2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 165 A Different National Day

Guangzhou, Baiyun Airport.

"Hey bro, where's your boss? Has he gone home yet?"

"I don't know. They said they went on vacation and probably haven't come home."

Zhang Xupeng cursed angrily, "That bastard's standards are getting lower and lower. Let's ignore him, get in the car and go home."

"What do you mean? What's the bottom line?" Zhang Xuhui looked at his cousin with some curiosity.

During the five-day National Day holiday, he really didn't think about going home. As a recent graduate, he didn't have much attachment to his family. So, following Tan Jincheng's advice, he got a plane ticket to Guangzhou to visit his cousin. Of course, he was too embarrassed to ask his cousin to reimburse him for the plane ticket.

"It's nothing, how many days off do you guys get?" Zhang Xupeng replied casually as he drove.

Zhang Xupeng has always been a tight-lipped person. Now that he's been a boss for a year, he understands very well what can and cannot be said, even among relatives. Moreover, Xu Hui was the one who recommended him to be Xiao Tan's assistant, so there are some private matters he can't tell him.

As for Aunt Zhang, that was beyond our control. I've eaten Aunt Zhang's cooking many times since I was little, so how could I hide it from her? Besides, Xiao Tan has often tattled on me to my mother.

"What are some fun things to do in Guangzhou during the five-day break?"

"Guangzhou, the most fun places in Guangzhou are in Dongguan."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'll take you to see it in a couple of days, and you'll see."

If Tan Jincheng knew, he would definitely scold Zhang Xupeng for being a heartless person, saying, "How could you take a college student on a trip to Dongguan?"
A few days later, after Zhang Xuhui experienced it, he let out a wail.

There's no going back, there's really no going back. The door to a new world has been opened and can never be closed again.
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"Sigh, people in love really do have low standards; they actually went on vacation during the National Day holiday." Tan Jincheng sighed inwardly as he looked at the crowds of people coming and going.

In the past, Tan Jincheng disliked traveling during long holidays the most. The crowded scenes were simply unbearable and the experience was extremely poor.

Now, he has not only accepted Gu Qingqing's invitation, but also become her driver and part-time photographer.

To be fair, from the very beginning of his career in the clothing industry, Tan Jincheng took many of the photos himself. His photography skills were not as good as Teacher Chen's, but they were not the kind of photos that were later criticized on Douyin.

I've learned a little bit about composition and photo editing techniques.

I wonder if Teacher Chen has filmed it yet? In which year was it released? This person has opened a new world for so many young people, and at the same time, it has also torn off a layer of filter from celebrities.

Fortunately, it was 2005, and there weren't many private cars or high-speed trains. The number of visitors to the scenic area was much less than what was seen in the news in later years.

"Wow, this place is so beautiful! Boss Tan, come over here and take a picture of Qingqing."

"Wow, there's no one here. Boss Tan, come over and take a group photo for us."

"This is great, this is great! Mr. Tan, why don't you and Qingqing take a photo together? I'll take it for you."

On the first day of National Day, Boss Tan transformed into a photographer, taking all sorts of pictures in Hongcun Scenic Area. His clients were naturally the four girls in Gu Qingqing's dormitory. It has to be said that Hongcun in October is truly beautiful.

The border area between Zhejiang and Anhui is actually very suitable for road trips. Originally, these people planned to go to Hangzhou because the transportation is more convenient. However, after hearing that Tan Jincheng agreed to travel with them, they changed their destination to Hongcun, which was the place they most wanted to visit.

These were all things they had planned beforehand. In China, Ctrip still dominates the travel guide website market. They have been listed on the US stock market for two years now. Ctrip was founded in 1999. Although its reputation has not been good in recent years and it is often exposed for overcharging loyal customers, it is really awesome.

The biggest characteristic of the internet is its fast pace. For an internet company to adapt to the pace of the internet in different eras and survive well while keeping its main business unchanged is an extremely difficult thing.

"Are you tired?" Gu Qingqing sat down next to Tan Jincheng and asked softly.

Right now, the other three were taking pictures of themselves. Except for Xu Manli, the others were using their mobile phones, which made Tan Jincheng secretly complain: these days, can the photos taken by mobile phones even be considered decent?

Tan Jincheng smiled and said to Gu Qingqing, "You won't feel tired if you just call me 'brother'."

There wasn't any intimate way of addressing the two of them. Tan Jincheng basically called her Qingqing, while Gu Qingqing used to call him Boss Tan. But now that their relationship was different, she couldn't call him that anymore, but she hadn't decided on a way to address him yet.

In most cases, he would call her by her given name, which Tan Jincheng found somewhat novel. In both his past and present lives, few people would call him by his given name. However, he still liked to tease her more often and make her call him "brother".

Her long, flowing hair and pure white T-shirt gave her a clean and innocent look, while her light blue jeans perfectly accentuated her curves, giving Tan Jincheng a feeling that was both innocent and alluring, making him even more eager to tease her.

Well, speaking of which, although Boss Tan often socializes and frequents entertainment venues, he is still a magician at this point.

Gu Qingqing gently punched Tan Jincheng's arm, but still whispered, "Brother."

Tan Jincheng was overjoyed and held Gu Qingqing's small hand tightly. If they weren't in a public place, he really wanted to kiss her.

"You said you rented a new factory building, and I thought you wouldn't be free during the National Day holiday, which is why I agreed to come out with them," Gu Qingqing said, blushing as she changed the subject.

