Ch 13: The World’s Number One Resort

Half an hour later, Tang Huai and Hank arrived at Zócalo Square in Mexico City. Tang Huai looked around and then took out a tall advertisement board from the trunk. He unfolded the board and followed the flow of people to the northern side of the square.

There, many locals dressed in traditional Mexican clothing, wearing wide-brimmed hats, stood next to brightly decorated advertisement boards. These boards showcased popular tourist spots such as Tulum Ruins, the Sun and Moon Pyramids, and the ancient city of Uxmal. This area was a gathering point for travel agencies in Mexico City, much like specialized exhibition stands in China. As long as the destination was legitimate, and a fee was paid to the plaza management, anyone could set up a booth here.

Tang Huai, with his permanent Mexican visa, was practically considered a local. Although Sora Island now belonged to Tang Huai, it had previously been part of Mexico. The Zócalo management staff weren’t sure if Sora Island met the criteria for setting up a booth, but since Tang Huai had paid a significant amount for advertising, they turned a blind eye.

The booth was provided by the management. Tang Huai, with the number assigned to him, found his spot and set up the ad board beside it, thus creating a temporary tourist promotion point.

“Tang, is this really going to work?” Hank asked curiously as he watched Tang Huai set everything up.

“Let’s see how it goes,” Tang Huai replied, a bit uncertain.

The ad board and flyers had just been customized the day before. Now, since Sora Island was still desolate, the board focused on highlighting its few positive aspects. It featured a striking contrast between Blue Lake and the barren desert and included a simple description: “Sora Island, a dreamlike, uninhabited island in the Pacific, where everything awaits your exploration.”

This description was almost identical to the one Tang Huai had used back in Shengze, China. In fact, the Mexican version of the flyer was essentially a translation of the Chinese one.

Additionally, the board displayed pricing for the Blue Lake treehouse at 600 HXB per day, Blue Lake fish at 200 HXB per fish, and round-trip boat fares at $1,000. The system had shown the prices in Chinese yuan, and Tang Huai hadn’t changed them. The boat fare was agreed upon with Captain Reno. Since business was slow at sea, the Storm could take Tang Huai’s guests, but it required a minimum of five passengers for the boat to set sail—anything less, and the fuel costs wouldn’t be covered.

“It’s three o’clock now. Hopefully, we’ll get off to a good start today,” Tang Huai said after everything was set up, checking the time. It was summer, so in Mexico, the sun wouldn’t set until after eight.

“I’m sure it’ll be a great start,” Hank reassured him with a shrug. The two then sat by the booth, casually chatting. The northern side of Zócalo Square hosted around two hundred different booths, most of them run by local travel agencies.

Zócalo Square was adjacent to the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral and attracted more than fifty thousand tourists daily from around the world. Some of these tourists were with guided tours, while others were traveling independently—the primary target audience for the travel agencies.

…

“Sora Island? Is that a new Mexican tourist spot?”

Around six in the evening, Hank had taken on a translation gig, guiding a pair of Chinese tourists through the cathedral, leaving Tang Huai alone at the booth. As Tang Huai pondered whether to get a sandwich for dinner, a couple of blonde, blue-eyed tourists approached. From their attire and demeanor, they didn’t seem to be locals.

“It’s a newly developed island in the eastern Pacific,” Tang Huai replied, handing them two flyers in fluent English. Ever since unlocking the language proficiency skill, Tang Huai’s English had become increasingly polished. Hank had been curious about Tang Huai’s sudden improvement, but Tang Huai explained that he had studied English extensively in college. He hadn’t had much chance to practice before, but after spending some time in Hawaii, he had forced himself to get better.

Hank had given Tang Huai a thumbs-up, understanding the struggle—he had faced a similar experience when learning Chinese. It was all about overcoming it step by step.

“Is the Blue Lake treehouse the only feature?” one of the tourists asked after skimming through the flyer. The promotional material had listed all of Sora Island’s current offerings quite straightforwardly.

