bacchusnovels Chapter 341 Your theory really works!
Chapter 341 Your theory really works!
The next morning.
Li Ze sat in the study of the manor.
He was holding a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
The first man pushed open the door and walked in, standing in front of the desk.
"Boss, our men in Han City just sent us photos and videos."
"The places you instructed me to renovate yesterday were completely redone overnight at the fastest speed."
As he spoke, the older man handed over the tablet computer he was holding:
"Look, this is the steamed bun shop near the university in Han City, and the old tin shed in that old residential area."
"Everything was aged to look like it did eighteen years ago. The tables, chairs, benches, even the little GG on the wall are exactly the same."
Li Ze put down his coffee cup, took the tablet computer, and began to examine it carefully.
The images on the screen were indeed very realistic.
The signboard of that steamed bun shop was peeling, and there were some oil stains on the table.
The tin shed was also rusty and looked very dilapidated.
These scenes almost completely overlapped with the images in Li Ze's memory.
The subordinates' execution ability is truly outstanding.
However, as Li Ze looked at it, his brows slowly furrowed.
He swiped around on the tablet a few times and looked at all the photos.
Then, he placed the tablet on the table.
He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
"Oldest one."
Li Ze sighed and said with a hint of helplessness:
"The people under my command are indeed very dedicated to their work, and their antique-finishing skills are quite good."
"But don't you think these things look very out of place on the streets of Han City now?"
"Now there are skyscrapers everywhere, and the streets are clean and tidy. Suddenly, a dilapidated steamed bun shop pops up, or a rusty tin shed is erected in the middle of a residential area."
"This looks too fake, too deliberate."
Li Ze shook his head and made a decision directly:
"No. This won't work."
When the old man heard his boss say this, he asked with some doubt:
"Boss, so what you mean is? You're not taking your wife to these places anymore?"
Li Ze stood up and walked to the window.
He looked at the bright sunlight outside and said with a smile:
"Of course I'm going."
"But I've changed my mind."
"You immediately notify the people in Han City. Remove all those artificially aged items and restore them to their current state."
Li Ze turned around, looked at Lao Yi, and explained very seriously:
"The plan I came up with yesterday actually had some problems."
"We wanted to move Ruoran through memories. But if I deliberately recreated the scene from eighteen years ago, it would seem like I was too scheming, like I was just acting."
"If she notices it, she'll think I'm just trying to force romance onto her with money."
"That's a poor choice."
Li Ze touched the string of beads in his hand, his tone becoming somewhat sentimental:
"In fact, the so-called memories do not mean that everything should remain unchanged."
"What's the most important feeling when revisiting a familiar place?"
"Things remain the same, but people are gone."
"It's the kind of situation where, even though the place has changed and the surrounding environment has changed, the person standing next to you is still the same person you always knew."
"This is what they mean by 'never again is the carefree life of youth.'"
Li Ze smiled and continued:
"Think about it."
"If I took Ruoran back to that noodle shop, it might have become a high-end restaurant or some other kind of shop by now."
"We stand right there, watching the changes unfold, and reminiscing about the days when we ate noodles in that run-down noodle shop."
"This sense of contrast, this sense of reality after eighteen years of trials."
"It's much more touching and more authentic than those deliberately aged props."
"If she is a very intelligent woman, what she values most is authenticity."
The old man listened quietly to Li Ze's words.
He was an emotionless cyborg.
But his database was rapidly analyzing the logic his boss had put forward.
After analysis, Lao Yi came to a conclusion.
The boss's current idea is indeed more likely to succeed than yesterday's plan to forcibly recreate the scene.
The eldest nodded very respectfully:
"I understand, boss."
"I immediately notified the city of Han and told them to stop the renovation work immediately and restore those places to their original state."
Li Ze nodded in satisfaction:
"Go ahead. Once you're done, get ready for the plane. We're heading back home this afternoon."
……
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
Li Ze and Zhang Ruoran sat inside a white Gulfstream private jet.
The plane has taken off and is flying smoothly over the Pacific Ocean.
