money player

First, it was a fleeting touch, their four lips briefly meeting before parting. However, Xian Yaowen didn't sense Rachel's resistance; his lips pressed against hers again, and he wrapped his arms around Rachel's back.

Rachel's hands were at a loss, not knowing where to put them. Suddenly, she put one hand on Sin Yiu-man's back and the other on the back of his head, as if to lock him in and prevent him from escaping.

As their tongues intertwined, her hand slid down to Sin Yiu-man's cheek, caressing it gently.

The two kissed for a while, oblivious to everyone around them. Rachel, lacking experience and with unsteady breaths, pulled her lips away and said, panting, "I don't know what to say."

After she finished speaking, there was a heavy silence. Her eyes were slightly closed, and the tip of her nose touched the tip of Xian Yaowen's nose, waiting for him to say something.

"listen."

Rachel opened her eyes and stared into the dark, empty space.

"I am married and have several wives."

Rachel slowly pulled her head back an inch, her gaze regaining focus, allowing her to see a corner of Xian Yaowen's face. "I didn't ask that question because I didn't want to know."

"This shouldn't have happened."

"You can't control yourself."

"I know what I want from the first moment I saw you."

“Kissing you was a stupid thing to do, I think it’s time to end this.” Rachel turned to the bar, looking for a cigarette holder. Finding none, she lit another cigarette with trembling hands. “I don’t want to explain anything, but I hope our future interactions will only be business-related.”

"Ladies first, do whatever makes you happy." Out of the corner of his eye, Xian Yaowen saw a man walking towards him and Rachel, presumably Rachel's date. "The person you're waiting for has probably arrived, I'll leave first."

Xian Yaowen returned to his seat, and as soon as he sat down, Li Youwen excitedly said, "You succeeded so easily, are you a pro at picking up girls?"

"Just watching the excitement makes you this excited?" Xian Yaowen chuckled.

"Who doesn't enjoy watching a good show?"

"Put away your curiosity; getting hooked won't do you any good." Xian Yaowen pointed to the table. "Are you full?"

"Well, I'm full."

Would you like some dessert?

“It seems like they have sour cherries from East Germany here. I’d like a cherry clafette.”

"OK."

Sin Yiu-man called over the waiter, placed another order, and gave two tips, one to the waiter and one to take to the kitchen.

After the waiter left, Li Youwen immediately said, "I think the food here is just average, there's no need to tip the chef."

“If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that no one has ordered for several minutes.” Sin Yiu-man pointed to his watch. “This is probably the kitchen’s default break time, and it’s really annoying to take orders at this time.”

"So what? It's their job," Li Youwen said dismissively.

"They won't do anything to you, but they might put something in your food, like dandruff, phlegm, or other disgusting condiments that won't cause any problems."

Li Youwen gagged and said, "Don't say anything, I feel nauseous."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “Little beauty, remember this: you can defy all moral doctrines, but don’t mess with the people who control your food. Be friendly while eating at a restaurant, or you’ll suffer the consequences.”

"From now on, I will only go to restaurants run by people with good tempers, and the chefs must also have good tempers."

"No, what you should do is control yourself and not think about it. Eating a little phlegm is nothing. It's not clean, and it won't make you sick."

Li Youwen waved his hand, "Don't say anymore."

"Ok."

The two shifted the topic to art, and Sin Yiu-man listened to Lee Yau-man's understanding of art. After listening to just a few sentences, he realized that Lee Yau-man could not grow into a traditional artist. The art form she liked was actually performance art.

When it comes to performance art, his skill is exceptionally high. He often creates artworks called "creating people," but he follows the Venusian route, appreciating the beauty of imperfection. He usually only creates the figures but doesn't actually produce any human beings.

Those who don't appreciate art will belittle his work as "fuck".

Terrible prejudice.

Time passed quickly, and just as the words "8 o'clock" were written, Jack Tinker arrived.

Many people recognized him and greeted him along the way. Taking advantage of a break, Sin Yiu-man waved to Ting Ke to let him know where to go.

He then said to Li Youwen, "Come sit here."

