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

The afternoon after Lin Ying returned home, she called Butler Liang: "Mr. Liang, this is Lin Ying. I bought that villa on the main road."

"Miss Lin, how can I help you?" Butler Liang asked politely.

Regarding the renovation, Benjamin told me we could use channels recommended by the property management?

"Sure, we have a long-term design team that has worked on several villas in Kadoorie Hill. I'll connect you with them, and we can arrange for a designer to come and take measurements tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Mr. Liang."

The next morning, Butler Liang called back and said that the designer had been arranged. His surname was Zheng, and he had been designing high-end residences for twelve years. He had handled six buildings in the Kadoorie Hill area.

The appointment was for 2 PM on Wednesday, at the villa site.

On Wednesday, Lin Ying invited Lin Lanying and He Dazhu, and the family of three arrived half an hour early. He Dazhu stood in the garden, looking at the old banyan tree and clicking his tongue: "This tree is at least forty or fifty years old; its roots are almost pushing up the paving stones."

Lin Lanying walked around the living room on the first floor: "Xiaoying, how many meters is the ceiling height in this living room?"

"More than six meters high, with two floors at the same height."

"It's too high, it'll be a hassle to clean up." Lin Lanying was very practical.

At exactly two o'clock, a silver Honda pulled up in front of the door. A man in his early forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and carrying a leather folder, got out, followed by a young assistant carrying measuring tools.

"Miss Lin?" Designer Zheng extended his hand. "My surname is Zheng, you can just call me Mr. Zheng."

"Hello Mr. Zheng, this is my mother, and this is my father."

Designer Zheng shook hands and greeted the two elders, then walked around the house. As he walked, he marked the floor plan with a pen, occasionally using a measuring tape to measure the wall thickness and doorway width.

After making his rounds and returning to the living room, Designer Zheng opened the folder and laid it out on the makeshift folding table.

"Ms. Lin, what direction are you looking for? Partial renovation or a complete overhaul?"

Lin Ying: "I want a complete renovation and remodeling of the whole house; I don't want the kind of glittering and opulent design style, just something understated and stylish, and the most important thing is that I can live comfortably; I want to use the best appliances, kitchen appliances, central air conditioning, hot water system, and so on, all in one go."

Designer Zheng nodded and wrote it down in his notebook: "Understood; how would you like to adjust the original room layout? It currently has six bedrooms, five suites, and two maid's rooms. Do you want to keep it?"

"Keep it as is, keep all six rooms, leave the five suites as they are, and keep the servants' quarters as they are."

"Okay." Designer Zheng continued, "What about the common areas? What do you think of this double-height living room on the first floor?"

Lin Ying looked up at the more than seven-meter-high space above her head and shook her head: "It's unnecessary. The house itself has a ceiling height of three and a half meters, which is enough; a double-height ceiling looks nice, but it wastes space; I would prefer to use the extra space as a study and storage room."

Designer Zheng paused for a moment: "Ms. Lin, if we don't opt ​​for a double-height ceiling, the living room will lack a lot of grandeur."

"It's okay; it's just my family who have been living here for a long time. I don't want it to be too grand. It would make friends feel pressured if they came over, so there's no need for that."

Designer Zheng looked at her and chuckled: "After so many years of designing, this is the first time I've encountered a wealthy client who doesn't like to flaunt their wealth."

Lin Ying continued, getting down to business: "The study is the key area. It needs to be large, at least 20 square meters; soundproofing is essential. I often work at night, so it can't disturb my family's rest, nor can it be disturbed by outside noise."

Designer Zheng listened and took notes.

"Also, the power supply in the study should be run separately; the temperature should also be controlled separately, and it cannot share an air conditioning system with the living room."

"These can all be done," Designer Zheng replied.

"We need to install a fax machine, printer, and computer inside. We also need to apply for a separate new telephone line, not connected to the one in the living room."

Designer Zheng paused his writing and glanced at her: "Ms. Lin, are you sure you want these features for your study? This will increase the price."

"Yes, I'll be working from home a lot, so I need to have all of these things."

Lin Lanying chimed in from the side, "The storage room needs to be bigger too. We have a lot of stuff, and it'll only get bigger in the future."

"Mom is right." Lin Ying nodded. "The storage room should ideally be about 15 square meters, with separate sections for storage, so that clothes, miscellaneous items, and tools each have their own place."

After noting down all the requirements, Designer Zheng asked a few more questions: Should the walk-in closet in the master bedroom be expanded? Should the layout of the kitchen be changed? Should the swimming pool in the garden be renovated?

Lin Ying answered each question, while Lin Lanying occasionally chimed in with her opinions on the kitchen and laundry room. He Dazhu, on the other hand, was more concerned about the garden and garage.

An afternoon passed just like that.

Before leaving, Designer Zheng put away his folder and said, "Ms. Lin, I'll go back and prepare a preliminary plan and quote, which should be ready in about three days."

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

Three days later, as promised, Designer Zheng sent over the design and quote.

Lin Ying sat in the living room of Taikoo City, flipping through the design booklet; the design was very good, with an overall modern and light luxury style, and the layout was very meticulous.

Turn to the last page, the total price is HK$5,190,000.

Lin Ying looked at the breakdown: demolition costs, water and electricity redo, whole house hard decoration, custom furniture, imported home appliances, central air conditioning, swimming pool renovation... each item was listed clearly.

Lin Ying closed the proposal booklet; it wasn't too far off from her previous estimate of five million.

"Mom, what do you think of the effect?" Lin Ying handed over the booklet.

Lin Lanying flipped through a few pages, her gaze lingering on the kitchen page: "This kitchen island is great; it's so convenient for chopping and preparing vegetables."

He Dazhu leaned over to look at the page about the garden: "The swimming pool has been renovated too? Great, we won't have to go swimming outside in the summer anymore."

Lin Lanying flipped to the page with the price quote and exclaimed in surprise, "Over five million for the renovation..."

"Mommy, this is a one-stop solution, so we won't have to go through all the hassle of moving around for the next twenty or thirty years; and this price includes all the appliances and furniture, it's not just a shell."

Lin Lanying thought about it and agreed that it made sense: "Alright, you decide for yourself."

That same day, Lin Ying called Designer Zheng: "Mr. Zheng, I've reviewed the plan, and there are no problems. When are we going to sign the contract?"

Designer Zheng visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Ms. Lin is so agreeable! Is tomorrow convenient? I'll bring the contract over."

"Meet me at the villa again tomorrow at 2 PM."

The contract was signed the following afternoon; the payment terms were three installments: 40% upon signing, 30% upon mid-term acceptance, and the remaining 30% upon completion and delivery.

Designer Zheng carefully put away the contract and confirmed the crucial handover issue with Lin Ying: "Regarding the construction period, I promise that the entire house renovation, plus the delivery time of the custom-made furniture and imported appliances, will be completed and delivered within five months; that is, before December 10th, the keys will be handed over to you."

"December 10th," Lin Ying repeated, "perfect for a fire before Christmas."

"No problem." Designer Zheng shook hands with her. "Ms. Lin, rest assured, our team has been working in this area for many years, and we can guarantee both the construction period and the quality."

He Dazhu stood at the garden entrance and called out, "Xiaoying! Can I manage this garden from now on? I want to plant some vegetables!"

Lin Ying went out to look at the lawn: "Dad, it's okay to plant vegetables, but you can't dig up the whole lawn. Leave half of it for Mom to plant flowers."

"Okay, okay, okay!" He Dazhu had already started planning what to plant, "Loofah, bitter melon, chili peppers..."