I practiced my spirituality alone in Hong Kong.

Two months later, Su Xingning was still the same as he remembered, proudly raising her long, fair neck and staring at him with her playful, bright eyes.

"...What is it?"

As Li Chang'an spoke, he turned the key to open the door and brought out the gas stove and cookware.

The tenement buildings in Shek Tong Tsui are small, and none of the households have a separate kitchen, so he can only cook in the corridor.

Su Xingning watched him busy himself and pursed her lips.

Given her pride, it's impossible for her to take the initiative to say she wants to see you.

In her opinion, Li Chang'an's failure to come to see her for more than two months was an unforgivable crime!

But seeing her once spirited childhood friend from school now living in a dilapidated old tenement building, Su Xingning felt a pang of sympathy. She suppressed her accusations and said:

"I heard from Xiao Ning that you failed the exam and were not admitted to Hong Kong University... This is not your ability."

I know that your uncle and aunt passed away unexpectedly before you left HKALE. You were busy with family matters, so you didn't perform well. It's not your fault.

Why don't you repeat a year? I'll be waiting for you at Hong Kong University.

(HKALE: Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination)

Li Chang'an didn't respond, focusing only on rinsing the lobster with water from the bucket. Only after slicing the lively, wriggling lobster with a single stroke did he speak:

"I will not repeat a grade."

Su Xingning frowned.

"So where do you want to go this year, a polytechnic?"

In those days, Hong Kong only had two public undergraduate universities: Hong Kong University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. One was known as the Cambridge of the East, and the other was hailed as the Harvard of the East. Both were top universities in Asia.

Polytechnic is already the best choice among local tertiary institutions, but in her eyes, it is still not good enough for Li Chang'an.

She felt wholeheartedly that he should repeat a year of high school and come to Hong Kong University to be with her.

Before she could say anything more, Li Chang'an gently shook his head.

"It's not a science or engineering field, and I don't plan to study anymore."

Su Xingning was stunned for a moment, and said in disbelief:

"You're not going to school anymore?!"

Li Chang'an nodded.

He had indeed planned to retake the college entrance exam after his parents' funerals were settled and his younger siblings were admitted to university and able to stand on their own.

But ever since that mysterious narration and the appearance of the Jianghu (martial arts world) character panel...

Having seen a broader and more beautiful path, how could Li Chang'an possibly suppress his loneliness and return to a routine life?

Therefore, even without the grudges between the Su family and his own family's previous generation, Li Chang'an would not have agreed to let Su Xingning repeat a year of high school.

Su Xingning was unaware of the reason; she was both angry and anxious, and her voice trembled slightly:

Are you being stubborn with me and deliberately not wanting to go to college with me?

"Just because you confessed your feelings to me on my birthday more than half a year ago, and I said you were too honest and not funny at all, I didn't agree to be your girlfriend?!"

Caught off guard by the exposure of his past, Li Chang'an coughed instinctively.

"It has nothing to do with that...I'm not that naive."

Su Xingning took a step forward, her eyes glistening with a hint of annoyance, and said loudly:

"You're just deliberately getting back at me, you childish brat!"

"Otherwise, why have you been avoiding me and refusing to see me ever since?"

"If it weren't for Xiao Ning, I wouldn't have known you were living in this old, run-down place."

"Su Xingning, Shek Tong Tsui may not be as upscale as the apartments in Central, but I really like this place and the people who live here, so don't insult it by calling it 'broken'."

For the first time, Li Chang'an raised his head and looked directly into her eyes.

"..."

Su Xingning was surprised that Li Chang'an not only didn't try to coax her, but instead scolded her. A surge of anger mixed with grievance welled up in her heart.

She bit her lip and said:

"I'm angry!"

This was her catchphrase since she was a child, and every time she said it, Li Chang'an would come over to coax her.

But at this moment, Li Chang'an simply said calmly:

"If you don't like it here, Aunt Liu is waiting for you downstairs. Hurry up and go back."

