money player

Sin Yiu-man approached the counter and met Ng Yik-mui's gaze.

“Your right shoulder moved just now, and judging from the movement, you must have picked up something. I advise you to put it down. I came to talk to you in good faith and do not want to be your enemy, but... you should understand what I mean without me saying it.”

Wu Yimei was startled, put down the dagger, and placed her hands on the countertop.

"Thank you." Xian Yaowen nodded slightly. "Coercion and bribery can be divided into coercion and bribery. I only brought bribery. Life is not always smooth sailing. There are always troubles of one kind or another. I have some money and some connections. If you have any troubles, we might as well talk about it and see if we can help each other."

"My life is fine, you don't need to worry about it."

"I don't think so." Xian Yaowen deliberately glanced at Wu Yimei's chest in a very obvious way. "Your life doesn't seem to be that good either. You can't even rest properly at home at a time like this."

Wu Yimei didn't need to look down to know what was going on; her breasts had suddenly become swollen and painful while she was busy, so she must have been leaking milk.

"If you see something you shouldn't, you might get a sty."

"Heh." Xian Yaowen chuckled, "That's a bit of a stretch. You're a dangerous person, so I have to keep a close eye on you. Those two milk stains are so obvious, I can't pretend I don't see them."

“I didn’t invite you,” Wu Yimei said irritably.

"You don't need to rob or kill anyone. Your main job is to help me with investigations. You might need to steal things occasionally. I'll give you a base salary of $300 a month, plus bonuses for each mission. For example, if I urgently need you to do a mission, like investigating a woman, and you find out the truth, you can probably get a bonus of around $2000."

Wu Yimei snorted coldly, "That sounds like a lot of money."

Regardless of size, the maximum annual net profit a worker can generate in a laundry is $1500. That's the limit; any more and they'll be exhausted. In a normally successful business, the net profit is around $1200, which is exactly equal to the laundry worker's wage.

Wu Yimei's shop is a husband-and-wife operation, earning at most $2400 a year. The net profit of a grocery store is roughly the same as that of a laundry. Wu Yimei and her wealthy husband's annual income would not exceed $1.2.

Given the intense competition among laundromats and grocery stores in Chinatown, coupled with rivalry from self-service laundromats and supermarkets, $7000 is a more realistic figure. It may not reach that much this year, and it's even more uncertain next year.

Sin Yiu-man knew that Ng Yik-mui was tempted. Even if a spy retires properly, he can only get a slightly higher pension. He still has to be careful with his money. Sunshine, beaches, beautiful women, luxury cars, and a life of spending money like water are things he can daydream about, but he doesn't dare to really think about.

Moreover, Wu Yimei, who has given up her accumulated experience as a spy and returned to a normal life as a woman, getting married and having children, may be tired of fighting and living a precarious life, but she may be nostalgic for the moments when she uses public funds to go to high-end places, because her current life is not very exciting, and she is just choosing the lesser of two evils.

He leaned closer to Wu Yimei, "I used to be an unofficial staff member of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Bao'an Station. Now I'm a businessman, a pure businessman, with no hidden identity. My business is doing quite well, and I need a few people in the United States to help me with commercial intelligence. You're the first person I've chosen, Commander Wu."

"Who sold me out?"

"I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that I've recruited quite a few old members of the Military Intelligence Bureau, mostly women."

"Oh, that ugly freak sold me out."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "You guessed it yourself, not me."

Who do you want to investigate?

"Guess it."

"You're asking me to guess? It must be someone I know. The most likely person in Los Angeles is Yu Fengzhi. You want to investigate her?"

"Talking to smart people is so reassuring, you guessed it."

Wu Yimei chuckled, "If it's her, you'll have given her too little money."

Are you afraid of Zhang Xueliang's reputation?

“Zhang Xueliang used to have a semi-intelligence agency, the Secretariat, which was responsible for internal intelligence in Northeast China. He also had another intelligence network outside the region, which was responsible for monitoring Nanjing and the Japanese. Although it was like a sieve, with the core members being the Ruijin and Yan'an factions, there were still a few loyal members of the Zhang family. These people were not all dead.”

"Is there someone by Yu Fengzhi's side?"

"Yes, I've met an old acquaintance before; we've fought each other before."

"So you're saying I have to pay for the murder, otherwise you'll easily be exposed. Do you even remember how to fire a gun?"

"Killing someone doesn't necessarily require a gun."

"The terms are negotiable. I'll have someone send you $2000 tomorrow. You do the work first, and then you can use that as leverage to negotiate with me until you're satisfied."

"You're being so easy to talk to, you're not planning to discard me after I've served my purpose, are you?"

