Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 224 Meeting Friends in Central

December 25th of the lunar calendar, morning, Li Mansion, Repulse Bay

The telephone rang in the elegantly decorated living room of the Li mansion. A middle-aged maid in uniform quickly stepped forward and answered the receiver.

"This is the Li Mansion. May I ask who you are?"

A clear, young voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, I'm Lin Yan, a friend of Li Wenbin. Could you please let him answer the phone?"

"It's Young Master Lin Yan. I've heard the Third Young Master mention you. Please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch the Third Young Master right away." The servant put down the receiver and turned to walk upstairs.

At this moment, in the bedroom of Li Wenbin, the third young master of the Li family, the heavy curtains blocked out most of the sunlight, and he was fast asleep, nestled in the soft quilt. The knocking on the door only made him frown impatiently.

"Young Master, there's a phone call for you!" came the maid's voice from outside the door.

Li Wenbin mumbled something, turned over, grabbed a pillow and covered his head tightly, trying to block out the noise.

The person outside the door, clearly familiar with his habits, raised their voice, tinged with a mixture of helplessness and insistence: "Third Young Master! Get up and answer the phone! It's a call from a Mr. Lin Yan!"

"Huh? Lin Yan?" The head under the pillow moved, and the chaotic consciousness caught the familiar name. A few seconds later, Li Wenbin suddenly opened his eyes, froze as if he had been acupunctured, and then sat up with a jolt!

"Ayan called me?!"

He practically leaped out of bed, ruffled his hair which looked like a bird's nest from sleeping, and, ignoring his wrinkled pajamas, flung open the bedroom door.

The servants waiting outside the door only saw a blur before their eyes, and a gust of wind swept by. Their third young master had already rushed down the stairs like a cannonball, and his speed left them speechless.

Li Wenbin grabbed the telephone receiver from the coffee table in the living room and shouted breathlessly, "Hello! Ayan! Is that you?"

Lin Yan's teasing voice came through the receiver: "Wenbin, what took you so long? Are you still in bed?"

"Stop talking!" Li Wenbin wailed, collapsing onto the sofa. "Last night, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, I played mahjong with my grandma. Those old ladies teamed up and utterly crushed me; I almost lost everything! I was hoping to sleep until the end of time to win back my luck... Hey, right, aren't you in America? It's nighttime there?"

Lin Yan asked mysteriously, "I'm not in the United States. Guess where I am right now?"

"Huh? Not in the US?" Li Wenbin paused, his mind still not fully clear, and subconsciously repeated the question. Then, as if struck by lightning, he sprang up from the sofa, his voice instantly rising in unbelievable surprise: "Ahhhhh—! Ayan, you're back?! Are you in Hong Kong?! Wait for me! I'm coming right now!"

He slammed down the phone, not caring about his image, and turned to rush out the door.

The maid who had just brought over a glass of water saw him and quickly stopped him, both amused and anxious: "Oh dear, Third Young Master! What are you rushing off to? At least put your clothes and shoes on before you go out! What kind of behavior is this!"

Only then did Li Wenbin belatedly look down at his ridiculous pajamas and bare feet. A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face, but it was quickly overwhelmed by immense excitement. "I know, I know," he said, before rushing back upstairs to change like a gust of wind.

Hearing the urgent busy tone coming from the receiver, Lin Yan was first taken aback, then shook his head and chuckled helplessly.

"Wenbin... I didn't even say where we'd meet, and you just rushed out like that?"

He could almost picture Li Wenbin with his messy hair, wearing a haphazardly thrown-on jacket, rushing out of the Li family's door in a comical manner. To avoid his friend actually doing the heroic deed of searching for him all over Hong Kong in his pajamas, Lin Yan thought for a moment and immediately dialed another number.

This time, Zheng Jiaming answered the phone.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Jiaming, it's me, Lin Yan."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Zheng Jiaming's gentle voice, tinged with genuine surprise: "Ah Yan? It really is you! You're back in Hong Kong?"

"Yeah, just got back. To make a long story short, I just called Wenbin, and when he heard I was back, he got so excited he hung up before I could even finish telling him where I was and rushed out the door. I bet he's wandering around Repulse Bay like a headless chicken right now."

Zheng Jiaming chuckled softly on the other end of the phone, clearly familiar with Li Wenbin's style: "I understand. I'll go 'ambush' him near Li's house right now. Where should we meet?"

"The usual place, the tea house we go to in Central," Lin Yan said. "Thank you, Jiaming."

"Don't be so polite with me, see you in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yan asked Lin Gang to prepare the car and head to Central. It was a warm winter morning in Hong Kong, and the streets were already filled with the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year. He was in a good mood, and the thought of seeing his two friends soon brought a smile to his face.

On the other side, Zheng Jiaming acted swiftly, immediately driving towards Repulse Bay. Sure enough, as soon as he turned onto the road where the Li family lived, he saw Li Wenbin standing on the side of the road, wearing a clearly haphazardly put-together outfit, his hair still somewhat disheveled, looking around with a bewildered expression, as if wondering "where should I go?"

Zheng Jiaming parked the car smoothly in front of him, rolled down the window, and, suppressing a laugh, asked, "Third Young Master, which fairy are you waiting for?"

When Li Wenbin saw him, he was overjoyed, as if he'd seen a savior. He jumped into the car and exclaimed, "Jiaming! You've come at the right time! Ayan's back! He called me, but I forgot to ask where he was! Quick, drive, let's go find him!"

Zheng Jiaming slowly started the car, deliberately teasing him: "Looking for him? Hong Kong is so big, do you know where he went?"

"Huh? Then... what should we do?" Li Wenbin was dumbfounded.

"Don't worry," Zheng Jiaming said with a smile. "Ah Yan had already anticipated this, so he called me specifically to ask me to intercept you, you headless fly. He asked us to meet at Luk Yu Tea House in Central."

Li Wenbin finally let out a long sigh of relief, slumped into the passenger seat, and patted his chest: "I was so scared! I thought I was going to miss this meeting with Ayan! Ayan was so thoughtful, and Jiaming, you're really a good friend!"

When Zheng Jiaming's car stopped in front of Lu Yu Tea House, the two immediately spotted Lin Yan sitting by the window. He was wearing a simple light-colored sweater, looking relaxed, with several plates of snacks and a pot of steaming tea already laid out in front of him, and he was smiling at them.

Li Wenbin was the first to rush in, his voice booming, "Ayan!"

This drew the attention of other regulars in the teahouse. Lin Yan and Zheng Jiaming, who entered later, exchanged a smile, as if everything had returned to the days before he left the United States.

The three sat around a table, old friends reunited, and the atmosphere instantly became warm and lively.