Chapter 363 Hong Kong
The weather in Beijing at the end of September and the beginning of October was already quite cold. Zhuang Rui had worn a leather jacket before boarding the plane, and he hadn't even had time to take it off as he walked out of the exit. He was chasing after Qin Xuanbing, and his strange posture attracted the attention of many people in the airport. If it weren't for Zhuang Rui's tall and strong build, a few people might have come out to defend him.
"Can we slow down a bit?"
Zhuang Rui just couldn't understand how this woman could wear high heels and never twist her ankle while walking, and how she could run so fast. After Zhuang Rui chased her out of the airport, he was already sweating profusely, and his face was as red as a boiled hairy crab.
"Look at you, so silly. Aren't you hot wearing all that?"
Qin Xuanbing stopped outside the airport, looking at Zhuang Rui covered in sweat, and felt a pang of sympathy. She took a tissue from her handbag and wiped his sweat.
"It's not hot, my heart is warmer than this..."
Zhuang Rui didn't like going to bars or nightclubs. In the evenings, besides reviewing his postgraduate entrance exam materials, he would watch some soap operas in his spare time. His verbal skills had improved, and when he took off his jacket, he casually lowered his head and kissed Qin Xuanbing's small hand.
Qin Xuanbing recoiled as if electrocuted, glaring at Zhuang Rui, but not angry. Zhuang Rui, emboldened, stepped forward and put his arm around Qin Xuanbing's waist, saying, "Let's find a hotel first. I need to take a shower; I'm all sweaty from running around..."
Qin Xuanbing's body trembled slightly. Going to a hotel was just about booking a room, and even though she was mentally prepared, she was still flustered. She blurted out, "Lei Lei knows you're coming and is waiting for us to have dinner together. How about tonight?"
Qin Xuanbing's words already carried a pleading tone, but little did she know that Zhuang Rui just wanted to take a shower. Although he had been a little impulsive just now, after running all this way, his desire had long since subsided.
What are you doing tonight?
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment, then saw a blush rise on Qin Xuanbing's pretty face. He was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.
Actually, women and men are the same. After meeting someone they feel they can entrust their lives to, many things will happen naturally and smoothly. However, when two inexperienced people come together, sometimes they need to explain things clearly so that the other person can understand.
Qin Xuanbing paused, ignored Zhuang Rui, and walked into the parking lot. She pressed the remote control in her hand, and a beeping sound came from not far away, indicating a red two-seater Ferrari sports car.
"Get in the car, let's go eat first, Leilei is probably getting impatient..."
Qin Xuanbing opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat. She took off her high heels and put on a pair of flat shoes, which made Zhuang Rui a little dizzy. He thought, "So this works too."
Hong Kong was formerly a British colony, and many customs are still influenced by Britain. For example, driving on the left makes Zhuang Rui feel very uncomfortable. Looking at the road ahead, he always felt that a car would suddenly rush out from the left and crash into him, so he simply picked up a Hong Kong newspaper from the car and started reading.
"Zhuang Rui, can you understand that newspaper?"
Although Qin Xuanbing was driving, she kept secretly watching Zhuang Rui. After not seeing him for several months, Zhuang Rui had become more composed than before, and when he wasn't speaking, he had an indescribable aura about him, giving people the feeling of a powerful and authoritative figure.
"Xuanbing, you're underestimating me too much. I'm about to take the entrance exam for a master's program in archaeology. If I can't even read traditional Chinese characters, there's no point in applying..."
Zhuang Rui understood Qin Xuanbing's meaning. When simplified characters were implemented in mainland China, Hong Kong was still a British colony. Therefore, the most commonly used Chinese characters in Hong Kong were traditional characters. However, reading traditional characters was not a problem for Zhuang Rui. It was just that the newspaper still used the ancient writing style, which was vertical and from left to right, which made Zhuang Rui feel a little uncomfortable.
Everyone knows Hong Kong very well. From the popular songs that entered the mainland in the 1980s, the trendy clothes, and the video arcades showing Hong Kong movies everywhere, they all tell people about a mysterious and prosperous Hong Kong.
It can be said that Hong Kong had a huge influence on mainlanders in the past. In the 1980s and 90s, the most popular items such as electronic watches, Walkmans, and bell-bottoms made it fashionable for young people all over the country to own a Hong Kong-made item.
Many individual business owners from various cities flocked to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and other places to purchase so-called parallel imports from Hong Kong, and then returned to their respective cities to set up stalls. These "scalpers" created the first group of people in China to become wealthy.
The booming film and television industry in Hong Kong in the 1980s also influenced a generation of people in mainland China. Who among those born in the 1960s and 70s hasn't watched Hong Kong films and television dramas such as "Huo Yuanjia," "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," and "The Return of the Tiger Mountain"? Back then, everyone would hum a few lines of Cantonese songs, even if they didn't know the meaning of the lyrics.
