Lu Qing rode her ladies’ bicycle with Li Yue out of the Family Compound, heading east.
She pedaled swiftly. Though evening was approaching, the lingering heat still made her forehead glisten with sweat, but she paid it no mind.
Her main concern was running into her mother or brother returning from the hospital.
Fortunately, luck was on their side—they didn’t encounter anyone from the hospital.
Arriving at the cinema entrance, Lu Qing found a spot to park her bicycle. The area was packed with snack vendors.
Watching the well-dressed young men and women weaving through the bustling snack street, Li Yue couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. She loved this vibrant, lively atmosphere.
It seemed not everyone was like those in the Family Compound. She had assumed everyone took pride in wearing work uniforms.
After all, Lu Qing was dressed in work overalls.
In the Family Compound, all she saw were monotonous shades of blue, white, and gray—white being the aprons of the factory lathe operators, blue the uniforms of the male workers.
She never expected such prosperity here—so lively and bustling. She adored this kind of environment.
“Haven’t been here before, have you? I’m taking you out to broaden your horizons. You should be really grateful to me,” Lu Qing teased, noticing Li Yue’s sparkling eyes as she pocketed her bicycle keys after parking.
“Alright then. Didn’t you say you’d treat me to a meal? Let’s go try that Chao Tian Guo,” Li Yue suggested, pointing to an elderly man’s snack stall.
“Why eat that? It’s not even good. Let’s go for Western food—my treat.”
Lu Qing was determined to make Li Yue’s rustic demeanor highlight her own sophistication.
She held onto Li Yue’s hand tightly, afraid she might run off—after all, Li Yue had her family’s five thousand yuan. Even with sweaty palms, she refused to let go.
“Western food?” Li Yue was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Western cuisine here—did that mean Japanese food was available too?
“Come on, don’t look so clueless,” Lu Qing said, pulling Li Yue—who was still eyeing the Chao Tian Guo longingly—toward a newsstand.
She loved the ambiance of the newly opened Western restaurant; it felt incredibly romantic.
Having been there once with friends, she particularly adored the cream cakes. Strutting like a proud peacock, Lu Qing walked ahead with her head held high.
Li Yue trailed behind, wide-eyed like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time.
It wasn’t that she was ignorant—the original host had rarely ventured out except during high school.
Even at school, she’d usually study in her dorm. While others went out to escape the summer heat, she’d find a spot by the lake in the campus grove to study.
She always found a place to hit the books.
She’d never been to a department store, snack street, or cinema.
As for the modern Li Yue, she had never experienced such an authentic 1980s setting. These snacks were all new to her—Wang Family Da Huo Shao, Chao Tian Guo, large meat buns—she hadn’t tried any of them.
It seemed wheat-based foods dominated here.
After making a phone call, Lu Qing dragged the “clueless” Li Yue toward the Western restaurant.
Li Yue noticed the street sign—they were on Xinkai Road.
Crossing the intersection, she saw the street named Limin Street.
She spotted the department store, the Suntory Building, the Rolling Stone Cinema, and the enigmatic People’s Park.
Why enigmatic? It seemed every province and city had a People’s Park.
The street signs and building names were unfamiliar, yet somehow felt strangely familiar.
She was certain the original host had never been here—so where was this sense of familiarity coming from?
Before she could think too much, Lu Qing had already pulled her through a revolving glass door into a restaurant with large floor-to-ceiling windows.
Among the surrounding shops, this facade stood out remarkably.
The floor was paved with small retro-patterned tiles, and the decor had a distinctly American style.
As soon as they entered, a tinkling wind chime greeted them.
A well-dressed male waiter quickly approached them.
The young man with a proper smile asked, “Misses, do you have a reservation?”
Li Yue’s mouth twitched as she glanced around the restaurant. In the spacious dining area, only four or five tables were occupied, with so many empty ones remaining. Yet they still needed a reservation?
