In 2001, Shenzhen had already developed quite well.

KFC, Walmart, Sam's Club, and others have been around for several years.

He Wenlin had Tan Mingyuan drive her to Snake Valley, where they found a relatively upscale restaurant for dinner.

"Sis, Mingyuan, thank you for your hard work today. Come on, it's my treat today. Order whatever you want."

After saying that, He Wenlin walked to the front, not in front of Hu Meiling, because she was afraid that Hu Meiling would refuse to go in in order to save her money.

Hu Meiling laughed and said, "You've come all this way, how could I let you treat me?"

"You already paid for lunch, so I'm paying for dinner tonight no matter what. Just so you know, no fighting over the bill."

"Okay, okay, then I'll eat at my boss's sister's place."

That's what she said, but in reality, Hu Meiling never intended for He Wenlin to pay.

He Wenlin knew this too, so halfway through the meal, she excused herself to go to the restroom and went to pay the bill.

This is a Cantonese restaurant, and the total cost was 170 yuan.

Back then, when most people earned less than a thousand yuan a month, a meal costing 170 yuan was nearly 60 yuan per person, which was really not cheap.

After paying the bill, He Wenlin returned to her seat. Neither Hu Meiling nor Tan Mingyuan knew that He Wenlin had just paid the bill.

Hu Meiling said, "Linlin, come back to Dongguan with us in a little while and rest at my place. The apartment I rent is quite spacious."

"I won't be going to Dongguan tonight. I'll just find a hotel nearby and plan to wander around Zhenzhou tomorrow," He Wenlin said. "I just asked the staff, and there's a nice hotel nearby..."

"It's not safe for a girl like you to stay in a hotel alone."

"Staying in a nicer hotel shouldn't be a problem. Sister, how many days off did you take?"

“I’ve asked for leave for today and tomorrow. Your brother Mingyuan is not working for the time being; he’s preparing to start his own business.”

"Okay then, don't go back to Dongguan tonight. It's not safe to drive at night. Go back tomorrow and stay with me in Shenzhen tonight. I'll probably stay in Shenzhen for another two days. I'll contact you if anything comes up."

He Wenlin is underage, which makes it inconvenient for her to do anything, especially when it involves large sums of money or signing documents. She needs an adult to be with her.

"Is there anything else you need in Zhenzhou?" Hu Meiling asked. "It's too dangerous for a girl like you to be out here alone; it's very chaotic outside."

"Sister, I know what I'm doing, don't worry."

Tan Mingyuan said, "Linlin, do you still want to stay and investigate the market?"

"Market research? At such a young age, you'd be scammed by a con artist." Hu Meiling became even more worried.

Tan Mingyuan suggested, "How about this, Meiling, I'll take you back to Dongguan tomorrow, and I'll stay with Linlin. After all, you haven't resigned, and you can't keep taking leave."

He Wenlin: "Won't this interfere with your work? Actually, I don't have anything else to do, I just want to play for a couple more days. Sister, you're the manager, you can't keep taking leave. I'll contact you again if I need anything."

Actually, He Wenlin wanted to wander around here, buying land if there was any, or buying an old house if there wasn't.

"What's so fun about this?" Hu Meiling said. "How about this, I'll play with you here tomorrow morning, and then come back to Dongguan with us in the afternoon. The 8th is Sunday, and I'll take another day off to play with you in Dongguan then."

"That's okay too."

We can look for suitable land or houses in Dongguan later. Anyway, if we buy now, no matter where we are, we are guaranteed to make a profit.

Seeing that they weren't eating anymore, He Wenlin said, "Let's go, it's getting late. Let's go to the hotel and rest. You've had a long day."

Hu Meiling gestured for Tan Mingyuan to pay the bill, but He Wenlin said, "I've already paid. Let's go straight to the hotel."

"You've already paid? Oh dear, you've come all this way, how could I let you pay? How much was it? I'll pay you. There's no reason for your sister to pay anywhere."

"Oh, sis, it's just a little money. We sisters don't need to be so particular. You've been so helpful, I don't even know how to thank you enough. Come on, let's not make a scene over this little bit of money."

He Wenlin took Hu Meiling's arm and walked out.

“I’ll pay for the hotel stay later,” Hu Meiling said.

He Wenlin laughed and said, "Sister, I'm not trying to discourage you, but I'm richer than you now, so don't argue with me about paying the bill. When we go to Dongguan tomorrow night, there will be places for you to spend money on me. If you don't spend enough, I won't accept it."

Upon hearing this, Hu Meiling laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll definitely take good care of you."

Following the waiter's directions, He Wenlin and the others soon arrived at the Blue Ocean Cloud Sky Hotel.

This hotel is quite nice; it's supposedly a four-star hotel with over twenty floors, and the decor is quite beautiful.

However, the price was not cheap. He Wenlin booked a single room and a double room, staying in each for one night, and spent a total of 596 yuan, which is equivalent to 298 yuan per room per night.

Two rooms for one night cost the equivalent of half a month's wages for an average worker.

Tan Mingyuan felt quite envious seeing how readily He Wenlin spent money.

When Hu Meiling saw how much money it cost, she felt a little distressed and refused to let He Wenlin pay, insisting on paying the bill herself.

"Sis, didn't we just agree that I would pay? Stop arguing, I don't want to be watched, let's go back to the room and talk." He Wenlin didn't bring much cash because it's unsafe to carry too much cash, so she paid by card.

At that time, card payments were not widely accepted, but star-rated hotels in special economic zones like Shenzhen accepted card payments.

After checking in, I returned to my room at nine o'clock.

He Wenlin was exhausted.

"It's getting late, you should get some rest. Make sure the door is locked. Call me if you need anything, I live in the room diagonally across from yours." Tan Mingyuan pushed He Wenlin's suitcase in and put it away.

"You've worked hard today, you should get some rest too," He Wenlin said politely.

As soon as Tan Mingyuan left, He Wenlin locked the door, opened her suitcase, and prepared to wash her hair and take a shower.

"Sis, wear this nightgown of mine in a bit. It's loose, you'll definitely be able to fit into it." He Wenlin found a dress for Hu Meiling. "Take a shower first. You don't have any clean clothes to change into. Wash them tonight, and they'll definitely be dry by tomorrow morning."

It's hot now, so it'll dry completely overnight.

"Use a hairdryer to dry your underwear," He Wenlin reminded her.

"Okay, I'll shower first." Hu Meiling took the dress He Wenlin had given her and went into the bathroom.

Taking advantage of this break, He Wenlin called home again, partly to let them know she was safe and to talk about the two plots of land, and partly to mention that her cousin had a boyfriend.

"Your Meiling has a boyfriend?" Mr. He was very excited. "Where is he from? How old is he? What does he do?"

"He said he's from Hubei Province, used to work at the same factory as my sister, and now he's going to open a used car dealership."

Actually, He Wenlin really wanted to tell her family that this man was a scumbag, but she didn't know where to begin.

Because she has no evidence.

She made these claims without any evidence, which not only made her unbelievable but could also strain her relationship with Hu Meiling.