money player

"The Lin family of Banqiao is one of the five major families in Taiwan."

Chen Jinxuan's tone was strange; it should have been one of pride, but it contained a hint of sarcasm.

"The Lin family of Banqiao is very famous and powerful. How could you possibly know them?" Xian Yaowen feigned ignorance.

Chen Jinxuan said quietly, "Back then, the second generation ancestor of the Lin family's Taiwan branch had five sons, who were divided into five categories: Yin, Shui, Ben, Si, and Yuan. The current Lin family in Banqiao refers to the Ben and Yuan categories, which have nothing to do with our Shui category."

"Oh, the most famous person in the Lin family right now is Lin Boshou. How do you determine their seniority?"

"Uncle."

Sin Yiu-man did the math and realized that this ancestral hall was a bit far away. If they moved it to Man Cheong Wai, at least one-fifth of their fathers would be his paternal uncles.

"When you were in trouble, neither of the two sects of Benyuan offered any help?"

Chen Jinxuan shook her head, "No... and it's not their fault, they're just not good enough."

"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Xian Yaowen patted Chen Jinxuan's waist. "Take me to Xueyin."

"Ah."

As soon as the two stepped out of the room, Chan Kam-shuen took Sin Yiu-man's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

“I could hear some of what you were saying to Dinghui just now.”

"Ah."

"She was still a virgin."

"I know."

"You don't like her?"

"That's it."

"Because of your identity?"

"No."

"Then because?"

Have you ever read any novels about love and relationships?

"I've watched 'The Story of a Noble Family' and 'A Tale of Laughter and Tears'."

"She wants to be Leng Qingqiu."

"She's gone mad!" Chen Jinxuan scoffed.

"Let's not talk about her, let's talk about you."

"Me?" Chen Jinxuan's eyes flickered. "Me what?"

Sin Yiu-man stopped, pinned Chan Kam-shuen against the wall, lifted her chin, and forced her to look directly at him.

Did you watch "The Story of a Noble Family" carefully?

Chen Jinxuan's eyelashes trembled slightly. "I've watched it several times."

"When it was serialized in the newspaper, Zhang Henshui revealed in the author's note that Leng Qingqiu would remarry after divorcing Jin Yanxi, but this was not actually written in the published book. You can say what you want directly without beating around the bush."

“I…” Chen Jinxuan tried to turn her head to look to the side, but her chin was held by Xian Yaowen and she couldn’t move. She could only lower her eyes and avoid Xian Yaowen’s gaze, and said shyly, “I don’t want to be a hostess.”

A hostess is roughly equivalent to a prostitute in a bar. Theoretically, there's no need for sex, but to do well and for a long time, you must maintain good customer relationships. How to maintain them is self-evident. If you don't give Brother Zhao and Brother Li some emotional value in return, why would they come to support you?
Furthermore, once some powerful figures ask for something, can you refuse? Would you dare not give it to them?

Different paths lead to the same destination; bar hostesses will eventually end up in the same dead end, the only difference being the job title.

What contracts have you signed?

Chen Jinxuan was overjoyed. She slowly raised her head and said shyly, "You can take anyone you want."

"I raise you."

Chen Jinxuan was overjoyed, "Really?"

What's your child's name?

"Lin Zhiwei."

"What about him?"

"Lin Mingxuan".

Have you thought about divorce?

"I've thought about it, but I can't bring myself to do it."

"Does he know you work here?"

"knew."

"Walk."

Sin Yiu-man released Chan Kam-shuen, and the two continued towards the restroom.

Upon reaching the door, without pushing it open, Xian Yaowen once again pinned Chen Jinxuan against the wall, pulling her up by the waist. Chen Jinxuan instinctively wrapped her legs around his thighs, and then murmured, "Not here."

"We met here, and this is where it all begins."

"People will see..." Chen Jinxuan's mouth was covered by Xian Yaowen's mouth, "Mmm, mmm~"

a long time.

The two stood together in front of the washbasin.

Sin Yiu-man scooped water to wash his face, while Chan Kam-shuen scooped water to rinse her mouth.

It wasn't officially open for business, there were no staff in the restrooms, and no hot towels were available. After washing his face, Xian Yaowen could only wipe it with his shirt sleeve, and he gave his handkerchief to Chen Jinxuan.

After rinsing her mouth, Chen Jinxuan gently rubbed her face with both hands, trying to make the redness disappear quickly and to rub away the plumpness and moisture.

As she rubbed her face, she complained, "We've been out for so long, and my face is in this state. Anyone can see what happened at a glance."

Sin Yiu-man put on his suit jacket, buttoning it as he chuckled, "So what if I understand? I need a reason to be interested in you, isn't this perfect?"

