Chapter 22

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Watching Wei Hua's hurried departing figure, Tang Ran pouted her little mouth and said unhappily, "Didn't we all agree to take a day off today? How can there be something urgent at the last minute? It's so annoying!"

Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing exchanged glances, both finding Tang Ran's cutely innocent demeanor endearing. However, if Tang Ran weren't so innocent, Wei Hua wouldn't have received the deserved lesson.

Recalling what Wei Hua had said to Zhou Ming, Lin Muqing felt a surge of anger. Wei Hua was just a local from Nanjiang, and there was no sign of him making big money. What was there to be so superior in front of her and Zhou Ming? But Zhou Ming was indeed quite capable, knowing how to eat at McDonald's and Western cuisine, and even making a lot of money in Linyang, taking out a loan of 400,000 yuan. He was truly remarkable, a true college graduate.

Thinking this, Lin Muqing sat next to Tang Ran, holding her hand and comforting her, "It's fine. If he has something to do, let him go. We'll have our fun. Ran Ran, don't you want to try real Western cuisine? Let's have this guy take us out for dinner tonight, okay?"

Lin Muqing pouted her lips at Zhou Ming, her expression suggesting that no matter what they ate, this guy could pay for it.

"Sure! Only Sister Muqing is so nice to me, I love you!"

Tang Ran, like a child, danced and cheered, finally hugging and kissing Lin Muqing, making her blush and look at Zhou Ming shyly.

Zhou Ming hadn't expected such a sweet scene, especially in 1987, in a McDonald's restaurant where people come and go. The sight of Lin Muqing and Tang Ran, one mature and the other innocent, kissing, even if just on the cheek, was quite impactful for men. Zhou Ming swallowed hard, feeling the envious and jealous gazes of the other men around him, wishing they had the luck to sit with such beautiful women.

Zhou Ming cleared his throat and said, "Alright, Sister Muqing and Ran Ran, we have some serious matters to discuss."

Reminded by Zhou Ming, Lin Muqing quickly pulled away from Tang Ran's embrace and said, "That's right, Ran Ran. Zhou Ming and I came to Nanjiang to ask for your help."

"Help? Sister Muqing, I know you came to Nanjiang to do business, but I only work at the immigration office and don't know anyone in the business department," Tang Ran said.

"Because you work at the immigration office, that's why I'm asking for your help. I'm not planning to do business in Nanjiang, but in Hong Kong," Zhou Ming explained.

Tang Ran's big, bright eyes widened. "You're going to Hong Kong? I can help you with passports and visas, but have you ever been to Hong Kong? What kind of business can you do there? And Hong Kong is completely different from here. I've heard the security is terrible, and you can see people being slashed on the streets. It's very scary!"

Lin Muqing was startled and turned to Zhou Ming, "Is Hong Kong that chaotic? Maybe we shouldn't go?"

Zhou Ming replied, "Hong Kong isn't like here; there are indeed gangs, but it's not as exaggerated as Ran Ran says. At least it won't conflict with our business, and we won't have any dealings with the gangs. There shouldn't be any problems."

Lin Muqing felt relieved and then Zhou Ming asked Tang Ran, "Since you work at the immigration office, you should have a way to exchange Hong Kong dollars, right? We need to do business in Hong Kong, and we can't do it without Hong Kong dollars."

Tang Ran nodded, "Yes, I have a colleague with connections at the bank. I can help you exchange at a better rate than the market. How much do you need to exchange?"

"400,000 yuan," Zhou Ming said.

Tang Ran first said "Oh," and then was surprised, but fortunately, Lin Muqing had already covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

Tang Ran, though innocent, wasn't stupid. She quickly realized they were still in a busy restaurant and smiled apologetically at Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing. After Lin Muqing let go, she whispered to Zhou Ming, "You want to exchange 400,000 yuan to Hong Kong dollars? Is all this money yours? My goodness! You're really amazing!"

Tang Ran's voice trembled, clearly shocked by the amount Zhou Ming had mentioned. It was understandable, as in 1987, the average income was very low, even in the forefront of reform and opening-up in Nanjiang, where the average income was around 200 yuan. 400,000 yuan was a huge sum that ordinary people couldn't earn in a lifetime, so Tang Ran was naturally shocked.

Zhou Ming, flattered by the admiration of this innocent beauty, coughed and asked Tang Ran, "Can you help me with the exchange?"

Tang Ran nodded eagerly, "Of course, I'll do my best to help you."

...

Tang Ran was quick and efficient. After agreeing to help Zhou Ming exchange Hong Kong dollars, she quickly finished her burger and fries. Then, Tang Ran, Zhou Ming, and Lin Muqing returned to the office. Through Tang Ran's colleague, they found her relative at the Bank of China, a woman in her early thirties surnamed Zheng. When she heard that Zhou Ming wanted to exchange 400,000 Hong Kong dollars, she was so surprised that she jumped up and quickly invited Zhou Ming into the reception room, offering him tea and water.

