Chapter 4: The Socialite's Style

Even Lin Yu couldn't help but look at his less than ten-year-old daughter with a look of surprise. Her pale skin and beautiful features were a striking resemblance to his former wife. Lin Yu admitted that he hadn't given her much love in his life—only respect. If it weren't for the need to protect his beloved concubine, he would never have married—because in those days, he wouldn't have allowed a woman of such humble origin to be his principal wife.

Like all ladies from wealthy families, she was well-mannered and generous, more dignified than lovely, and therefore never received the slightest love from Lin Yu throughout her life. But she was indeed a very good mother. At least when Zitong and Yunyan were fostered in her care, she taught and loved them with all the sincerity of a mistress.

If Chu Wang hadn't been born, the perfect greenhouse he had carefully built for Zi Tong and Yun Yan would not have been broken...

The promise to marry his daughter to the Si family was something he had thought would never come true. After Chu Wang was born, he looked at the baby, the one who had also taken his wife's life, with toes no bigger than peanuts, and for once in his life, he felt a tiny tinge of love for his late wife. But this tiny bit of love wasn't enough to force him to cancel Chu Wang's engagement with the Si family, who were still wandering around.

But he didn't expect that the decision he made with a hard heart would now become a legend across the country: the Lin family helped the Si family in its time of need, and the Si family did not forget to support the Lin family even when it was on the rise.

At this moment, he stared into his little daughter's eyes and couldn't help but wonder, could it really be the spirit of his deceased wife in heaven protecting her only child?

After Lin Yu told Lin Zitong to take her brothers and sisters to play in the yard, Mrs. Qiao winked at Lin Yu and said, "The third girl really looks like her mother back then."

Lin Yu also nodded, and because his best friend was beside him, he said, "It's indeed very smart."

Si Ying seemed quite satisfied with his future daughter-in-law, so he asked, "Are you only taking Zitong with you on this trip to Peking? If Brother Lin is confident in leaving Chu Wang with me, why don't I pay for her to study abroad with Yan Sang? After Yan Sang graduates from university and Chu Wang graduates from high school, we can return to China together for the wedding."

Lin Yu's face darkened and he shook his head, saying, "The third girl is still too young and can't speak the language. You shouldn't go with her this time. Yan Sang is also a half-grown child, and I'm afraid I may not be able to take good care of her. Besides, the third girl is the most mischievous and will only cause more trouble."

Si Ying then asked, "What about these two girls..."

Lin Yu said, "These two girls have no mother, and as they grow older, I, as a father, may not be able to teach them well. Shaoxing is a small place, so I thought I would entrust them to my eldest aunt for the next two years so that they can learn the things that girls from upper-class Hong Kong families should learn, such as English, French, piano, interpersonal relationships, etc. In a few years, the second girl will be married, and the son of my in-laws is studying in Japan, so this will prevent the young master from returning home after completing his studies and disliking the girls of our conservative family for being too old-fashioned and out of touch with the times."

He was talking about another relative, and Si Ying took it to heart and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Mrs. Qiao said, "It just so happens that my husband's niece is also here to study, so she's staying at my house. The three girls are of similar age, so if they study together, they can encourage each other and keep each other company, which will help them learn faster."

As soon as she finished speaking, the other two felt that it was very appropriate and nodded in agreement.

"It's just..." Mrs. Qiao frowned as she thought of that woman with a flirtatious look on her face. "I live very close to that person. The second girl has always been well-behaved and sensible, so I'm not worried. But the third girl is very smart. Living so close to her, she's indulged in sensual pleasures every day. I hope she doesn't let anyone corrupt her."

"Those with bad intentions will become bad even without being taught. Those who cannot be taught to become bad are like those who can walk through the fish market on a rainy day without getting mud on the soles of their shoes."

A deep, yet charming, sexy, smoky voice drifted in from across an alley. Also drifting in was a beautiful woman wearing a cheongsam, a white fox fur coat, and a pair of high heels that she wished she could just take off and do something evil.

Lin Chuwang, who was playing in the yard, was attracted by the voice involuntarily, so he looked at the owner of the voice - her charming eyes were hidden under the fishing net hat, revealing only half of her tall nose bridge and sexy lips painted with dark red lipstick.

At this time, Lin Yu's slightly angry voice came out from the room: "Who said that if I wasn't dead, you would never come to see me?"

Miaoren floated halfway, then leaned against the archway from a distance and said with a smile, "Oh, so you're not dead yet?"

The room was silent for a moment, then the woman smiled and said, "I was just thinking about the Second Madam's tenth anniversary, but I'm going to Malaya next month and can't spare the trip, so I came here early to burn some incense and chat with her. I didn't expect to run into you on the way. Oh, I shouldn't have taken this route. It's embarrassing for you guys."

Before Lin Yu could say anything, Lin Zitong and Lin Yunyan acted as if they had seen a ghost, pulling Lin Chuwang away from the woman. As Lin Chuwang was being dragged away from this enchantress, she was thinking, what a beautiful woman! She simply satisfied all her fantasies of the gorgeous and charming women of the Republic of China era. As she was being dragged away, she couldn't help but look back. The woman was leaning against the wall, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Seeing her looking over, she lowered her eyes towards Lin Chuwang, took out the cigarette with two fingers, and propped it up on her fingertips. As she smiled, a faint smoke ring gently blew out from the corner of her mouth.

Lin Chuwang couldn't help but stare in amazement: Who on earth could resist such a beauty?!

Si Yansang ran all the way and asked in confusion, "What are we running for?"

Yun Yan said, "This is our aunt whom we haven't seen for many years. She is a well-known figure in the foreign arena and a famous socialite. My father taught us since we were young not to be like her. If we see her, we should stay away from her as far as possible."

