Chapter 014
Though they claimed to be father and daughter, Lu Mingzhu could see no resemblance between them.
Miss He, the daughter, looked older than He Yun, appearing nearly fifty. Her crow’s feet and nasolabial folds were deeply etched; her lips were thin, her cheekbones high, with little flesh to soften her features. When she wept in distress, tears streaked down her cheeks, leaving marks upon her heavy makeup.
He Yun, by contrast, looked like a man in his forties: his skin was smooth and clear, his posture upright, and his thick eyebrows and handsome eyes strikingly distinguished.
Xie Junyao did not recognize He Yun but had met Miss He before, so he stepped forward to greet her: “Mrs. Ming.”
Only then did Miss He notice Xie Junyao standing beside her; her eyes lit up. “Mr. Xie, it’s you! This Miss Lu saved my father’s life. Which family’s daughter is she? I’m sure I’ve never met her before.”
Xie Junyao did not answer immediately; instead, he glanced at Lu Mingzhu, seeking her consent with his eyes.
Lu Mingzhu gave a slight nod.
“Miss Lu has just arrived from Shanghai and is currently staying as a guest in Mr. Wang Bohui’s home,” Xie Junyao replied to Miss He’s question, then turned to face He Yun. “Mr. He, I have long admired your reputation; meeting you today is truly an honor of a lifetime.”
He Yun let out an “Oh.” “You know of me?”
Xie Junyao smiled and said, “Before you even arrived, your business interests had already spread across all of Hong Kong. I believe there is no one who does not know of your capabilities.”
“You flatter me,” He Yun replied. Then, turning his gaze once more toward Lu Mingzhu with an even gentler expression, he continued, “I shall never forget Miss Lu’s life-saving grace. At this moment, my heart still trembles with lingering fear, and I am utterly exhausted. Please allow me to take my leave for now; I will certainly visit your home another day to express my gratitude properly.”
Lu Mingzhu immediately responded, “Please, feel free to go.”
Only then did the hotel manager finally arrive, fashionably late.
He Yun cast a cold glance at him before sweeping his sleeve and walking away.
Miss He hurried to follow, tossing a remark as she passed the hotel manager: “In such a large hotel, there isn’t even a single emergency responder! If my father had come to harm today, were it not for Miss Lu, which one of you could bear the responsibility?”
The hotel manager, bathed in cold sweat, repeatedly offered apologies.
Alas, his contrition went unappreciated.
The hotel manager gave a wry smile, hurried over to thank Lu Mingzhu, waived their bill, and then, citing that the food had grown cold, instructed the waitstaff to serve them a fresh banquet of delicacies.
If Mr. He Yun had lost his life, their hotel would truly have been forced to shut down for good.
After expressing his gratitude, he hurriedly rushed off in pursuit of Mr. He Yun and his daughter.
Lu Mingzhu, beaming with delight, enjoyed the complimentary feast alongside Xie Junyao. “Is this Mr. He Yun really that formidable? I saw the hotel manager looking utterly terrified.”
Xie Junyao nodded. “He’s an overseas Chinese from Nanyang, with business interests spanning across Southeast Asia; his wealth is said to rival that of nations. This hotel holds shares belonging to him.”
Lu Mingzhu’s eyes widened, round and large. “So impressive!”
“You saved his life; from now on, you’ll be his honored guest. That makes you even more remarkable.” Xie Junyao’s eyes sparkled like stars, filled with deep admiration for Lu Mingzhu’s calm and courageous act of saving someone in peril.
When she saved that person, she was truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Beautiful in appearance, and even more so in heart.
Lu Mingzhu felt a bit embarrassed instead. “I was only thinking about saving someone; I didn’t have time to consider who exactly I was saving.”
Had it been a poor person, she would have acted just the same.
Xie Junyao believed her words. When saving lives, who has time to overthink?
Taking a sip of soup, he spoke slowly, “Your method of saving Mr. He was excellent. If it could be widely adopted, countless lives could be saved. Could you teach me? I wish to learn.”
Lu Mingzhu smiled and said, “Of course!”
It would be more than twenty years before the Heimlich maneuver was developed. By promoting it now, countless lives could be saved within those two decades, so she felt not a shred of shame in claiming credit for it.
Xie Junyao then said, “We’ll go see the apartment later;
the whole afternoon will be gone. How about we schedule our next meeting for you to teach me, alright?”
“Alright!” Lu Mingzhu did not say that she could teach him right away or that it would be easy to learn.
