncle, I'm Wu Cheng. You can call me Cheng or Little Cheng!" It seemed that Wu Cheng was not surprised by the man's appearance.

In fact, Wu Cheng had sensed the man's presence when he arrived. He just wanted to show his abilities in front of him, so he pretended to be fully focused.

"Hello, I'm Ah Hong's father. How did you come up with these designs?"

"Uncle, what do you think of these designs?" Wu Cheng asked with a smile.

"They are quite novel, but they don't seem to fit the current fashion trends!" Zhong's father frowned slightly, not very optimistic about their prospects, and shook his head.

"Uncle, do you believe that when these clothes are released, they will become the trendsetters of the current fashion?" Wu Cheng looked at Zhong's father with a half-smile.

He could sense that Zhong's father was hesitant, as he couldn't be sure about this.

It's no wonder they were hesitant and rejected Wu Cheng's proposal. Being the first to try something new is not easy, as they had to be prepared for the possibility of failure.

A normal person wouldn't take such a risk, as they couldn't see that far ahead.

After some thought, Wu Cheng said, "Uncle Zhong, how about this: you make the few sets of clothes I've designed, and I'll pay you a deposit. Once I take photos of these clothes, you can see them. My idea is that if Uncle Zhong is willing, we can start a clothing factory together and create a brand. I've already thought of a name—Red Lady!"

As he spoke, Wu Cheng winked at Zhong Chuhong, clearly taking the name from her.

Zhong Chuhong was embarrassed but felt a strange sense of happiness.

Zhong's father nodded and said, "Let's wait until I make these clothes and see how they turn out."

Wu Cheng smiled and nodded, took out three thousand dollars, and handed it to him, saying, "This is the deposit. Please use the best fabric. The colors and sizes are marked on the designs. Just follow them."

"No problem, you can come to pick up the clothes in five days!" Zhong's father nodded, took the three thousand deposit, and wrote a note for Wu Cheng, telling him to come back with the note to pick up the clothes.

Wu Cheng nodded, took the note, and said with a smile, "Uncle Zhong, please consider my proposal carefully. Don't look at my age; I won't do anything without being sure!"

However, Wu Cheng's words were not very convincing and couldn't persuade them.

This was the disadvantage of being young.

When Wu Cheng said goodbye to the Zhong family and left, Zhong Chuhong ran out and called after him, "Hey!"

Wu Cheng turned around and teased, "Red Lady, is there something else?"

"Little brat, please accept my knees!"

Zhong Chuhong laughed, lifted her skirt, and performed a curtsy for Wu Cheng.

Wu Cheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "I accept your kindness!"

He turned, raised his hand, and waved, blending into the crowd.

Watching Wu Cheng's disappearing back, Zhong Chuhong couldn't help but giggle.