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Chapter 10 — Acting Willfully and Losing Control

The next day.

Dr. Huo returned to the hospital, and Tingting’s surgery was successfully completed.

The moment the green light lit up outside the operating room, Sister He, her husband Ah Sheng, and their son Ah Qiang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Keying was equally delighted.

Sister He’s family was deeply grateful to Dr. Huo and Lin Keying. After setting down his scalpel, Dr. Huo also sought out Lin Keying.

“Miss Lin, I really must thank you this time.”
Dr. Huo had inadvertently wandered into a gang fight and was eventually captured to perform surgery on a gang leader. The gang members dared not go to a clinic or hospital for fear of being discovered by the police.

Lin Keying couldn’t help but marvel — life here was just as dramatic as a Hong Kong soap opera, if not more so; even a screenwriter wouldn’t dare make up such twists.

“Dr. Huo, I only asked around and gave it a try. I should be the one thanking—”

“Dad!”
A tall figure suddenly appeared in the corridor outside the ward. A young doctor, who bore a resemblance to Dr. Huo, approached them. “Is this Miss Lin?”

“Yes, Miss Lin is practically my lifesaver.”
When Dr. Huo was released, he had heard that a wealthy person had intervened and specifically named him to be freed. Although he didn’t know the exact relationship between Miss Lin and that tycoon, he felt genuine gratitude and did not pry further.

Lin Keying, flattered by such praise, felt slightly embarrassed — it almost felt like she was showing off her influential fiancé.

Fortunately, Dr. Huo, being highly skilled and busy, left soon after. However, the younger Dr. Huo continued chatting with her as they walked towards the hospital entrance.

What surprised Lin Keying even more was how fluent young Dr. Huo’s Mandarin was, making it easy to converse with him.

“Dr. Huo, there’s no need to see me off,” Lin Keying remarked, thinking that the Huo family was likely a family of doctors, both father and son being so courteous.

“Miss Lin, my name is Huo Huachen. As a gesture of gratitude, our family would like to treat you to a meal. Tomorrow night at 8 PM, at the Peninsula Hotel. Would you be available?”

Young Dr. Huo’s sincere invitation left Lin Keying with no choice but to accept. Besides, dining at the Peninsula Hotel, the most upscale hotel in Hong Kong, would be quite an experience.

This reminded Lin Keying that she would be returning to the mainland soon — she should make the most of her time in Hong Kong.

Having been in the city for nearly half a month, Lin Keying received another HKD 1,000 from Aunt Hua.

“Minghui said it was Master’s order,” Aunt Hua said, puzzled by the young master’s intentions. After all, Miss Lin had repeatedly mentioned she would return to the mainland soon. Struggling with her broken Mandarin, she asked, “Keying, what are you doing in Hong Kong?”

Without pretending to be modest, Lin Keying accepted the money, knowing she would soon receive a huge sum and determined not to cause trouble for her fiancé.

Her fiancé despised the engagement and didn’t want others to know about it — she understood that well.

“I’m visiting relatives and will leave soon,” Lin Keying wrote in simplified Chinese characters on paper, as she wasn’t fluent in Cantonese.

Thankfully, Aunt Hua seemed to understand roughly.

With extra spending money in hand, Lin Keying silently thanked her generous fiancé again and soon spent HKD 300 at the Central shopping mall on an electronic game console.

With no handy mobile phones or computers available at the time, even a palm-sized handheld game console was a rare item.

It wasn’t cheap in Hong Kong, and it was practically nonexistent in the mainland — it had to be transported from Hong Kong to sell there.

Delighted to have a somewhat modern source of entertainment, Lin Keying immersed herself in the game, which would appear childish by future standards — a marble that rolled continuously through obstacles to clear levels.

Despite the steep price of HKD 300, these consoles could easily sell for over HKD 1,000 back on the mainland.

After shopping, buying some clothes, necklaces, and bracelets, Lin Keying passed a roadside hair salon. Seeing a poster of glamorous Hong Kong actresses with voluminous waves, she couldn’t resist.

Before lunch, she emerged from the salon with the trendiest hairstyle.