"Ah."

Just as Li Youwen changed seats, Tinker stood at the table. "Mr. Hepburn?"

“Yes, Mr. Tinker, please have a seat.” After Tinker sat down, Sin Yiu-man asked, “Classical?”

Tinker laughed and said, "I'm a regular here. The waiter knows what I drink. That's right, it's Classic. One sip of Classic and inspiration comes instantly."

“Speaking of inspiration, I watched a Tide TV commercial last night. The idea of ​​using ultraviolet light to show ‘biochemical stains that ordinary laundry detergent can’ is brilliant. Tide’s sales will definitely skyrocket in the short term.”

However, I suspect this will trigger a joint lawsuit from competitors accusing them of 'scare tactics,' and a warning from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is inevitable. Has Procter & Gamble already budgeted for hush money?

Tinker laughed heartily, "Mr. Hepburn, you are a very interesting person. It seems you have guessed everything that was going to happen."

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "Excuse me, but what is your annual income?"

Tinker smiled knowingly. "Mr. Hepburn seems to be in a hurry."

"Adam."

"Okay, Jack."

“Jack, I have a publishing house in London that has acquired all the copyrights to Mr. Sigmund Freud, including his daughter, Ms. Anna. She also works in another company of mine, where she is responsible for psychological assessments.”

I'm very familiar with Freud's theories, and I know you are too, and apply them in advertising. That's why I hope our conversation can be simple, just honesty, nothing more.

Tinker stared at Sin Yiu-man's face for a moment, then shrugged. "OK, my annual income is $25,000."

How much will it be divided into?

30%.

"I'm offering you 40%, with a guaranteed minimum of $35,000 per year. After one year of employment, you'll be evaluated as a partner, and the percentage of shares you receive will depend on your performance. My principle is a golden distribution: 60% of the value you create goes to you personally, and 40% goes to the company platform."

"Adam, Ogilvy is a new company. What is the value of its platform?"

“Of course.” Xian Yaowen shrugged. “This is what I told you, but I didn’t tell you about me and my connections. I can guarantee Ogilvy at least $1000 million in annual revenue. With a little discount, the net profit will be slightly less than normal, about $1 million.”

Jack, is the platform valuable?

"Of course, I'd like to know how many shares I'm worth in your eyes right now?"

"It will be no less than 5%. The actual value depends on how many big clients you can bring to Ogilvy, such as Procter & Gamble and Pepsi."

Tinker chuckled and said, "Adam, I'm quite tempted by your offer. If what you're saying is true, you've almost achieved your goal."

"Tomorrow is the weekend. If you don't mind working overtime, you can have dinner with Ogilvy and discuss changing the company's name to Ogilvy Tinker."

"Haha, I'm fine with having a meal, but I can wait a year before I change my name."

Sin Yiu-man stood up, shook hands with Tinker, and said, "Welcome to Ogilvy. My work time is over. Now it's time for me to pick up girls. Excuse me."

As he spoke, Sin Yiu-man walked toward the bar's performance stage. After the band finished playing a song, he went up to the lead singer, whispered a few words to him, took the guitar from him, and handed him a $20 note.

The lead singer was a clever guy; he showed the other members the banknotes to make it clear that the customer had given a tip, and then left the stage.

Sin Yiu-man tested the guitar tone, then said to the pedal guitarist, "Follow me, slide from G# to B, and imitate the rough tone."

“No problem,” the guitarist replied.

Sin Yiu-man then said to the drummers, "Just two simple beats, snare drum and hi-hat, the feeling of your heart racing."

"OK."

After making the arrangements, Sin Yiu-man stood in front of the microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to insert an advertisement. Tonight I would like to stay in the Plaza Suite, but it's only $99 and 99 cents. I sincerely invite a lady to become a partner. With just 1 cent, she can obtain 50% of the suite's usage rights..."

Before he could finish speaking, the bar erupted in laughter, with men bending over and applauding his boldness.

Some women, however, were quick to grasp the key point: "a plaza suite for $100 a night," and with a slight adjustment of their gaze, they sent their flirtatious glances onto the stage.

