Chapter 104: Unable to Even Give Away a Louis Vuitton

Wu Xiang was quite clever; he understood Hai Qing's concerns. She did not want their relationship to be discovered by her parents. Yet, he didn't want to attend the Golden Horse Awards alone. What was he to do?

He came up with the idea of going to Hong Kong. Simply put, they would spend a day in Hong Kong, and then he would head to Taiwan alone. While that might seem a bit lonely, his heart would still be quite content.

There was a prerequisite for this plan: at the time, there were no direct flights between the mainland and Taiwan. A layover in Hong Kong was mandatory, so spending a day there was perfectly logical.

Hong Kong was a wonderful place. Hai Qing had never been there and had always longed to visit. She had once been a backup dancer for the "Heavenly King" Aaron Kwok, though that was on the mainland. She had held a certain admiration for the big stars of that region, even if, at the time, she had secretly wanted to kick one of them right off the stage.

Since they could have some fun, broaden their horizons, and keep their relationship under wraps, why not go?

"Wow! This is my first time on a plane. Haha..." Hai Qing kept her composure; although she was excited, she kept her voice low.

"Hehehe..." Wu Xiang was already amused. His woman was truly fascinating. "If you like it, once your husband makes enough money, I'll buy you a private jet so you can fly whenever you want. How about that?"

"That would be so expensive!" Teacher Hai was always considering practical matters.

The flight itself was interesting, but arriving at the Hong Kong airport was even more so.

"..." Hai Qing looked puzzled. She had noticed a phenomenon. "Xiao Wu, why are there so many pregnant women? Their bellies are all quite large. Are they all out here on vacation?"

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing, but Wu Xiang felt he had to explain, as it served as a cautionary tale. "These people, they are all here to give birth."

"Give birth?" Hai Qing couldn't understand. "Why don't they give birth at home? Why travel so far?"

Wu Xiang told her the truth. "Some are having children beyond the quota, and some are mistresses. See that one alone? She's likely a mistress."

Of course, this was a matter of probability, as there were surely those there for purely recreational travel.

"A mistress?"

Wu Xiang had forgotten that the term wasn't as ubiquitous back then. He quickly clarified, "Ah, you know, a 'third party,' a homewrecker, that sort of thing."

"Oh! So that's it!" The expression on Hai Qing's face was quite dramatic.

"Actually, you can't really blame anyone for this," Wu Xiang said. He knew there were many reasons for this phenomenon and couldn't explain it all at once. What he wanted to emphasize was, "But let's make sure we never follow their example. Even if the child can obtain residency here, there is a lot of pressure when it comes to schooling. It seems it's difficult to get into schools here, and it's not easy to go back, either. So, let's never do that. Never."

Wu Xiang had only heard about these things; having worked in the industry, he had seen many such cases. He didn't know the specific details, but according to others, many children born this way ended up being shortchanged by their parents.

"Mm, we won't, we won't..." Hai Qing nodded repeatedly, but she soon realized the implication. "What do you mean 'we'? What... this..." She wanted to ask about children. Where were they even at in their relationship that they were already discussing having kids? But she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

"Hehehe... as long as you understand," Wu Xiang said, feeling smug.

"Go to hell!" Hai Qing made a move as if to hit him.

"Don't be like that." The two of them started bickering again.

Everything went smoothly. Playing in Hong Kong was really just about eating and shopping; as for the scenery, how could it compare to the mountains and rivers of the mainland?

First, there was the shopping. Since Wu Xiang was attending the Golden Horse Awards, he had to dress the part. Things were simple on the mainland, but in Taiwan, he couldn't let people think they couldn't even afford a tea egg.

He ordered a custom suit. Hong Kong offered such services with impressive speed—within twenty hours, it would be ready. The craftsmanship was excellent.

Why so fast? Because Hong Kong had long been a transit hub. Many people traveling between East and West would stop there for a day, so tailors developed this thoughtful service.

The original tailor who offered this service had a connection to a big star—the late Leslie Cheung, whom Wu Xiang had always wanted to meet. Unfortunately, Wu Xiang couldn't find that specific shop; the world had changed too much.

