Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Arrival in Hong Kong

Summer, 1980.

The sun is scorching, and bits of golden light are scattered on the undulating sea surface, making the waves sparkle. There was only one four-story white cargo ship sailing in the boundless high seas, and its sharp hull created rolling white waves from the calm blue waves.

On the deck, the salty and humid sea breeze blew by. Lin Keying looked back to the southeast from the magnificent ship, and saw only vague shadows without any trace of the mainland.

This ship was sent from Ning City to Gangcheng, fully loaded with light textile goods, and will be shipped overseas from the Gangcheng wharf. It is an important way for Ning City to export and earn foreign exchange.

In addition to the cargo floor, the ship is divided into three floors. The first floor is a spacious and elegant hall and restaurant. During the five days of sailing, several concerts and dances were held in the hall, and a sumptuous meal was served.

The second and third floors are where prominent figures live. Lin Keying heard that there are many high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen on the ship.

Naturally, Lin Keying did not live in the luxurious residence on the second and third floors. She and the crew lived in a room next to the hall on the first floor. The room was much inferior in size and interior decoration, but this was already a privilege for her as a traveler to Hong Kong without a formal pass.

It’s much better than sneaking into Hong Kong.

Leaning against the railing of the ship, her hair on her forehead was blown by the sea breeze, and two shiny black braids were obediently draped over her shoulders. Lin Keying, who was wearing a patched dark blue floral top with black trousers, could feel the gazes coming at her from time to time.

There were no words, but the disgust and disdain in his eyes were undisguised.

Lin Keying lowered her eyebrows and stared at her own outfit, which was indeed a bit rustic. But she really had no choice because she had no money in her pocket.

Three days ago, Lin Keying, who had worked hard for ten years and finally got a promotion and salary increase, and bought her first house in her life, died suddenly from overtime work. She was transported into a period novel and became a poor person with the same name and surname.

When the original character appeared in the book, she had no relatives or friends. She was young and beautiful, but because of her growing environment, she was inferior and fragile, and gradually became a control group to set off the confident and generous heroine. She was madly in love with the hero, and was extremely selfless. She was at odds with the second male lead who liked the heroine, and eventually ended up being forcibly married by the paranoid third male lead in the book. Even in the era of economic boom, she had to eat coarse food and never had a good day in her life.

As for the original body's growth background, the book only gives a brief description. Originally, her family was broken up when she was young, and she was rescued and adopted by a wealthy businessman's family when she was on the verge of death. Later, because she was smart, well-behaved and sensible, she was chosen to be the child bride of the wealthy businessman's eldest grandson, and she learned to read and write with them.

It’s a pity that the good times didn’t last long.

Two years later, the situation changed drastically. The wealthy family noticed something was wrong. Even by donating factories and buildings, they were unable to completely escape the crisis. Seeing that the building was about to collapse, they finally sold their property and moved away, taking a large amount of silver and money with them to the port city.

Due to the tense situation, only the blood relatives of the wealthy merchant managed to leave successfully. The original child bride and the housekeeper and servants were stopped and unable to board the second ship to Hong Kong.

Later, due to decades-long policy issues, there was little communication between the mainland and Hong Kong, and the original body never saw the rich businessman's family again. It was not until after the reform and opening up that the old housekeeper contacted his old employer in Hong Kong City after many twists and turns, but he died before the day of departure. The original person went to Hong Kong alone to find relatives, but was rejected by her fiancé, the eldest son. Eventually, she returned to the mainland alone and began an emotional entanglement with the male and female protagonists, the second male lead, and the third male lead in the book that lasted for more than 20 years.

Lin Keying, who traveled through time to the ship bound for Hong Kong: I’m numb!

She couldn't find her relatives in Hong Kong, and a northern girl from the mainland would only be discriminated against. Returning to the mainland, she would face the endless bloody emotional entanglements in the book.

But now there was the vast ocean in front and behind her, and she had no choice but to bite the bullet and reach the port city first.

As for when we arrived at Hong Kong...

Lin Keying carefully recalled the plot of the book and remembered a brief and inconspicuous background review. The original body's fiancé, the eldest son, was handsome, rich, and generous, but he hated feudal marriages such as child brides. He would rather give a huge compensation of one million yuan than marry a northern girl from the mainland.

Lin Keying had been a roller coaster for most of her life, but in the end she died suddenly without enjoying anything. She really doesn't want to roll anymore.