Li Youwen laughed heartily, overjoyed, while Rachel rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course, one cent is a lot of money, and it's a bit difficult for a lady to come up with it. Ladies, I can accept your crowdfunding, but no more than five people."

"Hahaha~"

Tinker's eyes lit up; he realized this was a good advertising strategy.

Li Youwen's chest pressed against the table, his back twitching, and Rachel rolled her eyes even more.

"OK, commercial break is over. Now, I'll dedicate a song, 'Your Man,' to the ladies here."

As he spoke, Sin Yiu-man strummed his guitar, and another guitarist and drummer joined in with his rhythm.

"Honey, lock the door, dim the lights, and play some soft, soothing music. We're not going anywhere. I hope you understand that I've been longing for you all day long, and I've never felt this way so intensely. I can't believe you fascinate me so much."

I just want to be your man. No rush, no worries, we can slowly savor our time together. Come a little closer, let's review everything in my mind..."

Sin Yiu-man's deep, magnetic voice amazed the ladies present. The scenes described in the lyrics evoked their emotions, and they thought of her, her, and her, who wanted to become partners.

On the contrary, Sin Yiu-man lost interest in seeking romantic encounters. As he said, after learning who Rachel was, he had given up on the idea. Now, securing a potential major client was more important than anything else.

After finishing the song, he did not accept the flirtatious glances he was receiving, but returned to his seat and exchanged a few words with Tingke.

Before nine o'clock, he said goodbye to Tinker and left with Li Youwen.

Sitting in Xian Yaowen's car, Li Youwen curiously looked at the interior, "Mercedes-Benz 300-Adenauer, isn't it not in mass production yet?"

"you know?"

"I am interested in cars and I keep an eye on them."

"Oh, Mercedes-Benz is valued at only $3000 million, which is seriously undervalued. A few days ago, I offered $5000 million to buy a certain share, but Daimler and the Benz family amicably refused. As an apology, they sold me one of these cars at a low price."

"How low?"

"I can't tell you, it's a secret."

Li Youwen curled his lip. "Afraid I'll find out the cost price?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “You have a sharp mind. Mercedes has a brand premium, and it would be troublesome if people knew how much it cost. But I think this car is worth it.”

"how much is it?"

"More than $6990."

Upon hearing this, Li Youwen knocked on the car door and heard a muffled sound, "Bulletproof version?"

"Ah."

Li Youwen mocked, "Your face isn't that great, it's worth at most $1300."

Sin Yiu-man glanced at Lee Yau-man and said, “Not to mention that my car has undergone a second upgrade, which costs more than the ordinary bulletproof version, do you think $1300 is a small amount?”
In Africa, for $5 a month, plenty of people will be willing to risk their lives for you; for another $5, they'll be willing to undergo the most brutal training. It only takes six months to train a strong man into a basically qualified assassin.

"$1300 can train 21 assassins. How many times do you think they could wipe out your Li family?"

Li Youwen rolled her eyes at Xian Yaowen. "What kind of example did you give? And don't think I can't do the math. Do you think 21 people can go without food or drink?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “Sorry, I forgot that our Miss Li has sold her blood and is very sensitive to $5.”

"Sarcastic and unfriendly," Li Youwen glanced at him sideways.

"Heh." Sin Yiu-man said with a faint smile, "I'm about to open a publishing house, and I've gotten the inspiration for a story from you, 'Li Youwen Sells His Blood.' Please grant me the authorization, and I'll give you a good price."

Li Youwen brandished his sharp claws and pounced on Xian Yaowen, saying, "I'll make you laugh at me and scratch your face all over."

"Haha." Xian Yaowen grabbed Li Youwen's hand. "A lady uses words, not fists. Stop fooling around."

“I’m Rosie the riveter, we can do it!” Muttering an American version of “I prefer military uniform to dresses,” Li Youwen tried to break free from Xian Yaowen’s grasp with both hands, but she couldn’t do anything to him. Instead, she hurt her wrists. “Ouch, ouch, ouch, let go.”