"Life can't just be about work. You may be busy, but you still need to rest when you need to." "I don't believe it. Everyone else must have taken a holiday, so you had to take one too."

The essence of tourism is eating and drinking, and with Tan Jincheng's involvement, the quality has improved significantly.

The place we went to for lunch was a very authentic Anhui-style restaurant. The restaurant was located in a family-owned building. There was no seafood, but the ingredients were local chicken, fish and meat, and the bamboo shoots came from the bamboo forest on the hillside behind the house.

The tofu was supplied by a local workshop, and the chef's cooking skills were quite good. It was a very authentic Huizhou home-style dish. Tan Jincheng ate three bowls of rice with just one pot of pork stew.

Gu Qingqing and the other two preferred the stewed chicken soup. Tan Jincheng even specially ordered them a bowl of clear soup noodles, shredded some chicken, and poured two spoonfuls of chicken soup on top. It was incredibly delicious.

"Wow, this is so delicious! Mr. Tan, have you been here before? How did you find this place?" Xu Manli exclaimed exaggeratedly.

"I've never been here before, but I'm from Anhui Province, and my hometown isn't far from here. I can find it by looking up some travel guides online."

"Mr. Tan, where in Anhui Province are you from?"

"People from Yicheng, that's also a tourist destination. You're welcome to visit my hometown when you have time in the future."

"Oh, Yicheng? I know it. It has many famous people. Mr. Zhongfu was from Yicheng."

"What else do you know?"

"Huangmei Opera, does Boss Tan know how to sing it?"

"I don't know the complete version, but we Yicheng people can all sing a line or two."

At the dinner table, Gu Qingqing and Tan Jincheng didn't talk much. Instead, her roommates asked questions out of curiosity, and Gu Qingqing mostly sat aside and listened attentively. Through her roommates' questions, she was able to understand Tan Jincheng better.

In the afternoon, they continued to eat and shop, while Tan Jincheng continued to play the role of photographer. However, perhaps the delicious lunch had won over his three roommates, as they frequently found opportunities to have Tan Jincheng take photos with Gu Qingqing in the afternoon.

In every corner of Hongcun, the two left behind many photos together. During the photo process, Gu Qingqing went from being shy and timid at first to daring to take Tan Jincheng's arm.

Instead of staying in Hongcun that night, Tan Jincheng chose to drive an hour to the Huangshan International Hotel in Tunxi District. It was a five-star hotel, and Tan Jincheng had booked three standard rooms there before he arrived.

When traveling, Tan Jincheng doesn't really like staying in boutique hotels or guesthouses. If he can afford it, he'll stay in something nicer, but if not, he'll mainly choose chain hotels. Hotels are generally conveniently located, have relatively complete facilities, and make travel more convenient.

In Qian Zhongshu's novel "Fortress Besieged," there is a sentence that roughly means: travel is the most likely way to test a person's character. If you want to get married, you must take a trip with your partner first. If you don't dislike each other or quarrel after the trip, such a couple is unlikely to get divorced.

Women seem to particularly believe this statement, and therefore, taking a trip during the dating period to see a man for who he truly is is considered by most women to be one of the best methods.

Gu Qingqing and the others were no exception. Ever since Tan Jincheng accepted their invitation yesterday, Xu Manli and the other two had been urging Gu Qingqing to work together to carefully observe Tan Jincheng's performance during the next few days.

During the trip, will you be impatient? Will you take care of others? Is the itinerary well-planned?
"Wow, a five-star hotel! Boss Tan is really generous." Xu Manli said comfortably as she lay down on the bed back in her room.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate? Boss Tan paid for everything today, and now we're staying in such a nice hotel," Zhao Wenjia said to Gu Qingqing.

“Yes, shouldn’t we split the cost of the room and meals?” Chen Yanan chimed in.

The three rooms were on the same floor. Tan Jincheng had one room to herself, while the other two were shared among the four of them. However, after dinner, the four of them were lying in the same room chatting.

Gu Qingqing said with a smile, "We've lived together for over a year, and I've always been left out during group activities. Consider this my treat, so you can just relax and have fun."

"Isn't that a bit much? It would cost several thousand a day, wouldn't it?" Zhao Wenjia still hesitated.

"Hey, Qingqing will do whatever she says. She's not short of money, and she'll talk to Boss Tan about it. We'll just treat Qingqing and Boss Tan to meals a few more times in the future," Xu Manli said casually.

Among the four, Zhao Wenjia's family was slightly worse off, but his father was still a village chief, so it wasn't too bad. As for the other three, their occasional stays in five-star hotels were nothing special.

Often, when you're not short of money, your horizons broaden. Xu Manli's interruption caused everyone to put aside the topic of money and start discussing Tan Jincheng's performance that day.

"I've discovered that Boss Tan is quite meticulous. Qingqing is lucky, hehe."

Where did you find it?

"I noticed this while I was digesting after dinner. When Boss Tan and Qingqing are walking together, he always unconsciously protects Qingqing on the inside, while he himself stands on the other side of the driveway."

"I didn't notice that, but I did when we were ordering. Qingqing said that one of the dishes was delicious at lunch, and Boss Tan ordered it again for dinner."

"He even remembered to bring Qingqing a light jacket when we went for a walk, hehe."

As she spoke, Xu Manli blinked and said, "Hey, Qingqing, Boss Tan must be lonely living alone. Do you want to come over?"

(End of this chapter)