Therefore, among the groups Qin Xiangnuan belongs to and the previous ones, none caught a good trend. They were not assigned good jobs by the state, so nowadays, university students all have to rely on their efforts. However, it’s not yet the year two thousand, so there are still many opportunities for university students to choose from, and it’s very easy to find jobs.
Qin Xiangnuan, inherently an entrepreneurial type, thus did not actively seek a job. After receiving her diploma, she looked around everywhere for a suitable storefront, whether it was an internet cafe or small snack businesses, none of these were what she truly wanted to pursue.
She liked fashion, particularly trendy, stylish clothes. Therefore, her lifelong dream had always been to become a fashion designer. She wanted to create beautiful garments with her own two hands, opting for uniqueness over mass production.
Thus, choosing the right storefront was crucial. Current property prices were still low, so now was the time to grab her favored spot. Fortunately, she had quite a sum of money on hand, enough to secure the storefront she desired. After spending several days scouting, she decided on a building still under construction near the internet cafe. Once completed, this building would be in the heart of Capital City, famous for its hustle and bustle. Although it couldn’t compare to the skyscrapers that were to be built in the years to come, it had indeed been the center of attention in recent decades.
However, the building would not be completed until the second half of next year. Qin Xiangnuan was set on this location and wasn’t in a rush. At least having something to show was a priority. Hence, in the following days after returning from school, she had hardly been idle, spending her time in the system, using this period to craft clothes.
The second half of the year was approaching autumn and winter, so her task was to create autumn and winter clothing. This wasn’t difficult for her, with three years of university experience and decades of prior experience in fashion. With her skillful hands, whether in terms of style or color, she could create popular designs. Previously, when Jian Zhiqing wore clothes she made, people would chase him down to ask where he bought them. When she told them she made the garments herself, some even requested to commission outfits, but back then Qin Xiangnuan hadn’t considered turning this into a business. Now that she had graduated, she could finally revisit her true passion. Combining hobby and work was indeed a great pleasure in life.
She spent plenty of time within the system every day. Most of the fabrics were wholesaled in bulk from outside, all of good quality. She transformed these fabrics into various sizes using her pattern making skills, all crafted by her hands.
It’s fair to say, she learned a lot in her three years at university. Techniques like pattern drafting, which would have required her to measure and cut each piece individually in the past, could now be easily calculated from a single drawing, which was extremely convenient.
Her days were filled with busyness and contentment, usually making clothes at home, helping Granny Lu with cooking, and playing with Conghua and Congtou. Not having to attend school was quite relaxing, although it came with its own set of annoyances.
For instance, the marriage pressure from Granny Lu, citing that she was not getting any younger. Qin Xiangyang already had a child, and now only she was left. For girls, being well-educated is less important than marrying well. Now that Qin Xiangnuan had graduated, it was time for her to consider marriage. Plus, Jian Zhiqing was also not getting any younger; she couldn’t keep delaying his life.
Even Qin Xiangyang had mentioned it several times, and Mr. Li either puffed his beard or glared whenever he saw her.
Qin Xiangnuan was truly puzzled as to why everyone was so eager to match her with Jian Zhiqing.
After graduation, the intense glares persisted, prompting that some matters had to be addressed. Holding back might actually result in Qin Xiangnuan being suffocated.
"Do you already know?" Qin Xiangnuan really wanted to roll her eyes. What were these conversations even about? She had been graduated for two months already.
Jian Zhiqing responded once more.
Qin Xiang gently nodded, her hand resting on her knee tightened slightly. These people mentioned it daily, as if not marrying Jian Zhiqing was the ultimate evil, a criminal, a betrayer, akin to Chen Shiming, and of course, Jian Zhiqing being Qin Xianglian. She, being faithless and ungrateful, was a scoundrel, a jerk, a XXX, among other things.
Honestly, such high accusations burdened her considerably.
"Brother Jian, won’t you explain?" Qin Xiangnuan couldn’t help but ask Jian Zhiqing, "What will you do if you can’t find a wife?" She truly hated the whole childhood sweetheart trope, but ironically, it seemed she was the childhood-faced boiled horse, although she felt her connection with Jian Zhiqing was more like boiled plain veggies.
In their eyes, this was called "one green, two white".
However, it seemed others didn’t see it that way.
Jian Zhiqing took an item from his body and placed it on the table.
Curious, Qin Xiangnuan reached over and grabbed it, only to be met with complex emotions. These were the contracts she had Jian Zhiqing sign previously, also their asset disclosure documents. They listed details about their revenue sharing very clearly, set out thoroughly by her hand.
"Is there something wrong with these?" Qin Xiangnuan examined them several times, but couldn’t pinpoint any mistakes. She checked each item and found no issues, having considered all aspects to not harm Jian Zhiqing’s interests. She trusted Jian Zhiqing wouldn’t make any excessive demands. The contracts had been signed for months, really, what could she have overlooked? She painstakingly reviewed them again, but still found no errors.
"Is there a problem?" She placed the contract back on the table, genuinely puzzled about what she might have missed.
Jian Zhiqing picked up the contract, flipping it once more, "Why did you want to sign this contract initially?"
"To avoid trouble," Qin Xiangnuan truly didn’t want any trouble in her life, like with the Qin Family, Qin Guohua, and Qin Xiangmei. Encountering these troubles would make life difficult, so she wrote the contract to preclude future issues. Was that wrong too?
"Indeed, it’s troublesome," Jian Zhiqing pressed the contract under his hand, "But can you ensure, that the person you marry or I marry will be content? The human heart is always the most unpredictable, isn’t it?"