As soon as they got in the car, Jiang Luo’s face lit up. “Let’s go, let’s go! Find a movie theater—I haven’t watched a movie in ages!”
Soon, he and Huo Zongzhu arrived at a cinema.
They found their seats in the theater, and Jiang Luo’s arm brushed against Huo Zongzhu’s as he rested it on the armrest.
Around them, young couples were scattered throughout the rows.
After the movie, Huo Zongzhu took Jiang Luo to browse a shopping mall.
By the time they finished, it was past eight in the evening, and they went to a restaurant for dinner.
Jiang Luo had been having so much fun that day, and he ate happily as well.
Back at the hotel, sitting in the passenger seat with a lollipop in his mouth, he said, “That was really fun.”
He even hummed lightly, “Let’s row our little boat~”
Then he continued, “Shenzhen is great! So many shops, tons of foreign brands, lots to do, and restaurants everywhere.”
“I wish I were born a few years earlier. Maybe I wouldn’t have stayed in Haicheng doing business. I might have come here instead.”
He asked Huo Zongzhu, “Do you have business here?”
“Yes,” Huo Zongzhu replied as he drove. “I deliberately set up an office here.”
Jiang Luo asked, “What kind of business?”
“Semiconductors.”
“Hmm?”
Huo Zongzhu explained, “A material between a conductor and an insulator. Computers, phones—they all need it.”
“As technology develops, it will become a crucial material.”
Jiang Luo continued, “Then why didn’t you stay in Shenzhen and expand your business?”
Huo Zongzhu glanced at him. “You think my business is small?”
He continued, “I’ve laid out several paths—real estate, semiconductors, home appliances, foreign trade. That keeps me busy and earning enough.”
“I didn’t stay in Shenzhen because I see more potential along the Yangtze region.”
He smiled, “If I had stayed here, what would you have done?”
Jiang Luo quipped, “Keep sleeping by the Huangpu River, I guess.”
They laughed.
Sucking his lollipop, Jiang Luo asked, “Where to next?”
Huo Zongzhu suggested, “Don’t you want to check out some factories in Shenzhen?”
Jiang Luo: “When is a factory off-limits?”
Huo Zongzhu chuckled. “By the seaside? There are still a few fishing ports left.”
Jiang Luo: “Sounds good.”
So the next day, without bringing along Wang Junqing and the others, Huo Zongzhu and Jiang Luo headed out alone to explore.
Old Fourth, Old Third, and Wang Junqing had breakfast in the hotel dining hall. Old Fourth asked, confused, “What business are they up to? So secretive, not even telling us.”
Old Third shrugged, “Must be something huge that needs discretion.”
Wang Junqing, head down, ate silently.
Meanwhile, Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhu boarded a small fishing boat and went slightly further out to sea for some recreational fishing.
“Huo Zongzhu! I caught a fish!” Jiang Luo shouted with excitement.
Huo Zongzhu took photos of him proudly holding his catch.
Later, as the boat headed back, Jiang Luo sat on a low wooden stool in rain boots and fishing gear, leaning against Huo Zongzhu.
He just leaned there quietly, not talking much.
Huo Zongzhu asked, “Tired?”
“Nope,” Jiang Luo said, “I don’t know why, I just want to sit close to you. Maybe in a past life I was a dog… dogs like being close to people.”
Huo Zongzhu smiled. “Why a past life, not the previous one?”
“Because in the previous life I was human.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
Jiang Luo replied matter-of-factly, “If you’re human, you’re human.”
Huo Zongzhu: “So certain?”
Jiang Luo nodded. “Yes, that certain.”
Then he looked at Huo Zongzhu and said, “Do you know what you were in your past life?”
“What?”
“Human.”
Huo Zongzhu: “Why?”
“Because I am human, and I met you—so I know you are too.”
Huo Zongzhu chuckled, appreciating the innocent logic.
