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

Lin Ying drove to the pick-up area outside the airport and saw Wen Xu standing by the roadside in the distance, holding a bag in one hand and with the other hand in his pocket, looking down at the ground.

She parked her car and rolled down the window: "Mr. Wen, aren't the ants cute?"

Wen Xu looked up, smiled when he saw her, opened the passenger door and tossed his bag into the back seat: "Not bad, more interesting than waiting for you."

"You've only been waiting a few minutes?"

"Eleven minutes."

Lin Ying started the car: "You even timed this?"

Wen Xu fastened her seatbelt: "I'm used to it."

As the car drove out of the airport and onto the main road, Wen Xu looked out the window at the street scene. Compared to July, there were several new buildings along the roadside, and the tower cranes on the construction site were still turning.

As Lin Ying drove, she asked, "How many days off do you have this time?"

Five days.

"What can you do in five days?"

Wenxu looked at her and said, "Enough to do a lot of things."

Lin Ying didn't respond to that, but cleared her throat and said, "Then I'll give myself five days off too."

Wen Xu became interested: "Boss Lin is willing to give people a holiday?"

"The company is on the right track. Chen Guodong and the others are keeping an eye on things. It won't collapse even if I'm not around." Lin Ying turned the car onto the side road. "But my own major life event is still not on the right track."

When Liu Yang returned to the factory area, he was squatting at the entrance of the R&D building smoking. When he saw Lin Ying's car stop and Wen Xu sitting in the passenger seat, he put out his cigarette, stood up and went to greet him: "Engineer Wen! Long time no see."

Wen Xu got out of the car and shook hands with him: "You've lost weight."

Liu Yang touched his face: "I've been busy, not dieting."

Lin Ying walked around the front of the car and said to Liu Yang, "For the next five days, you'll be in charge of things at the factory yourselves."

Liu Yang was taken aback: "Boss, you're asking for leave?"

"What, it's not allowed?"

"Alright, alright!" Liu Yang took two steps back. "It's rare to see you resting. I'm happy for the whole company."

Looking at his expression, Lin Ying said, "Why does what you're saying sound like you've finally gotten rid of me?"

Liu Yang clasped his hands together and said, "Absolutely not, just a tiny bit."

Wen Xu chuckled, picked up his bag, and followed Lin Ying into the office building.

That afternoon, after Lin Ying finished handing over her work, she called Chen Guodong to explain the situation. Chen Guodong replied on the phone, "Boss, you can go out and have fun without worry; just be careful while you're out."

Lin Ying: "Mr. Chen, why are you talking to me like you're seeing your daughter off?"

Chen Guodong: "Professional habit".

The next morning, the two set off lightly; Lin Ying didn't bring much luggage, just a backpack with a change of clothes and her wallet; Wen Xu was even simpler, carrying the same bag he had brought, changing his clothes and leaving.

Shenzhen is a rapidly developing city with construction everywhere. Lin Ying took Wen Xu to the beach, to the newly opened commercial street, and to stroll by the lake in the park. As they walked, no one recognized them; no one called them Miss Lin or Engineer Wen.

Wen Xu bought two popsicles and handed one to her.

Lin Ying took a bite: "You eat this at the station too?"

"They sell them at the cafeteria entrance, 50 cents each."

How many do you eat a month?

Wen Xu thought for a moment: "It depends on my mood. Sometimes after I finish an experiment, I think of you and I'll go buy one."

Lin Ying chewed on her popsicle without saying a word, clearly in a good mood.

On the third day, they took the train to Guangzhou. Wen Xu rarely went out, and he was interested in everything. He could watch people play chess on the street for ten minutes, and he would insist on going into a bookstore and browsing for half an hour. Lin Ying stood by and waited, without urging him.

I stayed at a hotel that night, and the city lights were visible outside my window.

When Lin Ying came out of the shower, Wen Xu was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at the technical notebook she had brought: "You're still looking at this even on vacation?"

Wen Xu closed the notebook and placed it on the bedside table: "Just two pages."

Lin Ying sat down next to him and leaned on his shoulder; the two were quiet for a while, then Wen Xu wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

"Lin Ying".

"Um?"

"I rarely have time like this."

Lin Ying knew what he meant; his project, his identity, and where he was located did not allow him to live an ordinary life. Five days off was the limit he could get.

"Then make the most of these five days."

Wen Xu looked down at her: "Do you really want a child?"

Lin Ying didn't dodge: "I want to."

"Then I'll try harder tonight."

Lin Ying blushed to the roots of her ears at his words and raised her hand to push him away, but Wen Xu grabbed her hand and leaned in with a smile.

The rest is self-explanatory once the lights are off.

On the fourth day, the two spent the whole day in Guangzhou, eating from the morning market to late-night snacks, including rice noodle rolls, roast goose, clay pot rice, and sweet soup. Wen Xu had a bigger appetite than Lin Ying, but he ate more slowly; Lin Ying finished eating and waited for him, while he was still there, slowly chewing each bite.

"Do you eat this slowly even at the institute?"

"It'll only take five minutes to finish in the station." Wen Xu placed a piece of meat in her bowl. "You'll be slower once you're out."

On the evening of the fifth day, the two took the train back to Shenzhen; the platform was bustling with people, and Wen Xu walked beside her, carrying his bag. He was leaving tomorrow; his plane ticket was already booked, for an afternoon flight.

That night in the hotel room, the two lay on the bed, neither of them able to fall asleep.

Wen Xu turned to look at her: "If I could continue living like this, I wouldn't want to leave."

Lin Ying turned to look at him.

Wen Xu continued, "But my country still needs me."

Lin Ying reached out and covered his mouth: "Don't say that."

Wen Xu was taken aback.

Lin Ying lowered her hand: "Let's enjoy the moment when we're together. We're in a relationship, not running away from each other."

She looked at the ceiling: "We still have to shoulder our own responsibilities. You have your projects, I have my factory. No one has to give up anything for anyone else. If our generation pursues things more and works harder, the next generation can stand taller. You do your research, I do my industry, and we each do our part well."

Wen Xu looked into her eyes: "You're right."

"This time you come to me; next time you're off, I'll come to you."

Wen Xu held her hand: "It's cold in Beijing in winter, so bring plenty of warm clothes if you come."

Lin Ying smiled: "Engineer Wen, your way of showing concern is really pragmatic."

"I am a pragmatist."

"Okay, then next time I go to Beijing, I'll bring you some southern fruits."

Wen Xu touched her hand to his lips: "No need to bring fruit, just bring you."

The next day at noon, Lin Ying took Wen Xu to the airport; she parked the car in the parking lot, and Wen Xu got out of the car, took his luggage, and stood by the car window, bending down to look at her.

"Be careful on your way back," Lin Ying said.

"The same to you."

"Call me when you arrive."

"it is good."

Wen Xu straightened up, patted the roof of the car, turned around and walked into the terminal. Lin Ying sat in the driver's seat and watched his figure disappear behind the automatic door. It took her a while before she started the car.

As Lin Ying drove back to the factory, she couldn't stop thinking about the time Wen Xu had glanced back at her as he walked into the terminal.

That glance held both reluctance and reassurance.

Five days is a short time, but five days is enough to confirm one thing: this person is right for me, and what I need is not a love that always revolves around me;