Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law

Julia Bluen's expression became serious, yet her smile lingered. With her bright apricot eyes, she looked at Manager Wang, who was also looking at her. As the two women locked gazes, Julia's clear voice confidently countered Manager Wang, "May I ask, Manager Wang, did you have any business experience when you started your company? I may not have business experience now, but I believe that as long as I explore slowly and work hard, I too can gain a wealth of experience. Doesn't everyone start from zero when it comes to any experience? Who is born with such experience? Even Glades started from zero with his experience."

Upon hearing her retort, Manager Wang smiled again. This time, the smile contained no mockery but instead reflected a hint of admiration.

"Huayi has separated from Valence Group, and Valence Group will no longer interfere," Julia continued. "Even if Huayi goes bankrupt, Valence Group will not provide assistance. However, I will strive to operate it well and prevent Huayi from collapsing under my management. If Manager Wang, you've come for Glades, then I feel there's no need to continue today's business discussion, as it would disappoint you. If Manager Wang intended to conduct business with Huayi merely to indirectly establish a connection with Valence Group, that would be impossible."

Since Manager Wang was clearly here for Glades Horne, Julia had no desire to continue the discussion. Losing a customer who wasn't genuinely interested in doing business with her was for the best.

"Rumor has it that Young Master Horne is extremely doting on his wife, pampering her to the skies, as if he would pluck the moon and stars from the heavens for her. Countless people outside are envious and jealous. Young Master Horne has always been the ideal man in women's hearts, devoted to only one person. No one understands why. Now, I think I understand a bit," Manager Wang said with a smile, her attitude towards Julia much improved, no longer deliberately aloof as before.

She envied those with blissful marriages but also admired strong, self-reliant, and confident women. Julia had a marriage that made Manager Wang deeply envious, and she also possessed the self-reliance and confidence that Manager Wang admired.

Inspired by Julia's speech, she was willing to give Julia a chance to accumulate experience, an opportunity to get to know this beautiful and confident lady of high society better.

"Manager Bluen, let's get back to the matter at hand, please," Manager Wang said after her laughter, finally turning to business. "Huayi has tens of thousands of toy models, but I obviously can't take all of them. I just want to pick a few with the most market value. I wonder if Manager Bluen and Manager Li can satisfy my request?"

Julia took a deep breath internally. She had gained a new perspective on Manager Wang; while the woman was somewhat sharp, she didn't seem too difficult to get along with. Not lingering on the previous topic, Julia picked up the portfolio from the coffee table, took out the toy catalog inside, and handed it to Manager Wang to peruse.

Vice President Li took out a dozen high-tech toys from a large bag and arranged them one by one on the coffee table, quickly filling it up.

After flipping through a few pages of the catalog, Manager Wang felt dazzled. All the options looked good, and she found it difficult to decide which one to pick. Seeing Vice President Li display the dozen high-tech toys, she closed the catalog and said to Julia with a smile, "Manager Bluen, your company has so many toy models, it feels like you have every style available in Syrena! I'm so overwhelmed that I can't quickly pick out something suitable that I like. Do you happen to have an extra copy of this catalog? Perhaps I could take one back with me to look through and choose at my leisure?"

Julia nodded with a light smile and replied, "Sure, Manager Wang, you can take this catalog back and take your time with it. Looking at the catalog can indeed be overwhelming. With such a myriad of choices, it's hard to identify the strengths of each. Why don't you take a look at these dozen models first? With just a dozen, it won't be too hard for you to choose. These are all currently the most popular and trendy high-tech toys, suitable for children aged six or seven and older. They hold a significant advantage in the market. Nowadays, parents like to buy toys that stimulate intelligence for their children. These toys might look simple, but they require a bit of cleverness to operate well."

Manager Wang nodded.

With introductions from Julia and Vice President Li, Manager Wang carefully examined each toy, learning more details from Vice President Li.

Time passed without them realizing it.

Manager Wang had arrived around four o'clock, and as the three women discussed, it was already six o'clock in the evening.

Their discussion was interrupted by a phone call for Julia; it was from Glades Horne. He reminded Julia to come to their new home in Haoting Garden that evening—the one just for the two of them—and mentioned he had been waiting there for over an hour. He had even clumsily prepared dinner. When his beloved wife still hadn't returned after so long, he couldn't resist calling to urge her.

"Glades, I'm still with a client," Julia said, stepping into a corner with her phone, away from Manager Wang and Vice President Li. She spoke to Glades with a hint of embarrassment.

Still with a client?

At the other end of the line, Glades, wearing an apron, sat at the dining table. It was filled with a variety of dishes he had cooked himself. The color of the dishes was a bit off, and the taste, well, wasn't exactly great, but they were probably edible. Steam was still rising from the dishes, a clear sign they had just been prepared. Two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks were set on the table as he waited for Julia to come home.

After hearing Julia's response, his handsome face became inscrutable, yet his tone remained as gentle as a spring breeze as he urged, "Then come home early. I'm waiting for you at home so we can have dinner together. Be careful when driving. Remember, I'm waiting at home for you."

"Okay, I'll be careful. I'll be able to return soon; we're discussing the price now. Glades, I'll leave it at that for now. We'll talk when I get back," Julia said, her tone as cheerful as a spring breeze. Manager Wang had selected a few high-tech toy products and decided to place an order immediately. As long as the price was right, the deal would be sealed. This was the first business deal she had negotiated, and it was a success! Naturally, she was beaming and eager to share her triumph with Glades immediately. However, with Manager Wang still present, she felt it would be impolite to talk on the phone with Glades for too long.

"Mm."

A single, magnetic word came through from Glades. Julia affectionately kissed the phone before hanging up. She then returned to the sofa and continued negotiating.