He placed a hand on Jiang Luo’s back as the sea breeze gently blew.
On the third day in Shenzhen, they went out alone again for another day of fun.
By the fourth day, playtime was over. Huo Zongzhu didn’t bring Wang Junqing or the others and drove Jiang Luo to scout factories, driving around the industrial zones.
The area was packed with factories of all kinds. Jiang Luo looked around, thinking Shenzhen felt like another Wencheng—economically vibrant and bustling.
After checking out most of it, Huo Zongzhu asked as they drove off, “What do you think?”
“Pretty good here,” Jiang Luo replied.
“Let’s check out the clothing markets too.”
Huo Zongzhu drove him to areas dense with clothing businesses and even asked locals where to buy quality, affordable clothes.
They got out and explored the markets together.
That evening, driving back after dinner, Jiang Luo nibbled his lollipop and gazed out the window, pondering.
Huo Zongzhu stayed silent until they neared the hotel. “What do you think? Is Shenzhen suitable for opening a factory?”
Jiang Luo thought for a moment. “Since it’s a Special Economic Zone, the economy is bound to be exceptional. Like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago in the U.S.”
“Have you heard of huge factories in those cities?”
Huo Zongzhu listened.
“Special zones will be lively, prosperous… but land will be expensive, living costs high. Not ideal for factories.”
“I think most of these factories will eventually move elsewhere.”
Huo Zongzhu was surprised but agreed internally—Jiang Luo’s reasoning was sound. High land costs and living expenses make dense cities less suitable for factories.
“But…” Jiang Luo continued, “right now, Shenzhen is just starting to develop. Opening a factory here makes sense, and the government will welcome it.”
“I’m not sure how easy it is to get land or the prices. But judging by the number of factories and workers here, it’s feasible.”
“Owners aren’t fools—they wouldn’t come if it didn’t make sense.”
“I can try having Shenzhen’s clothing factories produce for me locally. The situation shouldn’t be like Guangzhou. I can start with one factory and test the waters.”
Huo Zongzhu asked, “Decided? You want to do it?”
“Yes. Let’s try. How else will we know if it works?”
“If it fails, we’ll just act like it never happened.”
Huo Zongzhu smiled.
Back at the hotel, they rode the elevator together. Huo Zongzhu said, “Tomorrow I’ll take you somewhere.”
Jiang Luo replied, “No more playtime. Tomorrow I’ll visit a factory, ask around, and see how local outsourcing works.”
“Work first,” Huo Zongzhu affirmed.
“Got it.” Jiang Luo didn’t question further.
The next day, Wang Junqing and Old Fourth finally joined. Two cars drove toward the factory district.
Jiang Luo looked around and asked Huo Zongzhu, “Why here?”
“I thought you’d want to meet some contacts in Shenzhen,” Huo Zongzhu said.
“Not today,” he added.
Soon, they arrived at a factory with no signage.
The metal sliding gate was open, and Huo Zongzhu drove in.
As they entered, Jiang Luo guessed that Huo Zongzhu had arranged a visit to help him understand Shenzhen’s industrial landscape.
He didn’t show surprise—Huo Zongzhu’s care and foresight were unmatched, and it was normal for him to prepare ahead.
Jiang Luo wondered: What kind of factory is this? A clothing factory?
Both cars stopped in front of a large warehouse.
Jiang Luo and Huo Zongzhu got out, and Wang Junqing’s group did too.
Huo Zongzhu only guided Jiang Luo, telling Wang Junqing, “You can look around on your own.”
“Okay,” Wang Junqing replied.
Jiang Luo looked around—at the factory, the walls—something felt off.
Following Huo Zongzhu, he realized: the factory and its surroundings were eerily quiet. Not a single person in sight.
“Is the factory closed today?” he asked.
Do factories ever completely shut down machines for a holiday? Don’t they usually run day and night shifts?
“Let’s go in and see,” Huo Zongzhu said.