Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2541 The Arrogant SEA People (First Update, Please Subscribe)
The Spring Festival has always been the grandest and most important festival of the year.

Lunar New Year's Eve is a time for family reunion.

The first day of the Lunar New Year is also the biggest carnival in sEA. On this day, people will leave their homes and go out to visit relatives and friends to wish them a happy new year.

Bands, floats, and more—amidst the booming sound of firecrackers, millions of people revelled on the city's main streets.

This is why the carnival on the first day of the Lunar New Year has long been a world-renowned festival, attracting millions of tourists every year.

Firecrackers filled the sky.
Red envelopes were scattered on the float.

And there were also the congratulatory greetings from people when they met!
Even people who are used to all of this will unconsciously become addicted to it.

"May you be happy and prosperous!"

When the women in ancient costumes on the float scattered red envelopes, Li Kuiyong also reached out and picked one up.

Looking at the exquisite red envelope, Li Kuiyong looked somewhat bewildered.

He has been here for almost a year.

What has he witnessed here over the past few months?

It is a completely different world.

The difference between here and home is not just about material abundance. It's not about every family living in a villa or owning a car.

What is the biggest difference?
These are the people from here.

Looking at the people around him, Li Kuiyong could clearly sense that they were different from him.

Although they look the same, share the same blood, speak the same language, and write roughly the same characters, they are fundamentally two completely different people.

Unlike the people Li Kuiyong knew, the people here seemed to have no sense of wariness towards anyone. They always smiled at others and would always offer help when others needed it.

It's as if they were born passionate, even innocent.

simple!

As the word came to mind, Li Kuiyong looked around at the smiling faces of the people around him.

Their laughter wasn't just because of today, but because it came from the heart.

Yes, it is happiness.

Li Kuiyong was unwilling to use the word "simple" to describe the people here.

For some reason, he felt that the word didn't seem quite right.

They are happy.

A genuine joy that comes from within, and a willingness to share that joy with others.

This is precisely the most distinctive characteristic of the people here, and also the biggest difference between them.

Not only that, but even the clothing.

Following tradition.

As the New Year approaches, people dress up in their finest attire—exquisite and gorgeous Hanfu.

Those colorful Hanfu of different styles, worn by people, transformed women into fairies who seemed to have stepped out of a painting of court ladies.

"This is Hanfu..."

This is also a different place, where people dress differently, even though they usually wear dresses and suits.

However, during festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Spring Festival, they would put on Hanfu to show respect.

Not only that, men would grow their beards a week in advance and carefully trim them to match their outfits.

However, Li Kuiyong did not do that. Not because he didn't want to, but because it was too expensive.

Even the most basic Hanfu set costs two to three hundred yuan, since it's made of silk. A branded set could cost several thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan.

This is definitely not something a poor international student like him can afford.

Therefore, Li Kuiyong could only watch all of this with envy, like an ordinary tourist.

In fact, tourists are the main group wearing Hanfu.

Some people will choose to buy, while others will choose to rent.

After all, wearing Hanfu to participate in such a New Year celebration, or rather, New Year's carnival, is a meaningful activity.

That's the very purpose of their trip here. How can they prove they've come to this country if they haven't worn a few sets of Hanfu?

Therefore, to a certain extent, Hanfu has long been synonymous with this land, becoming the most representative clothing of this region.

Li Kuiyong put the one yuan from the red envelope into his pocket and continued walking forward. He was surrounded by a crowd of people, and when they came towards him, they would always smile at him, and he would respond with a smile in return.

That's all there is to it.

Of course, I envy those men and women who go out together, and I envy those couples.

But none of this mattered to him, because—his studies were more important.

"Kuiyong! Li Kuiyong!"

Suddenly, someone shouted from the front. It was Liang Yuemin, who had come to participate in the carnival with several classmates.

Upon seeing Li Kuiyong, Liang Yuemin immediately called out to him, then introduced him to his friends:
"Hey guys, let me introduce you. This is Li Kuiyong, my childhood friend, and he's from Yancheng like me."

He then introduced his friends to Li Kuiyong. They were all government-funded students like Liang Yuemin, and some of them were from the capital.

After a brief introduction, the group continued strolling through the streets, enjoying the festive atmosphere with the revelers. Around noon, they took the subway out of the city center, randomly chose a spot, got off, and found a restaurant. They did this because the city center was too crowded, and there wouldn't be enough people to wait in line for food.

