Chapter 978: Fate

The taxi stopped downstairs; Wang Yan got out, retrieved two large leather suitcases, and walked straight into the building.

"Wang Laoban is back from Hong Kong."

Teacher Kong, who taught the children piano, wasn't teaching that day since the kids were all at school; he had to leave his door open for ventilation and entertain himself. Seeing Wang Yan pass by his doorway, he smiled and greeted him.

Wang Yan responded with a chuckle, opened his door, and entered his apartment. Although he had been away for over a month, the place hadn't gathered any dust. He had given the key to Teacher Ge; that old rascal might have nagged endlessly, but he did his work and kept things clean.

After unpacking the boxes and sorting through the various items he'd brought back, Wang Yan went out again, heading to Teacher Kong's home.

He took out a box: "Teacher Kong, I visited quite a few places in Hong Kong and passed by a music shop. I don't know much about instruments, so I bought you a flute. It wasn't expensive; they probably sell them here too anyway. Consider it a small token. Listening to you play piano and practice vocal exercises every day has nearly calloused my ears; try something different and play the flute for a change."

"Oh my, Wang Laoban, I don't know whether to thank you or scold you. It was thoughtful of you to remember me while traveling to Hong Kong and bring me something. In any case, thank you very much; then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"There's no need for ceremony. Alright, I won't disturb you further, Teacher Kong; I still have gifts for Chen Laoshi and Teacher Shi." Wang Yan smiled and waved his hand.

Since there were only a handful of people, Wang Yan simply bought something for each of them. They certainly cost some money, but nothing overly expensive. For Chen Laoshi, who painted, he brought a set of brushes and some paints; for Teacher Shi, who sang opera, he brought a portable cassette player and some opera tapes so she could listen while out and about. Basically, he matched each gift to their interests.

As for Teacher Ge, Seeing Lingzi, and the others, he got watches, bags, jewelry, and the like. These were much cheaper than in China and didn't cost much either. He hadn't forgotten to buy things for Jin Jin Meilin and Little Fatty either. Nowadays, Jin Jin Meilin was his top lieutenant, so he had to keep her in mind.

Speaking of which, Jin Jin Meilin truly had it hard: if she wanted to earn money, she couldn't look after her child; if she looked after her child, she couldn't earn money. Fortunately, Little Fatty was doing fine; he had been raised well and hadn't gone astray.

"Oh my, Little Northeast, you're back, and you didn't even say a word."

Just as Wang Yan was tidying up his things, Teacher Ge spoke as he walked in.

"If I told you, could these old bones of yours still manage to pick me up?"

"What kind of talk is that? Night Tokyo—we should prepare in advance; giving you a welcome-home reception is only proper." Watching Wang Yan fiddle with a pile of items, he continued, "Did you bring the things Seeing Lingzi and Ling Hong asked you to get? You have no idea; Ling Hong nags about it every single day. It's so annoying I'm about to have a heart attack."

"How could I forget? Here, this is yours." Wang Yan casually tossed a box over.

Teacher Ge instinctively caught it: "Oh my, there's something for me too?"

"Oh my, everyone else got something; if only you, you old rascal, got nothing, wouldn't you hide in your room tonight crying? Then you'd start saying, 'Little Northeast, you have no conscience,' then you'd try to calculate my rent with me, and then you'd list all the work you've done for me. Oh my, buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz, it's so annoying I'm about to have a heart attack."

Regarding Wang Yan's mockery, Teacher Ge pretended not to hear. Beaming, he looked at the box, opening it while muttering, "Oh my, a watch! A Longines! Not cheap at all. Little Northeast, you really spent a fortune. Let me tell you, you are the most conscientious person. Not like those two, Seeing Lingzi and Ling Hong."

"If I repeat these words to them, you old rascal would be in deep trouble."

"Don't stir up trouble; I'm just saying this for your ears only; I wouldn't dare let them know." Teacher Ge changed the subject: "What did you buy for Tao Tao?"

"Everything's the same. For Boss Bao and Stamp Li, it's all the same. There's no notion of one being more valuable than another; everyone is treated equally."

"I'd burn incense in gratitude just to receive anything, but what you got for Boss Bao and Stamp Li definitely isn't enough. Do you know that the Electric Vacuum stock you bought is already over five hundred yuan? In less than half a year, two hundred thousand turned into a million. These watches wouldn't be appropriate gifts, would they?"