"I...I have a husband, how...how can I face them?"

"Don't be so shy. You should know they might envy you, be jealous of you, but they'll never laugh at you." Xian Yaowen fastened Chen Jinxuan's buttons and smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothes. "Where do you live?"

"Sweet Potato City is not far from the old church."

"Live in a mean alley?"

Chen Jinxuan said self-deprecatingly, "If I don't live in a slum, where else can I live?"

Sin Yiu-man straightened the wrinkles and hugged Chan Kam-shuen from behind. "You looked like you haven't done this in a long time. When was the last time?"

“I don’t remember, it’s been a long time, probably… no more than three years, but two and a half years.” Chen Jinxuan leaned back, resting her head on Xian Yaowen’s shoulder. “Ever since I gave birth to Zhiwei, he has rarely touched me.”

"He only started picking wildflowers after you got pregnant?"

Chen Jinxuan shook her head, "It started before I even got married. I heard rumors about it just half a month after I got married."

"After you moved to Taipei, how much does he spend every day?"

Chen Jinxuan shook her head violently, "I don't know. We're out of money at home, but I haven't seen him have a few episodes of his opium addiction. I don't know where he got the money from. I don't know if he's in debt and used me to pay off his debts. I'm so scared, so scared."

"Don't be afraid." Xian Yaowen hugged Chen Jinxuan tightly. "I'm here. I'll support you, your child, and him. Think carefully about how much he needs to spend every day."

"Raise him?" Chen Jinxuan asked incredulously.

"Go find a house tomorrow, a big one, at least three bedrooms, one for you, one for your son, and one for him. When you move in, cook a lot of dishes, and I'll come over."

"You...you want to see him?"

“Hmm.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “I won’t lie to you, he’s somewhat useful to me. I can support him in everything he does, from eating and drinking to gambling and smoking.”

"The Lin family?"

"Correct."

"What should I do?"

"Some things I say will hurt your feelings."

Chen Jinxuan said firmly, "I want to hear it."

"Opium addicts who can't afford opium will sell anything."

“I know that. I’ve met people like that before.”

“Selling one’s son or wife is also acceptable.”

"I..." Chen Jinxuan turned around abruptly, looking at Xian Yaowen in disbelief, "You, you want to buy me from him?"

"Correct."

"Why keep arguing? I can divorce him."

"I have already given my reasons."

"Zhiwei's surname is also Lin."

“It’s different.” Xian Yaowen patted Chen Jinxuan’s back gently. “Believe me, you only need to endure for a few months and you will be free.”

Chen Jinxuan hugged Xian Yaowen tightly from behind, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"I haven't decided yet. Just listen to me. Go find a house tomorrow, pick a good one, buy it, and register it in your own name."

"Under my name?" Chen Jinxuan was taken aback.

"Yes, it's in your name. This is for your protection, and you can also consider it my pledge of allegiance to you, so you can rest assured that what I'm about to do will only benefit you and your son."

Chen Jinxuan pressed her face tightly against Xian Yaowen's chest, "I believe you."

"Yeah, right." Xian Yaowen muttered to himself, gently patting Chen Jinxuan's back. "After you've found a house tomorrow, go to Prince Enterprise across from the Bank of Taiwan and find me. I'll give you the money to buy the house, and then I'll take you to get a Western-style dress made."

“I have to take Zhiwei with me during the day, because he runs around.”

From an angle unseen by Xian Yaowen, a cunning glint flashed in Chen Jinxuan's eyes.

“Take it with you, it’s alright.” Xian Yaowen patted Chen Jinxuan’s back lightly. “Alright, let’s go back and say hello.”

"Ah."

Back in her room, all the women's eyes were fixed on Chen Jinxuan's face, forcing her to lower her head and avoid eye contact.

As soon as Xian Yaowen sat down, Cai Jintu approached him with an ambiguous smile, "Mr. Xian, does it take this long to urinate?"

“Why ask such a question when you already know the answer? I’ll have someone send 3 yuan over tomorrow, 2 for you.” As he spoke, Xian Yaowen looked at Takatsukasa Masami, “1 for Miss Takatsukasa.”

"Mr. Xian, just take the person away directly, don't mention money."

“Yes, Brother Cheng, you need to spend money to train people, and Miss Takatsukasa needs to spend time on it. It wouldn’t be right for me not to show my appreciation.” Xian Yaowen waved his hand to interrupt Cai Jintu, who was about to speak. “Brother Cheng, don’t say anymore. It’s settled then.”

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Cai Jintu picked up the pig's mouth. "Then I'll toast Mr. Xian. Qingfeng Restaurant has already had a great opening even before it officially opened."