After ordering a few simple dishes, they started chatting about their time studying abroad here, since they rarely had such gatherings.

At first, they talked about their surprise and awe upon arriving.

But as the conversation progressed, the topic shifted, and even the tone of voice changed, especially after a few rounds of drinks.

"You know what? I look down on the people here."

Taking a sip of baijiu, Zhang Weihong, from the capital, said in a disdainful tone:

"They appear amiable and polite on the surface, treating everyone with utmost courtesy, even speaking softly and politely. But deep down they are arrogant."

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone chimed in.

“You’re right. They look down on us. They think we’re poor.”

Who would respect a poor relative?

Liang Yuemin casually agreed, prompting a chorus of nods from the crowd.

It's true that people look down on poor relatives; it's human nature.

However, Liang Yuemin then changed the subject and looked at Zhang Weihong with a smile.

"But you're complaining like this, it can't be because you've been hurt or frustrated by this."
Um……"

Liang Yuemin nodded, as if he had guessed something.

"You weren't trying to woo a woman, were you? She ignored you, weren't you?"

Zhang Weihong, though exposed, didn't feel embarrassed and said directly:
"Aren't you guys the same? None of you are any better than the others."

The people here, especially the women, are inherently arrogant. They look down on us completely.

"Haha, look how discouraged you are."

"You're talking as if you've never been hurt before."

A burst of laughter erupted in the private room, and Li Kuiyong joined in with a few laughs.

After the laughter subsided, Liang Yuemin said:

"It's not that the women here are arrogant, but that they look down on foreigners deep down."

"Yes, they discriminate equally against all foreigners."

"That's right. I met a pretty girl the other day. We got along really well at first, but then she found out I was a foreigner."

"Wow, it's like seeing a ghost. They just cut off all contact. Does that even make sense?"

Listening to everyone's comments, Li Kuiyong felt a little uncomfortable, so he explained.

"You may not know this, but my cousin mentioned it before. Although many women in the SEA marry outside the region, very few actually marry outside the region. Generally speaking, in their view, there is only one type of woman who would marry outside the region: a woman who cannot find a man."

Because I visit my third uncle's house on weekends, I've become very close and harmonious with my cousins, and I've learned a lot about the local customs from them.

"How could this happen?"

Liang Yuemin looked at Li Kuiyong with some doubt and asked.

"Why is it that even when I try to marry a foreigner, I can't find a husband?"

"It's normal. Many people here are childhood sweethearts. They live in the same community, go to the same school, and have known each other since they were little. They start dating when they are fifteen or sixteen, and then get married and have children after they grow up."

But not everyone is so lucky, because after men reach adulthood, they have to serve in the military, which may involve overseas bases. They might join large companies and be stationed overseas.

These men are highly sought after by local women abroad; they're practically irresistible. They're easily seduced and taken away by them.

As soon as Li Kuiyong finished speaking, the others began to tease him with an envious tone.

"Therefore, women here often have a sense of crisis, worrying that their boyfriends or husbands will be taken away by foreign women."

This is precisely why they have a negative attitude towards foreigners… They generally believe that only women whom men look down on would marry foreign men.

"What kind of logic is this? It's okay for men to date foreign women, but when women date foreign men, they become unwanted?"

"Exactly, this is blatant discrimination."

Just as they were saying this, a guy sitting in the corner suddenly spoke up:
"I said that whether or not I can find a girlfriend here is absolutely unimportant. After all, even if I do find a girlfriend and she's willing to marry me despite societal norms, it's all for naught."

He shrugged and then said:
"Their laws do not allow foreign men to automatically acquire citizenship through marriage. Even if they marry a woman here, the chances of obtaining citizenship are extremely slim, so it's not a big deal."

His words left everyone speechless. In fact, one of the reasons they wanted to find girlfriends locally was that they hoped to stay here.

However, after learning about the laws here, I naturally gave up on that idea. Of course, there was still a sense of indignation in my words.

Because local girls viewed them as fierce beasts, fearing any contact with these foreigners, they were labeled as people who had dated foreigners and no one wanted them.

So, until now, none of them have talked about girlfriends; they just spend their time studying.

Of course, they don't even see the possibility of staying, because only the most outstanding talents can obtain long-term residency permits.

"You see, this is arrogance—"

Zhang Weihong stated it directly.

"The people here are inherently arrogant, aren't I right?"

(End of this chapter)