Chapter 540: Chapter 447 Longing_1 Everyone returned to Hua Dongfang’s shop with their own thoughts. Tang Kai saw Hua Dongfang’s strange smile, knowing that Hua had misunderstood, thinking that he was the one handling the situation just now. However, Tang Kai didn’t explain. It was not something that could be easily clarified. He couldn’t possibly shift the blame onto Tang Qing. That would only bring his friend into the picture and complicate the situation. So Tang Kai chose to remain silent and let Hua Dongfang think whatever he wanted. Glancing at the ever-cheerful boy beside him and recalling Tang Qing’s sudden change from ’innocent’ to ’confident and fearless’, Tang Kai felt a bit unreal. The fact that he could casually let a Thai police officer enter without hesitation or even demand for them to record a statement, allowing them to leave without questioning anything, as if they were non-existent, was unbelievable. It was as if the whole incident had suddenly come to a halt with the hit of a brake. They were completely unprepared for it. It felt like reading a fragment of a novel – no, stranger than that. At least a fragment of a novel can be continued and resolved in the next Chapter. This was as if the author had, without any segue, suddenly shifted the story to: Xiao Ming cheerfully went out and spent all his money on a lollipop. On his way home, he saw his crush Xiao Hong from his class. Just as he was planning to give her the lollipop, then... Xiao Ming died abruptly. The entire incident was just that ’jumping’. It was rather suffocating to dwell on it. Tang Kai planned to ask about it later. Even though he already suspected and was sure of certain things, he preferred having Tang Qing admit it. At the same time, he was extremely curious about the power of Tang Qing’s hidden ally, which was a great source of unease for him. Fear comes from the unknown. Tracing origins. It’s human nature. The clever Lin Jiaxue seemed to understand something. But she didn’t ask or overthink it, or show anything. If Tang Qing wanted to share, he would tell her. If he didn’t want to, she didn’t have to know. A woman only needs to know that the man in front of her loves her. Men on the outside, women on the inside. Being with Tang Qing was all that mattered. Everything else really didn’t matter. Among this group, only the blunt Li Kai fully believed in Tang Qing’s ’cock and bull stories’. "Old Tang, today was so thrilling. I thought we were going to end up at a police station in Thailand." Once they had walked a good distance away and saw that no Thai police were following, Li Kai said with lingering fear. Having almost ended up in a police station, and in a foreign country at that, was so thrilling that Li Kai knew he could boast about it for decades. "Do you really want to go in and take a look?" Tang Qing chuckled by his side. Li Kai shook his head vigorously, saying, "Do I look like a fool? Who the hell wants to go in there? It’s just that I never thought the tour guide would be so heartless. He scammed the tour group three times and possibly even a fourth or seventh time. I’ve decided that I will never join any tour group when I travel. It’s like I’m paying to be wronged. They don’t even appreciate you, and just see you as a sheep to be sheared. It just feels so distraught." Tang Qing nodded and replied, "That’s true. But there are benefits to joining a group tour too. It’s more convenient and you don’t have to arrange your own meals, accommodations, and transportation. They will take care of everything for you. Paying a little more is not a problem, but treating tourists like sheep waiting to be shorn is just too much." There are many advantages to group tours; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so popular. But domestic travel agencies and tour guides vary in quality and character, which makes it difficult to regulate the tourism market. Travelling often depends on luck. Sometimes, having a tour guide is necessary. Take, for example, visiting a historical site like the three-star mounds or the Terracotta Army. Without the narration from a tour guide, all one sees are broken stones, pieces of tiles, and terracotta figures. It’s not interesting, and the embedded culture and history are what should be appreciated. When viewing such long-standing heritages, a guide is a must; otherwise, it’s just attending a bustling scene. "The local tourism department should really step in," said Li Kai, discontented. "It’s not that they don’t want to, but financial interests sway people. Even if they want to regulate, they can’t possibly oversee everything. Tourism boosts the local economy. When the locals make money, consumption is stimulated. As long as the actions aren’t too outrageous, they tend to look the other way. Unless something happens that badly affects local tourism revenue, the motivation for regulatory bodies to step in is not sufficient," Tang Qing explained, shaking his head. Tang Qing had thought about how to resolve the chaotic tourism situation as he too had been cheated before, but had discarded that impractical idea. He is not a god who needs to meddle in everything, big and small. With matters concerning right and wrong, life and death, such as reuniting families, philanthropic foundations, and acquiring insurance for a seriously ill child, he could interfere. He would do so without consideration for cost or sacrifice. But he would be going too far if he interfered in matters like tourist frauds, or setting up a tourism company that won’t scam customers. In matters concerning right and wrong, he could contribute selflessly, even financially. But for economic disputes and interest-related issues, he had no interest in intervening. He would rather leave it to market economy, public opinion, and state tourism regulatory bodies. The issue involved not only individualinterests, but also the interests of large companies