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Sin Yiu-man chuckled. "Would it be more in line with your imagination if I kidnapped your husband and children and forced you to work for free?"

"you dare."

“Commander Wu, times have changed, and your identity has changed too. Business is not politics, it’s not that dirty. Doing business is about making money through harmony. If money can solve the problem, why use other means?”

"Really?" Wu Yimei's smile was as radiant as an azalea. "What do you want to investigate?"

"I am pretty sure where Yu Fengzhi invests her money and whether she is smuggling Western medicines into Hong Kong, but I need evidence."

"Once the money arrives, I'll get to work."

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly. "Ah Man asked me to give you my greetings. I am Sin Yiu-man from Hong Kong. One day should be enough for you to find out my background."

Wu Yimei giggled and said, "So it really is that vixen, she's with you now?"

"We'll be having a baby soon." Xian Yaowen gestured towards Wu Yimei's chest with his lip. "I wonder if the baby will go hungry. I'll let her ask you for advice."

"I'm willing to teach her, and I want her to be able to learn it." Wu Yimei deliberately puffed out her chest, teasing Qi Weiwen.

“Perhaps you’ll get it after a few more lessons.” As he spoke, Xian Yaowen took out three red envelopes from his pocket and placed them on the counter. “I don’t know how many children you have. If there are any missing, I can make up for it later.”

Wu Yimei glanced at the red envelope and pushed one back, saying, "I just gave birth to my second child, a girl. Now I have both a son and a daughter, which is a perfect family."

Sin Yiu-man pushed it back, saying, "Consider this a belated wedding gift for you. I wish you a happy marriage, the joy of having a son and a daughter."

"grateful."

"Goodbye."

……

Shek Kip Mei Pier.

A makeshift pier used for smuggling, which was later named Shek Kip Mei Pier by someone, perhaps because it was close to Shek Kip Mei.

Late at night, a group of people who were relaxing didn't sleep; they stood on a small hill watching the fight.

Nalan Chunxi cracked pumpkin seeds as he watched and commented, "I must say, this gang fight is quite entertaining, no less so than the Zhili-Fengtian War I watched back in Fengtai."

The old woman who combed her hair, Song Die, chimed in, "Sister Nalan, you've seen the Zhili-Fengtian War?"

"What's so strange about that? When Zhang Zuolin, Wu Peifu, and Feng Guozhang were fighting it out, well, the whole city of Beijing went to join in the fun. Rickshaws and bicycles were everywhere, all rushing to the viewing area."

I went to see the battle in Fengtai. I overslept that day, and when I got to Fengtai Railway Station it was almost nine o'clock. When I bought my ticket, I asked the ticket seller, "How's the battle going? Is it over yet?"

The ticket seller replied, 'You've met a distinguished person today! So-and-so hasn't arrived yet, the battle hasn't even started, hurry and grab a good spot!'

Upon hearing this, I quickly made my way to the observation area. Once there, I waited for about ten minutes, and then the battle began. Wow, it was incredibly intense! Shells whizzed by, bullets whizzed by; I held my pee until lunchtime.

"Time to eat? Is there a set time to eat during a war?"

"That's fresh. Soldiers need to eat too, right? Besides, it's mealtime, and the cooks on both sides have to sell food to make money. The other day I ate at Zhang's Restaurant. There was a big plate of pork and cabbage stew with vermicelli and a big bowl of white rice. It only cost half a copper coin. If you added a little more, you could get two ounces of 'Lao Long Kou' Northeast liquor."

After eating their fill, they dozed off for a while. When it was time, soldiers came to shout, "Wake up, everyone! Check if you've lost anything. You've come to watch the war with great enthusiasm, so don't let thieves steal from you without you even knowing. If you've lost anything, report it immediately, and maybe we can find it back."

The battle will start in about the time it takes to smoke a pipe. If you need to use the outhouse, hurry up and go to the left. There are pre-dug pits there. Use the pits instead of just going anywhere.

If you want tea or cigarettes, go to the right and buy from the big guy. That's our Northeast Army's business, honest and fair to all... Hey, you Huizhou folks are really unscrupulous. Today it's our Northeast Army's turn to sell cigarettes.

This is because Wu Peifu's men were caught secretly selling cigarettes. It caused quite a commotion, and then the logistics officers from both sides arrived.

Song Die stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "Sister Nalan, is this how the Beiyang Army fights?"

"We've always fought like this, and there are rules. We agree to fight in the wilderness, and we can't destroy crops or hurt people. If we do, we have to pay compensation."

During the day they fought, but at night the people from both sides could sit together and listen to music. I remember seeing officers from the Northeast Army and the Anhui Army calling each other brothers and strolling around the Eight Great Hutongs.