"Listening to you talk, does that mean my Moutai isn't good enough for you to drink?" Wang Yan shook his head. "We're all friends. Originally, I said I'd cook and treat everyone to a meal. Now that I've been to Hong Kong, I just happened to buy some things to bring back and make everyone happy. What do these two matters have to do with each other? If I hadn't gone to Hong Kong, would I still have to split half the money I earned and give it to Stamp Li and Boss Bao?"

"Now, I went to Hong Kong, made money on stocks, brought some back to share with everyone so you can all catch a bit of that financial luck—is that not acceptable? This whole pile of stuff cost me tens of thousands; isn't that generous enough?"

"I'm just reminding you; I'm afraid you might overlook it. Friends are friends, but it's not right to let people work for nothing."

"You old rascal didn't do any work and still snagged a watch; just be happy about it."

Teacher Ge had already unstrapped his old Shanghai watch and put on the new Longines, stroking the case and feeling its coolness: "Even though I bought this old Shanghai watch when I married my old lady, and it's held my sentiments for so many years, wearing this new watch just feels different."

"Which one is better?"

"Of course... both are good. This old Shanghai of mine needs to be sent for a proper repair and maintenance; it can't be left in a drawer collecting dust. My old lady would get angry."

After admiring it back and forth for a while, Teacher Ge said, "Little Northeast, are you free tonight? We're going to Night Tokyo, right?"

"Yes, I have to deliver all these gifts to them anyway; besides, I want to see if the Little Monk's skills have improved."

"Then I'll go tell them and give Tao Tao a call." Teacher Ge slowly turned and left Wang Yan's place, then went to Night Tokyo to share the good news that Wang Laoban had returned...

Wang Laoban's return was naturally good news. Teacher Ge had a fast mouth; he felt his own excitement so intensely that he immediately spoiled everyone else's surprise. But it didn't seem to have any major impact, because Teacher Ge's big mouth had also revealed that Wang Wang wasn't charging anything—he was giving everything to them. That was an even bigger surprise.

Before Wang Yan could even go to Night Tokyo, Tao Tao pedaled over on his bicycle, happily wearing his new watch and carefully packing the ladies' handbag Wang Yan had brought for Fang Mei. Additionally, he volunteered his labor, helping to carry away the gifts for Seeing Lingzi and the others as well.

By the time Wang Yan arrived at Night Tokyo, Seeing Lingzi and the others, having received their gifts, were still examining them.

"Wang Laoban is here! Thank you, Wang Laoban," Ling Hong said. "Wang Laoban, troubling you to bring these things, and such expensive ones too—it wouldn't be right not to pay you."

Undoubtedly, this was a feigned refusal.

Wang Yan nodded: "Originally, I thought that since I made money on stocks—essentially windfall profits—everyone could share in that financial luck, so I wouldn't charge you. However, if you want to pay, I won't object. If I remember correctly, your bag should cost around thirty-three hundred; let's call it two thousand."

Clearly, Wang Yan was being very generous. Casually, he was waiving an amount equal to an ordinary worker's annual salary.

"Oh my, since Wang Laoban is giving it to me, of course I shouldn't refuse," Ling Hong said, her expression unchanged.

Seeing her such thick-skinned behavior, everyone burst into laughter, especially Teacher Ge and Tao Tao, who laughed the loudest.

"Hey, what are you two laughing at? The watches are about the same price. One of you clings tightly to your nest egg, being stingy; the other wants to be generous but can't even pull twenty yuan out of his pocket. And you still have the nerve to laugh at me?"

"At least we didn't hypocritically pretend to offer money."

"Enough, enough! You lot argue after just three sentences; if you don't see each other, you miss each other; I really don't understand you. Please, let my ears have some peace, alright?"

Seeing Lingzi waved her hand, cutting off the impending verbal battle, and smiled brightly at Wang Yan: "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you, Wang Laoban; I'll just accept it."

"There's nothing to stand on ceremony about; accept it with peace of mind." Wang Yan asked, "Is Boss Bao coming?"

"I already called him; he's still out of town. But he told me that Stamp Li is already selling off the stocks; he should be able to sell everything within these few days."

"Then wait until Boss Bao returns; you can give him these two watches to pass on to Stamp Li. As for when I cook, let's schedule it for next Saturday. I need to busy myself for a while; seven or eight days should be enough. By then, ask Boss Bao to invite that Uncle as well, along with Miss Wang, so everyone can eat, drink, and enjoy a lively gathering."

