Chapter 22: Tang Ran’s Natural Darkness

Watching Wei Hua leave in a hurry, Tang Ran pouted in dissatisfaction, "Didn't we agree that today was his day off? How come he suddenly has something to do? It's so annoying!"

Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing exchanged glances, both finding Tang Ran's naivety endearing. If Tang Ran weren't so innocent, Wei Hua wouldn't have received the lesson he deserved.

Recalling Wei Hua's words earlier, Lin Muqing was filled with anger. Wei Hua was just a local from Nanjiang; he had no significant earning abilities, so what was there to be arrogant about in front of her and Zhou Ming? However, Zhou Ming was impressive—he knew about McDonald's and Western food, and had earned so much money in Linyang and taken out a loan of 400,000 yuan. He was indeed remarkable and deserved admiration as a college student.

Thinking of this, Lin Muqing sat next to Tang Ran and comforted her, "It's okay, if he has something to do, let him go. We can enjoy ourselves. Ran Ran, didn't you want to eat real Western food? Tonight, let's have this guy take us to a nice place, okay?"

Lin Muqing gestured towards Zhou Ming, her expression suggesting that no matter what, Zhou Ming would be footing the bill.

"Great! Muqing Jie, you're the best! Love you!" Tang Ran cheered up like a child, waving her hands excitedly and even giving Lin Muqing a kiss on the cheek, making Lin Muqing blush deeply and look shyly at Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming hadn't expected such a sensual scene, considering it was 1987, and at a busy McDonald's, seeing Lin Muqing and Tang Ran—one mature and charming, the other innocent and adorable—kiss each other was quite a shock. Zhou Ming swallowed hard, feeling the envious and jealous stares from other men around him, who surely wished they were in his place.

Clearing his throat, Zhou Ming said, "Alright, Muqing Jie, Ran Ran, we have business to discuss."

At Zhou Ming's reminder, Lin Muqing quickly pulled her hand away from Tang Ran and said, "Yes, Ran Ran, I came to Nanjiang with Zhou Ming for something. We need your help."

"Help me? Muqing Jie, I know you're here to do business, but I only work at the immigration office. I don't have connections with the industry and commerce side," Tang Ran said.

"That's exactly why I came to you," Zhou Ming explained. "We're not doing business in Nanjiang but need to go to Port City."

Tang Ran widened her eyes, "You're going to Port City? I can help you get passports and visas, but you've probably never been to Port City before. What business can you do there? Besides, Port City is very different from here. I heard the security is terrible; people get attacked on the streets. It's quite frightening!"

Lin Muqing was startled, turning to Zhou Ming, "Is Port City really that chaotic? Maybe we shouldn't go."

Zhou Ming reassured her, "Port City does have gangs, but it's not as exaggerated as Ran Ran described. Our business won't conflict with theirs, and we won't have any issues with Port City's gangs."

Lin Muqing felt relieved and then Zhou Ming asked Tang Ran, "Since you work at the immigration office, do you have channels to exchange for Hong Kong dollars? We need them for our business in Port City."

Tang Ran nodded, "I can arrange that. A colleague of mine has connections with a bank. I can help exchange at a better rate than the market. How much do you need to exchange?"

"400,000 yuan," Zhou Ming said.

Tang Ran initially responded with a simple "oh," but soon was visibly shocked. Fortunately, Lin Muqing had anticipated this and quickly covered Tang Ran's mouth to prevent her from exclaiming.

Tang Ran, though cute, wasn't stupid. She quickly realized they were in a busy restaurant and smiled apologetically at Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing. Once Lin Muqing released her hand, she quietly said to Zhou Ming, "You need to exchange 400,000 yuan for Hong Kong dollars? Is all that money yours? My goodness, you're really amazing!"

Tang Ran's voice trembled slightly, clearly shocked by the large sum Zhou Ming mentioned. It was understandable given that in 1987, average national income was very low. Even in an economically advanced city like Nanjiang, the average income was only about 200 yuan, so 400,000 yuan was an enormous amount that ordinary people would never earn in their lifetime. Tang Ran was understandably stunned.

Feeling praised and a bit embarrassed by Tang Ran's reaction, Zhou Ming cleared his throat and asked, "So can you help me with the exchange?"

Tang Ran hurriedly nodded, "Of course! I'll do everything I can to help you."

...

