Chapter 99: 23rd Night 15th
After seeing Mrs. Si's post, she decided to go without hesitation. But then, as if she had forgotten everything, she spent the entire day sitting on top of the boiler in the institute's playground, calculating. When the time came, Xie Zeyi practically carried her to the car. Even so, on the way to the Shanghai Grand Hotel, she sat awkwardly in the passenger seat, feet up, working on some illogical calculations on a blank page.
The two ladies had come with ill intentions and were initially a little worried about her. When they saw the Shanghai Hotel, she immediately dropped her paper and pen, sat up beside him, and applied a bright red lipstick. She sipped it, then casually smoothed her cascading chestnut hair with her five fingers and tied it into a bun at the back of her head, revealing her long, slender, white neck.
The car stopped, and she reached out to straighten her solemn black windbreaker. When she pushed open the door and walked out, she had changed from her usual laziness and unkempt appearance, and her whole body exuded an attitude and aura that was 80% learned from Mrs. Ge.
When they saw her get off the car, the three ladies sitting on the sofa in the hallway stared at her and stood up unconsciously.
Some people know they have beauty but don't value it, and have many unique skills but don't show off. Just because you don't use them doesn't mean you won't use them.
Once upon a time, when I was playing mahjong with Mrs. Ge at the Ge Mansion, she had mentioned her niece: "My girl is a bit unconcerned with small matters, and naturally has the temperament to do big things, so I let her do what she likes. It would be a waste of her talent to ask her to deal with those petty matters of cats and dogs."
Although it may seem like a waste of talent, a big knife may still be enough to kill a chicken.
Xie Zeyi smiled and looked at her back in the cab for a while, and his worries were gone in an instant.
——
Yunyan had carefully planned her outfit and makeup for today. She'd thought of the literary gathering next door, and also because Zhang Henshui had said years ago that he loved Chinese women wearing simple blue smocks. Because the smocks were thin, she layered a grass-green cheongsam underneath, made from a solid five pounds of silk. Long cheongsams and long sleeves had fallen out of fashion in the past two years, so her cheongsam fell just below her knees, slightly longer than the blue smock, a sliver of unsettling green peeking through the blue. Her hands, empty, peeked out from the smock's wide sleeves, revealing a white, stubby arm with a slight movement.
Others say that Mr. Si is a member of the "Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School", so he must have read Zhang Henshui.
She was very satisfied with the dress, but after the sun went down, the wind picked up and she was shivering outside the hotel.
She sat on the sofa in the hotel lobby and complained, "Why hasn't Third Sister come yet? Is she not coming?"
Zhou lowered her eyes and smiled.
Mrs. Smith said, "Let's wait a little longer. The work has just begun, so there's no need to rush."
She wondered: What is Chu Wang like now?
During her years in Europe, girls from the upper echelons of Chinese society loved to flatter her and hang out with her; some of them came from Shanghai later, and when asked about it, they all said they had never heard of her sister's name in Shanghai's social circles.
She is already fifteen years old, and Mrs. Ge will definitely let her go out to socialize. Otherwise, where can she find a good family for her?
Thinking this way, Yun Yan easily came to the conclusion that no matter what he looked like, he would definitely not be as pretty as her. Immediately, he became confident and calm, thinking there was nothing to worry about.
As she pondered this, she looked out the window and saw a black Dodge pull up outside the hotel. As the valet went to direct the car, a tall woman dressed in black emerged from the passenger seat. She had been eyeing that black Chanel trench coat for a long time. Every time she asked, she was told, "It's already been ordered, and it's been made to her measurements." She went back to ask if they could make another one in her measurements, but was told it was out of stock.
This dress was a knot in her heart. She always wanted to see who the lady wearing this windbreaker was. However, she did not expect to see her in Shanghai by such a coincidence. She could not help but be a little surprised: it turned out that there was someone in Shanghai whose fashion sense could rival that of Paris.
The second time she looked, she noticed the color of the black-clad woman's lips: a slightly darker rose purple, forming a third kind of cool beauty between the black of her clothes and the white of her skin.
She was truly uniquely cool and stunning. She walked towards them gracefully, tall and slender in a black dress, her figure slender and her steps light and graceful. Yun Yan thought: So beautiful, flawless from head to toe. He would ask her later how she had ordered the latest Paris trench coat in Shanghai, and what brand of lipstick she wore.
When he could see the man's face clearly, Yun Yan suddenly stood up in a very inappropriate manner!