"So that's what the Beiyang Army was like. No wonder they were defeated by the Northern Expeditionary Army."

Nalan Chunxi spat, "Bah, the Northern Expeditionary Army is not even as good as the Beiyang Army. Old Sun and Old Chiang have not done a single good thing, they only know how to suppress bandits and collect taxes... Sigh, look at me, why bring up this old history? Let's watch the show, let's watch the show. I haven't even watched a second, which side is in the lead now?"

"Number Gang, Sister Nalan, look at that guy with the long wooden pole, he's really good at it, he's knocked down several of them."

Nalan Chunxi glanced at the battlefield, then turned to Mo Changfeng, who was in charge of protection, and asked, "Changfeng, what kind of weapon is that?"

Mo Changfeng replied, "The hook-and-sickle spear, also called the 'intestine hook spear,' can be used for both stabbing and pulling."

"This weapon is vicious. Wow, it hooks a leg and pulls, and someone next to you gets stabbed in the stomach. Tsk tsk, intestines spilling out, they're done for... Changfeng, didn't they say the Number Gang and the Chaozhou Gang had already reached an agreement? Why are they fighting so fiercely?"

"When three parties are negotiating, it's not something that can be resolved in one go."

The rooftop of Building No. 1 in the Xian family compound.

Cen Peipei lay on a recliner, holding a report on the development of Ice Queen, which she had obtained through corporate espionage.

Friends, get moving! She wants to learn from other restaurant chains. Dairy Queen is expanding globally and already has nearly 2000 stores. She's eager to find out how it expands and manages so many stores.

A walkie-talkie was placed next to her, which occasionally broadcasted reports on the battle situation at Shek Kip Mei Wharf.

First, there was the robbery of jade at the Peninsula Hotel, and then the feud between 14K, Yi Qun, and the Chaozhou gang over raw jade. She felt that the two things were connected and that it was not just a simple conflict of interests.

She tacitly approved of people going out to join in the fun, wanting to see if the suspected CIA would take a look.

There's nothing to report yet, so she can focus her attention on the report.

And you know what? The money spent on the report was well spent. After reading only two pages, she had already benefited greatly and gained a deeper understanding of chain operations.

On the other side, a mound.

Li Hanxiang is holding a camera and filming the shootout.

"Li Hei, keep the shot steady, or we won't be able to deliver." Hu Jinquan muttered to Li Hanxiang beside him.

"Shut up, you idiot. I'm filming you. Light me a cigarette if you have nothing else to do."

Hu Jinquan lit a cigarette and put it in Li Hanxiang's mouth. "What are your plans regarding that matter? Do you want to go?"

"What can I do? I'm not like you, with someone protecting me. If the company transfers me, I have no choice but to go."

"I don't know what the company was thinking. What can you possibly make out of a movie with only 5,000 yuan?"

"It's Bruce Lee's 'The Lonely One in the Sea,' which only cost a little over four thousand dollars, less than five thousand."

"have not seen."

"No need to watch it, it's a terrible movie." Li Hanxiang blinked. "Take your cigarette away, it's getting in your eyes."

Hu Jinquan flicked the ash off Li Hanxiang's cigarette, and after Li Hanxiang had a moment to catch his breath, he put the cigarette back in his hand. "I heard that the company is going to make an experimental drama, combining the Xiangxi corpse-driving technique, Maoshan Taoist magic, and the Western Dracula into a zombie script."

"The kind of zombie from 'Midnight Zombie'?"

"It's not decided yet. Someone suggested dressing the zombies in Qing Dynasty official robes."

Li Hanxiang gasped, "Who would be so wicked as to come up with such an idea? Which family doesn't have portraits of their ancestors hanging on their walls?"

"Li Hei, your family is well-off, keeping up with this trend."

"My grandfather didn't become an official while he was alive, so he couldn't wear a Qing Dynasty official's robe after he died? Didn't your grandfather wear one?"

In the early 1920s and 30s of the Republic of China, it was fashionable to have portraits of ancestors dressed in Manchu official robes; this was very popular at the time.
“My family doesn’t do that kind of thing.” Hu Jinquan paused and then said, “Speaking of zombies, they wear official hats and peacock feathers, hopping around, baring their teeth and two big sharp teeth, always aiming for the neck to bite. That’s a brilliant idea.”

"So all this zombie can do is hop around? It doesn't have any other skills? How pathetic!"

"An invulnerable creature, which can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth during a full moon, and then be housed in a yin house to raise a corpse, well, isn't this all the old tricks from the zombie plays of the Qing Dynasty, and all of them can be used."

