2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 191 First time

It's raining.

In Ningbo, autumn is a season with little rain and the air is relatively dry. A good autumn rain is like a long-awaited rain after a drought.

"Wait at the door for a moment, I'll go get the car," Tan Jincheng said, releasing Gu Qingqing's hand.

Gu Qingqing nodded gently, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Tan Jincheng, who had come out in the rain.

Unexpectedly, a chance encounter during a part-time job out of curiosity led to the current state of their relationship.

Is this fate?

It should be counted.

From work to life, and then to romance, there was no love at first sight between the two; it was more like things naturally progressed, and there weren't many exciting moments between them.

Gu Qingqing was captivated by Tan Jincheng's talent, and of course, his good looks as well. Tan Jincheng felt that he had met a woman of the opposite sex with whom he could communicate with his lonely soul, and so they were attracted to each other.

Those familiar with Gu Qingqing and Tan Jincheng felt that the pairing was not harmonious enough, and they didn't know how things had developed to this point.

Gu Qingqing's roommate privately thought that Tan Jincheng was quite handsome, rich, and too busy.

Rich people are all fickle, and Gu Qingqing comes from a good family. Plus, she's only a sophomore in college, and there are too many uncertainties about her future. There's no need for her to create such a hidden danger for herself.

The reason I gave her all sorts of advice was just because of my girlish feelings; I didn't actually have a very positive outlook on the relationship.

According to Zhang Xupeng, Tan Jincheng's good friend, Tan Jincheng seems to be focused solely on his career and doesn't seem to have much interest in women.

The business owners who went to karaoke with him before said that although Xiao Tan could have fun with everyone, no matter how the women in the entertainment venue tried to seduce him, his eyes remained clear and unwavering.

For a hot-blooded young man to do all this when faced with women of varying methods, he either has great ambitions or is simply not interested in these women.

But regardless of the type, it's hard to imagine that a young man who can uphold his principles and is so self-disciplined would suddenly start dating a girl.

Gu Qingqing is quite good, but given Tan Jincheng's current age and wealth, it would be easy for him to find someone even more outstanding than Gu Qingqing. Judging from his methods of throwing money around to buy endorsements, it wouldn't be difficult for him to sexually harass any female celebrity.

This is also the reason why Zhang Xupeng couldn't understand why Tan Jincheng suddenly started dating.

A college student and a billionaire? A serious relationship? It sounds like something out of a fantasy.

"What are you thinking about? Get in the car quickly, didn't you say there's an 8 AM bus?"

Tan Jincheng honked the horn and handed Gu Qingqing an umbrella through the car window, which brought Gu Qingqing back to her senses.

Taking the umbrella, Gu Qingqing didn't open it, but instead walked to the passenger seat and sat down naturally.

Seeing Gu Qingqing's unusual expression, Tan Jincheng asked, "What's wrong? What were you thinking about just now? You didn't hear me when I called you."

Gu Qingqing carefully examined Tan Jincheng. He had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a face as handsome as jade. Apart from his habit of having a buzz cut that affected his appearance, he was truly a standard handsome man. With such a face, not to mention having money, he wouldn't lack girlfriends either.

Only when Tan Jincheng started to feel uneasy under her gaze did Gu Qingqing softly ask, "They say that men no longer cherish what they have. Are you the same way?"

"Huh?" Tan Jincheng was still savoring the pleasure of last night and was a little confused by the question.

However, he quickly realized that this was a normal reaction for a woman after her first time—feeling anxious and uncertain, something he had experience with.

Shaking Gu Qingqing's hand, Tan Jincheng replied softly, "How could that be? Don't overthink it."

"You're so handsome, so capable, and so rich. You could easily find someone better than me. What do you like about me?" Gu Qingqing continued softly.

Well, it's not going to happen at 8 a.m. I was just getting anxious in bed, and now I'm feeling sentimental. Is it because of the rain?

"Don't underestimate yourself. You're very beautiful too. I like your beauty. Even if you stand next to Liu Yifei, you're still much better looking than her flat figure. And your looks are amazing too."

"The first time I saw you, I was attracted by your figure and your style. Your clothes are very much in line with my aesthetic. Although I have hired Brother Chun as a spokesperson, that was only from a business point of view. I am actually not very accepting of non-mainstream styles."

"I like your confidence, your quick wit and eagerness to learn."

"I like your rationality, your understanding, and your gentle nature."

"And you understand me."

This is most important.

There are many beautiful girls from wealthy families, but most of them have a somewhat spoiled temperament. This is caused by their upbringing. It's not that it's necessarily bad, but Tan Jincheng really doesn't like girls like that.

If you happen to run into a fairy, it will be even more troublesome, since fairies have existed in every era.

You don't see these qualities in Gu Qingqing. When he's too busy to be with her, she sits quietly beside him and studies instead of nagging Tan Jincheng to stop working and be with her.

When I'm away on business, she'll call to check on me, but not in a distrustful tone.

When the two of them go shopping and have fun together, she is happy and won't impulsively step in to help if she encounters something inconsiderate.

There's an old saying that a virtuous wife will keep you from misfortune; whether she's a virtuous wife or not is still unknown, but as her girlfriend, Tan Jincheng is very satisfied.

