36: Chapter 36 Night Market Visit

"Transsion?" Lin Wei thought for a moment on the other side of the screen. "I've never heard of it. It's not a big manufacturer like ZTE, is it?"

"No, it mainly operates in Africa."

"Africa." Lin Wei's expression became exaggerated. "It wouldn't be one of those... those places that resell knockoff phones or second-hand phones, would it?

Mingzhu, you're a graduate student at Peking University and Uncle Zhang's daughter. Even though this was arranged by the older generation, this threshold...

You two must have something in common to talk about, right?"

"He's a good person," Zhang Mingzhu interrupted her. "The airport pickup was very thoughtful. He looks a bit dull, but I think it's more about his sense of propriety.

And..." She paused for a moment, recalling the story Shen Fei told her about market expansion.

"He is very capable. He has already captured the market in over 10 countries in Africa, and next, he will be opening corresponding branch offices there.

He is definitely not the type you described who just deals in knockoff phones."

"Oh? Starting to protect him already?" Lin Wei smiled teasingly. "It seems the first impression is quite good. I wonder if the young lady of the Zhang family has plans tonight?"

"Yeah, he said he'd take me to eat at a time-honored restaurant... and go for a stroll through the snack street."

The corners of Zhang Mingzhu's mouth curled up with anticipation.

"Not bad! It seems his emotional intelligence isn't particularly low. You must dress up well. Wear that champagne-colored dress; it really highlights your temperament... You'll be able to win over any man."

"Weiwei!" Zhang Mingzhu felt a bit helpless; her best friend was being improper again.

"It's just a meal, don't overthink it."

After hanging up the video call, Zhang Mingzhu walked to the wardrobe, where several formal outfits prepared for the conference were hanging, along with... the champagne-colored dress that Lin Wei had forced upon her.

She hesitated for a few minutes, but ultimately changed into the dress and applied light makeup.

The person in the mirror looked a bit more vibrant amidst her gentle demeanor.

...

At 5:30, Shen Fei appeared in the hotel lobby right on time.

When he saw Zhang Mingzhu, a flash of imperceptible amazement crossed his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal. "This dress suits you very well."

"Thank you." Zhang Mingzhu smiled. The outfit was worth changing into. "Where are we going?"

"Panxi Restaurant in Liwan, a time-honored establishment that serves traditional Cantonese cuisine." Shen Fei took her hand and walked outside. "Their white-cut chicken and roast goose are superb; you should like them."

The car wove through the streets of the old town. At dusk, the street food stalls downstairs were steaming with heat. Vendors were shouting to promote their stalls, and the coming and going of people made the entire snack street very lively.

This kind of bustling, down-to-earth atmosphere was rarely seen in Peking.

"Do you come here often?" Zhang Mingzhu asked.

"I used to come often... There are many..."

"Business partners?"

"You could say that." After all, his predecessor loved coming here to hang out with friends. "Later, after my old man got sick, the company's focus shifted to Africa, so I haven't come as much.

But this time, I might stay a bit longer."

Zhang Mingzhu didn't think too much about it and nodded. "Is it because of business this time?"

"Yes, there's an important negotiation."

Panxi Restaurant is an old-style garden building, with bridges, flowing water, and pavilions inside, giving it a strong classical vibe.

Shen Fei had booked a private room by the window in advance, which was quite quiet and private.

After ordering, the waiter left, and the private room became much quieter.

"I heard that Uncle Shen was sick a while ago. Is he feeling better now?" Zhang Mingzhu took the initiative to break the silence.

"Much better. He has been discharged and is recuperating at home." Shen Fei picked up the tableware nearby and poured her a cup of hot tea. "Thanks for your concern."

"That's good." Zhang Mingzhu took the teacup, a look of admiration appearing on her face. "It must be very stressful to shoulder the company alone."

"It's alright. I like this feeling of having some weight on my shoulders." Shen Fei looked at her and suddenly thought of a question. "What about you? Studying at Peking University, and in a combined master's and doctoral program—you're definitely a talented woman. It must be quite tough behind the scenes, right?"

Zhang Mingzhu pouted and nodded. "Yes, it's not very easy. Fortunately, we are in social sciences and don't have to do so many complicated experiments.

Writing papers, conducting surveys... It's not easy, but I quite like this kind of life."

The dishes were served one after another. Shen Fei introduced the origin and how to eat each dish. Zhang Mingzhu listened very carefully, asking questions occasionally.

After all, although her mother had made them, they never tasted this good.

The two chatted from food to local customs, and then to their respective studies or work fields, and the atmosphere grew even closer.

"Actually, I really admire you." Zhang Mingzhu picked up a piece of white-cut chicken and dipped it into the ginger-scallion sauce.

"Taking on the task in a crisis, not only reviving the company but also successfully expanding overseas. Facing completely different cultural environments, policies, regulations, and consumption habits... it's much more complicated than what we study."

"That's why we need scholars like you to research it!" Seeing the look of admiration in Zhang Mingzhu's eyes, Shen Fei also paid her a compliment.

"We also suffered setbacks in Africa. We originally wanted to find local channels.

We were mainly responsible for production, but the habits there were different, and the profit distribution was not the same. Later, after investigating and making localization adjustments, we used force to solve the problems, and the sales finally stabilized."

"Powerless"? "Force" to solve the problem?

Although Zhang Mingzhu didn't hear clearly, her eyes lit up even more. After all, African culture might be different from the domestic one; perhaps that was their local tradition.

So, she still had that smile on her face, listening attentively.

The meal lasted for over two hours, and by the time it ended, it was already late.

On the way back to Zhang Mingzhu's hotel, the two didn't say much, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward.

While waiting for a red light, Shen Fei glanced at her in the rearview mirror. She was looking at the night view outside the window, her profile looking very soft under the streetlights.

It was a gentle and intellectual beauty.

"The competition starts tomorrow." After arriving at the hotel, Shen Fei asked.

"No. My team members are only arriving tomorrow, and we'll have a discussion meeting tomorrow afternoon." Zhang Mingzhu didn't unbuckle her seatbelt. "What about you? Do you have anything to do tomorrow?"

"No. My biggest job right now is to accompany you.

Shall we go for a stroll through the snack street nearby?"

"Okay."

Then Shen Fei took her to a nearby snack street.

After parking the car, the two walked in holding hands. The experience here was completely different from what Zhang Mingzhu had felt before; this kind of life seemed quite nice.

"Look at those shrimp dumplings..." Saliva was already running from the corner of Zhang Mingzhu's mouth.

"Didn't we just have dinner?"

"Dinner is dinner, snacks are snacks. Now it's..." Before she finished speaking, Zhang Mingzhu ran over.

At this moment, Shen Fei gently held her hand.

"You wait here for a moment, I'll go line up..."