"Good heavens! These zombies are so tough, what tricks do you think our protagonist should use to keep them in check?"

"Hey! Given the company's track record, Nuomi is definitely going to be included. This stuff is great for getting ads. We need a set of 'divine strikes' too, and we can just throw in any ad slogan we want. Good luck from the east, good luck from the west, good luck from the south and the north, may the Supreme Lord Laozi grant our command, may the patriarch possess us."

Li Hanxiang laughed loudly: "Hey, this protagonist is called Hao Yunlai, and he even has a set of Hao Yunlai brand shirts ready-made. He can save on advertising costs. This business is truly brilliant."

"Oh my! Don't talk about the boss like that. If the boss doesn't know how to do business, we'll really be starving."

"Have you heard? Gu Wei has changed her name to Gu Mei. The company is going to record an album for her and even got her a role in a movie. Goodness, could it be that the rumors from before have come true, and the manager actually managed to pull it off?"

"Don't waste your breath on this nonsense. Does the master need to play these tricks to get a woman? Gu Wei is just a warning chicken. If she bows her head, she won't be shortchanged a single penny."

The Gu Mei they were talking about was currently working overtime in Lang Lang's recording studio. And it's true, Lang Lang values ​​Gu Mei highly, with Ge Sang leading the production team to create an album for her, featuring carefully selected songs.

The first poem is Ge Sang's "The Beautiful Solo River".

The second song's melody is taken from the Malayan folk song "Rasa Sayange," with lyrics rewritten as "LS Sayo."

The third song's melody is taken from the Indonesian folk song "Rowing a Sampan," with lyrics rewritten as "Sweet Honey."

The melody of the fourth song is taken from the Indonesian folk song "Starry Night," and the lyrics are rewritten as "Boat Song."

The fifth song is "Alishan Girl," an adaptation of the Taiwanese folk song "Gaoshan Qing."

The sixth song is a Chinese version of SP Smith's "Seven Lonely Days," titled "Give Me a Kiss," a jazzy and catchy tune.

Of the six songs, four are from Southeast Asia, indicating that this album is primarily aimed at the Southeast Asian market, while also attempting to penetrate the Taiwanese market and test the international market.

Gu Mei stood in front of the microphone, humming "Sweet Honey, Your Smile is So Sweet," while her younger brother, Gu Jiahui, was helping out in another room through a glass partition.

Now that she's a star, it'll be easy for her to arrange a good job for her younger brother at the company, especially since Gu Jiahui is a nice-sounding name.

Lan Yingying stood to the side, watching everyone busy. As the top agent of Aode, she would naturally be the first to receive good artists who could make money. She was thinking about how to arrange Gu Mei's record promotion and how to arrange her trip to Southeast Asia to make money.

Gu Mei has already made a name for herself in Singapore, so her next trip there will be a triumphant return.

The Frolics.

A strip club on Sunset Boulevard, ostensibly just a venue for cabaret performances, is actually the headquarters of the Cohen family.

At 2:30 p.m., Sin Yiu-man took a nap in his car and then came here.

As he entered the gate, he whispered in a waiter's ear, "Cen, find Mickey."

Upon hearing this, the waiter said, "Please wait a moment," and hurriedly went deeper into the building.

While waiting, Sin Yiu-man looked at the stage and saw three blonde women who looked alike rehearsing on stage. The three women had the same hairstyle, wore the same clothes, and were about the same height, so they were probably sisters.

His thoughts instantly drifted to South Korea. A few days ago, Kong Lingxian sent him a message saying that Lee Lan-ying, a famous South Korean female singer, was performing for American soldiers with her two daughters and niece, forming the Kim Sisters group. They were very popular with the soldiers, which reminded him of a group called The Kim Sisters.

In his previous life, he made a bet with a rich young man from South Korea, the prize being a member of a girl group. He won, but he didn't sleep around with the girl group member.

The South Korean entertainment industry is a complicated matter. Female stars dress up in a pure and elegant manner, looking clean and tidy, but the high suicide rate among female stars is like cockroaches in a room. Many have already revealed their true colors, but how many have kept their true colors hidden?
If we weren't messing around, we could only chat. As we chatted, the girl brought up the Kim sisters, saying they were the first Korean duo to become famous in the United States.

The claim of being famous is nonsense. If it were really that famous, he couldn't possibly not have heard of it. In the 1950s and 60s, there was indeed a very famous sister duo in the United States—the McGuire sisters.

The youngest sister, Phyllis, was one of Kennedy's long list of lovers, but it's hard to say whether it was a publicity stunt or not, unlike Marilyn Monroe, whose case is undeniably proven.

Kennedy is a big name, and many people try to piggyback on his fame. (End of Chapter)