Chapter 198: I

"I'll just do these few items for now; I also need to make two overcoats and a trench coat, plus a full set of innerwear, for women. Give me a piece of paper—I'll write down her exact measurements."

Li Ye casually picked out a few outfits for himself before turning serious about selecting the coat for Wen Leyu.

Before the New Year, he had planned to go with Wen Leyu to Friendship Store to buy her a better overcoat—after all, they were now a couple, and giving her new clothes for the holiday was a boyfriend's duty.

But Ke Laoshi's noble awareness turned Li Ye's intentions to water.

When Li Ye left Ke Laoshi's home, Wen Leyu's lips were pouted up to the sky.

Although Li Ye didn't know that after he left, Wen Leyu had complained to her mother for a long time, he had truly seen the girl's grievance in her eyes.

So now that he was in Hong Kong, Li Ye decided to buy Wen Leyu a few new clothes to cheer her up.

But when Li Ye took paper and pen and wrote down "height 171 cm, bust 90. cm, waist 61. cm, hips 90. cm, thighs 53. cm, calves 32. cm," he noticed the people around him staring at him strangely.

Li Ye glanced coldly at Hao Jian and Jin Peng and said sharply, "What are you looking at? Never seen this before?"

"I'm going out for a cigarette," Jin Peng immediately headed for the store door, as if his butt were on fire, not wasting a second.

"I'll have one too," Hao Jian followed right behind him, fleeing.

Pei Wencong was slow to react, but only after Li Ye's icy gaze swept over him did he hurriedly leave as well.

Outside, the three exchanged sly smiles, their expressions saying what all men understood.

It wasn't their fault for misinterpreting—after all, if Li Ye hadn't touched her, how could he know a woman's measurements down to the millimeter?

The tailor, Ah Ling, took the paper and smiled, "Sir, your girlfriend's figure is amazing—she could be a model."

Li Ye didn't respond, instead picking up several women's garment samples and pointing out his modifications one by one.

To bring fashion designs from memory into reality required professional understanding; otherwise, vague instructions like "make this slimmer" or "make this look bigger" would only confuse ordinary tailors.

But this time, Li Ye's modifications required far more thought than those he'd made on his own clothes—even some fashion styles far ahead of their time were pulled from his biological hard drive.

Not quite forty years ahead, but certainly fifteen to twenty.

As Li Ye explained his modifications in detail, Ah Ling finally lost her composure and asked in surprise, "Sir, may I ask— are you also in the industry?"

Li Ye calmly denied, "No, I'm just sensitive to fashion."

Ah Ling clearly didn't believe him, but could only envyingly say, "Your girlfriend is truly lucky to have such a thoughtful man. But if we follow your specifications, these garments will be expensive—what do you think?"

Li Ye didn't waste words—he turned and waved to Pei Wencong outside the store. Pei Wencong immediately came in, pulled out his wallet, and paid the deposit; the thick stack of thousand-dollar bills inside was striking.

Ah Ling teased, "I've heard you've been doing well lately, Brother Pei—when are you moving to The Peak?"

Pei Wencong chuckled, "Don't talk about doing well—it's just that I've got a bit more cash on hand. I'm planning to buy a thousand-square-foot apartment in Sai Wan."

Ah Ling smiled naturally, "That's great too. When you do, let me know—I'll come over to soak up some of your good fortune."

After leaving Ah Ling's shop, Pei Wencong sighed, "Ah Ling used to be a rich girl, but she married poorly and suffered misfortune. She once had the chance to hold her own design show in Paris."

Li Ye nodded slightly, saying nothing more.

Life's fortunes are like this—rising and falling, east and west—who can guarantee smooth sailing?

Ten years ago, Ah Ling probably wouldn't have even looked at Pei Wencong.

The group walked down a narrow alley when Jin Peng suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Look, Xu Wenqiang! Xiao Ye, look quick! Xiao Ye, do you know Xu Wenqiang?"

Li Ye looked up and was also surprised—Pei Wencong hadn't exaggerated; the clothing shops on this alley really did attract movie stars.

"The Bund" was a TV series filmed in Hong Kong in 1980 and introduced to the mainland in 1985. But since Pengcheng was so close to Hong Kong, whether through newly opened video halls or residents' homemade antennas, everyone could watch this classic.

At this time, Fatty was still young, elegant and radiant; seeing him gave Li Ye a strange, time-crossing sensation.