"That works; I'll arrange it. List the dishes you want to make; there's no need for you to go shopping. I'll purchase everything, and you just come to cook."

"I'll write it down for you right now. Also, coordinate the time with Boss Bao and the others; as long as those seven or eight days pass, I'm available anytime."

Wang Yan was very decisive; he went over, found paper and pen, and swiftly wrote down more than twenty dishes, basically covering all eight major culinary traditions. To say people would drool just reading the dish names would be impossible, but amidst their skepticism, there was inevitably quite a bit of anticipation.

With so many people, it was lively. After a while of chatting and laughing, moving past the joy of receiving valuable gifts, the group began eating. Of course, nothing particularly new happened; they were all just like curious babies, asking about the situation in Hong Kong, inquiring how Wang Yan's business was doing there, and questioning about the triads over there. After all, if even setting up a stall on Huanghe Road brought Lu Jin Meilin causing trouble, how much more so when going to Hong Kong?

Wang Yan wasn't impatient at all. Although everyone in the room had their quirks, none of them were bad people; their daily bickering was actually quite nice. He didn't hide anything; although he didn't go into great detail, he gave them a fairly comprehensive account of his experiences in Hong Kong.

After satisfying their curiosity about his side of things, the Night Tokyo crowd started bickering again, telling Wang Yan about various events and minor conflicts that had occurred over the past month or so, asking him to arbitrate.

As they chatted, Tao Tao suddenly exclaimed, "Wang Laoban, once the stocks are sold, are you going to move out? If you ask me, moving out would be good. You're worth several million now; still living in Teacher Ge's small house makes earning money seem pointless."

"I think so too. Wang Laoban, you don't know, we even inquired..." Glancing at the others staring at her, Ling Hong abruptly stopped, took a dramatic breath, and continued, "... we even asked about the Western-style houses on Julu Road. Didn't you mention before that you liked the houses there? Tao Tao went to ask that day; the smaller ones are six or seven hundred thousand, and the larger ones, seven or eight hundred thousand would be enough."

"Right, right, right, I asked around. Some people need capital to do business; some people are going abroad. Houses are certainly expensive for us, but for you, Wang Laoban, it's no big deal. But you told me before, Wang Laoban, you said house prices would definitely rise in the future and urged us to buy houses if we had money. If you ask me, you might as well just buy an entire building; that would be more suitable."

"I'm buying to live in myself, not to wait for house prices to rise and make a profit." Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "Buying a house is definitely necessary; a larger place would be more comfortable to live in. I'll go look around when I have free time these few days; if I find a suitable one, I'll buy it and renovate it properly. I'll also need to transfer my household registration here; otherwise, handling affairs is always inconvenient."

"Then you must come often in the future; we're all friends..." Under the gaze of the others, Teacher Ge slowly closed his mouth.

Wang Yan naturally saw through it; this crowd from Night Tokyo might have some scheme regarding him, nothing more than some behind-the-back gossip, which was unavoidable. At most, they were making a bet about some matters surrounding him; it didn't matter, so he pretended not to notice anything.

He shook his head with a smile: "I'll definitely come over in my free time; I truly have no friends, not even anyone to talk to; it's lonely."

Tao Tao laughed: "It's time to get a wife, Wang Laoban, otherwise I'll start suspecting you like men."

"Yes, Little Northeast, what are your thoughts?"

"Haven't met the right one yet; come, come, let's stop studying my affairs; drink, drink."

What else could Wang Yan say? He couldn't exactly say 'the more the better,' could he?

After the meal, the next day, Wang Yan went out to attend to his affairs. There were mainly two things: first, to check the progress of the seasoning factory, the shoe and clothing factory, and the Nanjing Road shop; second, to sort out the matter of Hong Kong capital taking a stake, ensuring corresponding issues were resolved and implemented properly.

He did not return to Shanghai alone this time; he brought along a representative lawyer commissioned by a Hong Kong investment company to represent said company in investing US dollars into the seasoning factory and the shoe and clothing factory. In any case, it was all Wang Yan transferring from his left hand to his right; the goal was simply to follow the procedures correctly and ensure various support policies were implemented.

Additionally, there was a small matter: buying a house, as mentioned during the meal.

He shared a deep connection with Julu Road; many of his events truly happened here, but unfortunately, he felt no particular sentiment; his past was simply too rich, causing him to lose much emotional fluctuation.

