“No,” Duan Niangshuai smiled calmly, “I still want to finish watching the play.”
"Are you really going to see the show end?" Mr. Jin smiled again, his expression remaining impassive.
"Of course, the show must go on. Does the audience not feel satisfied, so they're going to jump off the Huangpu River?"
"Not everyone can jump into the Huangpu River. Outsiders aren't allowed to. Hahaha!"
She glanced at him: "There's always a way out. I've never been interested in that. Jumping off the Huangpu River? You're kidding!"
Jin Xiaofeng took a puff of his cigar, and you had no idea what he was thinking. He said, "Let's watch the show, let's watch the show."
On stage is on stage. Even the most valiant general on stage can only somersault in his palm. How can he protect the flower? He can't even protect himself. How can she feel at ease? He can't even protect himself.
Was Duan Pingting "unwilling" to leave? Or "afraid" to leave? Jin Xiaofeng understood perfectly well: once he had a woman, she could no longer be so arrogant and self-possessed in front of him. If he couldn't have her, she couldn't guarantee when she would be abandoned. —Indeed, it's strange, no woman in this world can last forever. A face flashed before his eyes, small, white as an oval seed, and suddenly, caught off guard, she drew a bloody cross on it…
Jin Xiaofeng felt endless humiliation; he could never get any woman to be with him forever.
So I said I didn't want it early on.
Even if I don't want it, I won't let anyone benefit from it.
He scoffed, "Does he even want this Shanghai port?"
Consort Duan maintained her graceful posture until the night's performance ended.
The first night, the second night, the third night. Tang Huaiyu insisted on not cheating, swallowing his pride and blood. He was innocent, yet he would be reduced to a life of utter destitution. How naive he was. It was simply a fit of pique.
Everyone in the class was on edge. Even the slightest hint of scandal was being spread around. Everyone knew they were "famous figures in Shanghai"—though they didn't hold high office, everyone respected them and acted according to their wishes, especially in the foreign concessions. And in a city as large as Shanghai, the total number of such people was at most twenty. Huaiyu couldn't afford to offend them. Master Hong begged Huaiyu to go and apologize, and to become his disciple. Otherwise, he'd be trapped with no way out.
Tang Huaiyu sat in a box seat backstage. Though he had always been as arrogant as a stone, his gaze always level or looking down at someone, he had once received many lavish gifts from the same seat, gifts that stung slightly. This gift, too, was truly "heavy." His tightly clenched lips curled into a pursed lip, seemingly trying to conceal his unease, but his expression remained firm.
"He thinks highly of me, considering how much trouble I went through just now. What do I have to offer?"
The troupe leader advised:
"You swallowed your anger for a moment, and you quelled his anger for a lifetime. Once you cross the sea, you're in heaven. Hey, if you don't go, what will happen to my shift? Forget Shanghai, even the ports after that..."
For the sake of the bigger picture, Li Shengtian had no choice but to reprimand him:
“Huaiyu, you always talk about what you have. He thinks you're superior, so why did you offend Mr. Jin? You're like a phoenix embroidered on a shoe, you can walk but not fly. And you can only leave if he tells you to.”
Finally, out of desperation, I forced him to:
"Go and submit a letter of invitation to become my disciple!"
Huaiyu was so angry that she clenched her fists until her claws pierced through.
It wasn't him who provoked her; she was the one who wanted him, yet she had to sacrifice her self-respect. She didn't understand what kind of trap Shanghai was. He knelt down before Li Shengtian.
"Master, I already have a master. I won't go! Don't force me!"
Everyone came to comfort him:
"If we just look up and make a show of it, do we really have the time to train them?"
Li Shengtian knew he was in a difficult position:
"It's not for you or me, it's for everyone. They're going in a new way, not following those old, rigid examples. It's just a formality."
Jin Mansion.
In the center of the hall stood a grand chair draped with an embroidered red satin shawl, flanked by brightly lit red candles. Jin Xiaofeng, surrounded by several of his eldest disciples, took his seat.
First, a well-dressed bank comprador, whose father was a major shareholder of the bank, was brought in. He solemnly bowed deeply and kowtowed four times, then bowed deeply to the senior members of the bank on either side. Mr. Jin remained unmoved, sitting calmly and accepting the greetings.
Shi Zhongming accepted the student's invitation, then smiled and said, "5!" before leading it aside.
The reason Mr. Yu bowed his head was because he wanted to start a business, but since he couldn't control his own destiny, he entrusted everything to his powerful backer. The generous gift he gave was "dry shares" in a bank. In order to make the industry he wanted to start more secure, he also became a disciple of Mr. Jin, treating him with the respect due to a teacher. In this way, Mr. Jin would step in to help him.
In his career, Jin Xiaofeng's name inevitably appeared on the board of directors' list that year, playing the leading role.
After taking on this apprentice, three more came in succession, including Mr. Lei, who came from a private school in Hankou.
People arrived, and so did the gifts. A fiftieth birthday is nothing short of a golden opportunity for flattery. Military, government, police, party, labor, business, and other social elites all give this courtesy. Mr. Jin always says;
"From now on, we're family. If you need anything, you can talk to Zhongming Shilin. Come over to play cards and listen to opera whenever you have time."
Why pray to a Bodhisattva when you can pray to a lesser demon? This is why the ceremony for accepting disciples flourished.
It was Tang Huaiyu's turn.
The troupe leader first prepared an eye-catching gift for him: porcelain figurines of the three ranks of Fu (福, fortune), Lu (禄, prosperity), and Shou (寿, longevity). After they were arranged horizontally, they were sent over. Mr. Jin did not indicate whether he would accept them or return them.
He didn't require him to bow, and instead had his apprentice bring over strong liquor. Huaiyu then offered a toast. Zhongming gestured:
"Boss Tang, let's drink first as a sign of respect!"
Mr. Jin smiled enigmatically, accepting the toast offered by the man.
"Mr. Tang, this is brandy. You've never had it in Beiping, have you? It's hot and smooth!"
Huaiyu, under someone else's eaves, knew they were going to play a trick on him, yet he still downed it in one gulp. The wine flowed downstream, his insides burning; he knew that enduring a moment's anger would prevent a hundred days of trouble. This wine, mixed with his humiliation, was finished in one go. His face quickly flushed, just enough to cover the indescribable sorrow. —He praised my talent, he trampled on my character—…
Jin Xiaofeng suddenly realized: "With fine wine, how can there be no beautiful women? Miss Duan hasn't arrived for the ceremony yet."
Shi Zhongming immediately went out for a while, and within five minutes, the situation was frozen, as if an eternity had passed. A full half-life. Shi Zhongming replied, "Miss Duan is ill and cannot come. Please understand, Mr. Jin!"
Mr. Jin coldly replied, "Oh? That's interesting. Well then, I've already taken in enough apprentices. You can come back next year."