Fatty was stepping out of a shop with a woman, and nearby customers, delighted, approached to chat—some even asked for autographs.

In Hong Kong, there was little distance between stars and ordinary people; no one thought they were superior, and autographs were simply expressions of admiration and fondness.

Both Jin Peng and Hao Jian had watched "The Bund." Hao Jian craned his neck and said, "Huh, why isn't he with Feng Chengcheng? I don't recognize that woman."

Jin Peng said, "Who cares if you know her? Why don't we go ask for a photo with Xu Wenqiang? Take it back to show ErGou and the others."

Jin Peng was usually calm, but at twenty-something, he couldn't help wanting a photo.

Pei Wencong paused briefly, then said, "We can try approaching him—Fatty is quite approachable."

Jin Peng and Hao Jian both looked at Li Ye, waiting for his approval.

Li Ye shrugged, "Do as you like."

So the two of them, along with Pei Wencong, walked over.

Fatty was indeed easygoing—he smiled and posed for photos with Jin Peng and Hao Jian, but the woman beside him clearly looked impatient.

Li Ye recognized the woman—she was Fatty's girlfriend at the time, named Zheng something Ling.

But Li Ye knew her name not because of Fatty, but because of the mainland actor Huang Bo.

At an awards ceremony, the two had a verbal clash; Huang Bo showed his wit and high EQ, while this Zheng something Ling came off poorly.

After taking photos with Fatty, Fatty smiled in Li Ye's direction.

Li Ye nodded slightly in return but didn't go over for a photo.

If Feng Chengcheng had been there, he might have taken a keepsake—he'd once been a fan of "The Legend of the White Snake" in his past life.

Now? It wouldn't be appropriate.

If someone dug up this photo years later and spread rumors like "The King of Business is also a fanboy," it might mislead teenagers' values.

After the photos, the group encountered no further incidents, just wandered nearby, fully experiencing Hong Kong's crowding.

Not just alleys and narrow streets—even major roads were narrow; tall buildings on both sides blocked most sunlight, creating a strong sense of confinement.

But people back then called this "prosperity." Only Li Ye, who had experienced the true prosperity of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou decades later, found it laughable.

That evening, Pei Wencong treated Li Ye and the others to dinner at a mid-range restaurant.

During dinner, the table next to them grew increasingly noisy, nearly turning into a fight.

Pei Wencong explained, "That man in yellow—he followed his relative's advice and borrowed money to buy property, but prices dropped sharply within months. Now he's blaming his relative. Everyone can understand—he's hurting inside."

Li Ye asked, "So, Brother Pei, you haven't bought property yet?"

Pei Wencong replied, "That's right. If the market weren't so bad, I'd have bought last month. Now I don't know what to do."

"Then wait a little longer," Li Ye said casually. "Prices may still fall for a while."

Pei Wencong nodded, not taking Li Ye's words seriously.

Li Ye knew clearly: major political events always affect the economy.

Since 1982, Hong Kong's property market, stock market, and Hong Kong dollar exchange rate had all begun to decline; in 1983 alone, property prices dropped nearly thirty percent.

If Pei Wencong bought property now, he'd regret it for years—only after the Sino-British negotiations concluded would prices slowly recover.

After dinner, Pei Wencong saw Li Ye and the others back to their hotel.

Before parting, Pei Wencong asked Li Ye, "Mr. Li, what's your schedule tomorrow? Will you visit Kowloon Tong or the Sanlian Bookstore?"

After much thought, Pei Wencong decided to take the initiative—he wanted to ask Li Ye if he had any intention of switching jobs.

But Li Ye said, "I recall you graduated from the University of Hong Kong, right?"

Pei Wencong replied with slight pride, "Yes, I graduated ten years ago."

Li Ye: "Do you know any classmates working in finance?"

"Of course," Pei Wencong asked in surprise, "Why are you asking? Are you concerned about your financial account? No problem—I can help you set it up tomorrow."

But Li Ye asked again, "No, I'm asking if you can trade Hang Seng Index points."

"."

Before 1986, there was no official Hang Seng Index futures market in Hong Kong, but private trading certainly existed.

Pei Wencong was stunned for several seconds before asking, "Mr. Li, you know about this?"

Li Ye smiled faintly, "Of course. I'm from Peking University's Economics Department."

Thank you to book friend "Anjing Pingguo summer" for the 500-coin tip, thank you to book friend for the 500-coin tip, thank you to book friend polpjiangtom for the tip. Thank you all.

(End of Chapter)