So he came here nonetheless, merely because it was relatively more comfortable; there were no other messy thoughts. He acted decisively; after viewing two properties, he directly purchased a two-and-a-half-story small garden villa and arranged for renovation matters...

At No. 27 The Bund, the red glow of the setting sun traveling west flooded the building's dim yellow light. It was quitting time again; many people were actively packing up their things.

"What shall we eat tonight?" Mei Ping asked.

Miss Wang paused her movements, gazing out the window at the dim yellow light, pondered seriously for a moment, and said: "Today we should go for pork ribs and rice cakes."

"No way, pork ribs and rice cakes again?"

"You know, Mei Ping, I love eating them; I can never get enough."

"I truly admire you; your taste has remained unchanged for so many years. I'm leaving first; see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Miss Wang replied, waving to Mei Ping, then lowered her head to finish packing her things before slinging her small bag over her shoulder and heading out...

Miss Wang could no longer remember how many times she had visited the pork ribs and rice cakes shop. She heard her father say that even before she could remember things, she loved pork ribs and rice cakes most, clamoring to eat them all day. Later, when she gained memory, indeed her favorite remained pork ribs and rice cakes. In childhood, her parents took her; in youth, classmates and friends went together; now that she was grown, only she went frequently, rarely finding someone to accompany her always.

She accompanied this one shop from the small store beside her school back then all the way to this current location on South Yunnan Road. She favored only this one shop; when the old owner stopped, he passed it to his son; the son's cooking was no worse than Laozi's; she liked it very much.

Some flavors, once tasted, cannot be forgotten.

Some people, once seen, leave one unforgettable.

Of course, this is not necessarily an unforgettable feeling between men and women; it's just that there are always some people who possess such strong memory points that one recalls them inadvertently.

Two chance encounters, along with some of Wang Yan's peculiarities and their pleasant exchanges, made Miss Wang, during the short journey from the bus stop to the pork ribs and rice cakes shop, constantly wonder if Wang Yan would also be in the store, granting them a third serendipitous meeting.

Today, she confirmed it, because she roughly remembered Wang Yan's license plate number; she saw that black Santana parked by the roadside.

"Miss Wang has arrived," the shop owner greeted as usual.

"The usual order, but add an extra portion of salt-and-pepper pork ribs."

"Wang Laoban heard that, right? I didn't lie to you; ever since I ordered your seasoning and launched the new salt-and-pepper pork ribs, Miss Wang adds an extra portion every time she comes," the shop owner laughed. "Miss Wang, you don't need to specify it specially anymore; now salt-and-pepper pork ribs are part of the usual order."

"Hurry up, hurry up, I'm starving," Miss Wang urged with a smile, opened a bottle of soda, inserted a straw, came over, and sat down beside Wang Yan. "Long time no see, Wang Laoban."

"Not that long; let me calculate... it's been about two months," Wang Yan said with a serious expression as he pondered, giving his answer.

"Oh my, two months isn't short! A year has only six two-month periods; the ancients said one day apart feels like three autumns; this already amounts to sixty autumns."

"Miss Wang's mathematics is very good."

"I'll take that as you praising me," Miss Wang pursed her lips, biting the straw, and said, "I heard you went to Hong Kong; how was it? Did everything go smoothly?"

"It seems Miss Wang cares about me very much."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't flatter yourself; I was chatting with Boss Bao and thought of you, so I casually asked; Boss Bao told me."

Wang Yan nodded with a smile, eating as he spoke: "Quite smooth; I opened a company over there, which in turn invested in my seasoning factory and shoe and clothing factory; currently, we are handling the procedures; it won't take many days to finalize everything."

"How did you open a company over there? You can't just send any empty shell and enjoy policy preferences for investment here."

"Of course, by selling seasoning over there; people in Hong Kong also eat barbecue and roasted meat; my seasoning sold there, and I heard the number of people eating barbecue and roasted meat increased significantly."

"Just like in Shanghai?" Miss Wang had long understood the cause and effect; she knew the sudden barbecue craze that swept Shanghai a few months ago was caused solely by Wang Yan, including the fight on Huanghe Road and the subsequent banquet attendance.

Speaking truly, Wang Yan still held some reputation in Shanghai. However, in this era of turbulent changes, the past few months were a long time; enough for others to become famous. Wang Yan's popularity was no longer what it was a few months ago. Yet many people still knew of him; after all, basically everyone had eaten barbecue; Wang Yan's black heart had been cursed into fame; everyone knew Wang Yan's costs were low...

