Ch 49: The World’s Number One Resort

An hour later, Tang Huai arrived at the Delicious Restaurant. The tunnel from Sora Town to Blue Sea Lake had now been completed, and the mountain tunnel had taken shape. Although there were still large rocks on both sides, riding a hoverboard through was not a problem.

With the opening of the tunnel, the distance between Sora Town and Blue Sea Lake had been reduced to seven kilometers, making travel much smoother.

“I’m sorry, I can get you a new one…”

“This is a limited edition; it’s not about compensation.”

“I’m truly sorry.”

…

Tang Huai parked the hoverboard and walked into the restaurant. At a table in the center of the Delicious Restaurant, a sweet-looking girl in a blue Lolita dress sat coldly.

At that moment, tears brimmed in the girl’s eyes, and she bit her lips slightly. Her expression and subtle movements showed that she was in an extremely bad mood. Hank stood next to the girl, his face full of apology. Aunt Miley and a few AIs stood at a distance, curiously watching the scene.

Across from the girl sat an elderly Mexican man wearing a fisherman’s hat, looking rather grumpy.

“What happened?” Tang Huai asked in confusion as he approached.

“Tang…”

Seeing Tang Huai, Hank shrugged and then pointed to the girl’s blue dress. It was only then that Tang Huai noticed a large smear of mud on the bottom of the girl’s dress, as well as a hole that seemed to have been torn by a stone.

Five minutes later, Tang Huai understood what had happened. The girl in the blue dress was named Zhou Zilin.

Hank and Zhou Zilin’s groups were originally scheduled to arrive in the afternoon, but due to the calm seas, both parties arrived half an hour earlier than expected. Hank and Zhou Zilin’s group disembarked from the ship simultaneously.

Zhou Zilin wore her beloved bridal Lolita dress and was eager to take pictures in the Blue Sea Forest. She walked ahead while her assistants carried her luggage.

Hank and his group arrived five minutes earlier and were picking up shells. Grandpa George, being older, had some trouble moving around. Just as Zhou Zilin passed by, George stood up, and the two collided.

Zhou Zilin’s outfit was complicated, and she fell to the ground due to the impact. Unfortunately, there was a small stone on the ground… and just like that, her sky-blue bridal Lolita dress was ruined.

The dress was a limited edition custom-ordered from abroad, and there were very few like it in the country. At least within their circle, the blue dress was one of a kind. Looking at the tear in her dress, Zhou Zilin felt like her heart was bleeding.

“We really didn’t do it on purpose.” After explaining the situation to Tang Huai, Hank turned back to Zhou Zilin. Strictly speaking, the incident was an accident and not entirely George’s fault, but seeing the dress torn and Zhou Zilin fall, Hank felt he needed to maintain a gentlemanly demeanor.

After Hank finished speaking, Zhou Zilin merely glanced at him without saying anything.

The atmosphere in the Delicious Restaurant grew heavy.

“Hank, bring me my backpack,” George said with a grunt, just as Tang Huai was about to say something.

They had brought two travel backpacks. Hank handed George his backpack.

George rummaged through it and pulled out a wallet.

“Here is a thousand dollars. Will that cover your dress?” The wallet was full of small bills. George counted them and then handed them to Zhou Zilin. Unable to understand English, Zhou Zilin looked up at Hank.

“Ahem.” Hank cleared his throat and translated George’s words. George was a stubborn old man. He used to be a sailor and was now retired. He couldn’t stand being idle, so to prove his worth, he had resolutely refused financial help from his son and grandson, relying on shining shoes for passersby to make a living.

Although Hank was a fisherman, his family was well-off. He had tried to stop George’s shoe-shining endeavors several times, but to no avail. In the end, Hank simply allowed George to pursue his hobby. It was George’s pride; the thousand dollars in his hand had all been earned by polishing shoes, one pair at a time.

Hank could tell that Zhou Zilin’s dress was quite valuable, but a thousand dollars was no small amount; he estimated it might be enough.

“A thousand? Ha, this dress costs twenty thousand dollars,” Zhou Zilin retorted, still fuming.

Hank felt at a loss for words. He wasn’t short on money, but spending twenty thousand dollars on a dress seemed far too extravagant…

“Hank?” George sensed the tension and asked in confusion, feeling a bit regretful for having picked up the shells earlier.

“The dress can’t possibly be worth that much. When we return to Mexico, we’ll find a tailor to repair it and then assess its value,” Hank replied to George in his usual tone before turning back to Zhou Zilin. “Ms. Zhou, I’d like to settle this matter privately.”

Zhou Zilin bit her lip and said nothing.

“Linlin, be good. Let’s settle this privately,” Gao Yun, though heartbroken for her daughter, responded sensibly. From her observations, she could tell that Hank and George were not bad people.

With Gao Yun’s words, the atmosphere finally eased a bit.

George didn’t understand Chinese, but he guessed that a thousand dollars for a dress might indeed be too much. He decided to follow his grandson’s lead and reassess the situation.

Tang Huai signaled to a nearby service AI.

“We currently have steamed blue sea fish, vinegar stir-fried cabbage, tomato scrambled eggs…” The service AI handed over the menu with keen awareness.

After the earlier confrontation, it was now 11 a.m., the usual mealtime.

“So expensive?” Gao Yun exclaimed in surprise as she flipped through the menu and saw the prices.

Gao Yun wasn’t short on money, but a hundred dollars for a serving of tomato scrambled eggs was just too much!

“Linlin, do you want to eat something?” Gao Yun pushed the menu toward Zhou Zilin.

“No,” Zhou Zilin replied decisively. Knowing that Tang Huai and Hank were acquainted only worsened her impression of the Great Tang Resort.

Zhou Zilin felt utterly wronged. She would rather starve than eat at the Delicious Restaurant.

“Hello, I am Tang Huai, the manager of the Great Tang Resort. We can go to the treehouse to settle down first; there are cookies and bread available there,” Tang Huai suggested after observing the situation for a while. He had been there for half an hour but had yet to formally introduce himself.

“Gao Yun,” she replied listlessly, her entire focus on her daughter.

Tang Huai paid no mind. After a brief rest, Zhou Zilin went upstairs and changed into a more casual outfit: a jacket and jeans. Then the group headed toward Blue Sea Lake.

The underground tunnel was now partially open, allowing them to pass through on hoverboards.

“Manager Tang, your resort’s transportation is really unique,” Gao Yun joked as she looked down at the hoverboard. Ali had taken their luggage ahead.

The hoverboard was easy to operate; you just had to stand on it.

“Sora Town is still under construction. Once it’s completed, there will be sightseeing buses,” Tang Huai explained with a smile. Sora Town was bustling with activity, giving off a somewhat chaotic impression.

Gao Yun smiled back. Although she doted on her daughter, she was once a businesswoman in her own right, and socializing was second nature to her.

After a few more exchanges, Tang Huai glanced back. Hank was nervously watching his grandfather’s driving skills. When he noticed Tang Huai’s gaze, Hank looked up and gave a helpless smile.

Tang Huai gestured with an ‘It’s okay’ sign.

Zhou Zilin remained silent.

And so, they passed by the hardworking camouflaged laborers on their way to Blue Sea Lake. Although not much was said, everyone knew that before leaving Sora Island, the matter of the blue dress had to be resolved.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️