Departing at midnight, after nearly twelve hours of flying, they reached Frankfurt for a transfer at six in the morning.
After a five-hour wait, they finally boarded the flight to Rome.
This time, they didn’t travel with the middle-aged woman, who was catching a direct flight to Milan.
…
“Mr. Lu! Miss Lin!”
Outside the airport, Tony greeted them with a broad smile, giving Lu Zheng a big hug.
“Thanks for the hospitality!” Lu Zheng’s sensitive nose twitched, but he quickly held his breath, feeling more at ease.
“Didn’t expect you to come to Rome,” Lu Zheng said.
“You’re my lifesaver. How could I just wait at home?” Tony laughed, stepping back. “I’ve booked a hotel. Want to take a nap? Twenty hours of flying isn’t easy.”
“Guest follows host,” Lu Zheng glanced at the four men in black suits behind Tony and the travellers milling around. “But we booked first class, so we’re not tired.”
Tony caught Lu Zheng’s look, shrugged, and said with a wry smile, “Companies with certain shady connections usually have this setup. It’s very common, though travellers from elsewhere might find it odd.”
Common?
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan exchanged a glance. Bodyguards for the wealthy were normal, but this common?
The West was indeed different from home…
Thankfully, the four bodyguards only looked intimidating. No guns were hidden under their clothes, or Lu Zheng would’ve questioned how much of Tony’s story was true.
He also noticed several Chinese onlookers staring in awe, some reaching for their phones.
“Let’s go,” Lu Zheng said helplessly.
He didn’t want him and Lin Wan appearing on short video platforms with captions like “Mafia boss inspects underlings.”
“This way!” Tony smiled. Two bodyguards tactfully blocked the onlookers’ view.
The other two took Lu Zheng and Lin Wan’s luggage, and they all reached a stretched Maserati by the roadside.
Tony’s butler, Anthony, waited by the car. Seeing them approach, he opened the door, bowed, and gestured, “Please!”
“Proper luxury!”
Lu Zheng climbed in, patting the rosewood armrest beside the leather seat.
“It’s the hotel’s car,” Tony said with a smile.
“Would you like a drink?” Anthony opened the car’s wine cabinet, looking at Lu Zheng and Lin Wan.
Tony turned. “It’s standard for the hotel. Tomorrow, back in Sicily, I’ll let you try my private vintage.”
“Whatever, we’re not fussy,” Lu Zheng told Anthony.
So Anthony poured them low-alcohol champagne, recalling they drank light fruit beer during a barbecue in Haicheng.
Lu Zheng glanced at Anthony, nodding inwardly. A professional butler, far sharper than Li Bo.
…
At the hotel, they dropped off their luggage and headed to the restaurant for a meal.
“Lu, what’s your itinerary these days?” Tony asked. “Any plans for other countries?”
On the phone, Lu Zheng had only mentioned their flight and staying two days on Tony’s private island, nothing else.
Because…
Lu Zheng shook his head. “No set plans. If we like a place, we stay longer. If it’s dull, we move on. Europe’s got plenty of flights, so it’s convenient.”
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan were travelling freely, going wherever felt right. If they wanted more, they could return for the Spring Festival holiday.
Hearing this, Tony gave a refined smile. “You might end up staying a full seven days on my island.”
“That fun, huh?”
Tony raised an eyebrow, proudly saying, “My private island’s in the Tyrrhenian Sea, northwest of Sicily, about a hundred nautical miles from the main island.
It’s got a mock-ancient castle and a manor, fully equipped with modern facilities, including a tennis court, golf course, horse stables, and shooting range.
Plus, you can dive, take a yacht out, or, if you fancy a gamble, there’s a helicopter to fly you to a cruise ship in the Mediterranean.”
…
Lu Zheng, “…”
Lin Wan, “…”
“You rich folks know how to live,” Lu Zheng said dryly.
In the modern world, he could already play at being a deity, thinking he knew how to enjoy life, but he’d never imagined setting himself up like this.
To him, living in a penthouse, driving a luxury car, eating whatever, and going wherever was already perfection.
Poverty truly limited human imagination…
Lu Zheng realised he still had much to learn.
Tony smiled faintly. “You could live on the island forever and not get bored. If I had to pick a place to be buried, it’d be my island.”
…
After lunch, Tony took them to Rome’s iconic Pantheon and Colosseum.
Vatican City was nearby.
Tony asked if they wanted to visit, but Lu Zheng wasn’t interested, so they skipped the famous city-state.
…
The next morning, they headed to a dock in Rome’s western suburbs, boarding Tony’s private yacht and sailing out to sea.
Then Lu Zheng and Lin Wan saw what a truly luxurious yacht looked like.
Compared to Tony’s, the so-called luxury yachts in films were positively pedestrian.
Sixty-six metres long, with five suites, equipped with a cinema, swimming pool, gym, billiards room, spa, and massage room.
Lu Zheng asked the price and was told two hundred million dollars.
The yacht was just a taster. Arriving at Tony’s private island, he eagerly showed them his castle and private estate.
Horse riding, shooting, diving, surfing…
For two full days, Tony was a warm host, and Lu Zheng and Lin Wan had a blast.
The island’s staff were overly enthusiastic, their smiles almost too perfect, but Lu Zheng figured it was due to their boss and didn’t mind.
…
“Thanks for the hospitality. Send us back to Rome tomorrow,” Lu Zheng said.
“Oh?” Tony looked up. “Leaving tomorrow already?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “We’ve tried everything, had our fun, time to go.”
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan sat side by side, across from Tony at a five-metre-long table adorned with flowers and candelabras, exuding formality.
Besides the staff, eight black-suited bodyguards stood expressionless around the restaurant.
It had been like this for two days, and Lu Zheng and Lin Wan were used to it.
Tony smiled. “I thought you’d stay longer.”
Lin Wan replied, “My holiday’s limited. I want to visit Milan and catch a match at San Siro.”
Tony nodded, wiped his mouth with a napkin, waved, and the staff left the restaurant.
“Lu, you saved my life,” Tony began.
“You’re too kind, you’ve thanked me plenty,” Lu Zheng waved it off, unbothered.
“So I brought you here to enjoy something you’d never otherwise experience,” Tony said, “as thanks for saving me.”
“Hm?” Lu Zheng’s eyes flickered, setting down his knife and fork.
Something felt off. Lin Wan frowned, glancing at the eight bodyguards, but they didn’t move.
Just a rich man’s superiority complex?
“I planned for you to enjoy five full days, but since you’re leaving, you’ve had your fill.”
Tony set down his napkin, saying matter-of-factly, “So, you can die without regrets, right?”