Zhou was surprised when she saw her, but then she thought, no matter how beautiful she was or how bad her temper was, she wasn't afraid of the older one, so why would she be afraid of the younger one? She was quite calm.
She reached out and grabbed Yun Yan, pushing her down to calm her down. At this moment, she saw the man in black coming out of the cab of the Dodge. His surname was Xie. She had just heard Mrs. Qiao talk about the power of his family before leaving. Seeing the two men coming one after the other, Zhou used too much force with her fingers and pinched Yun Yan so hard that she gasped.
When Mrs. Si saw Chu Wang, her eyes lit up. She looked her up and down several times, walked forward with a smile and said, "Third Miss."
Chu Wang was surprised, but he said, "It's amazing that Mrs. Si remembered me." He turned his head and stared at the other two people who looked at him with disbelief, still maintaining a neutral smile: "Second sister, and Mrs. Zhou?"
Zhou raised her cheek slightly, "Mrs. Lin."
After hearing this, Chu Wang thought to himself: Oh, that's amazing. But he said: "Oh."
Xie Zeyi had just gotten closer when he heard the "Oh" and nearly burst out laughing, but he quickly lowered his head to hide it. His smile wasn't quite finished yet, and when he looked up, he saw Zhou staring at his face from afar. Her expression was more like a spy than a sizing up.
He suppressed his smile, took two or three steps forward, and handed her the scarf she had dropped.
At this moment, except for Zhou, the other three people in the room were looking at him. He didn't want to introduce himself, but when Mrs. Si asked, he said briefly, "Xie Zeyi." Seeing Mrs. Si's eyes wandering between him and Chu Wang, she added, "The driver that Mrs. Ge entrusted to the third young lady."
Mrs. Si said politely, "Thank you, Mr.?"
Xie Zeyi said, "No, thank you, Mrs. Si. I'll wait here."
The servant took the four ladies upstairs. Xie Zeyi found a sofa chair and sat down to drink tea and read the newspaper. After a long time, he could still feel the curious gazes from the mother and daughter.
——
The first floor of the Shanghai Hotel boasts a large dance floor, while the second floor is a semi-platform, perfect for Western-style dining and drinking. Railings have been added to the edges, making it convenient for entertaining singers on the first floor, or for those on the second floor to enjoy the evening dances. The third floor, while called the third, is like the compartments built into the high walls of an opera house, perfectly accommodating a table for several people to dine, while also allowing for curtains to be drawn to allow for viewing from the windows.
The dance floor had been cleared, and guests began to arrive. The second floor, however, was cleared, and more than twenty people gathered at a long table for dinner.
The four of them sat down in an elegant room on the third floor, and the servant first brought in a pot of tea.
During the time he'd spent coming up from downstairs, Yun Yan had scrutinized Chu Wang countless times, yet he couldn't find a single flaw in her. He now secretly scoffed at her windbreaker, thinking it might be a knockoff, and wanted to taunt her with the anecdote about her and the officer. As soon as she opened her mouth to utter "That Xie..." Zhou, standing next to her, pinched her hard under the table. Yun Yan turned to look at Zhou, who glared at her, telling her to shut up.
Mrs. Smith took over the conversation after hearing this: "Sun's Foreign Company, Sir Xie's eldest son?"
Chu Wang said, "I'm not sure about Sir Xie's wealth. He's good friends with my aunt, and she asked him to take care of me in Shanghai."
Mrs. Si could tell from Chu Wang's eyes that she had no other feelings for Xie Zeyi at all, a kind of ruthless attitude. She nodded in understanding, then told the Zhou mother and daughter as if she were telling a strange story, "I heard in Japan that there was a Sir Xie Hong in Hong Kong who was as rich as a country, but I don't know if it's true or not."
Yunyan leaned forward slightly, curious. Zhou lowered her eyes and drank her tea, remaining silent.
Mrs. Smith laughed and joked, "Others said, 'Yes, there is, but we don't know which country the enemy is.'"
Zhou laughed dryly twice: "He's just a profit-seeking profiteer."
Mrs. Smith sighed, "To be so profit-driven that a great empire would willingly confer a knighthood on him is not something an ordinary person could achieve."
Zhou's expression shifted from bad to worse, but she still managed to maintain a smile. She recounted some anecdotes in Japanese that only someone who had lived in Japan could understand, thus easing the atmosphere.
Hearing some noise downstairs, Chu Wang lifted the curtain and looked down. The noise was getting louder. Yun Yan leaned over to look for a while, but couldn't sit still any longer. He walked over to her and looked down. There was a crowd of people below. Yun Yan immediately saw a handsome and tall figure and couldn't help but whispered, "Yan...Yan Sangge?"
