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

Su Jun called from upstairs, "Sister Ying! What are you daydreaming about? Come up quickly, I just bought a new Famicom cartridge!"

Before Lin Ying could move, Chen Meishan grabbed her and pulled her upstairs: "Don't pay any attention to those brats. Come on, your aunt will take you to your room to talk things out. There are too many people downstairs, it's not convenient to talk!"

Chen Meishan skillfully pushed open the door to a small meeting room on the second floor, pulled Lin Ying inside, and locked the door behind her.

The moment the door closed, her gossip-loving expression ignited instantly. "Don't you think this is crazy?"

Lin Ying sat down on the small sofa and nodded: "Extremely crazy. Last time I acted as an intermediary to help Teacher Zhou evaluate the copyright of her new book, she even pointed at Uncle Su and called him a swindler to his face."

"When I first found out, I was even more shocked than you!" Chen Meishan poured herself a glass of water. "I almost thought that Su Lao Er had finally been driven mad by those intellectuals outside and started seeking torture. But let me tell you, there was foreshadowing for this!"

Lin Ying immediately became gossipy: "What do you mean?"

"First, there was the TV series." Chen Meishan vividly recounted, "Wasn't 'Night Taboo' going to be made into a TV series? The TV station was working on the script, and Su Lao Er invited Zhou Yawen to the set as a consultant. You know Zhou Yawen's temper. The TV station director loosened up the suspense a bit, and she, in front of the entire crew, took a pen and berated the screenwriter until he couldn't even lift his head!"

Lin Ying could perfectly imagine the scene. If Teacher Zhou was so strict with the textbooks, he would only be even harsher on the notebooks she had painstakingly written.

"At first, Su Lao Er found her annoying, thinking women were too fussy. But after seeing the lines and character development she revised, he was absolutely brilliant. Su Lao Er admires strength! He listens when someone with real talent criticizes him!" Chen Meishan took a sip of water. "After a while, when the TV series started filming, the two saw each other on set every day, and Su Lao Er's gaze towards her changed."

"Just because of the script changes?" Lin Ying felt that wasn't enough.

"Of course not," Chen Meishan continued. "You know about Zhou Yawen taking her manuscript and asking publishers about prices, right?"

Lin Ying nodded: "Yes, Teacher Zhou said those people behaved very badly, trying to get something for nothing."

"Those scoundrels are more than just trying to get something for nothing!" Chen Meishan said with disdain. "They saw that Zhou Yawen was a female teacher with no connections, so they had ulterior motives. I heard she was working with Su Lao Er, and those people wanted to intercept her halfway and get the manuscript for free. They even hired thugs to ambush her at her house and harass her there every day!"

Lin Ying frowned. As a single female teacher who taught during the day and wrote articles at night, dealing with such a rogue was indeed a headache.

"and then?"

"Then Zhou Yawen was pushed to the limit, so she went to Su Lao Er; Su Lao Er was furious when he heard this." Chen Meishan clicked her tongue twice, "What did Su Lao Er do to start his business? Just because he talks to you about rules doesn't mean he's a good guy. The next day, he didn't even bring a lawyer, but directly called seven or eight tattooed men and went to the company of Boss Ma, who had led the trouble."

The image flashed through Lin Ying's mind; yes, it was indeed something Uncle Su had done.

"He didn't do anything, didn't hit anyone, he was just disgusting Boss Ma; in less than half a day, Boss Ma sent two big flower baskets to the film set to apologize." Chen Meishan shrugged, "It was from then on that Zhou Yawen saw Su Lao Er change."

Lin Ying analyzed rationally: "Although Uncle Su lowered the price, he really paid, and he sticks to his bottom line. He can really handle things if something happens."

"Yes! Speaking of taking responsibility, we have to talk about Zhou Yawen's private life," Chen Meishan whispered. "Most people don't know that Zhou Yawen is actually divorced."

Lin Ying knew that Zhou Yawen lived alone, but she didn't expect her to have this past experience.

"Her ex-husband was her former classmate," Chen Meishan sighed. "He was a respectable scholar when he was young, but somehow he got addicted to gambling. The more he gambled, the worse he got, and he emptied his savings. Zhou Yawen was tough; she paid off half of his old high-interest loan debts and then divorced him. Later, that man couldn't change his ways and continued gambling. He was so desperate that he jumped into the sea and committed suicide."

Lin Ying's heart sank.

"At first, some people on set were gossiping about it. When Su Lao Er heard it, he immediately fired that production assistant and told him that anyone who talked about Teacher Zhou's private affairs again would be fired." Chen Meishan looked at Lin Ying, "Now you understand, right? Zhou Yawen was heartbroken by that kind of cowardly, incompetent, and unprincipled man. She has lived alone for so many years. She doesn't need a man to read poetry to her; she needs someone like Su Lao Er, a tough guy who can stand up for her when things happen and can withstand any hardship."

Lin Ying finally understood; one of these people had seen through hypocritical intellectuals, and the other had witnessed too much pretense. Their union, though seemingly absurd, was fundamentally based on the pragmatism of adults who had weathered countless storms.

"What about Grandpa Su?" Lin Ying asked. "And Su Cheng and Su Jun are so opposed to his father having affairs."

"That's even more incredible!" Chen Meishan exclaimed excitedly, slamming her hand on the table. "This brings to mind that huge birth control pill blunder we had last time! Do you know how Zhou Yawen managed to handle those two guys?"

Lin Ying asked curiously, "Did Teacher Zhou talk to them?"

Last month, Su Lao Er officially brought Zhou Yawen back to the mansion to meet the old man. After dinner, Su Lao Er called Su Cheng and Su Jun to the study. The two good-for-nothings thought that their stepmother would come in and try to take over the family property and have a third child.

Chen Meishan mimicked Zhou Yawen's capable tone: "Zhou Yawen sat there and said directly: 'First, I have hands and feet, and the royalties from my novels are enough for me to live very well in Hong Kong. I don't care about Su Zhihao's money. Second, I've been a teacher for so many years and have seen enough of the stupidity of kids. I will never have children in my life.'"

Lin Ying knew that these were indeed words that Zhou Yawen would say.

"You're not having a baby?!" Chen Meishan mimicked Su Jun's stunned expression. "Su Jun shouted it out right then and there. Zhou Yawen nodded and said, 'Yes, I'm not having a baby. You don't need to go to all that trouble putting birth control pills in your own father's water anymore, hahahahaha.'"

"Hahahaha..." Lin Ying completely lost her composure when she remembered that Su Jun had drugged her.

For those two extremely insecure teenagers, the phrase "don't have children" was more effective than any maternal love.

"The old man heard it and nodded on the spot," Chen Meishan concluded. "Now, the whole family, including my husband, thinks these two are a match made in heaven!"

Lin Ying stood up, took a deep breath to calm her smile, and said, "Let's go, Auntie, let's go downstairs and take a look."