50 A visit to the clothing factory

Robin drove the car, as Lina sat in the car seat besides the driver. Mr. Wang sat on the back seat texting someone on his mobile. They were going to Avanti Clothing Factory.

A few minutes later, Lina's mobile rang. Her ringtone, The Barber of Seville, by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, which was downloaded and set by Aunt Ning, grabbed Wang's attention.

Lina took out her mobile from her clutch. It was a call from aunt Ning.

"Hello, Aunty Rebecca! How are you?" Lina pretended to be talking to someone else before Wang.

Ning, who was getting her pedicure done at the parlor, was being too anxious. "I hope you are not behaving stupidly. I am getting a very bad feeling. Don't do anything that can make Wang doubt you and your actions. And don't tell anything about me. That man hates lies," Ning warned.

"Aunty Rebecca, don't worry. Grandma is fine. I will take care of everything," Lina giggled.

"Okay! Now.. don't you forget this 'Rebecca' name that you have given to me just now. And, make sure that you save my number with this name on your mobile," Ning instructed.

"Sure, aunty Rebecca. Don't worry about anything. You take care of your health. Everything is fine at my end. I will call you later. Bye." replied Lina.

"Yeah! Yeah! I got it. Wang must be near you. I will talk to you later," sighed Ning as she cut the call. She took a deep breath and refocused her attention on the pedicure procedure.

"It was my aunty's call... aunty Rebecca!" Lina smiled at Wang. "She worries so much for me," Lina continued.

"Hmm.. Do you like Barber of Seville?" Wang asked. He was surprised to hear his favorite song which was set as Lina's mobile ringtone.

"Which barber?" Lina hesitated.

"Barber of Seville.. your ringtone," Wang replied.

Lina thought for a few seconds. Aunt Ning's words echoed in her ears.

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Aunt Ning said," I am downloading the man's favorite song. And from now on.. this song is going to be your new ringtone. The man will think that you and him.. have a lot in common. It is The Barber of Seville, by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini."

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Oh yes! Haha.. Rossini.. That's my favorite," Lina gave a forced laugh. "I love it a lot," Lina continued.

Wang thought that Lina's behavior and her replies were not normal. His eyebrows were raised in confusion, as he thought for a few seconds about it.. and decided not to continue this topic any further.

A few minutes later, the car stopped outside a clothing factory. The factory looked more like an old workshop - very small scaled, old building, rusted gate with no security.

Lina was surprised. She was expecting much more. Wang Fashion House had always been very careful about their vendor selection process. She wondered what was so special about this factory that made it so important to Wang. He was ready to alter his schedule to any extent to pay this factory a visit. Lina's thoughts were soon interrupted by Wang's words.

"Lina, there is no need for you to come," Wang said as he stepped out of his car and walked towards the factory gate.

"Hmm.." Lina had no words to say. She looked at Robin, the driver, who was still sitting at his driver's seat. "Why did he ask me to stay in the car? Is he mad at me? I think I did something today.. that has got him annoyed," Lina shared her doubts with Robin.

"No dear. I don't think so. He is not mad at you," smiled the driver. "See there.. That's Avanti clothing factory.. one of the oldest textile factories in Shanghai," said the driver as he pointed towards the factory building.

"From the building exteriors, I can guess that factory may not have a good technology and capacity. The building looks so old and dingy," Lina said.

"Yes! You are right. The methods used here are pretty traditional. But, Mr. Wang has a blind trust on the old guy.. who owns this place.. Mr. Zhang Wei," driver shared.

"This guy.. Zhang Wei.. must be very special then. Because, Mr. Wang is so particular about all the minute details. It is very difficult to convince him," smiled Lina.

"Yes, he is special! Mr. Wang always shows his catalogs to Zhang Wei before they get launched. The first samples of all the designs are created here," confided Robin. "This factory is more into manual work. They don't rely much on machines. They are expert in arranging for the suitable raw material, cutting and stitching job works.

"I would love to meet Mr. Zhang Wei," smiled Lina.

"Mr. Wang likes to visit this place alone. There are many stories that I've heard about Mr. Wang's life.. when he started his career. And according to those stories.. this place is very close to his heart," Robin shared.

Lina thought for a few seconds and decided to talk more about this. This was a golden opportunity for her. The more she knows about Wang, the faster she would be able to get close to him.