Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

The teacher smiled and said, "Here, being young doesn't matter. Once you're in Boya, you'll follow Boya's rules. The school doesn't care how famous or capable you were before; it only cares whether you can keep up with the pace after the semester starts."

"I'll keep up," Lin Ying replied steadily.

The registration process went smoothly: I filled out forms, submitted photos, verified my address in Taikoo Shing, and finally received the new student handbook and school uniform order form.

After everything was completed, a teacher surnamed Zhou called Lin Ying aside and handed her a notification slip.

"On the 14th and 15th, the school will arrange a unified subject test for new students. The test subjects include English, mathematics, Chinese and general ability; the results will be announced on September 1st, the first day of school, and students will be strictly divided into classes according to their scores and overall performance."

Standing at the back, Lin Lanying immediately asked anxiously, "Teacher Zhou, is this class placement test very important?"

Teacher Zhou nodded at Lin Lanying: "It's very important. The pace of each class in our school's first year is not exactly the same. The better classes have better teachers and a faster teaching pace. Lin Lanying has a very good foundation, but she still needs to prepare carefully and not be careless."

Lin Lanying immediately turned to look at her daughter.

Lin Ying took the notification slip: "I will prepare accordingly."

After leaving Boya Academy, He Dazhu glanced back at the school gate and breathed a sigh of relief: "This school looks really nice and impressive."

Lin Lanying nodded with a smile: "The main thing is that there are many female teachers, the place is new, and it's close to Taikoo City. Ah Ying won't have to travel every day anymore, which is the best thing."

Lin Ying looked down and flipped through the stack of new student handbooks in her hand: "After the placement test on the 14th and 15th, my entire process of transitioning from elementary to middle school will be completely finished. There won't be any more school-related matters after that."

Lin Lanying immediately became alert: "Are you saying this because you want to go to Guangzhou to find Boss Peng again?"

"If Uncle Peng makes the arrangements, I'll go." Lin Ying put away her notebook. "But for the next two days, I won't go anywhere; I'll stay home and prepare for the exam."

Lin Lanying was then satisfied: "That's more like it. We need to prioritize things."

For the next few days, Lin Ying stayed obediently in her room in Taikoo Shing to prepare for her exams. She didn't touch the script, nor did she call Boss Peng to urge him to keep up with her progress. Every morning, without fail, she reviewed English reading and math from Form 1, studied Chinese and general knowledge in the afternoon, and put away her textbooks and went to bed promptly at 10 p.m.

She remained calm, but Lin Qian became increasingly restless.

These past few days, Lin Qian has been like a monkey running around everywhere, never still for a moment. He kept running to the study door to ask, "Sister, do a lot of people in mainland China watch your movies?"

A little while later, during dinner, she asked again, "Sister, your movie has been released worldwide this time. How much will it make at the box office? Will your name be in the newspapers every day?"

A little while later, he sat down on the living room sofa with his comic book in his arms, shaking his head and bragging to He Dazhu, who had just returned from the jade carving shop: "Old Dou, my sister's movie is going to be shown all over the world. My classmates all say I'm going to make a fortune in the future."

Lin Lanying was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, listening to Lin Qian's endless boasting outside, her brows furrowing more and more tightly.

On the morning of July 13th, after breakfast, Lin Lanying went straight back to her room and packed a small red, white and blue duffel bag.

Lin Qian was sitting on the carpet watching TV when he caught a glimpse of Lin Lanying carrying that bag out of the corner of his eye, and his heart sank.

"Mommy, why are you packing my clothes?"

"I'll send you back to the New Territories." Lin Lanying walked up to him, "Let your grandparents take care of you for a few days."

Lin Qian exclaimed in shock, "Why?! I didn't do anything wrong! I even did my summer homework!"

"You've been talking too much lately, and you're too restless!" Lin Lanying stuffed his summer homework into her bag one by one. "All you do is brag about your older sister, so smug. You didn't write the movie, you didn't earn the money, and you didn't get into that good middle school! You're always so cocky, you're practically swaggering around. What kind of behavior is that?"

Lin Qian's face flushed red: "I'm just happy! My sister is so awesome, can't I be happy?"

"Being happy is fine, but you can't just take advantage of others! Things can't always go your way. Having a good older sister is a blessing, but it's not something you can flaunt. I'll take better care of you after your sister's done with her work!"

