Lu Chuyu's Chinese stomach simply couldn't adapt to American cuisine, and she wanted to return to China as soon as possible.
After eating her fill with a frown, she changed into the bathrobe provided by the hotel, called room service, and handed her only set of clothes to the room attendant for dry cleaning. The bathtub was already filled with water, and as she lay in it, Lu Chuyu closed her eyes in comfort.
Her thoughts became clearer.
Although the United States had formally established diplomatic relations with China earlier this year, commercial air travel between the two countries had not yet been opened. If she wanted to return to China, she would need to fly from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, then from Los Angeles to Country R, before she could purchase a ticket to fly to China.
Moreover, the second oil crisis was currently in full swing, and gas prices in the United States had skyrocketed. A rough calculation showed that just these three flights would cost at least $3,000.
Lu Chuyu opened her eyes and looked at the Emotion Points on the translucent system panel before her. After exchanging 8 points for Life Points and $1,000 in cash, she still had 9 Emotion Points remaining.
In Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps, a beautiful, wealthy, single woman with no connections was not safe either. Even if she could become rich here with the system's help, frankly speaking, she wouldn't even dare to hire bodyguards—guards turning thief was hardly a novelty in the United States.
Moreover, in 1979 China was at a critical juncture with reform and opening-up in full swing. During this period, overseas Chinese were treated as "first-class citizens" in China. Even if she were alone, she wouldn't have to worry about personal danger, since any incident would become a diplomatic matter.
Most importantly, she was Chinese, with a red Chinese heart.
Since she had arrived in 1979, she naturally wanted to spend her money in China rather than enrich the United States.
The water in the bathtub had gradually turned cool. Lu Chuyu got up, took a hot shower, and then lay down on the soft, comfortable bed. She mentally clicked the Novice Check-in button.
[Check-in successful. The system has randomly awarded you 0.3% shares of Caesars Palace.]
!!!
Lu Chuyu's pupils dilated slightly as she stared in shock at the text on the system panel. Not only had the system rewarded her with 0.3% shares of Caesars Palace through check-in, but it had also simultaneously crafted a plausible explanation for why she could own those shares.
Her biological father came from the Harras family in the United States. He had only had a One Night Stand with her mother out of curiosity, then completely forgotten about her. The Harras family didn't even rank among the notable families in America, but her father's mother came from the prominent Vanderbilt family.
As for this kind of "accidental product" born to a Chinese woman, they naturally looked down upon her—or rather, they loathed her. Her very existence seemed to pollute their noble bloodline.
So for all these years, they had ignored both her and her mother.
A week ago, her biological father had come to Las Vegas for entertainment. Drunk, he suddenly dreamed of her mother, whom he had slept with in his youth. After learning of their circumstances over the years, he felt a flicker of pity and instructed his subordinates to gift her 0.3% shares of Caesars Palace. As for meeting her, he had no interest—he would rather spend that time enjoying a glass of fine wine.
Caesars Palace had annual revenues reaching tens of millions of dollars. With 0.3% of the shares, she could receive dividends of over a hundred thousand, even several hundred thousand dollars, each year.
In her biological father's mind, he had done all he could—one might even say he had been extremely generous. After all, illegitimate children like her were countless in the family; some were never even discovered until death.
At that moment, the phone on the bedside table rang.
"Ms. Harras, good afternoon. I'm Brian, the attorney representing Johnson Harras. I have an important document that requires your signature."
Lu Chuyu frowned slightly upon hearing the address "Ms. Harras," a trace of displeasure flashing across her face. She didn't like that form of address, especially since she could sense contempt in Brian's tone.
"I believe you know my room number," Lu Chuyu said, then hung up the phone.
Since this was a system reward, she had no need to worry about losing the 0.3% shares of Caesars Palace because of her attitude.
Lu Chuyu didn't let Brian into the room. Leaning against the doorframe, she signed the document and also accepted the $100,000 check that Johnson Harras had instructed Brian to deliver to her, then closed the door right in front of Brian's stunned expression.
There was even an unexpected bonus—Lu Chuyu looked at the check in her hand.
If she had known, she wouldn't have exchanged Emotion Points for that $1,000. She should have checked in the moment she stepped into Caesars Palace this morning.
Lu Chuyu opened the biscuit tin left behind by her original body's mother. There wasn't much inside—the most important item was a yellowed photograph, a family portrait featuring her original body's maternal grandparents and maternal uncle. In the photo, her original body's mother was young, only about ten years old.