When "A Better Tomorrow" was introduced to mainland China in the mid-to-late 1980s, the streets were filled with young people wearing trench coats and sporting slicked-back hair. If a nationwide survey had been conducted at that time, "Little Ma's" fame would have far surpassed that of the US president and the British prime minister.
The term "celebrity" also originated from that time. When Zhuang Rui was a child, he and Liu Chuan sold celebrity stickers, which was essentially piracy of the portrait rights of Hong Kong movie stars. Of course, the term "piracy" didn't exist back then.
However, since Hong Kong's return to China, this mystery has gradually been unveiled. Every year, mainland tourists account for a large proportion of Hong Kong's related revenue, having a significant impact on its economy.
However, this city was still unfamiliar to Zhuang Rui. At this moment, Qin Xuanbing's car was driving on a bustling road. On both sides of the road were a mixture of colonial-era buildings and modern high-tech buildings. The buildings were like a forest, and the restaurants were lined up one after another, embodying both Eastern and Western cultures.
Along the streets on both sides of the road, there were some lightbox advertisements. The words "massage and bone relaxation" were written in traditional Chinese characters, exactly the same as what Zhuang Rui had seen in the movie. In the bustling crowd, everyone's face carried a kind of anxiety, at least in Zhuang Rui's eyes. He did not see any mainlanders strolling around with birdcages.
Crowded. That was the feeling Zhuang Rui got from everything in front of him. Towering buildings, narrow streets, and crowds of people walking on the road, like sardines in a can, so dense that it was hard to breathe.
"This is Central, Hong Kong's busiest commercial district. Look, that's our jewelry store."
As Qin Xuanbing drove, she introduced the shops to Zhuang Rui. Following Qin Xuanbing's finger, there were seven or eight jewelry stores lined up side by side on the street to the left.
Compared to the deserted jewelry stores on the mainland, this place was much busier, with people coming and going frequently. However, Zhuang Rui was unaware that most of these people were mainland tourists. Their fixed mindset, formed over decades, still led them to believe that things in Hong Kong were both cheap and good.
"We've arrived, let's get off!"
After driving for another half hour, Qin Xuanbing stopped the car on the side of a street, got out, put coins in the card reader next to her, and naturally took Zhuang Rui's arm and walked into the restaurant on the side of the road.
"This is Mong Kok, the place with the most restaurants. Hey, Leilei, we're here."
As soon as Zhuang Rui entered the restaurant, he felt as if he had entered a bustling market. The people inside were not eating at all; they were all huddled together chatting. The worst part was that Zhuang Rui couldn't understand what they were saying. He could barely remember a few Cantonese words, but the Teochew dialect spoken at some tables sounded like gibberish to him.
The official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, and the government's language policy is "two written languages and three spoken languages," that is, written Chinese vernacular and English, and spoken Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
Cantonese is the primary language of communication among the Chinese population in Hong Kong, while English is the primary language of communication among the non-Chinese population. Most residents of Hong Kong are not native inhabitants; people who have migrated from mainland China and other parts of the world over the past century have brought their native languages to Hong Kong.
Walking through the restaurant, Zhuang Rui even saw a table of foreigners, eating Chinese food with chopsticks in a seemingly professional manner, shouting and yelling just like the people next to them. When he first came in, he felt it was a bit noisy, but now, Zhuang Rui actually liked this place. It was full of life everywhere, and it had become a completely different world from the steel city he had just seen.
"Hey, you two, what's gotten into you? Why are you two so close?"
When Lei Lei saw Qin Xuanbing walking in arm in arm with Zhuang Rui, she couldn't help but widen her eyes. In her memory, Qin Xuanbing and Zhuang Rui, who were both very reserved about their feelings, would never do such a thing.
"Ahem, what do you know? This is called distance makes the heart grow fonder. We're thousands of miles apart, so what's wrong with being affectionate when we meet? But you, my old classmate, are about to become a bride. Do you have any wedding anxiety?"
Fearing that Qin Xuanbing was shy, Zhuang Rui quickly changed the subject to Lei Lei after sitting down.
"Tch, we're an old married couple, what's there to be afraid of? By the way, Zhuang Rui, I heard from Da Chuan that you've transferred almost all of your shares in the mastiff farm. What are you planning to do next?"
Lei Lei knew that Zhuang Rui had made a lot of money gambling on stones, but he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Lei Lei knew that Zhuang Rui's family background was very ordinary. If he didn't have a promising business, the Qin Xuanbing family probably wouldn't have agreed to their marriage so easily.
After hearing Lei Lei's words, Qin Xuanbing also turned her gaze to Zhuang Rui. Although her mother was anxious to marry her off, Zhuang Rui seemed to be just one of their many options at the moment.
