Epiphanies of Rebirth (重生之豁然)

Chapter 21

"Go to the bank and turn this into usable funds. Get as much credit as possible," Xiao Chi's unique metallic voice answered.

Hu Shaofeng nodded and carefully unzipped the bag.

It was filled with stacks of hundred yuan bills.

Once the bus entered Shen City, even the heavily carsick Gao Sheng and Deng Mai forgot their nausea and joined Zhou Haitang in gaping through the windows. This place was developing even faster than Qunnan City.

After getting off, Lin Jingzhe took the three hungry youths to a noodle shop near the station. Gao Sheng stared at the price list in shock: "What the heck, a bowl of noodles actually costs one yuan here? Are you serious?"

In Liyun Town's noodle shops, you could eat very well with forty cents!

When they finished eating, Lin Jingzhe hailed a taxi and reported a familiar address to the driver, then settled comfortably in the passenger's seat, enjoying the drive. Shen City began to grow rapidly since it had been designated a Special Economic Zone some ten years earlier. Though there was still no indication of the future monstrous housing prices, reaching hundreds of thousands yuan, the city already looked much more modern than most of the cities in this era.

The three brats in the back seat were as excited as , especially once the car entered the main business district and the old-style residential buildings in the background disappeared completely, replaced by the new high-rise apartments and skyscrapers scattered around.

The taxi turned onto a ramp, leaving the main road, and stopped in front of the most brightly lit building. The doorman promptly stepped forward, opened the car doors, and offered to carry their luggage. This eager service left Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang completely overwhelmed. Even Deng Mai, the most "worldly" of them, couldn't help but look at the mainstay of their small group, silently asking for help.

Lin Jingzhe paid the fare and got off. Signaling them not to panic, he took his bag from the trunk and handed it to the doorman: "Thank you."

Then he walked towards the familiar entrance. He had visited Peace Hotel several times in his last life; while it had been renovated, it hadn't changed much from the present.

Feeling strange, the taxi driver couldn't help but take another look. The group came to the most luxurious hotel in Shen City and paid for the ride like the rich would, neither hesitating nor haggling, yet dressed very plainly and acted like country b.u.mpkins first time out of their village. The only exception was the young man in the pa.s.senger's seat, exceptionally handsome but with an imposing, almost intimidating aura around him. From the moment he got on, he only quietly leaned against the window looking absent-minded, but the taxi driver didn't dare make even the smallest detour.

Is this a wealthy young master taking care of visiting poor relatives? The temperament of children from rich families really is different... He wondered idly, stepping at the gas pedal as the doorman motioned at him to hurry up and move along.

When the youths stepped into the hotel and were about to approach the reception desk, Gao Sheng finally came back to himself. He grabbed Lin Jingzhe's arm: "We're not staying here today, are we?!"

Lin Jingzhe raised an eyebrow. "Where else?"

Deng Mai, dazzled by the opulent interior decor, gaped at him. He glanced left and right and said, lowering his voice, "You can't be serious! This place looks freaking expensive!"

Zhou Haitang eyed a potbellied man in a suit talking loudly on a cell phone, who looked like some company's boss, then his gaze fell to the cloth shoes on his own feet, handmade by his mother and beginning to have holes from wear. Discouraged, he discreetly pulled Lin Jingzhe's clothes. "Yeah, the guests here all look very rich. Let's stay somewhere else—when we were in the taxi, I think I saw a hostel near here..."