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

Lin Ying didn't hire a moving company for the move.

It wasn't that she was reluctant to spend the money; it was just that the things were too messy, and she didn't trust anyone else to touch them. Some of the documents and notes in her study weren't confidential, but she was used to organizing them herself. There were also several locked file boxes containing contracts and profit-sharing agreements from Institute D6, and it would be difficult to explain if outsiders saw these things.

Starting in early January, Lin Ying would drive to Kadoorie Hill every few days, filling her trunk with winter clothes she no longer wore, unused books, and He Dazhu's carving tools.

After making several trips back and forth, the number of items in the living room on the 19th floor of Taikoo Shing was visibly reduced.

One day, Lin Qian came home from get off work and stood for a while looking at the mostly empty bookshelves. He said, "Big sister, are you really leaving?"

"We'll officially move in after the New Year." Lin Ying came out of the bedroom, carrying a box of old photo albums.

Lin Qian took it from her: "I'll help you carry it downstairs."

After a moment of silence in the elevator, Lin Qian suddenly spoke up: "Big sister, after you move out, won't it be too quiet for me to live alone in such a big house?"

"Didn't you say you always wanted to live alone since you were little?"

"...That was because I was young and didn't know any better."

Lin Ying glanced at him without saying anything, pushed the suitcase into his arms, and went out of the elevator to open the trunk.

Lin Qian followed behind, muttering as he put the box inside, "I'll definitely go back for a free meal this weekend."

"understood."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

January 29th, 3 PM.

In the garden of the villa on the main road of Kadoorie Hill, two rows of folding tables were set up, covered with white tablecloths; on them were tea snacks, cut fruit, and several bottles of red wine; Butler Liang had arranged the venue a day in advance.

Lin Ying wore a dark gray cashmere coat, her hair was tied up, and her makeup was light; Lin Lanying wore a newly made cheongsam with a short jacket over it, while He Dazhu wore a dark casual suit with a handkerchief in his breast pocket, which Lin Lanying had given him.

"Stand up straight!" Lin Lanying patted He Dazhu on the back. "Why are you hunching over?"

He Dazhu immediately straightened his back: "Is that straight enough?"

"improvise."

At 3 o'clock sharp, the first neighbor arrived.

They were an elderly couple in their sixties, surnamed Chen. The man used to be the owner of a textile factory. After retiring, he handed the factory over to his son and lived in Kadoorie Hill for more than ten years.

"Mr. Chen, Mrs. Chen," Lin Ying greeted them. "I'm Lin Ying, a new resident. Please take care of me from now on."

Mrs. Chen accepted the gift from Lin Ying; inside the brocade box was a pair of jadeite safety buckles. She opened it, glanced at them, and was clearly taken aback: "Wow, the jade quality is excellent!"

"My father carved it himself." Lin Ying stepped aside to make way for He Dazhu behind her.

He Dazhu nodded with a smile: "I made it myself, it's not worth much money, just for good luck."

Mrs. Chen held the safety amulet up to the light and examined it: "The craftsmanship is so exquisite! Old Chen, look!"

Mr. Chen leaned over for a look and nodded: "Excellent craftsmanship."

The neighbors arrived one after another after that.

The second household was surnamed Huang. They were in their forties and ran an import and export business. They had a wife, a son in middle school, and a daughter in elementary school.

The third household was surnamed Zhang. He owned several jewelry stores in Causeway Bay, was in his early fifties, and came alone.

The fourth household was occupied by a British man who was a senior executive at Jardine Matheson & Co. His wife was a local, and both were in their forties.

The fifth household is surnamed He. He works in a government department, is 60 years old, and was the deputy director of some department before retiring.

The sixth household...

The seventh household...

When all seven neighboring households had arrived, a dozen or so people chatted and drank tea in the garden; Lin Ying gave each household a gift, a pair of peace buckles and a greeting card handwritten by Lin Lanying.

"Miss Lin, do you live in such a big house all by yourself?" Mrs. Huang looked at Lin Ying curiously.

"I live with my parents." Lin Ying pointed to He Dazhu, who was chatting with Mr. Chen.

Mrs. Huang nodded: "What industry does Miss Lin work in?"

"I've written some scripts before," Lin Ying said, without elaborating.

Mr. Zhang, who was standing next to him, suddenly turned around and asked, "Lin Ying? You're that Lin Ying? Aren't you the screenwriter who wrote 'Qin Guan'?"

Several people in the garden turned their gazes toward him at the same time.

Mr. Huang reacted even faster: "Wait, Lin Ying... Lin Ying from Boya Academy? The one with the top ten grades?!"

Mr. Zhang slapped his thigh: "That's right! I remember now! The top ten student of '87! All ten A's! The girl whose story was featured in the newspaper!"

