Chapter 525: They

After hearing Li Ye say "wanting special treatment," Lao Xie kept nervously watching him, afraid he'd act on youthful impulsiveness and argue with Team Leader Zhou.

Lao Xie had been young himself—he knew how humiliating it was for a young man to be mocked for "seeking special treatment" in front of the girl he loved.

But from 3:30 to 5:00 in the terminal, all the way until boarding, Li Ye never once acted specially—not even when he went to the restroom, he called out for permission.

"Hmph, this kid is both clever and pragmatic—his future is limitless."

But Lao Xie jumped to conclusions too soon—once the plane landed in Tokyo, he realized just how extreme Li Ye's "special treatment" really was.

"Everyone, look out the window—Tokyo really is the Oriental City That Never Sleeps."

"It's so prosperous! Too bad I didn't bring my camera—I could've taken some great shots."

When the plane reached Tokyo's airspace, it was already eight at night; outside the window, the night glittered brilliantly—Tokyo's reputation as a great metropolis was unquestionably deserved.

But after glancing out, Li Ye said something untimely: "These days, the real Oriental City That Never Sleeps is Hong Kong Island—if you're judging by night views alone, Hong Kong Island is even more beautiful than Tokyo."

In the 1980s, Hong Kong Island's night view could rival any city in the world.

"Hong Kong Island is better than Tokyo? That can't be right."

"Even if it is, what does it matter? They're still—"

"Shh, Hong Kong Island is an inseparable part of us."

"Oh right, right—after '97, Hong Kong Island returns home."

Only then did a few of them realize: their own country had a thriving metropolis too—only they'd been away so long they'd nearly forgotten they had a son.

"After disembarking, everyone stick to discipline—form two lines."

After landing and clearing customs, everyone lined up in two columns as Zhou Song Ziyuan directed, instantly drawing countless stares—even some people pulled out cameras to take photos.

This highly collective-style movement clashed violently with the surroundings—it was painfully conspicuous.

"Are they laughing at us?"

"Probably! This is so unbearable—when will we finally get out?"

Artists tend to be more sensitive and value freedom more, so some began whispering complaints.

But Li Ye glanced around and realized that under these conditions, anyone trying to slip away would be spotted immediately by the foreign affairs officers.

If fifty or so people scattered like sheep, Zhou Song Ziyuan and his team truly couldn't keep track.

Fortunately, after walking a short distance, they saw someone holding up a sign to meet them.

Li Ye spotted Qiang, Pei Pei Wenhui, his sister Fu Fu Yiruo, and Min—who he hadn't seen in ages.

The three women also spotted Li Ye and waved at him joyfully.

"Look, those are the people here to meet us."

"Oh, there are quite a few! Are those girls our translators?"

"Probably—apparently we have many students studying here. Look how happy they are seeing their compatriots!"

Li Ye waved back with a smile as Min and the others waved vigorously at him.

"Li Ye, mind your image."

Li Ye was speechless—was he supposed to mind collective image when greeting his own sister?

Team Leader Zhou scolded Li Ye, then exchanged a few words with Lao Xie and others before walking over to Qiang.

"Hello, Manager Huo, thank you for coming to meet us."

"No need to thank us. These two are the translators we arranged for you. You've had a long journey—let's head to the hotel for dinner and rest first; we'll discuss the film festival tomorrow."

Qiang didn't waste a single word—he immediately introduced the two translators and began handing over the delegation members.

Zhou Song Ziyuan nodded repeatedly, but turned around to find Li Ye pulling off "special treatment" again.

Pei Pei Wenhui and Fu Fu Yiruo had already reached Li Ye's side, grabbed Wen Wen Leyu's luggage, and laughed as they led the two away.

Zhou Song Ziyuan couldn't help shouting: "Hey, Li Ye, what are you doing? Are you deserting the group?"

Li Ye glanced at Zhou Song Ziyuan in surprise, waved his hand to signal Pei Pei Wenhui and Fu Fu Yiruo to take the luggage ahead, then stayed with Wen Wen Leyu and continued following the group.

At that moment, someone beside Li Ye whispered: "Li Ye, do you know those two girls?"

Li Ye nodded: "Yes, they're fellow students from Beijing University studying abroad."

"Japanese?"

"No, Chinese."

Chinese students studying in Japan?

Fu Fu Yiruo watched Li Ye marching in perfect formation and couldn't help covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.

Min also smiled warmly, as if witnessing something delightfully amusing.

Mr. Li, nearly worshiped as a god by his own senior Pei Pei Wencong, had such a rule-abiding side.

But this obedience only lasted inside the airport.

After exiting the airport, the reception team had prepared one large bus and two sedans.

Zhou Song Ziyuan had initially been pleased—he thought the locals had thoughtfully arranged sedans for the delegation leaders.

But as soon as the sedan driver opened the door, Fu Fu Yiruo and Pei Pei Wenhui ushered Li Ye and Wen Wen Leyu inside and drove off in a flash.

The remaining sedan, obviously, belonged to Qiang—Hong Kong managers earned over ten thousand yuan a month; they wouldn't squeeze onto the bus with them.

"Hey, where did Li Ye go? Xiao He, how are you managing the group?"

"Manager Huo, where's Li Ye? We don't allow unauthorized movement."

Zhou Song Ziyuan grew frantic, turned sharply on his subordinates, then confronted Qiang.

Qiang frowned: "Team Leader Zhou, we're all going to the same hotel—where do you see him acting independently?"

He rode in a sedan while the leaders rode the bus—wasn't that independent action?

But Zhou Song Ziyuan didn't say it—this entire reception was arranged by Hong Kong; he couldn't contest it.

But once they reached the hotel, Zhou Song Ziyuan finally couldn't hold back.

Because Zhou Song Ziyuan, Lao Xie, and everyone else were assigned double rooms—but Li Ye and Wen Wen Leyu each had their own private suite.

And they weren't even on the same floor—they were called "VIP rooms."

"Mr. Huo, we have discipline—no one gets special treatment, and every room must have at least two people."

"Special treatment?"

Qiang blinked, confused by the term.

But Min stepped forward coldly: "Sir, I must clarify—Mr. Li is inherently a special guest."

Zhou Song Ziyuan glared: "Miss, who are you?"

Qiang introduced: "This is our Deputy General Manager Old Liao—she oversees all commercial affairs in the Japanese market."

Zhou Song Ziyuan froze—he understood at once: this Deputy General Manager Old Liao outranked Qiang.

Min spoke coolly: "Mr. Zhou, we researched the accommodation standards for mainland inspection teams traveling abroad, so we initially booked a travel hotel twenty kilometers away.

But Mr. Li found it inconvenient and spoke directly with our boss—he's a close friend of our boss.

That's why we switched to this four-star hotel. If you think Mr. Li is getting special treatment, we can move you all back to the suburban hotel."

Standing behind Zhou Song Ziyuan, Lao Xie finally understood what "special treatment" really meant.

Li Ye wasn't here to attend the film festival—he was here on vacation with his girl.

And why join the group at all?

Lao Xie glanced at the calm Wen Wen Leyu—and suddenly understood.

Without the group, her parents wouldn't let her come—they'd be too worried.

(End of Chapter)