Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

"Not available for now."

Lin Lanying was puzzled: "They said they wouldn't see you? They were being so polite, just congratulating you on getting ten As."

"It's precisely because of this politeness that I can't meet with people casually," Lin Ying said. "Mommy, there are too many people watching me now. The Hong Kong media are watching, the school is watching, and the UK is watching too. At this time, if I take a wrong step or say the wrong thing, it could be used against me."

He Dazhu couldn't help but worry: "Is it that serious?"

"Yes." Lin Ying looked at her father: "Dad, I haven't really entered Cambridge yet. I've only received the application qualification, not the admission notice; the closer we get to getting in, the less we can ask for favors."

Lin Lanying realized what was happening and closed the door: "Are you afraid the British will find out about your contact with the mainland and then stop you?"

"Yes, and now I don't need to hand knives to others."

The British were willing to teach her real knowledge, to get her into Cambridge, and to open the doors to that academic and financial circle—this wasn't an act of charity. Top-tier knowledge, top-tier resources, top-tier connections—none of it came for free. They gave her the opportunity to see if she could be absorbed, if she could stay, if she could become part of their system.

Lin Ying was never naive; she would learn and take the knowledge, but she would never sell herself into it.

She will definitely return to the mainland in the future, but she can't say that now; the more she says, the more mistakes she will make. The more she wants to go far, the more she needs to be stable right now.

Lin Lanying sat down next to her: "Then how should we go back?"

"Politely decline." Lin Ying pushed the note back, "Just say that I am preparing for my Cambridge application and Form Six courses, and it is not convenient for me to meet with guests at the moment; thank them for their congratulations, and I will contact them again when there is a suitable opportunity in the future."

"Will this offend someone?"

"No," Lin Ying said. "What they want is an attitude, not for me to declare my stance and take sides now."

He Dazhu couldn't help but ask, "So what's your attitude?"

Lin Ying looked at him: "I remember where I came from, and I know where I'm going in the future; but right now, I'm just a student."

Upon hearing this, He Dazhu understood.

Lin Lanying took the note and went out to return the call. The call was answered quickly.

Lin Lanying smiled and said, "Hello, I am Lin Lanying. I just discussed it with my daughter. She is very grateful for your congratulations, but she is currently preparing for her Cambridge application and Form Six courses. The school is also very strict, so it is not convenient for her to receive guests at the moment."

The person on the phone then said gently, "We understand. Please ask Mrs. Lin to convey our best wishes to Lin Ying for her studies; a young person like her is a source of pride for the Chinese community wherever she goes."

Thank you.

"We'll get in touch again when it's convenient for us later."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Lanying stood beside it for a while before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

He Dazhu asked in a low voice, "Are they unhappy?"

"No, Ah Ying is right, they didn't come to force her."

From that day on, the phone at home continued to ring, but Lin Lanying answered it less and less; Shen Yanwen also came to the nineteenth floor in person to bring out a few newspapers.

Strangely, a week later, the number of reporters surrounding the entrance of Boya College suddenly decreased; a few days later, even the paparazzi waiting at the foot of Taikoo Shing were gone.

Those newspapers that were so eager to write about her from age nine to eighty a while ago have started to focus on new entertainment gossip and stock market news.

When Lin Qian came home from school, he muttered, "Big sister, you're washed up."

Lin Lanying raised her hand and slapped the back of his head: "Can't you speak properly?"

Lin Qian covered his head: "I mean, it's finally quiet outside."

Lin Yue agreed: "My classmates no longer ask me every day if my older sister is a goddess descended from heaven."

"Being out of fashion is a good thing." She doesn't need to be worshipped; those who are placed on a pedestal are the easiest to be brought down. She just needs to read quietly.

At the end of August, Lin Ying officially entered Form Six.

The college began to pay much more attention to her, and the principal personally spoke with her once.

"Lin Ying, the school will fully cooperate with all your application materials this year; for recommendation letters, academic transcripts, activity records, whatever you need, just contact Teacher Li."

The year of Form Six is ​​more tiring than Form Five.

She gets up at 6:30 every morning, leaves home at 7:00, and arrives at school on time; her schedule is packed with math, physics, chemistry, biology, plus English writing and interview training.

Professor Smith kept sending materials from England; sometimes it was a whole stack of math problems, sometimes it was a long letter full of annotations.

Matthew would occasionally slip in a page of physics problems, his tone still quite smug.

