novelraw Chapter 45 "Paying Off Debts" and Incidentally Finding a "Treasure"
Chapter 45 "Paying Off Debts" and Incidentally Finding a "Treasure"
They were taken back to the Island Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong, which the father had arranged for them to rest.
This newly opened luxury hotel, which has only been open for a few years, offers ocean-view suites that are just as comfortable and offer just as great views as the Peninsula Suite, which was a reward from Li Shuo's system.
During the two days of rehearsals for the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Li Shuo accompanied his grandparents on a tour of Hong Kong Island.
He arranged everything perfectly, from the Peak Tram to the incense offerings at Wong Tai Sin Temple, and Ocean Park, which Zhu Zhu really loves.
After settling his tired parents in, Li Shuo took an afternoon to interview at an international school recommended by his aunt.
The school is Hong Kong Island Secondary School, which is part of the English Schools Foundation (ESF).
The interview went surprisingly smoothly.
Thanks to the fact that my second aunt's company, Singapore Baiteng Real Estate, holds educational equity and nomination rights in ESF, the process was already smooth.
When Li Shuo fluently switched between Mandarin, Cantonese, and even Peninsular and Japanese languages, the interviewers who had initially thought they were about to interview another incompetent "connected" candidate immediately changed their expressions from scrutiny to surprise.
The only thing that puzzled them was that while the boy's English was good enough for communication, it was only so-so.
However, considering the written test scores, the overall result was still very satisfactory! Naturally, their attitude became more enthusiastic.
As for why his English is still only so-so?
Li Shuo hasn't drawn the card yet... no, I mean, he hasn't "systematically" reinforced his learning yet, it's only a matter of time.
After completing the formalities, he took the opportunity to visit the campus.
Looking at the students of different skin colors from various countries wearing a mix of school uniforms, he suddenly realized why the atmosphere seemed so familiar.
"This is exactly the same international school as the one in Stephen Chow's movie 'Fight Back to School'!" Except the tuition is much more expensive.
Everything was settled when the phone rang.
He answered the phone, his voice clear and crisp, yet tinged with urgency.
"Li Shuo, are you done with your business? Grandma Song specifically asked you to come with me to buy the clothes I'll be wearing for the Hong Kong Island Exchange Season premiere of the Chinese Folk Orchestra tomorrow... I've been waiting all day!"
Well, here comes Zhu Zhu again, her "creditor".
Li Shuo rubbed his nose and quickly hailed a taxi. It was indeed troublesome that he couldn't take the driving test yet.
Sitting in the lobby café, watching the pretty girl with her bright, smiling eyes skipping over, Li Shuo finally understood what he meant by "you owe me" these past two days.
The origins can be traced back to his rebellious rock and roll years in Beijing.
When they were forming a band and looking for a keyboardist, Zhu Zhu, who had been competing with him since childhood, insisted on joining.
Li Shuo thought she was a troublesome girl, so he just made up an excuse.
"You have a good foundation in piano, but we play rock music. Your feel for the piano isn't right; it's lacking something."
He had long forgotten what she said, but he didn't expect this girl to be so stubborn.
For that one phrase, "not quite right," she spent almost half a year frantically transcribing tapes, practicing the keyboards of foreign bands, and even auditioning with other bands.
When many teams were vying to invite her, she excitedly wanted to find Li Shuo, only to discover that this "liar" had already left for Singapore without saying goodbye!
Outraged, she picked up half a brick and smashed the window of Li Shuo's room.
"Fine." Li Shuo sighed inwardly. He knew he had acted unfairly and deserved to be resented.
Moreover, with Zhu Zhu's appearance, another long-buried memory resurfaced.
He recalled that he was in his most self-destructive phase while in the Singapore Juvenile Detention Center.
Once, when he heard that someone was visiting, he assumed it was his father or aunt coming to comfort and encourage him, and refused to meet them without thinking.
Later, the guards said it was a little girl, which puzzled him.
Now that we've pieced it all together, it seems to be the girl from Uncle Zhu's family who owns an ice cream factory... that kind of laissez-faire parenting style, letting her travel alone when she was just a teenager.
Thinking of this, Li Shuo's usual casualness faded when he looked at Zhu Zhu, replaced by a complex sense of apology.
Zhu Zhu felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and glared back fiercely: "What are you looking at! Let's go!"
Looking at the eager young woman in front of him, Li Shuo was thinking about where to buy clothes when he suddenly remembered that a vintage clothing store he liked in his previous life should have just opened.
