Codex of Ecstasy -
"Huh!? An engagement dinner? Sylvia, how did this happen?" Shawn Young immediately recognized Sylvia Snow's voice, and the news gave him quite a shock.
"Sob sob—Shawn, you already know about my dad's situation. The one-week deadline is here! I have no choice but to temporarily compromise with them. If you don't come and take me away, I'm doomed!!" Sylvia Snow cried, her voice trembling.
"What! Where are you now? I'll come over right away!" Shawn shouted anxiously.
"I'm... I'm at the Zeng Family Estate in the hills of Clearwater Bay. It's pretty famous around here! Today is my birthday, and they're throwing a party just for me. The Zengs want to use this party to announce my engagement to Damian Zeng! You need to come, quick! But—" Sylvia hesitated.
"But what?" Shawn pressed.
"To get in, you need a Zeng Family invitation or be someone important in Hong Kong! But you... you don't have either—what should we do?" Sylvia said anxiously.
"Uh—doesn't matter! I'll just head over first and figure it out. If I have to, I'll storm in and snatch you away!!" Shawn replied quickly.
"Huh? But there are guards at the gate and inside! You... you won't be able to get in! Even if you do, you can't get me out—" Sylvia exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Sylvia. I'll find a way—" Shawn said, hanging up. He was confident he could break into the Zeng Family Estate.
"Rachel, do you know the Zeng Family Estate in the Clearwater Bay hills?" Shawn Young turned and asked Rachel Sasaki beside him.
"Yeah, the Zengs of Grandtech Corporation are one of the most famous families in Hong Kong. Are you planning to go there now?" Rachel Sasaki already had a rough idea of the situation.
"Mm—yeah, I have something to take care of over there!" Shawn said vaguely.
"Hehe—are you going to snatch a girl!?" Rachel giggled teasingly. She'd already pieced together the gist.
"Uh—yeah, I am!" Shawn blushed and nodded.
"Oh—so, you mean... she's your girl too?" Rachel's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly recovered.
"Yeah, that's right. That woman belongs to me. I have to save her. Rachel, you know the way—take me there first, we'll figure out the rest when we arrive." Shawn told her.
"Okay—sure!" Rachel replied briskly this time.
With that, Rachel quickly went back, grabbed the car keys from Rainie Cheng, and hopped in the car with Shawn. They sped off toward Clearwater Bay.
About an hour later, they arrived at the luxury villa cluster in the hills of Clearwater Bay. This area is Hong Kong's most famous feng shui hotspot, packed with extravagant estates. Only the rich and powerful can afford to live here!
Following the winding road through Clearwater Bay, they soon saw a sprawling estate—the Zeng Family Mansion, Shawn's destination!
Rachel pulled up to the ornate iron gates of the estate. Beep—beep—the gates slowly opened, and she drove in. Inside was a wide asphalt road, and the car cruised further into the grounds.
Ahead was a huge plaza-style parking lot. Shawn looked around—wow, hundreds of luxury cars from all over the world: Ferraris, Bugatti Veyrons, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Mercedes, BMWs, Lincolns—it was like a global car show.
Beyond that stood a building like a European castle—elegant and stylish, classic Spanish Baroque architecture. The place was surrounded by gardens, sprawling lawns, and a dazzling array of flowers. In the center of the plaza was an artistic fountain with a Venus statue, and behind it rose the five-story Baroque mansion, with intricate windows and beautiful carvings—majestic and dynamic.
"Wow—this Zeng Family Estate is even more luxurious than I imagined! Rich people really live differently—" Rachel stuck out her tongue and laughed, then found a spot in the parking lot and parked the car.
At the entrance to the main villa, a steady stream of elegantly dressed men and women were showing off their golden invitations as they entered.
Shawn and Rachel got out, arm in arm, and joined the crowd heading for the door. They were dressed casually, but as a handsome guy and beautiful girl with great charisma, they easily stood out among the guests.
At the door, they paused. Outside was a carved iron gate that looked old, guarded by two huge, burly black men in suits and ties—each nearly two meters tall. They stood like twin towers, looking every bit like door gods.
"Uh—Rachel, why are the security guards here all huge black guys? They're massive—" Shawn wondered aloud.
"Uh—I have no idea! But if we want to get in, we have to get past them. We don't have an invitation, so... are we really going to force our way in?" Rachel shook her head.
"Yeah, looks like that's our only option now—" Shawn nodded.
"Heh, you guys don't know—they're not really guards, but greeters. In the US and some other countries, they're called 'bouncers'—big, black, and burly. It's meant to show how prestigious the guests are!" Suddenly, a familiar voice chimed in.
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
"Huh? Darren Yang? You—you're here too? And who's this?" Shawn turned to see Darren Yang, his old rival for Sylvia Snow.
What shocked Shawn even more was the stunning young woman clinging to Darren's arm—sexy, stylish, fair-skinned, and with a knockout figure. It was obvious they were close.
"Oh—this is Dawn Yuan, she's from the northeast, and she's my girl! Xiaodan, say hello to Mr. Young!" Darren introduced her.
"Hello, Mr. Young. Hello, Mrs. Young—" Dawn Yuan greeted Shawn and Rachel Sasaki politely.
"Oh—hi, hi—" Shawn and Rachel replied quickly. Rachel blushed when she was called 'Mrs. Young.'
"Heh—Boss Shawn—oh, Mr. Young, you already know about today's big event?" Darren Yang smiled at Shawn.
"Yeah, I just found out, so I came over. But we don't have invitations!" Shawn said bluntly.
"Heh—I've got one! I'll take you guys in with me!" Darren Yang said with a grin.
"Uh—wait, why are you doing this?" Shawn asked, puzzled. After all, Darren used to be head over heels for Sylvia Snow.
"Simple. First, by seniority, you're my elder. I'm with the Hung Brotherhood, and our rules say we must respect seniors. Second, I'm smart enough to know I can't compete with you for Sylvia, so I found Dawn Yuan instead. Plus, you're my dad's boss! No matter how you look at it, I have to help you!" Darren laughed.
"Oh, I see. But you don't seem to have any extra invitations?" Shawn realized, noticing Darren only had one invite.
"Heh—come on, I'm from a big family in Hong Kong. The Zeng Family Estate isn't that hard to get into! Even Gordon Zeng is polite to me, and his son Damian calls me big bro! I don't need an invitation. Just follow me—" Darren tossed his invite aside, grabbed Dawn's hand, and swaggered toward the entrance.
"Wow—didn't expect Darren Yang to have that kind of status! Let's ride his coattails and sneak in, hehe—" Shawn laughed, linking arms with Rachel as they followed.