Chapter 82: Smoke from the Kitchen
On Thursday night, Zhenzhen called her repeatedly, warning her, "You'd better wear your most beautiful dress, your most expensive earrings and necklace, and your highest pair of high heels, or don't come to see me." When she finally accepted the call from the Xue Mansion, she emphasized once more, "All the girls who came here are from wealthy or noble families in Shanghai." Finally, she added, "Except that country bumpkin."
The "country girl" naturally refers to her number one rival in love, Miss Shen Yueying.
She tried to imagine how these cultured, well-educated, yet mutually disdainful young ladies would engage in an elegant yet commanding exchange. Beautiful clothes and jewelry were essential for appearances, and their cultural attainments and their father's wealth and power were also a factor. If the battle was still undecided, then they would go on to compete for their suitors; after all, in women's battles, men have always been indispensable.
Mrs. Ge had indeed prepared a lot of beautiful clothes for her, but without a car to pick her up, it would be impossible for her to walk on the street in a dress, high heels and expensive jewelry; if it was to be compared with cultural literacy, it would remind her of the nightmarish poetry writing competition in the old house in Shaoxing; if it was to compete with her father... forget it.
She really couldn't imagine how her presence would increase Zhenzhen's power, but Zhenzhen insisted that she go.
"Tickets for the play 'Wang Zhaojun' are hard to come by. I used all my connections to get these tickets. You must come."
Finally, she agreed to go. However, she didn't have the most impressive dress or the most extravagant jewelry. The former wasn't suitable for her to wear to the research institute without a car, and the latter, as Mrs. Ge seemed to have kept the more expensive ones in a Shanghai bank safe for her, was better off not wearing anything less. She simply wore a gray-green velvet cape with a hood over her white velvet gown embroidered with shadowy green patterns; the hood was also lined with white velvet. She put the outer cape in a bag and wore a gray woolen coat outside the lab, changing only after work.
Green has always been the color that suits blonde, blue-eyed foreign girls best. She didn't have any particular fondness for the color green, but Mrs. Ge saw her wear one once and bought her a half-closet full of dark green velvet robes. Coming down from Fu Kaisen Road, Bian Jieming's eyes met hers. He immediately, with the utmost gentlemanly grace, opened the driver's door and ushered her into the back seat, saying, "I heard from the boss that you have a banquet tonight?"
"Yes."
"He asked me to pick you up before ten o'clock?"
She nodded.
"I'm going to Park Lane at 10:30 pm, so I can't pick you up after 10 pm."
Park Lane, home to Shanghai's most famous racecourse, was a popular spot for wealthy foreigners and Chinese young men to show off their wealth in front of their female companions. She mimicked Xie Zeyi's tone: "Have fun."
He chuckled and added, "If you stay up later and play until dawn, I can come pick you up before I go to bed after sending someone home."
"No need for that, just ten o'clock, it won't bother you." She said with a smile.
"It's okay if it's late. I won't tell the commander."
She said helplessly: "Just go and tell him!"
He smiled and asked, "Is it the Hongkou Theater?"
"That's right."
He frowned and thought for a moment, "I heard things have been a bit turbulent in Hongkou over the past week. Zhapu Road is okay, but avoid the area around the spinning mill."
"Yeah. What happened to Hongkou?"
"I'm not sure. The commander seems to have been out recently for this matter. He should know."
She had been feeling her heart pounding lately, hearing about Japan. She confirmed the time and location with the lieutenant, pushed the car door open, and headed straight for the lab.
——
Ever since the long-wave radio incident on Monday, everyone in the institute has been in a panic.
This building, built outside the boundaries of the International Settlement, serves as the Academy of Sciences. It is currently directly affiliated with the Royal Society. It serves as a front for the Cavendish Institute's joint research in small-scale atomic physics with the University of Hong Kong's Nuclear Physics Laboratory. In reality, it is a research team centered around Group i, conducting preliminary tests of superweapons. Aside from the ten members of Group i, most people currently have no idea why they work.
The British, Americans, Japanese, and French citizens in the concessions enjoyed extraterritoriality. The American and Japanese consulates were the closest to the road being built across the border. If Britain demanded a long-wave radio station, how could the other three countries be willing to fall behind? If any of them were to agree, all sorts of unreasonable demands would surely follow. While the US and French objectives in Shanghai remained simple, Japan's ambitions had been clear for the past year.
The situation was now at stake. Whether the Nanjing government accepted the Japanese request or not, the Institute's nature would be questioned. The British police force in the concession was already limited; sending additional police from Britain to the concession for no apparent reason would only make people think there was something fishy going on. Regardless of whether the long-wave radio station was built or not, their suspicions were undoubtedly present, and they had already taken action.
It was now only a matter of time before the true nature of their research was exposed.
