Each person carried a glass of wine and spoke to whomever they met. Miss Duan was naturally the first movie star to be invited. When she arrived at this event, she met both new and old acquaintances, and coincidentally—perhaps knowing what was going on—she ran into Jin Xiaofeng.
Mr. Jin, swirling a glass of wine, greeted them:
"Are you OK?"
Duan Pingting smiled sweetly:
"Hello. I missed the last birthday celebration because I got sick. I was afraid of spoiling the atmosphere, so I didn't dare to come. You're not angry, are you?"
He just curled his lip and said coldly, "Last time? Oh? Right, I didn't even notice?"
She was a little annoyed by his words. It didn't matter at all; it didn't prove her worth. She said:
"Sigh, I'm so busy filming, three movies in a row."
He said, "Yes, everyone is busy with their own things."
Wait, didn't he punish Tang Huaiyu for her sake? Yet he summoned Shi Zhongming:
"Zhongming, what time did I make an appointment with Mr. Wales?" Then the two talked for a few more minutes, without mentioning Duan Pingting.
Feeling awkward, she could only say:
"Mr. Jin, I won't take up any more of your time."
He just smiled faintly:
"When I have some free time, I'll invite Miss Duan to the racecourse to look at the diving boards. I recently bought a horse; it's a fine horse, and it won't graze."
Duan Pingting gritted her teeth. He had tormented her, yet he barely cared for her anymore. It was clear this was a game, and no one could win. His feelings for her had never been genuine; had he even become stingy with pretense? Duan Pingting felt utterly drained.
She understood, of course, but it was a matter of how long it would last; ultimately, it was a fall or being fallen. —Grabbing the other one was definitely a better deal.
Therefore, she must hear his personal promise before she is willing to devote herself to him.
She wanted him, but if things went wrong, what difference would it make from a frivolous affair? She didn't want any tests, trials, or deceit; she had neither the inclination nor the time. At this crucial moment, she identified her target and struck.
"Tang, all I want is for you to be with me. I don't care about who Miss Lai is or your past. I only care about the future. If you don't agree, then we're done. There's a saying: 'A good horse will eat the grass it has already grazed.'"
As he spoke these words, Huaiyu was only captivated by his first woman. He was simply too busy; he wasn't yet familiar with her body and couldn't possibly refuse her every word. He grew increasingly inseparable from her, and passionate, hopeful days lay ahead. Like a gentleman addicted to opium, he was sinking deeper and deeper.
She was very good to him.
She peeled and removed the pith from the orange, then put it naked into his mouth and asked, "Is it sweet?"
Huaiyu laughed, "It's too sweet." He had forgotten that Dandan had given him the same answer.
When Duan Pingting did this, she was also completely naked.
In a world of fragrances and all sorts of bath gels and perfumes from Europe and America, she loves taking a bath the most. Or perhaps, a beloved man could wash away the grime of the past, and day by day, she would return to her true self. To live a life that feels like a return to the past—that is a longing.
While supporting him, she herself stepped back, and eventually the two became a good match.
Li Shengtian was furious when he learned about Huaiyu's situation:
"This kind of despicable, ambiguous cohabitation is exactly what Shanghainese love to stir up, isn't it?"
“No, Master,” Huaiyu protested, “we’re just good friends. Can’t I even make friends?”
"Are there any good female celebrities? You're clueless and still want to get involved. You'll be ruined without even knowing it. And you still have the energy to go on stage?"
“I’m not going on stage anymore. I understand now that the road is made by walking. This is the path I’m destined to take: to die first and then be reborn. I’m not going back.”
"You're not going back! Do you know that? Jinbao isn't going back either. You're all up to something!"
"What? Jinbao isn't going back either?"
Wei Jinbao realized that Shanghai was different from Beiping; it was an open place where men and women shared the stage, and female performers were more popular than male performers. He then realized that this good fortune wouldn't last, and he didn't know when he would be out of the running. So, he steeled himself and began socializing, dealing with men who specifically wanted his kind of "manliness." He himself had his own thoughts on this:
"I was truly happy when I arrived in Shanghai. No officials forced me; it was all voluntary. Yesterday, a man tried to seduce me, but I ignored him. Oh, and when I asked, it turned out to be Young Master Li San."
Her mood was at ease. An indescribable allure emanated from her lap, even more captivating than in the performance of "Pointing at Jade Silver" on stage.
Every two or three days, they would say they wanted to perform at Ou Zhongjue's show, refusing to perform at the daytime shows of Happy World. The team was beginning to crumble.
It seems only Li Shengtian could resist—not because of his superior skills, but because all temptations were suppressed and didn't sway him. Those novice girls, however, each harbored their own ulterior motives.
Li Shengtian scolded Huaiyu:
"Huaiyu, I don't intend to go on like this, like a bottomless pit. You'd better turn back now!"
Despite trying to persuade her for half the night, Huaiyu wouldn't listen.
His master didn't understand him. Truly, he wasn't sinking, but seizing another opportunity to climb back up. He was determined to win at least once, his fighting spirit soaring. —Although his debut play, *The Burning of Pei Yuanqing*, told him that the young and impetuous general Pei Yuanqing was inexperienced and lacked strategy. Even when he defeated Xin Wenli at Wagangzhai, Xin had already planted gunpowder on Zhuiqing Mountain, luring Pei's isolated army deep into the mountains. Pei, overconfident, was surrounded by enemy fire and died without a burial place…
That was just a play.
That's not the case.
The reality is, "we'll see how things unfold," you live, I live, and Huaiyu thinks: I'm only twenty-one. — Everyone has their pride, but youth, once gone, is gone.
Li Shengtian tried everything, both soft and hard tactics, but to no avail. Since then, Master Huaiyu has become somewhat sluggish. He focuses all his attention on dealing with just one person.
However, Mr. Jin has no time to keep him within the limits. Today, Mr. Jin is meeting with a very troublesome foreign youth named Will Tu at Fengmanlou.
After Jin Xiaofeng started advertising his "artificial blood tonic" in English, his business boomed, making him a rising star in the pharmaceutical industry. While many others followed suit, his brand was innovative and original. He labeled the bottles with "Dr. Whales" and included a picture of a foreigner on the label, explaining it was a blood-tonifying formula from an American medical doctor. This gimmick attracted a large number of customers. Furthermore, Jin Xiaofeng distributed the medicine to many literary figures in Shanghai, giving each a bottle and a 200-yuan red envelope. They understood that praise from these figures was inevitable, with indirect advertisements appearing in newspapers such as "Restores my inspiration," "Replenishes my blood and energy," and "Famous medicine from a famous person."
Jin Xiaofeng made a fortune.