Go to Hong Kong City, and the fiancé who dislikes child brides can just refuse the marriage, it would be even better if she gets a huge compensation!

After all, one million is a sky-high price. Even if the Hong Kong dollars are converted into RMB, it would be more than 300,000!

In the 1980s, if you had more than 300,000 RMB, you would definitely be a wealthy man!

You have to know that this was still an era when you could buy a pound of pork for 80 cents, a black-and-white TV for 500 or 600 yuan, and a 200-square-meter courtyard house in the capital for 10,000 yuan.

When the time comes, she will take the money back to the mainland, buy a few courtyard houses, invest in some businesses, and then she can just lie back and enjoy herself and make money.

"Dear passengers, we are about to arrive at Kowloon Wharf Terminal..." The Cantonese and Mandarin broadcasts on the ship suddenly sounded alternately, bringing Lin Keying's thoughts back to reality. She stroked her hair with her slender fingers and hurried back to the cabin, only to be greeted by a prosperous and decadent scene.

The mainland was just starting out in the 1980s, but the port city had already developed rapidly in the 1980s, and we can already get a glimpse of it from a corner of the ship today.

"The Blue Danube Waltz" was playing in the hall on the first floor. Rich businessmen and elites raised their champagne glasses and drank together, admiring the men and women dancing the waltz on the dance floor.

Lin Keying didn't have the mood to appreciate it for the moment. She hurried back to her room to pack her luggage and didn't hear the lively gossip in the hall at all.

"I heard that Young Master Cheng and Chairman Cheng were not getting along, and the Chairman got angry at the board meeting..."

"Mr. Cheng is handsome and rich. At his age, he has managed Universal Shipping successfully. He is much better than other young men who only know how to pick up girls and race horses. Chairman Cheng really doesn't know how to be satisfied."

"I heard that Chairman Cheng wants to arrange a marriage between Young Master Cheng and the daughter of a HSBC director. If this goes through, the Cheng family will be completely dominant in Hong Kong."

This Huanyu freighter is one of the five largest freighters under the Huanyu Shipping Group, which is headed by the Cheng family. It was purchased from Country M for US$900,000 seven years ago.

The passengers gossiped about the freighter's owner several times, and only when they had talked to their heart's content did they prepare to disembark.

Accompanied by the melodious sound of humming, the cargo ship docked at the Wharf Wharf. The deck was crowded with people, and wealthy businessmen and elites in neat suits filed out one after another. However, Lam Keying, wearing a dark blue floral shirt and two pigtails, seemed like an outsider who had accidentally entered the new world and looked out of place.

After drifting on the sea for several days, Lin Keying felt dazed when she finally stepped on solid ground.

In front of me are rows of high-rise buildings, and behind me are workers busy loading and unloading goods on the coast. It is so prosperous and dazzling, which is very different from the mainland at that time.

There were languages ​​all around that she couldn't understand, and Lin Keying felt nervous and couldn't help but feel confused.

The book only briefly mentions the original person's background, and does not mention any specific information about the wealthy family that adopted her. Lin Keying didn’t even know her fiancé’s last name. She only vaguely remembered the man in her original body’s memories. She mostly called him Young Master and occasionally called him Brother Song Xian.

However, in the book, when the author was lamenting the tragic fate of the original person, he mentioned that the old butler had already contacted the old employer, and someone would come to pick him up with a token when the ship arrived at the port.

She looked around and finally saw a young man holding a token in the crowd!

——"Is that Miss Lin Keying?" The familiar country accent sounded, making people feel at ease.

"Ms. Lin, the eldest young master asked me to pick you up." Ah Hui came with a silk handkerchief embroidered with peonies, which was unique to Ning City.

Ah Hui smuggled into Hong Kong five years ago and was later taken in by the Chen family. With his good physique and skills, he became the Chen family's bodyguard.

Lin Keying got into the spacious and imposing car, looking at the fleeting figures and the hustle and bustle of traffic outside the window, feeling curious for a moment.

++++

at the same time.

At the Jardine Matheson Headquarters Building in Causeway Bay, security personnel pushed open the door and a tall black figure emerged.

The man was tall, dressed in a black suit, calm and reserved. He took a step with his long legs, bent over and sat in the Rolls-Royce Silver Thor parked on the side of the road.

As soon as I sat down and the engine started, the secretary in the back row reported: "Master, if the chairman knew about your meeting with the director of Jardine Matheson today..."

The man, who was straight and flipping through today's Hong Kong City Daily, looked up and glanced at him with a slightly cold gaze. The secretary quickly shut up.