Tang Huai nodded.

At the moment, Sora Island was just beginning its development, with only the Blue Lake area unlocked. Tang Huai would have loved to exaggerate the island’s features, turning a simple hill into a natural treasure, much like some disreputable scenic spots in China. But not only would that risk ruining his reputation, the system also prohibited it.

Reasonable promotion was acceptable, but if he overhyped the island, it would count as “inductive cheating.”

“Sorry,” the tourists said, shaking their heads and handing the flyer back to Tang Huai. They were looking for a relaxing vacation, not a survival experience on a deserted island.

Tang Huai remained indifferent. After the pair left, he put the flyer back. That was the third group of tourists who had inquired, all with similar results—interested at first but losing interest after hearing about the limited offerings.

…

“Hey, are you from China?” A nearby African-American guy at a neighboring booth noticed Tang Huai and called out curiously.

“Yes,” Tang Huai replied, turning around. The man was from a travel agency called “Lonely Traveler,” located just six meters from Tang Huai’s booth. They specialized in two-day tours from Mexico City to Uxmal. From Tang Huai’s observations, Lonely Traveler had already made at least seven sales that afternoon, while Sora Island was barely getting any attention.

“My name’s Wells. Your Sora Island doesn’t seem very popular. Interested in joining Lonely Traveler? If you can help me land Chinese customers, I can give you a 2% commission,” Wells offered in a low, tempting voice, noticing how approachable and young Tang Huai looked.

Wells had struggled to sell tours to Chinese tourists, perhaps due to his appearance, so he figured Tang Huai’s friendly demeanor might do the trick.

“Thanks, but I’m not planning to leave just yet. Actually, Wells, if you could help me bring in—”

“Ding—Host lacks the required permissions. Offering tour commissions is considered inductive cheating. Please proceed with caution.”

Tang Huai had no intention of joining “Lonely Traveler,” but Wells’ idea gave him some inspiration. He had been thinking about hiring an assistant or something, but before he could even finish his thought, the system chimed in with a warning.

Tang Huai sighed internally.

“Sorry,” he finally said to Wells with an apologetic smile. With the system keeping a close watch, he would have to follow the rules and complete the task step by step.

“Lonely Traveler is always open to you,” Wells said, a bit disappointed.

After the interruption from the tourists and Wells, the time was already 7:30 PM. Many of the booths around him were packing up. Tang Huai decided to call it a day and return tomorrow.

“Hey, Tang!” Just as Tang Huai was taking down his advertisement board, Hank came over with an excited expression. Tang Huai paused his movements, noticing a couple in Hawaiian shirts trailing behind Hank.

“Tang, this is Mr. Xiao Shengguo and Mrs. Zhao Hongxia,” Hank introduced as he approached.

Hank had met the couple while buying a burger. They had previously taken a guided tour in Hawaii but had split from the group and ended up in Mexico. Unfortunately, they had hired a shady guide and parted ways after some disagreements, leaving them stranded with a language barrier.

They had been relying on translation apps for communication, and when they met Hank, who spoke Chinese, he had become their impromptu guide for the past three hours.

“They’re really interested in Sora Island,” Hank said, winking at Tang Huai. He had casually mentioned to the couple that he had a Chinese friend who owned a private island, and to his surprise, they expressed a strong interest in visiting.

“Haha, young man, I didn’t expect to see you again! What a coincidence!” Xiao Shengguo exclaimed with surprise as he stepped forward to hug Tang Huai.

It turned out Xiao Shengguo and Zhao Hongxia were the same couple Tang Huai had met in Hawaii—the ones who bought the coral necklaces. Now, over ten days later, they had unexpectedly reunited at the Mexico City Cathedral.

“It truly is fate,” Tang Huai smiled as he returned the hug. Ten minutes later, he had learned the whole story.