Her voluminous black hair cascaded like seaweed, the ends forming soft waves that highlighted the beauty of the curves.

The salon staff couldn’t take their eyes off her and made a pitch:
“Miss, we won’t charge you for this style if you let us take a photo of you for our poster.”

She looked just like one of those starlets in the advertisements — a living billboard!

Unfortunately, Lin Keying only understood the word “pretty girl” and, hearing the stylist babble on, quickly paid and left.

She was already starving.

In the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Lin Keying sat down to a lavish Cantonese meal.

Roast pigeon, shark fin, abalone… In the 1980s, food was genuinely top-quality and delicious.

When a few wealthy-looking men at the next table ordered shark fin rice with great excitement, Lin Keying glanced over and guessed they must have made a fortune in stocks.

Sure enough, their conversation made no attempt to hide the fact that they were regular market vendors. One of them had flipped his fortune by earning HKD 5,000 from stocks, prompting him to treat his friends to shark fin soup.

It was like a Hong Kong drama brought to life — Lin Keying watched with great interest and ate even more heartily.

The roast pigeon was crispy and tender, the braised abalone glossy and soft, with a superb, succulent texture — truly the king of seafood.

Satisfied, Lin Keying didn’t forget to use her fiancé’s money to pack up a serving of shark fin soup and deliver it to the building downstairs at Universal Tower.

Following the story script was always her mission.

After all, Secretary Yang had informed her the day before that the compensation for breaking the engagement would be HKD 600,000 — and she was still far from reaching it.

The security guard didn’t recognize her as the plainly dressed woman from before. Seeing her now elegantly dressed and poised, he quickly contacted Secretary Yang.

By the time Secretary Yang rushed downstairs and took the packaged meal, Lin Keying had already disappeared.

“Young Master, Miss Lin brought this food for you,” Secretary Yang said as he handed over the meal along with a note, tactfully avoiding reading it.

“Young Master, work is important, but your health matters more. Remember to eat on time!”

Secretary Yang felt sorry for Miss Lin’s unrequited affection. His young master’s heart was cold, yet Miss Lin seemed genuinely different — after all, the young master had actually eaten the food she sent a few times before.

These past couple of days, with his dark expression and apparent sleeplessness, Cheng Wanting exuded an air of irritation. He coldly said,
“Take it out and dispose of it.”

Having been plagued by someone who shouldn’t appear in his dreams and letting her act as she pleased, Cheng Wanting was mentally exhausted and in a foul mood.

Secretary Yang silently thought — as expected, even that tiny shred of patience and unusual tolerance his young master had shown towards Miss Lin had vanished.

“Miss Lin meant well. Wouldn’t it be a bit unkind to discard it?” Secretary Yang murmured.

“Oh? You’re speaking up for her now?” Cheng Wanting pinched the bridge of his nose, his face annoyed. For the first time since he was a child, an uncontrollable irritability was spreading.

Everything had to be cut off at the source.

“A worthless trinket — just throw it out.” Cheng Wanting looked at his secretary, his expression stern. “But you — always talking about Miss Lin this, Miss Lin that — did she feed you some kind of love potion?”

Secretary Yang: …

He wanted to cry out in injustice but could only swallow it — was he the one constantly thinking about Miss Lin?

Clearly, it was—

Never mind, you’re the boss.

“Young Master, I just feel Miss Lin’s thoughtfulness is rare,” Secretary Yang replied. He admired and appreciated Lin Keying’s persistence in urging the young master to eat.

Cheng Wanting sneered coldly, determined to ensure that no inappropriate figure appeared in his dreams tonight. He snapped,
“You think a woman who breaks off an engagement and then tries to seduce me has sincere intentions?”

Secretary Yang: …

He dared not say more.

He had never seen the young master take an interest in any woman before. Even when they behaved improperly, he turned a blind eye.

Why blame her now?

Cheng Wanting’s mood improved slightly, as though he had finally cast out all the mess from his mind and heart, instantly reverting to his usual cold-blooded businessman demeanor.