Su Xingning's delicate eyebrows furrowed deeply, and her eyes reddened slightly, but she still maintained her pride and refused to show any weakness in front of him.

"Fine...fine! You want to kick me out, huh!"

"Then I won't care about you anymore. What you do has nothing to do with me!"

If you're willing to give up a bright future and live in this dilapidated place for the rest of your life, then stay here!

Su Xingning turned and left without looking back, her black loafers clicking as she went downstairs, seemingly venting her resentment and anger on the stairs.

Outside the alleyway of Shek Tong Tsui, Lau Yuen-yee saw her daughter walk out with red eyes, silently lowered her head, but was not surprised.

As Su Xingning got into the car, Liu Wanyi started the BMW and drove towards Central.

Central is the most bustling commercial district on Hong Kong Island and the financial center of the entire city.

Here, glass-walled high-rises stand tall, the streets are clean and wide, and green trees and fountains are everywhere, creating a distinctly different world from the crowded and dilapidated tenement buildings of Shek Tong Tsui.

On the way home, Su Xingning finally spoke, gritting her teeth as she said:

"That blockhead Li Chang'an, he'll realize his mistake once he gets his comeuppance in society!"

"Even if he comes back begging me, I won't pay him any attention!"

"I was clearly doing this for his own good... and he still kicked me out! Humph, he doesn't appreciate kindness. This bastard didn't go to university, and his family has fallen on hard times. Let's see what he can achieve in the future!"

Su Xingning counted on her fingers, listing all of Li Chang'an's faults.

Upon hearing the phrase "family decline," Liu Wanyi instinctively gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"Mom, don't you think Li Chang'an is a bastard? How can he be so narrow-minded! He's even willing to throw away his future just to spite me!"

"I rejected his confession back then and told him that he should focus on his studies and wait until he got into Hong Kong University... Wasn't that implying that I would accept him after I got into university?"

That blockhead couldn't even understand this! He avoided me for months afterward, and was always cold to me when we met. He's insane (crazy).

Liu Wanyi smiled awkwardly, unable to utter a word in response for a long time. Finally, she pursed her lips and said softly:

"Xingning... don't look for Chang'an anymore."

Su Xingning wiped away her tears, pouted her pink lips, and snorted:

"Of course I'm not going to look for him! Anyone who does is a dog!"

……

……

After Su Xingning left, Li Chang'an looked at the lobster in his hand again.

Since things have come to this, let's cook first.

He deftly removed the shrimp meat, put the shrimp shells into a pot, added a little oil and ginger slices to sauté until fragrant and the oil turned red, then poured in boiling water and brought it to a boil over high heat until the soup turned milky white. He then added lean meat and honey dates, and simmered it over low heat.

When his family was better off, he often went to the Central Restaurant with his father. He had seen the chef make this dish, Fresh Dragon Old Fire Soup, once before.

Now his mental attribute has increased to 0.7, and his memory is far superior to before. He can now perfectly replicate the steps of cooking.

After simmering for about an hour, this pot of fresh dragon soup was ready. When you open the lid, you can see that the soup is milky white and has a rich, fresh aroma.

Li Chang'an planned to use this pot of soup to make a lobster noodle soup. However, Cantonese cuisine emphasizes clear and flavorful soup. If the noodles are put directly into the soup, it will easily cloud the soup and overpower the flavor.

So Li Chang'an boiled another pot of water and cooked the noodles separately, intending to pour the delicious lobster broth over them at the end.

While the noodles were cooking, Li Chang'an prepared another large blue lobster, placing the cut-up lobster into a steamer.

Lobster meat is tender, and its thin shell conducts heat quickly, so it steams very quickly, taking only a few minutes.

After cooking, Li Chang'an drizzled a spoonful of hot peanut oil over the dish, instantly filling the corridor with a delicious aroma.

Thus, the two large blue lobsters each found their place: one became sweet sashimi and delicious lobster noodle soup, while the other was steamed.

Li Chang'an knocked on the door of the room next door.

"Who is it?"

A faint female voice came from inside the room.

"Aunt Shen, it's me."