What shocked Chu Wang even more was the group of people gathered in groups of three or five below, who occupied her entire Chinese textbook during her middle school years; they were also the group that brought her the primitive fear that dominated her throughout her middle school years - the "read aloud and recite the full text" people.
Yun Yan frowned. "I recognized several of them when I was in England. They've always disliked Yan Sangge the most. So what's their plan to invite him here alone this time?"
Mrs. Smith sighed. "He knew this was a dead end, but he insisted on doing it... The master was quite angry about this. He knew you two had grown up with him, so he's going to let you hear how he embarrasses himself in front of others. Go back and laugh at him a couple of times, so he'll know this isn't a good idea and won't act recklessly again."
Zhou understood Mrs. Si's psychology very well.
The two young girls stood by the window, and Mrs. Smith and she watched for a while. One doesn't know until they compare, but when the two girls were compared, she felt that her daughter's taste, momentum, and everything else were surpassed by hers.
"You're wearing the wrong clothes."
Zhou attributed all the flaws to her attire: "I shouldn't have been so clever as to wear this school uniform today. Compared to that black windbreaker, I look like a middle school student who's not presentable enough."
But she forgot one thing: her daughter was still a middle school student.
But Zhou knew her daughter was a gifted writer. A talent often lies unused, and when the opportunity presents itself, it's hard not to use it. She worried Yunyan might lose her composure and step forward to help him, leaving them both vulnerable to the humiliation of this group of writers. It would also be embarrassing. So, before they came, she repeatedly told Yunyan, "No matter how badly others bully Young Master Si, if you have anything to say in his defense, just sit by Mrs. Si's side and speak for him. Don't go around saying anything in front of those poets and writers."
A group of people were talking and prodding around downstairs. Chu Wang stood by the window and listened for a long time. He basically figured out which person was the author of which text in the Chinese textbook for which grade.
In fact, this "dinner" was so famous, so famous that it's even been included in 21st-century high school textbooks. It marked the only truce in the years-long, vehement debate between Yusi and Xinyue. It appeared to be a collective attempt to win over returning intellectuals, a coordinated attack on Western-educated, liberal-minded cultural figures. In reality, however, this group of people had numerous personal connections, and were well aware of their friends' extramarital affairs, love triangles, promiscuity, and abandonment of traditional wives. Because they themselves were closely associated with these terms, they shielded their friends while also providing a protective shield for themselves. The publication and subsequent popularity of "European Love Letters" deeply irritated these intellectuals, who appeared to be righteous and upright, yet were secretly promiscuous and cold-blooded.
They wanted to demand an explanation from the author of "European Love Letters", to make him admit his mistakes and beg for mercy; they even wanted him to break the law themselves and express his willingness to go along with them, before they would be willing to accept him into the "Chinese literary world".
She continued reading. Mr. Zhou and Mr. Xu were the first to criticize him for his lack of "Chinese humor" in "European Love Letters," saying his jokes were too Western and "harsh," lacking the "elegance" of Chinese humor. Yan Sang retorted with a faint smile, "There's not a single word in my entire article that has anything to do with 'humor.' I don't like humor; I just want to be mean."
As soon as he said this, many people present slammed their tables and stood up. People like Mr. Shen, Mr. Xu's friend, began to cite classics to refute and accuse him of being obsessed with "popular literature" and "entertainment literature" during a time of internal turmoil and external humiliation. Yan Sang smiled elegantly and said, "Mr. Shen must have never seen my handwriting when I was fifteen years old."
After he finished speaking, another Mr. Zhang threw his teacup down, his mouth spraying spray as he launched into a personal attack on Yan Sang, calling him "vulgar, short-sighted, and boring" and "lacking any national integrity, a heretic assimilated to capitalist ideology, unworthy of living in China." Without waiting for Yan Sang's reply, Mr. Yu launched into a barrage of abuse, his words as crude as those of a country bumpkin, completely uncharacteristic of a "literati." Mr. Yu successfully captured the attention of everyone in the hotel and embarrassed the women there.
Mr. Zhou, one of the winners of the debate, recorded the debate in his collection of essays as follows: "We went to a dinner party at a Shanghai hotel. Xu, Zhou, Shen, Zhang... and others were present at the table. At the end of the banquet, Si Yansang's remarks were sarcastic and he directly criticized them. The other party argued back, and his contempt for them was clearly visible." The word "contemptuous" defines Si Yansang as a "despicable person"; this article, which confuses right and wrong, was successfully recorded in history and became one of the famous passages that vilified Si Yansang.