"Lynn, don't let Cambridge physics students think that math students only know how to play pretty paper games."

After reading it, Lin Ying finished the questions and sent them back, along with a note.

"Please tell the physics department that they still need mathematicians to install the doorknobs for them."

Lin Lanying couldn't read English, but she noticed her daughter was in a good mood while writing the letter. She brought in a bowl of soup and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing, just a stubborn Englishman."

Lin Lanying snorted: "It's fine if you're stubborn, as long as you're not bullied; what if someone bullies you when you really go to England and Mommy isn't around?"

"I'm not here to be bullied."

After listening, Lin Lanying sighed, "Time flies; it feels like just yesterday that you woke up at nine."

Lin Ying didn't respond to that sentence. Time really did fly by; it had gone from Xu Yue, who was trapped in the hospital bed, to the entrance of Cambridge.

In July 1988, the Form Six examinations ended.

When Lin Ying returned to school to pick up her report card, Li Heng was already waiting for her at the door, a rare smile on his face.

"Lin Ying".

"Teacher Li."

Li Heng handed her the report card: "All A's."

Lin Ying accepted the report card with both hands.

Li Heng was even more excited: "The school has already faxed the final grades to Cambridge, and the principal's recommendation letter has also been resent. Next, it's your own battlefield."

"I've already bought my plane ticket; all the formalities are done. I'm flying to London in three days."

Li Heng was taken aback: "So fast?"

"Cambridge has arranged an interview and a math subject test; go early to allow time to adjust."

Li Heng was silent for a while before saying, "Lin Ying, you are the best student I have ever taught; not just a female student, but the best of all my students."

"Thank you, teacher."

Three days later, at Kai Tak Airport.

Lin Lanying checked her luggage three times early in the morning; passport, plane ticket, admission application documents, transcript copies, recommendation letter copies, British pounds in cash, address book... she packed everything in an orderly manner.

He Dazhu carried his suitcase, his eyes red, but he tried to remain calm.

"Sister, call me when you get to England. If you don't like the food, go out for Chinese food, don't go hungry; don't wander around alone at night."

This time, Lin Ying insisted on flying alone.

"Mommy, Daddy, wait for my news in Hong Kong." Lin Ying hugged Lin Lanying. "I'm not going on vacation, I'm going to take an exam. I'll come back after the exam."

Without much thought about romance, Lin Ying turned and walked into the security checkpoint.

More than ten hours later, in London.

Professor Smith came to pick her up in person, and the old man shouted as soon as he saw her, "Lynn, welcome to England!"

Matthew stood beside her, taking her luggage, still teasing her: "I hope your ability to adjust to time zones is as good as your ability to solve problems."

Lin Ying glanced at him: "I hope the Cambridge exam is more difficult than your welcome speech."

Matthew chuckled. "Very good, still got the spirit."

For the next two weeks, Lin Ying stayed in the house arranged by Smith; during the day she went to Cambridge for interviews, written tests and departmental exchanges.

The interviewer's questions were very tricky; a professor, watching her derivation process, suddenly interrupted: "If this condition does not exist, how do you reconstruct the proof?"

Lin Ying picked up the chalk and erased half of the blackboard.

"Then we don't need the original route." She wrote down a new set of equations.

On the day of the math exam, she sat from morning to afternoon. The exam paper was very long, and the questions were on a completely different level from the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination. So she didn't care about speed, but only about getting every step right. Otherwise, if she made one mistake, she would get everything wrong!

Ten days later, Smith placed a letter in front of her, the envelope bearing the crest of Cambridge University: "Lynn, open it."

Lin Ying opened the letter, and a few lines of English came into view.

She's been accepted! Officially accepted to the Mathematics Department at Cambridge University;

Smith laughed loudly, "I knew it! I knew they couldn't refuse you!"

The door finally opened.

Two days later, she flew back to Hong Kong.

When Lin Lanying picked her up at the airport, upon hearing the words "You've been accepted," she immediately hugged her and cried, while He Dazhu turned away to wipe his eyes.

Back on the nineteenth floor of Taikoo Shing, Lin Ying placed the acceptance letter on her desk. Her family gathered around and looked at it for a long time.

Lin Lanying suddenly remembered something: "Aying, when does Cambridge start its semester?"

October 1st.

"It's only July 30th! That's almost two months away!" Lin Qian was very envious of his older sister's vacation.