She knew exactly what he was thinking!
He was simply finding an excuse for their next meeting.
Xie Junyao, in high spirits, replied, “The method of saving lives is crucial; I truly wish to learn it earnestly. With ample time, I will master it even better.”
“I understand, I understand.” Lu Mingzhu beamed with a playful smile, winking at him.
Her eyes were lively and bright, full of vitality and youthful energy.
That afternoon, upon reaching the peak of Victoria Peak by cable car and meeting William, the British official intending to sell his house, she remained poised and confident, engaging him in fluent English with ease and charm.
She excelled at finding engaging topics, possessed a deep understanding of British character and customs, and knew exactly how to appeal to their interests.
William felt an extraordinary affinity for this buyer.
As for Lu Mingzhu, she was thoroughly satisfied with the house.
The small villa Xie Junyao mentioned actually covers 6,600 square feet, complete with a spacious garden exceeding 15,000 square feet. The garden is filled with flowers, grasses, and trees, including several kapok trees standing tall with canopies like umbrellas.
Unfortunately, it was not the blooming season, so the breathtaking sight of the trees ablaze with fiery red flowers remained unseen.
Lu Mingzhu tilted her head to gaze at the villa’s façade, her eyes sparkling.
A purely European-style building, not old at all—stylish, elegant, luxurious, and grand; it would remain timeless even sixty years from now.
After thoroughly inspecting the property inside and out, from top to bottom, Lu Mingzhu asked William directly, “At what price do you intend to sell?”
“250,000 Hong Kong dollars,” William paused before adding, “Payment in gold is also acceptable; that would require 1,400 taels.”
“1,400 taels of gold?” Lu Mingzhu recalled that she only had 129 large gold bars in her possession.
Just as William was about to nod, Xie Junyao interjected, “William, we are old friends. I bring people to buy your building, yet you are so dishonest! You are British; how can you haggle by weight? 250,000 Hong Kong dollars equates to over 40,000 US dollars. At the current international gold price, that should be 1,253 ounces.”
The discrepancy was quite significant.
Lu Mingzhu quickly did the conversion: one ounce of gold is approximately 31.1 grams, while one tael equals 31.25 grams. Thus, 1,253 ounces amounted to 1,247.1 taels, equivalent to slightly fewer than 125 large gold bars.
The Lu family’s gold bars were of fine purity, all being pure gold.
With this, the 129 gold bars in Lu Mingzhu’s possession were more than enough to purchase the building.
William chuckled, showing no embarrassment at having his schemes exposed. “Thanks. You truly are a shrewd businessperson, always haggling with me over every ounce! Very well, 1,253 ounces it is, but not a single ounce less.”
“1,247 taels,” Xie Junyao stated.
William calculated for quite some time; since it was only one tael less, he nodded and said, “No problem. 1,247 taels of pure gold it is.”
He knew that the gold bars in the market varied in purity.
Lu Mingzhu nodded. “The gold bars I have are all of purest quality; you need not worry about inferior purity. However, the quantity is still somewhat short. Could you grant me a little time to raise the remainder?”
She needed to create the impression that she could not produce everything at once.
“There’s no rush,” William said. “I still have to stay for another month to wrap up my work before I can leave Hong Kong.”
Then everyone would be happy.
As they descended the mountain, Xie Junyao asked if she needed any help.
Clutching the purchase agreement she had signed with William up on the mountain, Lu Mingzhu walked with light steps and a pleasant voice, “Not for now; I’m nearly short of the gold bars, but I have my own way to resolve it.”
Xie Junyao felt somewhat disappointed.
At the same time, he gained a new understanding of Lu Mingzhu’s financial resources.
Among the wealthy who fled to Hong Kong, few could produce over a million in cash at once, let alone gold; with such assets, one would rank among the super-rich in Hong Kong.
Beautiful, kind-hearted, and wealthy—Xie Junyao felt there was not a single flaw in her.
Suddenly, Lu Mingzhu asked, “Why was the amount of gold you gave after bargaining with William less than expected, and by more than just a little? At first, I also thought it would be around 1,400 taels, the figure William initially demanded. Previously, when I exchanged foreign currency with my godfather and sold a large gold bar at a jewelry store, the price seemed somewhat lower.”
Xie Junyao replied, “Internationally, the US dollar is pegged to gold, currently at $35 per ounce.”