"More or less," Wang Yan nodded. "Hong Kong also has millions of people living there, with many food stalls and small vendors; business over there is also very good. Moreover, the export price here is ten yuan; over there, I sell it for twenty."

"Oh my, you're truly black-hearted, Wang Laoban."

"If I weren't black-hearted, how could I make money? You've tasted the salt-and-pepper pork ribs; just say whether it's delicious or not." Wang Yan reached out to help take Miss Wang's meal.

"Delicious," Miss Wang chuckled.

"There you go; besides, Hong Kong is wealthier than our side; doubling the price has little impact. But speaking truly, I haven't earned too much. After all, customs export, customs import, plus promotion, sales, and delivery—all these cost money. Once over there, I might earn five yuan per bag."

"Are you bullying me for not knowing how to calculate? You still earn seven or eight yuan over here."

"How could that be? I just said your mathematics was good."

Wang Yan smiled, wiped his hands, took a gift box out of the leather bag beside him, and placed it on the table: "A gift brought from Hong Kong for you; thank you for helping with ideas."

"No way? Did you come here specifically today to wait for me?"

"No, it's just that I haven't been here in a long time and felt like eating some. Additionally, we two share quite some fate; I came twice and met you twice; I wondered if we might meet a third time? So I kept it in my bag. Clearly, we two do indeed have fate. Hey, don't look at me with that expression; I really only came three times; ask the owner; he wouldn't lie to you along with me."

The owner, busy working in the back, looked up at the sound: "Miss Wang, I testify; Wang Laoban really only came three times. The first time, I ordered seasoning; he delivered it to me and happened to eat here. The second time, it was raining; he drove over to deliver goods and stopped by my place on the way. This time, Wang Laoban praised my cooking as delicious and came specifically to support my business."

"What? It's not because of that," Miss Wang waved her hand toward the back; looking at Wang Yan, she said, "Last time I clearly told you I don't accept gifts from others."

"Not even from a friend? We two have no business dealings," Wang Yan looked very innocent. "Besides, this doesn't cost much; I have the invoice; look, only six hundred yuan; check whether you like it first before speaking."

"I don't need to look to know I'll like it; you definitely know how to choose well."

"Thank you for your affirmation of me."

Miss Wang pouted, but still checked the invoice, then opened the gift box.

It wasn't anything special; inside were two boxes: one was an eyeglass case containing only a frame without lenses; the other box held several pairs of lenses.

If one had to mention anything special, it was that the frame looked somewhat nicer; overall an oval frame, the surface featuring a dark gold leaning toward silver metallic luster, with gilded patterns on the temple arms; it looked very fresh yet not flamboyant.

"What are all these lenses for?"

"I didn't know your degree of myopia, so I made various ones; additionally, there are a few unprocessed lenses; later you can find an optician to grind them. Personally, I think you look more beautiful wearing glasses like these; the large square-frame glasses you wear now make you look rather dull."

"You're the dull one."

Young Lady Wang retorted unhappily, then immediately broke into a silly grin, "Though sometimes when I look in the mirror, I feel a bit that way myself. President Bao once gave me contact lenses; I thought they were convenient, so I reported them and bought them with my own money. But wearing them for long periods was uncomfortable, and my myopia seemed to worsen, so I wear them sometimes and not others."

She picked up the frames, turning them over repeatedly, and asked uncertainly, "Really only six hundred?"

"Would an invoice lie?"

"But no matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like six hundred."

"Could the Organization possibly run all the way to Hong Kong just for a pair of glasses, find the shop, and ask how much they cost? Can't something be worth more than its price?"

"As expected, it isn't six hundred yuan." Young Lady Wang looked at the grinning Wang Yan, leaned closer, and whispered, "Tell me secretly, how much did it really cost?"

Wang Yan cooperated fully, leaning close to her ear: "Six hundred yuan."

"I'm being serious." Her ear felt rather itchy; Young Lady Wang suddenly pulled away and slapped Wang Yan.

"I wasn't being false either; it really is six hundred."

"Then I don't want it."

"No problem. Tomorrow I'll go to No. 27 and have a talk with your section chief. I don't believe a gift can't be given away."

"I've never seen anyone give gifts like this."

"Young Lady Wang, you're not straightforward at all, yet your voice is so loud. I say definitively that these glasses are six hundred yuan. You say definitively whether you want them or not?"

"I don't want them."

"Good." Wang Yan nodded with a smile and began packing the glasses away, re-wrapping them.