Chapter 364 Bewildered and Infatuated (Part 1)
“I have legal status now. I have a position at the Jade Association, and I'm not a Black person, so what are you worried about?”
Zhuang Rui smiled, took out his business cards from his bag, and handed them to Lei Lei and Qin Xuanbing. He didn't explain much about the Xinjiang jade mine industry, since even Liu Chuan didn't know much about it, so Lei Lei naturally wouldn't know either. As for Qin Xuanbing, she knew a little, but not much.
Qin Xuanbing's gaze towards Zhuang Rui softened. In her heart, she didn't need Zhuang Rui to be extremely wealthy. As long as he had a career that he was interested in and wasn't idle every day, that would be enough. Besides, if she wanted to marry someone of the same status as the Qin family, there were countless people in Hong Kong lining up to choose her.
"Zhuang Rui, how much money do you have left? Um, I'm just asking, you don't have to tell me..."
Lei Lei wasn't initially optimistic about the relationship between Qin Xuanbing and Zhuang Rui. However, she hadn't expected the two to fall deeply in love, so she wanted to learn more about Zhuang Rui and offer advice on things Qin Xuanbing couldn't say.
"There's still eight or nine million left, I haven't calculated it exactly, but it should be around that amount. Uh, after a while it might only be three or four million left, there's a project that needs some money..."
Buying a courtyard house almost wiped out Zhuang Rui's savings. He also didn't plan to sell the exquisite jade carvings, so he hadn't made any money during this period.
In a few days, Zhuang Rui might not even have that little bit of money left, because Zhao Guodong has reached an agreement with Audi China. Next month, they will send staff to inspect the address Zhao Guodong has chosen. If they are satisfied, the two parties will sign an agency contract and hand over the agency of Pengcheng Audi cars to Zhao Guodong.
Although Audi won't charge a deposit because of Ouyang Jun's influence, and will provide the vehicles free of charge initially, the decoration of the 4S dealership must be done according to their requirements. This expense will be at least five or six million yuan, and Zhuang Rui will have to set aside this money in advance.
Zhuang Rui's words made Lei Lei's mouth drop in surprise. She asked uncertainly, "You really only have this much money left?"
After seeing Zhuang Rui nod, Lei Lei had nothing more to say. She knew that Zhuang Rui had earned over 100 million yuan at the Pingzhou Jade Auction, but she hadn't expected that Zhuang Rui was so good at making money, and even more good at spending it. In just three or four months, he still had several million yuan left out of the 100 million yuan. Even the billionaires in Hong Kong probably couldn't match Zhuang Rui's spending power.
"Spend as much money as you can, spend as little money as you can, Zhuang Rui, I heard you bought a courtyard house in Beijing, I definitely have to go see it..."
Qin Xuanbing was quite open-minded. She owned 4% of the family's shares, which was nearly 100 million yuan in cash, enough for her and Zhuang Rui to live very well. After finishing this order in the UK, she didn't plan to take any more foreign orders. At most, she would design some jewelry for the family company.
Girls like Qin Xuanbing are generally very difficult to fall in love with, but once they do, they will throw themselves into it without hesitation. After experiencing that life-or-death trip to Tibet together, Qin Xuanbing firmly tied her heart to Zhuang Rui.
"Well, Lei Lei, if you're free in a few days, let's go to Beijing together. My house is quite big; it can easily accommodate dozens of people..."
Speaking of his courtyard house, Zhuang Rui's face was full of joy. Although the house had almost emptied his pockets, Zhuang Rui still felt it was worth it. The size and location of the house were such that even in ancient times, let alone in modern times, only kings and generals could live there.
"Dozens of people? Zhuang Rui, you didn't buy a piece of land in Beijing, build a manor, and spend all your money, did you?"
Lei Lei's expression turned somewhat strange after hearing Zhuang Rui's words. A courtyard house that can accommodate dozens of people, how big must it be?
"Hehe, you guessed pretty much right. You'll see when you go there. Da Chuan has been going to Beijing a lot lately, so you two can stay at my place for a while."
Zhuang Rui said very little about the courtyard house to Qin Xuanbing, wanting to give her a surprise in the future. People living in the city would definitely like the courtyard house, which combines the style of the Jiangnan water towns with the architecture of old Beijing.
Lei Lei glanced at Qin Xuanbing and suddenly said, "Zhuang Rui, if Aunt Qin asks you about this, please don't say you bought all the money for a house, that wouldn't be good..."
"Leilei, what can't you say? I'll make my own decisions about my own affairs!"
Qin Xuanbing looked somewhat displeased. She knew what Lei Lei meant. In the eyes of Hong Kong people, if someone with a net worth like Little Superman bought a house worth hundreds of millions, that would be considered prestigious. If they bought a cheaper house, it would be considered shameful. However, if someone like Zhuang Rui, who had no background, bought the same house, that would be considered nouveau riche and someone who was trying to appear wealthy even when they were not.
