July 1, 1997

Shen Jize, who was invited to participate in the comeback program, returned to Hong Kong a week in advance.

Although the previous wave of immigration disturbed the hearts of countless people, those who were meant to stay are all welcoming this new moment.

Lin Wei deliberately didn't go to work and just stayed in front of the TV.

After hiring staff, Lin Xiaomeng and Zhang Min also took a day off to stay with Lin Wei and watch TV together.

Even Lin Yuan, who was on a day off, didn't go out to play. Instead, he stayed with the Su brothers and watched TV together, just waiting for Shen Jize to come out.

"Alright, it's still early. You guys go out and have some fun. Come back when it's time."

"No way, it's a big deal for Brother Ji Ze to be on TV, I have to see it."

Lin Yuan remained still, as did the Su brothers.

Zhang Min bluntly stated, "Weiwei, stop trying to persuade them. These two don't just want to see Shen Jize alone; they just want to brag to their classmates about it when they go to school tomorrow."

Zhang Min was all too familiar with this tactic. Last time, the three kids talked about the "Fei Shang" incident—oh no, I should call it Nirvana—for a whole month.

The three kids didn't understand anything about plagiarism; all they knew was that their brand had been exonerated and that their mother and aunt had appeared on television.

The three children were incredibly proud.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade the children to go out, Lin Wei didn't force them.

However, it was a rare treat for everyone to get together. Seeing that Lin Wei was getting on in years, Lin Xiaomeng couldn't help but worry more about her affairs.

"Weiwei, I have a question for you."

Lin Wei said, "Auntie, just ask away. Why are you being so polite with me?"

"You silly child," Lin Xiaomeng asked, "You and Ji Ze have been dating for six years now, haven't you? You're both getting on in years, haven't you thought about the future?"

Lin Wei understood what she meant as soon as she heard it.

"Are you asking about our marriage? Just ask directly, why beat around the bush?"

However, she and Shen Jize had indeed discussed this matter.

"Because he knew that Hong Kong would return to China, Shen Jize wanted to be with me as a Chinese person. Before, because I was in school, we didn't consider marriage for the time being, but he told me not to rush, that he would prepare a proposal for me, and that we would discuss marriage after I agreed."

Logically speaking, since they've been dating for so many years, a simple proposal ceremony would suffice; otherwise, if it's too close to their wedding date, it might overshadow the proposal.

But Shen Jize was unwilling.

The difference between having it and not having it is huge.

Even if you're not in their circle, a sense of ritual is absolutely essential.

"So let's wait and see what kind of surprise she'll give me," Lin Wei said. "But, like I said, there can be surprises, but there can't be any shocks. So I can not know what the surprise is, but I absolutely cannot not know that she's giving me a surprise."

"Isn't this a contradiction?" Lin Xiaomeng didn't quite understand the young man's thinking and felt completely unable to comprehend it.

Lin Wei explained it in layman's terms, "For example, an engagement. She can prepare everything for the engagement ceremony behind my back, but she must tell me that it is for me. Otherwise, I will suspect that she is preparing it for someone else. If I do something stupid at the time, it will be irreversible."

Lin Xiaomeng wanted to say something more, but in the end she kept quiet.

"I guess I'm just too old to keep up with your young people's thought processes. Oh well, you're a sensible kid, so you can take care of your own things."

Zhang Min put down the melon seeds in her hand. "Actually, I think Weiwei's idea is pretty good. It's good to talk things out. I don't understand the surprise or shock format you mentioned, but the other day..."

Zhang Min leaned close to their ears and whispered, "The couple next door to our shop, the husband went on a business trip out of town and came back early to surprise his wife. But because he came back early, he caught his wife cheating on him."

Why...why bring this up?

But that's exactly what Lin Wei meant.

"I'm embarrassed to say this, but although I won't cheat on my partner, there are things I can do that you absolutely can't imagine. I'm saying this in advance purely to save face for myself, so I don't do anything shameful and make him lose face with me."

Amidst Lin Xiaomeng's silence, the comeback gala officially began.

The gala featured mostly well-known celebrities, with performers from both the mainland and Hong Kong, portraying a sense of family unity.

Finally, it was time for the speaking segment. Shen Jize was invited to the stage, and during his speech, he was even given many close-up shots.

Lin Wei was quite satisfied with Shen Jize's face.

He doesn't have the kind of top-tier looks described in novels, but his overall demeanor, refinement, and upbringing are something that ordinary families can't imitate.

"Being able to withstand such close-up shots is truly exceptional."

Shen Jize's screen time wasn't long, but those few minutes were enough to pave a broad path for him in the inland areas in the future.

For the next three months or so, Shen Jize was extremely busy.

Lin Wei rarely saw him and could only ease her longing for him by phone every day.

"How about I come to see you? I'm all set here, and I can drop by your place while I'm at it."

Shen Jize has been in Hong Kong recently, so he's naturally happy that Lin Wei is willing to go there.

"Okay, I'll send someone to pick you up."

"No need, just hold the hotel room for me, I'll go by myself."

Unfortunately—

Lin Wei hadn't even finished packing her luggage when an accident happened at her construction site.

Besides the murder mystery game project, Lin Wei's other project is to build a mid-range residential community according to the plan.

The residential complex consists of six apartment buildings, each with 18 floors, four apartments per floor, and elevators.

The project was already completed, but because Lin Wei was involved in both the construction site and the renovation, she started promoting her own renovation after the community was finished.

Her home renovation business had already established itself in the industry, and after the publicity, people kept signing contracts.

While two households on the 18th floor were renovating together, a 19-year-old boy who had just started working fell from the balcony and died instantly.

This accident can be described as either a construction site accident or a renovation accident.

As the owner of both companies, Lin Wei had an inescapable responsibility, and it was neither reasonable nor emotional that she could leave.

After arriving at the construction site, Lin Wei immediately asked Liu Jianmin about the actual situation.

"Sigh, this is my fault," Liu Jianmin said regretfully, "but it's not entirely my fault either."

"Forget about blaming or not, just tell me the actual situation. What exactly happened? Didn't I say that construction site safety must be strictly followed? How could such an accident still happen?"

Lin Wei yelled, and the room immediately fell silent.