"Don't let the old man know about this." Cheng Wanting said in a low voice, seemingly nonchalantly.

"Yes." Secretary Yang replied awkwardly, struggling to find a balance between the two generations of the Cheng family. "The Wharf is a popular company now. Jardine Matheson is reluctant to let it go, and there is also the Liu family eyeing it. It will be difficult for us to take it over."

Today, Cheng Wanting had a brief discussion with the director of Jardine Matheson about the shipping business. He tried to gauge Jardine Matheson's attitude towards Wharf Holdings and had already made up his mind: "Let them fight first. This stock will also be pushed up. We will wait and see what happens."

Secretary Yang quickly brainstormed and raised another question: "What if the man surnamed Liu really took it..."

"HSBC won't agree." Cheng Wanting said without even looking up. He lowered his head and quickly read the newspaper. He caught a glimpse of the front page headline of the entertainment section, which reported the affair between the eldest son of textile tycoon Chen and the newly crowned Miss Hong Kong. A trace of helplessness flashed across his brows, "Just erase the matter of Songxian. If you keep reporting the affair in the newspaper, I'm afraid it will give my aunt a headache."

"yes."

When the Rolls-Royce Silver Spur was halfway on the road, Secretary Yang wrote down the young master's instructions, then mentioned another matter and hurriedly reported: "Master, Young Master Chen has something to ask of you. He invites you to dinner at Wenhua."

Cheng Wanting had no intention of going at first, but he agreed when he remembered that next week was his aunt's 50th birthday.

The car changed course to Central and sped all the way before stopping at the entrance of the Mandarin Hotel. The private room on the 23rd floor was quiet and private. Chen Songxian, the eldest grandson of textile tycoon Chen, listened obediently to his cousin Cheng Wanting's lecture with an unusually good attitude.

Cheng Wanting is three years older than Chen Songxian. Now he is 28 years old. He often handles scandals in newspapers and magazines for his playboy cousin. He can't help but give him a few words of advice: "Aunt is not in good health. If you care about her, please avoid putting those messy front pages of newspapers to make her angry."

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Chen Songxian is willful and unrestrained. His parents cannot control him. His grandfather has not been in good health in recent years and is unable to keep an eye on him all the time. It seems that he is about to become lawless. Fortunately, he is afraid of only one person - his cousin Cheng Wanting.

After all, Cheng Wanting is a man who can control half of the shipping market in Hong Kong at this age, and he is more capable than his uncle. Chen Songxian lowered his head and explained: "Cousin, Lily and I are dating seriously, it's all those newspapers that are making up rumors, please don't misunderstand me."

Chen Songxian, who always spends his days wandering around with women, has changed girlfriends all the time, but he is so generous, humorous and unrestrained that every one of his ex-girlfriends praises him highly, which is amazing.

Cheng Wanting was unhappy that his cousin was obsessed with women all day long, but after all, he was not his biological brother, so he could not interfere in the Chen family's affairs.

However, today, knowing that he had something to ask for, Cheng Wanting did not mention it on his own initiative, and just concentrated on eating.

Chen Songxian has been really depressed recently, but his identity as the eldest son of the Chen family is not useful, so he can only ask his powerful cousin for help: "Cousin, I want to ask you a favor, I have a child bride in mainland China..."

"The child brides in the mainland in the past?" Cheng Wanting frowned after hearing Chen Songxian's words, and he did not quite agree with such a feudal tradition.

"That's right! What era is it now? The child bride arranged when I was a few years old still counts. I don't know what kind of girl from northern China she is. It's so scary..." Chen Songxian resisted extremely. The people he dated were either Hong Kong beauties or small celebrities. How could he possibly marry a child bride from the countryside of the mainland?

But his father is an autocratic and hegemonic person. If he knew that the child bride was coming, he would definitely force him to get married. How could he not be anxious?

"Cousin, you have to save me! You can't watch me fall into the fire pit. Beimei will be here today, and I arranged for Ah Hui to pick her up, but I can't see her, and I can't let her see my grandfather, otherwise you will be able to drink my wedding wine tomorrow."

Chen Songxian cried and screamed, as if if her cousin didn't help, she and the new Miss Hong Kong would be ruthlessly separated, which gave Cheng Wanting a headache.

Cheng Wanting put down his bamboo chopsticks, his eyes deep with a hint of majesty: "Oh, then tell me, how do you want me to deal with your child bride?"