Chapter 19: Starting a Business
Back at the rental house, Huong Tra turned off the engine and pushed her motorbike through the gate, while Kieu Ly walked ahead toward their room.
As they neared their door, Kieu Ly noticed that the room next door was lit up. Out of curiosity, she glanced through the window—and nearly fell backward.
Inside, a man and a woman were tangled together, completely naked.
It was the room of Hong and Mai, two students from the Foreign Trade University—just like her. Hong didn't have a boyfriend, so the guy had to be Mai's. It was Kieu Ly's first time watching "live adult content"—right outside her window, no less. Shocked and flustered, she bolted back toward Huong Tra, stammering:
"I just saw… next door… Mai… doing it… with her boyfriend…"
Huong Tra, amused, deliberately made noise by restarting her motorbike as she pushed it inside.
Mai had probably come back to Hanoi early to spend Valentine's Day with her boyfriend. She clearly didn't expect any neighbors to return this soon—otherwise, she wouldn't have been making thunder and lightning in a fully lit room with the window wide open.
Since it was still the Lunar New Year break, both girls were free. Back in their room, Huong Tra pulled out the couple's shirts and asked Kieu Ly to model them. Kieu Ly played along cheerfully. Huong Tra snapped photos, shot videos, and worked her PR magic.
When it came to talking, Kieu Ly hadn't met anyone as smooth and persuasive as Huong Tra. After editing the video and posting it online, the shirts sold immediately.
When the deposit hit her account, Huong Tra lit up and said:
"You know what? I think I've got a knack for this. Maybe I should try selling stuff online!"
After buying gifts for Hoang Anh, Kieu Ly still had money left over. Adding in the payment from selling the shirts, she now had a small fund to her name. She nodded in support:
"Go for it. If you need capital, I can lend you some."
True to her style, Huong Tra didn't wait. The very next morning, she took Kieu Ly to Ninh Hiep market to buy wholesale fashion items. And of course, her model was none other than Kieu Ly.
Everything went surprisingly smoothly. With Kieu Ly's help, both as investor and model, things took off fast. Huong Tra had an eye for fashion, a sharp sense of youth trends, and a natural gift of gab. As soon as she launched her store, she sold out completely. Even Huong Tra herself was stunned.
As she packed orders to ship to customers, she beamed:
"We must have the ancestors on our side! I'm going home this weekend to ask my parents for 50 million dong to start this for real!"
Kieu Ly couldn't help but be amazed. Who would've thought getting dumped would unlock Huong Tra's hidden talents?
It really was true—sometimes, a little misfortune leads to unexpected blessings.
With Huong Tra starting her online business, Kieu Ly found herself stepping into the world of investment.