"cheers."

After raising his glass in a toast, Sin Yiu-man deliberately swayed his upper body, spilling the wine from the pig's mouth. He then said apologetically, "Sorry, sorry. May good things come to all. This glass is not only for Brother Cheng, but for everyone. I wish you all great wealth."

With a broad smile, Cai Jin poured the wine onto the floor, saying, "This cup is also for everyone; may we all enjoy wealth and prosperity together."

As soon as Xian Yaowen put down the pig's mouth, Takatsukasa Masami immediately filled his cup with Deli. "Mr. Xian, please don't take one person with you every time you come. In less than two months, you'll have emptied my ranks."

"Miss Takatsukasa, please rest assured, I will take you with me next time, so you won't have to worry about being a lone commander."

Masami Takatsukasa smiled gently. "We'll talk about next time. Mr. Sin still owes me a drink this time."

Sin Yiu-man picked up the pig's mouth and chuckled, "Should I offer Miss Takatsukasa a toast? Would Miss Takatsukasa like to drink the nuptial wine, or something with a 339 proof?"

Masami Takatsukasa covered her mouth and laughed, "Mr. Saki, would you like to drink from the same cup or the other cup?"

“Naturally, we will drink from the same cup, so that you are in me and I am in you.”

"Why not exchange both a toast and a cup of wine?"

"Okay."

Sin Yiu-man raised the pig's mouth, hooked his arms with Takatsukasa Masami's, and drank half of the wine while looking into each other's eyes. They then pulled their hands back, exchanged pig mouths, and Takatsukasa Masami raised the "pig" to her eyebrows, with Sin Yiu-man mirroring her.

"Xian Jun".

"Yami-chan".

With a solemn expression, Masami Takatsukasa said, "I hope you will take care of me for the rest of my life."

"A promise is a covenant with God."

The two understood each other's coded message and drank the wine from the pig's mouth.

Ten minutes later, Sin Yiu-man left with Chan Kam-shuen, ignoring a resentful and hateful gaze.

After dropping Chen Jinxuan off, I returned to my front door. The car headlights illuminated Fei Baoqi lingering at the gate, a cigarette between her fingers, seemingly preoccupied with something on her mind.

Sin Yiu-man got out of the car early and walked to Fei Po-ki's side. "Sister, did you just come out, or haven't you gone in yet?"

Fei Baoqi threw away her cigarette, a forced smile spreading across her face. "You're only getting back at this hour?"

“My sister has something on her mind, but she doesn’t want to say it directly. It’s not hard to guess what it is,” Sin Yiu-man said calmly.

Fei Baoqi's smile became slightly more genuine. "Don't be so smart all the time. Give your brain a rest."

“I would like to, but you are my older sister, and you don’t seem to want to confide in Baoshu. You choose whether to have a bowl of porridge or a cup of tea.”

"have a drink."

The wheels rolled for several kilometers until we arrived at Shilin Night Market.

While Fei Baoqi waited by the car, Xian Yaowen swept the street and bought a bunch of things, including oyster omelets, braised pork rice, tempura, and pig's blood soup. He returned to the car and placed them on the hood.

I took two bottles of red wine from the car and opened them, but since I didn't have any glasses, I had to drink them straight from the bottle.

Ding.

After the bottle clashed, Sin Yiu-man took a small sip.

Fei Baoqi blew three big gulps, slowly ate a piece of tempura, and then said in a flat tone, "Chang Tong went to the restaurant."

"Sister, social engagements are unavoidable. I was at the restaurant just now."

"This isn't the first time."

"Playing along is normal."

"It works for you, but not for him."

Upon hearing this, Sin Yiu-man realized that Chan Cheung-tung had always had ridiculously high expectations of Fei Po-ki; otherwise, going to a restaurant wouldn't have caused such a reaction.

"Sister, what do you want to do?"

"Doing nothing is just making me feel uncomfortable."

Sin Yiu-man clinked bottles with Fei Po-ki and said, “Sister, you should understand that Taipei is currently a place where there are more monks than porridge. Not to mention continuing to climb the ladder, just to keep your current position, your brother-in-law has to put in more effort than before. There are things that he wouldn’t have done before, but now he has to do them. There are social engagements that were unnecessary before, but now he has to attend them.”

"Yaowen, I'm not a little girl anymore. I know all the道理 (principles/reasons)." Fei Baoqi took a swig of wine, her face showing a sad expression. "I'm still heartbroken."

Sin Yiu-man couldn't persuade her anymore. Fei Bao-chi understood the logic, but she still insisted on fighting with herself. It was probably not just about Chen Chang-tong going to the restaurant, but the culmination of many things that had accumulated until today.