Lin Qian lowered his head after being scolded, not daring to utter a single word in response.

That afternoon, Lin Lanying personally escorted him back to the village in the New Territories by minibus.

After hearing the explanation, Grandma Li Yuzhen didn't hesitate and immediately carried her grandson into the backyard: "Your mother is right. Don't worry about him, I'll keep an eye on him. I'll make him pull vegetables, feed the chickens, wash dishes, and do his homework every day. He won't even have time to jump around in his dreams!"

Lin Qian hugged his schoolbag, his face filled with utter despair.

With the house quieter, Lin Ying's study progress became more stable.

On July 14th and 15th, the placement test for Boya Academy was held as scheduled; Lin Ying spent two days carefully completing all the test papers.

On the afternoon of the 15th, when she walked out of the Boya School gate, she finally felt a little lighter.

Lin Lanying and He Dazhu were already waiting outside.

"Finished the exam?" He Dazhu took her schoolbag.

"The exam is over." Lin Ying shook her sore wrist.

Lin Lanying asked, "Is it difficult?"

"It's a bit more difficult than primary school, but it's all within my expectations and doesn't go beyond the scope of Form 1."

Seeing that she looked calm, Lin Lanying knew she had done well on the exam, so she didn't ask any more questions. "Go home, change your clothes, and get your documents. Boss Peng just called; the train tickets and accommodation in Guangzhou are all arranged. We're leaving tonight."

Lin Ying was somewhat surprised: "So soon?"

He Dazhu nodded in agreement: "Boss Peng said on the phone that the screening schedule for the cultural sector in Guangzhou is very tight. We need to meet with their people tomorrow morning, and the screening will probably be held internally the day after tomorrow."

Lin Ying perked up: "Okay, let's go back and get our things, then let's go straight there."

That evening, the family of three, with their simple luggage that they had packed earlier, headed straight to the station to go to Guangzhou.

Sitting in the northbound carriage, the seat swayed and rattled along the tracks.

Lin Lanying handed the water bottle she had brought to He Dazhu, then turned to look at Lin Ying and made her words, which she had been holding back for several days, very clear.

"This trip to Guangzhou is for important business. Dazhu, don't soften your heart just because you hear the words 'inland,' and don't feel guilty because of what happened when we went back to our hometown village last time."

He Dazhu immediately stated, "I know, going to Guangzhou is to witness a grand event, I understand that perfectly well."

Lin Lanying then looked at Lin Ying: "Ying, you also need to remember; your brother has been acting all high and mighty at home lately. It's not that Mommy can't be happy. It's that Mommy is afraid he'll think that you have a share in your achievements."

Lin Ying looked at her mother without interrupting.

"He's still young, and his temper is too easily blown away." Lin Lanying sighed, holding the lid of the kettle. "The higher our family climbs in the future, and the more money we encounter, the more strictly we must adhere to the rules. I'm telling you this upfront, he can't rest on his laurels."

Lin Ying nodded after listening: "Mommy, I completely understand. Ah Qian can be taken care of, but he absolutely cannot be spoiled. He needs to have his own abilities and his own life in the future."

He Dazhu sat beside her, looking at his clever daughter and shrewd wife, and said, "I had no one to teach me before, and I only woke up after suffering a great loss when I went back to my hometown. Ah Qian is very fortunate to have someone keeping an eye on him and keeping him in check."

By the time we arrived in downtown Guangzhou, it was completely dark.

In the early 1980s, Guangzhou didn't have the dazzling neon lights of Hong Kong, and the buildings on the streets looked much older, but it was much more lively and vibrant than He Dazhu's hometown county town.

The streets are alive with the crisp sound of bicycle bells, the sight of pushcarts selling soft drinks and sweet soups, and the newly lit red signs of restaurants. The place is slowly awakening.

Boss Peng arranged for a car to pick them up and took them all the way to the entrance of the White Swan Hotel.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Boss Peng was already waiting in the lobby.

"Screenwriter Xiao Lin, you've finally arrived!" Boss Peng's voice boomed.

Lin Ying walked over and got straight to the point: "Uncle Peng, what's the specific situation in Guangzhou?"

Boss Peng lowered his voice and spoke very quickly: "Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to meet the top official in the cultural sector. In the afternoon, we'll internally review the final draft of the simplified Chinese subtitles. The day after tomorrow, the internal screening will officially begin!"