“Tonight, I’m meeting Liu Zhigao at the Peninsula Hotel to discuss the Kowloon Wharf deal. Make sure to spread the news tomorrow.”

Secretary Yang tucked away his curiosity and quickly agreed.

——

After sending the shark fin soup like an offering to Buddha (via her fiancé), Lin Keying went to Mary Hospital in the afternoon to discuss the logistics of wholesale clothing transport with Sister He and Brother Ah Sheng.

With both sides handling their respective ends, it would be far easier than repeatedly traveling from the mainland to Hong Kong for wholesale purchases.

Lin Keying planned to invest in opening a store and share profits with them — with such a vast market, there would be little resistance.

Sister He now trusted and appreciated Lin Keying deeply. Hearing her well-organized plan for selling clothing, she naturally agreed:
“Ah Sheng and I only have some time and strength — we just want to earn some hard-earned money. We don’t need any profit share.”

Her husband Ah Sheng also waved it off:
“Miss Lin, just let us help you. We don’t need much money.”

Lin Keying knew that unequal profit distribution was the biggest taboo in business — especially once business boomed. Low compensation for one side easily bred resentment and even ruined partnerships.

“Sister He, Brother Ah Sheng, there’s no need to refuse. This isn’t mere labor — selecting clothes, counting stock, and loading shipments are crucial. You deserve 30% of the profits.”

Tingting, who was set to be discharged next week, beamed and eagerly raised her hand:
“Sister Keying, if my parents don’t agree, I’ll join! I have over 30 dollars of lucky money in my piggy bank — I can give it all to you!”

Lin Keying smiled warmly:
“Then you’re staking your entire fortune on me. That’s a lot of pressure.”

Laughter filled the ward. Sister He invited Lin Keying to their home for hot pot after Tingting’s discharge next week.

This stirred a trace of reluctance in Lin Keying — she would be leaving Hong Kong soon.

After all, Secretary Yang had mentioned that the ship to the mainland was scheduled for next week.

She gave a soft nod. Before long, the ward door was knocked, and young Dr. Huo, now out of his white coat, had come to take her to dinner at the Peninsula Hotel.

On the way, Lin Keying asked about Dr. Huo’s parents. He merely said they would arrive on their own, but when they reached the Peninsula Hotel, Dr. Huo’s parents were nowhere to be seen.

Elegant piano music echoed through the quiet Western restaurant. The waiter pulled out the chair for the guest.

Lin Keying noticed couples on dates all around. Before her, the Western-style table was set with romantic roses and a tall candleholder. She couldn’t help but look at young Dr. Huo.

“Dr. Huo, your parents…”

Young Dr. Huo, full of vigor, wore a gentle smile and personally poured red wine for Lin Keying before handing it to her:
“Miss Lin, please forgive me for lying to you. An hour ago, I asked my parents not to come tonight.”

Lin Keying set the wine glass down, curious:
“Why?”

“I wanted to have dinner with you alone,” young Dr. Huo said earnestly. “To officially make friends.”

Lin Keying chuckled at his honesty.

…

The Peninsula Hotel, located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, was the most prestigious hotel, frequented by many tycoons.

Cheng Wanting had arranged to meet Liu Zhigao here to discuss the acquisition of 1.8 million shares of Kowloon Wharf.

However, as soon as he stepped into the hotel, he sensed something unusual.

Inside the Western restaurant to the left, a figure looked both familiar and unfamiliar.

The woman, who had worn either tattered floral blouses or a green slip dress in his dreams, now donned a striking red dress, clinging to her waist and accentuating her graceful curves. The skirt flared like petals, naturally falling to her sides, with just a glimpse of her fair ankles.

A small, round black mole adorned her ankle, making the surrounding skin appear even fairer.

Her voluminous curls cascaded flirtatiously over her shoulders, and her smiling face looked even more radiant than the flowers.

“Young Master, Liu Zhigao has arrived and is waiting upstairs,” Secretary Yang came over, seeing Cheng Wanting frozen in place.

Yet, in just a short moment, the young master’s face had darkened — clearly, he was not pleased.

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