Zhuang Rui frowned slightly. He originally thought that relationships were a matter between two people, but he heard something else in Lei Lei's words. However, after thinking about it, he felt relieved. What parent doesn't want their daughter to marry well? Zhuang Rui was confident that he could provide Qin Xuanbing with a life free from financial worries in the future.
Qin Xuanbing had been secretly watching Zhuang Rui's expression. Seeing that he had paused for a moment, she was afraid that Zhuang Rui would overthink things, so she quickly reassured him, "Zhuang Rui, don't worry, my mother isn't that kind of person."
"Worried? What am I worried about? Worried that your aunt won't agree to let you marry me?"
In the past six months, Zhuang Rui has not only made more money, but he has also become much more shameless. You know, six months ago, Zhuang Rui didn't know where to put his hands when talking to pretty girls.
"A deathly sight..."
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, but felt a sweet warmth in her heart. If there was anything different about Zhuang Rui this time, Qin Xuanbing sensed a new confidence in him. A restrained yet absolute confidence, and his words carried an air of authority that unconsciously commanded respect.
Upon careful observation, Qin Xuanbing felt that only those who excelled in certain fields possessed such powerful self-confidence that could infect those around them.
"Alright, I can't stand you guys anymore. Hurry up and eat. Zhuang Rui must be tired from the flight. He should rest this afternoon. Tonight, well, I won't be a third wheel. Let Xuanbing accompany you to Hong Kong tonight..."
When her old classmate came to Hong Kong, Lei Lei originally wanted to accompany her, but seeing the two of them flirting, she discreetly paid the bill after the meal and left on her own. ...
"Xuanbing, this sea-view house is nice too. I'll find a place by the sea in the future and build a house there so I can see the sea every day."
After entering the hotel room, Zhuang Rui drew back the curtains and looked out at the blue and shimmering sea. Standing on the 36th floor, he could almost smell the sea. The famous Victoria Harbour, Chater Garden, and the beautiful and charming scenery of Central were all within his view.
Qin Xuanbing booked the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for Zhuang Rui. Located in the Connaught Road Central business district of Hong Kong Island, the hotel features traditional British architecture while incorporating the essence of ancient Eastern culture and international dynamism.
The 365-square-foot bedroom featured a king-size bed, a piano, a writing desk, a private storage room, and two separate large Italian marble bathrooms. Zhuang Rui looked around for more than ten minutes.
Of course, as one of only twenty luxury rooms in the entire hotel, the price is naturally exorbitant; a single night's stay here is equivalent to almost a year's salary for Zhuang Rui when he worked at the pawnshop.
Qin Xuanbing walked to the window behind Zhuang Rui, put her arms around his waist, and said, "You've really become addicted to buying houses, haven't you? By the way, Zhuang Rui, did you really buy a very big courtyard house?"
"Of course it's true! There's a pond, a rockery, a pond full of lotus flowers, tall jujube trees, and a garden full of flowers. You'll definitely love it there..."
Zhuang Rui wrapped his arm around Qin Xuanbing and whispered in her ear. The hot breath from Zhuang Rui's mouth blew on Qin Xuanbing's earlobe, making her body tremble involuntarily. Her nose was filled with a unique masculine scent.
"Zhuang Rui, I want to... sob..."
Qin Xuanbing turned her head to speak, but her lips were sealed. Qin Xuanbing's eyes widened instantly, but she was then captivated by the aggressive attack. The strange sensation from her lips made her recklessly respond, wrapping her arms around Zhuang Rui's neck, her whole body going limp.
Zhuang Rui kissed Qin Xuanbing's lips greedily, his large hands becoming increasingly restless, roaming over her back. Her soft, boneless body ignited Zhuang Rui's lust, and he slipped his hands inside her tight jeans, feeling the amazing elasticity of her high, rounded buttocks.
The clothes on his body seemed superfluous at this moment. Zhuang Rui tilted his head back slightly, ripped off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest, and then buried his head in the magnificent cleavage of Qin Xuanbing's chest. At this moment, Qin Xuanbing was already limp all over, her eyes were filled with lust, and she could no longer muster any strength.
"Zhuang Rui, no, no, you haven't showered yet..."
Just as Zhuang Rui's hand was moving around Qin Xuanbing's waist for a long time without being able to unbutton her jeans, Qin Xuanbing suddenly came to her senses. Although she had been prepared, her woman's instinct still made her want Zhuang Rui to wash himself clean before giving herself to him.
But Zhuang Rui's current situation is like driving Qin Xuanbing's Ferrari sports car at a speed of over 250 km/h. It's not something that can be stopped with just a word. His hands are still relentlessly fighting against the buttons on his jeans.