The air inside the Red Star Factory had changed. The smell of dust and stagnant grease was being replaced by the sharp scent of industrial lubricant and ozone. Li Hua stood in the center of the main production hall, her arms crossed. Her weight had stabilized at 74kg, and her charcoal-grey pencil skirt moved with her every step, highlighting a silhouette that was now undeniably elegant.
[Ding! 'Industrial Machinery' Mastery Active.]
[Scanning... 40% of looms are misaligned. 20% have rusted gears. Efficiency: 35%.]
"This won't do," Li Hua murmured. She picked up a heavy wrench, her movements fluid. While the remaining workers watched in awe, the "young boss" climbed onto the scaffolding. She didn't mind the grease on her cream-colored sleeves. With the precision of a surgeon, she began adjusting the tension rods and recalibrating the timing gears of the 1970s-era looms.
"Boss Li, you... you shouldn't be doing that," Old Chen, now the Head of Logistics, said nervously from below. "These machines are temperamental. One wrong move and—"
CLACK-CLACK-CLACK.
The machine suddenly roared to life, but the sound was different smooth, rhythmic, and twice as fast as before. The workers gasped. Li Hua wiped a smudge of oil from her cheek, her eyes glowing.
"They aren't temperamental, Chen. They were just neglected," Li Hua said, jumping down. "I've optimized the feed system. We will meet the 10,000-unit uniform contract in three weeks, not two months. Now, everyone to their stations! We have a legacy to rebuild!"
[Ding! Factory Efficiency increased to 85%! Reward: +500 System Points, 'Trend Forecasting' Skill unlocked.]
As the factory floor hummed with new life, the heavy iron gates at the entrance were suddenly pushed open. A sleek, silver foreign car—a Mercedes-Benz, far more flamboyant than Ye Feng's discreet Hongqi—roared into the courtyard, kicking up a cloud of red dust.
Out stepped a man in a white suit that cost more than the factory's monthly electricity bill. He was Young Master Song, the heir to the Song Textile Group in the capital. Beside him stood a familiar, groveling figure: Gu Yan.
Gu Yan looked disheveled, his eyes bloodshot. After being kicked out of the Fair, he had clearly gone to the capital to sell out his town's secrets to the highest bidder.
"There she is, Master Song!" Gu Yan pointed a shaking finger at Li Hua. "That's the girl who stole the contract using 'illegal' designs. She's nothing but a small-town girl with a bit of luck."
Young Master Song stepped into the hall, covering his nose with a silk handkerchief. He looked at Li Hua, his eyes filled with the casual arrogance of a predator.
"So, you're the little flower Ye Feng has been protecting," Song said, his voice a lazy drawl. "I'm here to be generous, Miss Li. Your little factory is cute, but it's a relic. I've already signed an exclusive deal with the raw silk suppliers in the South. In forty-eight hours, you won't have a single gram of thread to feed these machines."
The workers stopped. The humming of the looms felt suddenly fragile. In the 90s, controlling the supply chain was the ultimate way to kill a competitor.
"Master Song," Li Hua said, her voice echoing through the rafters. She didn't look scared; she looked bored. "You traveled all the way from the capital to tell me you bought up the silk? You should have saved the gas money."
"Oh? And why is that?" Song sneered.
Li Hua walked to a crate and pulled out a bolt of fabric. It wasn't silk. It was a shimmering, slate-grey material that felt like water but looked like steel.
"Because I'm not using Southern silk," Li Hua said, tossing the bolt at his feet. "This is a synthetic-bamboo blend I've been developing. It's cheaper, three times more durable, and unlike silk, it doesn't shrink in the wash. While you were busy buying the past, I was busy inventing the future."
[System Skill: 'Trend Forecasting' Active. Result: Synthetic blends will dominate the market by 1997. Master Song's silk stockpile will lose 60% value.]
Young Master Song picked up the fabric. His eyes widened. He was a businessman; he knew quality when he felt it. This material was revolutionary.
"Where did you get the formula for this?" Song hissed, his arrogance vanishing. "This... this is impossible for a town like this!"
"It's only impossible if you think a woman's place is in the kitchen and not the laboratory," Li Hua stepped into his personal space, her +30 Business IQ making her aura feel suffocating. "And Gu Yan? You told him I used illegal designs? Gu Yan doesn't even know the difference between a bobbin and a button. If you want to play at the adult table, Master Song, bring a better deck of cards."
"You... you'll regret this," Song snarled, turning to leave. "I'll bury you in the courts!"
"I'll see you there," Li Hua called out. "But bring a lawyer who knows how to handle a bankruptcy—because once my uniforms hit the schools, no one will want your overpriced silk ever again."
As the Mercedes roared away, Ye Feng stepped out from the shadows of the office balcony. He had been watching the whole time. He walked down the stairs, his eyes fixed on the grease-stained, beautiful woman in the center of the hall.
"A synthetic-bamboo blend?" Ye Feng asked, a rare, genuine smile breaking through his icy exterior. "You didn't mention that in our meetings."