Lu Qing replied in Mandarin, “No, but I’d like to make one now. Are there any available seats?”
The waiter nodded, “Yes, miss. How many in your party? Will you be dining now or…”
“Now. There are three of us. The other person will arrive later.”
Just like that, Li Yue found herself sitting across from Lu Qing.
Enjoying the comfortable temperature, she felt quite pleased. With nothing else to do, she casually observed the surroundings, noticing hints of what would become common in future barbecue restaurants.
Suddenly, an exceptionally handsome, clean and pure figure entered her line of sight.
His fair complexion was complemented by deep, three-dimensional facial features, with an indescribable noble air between his brows.
His attire stood out from everyone else here.
Most people entering this Western restaurant dressed quite formally, unlike her own casual wear which was almost unheard of here.
The man across the way wore only a plain white T-shirt, his short hair – turned chestnut brown under the lights – falling slightly messy across his forehead.
Li Yue inwardly sighed, what a handsome man, hundreds of times better looking than Lu Xiao. Moreover, he carried an extraordinary aura about him. Though simply dressed, he appeared expensive – that refined kind of expensive.
Noticing Li Yue staring behind her, Lu Qing’s eyes flashed with suspicion before she turned to look.
“Tsk, Li Yue, you’re actually looking at another man? Not allowed, not allowed to look!” She deliberately swayed to block Li Yue’s view of the person behind them.
She even reached out to cover Li Yue’s eyes, annoying Li Yue to no end.
Their commotion caught the attention of Jiang Lian and Nan Si at the neighboring table.
Both looked over simultaneously.
Nan Si said amusedly, “Young master, those two girls are completely captivated by you.”
Jiang Lian cast a cold glance toward Li Yue’s direction before lowering his eyes again, elegantly eating the unsatisfactory steak.
“Are you going to eat or not? If not, get out.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop talking.”
Nan Si glanced back at Li Yue, thinking the girl really didn’t fit in with this restaurant. It was his first time seeing someone so plainly dressed coming here to eat.
“Young master, the eldest young master has tracked us here. Should we…” Nan Si made a throat-slitting gesture.
As Jiang Lian looked at Nan Si, Li Yue happened to glance over as well.
Their eyes met, and Li Yue quickly pretended to look past them toward the main hall.
Li Yue’s heart raced. That single moment of eye contact made her feel like she’d been targeted by some wild beast. Even in the air-conditioned room, cold sweat broke out on her back.
She quickly averted her gaze, ‘behaving properly’ as she looked at Lu Qing’s annoying face.
Seeing Nan Si still talking, Jiang Lian interrupted leisurely, “If you don’t want to eat, you may leave.”
As he spoke, he swept another glance toward Li Yue’s table.
Nan Si, finally catching on, looked back and immediately fell silent, saying nothing more.
However, he knew that even if someone overheard, no one would understand what was being said.
He wasn’t afraid of exposing anything either.
But Li Yue clearly understood—that man was going to slit someone’s throat.
Of course, Nan Si and Jiang Lian were unaware of this.
Nan Si only felt that his master was truly ill-fated, born under an unlucky star.
Though the young master’s birth mother was the one the master loved most, she could only be a concubine.
Though the master valued his own son above all others, he was forced to leave Hong Kong City for the mainland.
And now that they had come, the eldest young master was hunting them down. His master was more pitiful than the most wretched orphan.
The Jiang Family was the wealthiest and most powerful family in Hong Kong City. The head of the Jiang Family, Jiang Decheng, had six concubines and one legal wife—making seven wives in total.
Among these seven, the master loved the third concubine, Bai Rong, the most. She was the biological mother of the Jiang Family’s second young master, Jiang Lian. However, the third concubine was in poor health.
After giving birth, she would catch a cold every three days and be hospitalized every five. Eventually, she was diagnosed with multiple organ failure and passed away before reaching thirty.
When she died, Jiang Lian was only seven years old.