Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

A Monday at the end of September, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong Island.

In a high-end language institution's tutoring class, a dozen students of different skin colors sat in rows, following the teacher on stage as he corrected their Cantonese pronunciation word by word. The air conditioning in the room was gentle, and the sunlight from outside was cut into strips of light by the Venetian blinds, falling onto the table.

Song Mingxi sat by the window, absentmindedly reciting a couple of lines before her gaze gradually became unfocused, her thoughts drifting out the window.

It's been a month since she arrived on Hong Kong Island.

At the beginning of this year, when she mentioned to her parents that she wanted to study for a master's degree in Hong Kong, she thought she would be opposed - after all, it seemed like a girl's impulse to go to Hong Kong instead of studying at Seoul National University.

To her surprise, her family not only strongly supported her, but her father also went to great lengths to arrange an exchange program at the University of Hong Kong for her senior year, first semester—ostensibly to help her get acquainted with the university and increase her chances of being accepted into graduate school later.

So, on a sunny day at the end of August, Song Mingxi, filled with trepidation and secret anticipation, boarded a flight to Hong Kong Island alone.

Now, her life is fulfilling and interesting: she attends classes at the University of Hong Kong in the morning, and when she doesn't have classes in the afternoon, she comes to this language tutoring class to cram for Cantonese. In addition to her, there are more than a dozen foreigners in the class, including blond-haired, blue-eyed Europeans and international students from Southeast Asia. They all speak Cantonese in a terrible way, which makes the teacher laugh several times.

To be fair, she's quite satisfied with her current life. Hong Kong Island has far more delicious food than South Korea: tea restaurants, roast meats, wonton noodles, egg tarts... In the month she's been here, she's eaten too much without realizing it, and even her slender waist has become noticeably rounder.

What made her feel even more relaxed was the environment and atmosphere here. Everyone around her was friendly, and the classmates got along well, unlike in South Korea, where there was always backstabbing and infighting.

The only regret is that she has been in Hong Kong for a month and has not seen that person yet.

Song Mingxi rested her chin on her hand, looking out the window, a slight sense of loss rising in her heart.

Of course she had his phone number; she had mustered up the courage to ask him for it on the day of the banquet. But in the past six months, she hadn't called him even once.

On the one hand, it was the girl's natural shyness and reserve; on the other hand, she was afraid of bothering him—he was the chairman of the Jiahe Group, busy with countless affairs every day. Why should she, an ordinary student from South Korea, bother him every few days?

Therefore, she only dared to send him two text messages under the guise of holiday greetings during holidays.

Thinking of this, Song Mingxi couldn't help but feel a little scared. She was afraid that person had already forgotten her.

"Ring ring—"

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang suddenly. The lecturer closed his lesson plan, smiled, and said, "See you tomorrow." The classroom immediately buzzed with excitement.

Song Mingxi snapped out of her reverie, sighed softly, and was about to pack up her books when someone gently patted her shoulder from behind.

"Myung-hee unnie, shall we go have dinner together later?"

Song Mingxi turned around and saw Li Fuzhen standing behind her with a smile. She was wearing a neat and elegant white shirt, and her long black hair was casually tied into a low ponytail. She smiled slightly at her.

Indeed, perhaps it was a special fate, but Lee Boo-jin also enrolled in this language class. And since there were only a few South Korean students in the class, and the two of them were the only South Korean women, they naturally became close friends despite their age difference.

Of course, Song Myung-hee only knew that Lee Boo-jin was a rich girl from Seoul who was arranged by her parents to study at a university on Hong Kong Island. What she didn't know was that this girl, who was several years younger than her, was actually the eldest daughter of the Lee family of Samsung.

"Okay," Song Mingxi said with a smile, stuffing her textbook into her handbag. "What are we having for dinner today?"

"I heard a new Sichuan hot pot restaurant opened near the school," Lee Boo-jin said. "It's really authentic, want to try it?"

"Sichuan hot pot?" Song Mingxi's eyes lit up. "Is it the kind of hot pot in China that's famous for its numbing spiciness?"

"Yes, would you dare to eat it?"

"What's there to be afraid of!" Song Mingxi took Lee Boo-jin's arm with an air of dominance, waving her hand with a triumphant gesture, "Let's go!"

……

The hot pot restaurant is located in an alley behind the University of Hong Kong. The storefront is small, but as soon as you walk in, the strong aroma of spicy food hits you, making you sneeze.

The proprietress was from Sichuan and spoke with a heavy Sichuan accent. She warmly led the two girls, who were speaking Cantonese haltingly, to a window seat.

When the pot was served, Song Mingxi and Li Fuzhen were stunned—a pot of red oil, bubbling and rolling, with a dense layer of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns floating on the surface; just looking at it made their tongues tingle.

"Is this... really edible?" Lee Boo-jin asked softly.

"We're already here, there's no reason to back down!" Song Mingxi swallowed hard, picked up a piece of tripe, dipped it in the boiling red oil pot seven or eight times as instructed, and stuffed it into his mouth.