Chu Wang was running out of breath and couldn't help but stop to take a breath, "But she is such a rare beauty... Why are we still running?"

Zi Tong also stopped and said with an unhappy look on her face, "Third sister, that can't be called beautiful. Girls from good families are definitely not like that."

Chu Wang nodded and said, "I know that a girl from a good family would never become like that unless she suffered a major setback." To become such a charming woman with a story and taste.

Yun Yan said, "Didn't you hear what your eldest aunt said just now: She's most worried that you'll learn bad things from your youngest aunt. Your eldest aunt's worries aren't entirely unreasonable."

Chu Wang was inexplicably ridiculed, yet she couldn't reason with the brats of this era. White people, regardless of their appearance, can still sport high noses, large eyes, long lashes, and deep pupils. Because their appearance is often bold, their rarity makes them valuable. However, among white beauties, those with a touch of restraint are the most exceptional, like Hepburn and Portman. Asians, on the other hand, are the exact opposite: more dignified and elegant, with uniquely charming characters like Maggie Cheung and Shu Qi, excelling in charm and presence. Cecilia Cheung, in her "King of Comedy" days, found the contradiction between the innocent look of a sailor suit and the smoking salon girl to create the character's beauty... She desperately wanted to say, "You have terrible taste, you're so pedantic!" But she couldn't explain it, so she consoled herself by saying, "Maybe I'm not educated enough, so even my taste isn't up to par, I can't keep up with the trends of you cultured people."

Si Yansang thought for a moment and said, "When I was abroad, some white boys were very fond of girls from East and Southeast Asia. Some male classmates my age even thought that many Asian women under the age of 40 were very beautiful. I once asked them about this, and they said: Because they are sexy yet reserved, and their every frown and smile is full of charm. Looking at them makes you feel lazy, even too lazy to grow old or gain weight - I think this is probably what they are referring to."

When Si Yansang finished speaking, Lin Chuwang couldn't help but applaud his words enthusiastically. Well said, it touched her heart. Si Yansang, on the other hand, smiled a little sheepishly, as if it was the first time he had made such remarks in front of a girl.

Lin Yunyan blushed and said, "Brother Yansang, how can you randomly comment on girls?"

Si Yansang was stunned. "I... I've been abroad for too long and haven't learned the rules well. I didn't mean to offend my sister."

Zi Tong also said, "Although our two families have been in contact since childhood, and you are engaged to your third sister, and because you were educated abroad, you can often hang out with your two sisters. If it were in other families, men would not be allowed to set foot in the boudoir. If you talk without restraint and get overheard, your two sisters will be gossiped about by outsiders."

Si Yansang blushed and apologized repeatedly.

Chu Wang saw that Master Si was being criticized by the two siblings, but he was humble enough to admit his mistakes and bow his head to apologize. He thought to himself that the Si family's upbringing could be said to be quite good. Others were guests when they came, but being made trouble by the two siblings made Lin Chuwang feel that it was a bit too much. When the four of them were walking through the alley leading to the garden, Lin Chuwang inadvertently walked to Si Yansangsheng and whispered, "Don't pay attention to my brothers and sisters. I think you are right - some beauty is the beauty of experience. That kind of beauty only comes after experiencing a lot of hardships. It is also the kind of beauty that flowers in a greenhouse will never grow. That is why it is particularly fascinating."

After hearing this, Si Yansang widened his eyes slightly and said with a suppressed smile, "I wouldn't even dare to say that, and you dare to say that! Aren't you afraid of your father scolding you?"

"If I don't tell you and you don't tell me, how would my father know?" Chu Wang blinked and said with a smile, "I treat you as an ally! Don't betray me."

Si Yansang was amused by her statement, "So are we the Allies or the Entente?"

Chu Wang thought for a while, but he couldn't remember which countries were allies and which countries belonged to the Entente during World War I.

Si Yansang looked at her smiling face as she tilted her head back in deep thought. The shadows of the Xiangfei bamboo leaves fell dappled on her fair little cheeks. The wind rustled the bamboo, and the tiny specks of light flickered with it. It flickered, reflecting a tiny starlight in her dark pupils.

"Why don't you come study abroad with me, Third Sister? It's far away, and you don't have to worry about me writing back to complain."

"If I go with you, you'll be able to find more loopholes in my words and write back to complain."

Si Yansang smiled and looked at her seriously, "I'm serious with you. If you're willing to go, my father will be very happy, and Uncle Lin won't stop you."

Going abroad?

Chu Wang weighed the pros and cons in her mind, and soon came to a conclusion. After a moment, she smiled and said, "You and I are still young, and the journey is long. I'm afraid we won't be able to take care of each other. I will wait for you at home now, hoping that when you return after completing your studies, you won't forget me or despise me."

The author has something to say: I discovered a mistake in the name before: my father’s sisters should be called aunt instead of aunt. My mind was confused and I have corrected it before.

Mrs. Qiao = Auntie = the wife of a Hong Kong OBE Knight (also a trader traveling between England and Hong Kong)

Mrs. Ge = Mrs. Lin Si = Aunt = Concubine of a wealthy businessman in Hong Kong

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What I want to say is that the heroine's words here have nothing to do with feelings, and it doesn't matter what she likes or dislikes. It's just because in this era, if she doesn't have the ability to independently obtain a better destination, this is her best destination at the moment, a lifeline. There's nothing wrong with it at the moment, but she knows that period of history, so here is almost a little expectation of rewriting history.

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As for why I didn't go to Germany... I'll reveal the reasons later. I actually weighed the pros and cons for a long time, so please don't question this choice for now.