"I'll let go if you stop making a fuss."

"If you don't want to make a fuss, then don't."

Xian Yaowen released his grip and jerked his head back, barely dodging Li Youwen's sneak attack.

Having missed his first attempt, Li Youwen immediately gave up, sat up straight, and bounced the seat around, saying viciously, "I'll break your shock absorbers."

"You're something else if you break it sitting on it."

Xian Yaowen turned on the added reading light, took out a tin can from the boss's box, opened it and poured out a few coins into his palm, picked out the $1 coins, counted the rest, and put them into Li Youwen's palm.

"377 cents."

He poured out a few more, counted them, and then put them back into Li Youwen's palm.

"791 cents."

After repeated attempts, I finally collected $25.

"This is for your lodging. You can come to my house for lunch tomorrow, but you'll have to figure out what to do the rest of the time."

Li Youwen glanced at the coins in his hand, then at the pile of coins on the seat near his crotch, and said helplessly, "Can't you give me paper money?"

“No, I did it on purpose, to make you realize your current situation.” Xian Yaowen said calmly, “Little Italy sells cheap bread, 1 cent a slice, you’ll probably need 6 slices a day, potatoes are 2 cents a pound, you can buy a few pounds at a time and bake them, and you can find a way to get seasonings at restaurants.”

Eight cents a day can guarantee you won't starve and will ensure you get the minimum necessary nutrients. You won't become skin and bones after a week.

That's how it is with food. And then there's your safety. If you encounter a robber with a knife, run as fast as you can. If you can't escape, immediately urinate. If you have time, grab a handful of poop and smear it on your face and body. This will greatly increase your chances of avoiding being raped.

If the robbers are armed, skip this step and proceed directly to the next step.

To ensure you can poop whenever you want, it's best to hold it in before you leave the house, but be careful not to hold it in too long, otherwise even a fart might give you away.

Li Youwen said, both amused and exasperated, "Can you please stop being so disgusting?"

"Disgusting?" Xian Yaowen glared at Li Youwen. "This is the experience of women in the occupied areas back then. Many women used this method to die quickly, without having to suffer humiliation before they died."

The smile on Li Youwen's face vanished instantly, replaced by painful memories: "In 1941, my family and I fled to the United States and witnessed a Japanese submarine sinking a merchant ship. By the time the people who had fallen into the water were rescued, most of them were already dead. It was terrifying."

"autumn?"

"winter."

“Oh, people who have never been in the sea and know nothing about the ocean will basically not survive more than half an hour if they fall into the water in winter.” Xian Yaowen stroked Li Youwen’s hair. “Little girl, it’s not easy to come into this world. It’s as short as fifty or sixty years, or as long as a hundred years. You have to go back to where you came from. Live happily and don’t make things difficult for yourself.”

Li Youwen leaned into Xian Yaowen's arms and said aggrievedly, "My dad always makes me do things I don't like, and my mom does the same. I'm so tired."

"You feel tired because you think they are good to you for a reason. But if you think about it from another perspective, parents are like investors to their children. Providing you with food, clothing, and education is an investment in you, and you have an obligation to repay them."

Li Youwen looked up at Xian Yaowen and asked, "I'm an entrepreneur, and my parents are investors?"

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "That's roughly the idea."

"If that's the case, does family affection still have any meaning?"

"Repaying is an obligation, while kinship is a right. If children only talk about kinship and not about repayment, it's just being a unilateral scoundrel. If parents only invest in a thatched hut and eat pig swill twice a day, yet demand that their children bring honor to the family, that's also being a unilateral scoundrel."

Based on the principle of equality, do you feel you have done a good enough job as a child?

Li Youwen remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

Sin Yiu-man gently stroked Lee Yau-man's hair again, "The happiest thing in life is to be a hooligan for a lifetime. You get to enjoy it without giving anything back. But such people are extremely rare. Just think about this kind of wonderful thing when you're daydreaming, and don't worry about it."

Li Youwen smiled knowingly.