Since it was an important occasion, Wu Xiang spent seven thousand Hong Kong dollars on the suit, which wasn't expensive. Of course, he didn't forget his partner. He wanted Hai Qing to order a suit too, but she firmly refused.

The reason was simple: it was too expensive!

And that wasn't even the priciest thing around.

"Louis Vuitton?" Hai Qing looked at the sign and read it out.

Anyone with a bit of knowledge about luxury goods would have corrected Teacher Hai, but Wu Xiang didn't mind. On the contrary, he found it endearing. The current Hai Qing was truly simple and unpretentious.

"This isn't called Louis Vuitton. It's called the 'Donkey Brand,'" Wu Xiang said, being a bit of a rascal.

"Huh? Giggle... who came up with that name?" Hai Qing couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on! Let's go see who named it that. It's so tacky, right?" Wu Xiang pulled Hai Qing inside.

"..." Hai Qing felt she had been tricked again, because looking at the decor, the display, and the merchandise, it was impossible for the brand to be called 'Donkey.'

As an art school student, she had at least some appreciation for aesthetics. Although LV might not be considered high art, Hai Qing could tell the quality was top-notch.

"Why are you looking at me? Pick one and try it." Wu Xiang actually wanted to buy her an LV bag. This was a scenario that had often played out in his mind before his rebirth. Perhaps it hadn't been Hai Qing in his dreams, but he had always thought, *When I have money, I'll buy my girl a designer bag!*

Undeniably, there was a touch of the "nouveau riche" about it. But for a man, wanting to show off his financial ability to the woman he loved was nothing to be ashamed of.

Hai Qing seemed spellbound as she walked up to a handbag. She thought it was the most beautiful one and that she would look stunning carrying it.

"Miss, you have great taste. This is a new arrival for the season. The price is also very reasonable, at 7,800. Would you like to try it?" The salesperson followed them closely, offering one-on-one service.

Hai Qing was about to reach for the bag, but when she heard the price, it felt like a hammer blow to her heart!

7,800 for such a small thing? Wu Xiang's suit was 10,000, which was necessary for his image, but this...

"I don't think this suits me very well. Let's look at something else." Hai Qing tried the bag on, checked the mirror, placed it back with elegance, and pulled Wu Xiang away.

It was a perfect performance—saving money while maintaining her dignity.

"Hehehe... thought it was too expensive?" Wu Xiang laughed as soon as they were outside. He tried to hold it in, but he couldn't.

"Oh! A lousy bag for 7,800? Are you kidding me? My tuition for the whole year isn't even that much. Would anyone actually buy that? Is it made of gold?" Hai Qing was exactly like the wives she would later portray in her dramas.

"Hahaha..." Wu Xiang couldn't stop laughing. The key was that her performance just now had been so spot-on. Perhaps only Teacher Hai could apply her acting skills so vividly to real life. "Xiao Hai, I bet that salesperson was thinking, 'Mainland girl, she must be broke! Trying to act rich when she can't afford it!' How about this—should we go back and buy it to slap her in the face?"

"She wouldn't dare! See if I don't tear her mouth off!" Hai Qing was fierce; she didn't fear any arguments. But she quickly reconsidered. "How do you know she was thinking that? Oh, I see. You just wanted to buy me that bag, didn't you?"

Faced with his scheme being exposed, Wu Xiang felt no shame. "I just thought that since we came all this way, it would be a shame to go back empty-handed. Besides, I've never bought you anything, except for that mountain bike."

"Xiao Wu." Hai Qing was deeply moved, but she didn't want anything from him. "I know your heart, and that's enough, really. You don't need to buy me this or that. I'm with you because I think you're a good person; I don't covet anything else. Besides, if you really bought that bag for me, wouldn't I become a kept woman?"

"Hehehe..." Wu Xiang laughed, laughing from the bottom of his heart.

In the future, people would be fighting to be kept by the wealthy, but the woman in front of him... perhaps that was exactly what attracted him to her.