Chapter 61: When Desire Stirs First
Xijiang’s economy was booming, its factories plentiful. As early as 1994, waves of migrant workers had poured in seeking jobs. Even though the evening rush had passed, the bus remained packed to suffocation.
Zhang Feili was tall, yet standing before Xiao Liang, she somehow seemed small. She could feel, with startling clarity, the heat of his breath brushing against her from behind…
Ever since her relationship with Zhou Bin had soured, she’d been living with her parents. There had been the occasional flirtation from reckless men, but she had never once entertained the thought of straying. In fact, she rarely even let her mind wander toward matters between men and women.
And yet—perhaps it was the long business trip to Xijiang, or something else entirely—last night she had dreamed of an indistinct man drawing her into intimacy. Then—
Liu Weiwei had kicked her in her sleep, jolting her awake.
In the pale light of dawn, she lay there for a long time, unable to fall back asleep. Her whole body felt languid, as if she had just soaked in a hot bath…
For a moment, she almost believed that was what true intimacy between a man and a woman should feel like.
Though the man in her dream had no clear face, she knew exactly who he was.
And now, standing so close behind her, that very person made the sensations from her dream feel all the more real…
It was sheer, stubborn reason that kept her from turning around and leaning into his embrace.
That would be shameless.
At this moment, Zhang Feili finally understood why people said women were made of water. From the moment she boarded the bus, pressed so closely against the man behind her, she could feel her body steadily warming…
“Director He from the Daily is very capable,” she said, forcing conversation to distract herself from the restless thoughts in her heart. “She has a lot of ideas about our market promotion this time. I really think you should meet her…”
“You’ve said that twice already,” Xiao Liang replied with a faint smile. “Isn’t that exactly why I’m coming with you now?”
Zhang Feili’s fair, delicate face was flushed with a soft pink glow, her skin smooth and luminous like jade brushed with rouge. To say Xiao Liang felt nothing would be a lie…
But right now, he was treading on thin ice. His first move hadn’t even fully taken hold—how could he afford to waste energy on matters of the heart?
So he forced himself to redirect his thoughts, turning the conversation back to Director He.
The first phase of advertising in Xijiang had been straightforward and aggressive—simply building brand recognition among distributors and retailers.
Scrolling text ads on TV screens, for example, were nothing more than two or three brief lines. Flyers were designed to be as simple and direct as possible.
But for the next stage, Xiao Liang wanted to drive real sales growth. That meant not only increasing ad frequency and expanding promotions, but also improving production quality. The days of crude, slapdash advertising had to end.
Back in 1994, professional advertising companies in Xijiang were rare. However, the Xijiang Daily’s supplement department had its own production team.
Zhang Feili and her colleagues had already invested heavily in ad placements with the paper. Their main contact was He Xueqing, the head of the supplement department. After learning there would be significant future demand, He Xueqing had tried several times to arrange a visit.
But the newly established Xijiang office was still in disarray—cramped, chaotic, not suitable for hosting.
So today, Xiao Liang had deliberately brought Zhang Feili along to visit He Xueqing at the newspaper office and discuss advertising production.
Zhang Feili felt her heart pounding so hard she could barely breathe. When the bus finally pulled up outside the Daily, she tried to squeeze her way out—only to end up pressed even closer against Xiao Liang.
Her eyes flickered, and she shot him a sideways glance, breath uneven as she murmured, half-accusing, “What filthy thoughts are you having?”
Nothing is more tempting than a woman willing.
Xiao Liang had to muster every ounce of restraint not to reach out and grab her soft hand. Instead, awkwardly, he forced himself off the bus.
Afraid of crossing a line, he didn’t dare tease her. He sat down on a nearby planter, clearing his throat. “It’s too hot in there… I almost got heatstroke. Let’s rest a bit before heading in.”
In this world, either the east wind prevails over the west—or the west wind over the east.
Seeing Xiao Liang suddenly turn shy, Zhang Feili’s earlier nervousness and embarrassment melted away. She cast him a sidelong glance, smiling as she teased, “You act so proper all the time. Turns out you’re not so innocent after all.”
Xiao Liang chuckled but didn’t argue. After sitting for a while, once the tension eased, the two bought bottles of cold water from a nearby shop. The chill helped suppress the restless heat within them before they finally headed toward the newspaper office.
He Xueqing, head of the supplement department at Xijiang Daily, was just over thirty. She had refined, composed features, a petite figure, and a lean frame—but carried herself with unmistakable competence.
Previously, negotiating ad placements with media outlets had required little expertise, so Xiao Liang had left it to Xu Lihuan, Zhang Feili, and the others. Today was his first time meeting He Xueqing in person.
But the moment he saw her, Xiao Liang knew.
This was the same He Xueqing who, in less than a decade, would rise from an ordinary saleswoman in a private company to its top executive. She would go on to lead that company into becoming the province’s first fast-moving consumer goods group to surpass ten billion in annual sales—a figure known throughout Jiang Province’s business world as the “Iron Lady.”
Her management and marketing prowess were exceptional. Case studies of her leadership and rapid market expansion had even been featured prominently in Jiang University’s MBA curriculum.
Though the company she later led would decline after its brief glory, it wasn’t due to her shortcomings. Rather, internal power struggles among the founders pushed her out—leaving no one capable of managing the rapidly growing enterprise, which led to its eventual downfall.
Xiao Liang had read about her in the media. He knew she was from Xijiang, had once worked as a journalist and editor, and later left the newspaper due to family circumstances to join a then-obscure consumer goods company.
What he hadn’t expected was that in 1994, He Xueqing was already the head of the supplement department—not just an ordinary reporter or editor.
Back then, talented young people in Jiang Province still gravitated toward official careers.
And in an era where media held immense power, being a department head at Xijiang Daily—a government-affiliated institution—already made her a prominent figure in the city.
What kind of family upheaval could have driven her to abandon such a position… to start over as a mere saleswoman in an unknown private company?
Still, seeing that she already managed advertising production and placement at the newspaper, Xiao Liang understood.
It was precisely this experience that would allow her to rise so swiftly in the business world—eventually leading a company to remarkable success.