On the back of the photo, a few words were written in fountain pen: Nanhu Lengquan Village.
Her original body's mother had once told her that her maternal uncle, unable to bear leaving his childhood sweetheart behind, had slipped off the ship and stayed instead of going abroad. This gave Lu Chuyu the perfect reason to return to China—to search for her family.
The next day, Lu Chuyu changed into the dry-cleaned Chanel dress that the guest relations attendant had delivered, hailed a taxi, and went to Chase Manhattan Bank. She needed to open a bank account to receive future dividends from Caesars Palace, and she also cashed a check for 100,000 US dollars.
By the time she left Chase Manhattan Bank, her Emotion Points had risen to 16.
She didn't return directly to Caesars Palace but took a taxi to Fremont Street instead. She needed to buy a few outfits that would command respect. Now that she had money, she naturally wanted to head to China as soon as possible.
Standing on Fremont Street, Lu Chuyu mentally tapped the Novice Check-in button on her system panel.
[Check-in successful. System randomly rewards Tiffany high-end diamond jewelry set.]
There's no woman who doesn't love jewelry, and Lu Chuyu was no exception. Although she hadn't worn any in her previous life—was it because she didn't want to? It was because her pockets were empty! She could hardly wait to return to the hotel and admire her diamond jewelry.
By the time Lu Chuyu returned to Caesars Palace, she was dragging a suitcase packed full.
Amelia walked over enthusiastically, took the suitcase from Lu Chuyu's hands, and escorted her all the way back to her room, thinking to herself that she'd earn at least another 10 dollars in tips.
Lu Chuyu didn't disappoint Amelia either. She handed her a tip while inviting her inside.
She still needed a point of contact in America, and the Amelia before her was the obvious choice—after all, she didn't have the time to slowly screen candidates.
"May I ask, what's your salary at Caesars Palace?"
"My base salary is 280 dollars a month," Amelia answered truthfully.
Lu Chuyu nodded. For a front desk receptionist at a top luxury hotel like Amelia, the base salary was only part of the income—tips made up the larger share, and on a good month, they could exceed the base salary.
"Would you be interested in changing jobs? I need an assistant. Though I rarely come here, you can think of the work as more of a remote service. I can offer you a base salary of 600 dollars a month to start, with a probation period of one quarter. After that, if we're both satisfied, your minimum salary won't be below 1,000 dollars. As for how good your benefits can get later, that depends on your performance. I'm sure you're aware that at Caesars Palace, you're working a young woman's game."
Amelia's eyes sparkled. Without a moment's hesitation, she accepted, her voice barely containing her excitement.
"Oh, my God, is this real? It's absolutely my honor."
She was about to turn 28, and at the latest, she'd receive a reassignment notice next year. At Caesars Palace, front desk receptionists absolutely couldn't be over 30—even if they were still sexy and charming. And she definitely didn't want to work in the kitchen or clean guest rooms, earning less than 300 dollars a month in fixed salary while doing dirty, exhausting work.
Lu Chuyu handed Amelia 10,000 dollars in cash. "I need you to book me a flight to Los Angeles for tomorrow. Also, go to the state government's business registration office as soon as possible to register an investment company. I'd like the office to be near the Las Vegas Strip—it doesn't need to be big. Oh, and contact a reliable lawyer. We need to sign a contract."
"Boss, thank you for trusting me. I won't let you down."
Amelia's eyes reddened with emotion. She never imagined she'd receive her boss's trust—handed 10,000 dollars before even signing a contract.
Lu Chuyu smiled slightly, looking at Amelia. "I trust the people around me, but I also don't forgive those who betray me. Lake Mead has beautiful scenery, but no one likes oil drums, do they?"
"Of course. Please rest assured, I am absolutely loyal to you."
Amelia's face paled slightly. Lake Mead was only forty kilometers from Las Vegas—a perfect place to dump a body.
After Amelia left, Lu Chuyu eagerly tapped the claim button on her system panel. A luxurious diamond jewelry set suddenly appeared on the table. She picked it up with reluctant admiration, her eyes gleaming.
Amelia slipped into her role quickly. She booked a business-class flight for Lu Chuyu to Los Angeles early the next morning and arranged airport transfers. Per Lu Chuyu's request, she reserved a room at the Westin Hotel, not far from the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles.
The direct flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles took just over an hour. Lu Chuyu checked into the hotel before 10 a.m., left her luggage in the room, and went straight to the Chinese Consulate General. Although diplomatic relations had been established, the procedures for traveling to China were still quite complicated at the time.