Tang Ran was quick in her actions. After agreeing to help Zhou Ming with the currency exchange, she hurriedly finished her burger and fries. Then she, Zhou Ming, and Lin Muqing went back to her office. Through Tang Ran's colleague, they reached her relative at the Bank of China—a woman in her thirties named Sister Zheng. When Sister Zheng heard that Zhou Ming wanted to exchange 400,000 Hong Kong dollars, she was astonished and immediately invited Zhou Ming into the bank's reception room, offering tea and water.

After serving the tea, Sister Zheng sat down and, with some hesitation, asked, "Young brother, you want to exchange 400,000 yuan for Hong Kong dollars? I'm curious about the source of this money."

"Don't worry, Sister Zheng. My money is clean. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to come to the bank for such a large exchange. It's all in my Agricultural Bank account. Do you need to verify it?" Zhou Ming said.

Sister Zheng shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, of course not. I trust you, but…"

Sister Zheng hesitated, "I can get you the internal exchange rate, but the amount you're exchanging is too large for me to authorize on my own. I need approval from our leader, who is currently away on a business trip. The earliest he can return is tonight. Do you mind waiting?"

Zhou Ming waved his hand dismissively, "No problem. In that case, let's wait until tonight. In the meantime, I'll treat you and your leader to dinner."

Sister Zheng agreed with a nod.

Zhou Ming and the others left the bank, and Tang Ran whispered to Zhou Ming, "Sister Zheng seems quite afraid of you."

Before Zhou Ming could respond, Lin Muqing spoke up, "It's not fear but rather awe. She thinks it's impressive that Zhou Ming can come up with 400,000 yuan. Don't forget that there's a huge demand for foreign currency exchange in the Bank of China right now, but there aren't many people doing exchanges in Nanjiang. They need Zhou Ming's business, so they naturally want to keep him."

Zhou Ming smiled, hearing Lin Muqing's pride and admiration. It was true that in this era, someone able to produce 400,000 yuan in cash was indeed a person of status and influence.

What bothered Zhou Ming was that this 400,000 yuan was a loan from the Agricultural Bank of Nanhui County, which needed to be repaid. However, he believed that once he got to Port City and within a few months, he could turn that money into several times its value.

In the afternoon, Zhou Ming and Lin Muqing, accompanied by Tang Ran, explored Nanjiang. Though it hadn't yet reached the level of a modern first-tier city, it was already showing signs of becoming one. It was no wonder national leaders praised the decision to make Nanjiang an economic zone.

Around seven in the evening, Zhou Ming, Lin Muqing, and Tang Ran arrived at a western restaurant in downtown Nanjiang. Zhou Ming asked the waiter for a more elegant seating area. Once seated, Zhou Ming said to Tang Ran, "Sorry, Ran Ran, for the inconvenience. We promised you Western food but ended up discussing business. Next time, I'll take you out for a proper Western meal."

Tang Ran happily agreed, but Lin Muqing shot Zhou Ming a resentful glance, making Zhou Ming feel a jolt of unease. He hurriedly explained to Lin Muqing, "Muqing Jie, I just wanted to treat Ran Ran to a meal. I have no other intentions. After all, she has helped us so much. I promised to treat her to Western food, and it's important to keep promises!"

Lin Muqing pouted, "You don't need to explain. Just do what you want."

Hearing Lin Muqing's response, Zhou Ming felt a headache coming on. This woman was unreasonable when jealous, and Zhou Ming, who wasn't a seasoned romantic, was completely at a loss.

However, Tang Ran's next words eased Zhou Ming's discomfort. She looked at Lin Muqing and said, "Muqing Jie, are you jealous that Zhou Ming wants to treat me to dinner? It's okay; you can join us too. It's not like you're an outsider."

Lin Muqing was taken aback by Tang Ran's unexpected comment, blushing deeply, while Zhou Ming stifled a laugh.

It must be said, Tang Ran's natural ability to be blunt and her innocent charm made it impossible to stay angry with her. Lin Muqing

 glared at the chuckling Zhou Ming, reflecting on why she felt such inexplicable anger. She was older than Zhou Ming and shouldn't be jealous of him.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lin Muqing scolded Tang Ran, "You silly girl, what are you saying? I'm not jealous! Let's forget about this. We should order food from the menu now."

Zhou Ming knew Lin Muqing was changing the topic and didn't push further, though staying on the jealousy topic wasn't ideal.

As Lin Muqing opened the menu and started discussing what to order with Tang Ran, a voice suddenly interrupted, "Hello, beautiful ladies."