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

As the plane landed, Lin Ying pushed her luggage cart out of the terminal; Benjamin, wearing a floral shirt, stood at the arrivals gate, waving from afar. Professor Smith saw his second son and gave him an exaggerated British hug, while Mrs. Elaine smiled and sized up Benjamin.

"Lynn, shall I arrange a car to take you?" Benjamin took his parents' luggage.

"No need, I'll take a taxi. Professor and Madam, I hope you enjoy your meal in Hong Kong."

Professor Smith couldn't wait: "Benjamin, let's go eat shrimp dumplings now!"

Lin Ying pushed the cart to the taxi stand; she had called ahead to tell them not to come pick her up, as it would waste time cooking on the way to the airport.

Taikoo Shing, the door on the nineteenth floor was unlocked.

Lin Ying pushed open the door, and the room was filled with the aroma of meat.

"Sister's back!" Lin Lanying ran out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

He Dazhu quickly went over and took the suitcase from Lin Ying's hands.

In the living room, Grandpa Lin Fu and Grandma Li Yuzhen sat on the sofa, while Uncle Lin Yaoying and Aunt Deng Hui were serving dishes to the table.

Lin Ying washed her hands and sat down at the dining table.

On the table are poached chicken, roast goose, steamed grouper, and slow-cooked soup.

She picked up the bowl and ate two bowls of rice without even lifting her head.

Lin Lanying looked at her daughter's thin face with heartache: "What kind of awful food have you been eating over there? You've gotten so skinny!"

"It's not something a human could eat." Lin Ying took a big bite of roast goose. "Fish and chips... and that thing, I can't quite describe it, it looks like mud that's been dead for three days and then forcibly resurrected."

The whole family burst out laughing, and Lin Lanying quickly put another big chicken leg on her plate.

Grandpa Lin Fu asked with some concern, "Ah Ying, is anyone bullying you over there? The British are very arrogant."

The whole family stopped eating, their minds still preoccupied with the two near-death experiences that Granny Wu had mentioned.

"No one dares to bully me." Lin Ying took a sip of soup. "As soon as I got off the plane, I spent a lot of money to hire the most difficult female lawyer. If anyone causes me trouble, I'll send the lawyer to their house for a chat."

She put down her bowl, wiped her mouth, and said, "Besides, I made a good friend at school, an American named Lucas. He's 1.85 meters tall and very strong."

Lin Yaoying asked curiously, "American bodyguards?"

"More or less." Lin Ying thought of Lucas, "but he's been having some trouble lately."

"What's the trouble?" Deng Hui asked curiously.

"So many men are pursuing him at school that he now checks the Chinese almanac every day before he goes out."

Lin Yaoying spat out a mouthful of beer.

"A man...a man pursuing him? Cambridge University does this?" He Dazhu, who had been honest and law-abiding all his life, felt his worldview shattered.

"It's unavoidable that the school is 95% boys." Lin Ying said seriously.

The family laughed so hard they were doubled over; the tension was dispelled by the meal and a few jokes.

December in Hong Kong is not yet a holiday. Lin Qian and Lin Yue go to school during the day, while He Dazhu goes to work at the jade carving shop in Yau Ma Tei.

Lin Ying slept soundly at home for two days; her jet lag from being upside down was finally corrected.

On the third day at noon, the living room phone rang.

Lin Ying picked up the microphone.

"Ah Ying! Your second uncle has been counting down the days, you should be back from your Christmas break!" Su Zhihao's loud voice made the receiver ring.

"Second Uncle, your scheme is so far-reaching, it's practically reaching England." Lin Ying moved the microphone away.

"Bring your mom to Wan Chai for dinner tomorrow night! We can also settle our accounts for the year! Your money has spawned a whole bunch of little bucks with me, so hurry up and take them away, it's making me dizzy!"

"Okay, I'll be there tomorrow night."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Ying turned to Lin Lanying and told her.

The next evening, the mother and daughter took a taxi to the Su family's duplex mansion in Wan Chai.

As soon as I entered, two tall figures came out to greet me.

"Sister Ying!"

"Ah Ying."

Lin Ying was startled. She hadn't seen them for more than half a year, and the two people in front of her had both grown to almost 1.8 meters tall.