Watching his actions, Young Lady Wang asked, "So you're going to No. 27 tomorrow?"

"Of course; didn't I just say so?"

Young Lady Wang's not very complex mind raced at high speed, imagining the impact of Wang Yan barging in to deliver a gift to her; she shook her head repeatedly, then grabbed the gift box Wang Yan was about to put away.

"I'll take them. Tomorrow I'll report back, and later I'll give you the money."

"A wise choice. Look, I specially brought you a gift from Hong Kong, and you're glaring at me."

"No one forces people to accept gifts like you do."

"Well, now there's me."

Wang Yan raised his eyebrows with a grin and said, "Rest assured, it really is six hundred. Let me put it this way: even if someone actually went to Hong Kong, found that shop, and asked, the price would still be six hundred. I wanted to give you a gift you'd like to express my gratitude, not to cause you trouble. There's also another matter I need to discuss with you."

"I'm not listening."

Young Lady Wang had already reopened the gift box and was holding each lens up to her eyes one by one to check the fit. Clearly, she liked this gift very much.

Wang Yan, of course, ignored her 'not listening' and continued eating, drinking, and talking on his own: "When Ye Ye Dongjing first opened, I met President Bao and that group including Stamp Li. During the meal, stocks came up. I happened to have some money on hand then, so I bought one hundred thousand yuan worth of Dian Zhen Kong. Later, while drinking with President Bao, he told me the stock had risen a bit, so I had him buy another one hundred thousand yuan worth of Dian Zhen Kong."

"At that time, we agreed that once my stocks made a profit, I would cook a meal this month and treat everyone to dinner. The time is tentatively set for this Saturday evening. It mainly depends on whether President Bao and the others are available; I haven't mentioned it yet, but I expect President Bao will ask you about it later. But since we've met now, I'm telling you in advance. Actually, even if we hadn't had the chance to meet today, I still planned to give you this gift then."

"I may not go."

"Then that means you definitely will."

Young Lady Wang couldn't help but let out a long sigh; she realized that when Wang Yan spoke, he left people no room to refuse.

She changed the subject and asked, "Are you good at cooking?"

"Incredibly good. You might not know, but initially, they were all urging me to open a restaurant."

"Aren't you a lamb skewer vendor?"

"What is the essence of barbecue?"

"The barbecue seasoning?"

"The control of heat."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, "Similarly, the essence of cooking lies in this as well. Even with two completely identical dishes, two identical sets of seasonings, and two master chefs following the exact same steps, the resulting dishes will taste different."

"Of course, if one wants a dish to taste good, the ingredients are also an indispensable part. However, nowadays material conditions are gradually becoming abundant, and in a major city like Shanghai, nothing is lacking. What tests a chef is precisely this control of heat."

"Don't boast; if it tastes bad then, you'll lose face."

"I never boast."

Seeing Wang Yan's certainty, Young Lady Wang believed him.

Because during their first meeting, Wang Yan looked somewhat scruffy; although his hairstyle was slicked back, his clothes were very old-fashioned. At that time, Wang Yan said that next time he would be like Wang Zong, and the second time they met, she indeed saw Wang Zong, who was even driving a car. The second time, she said it would be best to find foreign investment for equity shares, and Wang Yan did not refute her. Now, meeting for the third time, Wang Zong had already settled matters and returned from Hong Kong.

Now that Wang Yan said his cooking was incredibly good, she naturally believed him, and even felt an involuntary thirty percent anticipation.

Finally finding the suitable lenses, Young Lady Wang installed them, put the glasses on her face, turned to look at Wang Yan, and asked, "How is it?"

"Beautiful."

"Is it as good as you say?" She took a small mirror from her bag, looked left and right at her reflection, and grinned, "It does seem quite nice. Just as I said, what you give must fit."

After admiring herself for a moment, she didn't switch back to her old glasses; while packing up, she said, "I'll give you the money when we dine at Ye Ye Dongjing."

"Good."

"How was Hong Kong? Was it especially wonderful?"

"It was alright; certainly much better than our mainland, but..."

While the two ate pork rib rice cakes, Wang Yan told Young Lady Wang about Hong Kong; the gist was no different from what he had said at Ye Ye Dongjing, still the same set of lines.

Chatting and laughing like this, after finishing the meal, Wang Yan drove Young Lady Wang home.

Carrying her bag and wearing her new glasses, Young Lady Wang watched the car drive away...