Yun Yan was so angry that his face turned black and white, and his fists were clenched tightly. He pounded on the railings every time he heard indiscriminate criticism and dirty words.
Seeing that she seemed to be unable to bear it any longer, Zhou called out loudly, "Yun Yan!" Seeing that she had lost her composure, she smiled and added, "Come and have some tea if you're thirsty."
Mrs. Si and Chu Wang both watched calmly. Mrs. Si needed no further explanation, and Chu Wang had already "read and memorized the entire text" and even done countless reading comprehension exercises on this debate, so he was naturally no problem. He listened to Mr. Zhou for a while, tilting his head. Then he stood up and said to Mrs. Si with a smile, "I'll go and say a few words on his behalf."
Mrs. Si did not stop them. Zhou and Yunyan were both quite surprised, but then they smiled and watched the scene downstairs more attentively, with the attitude of laughing at her.
Chu Wang lifted the wine-red door curtain and walked along the third-floor railing towards the table with a very clear purpose.
Mr. Zhou was saying, "Popular literature writers like you have no organization or program. You only know how to entertain and cater to the public's tastes. You are oblivious to the national crisis and the suffering of refugees... If you want to make money, my books are still more popular than yours... Madam, who are you?"
Yan Sang was frowning as he listened to his outrageous remarks. When he saw Chu Wang, his brows relaxed, his eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Chu Wang, why are you here?"
She smiled at him. Amid the men's jeers, she turned to Mr. Zhou and said, "Mr. Zhou, to celebrate your mother's birthday, you bought two sets of 24 books from the World Bookstore and sent them home to her. Whose sets are these?"
Mr. Zhou was shocked. He obviously didn't expect that his personal book order could be spied on by others. "How did you know that?"
"The set of books Mr. Zhou bought is 'European Love Letters' and 'Travels in Japan' by Mr. Si," she said mercilessly, then smiled and said, "A mother doesn't read her son's overwhelming masterpieces, but prefers the works of Mr. Si Yansang, who doesn't meet his eye."
Mr. Zhou snorted and laughed, "It's understandable that feudal women prefer these worthless and nutritionally devoid of entertainment. Even my mother couldn't help but follow the crowd."
She continued, "Have you ever considered that your mother, while apparently asking you to buy books for her, actually wanted to use her insignificant power to let her son know that there's a wife in his hometown who 'wants to be a ghost of the Zhou family after death' and whose life was wasted by him?"
Mr. Zhou's face turned pale, and before he could say anything, Mr. Xu got the upper hand and said, "You're talking nonsense!" Mr. Zhang was even more furious: "This evil old-fashioned marriage is a dregs. Why not abandon it as soon as possible!"
Chu Wang stared at the two men and smiled, "Mr. Zhang's 'Qingdao scandal' and 'romantic and elegant' were actually described by Mr. Xu as an enviable 'romantic encounter'. No wonder he had such an extreme reaction to 'European Love Letters'."
Seeing her criticize her friend Mr. Xu, Mr. Shen was displeased: "Who are you? At such a young age, you want to be the second godmother?"
"Godmother dares to accuse Mr. Xu of having an extramarital affair and coveting another man's wife, and you!" Chu Wang laughed, "Ha! Great. What a good show of mutual protection. No wonder you invited Mr. Si here today, it turns out you are in cahoots with each other."
Mr. Zhou said, "This is our Yusi and Xinyue dinner, and every word must be recorded. You are a nameless woman, so please don't come and disrupt things."
Chu Wang smiled even more happily. "Mr. Zhou, have you thought about how to write it? 'Xi Jiangzhong's words are full of sarcasm and direct criticism. The other party argues and my contempt is fully apparent.' Is that right?"
Mr. Yu yelled to his servant in English, "Can you please ask this person to leave?"
After Puou came over, Si Yansang said with a smile: "This is my fiancée, please don't drive her away."
While Puou was puzzled, Yan Sang had already stood up and offered his seat to her.
Chu Wang breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "What was your original intention in inviting Mr. Si to the dinner? To relieve your hatred? Or to welcome him back to China?"
Mr. Shen said, "Of course, it's to let him know what the current situation is like in the domestic literary world."
Chu Wangdao said, "A Cambridge Nobel Prize winner described him as 'seeking truth from facts, unashamed of truthfulness; wonderfully serious yet joyful, giving a correct assessment of the small world of studying abroad in China today. This is the most truthful, complete, and important book on China I have ever seen.' Are there any of you who have won a Nobel Prize and are qualified to advise him?"
