Inside a suite at the Cloud Palace Hotel, four middle-aged men and women wearing fedoras or women's veils stood with Angie Perlis, enjoying refreshments served by a waiter, while watching the closed door to the living room.
A few minutes later, Song Tianyao came out, stood in front of the five people, opened his arms, and spun around in place.
Angie Perlis nodded in satisfaction and smiled at the middle-aged woman standing beside her, who wore long white gloves. "This is exactly what I wanted. Thank you, madam."
A felt hat with a folded brim, perfectly wrinkle-free; a black plaid suit that has recently become popular in London; a handmade tie; a shirt; leather shoes; a ring; a belt; a cigarette case; a watch; and a handkerchief.
The Song Tianyao standing before them was a completely different person from the one who had entered the living room, except for the gentle yet slightly cynical smile on his face, his yellow skin, and his black eyes.
"A five-hundred-pound suit, a seventy-five-pound tie, one hundred and twenty-five-pound shoes..." Song Tianyao took out a silk handkerchief from his suit pocket. "This little handkerchief alone is worth forty pounds."
"This isn't Hong Kong, this is London. You can't wear the same clothes you brought from Hong Kong as when you last met Hugh Beaver." Angie Perlis stepped forward to straighten Song Tianyao's collar, then reached out and touched Song Tianyao cheek. "Remember when I was in Hong Kong, you gave me some money to change my clothes? It's the same now, only reversed. In London, you have to look like, even if you're yellow-skinned, someone from the upper class living in West London."
Angie Perlis's hand slowly moved from Song Tianyao's face to his suit. The soft yet crisp black wool fabric covered the man's chest, with its stiff lapels and padded shoulders.
Song Tianyao lowered his head and lit a cigarette, then pulled Angie Perlis, who was checking her clothes, into his arms and looked at the four tailors opposite him:
"Thank you everyone, Miss Angie and I are very satisfied."
"These are your clothes, I mean, you should wear clothes like these, sir. You are now both stylish and elegant; you belong in London." The middle-aged woman seemed very proud of the clothes she had brought, even slightly raising her chin. "I even feel that you are the living billboard of my little shop, if you weren't Asian."
Angie Perlis immediately and subtly patted Song Tianyao on the back. Song Tianyao looked down at Angie Perlis, touched the back of her hand, and indicated that he was not angry because of the discrimination that the woman in front of him unconsciously revealed.
He had witnessed this kind of discrimination many times during his time in London.
From the initial waiter at the Cloud Palace Hotel to later high-society figures like Hugh Beaver, they tried to demonstrate their discrimination against people of Asian descent, against Asians, and against China person. However, they would always unconsciously or deliberately reveal a little bit of their prejudice, reminding you that you belong to London, but you are Asian.
When Angie Perlis took those people away and returned to Song Tianyao's side, she found Song Tianyao still standing by the window, staring blankly at the gray smog outside, seemingly unmoved by the discriminatory language.
With Dunhill cigarette dangling from his slightly upturned lips, he looked relaxed, radiating a surprising confidence.
Angie Perlis wouldn't be surprised if this confidence appeared in any other young person of Song Tianyao's age. However, Song Tianyao was not one of those young people who had never seen the storms of life. In the business world, Angie Perlis always subconsciously ignored Song Tianyao's age, treating him as a middle-aged man who was at least thirty years old. But middle-aged people often no longer have the vigor of youth.
"What were you busy with the past few days? While Mrs. Bess and I were attending those boring or tedious parties?" Angie Perlis walked over and stood next to Song Tianyao, following his gaze outside. "Or were you just standing here, admiring the London scenery, waiting for me to come back?"
"I went to some places. Mr. James from the Overseas Colonial Department of Shek Chi-yik was very kind to me. If it weren't for the terrible weather in London, I would have liked to stay a few more days. However, given that the weather doesn't seem to be improving anytime soon, so..." Song Tianyao shrugged, looked at Angie Perlis, and reached out to trace Angie Perlis's sexy red lips with his thumb.
"Go to Glasgow to visit your parents and family."
Angie Perlis looked at Song Tianyao suspiciously. She and Song Tianyao were so familiar with each other that they could predict each other's next ten sentences after just one. Song Tianyao's trip to Britain couldn't be as simple as just seeing his family and spending Christmas together. So Angie Perlis wasn't surprised at all that Song Tianyao was contacting James and Hugh Beaver in London, or even hiding in a hotel to write an article. The only thing that seemed suspicious to her was that Song Tianyao said he was going to visit his family right now.
"Real?"
Song Tianyao pointed to the bedroom door. "There are two plane tickets to Glasgow in the drawer of your dressing table. I had the hotel buy them for you. Around 3 or 5 pm, we'll be able to breathe some fresh air in a Glasgow restaurant. Also, I secretly asked Mrs. Bess to pick out a shawl for your mother, and I've prepared a small gift for your father as well."
"What time is it?" Angie Perlis glanced at Song Tianyao in surprise, then quickly went back to the bedroom and soon came out with the plane ticket and an expensive shawl in a gift box. "Is this a surprise for me?"
Song Tianyao glanced at his watch, casually stubbed out his cigarette, and walked towards the bedroom with Angie Perlis in his arms. "At 1:17 PM, we can go to the bedroom for a nap, and then head to the airport."
Angie Perlis pushed Song Tianyao away. "Good heavens, you're going to wear this outfit I carefully selected, not to a party in London to see James and Hugh Beaver, but to my bedroom? At least make sure it looks presentable in front of my parents!"