Without a long-wave radio station, France's data on the detection source could not be sent safely and promptly, and the institute still had no way to transfer it properly.
No matter how fast Group i progresses, if the other groups have not paved the way, everything will be in vain.
Almost everyone believed that this research would fail soon and they would all be sent back to where they started. Faced with this reason, everyone in Group i lost their passion and fighting spirit for the experiment.
Boll rarely noticed her attire. After a few glances, he surprisingly didn't offer any sarcasm. Instead, he used her as a warning to the group: "It's the weekend, so go relax. Drink less when you go out, and always remember that to outsiders, we're just an ordinary small-scale physics lab."
It's really time to relax.
The rest of the team went off to enjoy the weekend. It would have been suspicious if Team I hadn't gone. They weren't trained counterintelligence operatives. They were simply invited to do what they did best, nothing more.
Bian Jieming arrived on time at five o'clock. He was still wearing his black military uniform, probably because he had work to do before his appointment at ten-thirty.
As they were approaching Hongkou, he suddenly asked, "I want to buy her a lipstick. I saw that the lipstick you're wearing today is really beautiful. Where can I buy it?"
Her lipstick today was grapefruit-colored, a jelly-like color, but she hadn't expected it to be the official color of the "Zhan Ying" brand. Hearing him say that, she was slightly surprised, then a little disappointed: "I'm afraid this one isn't on the market yet."
“What a shame.”
She also recommended to him several shades of Chanel lipstick that can be bought in the many foreign shops along the Bund in Shanghai.
Bian Jieming thanked her sheepishly. The car stopped at the curb, and looking up, he saw the Hongkou Theatre. Over a dozen cars were parked outside, and a young woman, stylishly dressed and beautifully made up, stood beside her own car, vying for attention, drawing the attention of passersby. It was Zhenzhen and the others.
Bian Jieming looked out the window, then turned back and said to her, "They are not as beautiful as you."
He spoke in this manner, as if he had colluded with someone beforehand, and spoke in a very clear and logical manner.
She laughed: "Thank you for teaching me?"
"I mean it from the heart!" He was obviously not good at lying, and he laughed and scratched his hair.
Zhenzhen suddenly noticed her in the car, and following her gaze, the others also looked at her.
She quickly said goodbye to Bian Jieming. Just a few steps out, Bian Jieming backed up the car, leaned his head out the window, and shouted in English, "Ms. Lin, all of us in the Municipal Council look forward to calling you madamtse in the near future—"
Madam, a noble lady; a noble title that only the wives of aristocrats and political figures can have.
Bian Jieming's actions drew the attention of passersby, and the ladies at the theater entrance also looked at her with a different look. With a frown on her face and a heavy heart, she walked towards the wealthy Shanghainese ladies. Zhenzhen frowned and asked loudly, "Did you just go to Zhabei to help refugees?" When the ladies laughed at her, she took a few steps forward and whispered in her ear, "Everyone here dreams of entering the high-class foreign social circle. You really make me proud."
Then he introduced everyone to her one by one. After listening to the whole process, she secretly thought: Could it be that today we are here to attend the Zhongxi Girls' School Alumni Reunion?
Observing their expressions, she figured out something: Zhenzhen had five people, including herself, while Miss Shen had only brought four. In terms of numbers, Zhenzhen naturally won; but judging by Miss Shen's expression, she looked confident of victory.
Everyone present had their own beauty, but although they were beautiful, few of them caught her eye. It might also be because she paid too much attention to Miss Shen, wanting to see what Zhenzhen meant by "earthy", so she didn't notice anyone else.
Miss Chen has an oval face and her facial features are somewhat similar to Yun Yan's, with everything small. At first glance, it is not very memorable, but you need to look at her carefully. She is a classic oriental girl with graceful manners and courtesy; Zhenzhen has a lively manner, and her own unrestrained and unique cuteness. She is a girl that people can remember at first sight; Miss Chen wears a magnetic blue thin silk cheongsam under her coat, which is top-notch in Shanghai in terms of fashion and workmanship; and Zhenzhen wears a plain silk robe under a long coat with ancient flower brocade. It looks inconspicuous at first glance, but a closer look reveals that both the coat and the robe are made of unique fabrics and patterns in the world. They have been made by several famous tailors in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and they are sure to cause a sensation no matter what occasion.
If she hadn't trained with Mr. Somier for a few years, she wouldn't have had such a keen eye. Compared to Zhenzhen's outfit, Miss Shen's clothes could almost be described as ordinary goods. No wonder she called Miss Shen, the only daughter of Deputy Director Shen, a well-known figure in Shanghai's foreign and Chinese circles, a "country bumpkin."
As far as fashion is concerned, Miss Shen is a complete failure. (m.)138TXT
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