Su Jun was still as carefree as ever, but Su Cheng had become much more composed. He was wearing a dark jacket and holding a walkie-talkie, and his demeanor had changed significantly.

"Have you been eating feed? You've grown so tall!" Lin Ying said after changing into her slippers.

Su Jun proudly said, "I got it from playing basketball."

After everyone sat down on the sofa, Lin Ying looked at Su Cheng and asked, "You're not wearing your school uniform? Did you skip class today?"

Su Cheng shook his head, picked up the teapot and poured Lin Ying a cup of tea: "I didn't go to Form Six; after graduating from Form Five, I went straight to Lao Dou's film set."

Lin Ying remembered that Su Cheng was able to get into school because his second uncle donated 500,000 yuan. Now he has almost graduated from Form 5.

Su Zhihao walked out of the study with a cigarette in his mouth: "This good-for-nothing chose this himself. He's no good at studying, but he's a first-rate fighter. I simply let him work for me, starting as a production assistant; in the past six months, he's kept all the gangsters on set completely under his thumb."

Su Cheng, sitting next to him, said, "I'm not cut out for studying; staying in school would be a waste of my time. I can understand the rules and schedules on set."

Lin Ying nodded. It's better to figure out your own path sooner rather than just drift through life at school.

Su Jun, standing to the side, said with a bitter face, "He's having a good time, he doesn't have to be made to memorize his lessons by his old aunt; I still have to suffer through Form Six in an all-boys school, and if I don't get into a good university next year, my dad will break my legs."

"Old maid?" Lin Ying caught the word and raised an eyebrow.

The study door was pushed open again.

Zhou Yawen walked out in high heels, holding a bound script in her hand. "Su Jun, your allowance for this month will be reduced by half."

Su Jun immediately put his lips to it.

Lin Ying stood up: "Teacher Zhou, you didn't go to school today? Today is Thursday."

Zhou Yawen walked to the single sofa and sat down: "I resigned."

Lin Ying? A secure job at Boya Academy, a senior teacher's title—she just threw it away like that?

"Surprised?" Zhou Yawen poured a glass of warm water. "I've had enough of the Education Bureau's rigid curriculum. The outside world is changing so fast, but schools are still teaching those inflexible things that haven't changed in decades."

Su Zhihao exhaled a smoke ring: "Knowledge is money. The lines she revised resulted in a two-point higher rating than others. Investors now call her Sister Zhou."

Lin Ying looked at Zhou Yawen, who had shed her teacher's rigid facade. Now, Zhou Yawen had a confident air about her control over resources.

"Indeed." Lin Ying sat back on the sofa. "The Hong Kong film and television industry is a blue ocean right now. Your logical ability is a game-changer for those ghostwriters who can only write melodramatic nonsense."

"Stop flattering me." Zhou Yawen tapped the script with her finger. "I've finished overseeing the final editing of 'Gold Rush Age,' and the final product has an excellent quality. My older brother, Su Zhiming, saw the sample footage and said that those people in the financial sector in Central would have a heart attack after watching it."

Su Zhihao perked up when money was mentioned.

"Ah Ying, here's your share of the profits." Su Zhihao pushed the file folder in front of Lin Ying. "Gold Rush hasn't been released yet. This is the remaining box office revenue from the second half of 'Heart Exchange,' plus the buyout of the overseas videotape rights. After taxes, it's a total of six million. The promissory note is inside."

Lin Ying opened the document bag, took out the promissory note, and checked it. The amount was accurate.

"Second Uncle is always decisive in his work." Lin Ying resealed the file bag.

"What are your plans for the future?" Zhou Yawen asked Lin Ying. "You're studying mathematics at Cambridge, how do you still have time to write?"

"Time isn't something you squeeze out, it's something you plan out." Lin Ying took a sip of tea.

"Second Uncle, Teacher Zhou. Low-budget melodramas or action films may make a quick buck, but they won't build a brand. Next year, plagiarism and copying will become increasingly serious in Hong Kong cinema."

Su Zhihao nodded: "We already have one this year; we just released an urban film, and a few days later, the other side released a twin film, with only one character different in the title."

"Therefore, we need to raise the bar, whether it's the financial or technical threshold."