After parting ways in Hawaii, Xiao Shengguo and Zhao Hongxia hadn’t fully enjoyed their trip and, inspired by some “life is about traveling the world’s rivers” motivational quote, decided to keep going. They signed an independent travel agreement with their agency and headed to Mexico.

They planned to tour all of Mexico’s Mayan ruins to “cleanse their souls.” However, the guide they hired turned out to be a scammer who kept taking them to overpriced shops. Furious, they dismissed the guide and had been exploring Mexico on their own for the past three days. With a flight scheduled for the following week, they still had eight more days to go.

“Where is Sora Island? Will you be going with us?” After briefly explaining their situation, Xiao Shengguo glanced at the flyers on the booth and asked curiously. They were interested primarily because they trusted Tang Huai, and if he were going along, they wouldn’t mind booking a tour.

“It’s over 2,000 nautical miles from Mexico. There aren’t many attractions, and the round trip will take about two weeks,” Tang Huai explained thoughtfully. He knew Xiao Shengguo was asking out of a sense of connection between fellow Chinese, but he was honest about the island’s limitations. While the shared cultural bond was important, it was essential to be clear about the details, ensuring there were no misunderstandings.

“Are the photos real? No excessive editing?”

“They’re real, no Photoshop.”

“Are the fees transparent? Will the costs rise when we arrive, or will there be any forced spending?”

“Everything is upfront and clear.”

“Well, the flyer explains everything clearly, no worries then. We’ll just need to reschedule our flight.”

With a few simple questions and answers, Xiao Shengguo waved his hand confidently. Despite his carefree demeanor, years of experience in society had honed his ability to judge people. Based on his previous encounter with Tang Huai, he could tell Tang Huai wasn’t the type to trick or deceive.

Xiao Shengguo made up his mind, and Zhao Hongxia followed his lead without objection. Tang Huai smiled. Given the bad weather at sea, the trip wouldn’t happen immediately. They exchanged contact information, and Tang Huai planned to set sail in three days. If there weren’t enough passengers, he intended to cover the remaining costs himself, though he wasn’t sure if that would break the system’s rules.

Thinking about the system’s tasks, Tang Huai felt a bit of a headache coming on.

After saying goodbye to the couple, who lived nearby, Tang Huai packed up the booth and returned to the villa with Hank.

Hank had a movie night planned with his parents, and though Tang Huai felt a bit guilty for relying on Hank so much since arriving in Mexico, Hank rejected any offers of payment, seeing it as an insult to their cross-border friendship.

Tang Huai had no choice but to drop the subject. He considered getting his Mexican driver’s license and buying a car to make it easier to set up shop in the future. As these thoughts ran through his mind, the car drove back onto the Ring Road.

Hank’s family lived in the eastern part of Mexico City, in Oaxaca, about an hour and a half away. After Hank left, Tang Huai returned to the villa.

The villa was silent and felt a bit cold in its emptiness.

Tang Huai opened the fridge. He hadn’t eaten anything since lunch, and the fridge contained some canned fish, salad dressing, and a few other ingredients left by Zheng Cai’e.

After some thought, he took out some cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, and lettuce leaves, quickly preparing a vegetable salad.

Five minutes later, Tang Huai finished eating.

Looking at the remaining ingredients, his gaze drifted to the third floor. After some consideration, he prepared another salad. Apart from himself, there was still the “Mr. Yu” in the house…

Not long after, another fresh vegetable salad was ready. Tang Huai placed it on a tray and, mimicking Zheng Cai’e’s routine, made his way upstairs. His footsteps echoed softly in the hallway as he reached the carved glass door and slid the tray through the small door at the bottom.

Zheng Cai’e only delivered food once a week, so Tang Huai wasn’t sure if offering meals twice a day would even matter to Mr. Yu.

After completing this task, Tang Huai turned to leave.

As he departed, a figure stood hidden behind the greenery in the greenhouse, peering curiously through the carved glass at Tang Huai’s retreating form. Once Tang Huai was out of sight, the figure shifted its attention to the white tray at the door.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️