Mr. Xu said, "He studied geology halfway through his studies and did not graduate from the Chinese department."
Chu Wang asked in return, "Mr. Xu, you also come from the law department. Tell me, who writes better, you or him?"
Chu Wang pressed on: "If you're going to say, 'But he made no contribution to contemporary Chinese literature,' then may I ask, after all these years of debate between Yu Si and Xin Yue, how is it that you can now sit here together for the first time in years, drinking tea and eating in harmony?"
Mr. Zhang, who was about to say this, was stopped in an instant, and everyone at the table fell silent.
"'European Love Letters' isn't literary art? Then what is literary art?"
Mr. Yu sneered, "Mr. Si has no time to care about the love affairs of us literati. It's basically like 'the rich are immersed in singing and dancing, while the horses in the stables die of fat bowstrings', 'willing to exchange fame for a light drink and a low song', or 'the merchant woman knows nothing of the sorrow of losing her country'..."
"You keep talking about 'fair play', is this really what you mean by 'fair play'?" Chu Wang sneered, took Yan Sang's arm and started to leave, saying as he walked, "Mr. Si, you have your own talents. There is no need to devalue yourself and get involved with them."
Mr. Zhang said, "The Chinese literary world wouldn't be much better with him or less."
Chu Wang heard this and turned around and said, "Remember this! In fifty years, no... in ten years, I will come back and ask you if Chinese literature would be any less without him, or any more with you!"
——
She pulled Yan Sang downstairs in one breath. When they reached the edge of the dance hall on the first floor, she let go of him and gasped for breath.
Yan Sang ran all the way with her, not saying a word, with a smile on his face, staring at her without blinking. Seeing that she was tired, he reached out to help her breathe, but she dodged him.
After taking a breath, Chu Wang said, "Mr. Si...you really don't need to bow to them. Not now, and not in the future."
He nodded, not quite understanding, and said with a smile, "Okay."
After a moment's thought, she added, "Don't believe their nonsense like 'foreign lands can't produce Chinese poets.' Don't be afraid to agree with them. If they can't tolerate you, then go somewhere that can."
Yan Sang's eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles, "Then will you go with me?"
She was silent.
Fortunately, Mrs. Si had already heard the noise and came downstairs, followed by Zhou and Yunyan. Seeing this, Yan Sang looked quite unhappy and asked, "Why... when did so many people come together?"
She stood beside him: "Mrs. Smith is concerned about you."
Then he politely said to Mrs. Smith, "Mrs. Smith kindly invited me here, but it caused such a big mess. I am very sorry for being so presumptuous."
Mrs. Si smiled and said, "It's okay, you said it very well." Then she walked out without stopping, saying, "Yan Sang, your father and brother are still waiting for you at home."
Yan Sang turned around and asked Chu Wang, she frowned and shook her head, motioning him to leave with his mother.
He saw Xie Zeyi approaching from afar and became even more reluctant to leave.
Chu Wang followed his gaze, turned around, and quickly said "goodbye" to him. Then he quickly walked to Xie Zeyi's side and left the restaurant with him without looking back.
Xie Zeyi asked, "Are you heartbroken?"
She smiled wryly, "A little."
Xie Zeyi added, "What you said just now in defense of him was very good."
Chu Wang said: "Did you hear it?"
"Yes. I don't think anyone in the Shanghai restaurant today didn't hear it."
“This may be the pinnacle of my life.”
"Whose peak are you wholeheartedly protecting?"
She sighed and smiled, "The pinnacle of literary accomplishment!"
"oh."
Chu Wang was about to kick him: "Oh what?"
Although Xie Zeyi dodged the kick, he sighed from a distance.
Chu Wang didn't notice the sound, only tilting his head back and thinking: Mrs. Si originally wanted to find him a wife who could persuade him to be submissive and yield; but today she came to help him make such a scene. This daughter-in-law of the Si family, she must be incapable of doing anything.
But if he doesn't come, and asks him to kowtow and admit his mistakes to those promiscuous literati with a lot of romantic affairs, ruining his future?
She definitely can't do it.
——
After getting in the car, Yun Yan, with a cheerful expression, asked Zhou: "Mom, did my third sister...make a mistake today?"
Zhou recalled the "Xie family" she heard from others, and the expression that Xie Zeyi couldn't help but reveal when he stared at the girl, but she felt mixed emotions.
Maybe...it would be better if she could fulfill her wish and marry Young Master Si? (m.)138TXT
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