A strong, spicy sensation shot straight to my head.

"Hiss—!" Song Mingxi's eyes welled up with tears, and she frantically fanned her mouth with her little hands. "Spicy! Spicy! But—it smells so good!"

Seeing her like this, Lee Boo-jin couldn't help but laugh out loud. She also picked up a piece of duck intestine, carefully dipped it in the broth, took a bite, and immediately gasped for breath from the spiciness.

So, the two South Korean girls, one with tears welling up from the spiciness and the other fanning themselves with spice, couldn't stop eating.

Tripe, duck intestines, beef aorta, fatty beef, bean curd sheets, winter melon, luncheon meat... plate after plate are put into the pot, dipped in minced garlic and sesame oil sauce, the more you eat, the more addictive it becomes.

"This sesame oil dipping sauce is amazing," Song Mingxi exclaimed as she ate. "It's spicy and fragrant, and it doesn't even make me feel hot—it's much more interesting than South Korean army stew."

"Eat less," Lee Boo-jin said with a smile. "You said last time that your waist had gotten rounder."

"That's because there's just too much good food in Hong Kong!" Song Mingxi said matter-of-factly, picking up another piece of fatty beef with her chopsticks. "Anyway, today's a damn Monday, I definitely have to treat myself to something good!"

The two ate heartily for over an hour, finally leaving the hot pot restaurant leaning against the wall.

The setting sun bathed the walls of the backstreet in a warm orange hue, and the spicy aroma clung to my clothes, refusing to dissipate.

"Myung-hee unnie, it was so nice to have dinner with you." Lee Boo-jin's eyes crinkled into a smile.

Song Mingxi seems to possess a magical power; when I'm with her, I can always forget my identity and responsibilities.

More importantly, although Song Mingxi is from South Korea, she has none of the harsh and outrageous social customs of South Korea. She is open and sincere, and it is always comfortable to be with her.

"I'm so happy too!" Song Mingxi patted her shoulder affectionately. "Let's come again next time!"

"Um!"

……

Evening, exchange student dormitory at the University of Hong Kong.

Song Mingxi had just finished showering and was sitting at her desk, her hair still wet, casually wrapped in a towel. She opened her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and hesitated for a long time looking at the number she had saved for six months but had never dialed.

Finally, she mustered her courage and sent out a short message:

"Hello Mr. Lu, this is Song Mingxi. I apologize for bothering you. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the exchange student program at the University of Hong Kong last month, and I am currently studying at Hong Kong Island University. I am also working hard to learn Cantonese. Thank you very much for your previous care and help. I wish you all the best in your work and all the best."

After sending it, she stared at the screen for a long time, then put her phone on the table, leaned on it, and let out a long sigh.

"He definitely doesn't remember me..." she muttered softly, "Such a big shot, so many people text him every day..."

Time passed by, second by second.

Five minutes have passed, and the screen on the table still hasn't lit up.

The little hope in Song Mingxi's heart sank little by little. Just as she sighed and took off the towel to dry her hair, her phone suddenly vibrated.

On the screen, the caller ID reads: Mr. Lu.

Song Mingxi's delicate body trembled, and she almost fell backward.

She took a deep breath, answered the phone, her voice trembling slightly: "Feed...Mr. Lu?"

"Ms. Song?" The familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of a smile. "I saw your text message. Welcome to Hong Kong Island."

Song Mingxi's mind went blank for a moment, and she didn't know what to say: "I...I...thank you, Mr. Lu..."

"Are you having any trouble adjusting to life on Hong Kong Island all by yourself?" Lu Chen asked. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Everything's great!" Song Mingxi quickly said. "The food in Hong Kong is delicious, and my classmates are very friendly... It's just that I haven't mastered Cantonese yet, so I'm finding it a bit difficult in class..."

"Take your time learning Cantonese, no rush," Lu Chen said. "By the way, I'm having a birthday party at home this weekend. If you're free, you can come and join us. You can meet some friends and relax a bit."

Song Mingxi's heart suddenly started racing.

"Birthday party?"

"Yes, it's my son Qianzai's birthday," a chuckle came from the other end of the phone. "I'll send you the address later. So—see you this weekend?"

"See you this weekend!" Song Mingxi blurted out almost immediately, then realized she'd spoken too loudly and quickly covered her mouth. "I meant... okay, okay, thank you, Mr. Lu!"

"You're welcome. See you this weekend."

The phone hangs up.

Song Mingxi sat in her chair, phone in hand, stunned for several seconds. Then, she suddenly jumped up, pounced on the bed, rolled around a couple of times with her pillow, buried her face in it, and burst into a muffled laugh.

Outside the window, the night on Hong Kong Island was deep. The lights on both sides of Victoria Harbour twinkled in the distance, like a quiet ribbon of light.

The dormitory lights were on, and a half-read Cantonese textbook lay open on the desk under the light.