"You and I are both mortals, so naturally we have to endure the troubles of mortals, abide by human ethics and social norms, and fulfill our obligations. If you want to break away from investors and become independent, that's fine, but first you need to achieve economic independence."

Only economic independence qualifies one for personal independence; only personal independence qualifies one for emotional and spiritual independence. A parasite has neither the right to speak of equality nor the right to demand independence.

"Economic independence".

Li Youwen repeatedly chewed on those four words, very focused, immersed in the world of rumination, not noticing when Xian Yaowen got off in Little Italy, nor when he got back on. The car started moving again, heading towards Greenwich Village.

Instead of taking her to the Artists' Home, Xian Yaowen took her to his own home and handed her over to Wang Xiamin. He then made a phone call to Jian to alert her before heading over with some late-night snacks.

It was not yet ten o'clock when he sat in Jane's living room.

“Jacob, have you ever seen the name ‘Yu Fang-chieh’ or ‘Yu Fengtieh’?” Xian Yaowen wrote the name on a piece of paper and handed it to Jacob.

Jacob looked and shook his head. "I don't recognize her. Who is she?"

"The wife of a former warlord, she controls a considerable sum of money, and I heard she's making high-risk investments."

“Adam, if it were Swiss candy or a Panama hat, it wouldn’t expose the person hiding behind it.”

“I know,” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “I just wanted to try my luck.”

"Do you have a grudge against her?"

"No, I'm expanding my business in Taiwan and I need some help."

"So, who is this warlord you're talking about?"

“Peter HL Chang, his father is Manchurian Tiger.”

“Chang Hsueh-liang?”

"Hmm, you were reading Time magazine back in the 1930s?"

“I wrote about him in my graduation thesis and investigated his background.”

"Please keep an eye out for Chinese investments in the market, especially funds from Los Angeles."

"Yes, but don't have too high hopes."

"uh-huh."

……

"Listeners, welcome to the program 'Food and Food Li Talks About the Past,' sponsored by Food and Food. Wuchongda peanut oil is pure and trustworthy in every household. When buying peanut oil, please look for the Wuchongda trademark."

Today I want to talk about a heroine, a legendary female general who is highly respected and revered both at home and abroad, and a rare female strongman in Chinese history who combines military and political prowess.

Official history gives her her own biography. She was seven feet tall, and with the strength of three men, she could both govern the country with her pen and conquer on horseback. Single-handedly, she commanded tens of thousands of people from the Baiyue region, reclaiming Hainan Island, which had been isolated overseas for nearly 600 years, and establishing Yazhou, thus gaining control of Guangdong and Guangxi… She was Lady Xian, Xian Ying.

In the study, the radio was on, and Cen Peipei and Zhong Jieling were discussing work.

"Jieling, have someone register the trademark for 'Lady Xian'. I might need to use it in a few days."

"Sister-in-law, what do you plan to do with this trademark?"

"I haven't decided yet. After 'Lin Mo' finishes its run, Friendship Pictures will be launching a new project called 'Lady Xian,' and I plan to have Ruoyun play Lady Xian."

"Sister-in-law, aren't you going to act it yourself?"

Although filming for "Lin Mo" is not yet finished, the publicity campaign has already begun. The claim that "Cen Peipei is the incarnation of Mazu" has already shown some power. Chung Kit-ling can naturally understand Sin Yiu-man's intention in casting Cen Peipei as Lin Mo, and knows that Madam Sin should have a similar idea.

"Not to mention that playing Mazu and then Lady Xian would only cause trouble, but also to make everyone realize that I am just an actress, not a real person, only Ruoyun is rightfully the rightful person to play Lady Xian. She is the most suitable to play Lady Xian."

Cen Peipei holds real power in the Xian family and doesn't care about the empty title of "Madam Xian." Besides, she and Xian Yaowen have already reached an understanding that the name Cen Peipei will be kept hidden and not used. When she appears in public, she will highlight Cen and not Xian, laying the groundwork for drawing a clear line in the future.

“Sister-in-law, I’m not trying to be mean, but Uncle spoils her too much. She and I entered the Xian family on the same day, almost half a year ago, and she doesn’t act like a member of the Xian family at all.” Zhong Jieling’s face was full of indignation, as if she was indignant on behalf of Cen Peipei.

