Back to the 1970s: Building My Fortune Through Time Trading-Chapter 301: Inspecting with Director Liu

"Secretary Zhao? Is there anything else?"

Su Xiaoxiao asked in confusion. Since he wasn’t leaving, she felt awkward about entering her room.

Zhao Weimin snapped out of his thoughts and, after a moment, awkwardly asked her, "Um... Comrade Su, do you have a boyfriend?"

Why was he asking this?

Su Xiaoxiao met his gaze, puzzled. Seeing his flushed cheeks and uneasiness, she immediately understood.

No way, could it be that Secretary Zhao also wanted to introduce her to someone?

Dating would just slow down her money-making efforts, and she wasn’t interested in it at the moment.

Thinking of this, she vaguely replied, "Uh-huh."

Zhao Weimin’s heart, which had been pounding with excitement, suddenly felt like it had been doused with a bucket of ice water, leaving him chilled to the core.

He struggled to say, "Comrade Su, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out now..."

As he spoke, he forced a stiff smile at her and turned to leave.

Once he left, Su Xiaoxiao turned and entered her guest room.

The room wasn’t big, but it was clean and tidy.

After a long day on the train, her whole body felt sore and tired, making her miss the modern high-speed rail.

Unlike the old-fashioned trains of this era, where you had to sit with your back straight and the seats were hard as rock, leaving your whole body stiff and sore by the end.

The guest room didn’t have a private bathroom, making it inconvenient to go out for the restroom or to wash up.

Accepting her fate, Su Xiaoxiao took out an enamel wash basin from her space, not wanting to use the one provided even though there was one.

Given how thrifty people were with sharing a basin for washing their face, feet, or even buttocks, she just couldn’t bring herself to use it.

Grabbing a towel, wash basin, and other toiletries, she quickly went to the public restroom to freshen up.

After tidying up, she changed into her pajamas and lay down on the bed.

Exhausted from the day, she slept straight through to morning.

In the morning, Zhao Weimin was once again sent to pick her up, though his demeanor was noticeably less enthusiastic compared to yesterday. He even maintained a distance of over a meter when speaking to her.

Su Xiaoxiao felt somewhat amused. Who would’ve thought that Secretary Zhao, despite his young age, was quite traditional?

Once he knew she had a boyfriend, he was careful to maintain a sense of distance from her.

Today, she was supposed to follow Director Liu to inspect and guide various department stores below, so time was tight. She was sent to the city supply headquarters just before seven.

She knocked and entered confidently, only to find a middle-aged man standing with his back to her in Director Liu’s office.

The man was none other than Wang Aimin, whom she had met briefly yesterday.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t have a good impression of him, so she casually greeted him, "Deputy Director Wang."

Then, she turned to Director Liu, her attitude becoming noticeably more enthusiastic, "Good morning, Director Liu."

Wang Aimin: "..."

The difference in treatment was obvious.

When Director Liu saw Su Xiaoxiao, he was all smiles, unlike the cold and distant demeanor he had when faced with Wang Aimin. He appeared as kindly as an elder.

Well, favoritism seemed contagious.

Wang Aimin felt he could only express his anger inwardly. After all, one was his superior, and the other was currently his creditor. He couldn’t afford to offend either.

"Alright, Deputy Director Wang, there’s nothing here for you. You may leave now,"

Director Liu said coldly when he saw him still standing there.

Once he left, Director Liu handed a form to Su Xiaoxiao and explained, "Xiao Su, this is the order of department stores we’ll be visiting over the next two days. Take a look and get a rough idea." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Su Xiaoxiao took a glance at the form, noting the powerful and pleasing calligraphy on the paper.

Back then, printers were rare, and almost all documents were handwritten.

She carefully stored the form and asked Director Liu, "Director, when are we heading out?"

The main task for Su Xiaoxiao was to conduct training and guidance for the department stores, so the sooner she finished, the sooner she could return home.

"If you’re ready, we can leave now,"

Director Liu said, dialing the internal line to arrange for a car before the two of them headed out.

As they reached the entrance, they saw an army-green Jeep already parked there.

Zhao Weimin had been waiting by the car for a while and quickly opened the door for Director Liu when he saw them coming out.

After he closed the door, Su Xiaoxiao smoothly climbed into the back seat.

Zhao Weimin took a quick glance at her through the rearview mirror, then awkwardly looked away and started the engine.

Every time he saw Comrade Su, he couldn’t help but think about yesterday, wondering why he couldn’t hold back and asked if she had a boyfriend.

Now that Comrade Su knew his thoughts, it was all the more awkward.

Over the next few days, as Director Liu took Su Xiaoxiao to various department stores, Zhao Weimin would have to be their driver.

Little did he know that Su Xiaoxiao hadn’t thought much about his question yesterday at all.

Back in the department stores, customers often asked whether she had a boyfriend and enthusiastically wanted to matchmake her.

Yesterday, she subconsciously assumed that Zhao Weimin intended to introduce her to someone.

She never considered that Zhao Weimin himself might be interested in her.

The seat she picked happened to be right behind the driver’s seat, causing Zhao Weimin to tense up the entire drive, with a stiff posture as he drove.

When it was time to get out, he avoided eye contact and was ready to open the door, only to catch a glimpse of the back seat — oh boy, he’d been nervous for nothing.

Su Xiaoxiao, unbeknownst to him, had fallen asleep long ago, almost drooling.

Feeling the car come to a stop, Su Xiaoxiao rubbed her eyes and met Zhao Weimin’s gaze. Instinctively, she wiped the corner of her mouth.

No drool, right? Then why was Secretary Zhao looking at her with such a complex expression?

The first stop for the training was Haining City’s First Department Store.

Before they reached the entrance, from a distance, Su Xiaoxiao could see General Manager Zhao Fumin leading a group waiting at the door with anticipation.

The car came to a stop, and the group enthusiastically surrounded them.

Director Liu and Zhao Weimin got out first, and by the time Su Xiaoxiao alighted, they were already encircled by the crowd.

"This must be our guide this time, right? So young and promising!"

Before Zhao Fumin could introduce them, someone was already flattering Zhao Weimin.

Having recently become Secretary to Director Liu, it was Zhao Weimin’s first time attending such an event with him.

Aside from Zhao Fumin, no one knew him at the scene.

Seeing his unfamiliar face and proximity to Director Liu, everyone naturally assumed he was the guide.

"Yes, indeed, the guide is truly talented, not only good-looking but also outstanding in ability."

...

The group took turns showering Zhao Weimin with compliments.

Realizing they were mistaking him for the guide, Zhao Weimin had a complex expression and was about to clarify, when he was interrupted by a thud from behind, as if someone had jumped out of the car.

Hearing the noise, everyone turned in unison and saw a young lady looking back at them, perplexed.

Su Xiaoxiao: "..."

What was happening? Why was everyone staring at her?

Just as she was debating whether to introduce herself, a young official standing closest to her frowned at her unhappily.