I discovered that "treasure shop" because I had heard many stories of buyers finding high-value clothing there.
"I'll take you somewhere I guarantee you'll love it."
A short while later, an eye-catching young couple appeared in a vintage clothing store called Retrostone on Hong Kong Island.
Li Shuo had only intended to browse casually, but he immediately spotted a specially designed display area with lighting, and was surprised to find some great items.
Wow! As expected of one of the pioneers of vintage clothing in Hong Kong, this is a treasure trove!
At his call, a female store manager jogged up to greet him.
Li Shuo glanced at Zhu Zhu, whose eyes were already shining, and pointed to the entire glass display area to make his selection.
"Let her try on all these outfits, and buy them all if they fit."
The shop assistants efficiently brought over four or five sets of clothes.
Seeing this, Zhu Zhu quickly muttered in a low voice, "Li Shuo, you really don't need to buy so much, this is too exaggerated."
The boy chuckled and nudged her, "This is 'paying off a debt,' isn't it... Hurry up, I need to buy something too!"
When her resistance proved futile, she was led into the fitting room by two female shop assistants, feeling dizzy.
Before long, Li Shuo had clearly chosen what he wanted, but after gesturing at it, he didn't try it on.
Even if I can't wear them, I'll still buy them to keep as a collection.
Just then, the background music in the store switched to Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine," and Slash's guitar intro began...
"This song? It's the song that got me into rock music back then!" Li Shuo sat down in the chair the store manager brought over with great interest.
The fitting room door opened, and Zhu Zhu walked out somewhat awkwardly, wearing the outfit that Li Shuo had chosen for her.
At this moment, Axl Rose's distinctive voice flowed through the store:
"She's got a smile that it seems to me
When I saw her smiling
Reminds me of childhood memories
It reminds me of my childhood.
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Everything there was as refreshing as the azure sky…
As the song played, Li Shuo's eyes darted around.
Seeing the obvious amazement in Li Shuo's eyes, Zhu Zhu smiled and suddenly became confident and lively.
The inner layer is a lively and pretty JILL by JILL STUART girly dress, while the outer layer is a Vivienne Westwood Saturn studded unisex vintage leather jacket, which is both retro and sweet, sophisticated yet energetic.
Whispers rippled through the shop as people marveled at how the girl's already striking beauty and poise were made even more dazzling.
Only one female shop assistant whispered, "That little girl... judging from how that handsome guy dotes on her, she must be his sister, right? This family has really good genes!"
Hearing this, Zhu Zhu felt inexplicably annoyed and blurted out, "We're not siblings! And I'm not a little kid either!"
After saying that out of nowhere, she seemed to be sulking as she started a "strobe" dress-up mode.
...Do whatever makes you look mature.
The Mezzo Piano retro denim skirt exudes a touch of mature sophistication.
The MIKI HOUSE teddy bear embroidered spring coat has a nostalgic feel, yet it exudes a charming and adorable cuteness within its mature style.
Another Mikihouse outfit for working women creates a look that is both sensual and subtly alluring...
Zhu Zhu can pull off any style.
However, when Li Shuo was satisfied and wanted to buy everything, she regretted it.
A glimpse of the price tag revealed that her "Empress Dowager Cixi" outfit alone cost over HK$6.
Let's look at what Li Shuo chose: several Raf Simons jackets were only HK$1500 each, and the only leather motorcycle jacket was only HK$5600.
A Helmut Lang spray-painted jeans and a Martin Margiela shirt bundled together for only 4000.
"Don't buy it yet... I only need one set, I don't want the most expensive one. They all look good, just pick any set, I'll buy it myself."
But Li Shuo had already readily paid the bill of over 10 yuan.
"Don't worry, I've made a lot of money writing songs myself, just consider it paying back what I owe you... This is nothing!"
After saying that, he felt a small sense of joy, like he had successfully found a treasure.
Pshaw, can I tell you that this leather jacket alone could be traded for a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy at an auction house ten years from now?
There was a 2001 model that Kanye West later bought for 48000 euros.
After finishing his business here, Li Shuo returned to the Shangri-La Hotel, planning to take his grandparents and Zhu Zhu to try a well-regarded, long-established private restaurant nearby.
As soon as I entered the suite's living room, I saw Director Zhou of the Chinese National Orchestra arrive, chatting with his grandfather while drinking tea.
But it didn't seem like a pleasant thing... because Grandpa Li Yisheng's brows were furrowed.