Mrs. Chan chimed in, "It's her? I remember! Back then, the whole of Hong Kong was talking about her! They were saying she only blossomed at nine, then skipped grades all the way to Liberal Arts University, and was even a Cambridge student?!"

Lin Ying stood there, holding a cup of tea, her expression calm.

"Yes, that was a long time ago."

Deputy Director He walked over from the other side, holding a glass of red wine, and looked Lin Ying up and down: "Ms. Lin, if I may ask, how old are you this year?"

"Twenty-three."

At the age of 23, he bought a villa in Kadoorie Hill with cash, spent more than five million on renovations, and had a Bentley worth seven and a half million parked in the garage.

Deputy Director He took a sip of his drink and didn't ask any more questions.

Mrs. Huang pulled Lin Lanying aside to chat: "Mrs. Lin, your daughter is truly amazing!"

Lin Lanying smiled demurely: "She's always been very opinionated since she was little, so we parents have been able to enjoy the good life."

"Enjoying a life of luxury? Your young lady has earned a villa for the whole family!" Mrs. Chen exclaimed from the side.

The meeting lasted for more than two hours.

As he was leaving, Mr. Zhang approached Lin Ying and said, "Ms. Lin, if it's convenient for you another day, I'd like to invite you to dinner. My wife really likes 'Qin Pass,' isn't that the one you wrote?"

"I wrote it," Lin Ying said without denying it.

"My wife watched it three times!" Mr. Zhang shook his head. "Miss Lin is young and promising, truly remarkable; I will definitely honor her with my presence another day."

"Okay, another day."

After seeing off the last guest, Butler Liang approached and said, "Miss Lin, today went very smoothly."

Lin Ying nodded: "Thank you for your help, Mr. Liang."

"You're welcome. Please feel free to call me anytime if you need anything in the future."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

That evening, after the meet-and-greet ended, Lin Ying returned to Taikoo Shing and sat in the living room with a cup of tea.

Lin Lanying, who was tidying up her things, said, "I noticed the way those neighbors looked at you today."

"What kind of look is that?"

"It's that kind of look... a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and disbelief; living in Kadoorie Hill at twenty-three, I'd be curious too."

"Just be curious. You'll get used to it after a while."

He Dazhu came out of the kitchen: "Wife, should I move those stones over tomorrow too?"

"Move it! Your pile of broken stones takes up half the balcony space. Moving them out will make this area much cleaner."

"That's not a broken stone! That's raw jadeite! It's very valuable!!" He Dazhu said, dissatisfied.

"Okay, Jade, move it quickly."

Lin Ying put down her teacup: "We'll speed things up starting the day after tomorrow and try to finish moving everything by February 5th."

"So rushed?" Lin Lanying asked.

"February 10th is the first day of the Lunar New Year. After moving in, we need to set aside at least five days to furnish the new house and buy New Year's goods."

Lin Lanying did the math: "That makes sense; then tomorrow I'll go to the villa and get the kitchen ready, so the pots and pans are in place first, so we don't end up not even having a hot meal on the first day we move in."

"I trust you to handle things, Mommy."

The following week, the family entered a sprint mode for moving; Lin Lanying and He Dazhu mainly carried out some trivial daily necessities;

Lin Ying was in charge of the study; she divided her belongings into three categories: things that could be taken away, things that needed to be destroyed, and things that needed to be locked in a safe.

The notes, contracts, and profit-sharing agreements related to D6 were locked in a newly installed safe in the villa's study; the remaining academic materials and books were packed into eight cardboard boxes.

On February 3rd, only some furniture and appliances remained on the 19th floor of Taikoo Shing for Lin Qian.

Lin Qian got off work early that day and came back to find the living room empty. He stood at the door for a long time without going in.

"You're back?" Lin Ying came out of the master bedroom, carrying the last suitcase.

Lin Qian looked at the suitcase in her hands: "Is this the last trip?"

"The last trip."

"Then..." Lin Qian looked around, "You'll leave all this furniture to me?"

"Keep the sofa, TV, dining table, refrigerator, and washing machine." Lin Ying placed her suitcase by the door. "If you think they're old and want to replace them, just go buy them yourself."

Lin Qian nodded.

Lin Ying took out a bunch of keys and placed them on the entryway cabinet: "Two keys for the front door, one key for the garage, and one key for the mailbox; I've already prepaid a year's property management fees, you can pay them yourself tomorrow."

"understood."

Lin Ying picked up her suitcase and walked towards the door.

"Big sister."

Lin Ying stopped in her tracks.

"...I really will go back for a free meal this weekend."

"Call to make an appointment."

"Do I need to make a reservation to eat at my own family's house?!"

"You're a guest now." Lin Ying left without looking back.

As the elevator doors closed, she heard Lin Qian wail from inside: "I'm not a guest! I'm your own brother!"