and local tourism economy, making it very complex. Take, for example, house prices. Indeed, they are exorbitant and were something he complained about in his previous life. But it’s not realistic to suppress and control real estate prices just because they are high in this life. There is a high population, a low amount of land, high land prices, and a rise in labor costs, so house prices can’t help but increase. Supply and demand decide the market. There are deeper considerations involved here – it affects various interests and involves complicated maneuvering, it’s not just about the money. At most, he could build more houses to rent in the future; otherwise, it’s unthinkable how high the housing prices in Huaxia could go, with no available land for development. Only when city population growth slows down or decreases, can the real estate prices in a region be truly affected. "Of course, they all have their own agendas and economic calculations. It’s frustrating that those who get hurt are the ones who just want to have a good time. It’s so annoying. If possible, I want to start my own travel company in the future to make a reasonable profit without cheating anyone... What do you think?" Li Kai said enthusiastically. "That’s possible. But you should wait until after your graduation," Tang Qing responded, nodding. "But that’s four years away. That’s too long. I can’t wait. I need to talk to my dad about it. I want to start my own business during my junior and senior years." Li Kai replied passionately. "Haha, you want to start a business? That’s good. Start small and work your way up. For example, how about setting up a fruit stall at school during your first year?" Tang Qing responded, laughing. Li Kai shook his head continuously, saying, "No, I want to sell accessories and stuff like that. It is easier to do business with women." "Up to you." Tang Qing said, just teasing. It didn’t matter what Li Kai did, as long as he enjoyed it. In his past life, Li Kai, who came from a rich family, also tried investing, like in films and online video sites. It cost his dad tens of millions, and the movie he invested in didn’t even get a chance to hit the big screen. It could only be uploaded to a video-sharing site. "Old Tang, do you want to join me? You can sell clothes, right?" Li Kai suggested, referring to the Sheng Tang Group. "...I won’t do it." Tang Qing was rendered speechless. He wouldn’t sell Sheng Tang’s clothes on a roadside stall; he would rather sell his own paintings on the street. With his sketching skills, there would definitely be people willing to pay thirty to fifty bucks each. This was Magic City, and it’s not like they lacked wealthy people; he could easily make hundreds or even thousands a day. "Sigh, it figures. You’re already past the initial stage of wealth accumulation. I feel sorry for myself because I still have a long way to go. I need to work part-time just to earn my allowance. Old Tang, I hope you will support my business in the future." Li Kai pouted. "Okay, but only at cost price." "Then how am I going to make a profit? Stingy." "We’re friends. Are you going to be okay with taking my money?" "Of course, I don’t mind." "..." After their tease-filled conversation, they started talking about their future college lives. Li Kai’s mind was filled with anticipation. He was looking forward to finally breaking free from the overbearing control of his father Li Jianguo, and being able to ’fly’ freely. He could spend time in his own little world with his girlfriend while making some money on the side. On the other hand, Feng Sen was thinking about studying hard, joining clubs, and making friends with influential people. He didn’t have much of a choice for his future as he would likely follow Feng Hai’s wishes and enter politics. For this reason, his father got him admitted to Shuimu University in Beijing through the Dou Family. Beyond that, Dou Jiao’s father was a director at the Ministry of Education. Although it was slightly difficult to get Feng Sen admitted to Shuimu University on account of his average grades, it was not impossible. As for Tang Qing... He too was considering how he would spend his university life. Study was not going to be a problem at all. He shouldn’t spend all his leisure time rolling in bed sheets with Lin Jiaxue. He should find some more things to do. He didn’t know, yet, what those things would be. He was not in a hurry to decide, he would think about it after starting university. His only expectation from university life was to spend time with Lin Jiaxue. He had spent seven years in university in his previous life. The campus life was amazing, unrestricted, but it didn’t carry as much novelty for him now. Although university life was relaxed, Tang Qing had been working for many years in his previous life. Even after his rebirth, his life had remained busy for the past six months. He soon got used to it. His thoughts were now on the future development of his companies, which industries to explore, cooperation with the government, the Asia Dollar layout, stealing production materials, etc. These days, he had these thoughts in his head all the time. It was quite bothersome, but fulfilling. He loved this lifestyle. Before long... They returned to Hua Dongfang’s store, where they picked up their stuff and prepared to leave. Of course, no money was exchanged. It was then that Tang Qing found out Hua Dongfang was also attending the wedding at noon. It was not surprising, given that Bangkok was not that big and the wealthy Chinese knew each other. The group got into the car. And headed for the site of the wedding banquet. The wedding was at a somewhat large manor on the outskirts of Bangkok. It was obviously a Western-style wedding. Seeing this, Tang Qing decided he would have a Chinese-style wedding when he marries. He preferred the vibrancy of rich red traditional Chinese weddings. PS: Chapter one.