Indeed, as she said, finding even more beautiful girls shouldn't be difficult, but finding someone sensible, considerate, and understanding is much harder.

Perhaps many people will never find one in their entire lives. "Aren't you afraid people will say I'm with you for your money? My family may have some money, but not as much as yours."

"So what? Liking money isn't a bad thing. I like money too, otherwise why would I work so hard? Besides, a man needs to have something that can attract women, otherwise why would they want to be with him?"

"I'll let you go now, but take me back to school," Gu Qingqing suddenly said with a smile.

As he spoke these words, Tan Jincheng kept his eyes fixed on her. Her intuition told her that Tan Jincheng was not lying to her and that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

"Alright, stop overthinking. Look, our names match perfectly, which means we're destined to be together."

"How is the name appropriate?"

"Metal generates water, earth generates metal, the man is metal and the woman is water, the couple sits in a high hall, wealth accumulates and they are full of joy, their two children are both handsome and upright, haven't you heard of that?"

Gu Qingqing stared in disbelief: "You can do this? Isn't this feudal superstition?"

"What do you mean by feudal superstition? This is feng shui, okay? We business people don't believe in feng shui, do you? If you don't believe me, go back and ask your dad." Tan Jincheng started talking nonsense.

Besides, I've been reborn, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to be a little superstitious, right?
"Fine, whatever you say, but who says we're husband and wife?"

"You."

"I haven't agreed to marry you yet. Hurry up and take me back to school. I'll miss 8 a.m. and I have other classes to attend," Gu Qingqing said with a laugh.

With Gu Qingqing's laughter, the atmosphere inside the car seemed to change quite a bit.

Tan Jincheng raised his hand to look at his watch, and Gu Qingqing couldn't help but touch her left wrist. She also had a watch on her wrist; they were a matching pair.

"It's already eight o'clock. Forget about school, come with me to the company. I'll show you around my territory."

"That won't do. I still have class."

“What kind of college student is someone who hasn’t skipped class? Listen to your brother,” Tan Jincheng said domineeringly.

Gu Qingqing was both amused and exasperated; what kind of twisted logic was this?

In the end, Gu Qingqing still couldn't win over Tan Jincheng, and skipped class for the first time in her two years of university, not counting her previous absences.

The two first arrived at the new factory area. Tan Jincheng originally planned to come here today to check on the work progress. It's almost December, and the prototype of the Fengchi series has already been completed. The progress here needs to be accelerated, otherwise it will fall behind the publicity schedule.

"This is the first time I've skipped class today. I'm so embarrassed to face anyone when I get back."

Tan Jincheng held an umbrella in one hand and took Gu Qingqing's hand in the other, whispering in her ear, "It's okay, there are always many firsts in life. Last night was the first time, and today is the first time."

Gu Qingqing was stunned for a moment, then her face turned bright red, like a delicate flower.

After a long while, Gu Qingqing muttered a retort: ​​"Some people just don't know that."

"I swear to God, this is absolutely the first time."

It really is my first time, the first time in my life, so swearing an oath is no big deal.

"Humph!"

When they arrived at the workshop entrance, both of them regained their normal expressions. Tan Jincheng casually put away his umbrella in a corner by the workshop entrance, and then continued to hold Gu Qingqing's hand as they walked inside.

Gu Qingqing was a little embarrassed, but after struggling a few times without success, she gave up. She felt a little happy but also shy, as there were quite a few people in the workshop.

When feelings reach a certain point, words can no longer express the passion in one's heart; only physical contact can better convey them.

For example, holding hands, hugging, kissing, and even more.

Tan Jincheng, without changing his expression, pulled Gu Qingqing along and explained the layout of the workshop to her as they walked. Every now and then, workers recognized Tan Jincheng, put down their work to greet him, and Tan Jincheng responded to each one.

Before long, Gu Qingqing became engrossed in the new workshop and occasionally asked Tan Jincheng some questions.

Although Tan Jincheng knew the layout of the entire workshop by heart, he could still handle a novice like Gu Qingqing without any problem. If he couldn't answer a question, he would just pull over a worker to ask.

Before long, the two arrived at the newly built paint shop, which should be more accurately described as an "electric vehicle spray painting and baking room".

The paint booth is mechanically controlled, which saves space and is easy to use. It can also force-dry the primer and topcoat, speeding up the work pace and improving work efficiency and coating quality.

By today's standards, it is considered a relatively advanced piece of equipment.

Zhang Qingliang, who was watching the workers install paint in the paint booth, noticed Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing walking towards him. Seeing the two holding hands tightly, he couldn't help but smile.

His leg has recovered well, and he can walk with crutches. Ever since Tan Jincheng told him that he could come to work at the factory next year, and he agreed, he has been bored at home and has been asking his wife to bring him over to visit him from time to time.

Tan Jincheng had tricked him into coming here with the paint booth, saying it was part of his job, but when he arrived, it turned out to be completely different.

Although his nephew didn't tell the truth at all, Zhang Qingliang didn't refuse his kindness. As a middle-aged man, he knew how to bow to life's hardships. What difference did it make who he worked for?

"What brings you two here?"

(End of this chapter)