“I’ve calculated it. Whether exchanging foreign currency with Godfather or anyone else domestically, the rate is always 31.25 USD per tael, which equals 1 USD per gram. The gold shops here in Hong Kong offer comparable prices,” Lu Mingzhu said.
Xie Junyao smiled. “It’s normal for the price to be slightly lower; gold prices fluctuate frequently and are not fixed. When I first arrived in Hong Kong, many gold shops were speculating on gold, buying low and selling high—it was everywhere. With good luck, one could earn over a thousand Hong Kong dollars in just a day or two; with bad luck, one could lose heavily. Many people went bankrupt because of this.”
Lu Mingzhu asked him curiously, “Did you also come to Hong Kong from Shanghai? Yet I’ve never seen you in Shanghai.”
Her original self frequently attended high-society banquets; there was hardly any prominent family in all of Shanghai that she did not know or recognize.
Xie Junyao smiled and said, “Our family’s ancestral home is in Ningbo. The previous generation did business in Shanghai, where I was born and raised. I left Shanghai over a decade ago, so naturally, you’ve never met me. After going abroad, we first conducted business in the United States. My elder brother was doing very well there at the time; only in recent years did he come to Hong Kong, to be closer to our motherland.”
Lu Mingzhu understood.
“Mingzhu, if there’s anything you need help with, you must tell me,” Xie Junyao reiterated.
Lu Mingzhu pressed her lips together in a smile and replied, “Thank you, thank you!”
Her so-called solution was actually quite simple: the next day, she took the original body’s gold and diamond jewelry to Fuyunlai Jewelry Store.
The gold pieces were of equally superb quality and made of pure gold; since those set with pearls and gemstones had been kept by Lu Mingzhu, the ones she brought out still weighed over a hundred taels in total, selling for 18,000 Hong Kong dollars.
All the diamond jewelry was sold to Fuyunlai Jewelry Store, yielding 185,000 Hong Kong dollars.
At that time, white diamonds were considered more prestigious than colored diamonds, fetching excellent prices.
The Fuyunlai Jewelry Store did not have enough cash on hand, so the elderly owner sent a clerk to notify the proprietor and then went to the bank himself to withdraw 150,000 Hong Kong dollars, which he delivered in person.
Lu Mingzhu had not come alone; she had applied makeup and persuaded Housekeeper Li to bring several strong servants to protect her, ensuring she arrived safely and returned just as securely.
Along the way, she also smoothly deposited the money into the bank.
All banks in Hong Kong were British-owned; she chose to open an account at Standard Chartered Bank.
Keep 200,000 and use the rest for pocket money.
At dinner, when she mentioned selling her jewelry, Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but chide gently, “If you needed money, you should have just told us!”
Lu Mingzhu quickly replied, “Godmother, how could I rely on you, Godfather, and Eldest Brother forever? Besides, I only sold a few pieces I felt I wouldn’t need; all the valuable ones are still kept safe!”
Mrs. Wang sighed with emotion, “You’ve been put through so much.”
If Mrs. Lu were still alive, how could her only daughter have fallen into such dire straits?
Hearing this, Lu Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Godmother, using the money from selling jewelry to buy property makes me feel not the slightest grievance. Girls as wealthy as I am are few and far between.”
She possessed everything that belonged to her predecessor’s body; if she claimed to live in hardship, wouldn’t those who had transmigrated into impoverished families find life utterly unbearable?
Wang Bohui, however, approved of Lu Mingzhu’s choice. “Mingzhu made the right decision. Jewelry and precious stones have limited utility compared to real estate. With a spacious house to their name, Mingzhu and Ping’an will have confidence no matter what they pursue in the future. Houses on The Peak are rare opportunities; it was only recently that Chinese residents were permitted to live there. If we miss this chance, there may never be another opportunity to purchase one. Was it Xie Junyao who introduced this to you?”
Lu Mingzhu nodded. “It’s him. I found it very suitable, so I decided to buy it.”
Uncle Wang Boyue grew increasingly fond of her.
Clear-headed and decisive.
Many young women care only about dressing up; few possess such long-term vision as she does.
“Oh, by the way, we received a visiting card today from Mr. He Yun, the wealthiest man in Nanyang. He says he’ll come to visit us tomorrow to thank you. What good deed did you do?” Wang Bohui asked Lu Mingzhu directly.
Lu Mingzhu was momentarily stunned, then recounted to everyone how she had saved He Yun.
Wang Bohui exclaimed in both surprise and admiration, “A life-saving grace! No wonder!”