Reborn in 1981, starting by smashing my iron rice bowl.

Chapter 163 Soft Advertising

Wei Wanqing was secretly pleased that her best friend spoke so highly of Liu Weidong, but she pretended to be dismissive and said, "He's just a little clever, that's all. What's so great about him? Humph!"

“Wanqing, you’re not in our line of work, so you don’t know much about these things,” Du Li quickly said. “Weidong’s method is too clever; it perfectly bypasses many of the newspaper’s regulations. Private companies will be unrestricted from advertising in the future! No, this can’t be called advertising; it should be…”

Seeing that Du Li had paused here, Liu Weidong added with a smile, "Soft advertising."

"Yes, yes, soft advertising, that's the perfect term!" Du Li nodded repeatedly in agreement, then said seriously to the businesswoman, "Wanqing, your junior brother is absolutely a genius. Why don't we let him come to the newspaper to help out? Our editor-in-chief will definitely agree. In a few years, we can find an opportunity to give him a permanent position, so he'll have a secure job. What do you think?"

"What's the use of asking me? Let him make his own decision. He can go wherever he wants to work. It's none of my business!" Wei Wanqing appeared indifferent on the surface, but she was actually a little nervous inside.

Liu Weidong was secretly amused that Du Li would make such a request. If he cared about a secure job, he would have gone to work in the machinery factory in the first place. Now that he was already a multi-millionaire, he cared even less about a stable job.

So Liu Weidong smiled apologetically at Du Li and said, "Sister Du Li, I appreciate your kindness, but I prefer freedom and working regular hours doesn't suit me, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm really sorry!"

Du Li said regretfully, "With such a sharp mind, you would definitely have made a name for yourself at the newspaper. What a pity!"

Liu Weidong's rejection of Du Li secretly pleased Wei Wanqing, but on the surface she merely glanced at Liu Weidong and said indifferently, "Lili, stop flattering Weidong. He's only so-so. At least he has some self-awareness, knowing he'll embarrass himself at the newspaper!"

Although Wei Wanqing seemed to be belittling Liu Weidong, her proud tone was unmistakable, and everyone could tell that this strong woman actually valued him highly.

Liu Weidong habitually pretended to be stupid, focusing only on eating and drinking, as if he hadn't heard what the strong woman was saying at all.

Du Li gave Wei Wanqing a deep look, a meaningful smile appearing on her face. She knew perfectly well the relationship between her best friend and her husband, knowing they would divorce sooner or later. And now that Wei Wanqing seemed to admire this young man so much, it seemed she wouldn't have to worry about her being alone and helpless in the future!

With Liu Weidong's help, the matter was settled. And it was a win-win situation, making everyone very happy.

When this guy gets excited, he tends to drink a few more glasses, and a bottle of Moutai was quickly emptied. Fortunately, all three of them had a good tolerance for alcohol, and the bottle of Moutai only made them slightly tipsy; there was no situation where Liu Weidong had to take the two drunk women home.

Liu Weidong paid the bill himself. Although it was the best restaurant in the city and the dishes he ordered were quite good, it only cost him fifty-two yuan and thirty cents. Thinking about how a bowl of noodles would cost several tens of yuan in his later years, Liu Weidong once again marveled at how cheap prices were back then.

When Liu Weidong returned to the private room, he saw Du Li and Wei Wanqing whispering to each other. He didn't know what they were talking about, but the strong woman's face was flushed, while Du Li had a mischievous grin on her face.

Upon seeing Liu Weidong return, the two immediately stopped whispering. However, the strong woman still glared fiercely at Liu Weidong, as if she was very dissatisfied with him.

As an experienced man, Liu Weidong immediately guessed that the conversation between the two must have been about him.

However, Liu Weidong certainly wouldn't be like an inexperienced young man who foolishly asked the two what they were talking about. He simply smiled and said, "The bill is settled. Senior sisters, what do you think..."

Transportation back then wasn't as convenient as it is in later years, not to mention that Wei Wanqing didn't live in the city, and there weren't even buses running when she got home too late.

So Du Li was the first to stand up and say, "It's getting late, Wanqing, you should go home early, or you might miss the last bus."

The strong woman didn't mince words and nodded, saying, "We need to go back early. Once we get to Weidong in the county town, we'll have to ride our bikes back to the village. It's not safe to go too late."

Seeing her best friend so naturally thinking of Liu Weidong, Du Li secretly found it amusing, but she didn't say anything. The three of them soon left the Peace Hotel.

Liu Weidong and Wei Wanqing saw Du Li off onto the bus, and then waited for the public bus to the county town.

It was already past nine o'clock, and even the city streets were quiet, with only Liu Weidong and the strong woman waiting for their car.

Seeing that no one was around, Wei Wanqing suddenly reached out and pinched Liu Weidong's waist, saying, "Well, you even gave Lili skincare products in front of me. Why did you keep this from me?"

"Ouch, ouch, let go!" Liu Weidong grimaced and said, "Senior sister, I'm just trying to get things done. Even if Du Li is your best friend, you can't let someone help you for nothing!"

At this point, Liu Weidong said with some grievance, "To be honest, I paid for the skincare products myself, which cost several tens of yuan! And yet I still got a complaint. Where can I complain to them!"

Hearing Liu Weidong say that, the strong woman felt a little embarrassed, but still said with dissatisfaction, "Hmph, you gave Du Li a gift the first time you met her, but we've known each other for so long and I haven't seen you give her any gifts!"

So it turns out Wei Wanqing was angry about this. Liu Weidong was both amused and exasperated. No matter how shrewd and capable a strong woman is, she's still a young woman under thirty, and she can get angry over something like this!

Fortunately, Liu Weidong had lived two lives and was not an inexperienced young man; he was well-prepared for this.

Since Wei Wanqing brought it up, he smiled and said, "I thought it was something serious. Senior Sister, you get angry about something like this? I never knew that before!"

"Liu Weidong, you..." Liu Weidong's nonchalant attitude made the strong woman even angrier. She immediately turned around to say something to him, but then froze.

Liu Weidong held up a beautifully crafted little box and presented it to Wei Wanqing, saying, "Actually, I prepared the gift a long time ago, but I just haven't had a chance to give it to you yet!"

The strong woman's annoyance vanished instantly, and she asked Liu Weidong with delight, "Was this really prepared especially for me?"

Seeing the usually domineering and powerful woman now as happy as a little girl, Liu Weidong couldn't help but laugh and say, "Of course it's true. I felt that this perfume was perfect for your temperament, so I bought it without hesitation to give it to you."

At this moment, Wei Wanqing was deeply moved. With tears in her eyes, she whispered to Liu Weidong, "Weidong, thank you!"