Cen Peipei smiled gently, "My father-in-law is unwell, and Ruoyun is pregnant. It's already a great achievement that she can take care of herself and not cause the family any worry. We shouldn't be too harsh on her. Jieling, you should also take good care of yourself."

“Sister-in-law, I’m fine.” Zhong Jieling rolled up her sleeves, showing her arms. “The doctor said I’m too fat and should move around more, otherwise I’ll suffer during childbirth.”

"You've gained quite a bit of weight recently. Have you gone to the clinic to get a new diet plan?"

“I just went downstairs to have my pulse checked yesterday. They didn’t say anything about changing my diet, they just told me to watch what I eat and eat less.”

“Then listen to the doctor and watch what you eat, and move around more.” Cen Peipei glanced out the window. “The sun isn’t too strong. I’ll go downstairs with you for a walk.”

The two went downstairs and took a symbolic walk around. Zhong Jieling then politely declined to let Cen Peipei accompany her, but Cen Peipei accompanied her for half a circle, taking the opportunity to back down.

Back in her study, she found two faxes on her desk. After reading and processing one, she contacted Qi Weiwen via walkie-talkie.

A short while later, the two met at the beach.

"The master wants you to send someone to Los Angeles to investigate Yu Fengzhi."

Qi Weiwen frowned. "We don't have any suitable people to send to America."

"Is there any way?"

"I have two acquaintances in the United States whom I haven't been in contact with for many years. Their current situation is unknown, and I may not be able to get them to come."

"Send the name to the master and let him decide."

"it is good."

"Was the telephone line found?"

"Nothing was found, but we can't rule out the possibility of being wiretapped. Anyone who wants to wiretap can do so anywhere on the line, without even needing to find a way to do it on the line itself."

"We've already searched the house, and we didn't find any listening devices."

"The two foreign devils did not reappear."

"I thought about it for a long time this morning, but I still can't be sure whether it's Britain or the United States."

"This is British territory. If they had any ideas, they wouldn't need to do this. Besides, those little foreign devils have made a lot of preparations against the British."

“America?” Cen Peipei frowned. “Master is in New York, and Amin hasn’t returned either. What if…”

"Don't worry, that little foreign devil is smarter than a monkey when he gets his hands on something. He'll be fine. Tell him as soon as possible, and he'll definitely be able to figure out a way to deal with it."

"That's the only way."

Qi Weiwen handed Cen Peipei a piece of paper. "The owner of the first license plate has run away with a mountain of debt, and the car is in the hands of the water company. The owner of the second license plate has also run away, and I have already disposed of the car, so you can use it without worry. The other license plates are all fake, so it's best to use them only once and be careful."

"The cars in our family will all be sent to the dealership to be sold in the next couple of days, and we'll replace them all with Ford 1949s."

"It's time to change it. That foreign devil's car is the only one in all of Hong Kong, it's too conspicuous."

"Well, I'm back."

Cen Peipei left first, and Qi Weiwen watched her go. Then he circled around and hid in the shadows to observe her. He repeated this three or five times to make sure there were no tails before finally leaving.

I took a ferry across the sea to Hong Kong Island, then a fishing boat back to Kowloon, circling around before finally arriving at my residence.

Her old residence has been partially abandoned, but people still live there. However, confidential matters are no longer handled there. She has started using a backup residence, which is located on the fourth floor diagonally opposite the old residence. She can observe the old residence through the window, but there is a 70-80% blind spot when looking at the new residence from the old residence.

The new residence was a rented out room, and the tenants who moved in one after another were all from Mosquito, including dockworkers, dancers, street vendors, and ordinary office workers.

Qi Weiwen stood by the window of his old residence, a cigarette dangling from his lips, pondering a way to break the deadlock.

Wu Kuiyuan stood diagonally opposite her new residence, using binoculars to observe the surroundings for any possible clues. She knew the area all too well; not a single rustling sound could escape her notice. (End of Chapter)