Chapter 99: A Gift of an Airplane

Returning to the room, after a bath, I lay on the sofa, watching the various creatures swimming leisurely outside the window, feeling that the one hundred and ten thousand spent was indeed unique.

Tomorrow, we’re heading to the water park. I’ve heard they have many thrilling attractions—those genuinely dangerous ones should be left to Xia Long. After all, you can’t let the ace special forces soldier get too comfortable, can you?

The next morning, I woke naturally, had breakfast in the room, changed into suitable clothes, and made my way to the water park. The weather was ideal, a little over twenty degrees—perfect for water activities. The first ride was called the Tower of Poseidon, renowned as the test of true courage.

They strap you inside a fully enclosed slide, then suddenly the footplate drops away, sending you plummeting with a jolt, your screams echoing as you hurtle into the water chute, the rush of weightlessness taking you by storm.

Clenching his teeth, Zhuang Chen gave it a try. Good heavens, it was exhilarating—almost indescribably so!

Next was the Poseidon’s Leap: starting from a height of 25.1 meters, you leap into a nearly vertical water slide and, at a speed of twenty meters per second, shoot through a transparent tunnel. Sounds manageable—except that the tunnel is filled with sharks. As you speed through, still reeling from the adrenaline, you suddenly find yourself surrounded by a school of them...

Zhuang Chen smiled slightly. “Xia Long, it’s time to test your loyalty!”

Xia Hu watched his brother approach the summit with a face full of sympathy, secretly relieved. “You’re always so talkative—let’s see how you like it now!”

In the end, it was a letdown—nothing happened, all safe and sound. Ah, well…

Next was the Tidal Knight, a ride for three where you sit hand in hand on a round raft, shooting down the massive slide. After emerging from a dark tunnel, you immediately plunge into a vortex called the Eye of the Hurricane. Zhuang Chen nearly threw up!

Finally staggering out and catching his breath, he saw Xia Long’s gloating expression and snapped, “You two, go try the Twin Thunderbolt Slide. Whoever’s slower has to jump into the shark pool again!”

There was also the 1.8-kilometer Rapid River, the longest artificial river in the country, with multi-layered rapids that keep you spinning and shrieking in the water…

Floating along the transparent acrylic channel, you are treated to the enigmatic stares of passing sharks…

Then there was Surf Boy, a wave pool built at great expense, with professional equipment and instructors imported from Britain. Gritting his teeth, Zhuang Chen finally experienced the thrill of battling the waves.

He ended up swallowing so much water he was full to the brim—

—and promptly threw up!

Collapsing onto the beach, dizzy and faint, it took him over half an hour to recover enough to drag himself to the Dolphin Bay Theater for a much-needed rest.

Returning to the room, the butler recommended trying the AHAWA spa—the world’s only certified Dead Sea mud spa product. Overlooking the sea, relaxing body and mind, he finally felt alive again…

Atlantis, seven-star—truly magnificent!

Farewell, Sanya. Next stop, Guangzhou. As always, the rule stands: luxury residence it is!

A house in Guangzhou is a must—this is a paradise for gourmets, a gathering place for food lovers. Yi He Mansion: seven stories, a standalone villa nestled in the double 4A-rated tourist area of Baiyun Mountain and South Lake.

Two thousand square meters, with thirteen royal suite bedrooms, a private sky garden of five hundred square meters, banquet and conference halls both large and small, a cinema, leisure rooms, a wine cellar, cigar room, yoga studio, and three swimming pools.

The smart home system alone cost a hundred and fifty thousand—Li Chaoren uses the same. The Italian imported DeGao bathtub cost three hundred thousand, the Baoci smart toilet eighty thousand, and the Sanfanglia 24K gold faucets go for twenty thousand a set, reputedly crafted through a hundred and six procedures.

The villa sits on a prime lakeside corner, with the best view of South Lake and the layered panorama of Baiyun Mountain. The sales manager mentioned the century-old black pine at the entrance is worth four million.

The house was excellent, if a bit exorbitant—one hundred and sixty million. Seeing Zhuang Chen hesitate, the manager gritted his teeth and said, “With the house, we’ll throw in the latest Rolls Royce Phantom worth eight million, and a private helicopter valued at five million!”

Well, what could he do? Swipe the card!

The rest was secondary—the main draw was the private helicopter, his first ever. He had the manager handle the paperwork, arrange a pilot, and prepare for some aerial fun.

In the city, he ascended the neon-lit Canton Tower, the “Little Waist,” gazing down from four hundred meters up in the Baiyun Starry Sky Observatory. The moist air shrouded the distant, overlapping skyscrapers in a gentle haze; boats crisscrossed the river below, while traffic streamed nonstop across the Guangzhou Bridge. Landmarks like Zhujiang New Town, the central axis, and Haixinsha were all clearly visible.

Looking west from the tower, the vague silhouette of the White Swan Hotel could be seen. Every time Mr. Chua Lam visited Guangzhou, he insisted on staying there—a loyal patron for decades.

Entering through the hotel’s main entrance, lush greenery surrounded the area, waterfalls cascaded down, and a stone nearby bore the words “Water of My Hometown” engraved in traditional script.

Corridors were lined with green plants, and in the distance were waterfalls, rockeries, and pavilions—like a botanical garden built inside the lobby, lush and awe-inspiring.

Unlike the empty expanses typical of other hotel lobbies, here the two-tiered observation decks were packed with visitors, all taking photos in front of the “Water of My Hometown.” As the first five-star hotel of the reform era, it holds a unique place in the hearts of many Guangzhou residents, much like the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

In 1986, during her first ever state visit to China, Queen Elizabeth II stayed at the White Swan Hotel, where she was served authentic Cantonese cuisine.

In 1985 and again in 1993, President Nixon also stayed at the White Swan. In 1985, it hosted George H. W. Bush and his wife as well. Over the past three decades, it has received more than a hundred heads of state and royalty from over forty countries.

Before the reform era, no one in Guangzhou had ever seen a five-star hotel. The most luxurious were the Dong Fang Hotel and the Ying Bin Hotel. At the time, only foreign guests could stay at the Dong Fang, while the Ying Bin was reserved for official government guests.

Ordinary people had no chance of getting in. Passing by, they could only steal a glance—it wasn’t about money, but about status and access.

When Henry Fok invested in building the White Swan Hotel, he insisted all four doors be open to welcome guests from all directions. On opening day, the crowd nearly pushed the doors down. The lobby was packed, most people wore slippers out, and at the busiest times, the hotel collected baskets of shoes just from cleaning the floors.

Back then, not every family had toilet paper or clean, attractive restrooms, so the public washrooms became a hot attraction, consuming over four hundred rolls of toilet paper daily.

Most people didn’t come to spend money, but out of curiosity—after all, the average person couldn’t really feel the benefits of reform and opening up just from newspapers or television.

But when they stepped into the White Swan Hotel, the openness and beauty were tangible—something they could truly see and touch.

Booking the presidential suite at the front desk, everywhere you looked were displays—photos of the Queen’s 1986 visit, a fleet of brand-new Rolls Royces driving across half of Guangzhou, even the car the Queen had ridden in, the tableware, the menu—all still on view today.

The hardware can’t compare to the seven-star Atlantis, but amidst the antique charm was a sense of deep history. The service was warm and gracious, delightful in every detail.

But the main reason for coming here was breakfast—dim sum to the people of Guangzhou is what hotpot is to Chengdu, noodles to Suzhou, or mung bean juice to Beijingers—

A taste inscribed in their very bones!