Liss’s words were out.
Zhang Wei waved his hand, refusing, “No, no, no need. I have a girlfriend, so it’s not called trying something new for me, it’s called cheating. If I get caught, they’ll break my legs.”
Despite being rejected, Liss’s bright blue eyes shone even brighter. “Mr. Zhang is such a good man. I like you even more. It’s okay, this is my number.”
As she spoke, she took Zhang Wei’s phone and dialed a number. With a charming smile, she said, “Mr. Zhang, this is my phone number. If you want to try something new, you can find me. I’m always available.”
“Sure, sure.”
Zhang Wei considered the phone number and decided not to refuse it. Having an extra contact was better than not, especially since she had been haunted by a ghost.
Along the way, Zhang Wei and Liss chatted. He told Liss about ghost exorcists, and Liss told Zhang Wei a lot about herself, like what kind of skills she had and how proficient she was.
After a while, the plane arrived in Hawaii.
United States, Hawaii Airport Departure Hall.
As soon as he walked out, Zhang Wei saw a woman dressed in professional attire waving at Liss.
Seeing this, Liss casually said, “Mr. Zhang, my colleague is here to pick me up. Do you need me to ask her to drive you to the hotel?”
Zhang Wei nodded, “No, thank you for your kindness, Miss Liss. I can get there myself. Miss Liss, you still have work to do, you should go and get busy.”
Zhang Wei had learned on the plane that Liss was on a business trip to Hawaii and that a colleague would pick her up to discuss work matters. He didn’t want to disturb her work, and besides, he wasn’t here to pick up girls, but to vacation.
However, before leaving, Zhang Wei called out to Liss and, after thinking for a moment, asked Liss to extend her hand again.
“Ding! Awarded Liss 1 system point.”
The system prompt sounded. To avoid suspicion, Zhang Wei pretended to make a few gestures on Liss’s hand, mimicking the style from Lin Zhengying’s movies. “Alright, Miss Liss, you can go and get busy. You don’t have to be afraid of encountering ghosts. I’ve given you some minor protection. Of course, if you do encounter a ghost, you still need to tell me immediately.”
Zhang Wei had originally planned to give Liss a figurine. But considering they were at the airport with people all around, opening his suitcase in public would surely be seen by many. With a suitcase full of figurines, not only would he be embarrassed, but if people thought he was selling them and came up to buy them, it would be even more awkward. So, he changed his strategy.
“Wow, thank you, Mr. Zhang. Now I’m not scared anymore.” Liss, fully embodying the enthusiastic foreigner, kissed Zhang Wei on the cheek to show her gratitude.
Afterward, seeing Miss Liss off, Zhang Wei didn’t linger. He walked to the airport exit, got into a taxi, and told the driver in fluent English to take him to a nationwide chain of star-rated hotels. As a graduate of a prestigious university with memories from his past life, Zhang Wei’s English proficiency was very high, allowing him to communicate without barriers. This was also why he dared to travel to Hawaii alone, unafraid of the trouble of language barriers.
“First, I’ll check into the hotel, then I’ll go for a walk and see what local specialties there are. I’ll buy some for Xiao Xue, Xiao Mantou, and Zhang Chao.”
As Zhang Wei muttered his plans for the day, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was a call from his dad. Upon answering, a voice came through that, while possessing the charm of a mature man, was utterly immature in content, appearing rather silly.
“Yo, son, picking up the phone so quickly? As expected of the carbon-based life form I created through continuous high-speed collisions and persistent cultivation. I knew you valued your daddy. Daddy loves you.”
Facing his dad’s words, Zhang Wei immediately retorted, “You’re an idiot.”
“I only call you once every few months, and you start by calling your dad an idiot. But it’s okay, you can curse me. Cursing me is like cursing yourself. You call me an idiot, so what are you? An idiot’s son, haha. It feels good to be a father.”
After a brief greeting, his dad asked on the phone, “By the way, son, have you arrived in Hawaii?” Although usually silly, Zhang Wei’s parents still worried about him when it mattered, as traveling abroad alone was naturally a cause for concern.
“Yes, I’m on my way to the hotel now,” Zhang Wei replied.
“That’s good. Son, if you feel unfamiliar with places while traveling in Hawaii and don’t know where to go, you can find the hotel manager, Wiseman. I met that manager when I was in Hawaii, and we have a good relationship. You can mention my name, and he can be your guide.”
“No need. I’m already twenty years old, I don’t need a guide when I go out.”
“That’s my son, self-reliant and strong. So, I’ve asked your mother’s concerned question, and I’m also concerned. But now, let’s move on to my second question.” His dad paused and then asked with a憨 smile, “Son, remember to go to the beaches in Hawaii. There are many girls in bikinis there, and they are very open. The girls there are different from our Great Xia girls’ shaded paths; they are like Roman avenues. Remember not to cause any accidents, I don’t want to have a mixed-race grandson.”
“Dad, be careful what you say, or Mom will hear you and beat you to death. I don’t want to lose my father so soon.”
“Ho ho ho, don’t worry, don’t worry. Your mom is taking a bath, she can’t hear you.”
“No wonder you’re so fearless. But Dad, I’ll pass on your suggestion. Although I already met a foreign girl on the plane, and she’s probably what you call a Roman avenue.”
“What? Really? You haven’t even landed in Hawaii yet, and you’ve already hooked up with one? Tell me quickly, what was the result? You said you were going to the hotel, don’t tell me you’re not checking in, but booking a double room.”
“Not to that extent. I righteously refused.” Zhang Wei said, seemingly anticipating his father’s next words, and preemptively stated, “Don’t ask why. If you ask, it’s because compared to the saying that all roads lead to Rome, I prefer the solitary shaded path.”
In his words, Zhang Wei thought of Xiao Lin and Lu Lianxue, their desirable shaded paths, which were covered in white frost every morning and evening these days.
A moment later, Zhang Wei finally hung up with his dad when he arrived at the hotel. He looked up. The hotel was huge, at least dozens of stories high, with grand and luxurious decoration. Seeing the hotel’s exterior, Zhang Wei understood why Liss said the hotel was hard to win as a prize; such a high-class hotel would surely be difficult to obtain as a prize.
A short while later, Zhang Wei completed the hotel check-in, put down his suitcase, and left the room, ready to explore Hawaii. However, before leaving, Zhang Wei didn’t forget to open his suitcase and look at the figurines piled inside. He didn’t want to go out empty-handed, in case he encountered a ghost, especially with Zhang Chao’s jinxing. So, he decided to bring a figurine with him.
“Which figurine should I choose?” After thinking, Zhang Wei hesitated for a moment, then decided to close his eyes and reach for a blind grab. He then casually picked one up and opened his eyes to look. Zhang Wei couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. “Huh? I actually got this kind of figurine?”
He saw that in Zhang Wei’s hand was a figurine of an old man, with white hair, wearing small round-rimmed reading glasses, a white shirt with a yellow vest, dark blue pants, and brown leather shoes. It was a figurine of Jackie Chan’s dad from the anime “The Adventures of Jackie Chan.”
As if thinking of something, Zhang Wei said with a wry smile, “Is this fate? I just finished talking to Dad on the phone, and then I picked up a Jackie Chan’s dad figurine?”