Zhang Ruoran leaned back in the large leather chair, looked at Li Ze sitting next to her, and asked:
"Didn't you say you had important matters to attend to here? Why did you suddenly decide to go back?"
Li Ze picked up the juice on the table and took a sip.
He looked at Ruoran and answered in a very relaxed tone:
"Things are mostly settled. We can leave the remaining cleanup to Lao Yi and the others."
"Besides, didn't you say you missed Mengli and Menghan? I miss those two kids too. So let's go back early."
Zhang Ruoran smiled when she heard this reason.
"At least you still have some conscience."
"I wonder if those two little ones have been behaving well at school these past few days."
The two sat on the plane, chatting idly.
Time flies.
After more than ten hours of flight.
The plane landed smoothly at Seoul's Tianhe International Airport.
I came out of the airport.
We got into the bulletproof off-road vehicle arranged by the boss.
Li Ze and Zhang Ruoran returned to the large house in Beichen Garden.
It was already evening by then.
Mengli and Menghan were both at home.
They were both very happy to see their parents come back.
Mengli ran over, grabbed Ruoran's hand, and kept asking her all sorts of questions:
"Mom, is America fun? Is that giant dome really that big?"
Ruoran smiled and patted her daughter's hand:
"It's fun, really. But it's just something new to see. There's no place like home; it's always the most comfortable place to stay."
Meng Han stood to the side, looking at Li Ze.
He didn't speak, but there was a different look in his eyes than before.
He's been busy with his so-called startup lately, and he's eager to prove himself to Li Ze.
Li Ze just shook his head. This kid won't grow up unless he suffers a loss.
The family of four enjoyed a very sumptuous dinner at the restaurant.
After dinner, Mengli and Menghan went back to their respective rooms.
Li Ze and Ruoran sat on the sofa in the living room.
Li Ze glanced at the clock on the wall.
He turned his head and looked at Ruoran.
He spoke very casually, as if in a normal conversation, and began by suggesting:
"If that's the case, my stomach has been feeling a bit uncomfortable these past few days after eating Western food abroad."
"Shall we go out for a stroll tomorrow? Or try some authentic local food from Han City?"
Ruoran thought about the suggestion.
Anyway, she doesn't need to go to the store to work now, so she has plenty of time.
Moreover, I haven't had many delicious meals while I've been abroad.
She nodded:
"Sure. What would you like to eat?"
Li Ze smiled and said:
"I want to go and see that old street near our old university."
"I remember when we used to rent a place there, there was a small beef noodle shop on the corner. The beef noodles there were especially delicious, and the portions were huge."
"I wonder if that shop is still open. If it is, I'd like to go and have a bowl."
If Li Ze mentions the old street near the university and the beef noodle restaurant...
Her eyes clearly flickered.
That was a place deeply etched in her memory.
Eighteen years ago, when the two of them were dirt poor.
Being able to go to that noodle shop and eat a bowl of steaming hot beef noodles is the happiest thing for them.
Back then, Li Ze would always put some beef from his bowl into her bowl.
Thinking of this, Ruoran felt a surge of very complex emotions.
She looked at Li Ze and sighed softly:
"Eighteen years have passed."
"That old street was demolished and renovated a few years ago. Now many new shopping malls and office buildings have been built there."
"That noodle shop has long since moved to who-knows-where."
Li Ze heard Ruoran's words.
There was no disappointment on his face.
He replied very naturally:
"It's okay. Even if the noodle shop is gone, the street will still be there."
"Let's go over there and take a walk, just like taking a stroll."
"Maybe I can still find some familiar traces from the past."
Ruoran looked at Li Ze's expectant eyes.
She hesitated for a moment.
Actually, she was somewhat resistant to revisiting familiar places.
Because that feeling of being reminded of something by a certain scene often makes people feel very sad.
However, seeing Li Ze's enthusiastic expression, she didn't want to spoil his fun.
Ruoran finally nodded and agreed:
"Okay. Let's go check it out tomorrow morning."
Hearing that Ruoran had agreed.
Li Ze was overjoyed.
He silently said to Lao Yi in his heart: Lao Yi, your theory really works.