"A girl has to keep some secrets, Mr. Ye," Li Hua said, wiping her brow. "Otherwise, you might get bored of me."
Ye Feng stepped closer, his hand reaching out to wipe a stray drop of oil from her forehead. His touch was lingering, warm. "Bored? Li Hua, I think you're the only thing in this decade that actually makes sense."
[Ding! Relationship Progress: 'Intimate Allies'. Reward: 'Strategic Map' of the Capital unlocked!]
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The Town Square, which only weeks ago had seen Li Hua standing behind a bamboo rack, was now transformed. Under the dark velvet sky of the 1995 night, the area was illuminated by high-powered industrial floodlights. A long runway, draped in the very same slate-grey bamboo-blend fabric Li Hua had invented, stretched out like a silver tongue toward the crowd.
Thousands of locals had gathered—not just for the free spectacle, but because rumors had spread that the "Li family's fat daughter" had become a wizard of the needle.
In the front row sat the heavyweights: Director Sun of the Education Bureau, Madam Qin (looking radiant in her emerald wrap-dress), and Ye Feng, whose cold, sharp presence acted as a shield for Li Hua. At the very edge of the VIP section sat Young Master Song and a pale-faced Gu Yan, waiting for Li Hua to fail.
[Ding! 'Trend Forecasting' Active. Fashion Show Hype: 95%.]
[Mission: The Phoenix's First Flight. Goal: Secure three national contracts and achieve total 'Visual Shock'. Reward: -4kg Weight Loss, 'Master of Makeup' Skill.]
Behind the curtain, Li Hua was a whirlwind of calm authority. Her weight was now 74kg, and her "Glow-Up" was reaching a peak. Her skin looked like it was lit from within, and her eyes were framed by a sharp, "cat-eye" eyeliner she had improvised using the System's guidance.
"Music!" Li Hua commanded.
A heavy, rhythmic bass inspired by the disco-pop starting to leak into the mainland erupted from the speakers.
The first model stepped out. She wasn't a professional; she was a young woman from the factory floor. But under Li Hua's styling, she looked like a warrior. She was wearing a structured, high-collared trench coat made of the bamboo-steel fabric. It was sharp, masculine in its power, but cinched at the waist to celebrate the female form.
The crowd gasped. They had never seen clothes that looked like armor.
Next came the "School Uniforms of the Future"—the navy blazers that Director Sun had already commissioned. Seeing them on live models, moving with ease and durability, made the local parents cheer.
"Look at that!" a woman in the crowd cried. "It doesn't wrinkle! It looks... expensive!"
But the climax was yet to come.
As the music slowed to a deep, soulful tempo, the floodlights dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight at the top of the runway.
Li Hua stepped out.
She wasn't just the designer; she was the showstopper. She wore a floor-length gown made of a midnight-black version of her synthetic blend. The dress featured a "cold-shoulder" cut daring for 1995 and a skirt that flowed like liquid ink. The -15kg transformation was on full display. Her waist was narrow, her shoulders were sharp, and her face was a masterpiece of porcelain beauty.
Young Master Song's jaw dropped. The "flower" he had intended to crush was now a sun that blinded him. Gu Yan, sitting beside him, felt a physical pain in his chest. That was my fiancée? I threw that away for Lin Meimei?
Li Hua walked to the end of the runway. She didn't look at the cheering crowd. She looked directly at Young Master Song.
"Master Song," she said, her voice amplified by the microphone, echoing through the square. "You said my factory was a relic. You said my fabric was trash. I'd like to thank you. Without your 'generous' attempt to buy the silk market, I wouldn't have been forced to create a fabric that is now being patented by the National Textile Institute."
A collective "Ooh" went through the crowd.
"Patented?" Song stood up, his white suit looking crumpled and cheap in the floodlights. "You're bluffing!"
"Director Sun?" Li Hua turned to the VIP row.
Director Sun stood up, holding a red-stamped document. "Miss Li is correct. As of this morning, the 'Li-Steel' synthetic blend has been designated a National Innovation. The Song Group's silk monopoly is officially irrelevant for government contracts."
The "Face-Slap" was so loud it was as if the air itself had cracked. Gu Yan buried his face in his hands, realizing that the Gu family's future was officially dead. Lin Meimei, who was watching from the edge of the crowd, bit her lip so hard it bled.
[Ding! Mission Success! Total Visual Shock achieved!]
[Rewards Issued: -4kg Weight Loss, 'Master of Makeup' Skill.]
[Current Weight: 70kg!]
As the crowd erupted into a standing ovation, Li Hua felt a hand on her waist. She didn't have to look to know it was Ye Feng. He stepped onto the runway beside her, his presence validating her status to the entire city.
"You've won the town, Li Hua," Ye Feng whispered in her ear, his breath warm against her skin. "But the Capital is a den of wolves. Song was just the smallest one. Are you ready to leave this place behind?"
Li Hua looked at the factory she had reclaimed, the people she had empowered, and the enemies she had crushed.
"I'm ready, Mr. Ye. The small pond was getting too cramped anyway."
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