Ms. Zheng handed Zhou Ming a cup of tea and then sat down, somewhat awkwardly asking, "Young man, you said you want to exchange 400,000 yuan to Hong Kong dollars. Where did you get the money?"

"Ms. Zheng, rest assured, my money is definitely legitimate. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to come to the bank to exchange it. It's currently in my Agricultural Bank account. Do you need to verify it?" Zhou Ming said.

Ms. Zheng shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, no, of course not. I trust you, but..."

Ms. Zheng, somewhat embarrassed, continued, "Young man, I can indeed get you the internal exchange rate of our bank, but the amount you want to exchange is too large, and I can't make the decision. It needs the approval of our leadership. Our leader is currently on a business trip, and I've already reported the situation to him. He won't be back until tonight. What do you think..."

Zhou Ming waved his hand indifferently, "No problem, let's wait until tonight. I'll treat you and your leader to dinner."

Ms. Zheng nodded in agreement.

Zhou Ming got up to leave, and Ms. Zheng saw them out. After leaving the Bank of China, Tang Ran whispered to Zhou Ming, "Ms. Zheng seems to be afraid of you."

Before Zhou Ming could respond, Lin Muqing interjected, "That's not fear, but awe. She thinks it's amazing that Zhou Ming can come up with 400,000 yuan. And you forgot what your colleague told you earlier. The Bank of China has a large foreign currency exchange task, and there aren't many people in Nanjiang exchanging foreign currency, so they can't complete it. They really need Zhou Ming's business, so they're afraid of losing him."

Zhou Ming smiled indifferently, hearing the pride and admiration in Lin Muqing's voice. But she was right; in this era, anyone who could come up with 400,000 yuan in cash was either powerful or wealthy.

What annoyed Zhou Ming was that this 400,000 yuan was a loan from the Agricultural Bank of Nanhui County, which needed to be repaid. However, Zhou Ming believed that once he went to Hong Kong, he could multiply this amount by at least several dozen times in a few months.

In the afternoon, Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing followed Tang Ran around Nanjiang. The city, though not as developed as in later years, was already showing signs of a first-tier city. It's no wonder that even national leaders praised the decision to establish Nanjiang as an economic special zone.

Around 7 PM, Zhou Ming, Lin Muqing, and Tang Ran arrived at a Western restaurant in the center of Nanjiang. Zhou Ming asked the waiter to find a relatively quiet spot. After sitting down, Zhou Ming said to Tang Ran, "Ran Ran, I'm sorry. I promised to take you out for Western cuisine, but we need to discuss some matters. I'll take you out for a proper dinner next time, okay?"

Tang Ran happily nodded, but Lin Muqing gave Zhou Ming a resentful look, making him feel a jolt. Zhou Ming quickly explained to Lin Muqing, "Sister Muqing, I'm just treating Ran Ran to a meal, nothing more. She's helped us a lot, and I promised to take her out for Western cuisine. I have to keep my word!"

Lin Muqing pouted, "If you want to treat her, go ahead. Why are you explaining to me?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ming felt a headache. When women are jealous, there's no logic to it. Moreover, Zhou Ming wasn't a seasoned player in his previous life, so he was at a loss on how to handle the situation.

However, Tang Ran's words made Zhou Ming feel much better. She looked at Lin Muqing and said, "Sister Muqing, are you jealous because Zhou Ming is treating me to dinner? It's fine, you can come too. We're not strangers."

Lin Muqing didn't expect Tang Ran to say this and blushed. Zhou Ming chuckled.

It had to be said that Tang Ran's innocent and straightforward nature was quite powerful. She said and did whatever she wanted, but her innocence made it impossible to be angry with her.

Lin Muqing glared at Zhou Ming, who was chuckling. She didn't know why she had such an attitude just now. It was like a little girl's jealousy. She was older than Zhou Ming, so why was she jealous of him? But when she heard that Zhou Ming was treating Tang Ran to dinner alone, she felt inexplicable anger.

Lin Muqing shook her head, trying to clear her mind. She scolded Tang Ran, "What are you talking about, you silly girl? Who's jealous of you? I'm not! Alright, we've already contacted Ms. Zheng. Let's look at the menu and order something now."

Zhou Ming knew Lin Muqing was changing the subject and didn't say anything. Continuing to dwell on the jealousy issue wouldn't be productive.

But when Lin Muqing opened the menu and discussed what to order with Tang Ran, a voice suddenly came from nearby, "Beautiful lady, hello."

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