Chapter One: I Am Huang He

“Wenzhou, Zhejiang—Wenzhou, Zhejiang—the largest leather factory, the Jiangnan Leather Factory, has gone bankrupt! That scoundrel boss, Huang He, squandered everything on eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. He racked up a debt of 350 million, then ran off with his sister-in-law. We have no other choice but to use wallets to pay wages. Wallets that used to cost over three hundred, two hundred, even a hundred yuan, now all go for twenty yuan, only twenty yuan each! Huang He, you bastard, you’re not even human. We worked half a year for you, and you won’t pay our wages. Give us back our hard-earned money, pay us back!”

This all-too-familiar chant echoed endlessly in his mind as Huang He sat in his own spacious, 240-square-meter office furnished with redwood, rubbing his chin, struck speechless.

“I’ve actually become Huang He, and I really do need to run away!”

Indeed, his name was Huang He, but this Huang He was not that Huang He from the stories.

In his previous life, Huang He had been a struggling marketing strategist working as an agent for Bandai in China in 2021. Now, he was the chairman of the Jiangnan Leather Factory, with claims of assets worth over a hundred million… if only the 350 million in debts weren’t counted.

Huang He in his past life had always loathed the grotesque jokes and memes about the Jiangnan Leather Factory, for they brought him endless teasing, with people constantly asking where his sister-in-law had gone.

Heavens, he didn’t even have a girlfriend, let alone a sister-in-law!

“Huang He, pay us back!”

“Huang He, pay us back!”

“Huang He, give us all our money back!!”

Suddenly, a thunderous commotion erupted from downstairs, making Huang He jump in fright. He peered out the window, and there—over a thousand people were gathered outside, waving all sorts of banners, each looking fierce and menacing enough to make his knees tremble.

“Brother-in-law, what should we do?” A panicked voice sounded beside his ear. Huang He turned and unconsciously swallowed.

What an enchanting woman. Though she was only dressed in a standard office lady’s suit and wore light makeup, there was a captivating allure to her, especially with her figure displayed so perfectly beneath that tight-fitting uniform—a flawless, devilish S-curve.

He gulped and asked instinctively, “What did you just call me?”

“Brother-in-law!” she exclaimed in distress. “Brother-in-law, don’t scare me. You’re not so frightened you’ve lost your wits, have you?”

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” Huang He finally understood. No wonder the legendary Huang He had fled with his sister-in-law. He himself wanted nothing more than to take this charming sister-in-law and escape. Staying in this factory meant certain doom; only running away offered a way out!

“Brother-in-law, the security guards are barely managing to hold back the angry workers. You need to think of something, quickly, and calm them!” his sister-in-law urged.

“Okay. Go and tell the guards I’ll be down in ten minutes to talk to the workers!” Huang He nodded. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.

“Let me think… let me think!” Huang He clutched his head, searching desperately for a solution.

Just then, a flood of memories not his own surged into his mind. Piecing them together, Huang He reconstructed the life story of this body’s original owner.

This Huang He was a half-born rich kid. His early years were hard, but starting in 1988, his parents began a leather business and the family’s fortunes steadily improved. By 1998, under his parents’ management, the Jiangnan Leather Factory had amassed assets exceeding one hundred million, and he had become a true second-generation heir.

But 1999 marked a turning point. That year, his wife of just one year passed away from acute leukemia, and as if fate wasn’t cruel enough, his parents died in a car accident soon after.

Thus, at the age of only twenty-two, the entire Jiangnan Leather Factory fell into Huang He’s hands.

At first, he was full of ambition. He wasn’t satisfied with the single wallet product line his parents had established. He successively launched three different production lines: leather shoes, belts, and bags. He even took out a loan of 350 million to expand production, hire more workers, and create his own Jiangnan Leather brand—determined to make it big.

In truth, his plan was not unreasonable. China was about to join the WTO, and when that happened, orders from around the world would pour in. The Jiangnan Leather Factory might have soared, becoming the Chanel of China.

But Huang He never saw the day of WTO accession. By the end of 2000, almost all the products churned out by the factory fell into a slump—unsold, poorly received by the market, with negative reviews everywhere. Many partner distributors ended their cooperation.

Worse still, the factory’s main business had been OEM production for well-known mid-level brands. But as soon as Jiangnan Leather started building its own brand, these companies cancelled all their orders—they weren’t about to foster a new competitor.

So the factory was driven to the brink. For half a year, there had been no new orders, yet the products kept rolling out, piling up in warehouses. By now, workers hadn’t received wages for more than three months.

To make matters worse, the bank was now pressing Huang He for loan repayment. Yet his accounts held less than 100,000 yuan in cash.

Frankly, Huang He was doomed. There was no way out but to run.

“Run! Take the 100,000 yuan and your sister-in-law and run!” a tempting voice echoed in his mind, and he nearly gave in right then and there.

But no—he couldn’t let this life repeat itself. Was he destined to end up like before, selling Gundam lucky bags on an online shop? At the very least, he would not let that damned tale of “Jiangnan Leather Factory Collapse” exist in this world!

Clenching his fists, Huang He rose to his feet, unwilling to let his life be just another punchline in a viral meme.

“Calm down. There are two main problems. First, the rioting workers downstairs, whose three months’ back pay total about five million yuan.

“The second is the bank loan. According to the contract, I must repay forty million to the bank by tomorrow, or I’ll be in default and the bank will seize all the collateral!”

“If I can solve these two problems, the Jiangnan Leather Factory might survive!” But thinking this only made him more anxious.

For these two issues, he would need forty-five million yuan in less than a day. As for borrowing money, the entire city of Wenzhou knew the plight of Huang He and his factory. No one would lend him a penny just to see it go up in smoke.

Within a minute, Huang He’s head throbbed with pain and despair. Maybe running was the only option.

Just then, the crowd below erupted again, their shouts growing louder.

“Brother-in-law, it’s already been ten minutes!” The quick, sharp taps of high heels rang out hurriedly.

“I know. Leave it to me,” Huang He said, taking a deep breath. He flung open the office door and strode out, determined.

His sister-in-law’s cheeks flushed bright red—for at that moment, his hand was tightly clasping hers.

Brother-in-law… so annoying…