Neither Chen Changtong nor Fei Baoqi were in their first marriage. Chen Changtong had a previous wife with whom he had no children. He had been married to Fei Baoqi for many years, but they also had no children. It is unlikely that they were childless. It is more likely that they could not afford to have children. It is possible that he was unable to have children or that neither of his wives were able to.

However, judging from Fei Baoqi's ability to maintain her haughty demeanor, the former possibility is probably more likely.

Of course, it's hard to say for sure. They might not be willing to swallow their pride and seek medical help for this kind of thing. It's possible that Fei Baoqi and Chen Changtong simply thought the man was infertile, but in reality, both of them might be able to conceive, but they are incompatible and experiencing infertility.

Perhaps recently Chen Changtong suddenly realized that he was actually capable, but he just hadn't found the right woman. His longing for offspring gave him the idea of ​​settling down again. Once this idea took hold, he no longer resisted the invitations from restaurants that he used to avoid.

If it's hard to persuade, then don't persuade. Sin Yiu-man ate slowly and deliberately, and when Fei Po-ki wanted to finish her drink, he would just nibble on it, mainly to keep her company.

In just like that, Fei Baoqi got herself drunk in less than half an hour.

Xian Yaowen chose the approach that best saved Fei Baoqi's face, letting her make do in the car while he drove home. Xie Tingyun and the other two took turns watching over her, and Fei Baoshu would drive out early the next morning before getting up.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Xian Yaowen held a six-meter-long bamboo pole, with a weight hanging from the thicker end and both hands gripping the thinner end. He held the pole upright, keeping his upper body still, shifting the weight between his feet, and began to swing it. The bamboo pole was pushed forward and pulled back, and the swinging force flowed through the entire pole.

After a few more strikes, once Xian Yaowen felt he could control the weight, he applied a sudden jolt to the bamboo pole, causing the weight to swing and its base to pierce a piece of white paper displayed on a shelf. With a soft "plop," the paper tore open.

Xie Zhanran, who was standing in front of the shelf, immediately replaced it with a new sheet of white paper.

This is a strength training method that Sin Yiu-man improved upon from the training method of the Six Harmonies Spear. When you can skillfully leave a mark on a piece of white paper without tearing the paper, you have mastered the first form of American Iaijutsu rifle precision shooting. You can then add a heavier weight to practice the second form - light machine gun assault precision shooting.

After stabbing again and again, when fifty sheets of white paper had been pierced, Sin Yiu-man stopped practicing. He was exhausted; even lifting the weight was difficult, let alone controlling it.

He went to the side to get a towel to wipe his sweat, and a sword was placed on his neck. "Fei-style Tai Chi Sword Fei Baoshu has come to challenge the school."

Xian Yaowen chuckled lightly, "Xian Yaowen accepts the challenge of the Xian family's Iaijutsu. May I ask what weapon you will use?"

"Tai Chi Sword".

"As the saying goes, 'an inch longer, an inch stronger.' You wield a sword, so it's not unreasonable for me to use a Ma brand pistol, is it?"

"Why don't you use the crooked-handled sword?" Fei Baoshu sheathed his sword and stood next to Xian Yaowen. "I didn't even know when you got back last night."

"Do you know which bed I sleep in?"

Fei Baoshu laughed and said, "I know, when I rubbed my eyes, there were two hairs stuck to my eyelids, and I knew they were yours at a glance."

Xian Yaowen glanced at Fei Baoshu and said, "I'm punishing you by not letting you play cards for a week. Did you have a bad day yesterday? You're thinking about it during the day and dreaming about it at night."

Fei Baoshu chuckled, "Yesterday was really weird. Several of my big hands were single-tile waits for two of a kind, but they all ended up as triplets in other people's hands. It was infuriating."

"I knew it! You spent the whole night arguing with my second dog."

Fei Baoshu chuckled again, "Tang Yiying said last night that she wanted to move out."

“It’s my idea. Someone from Hong Kong is coming over. If they don’t arrive today, they should arrive tomorrow.”

"Living at home?"

"Ah."

"woman?"

"Someone who gets things done."

"Oh."

"Make preparations, and take your sister to Hong Kong for a few days in the next couple of days."

"So urgent?"

"Another typhoon is coming in July. If we don't hurry, we don't know when it will be over."

"I'll go talk to my older sister about it later."

"Let's go in the afternoon. In the morning, we'll go to a dim sum restaurant that's not available in Hong Kong."

"Ah."

At nine o'clock, Xian Yaowen called Kong Lingwei, and at nine-thirty, he appeared at the open-air tea pavilion in the botanical garden.

A low bamboo table, a low bamboo chair, and a pot of fragrant tea.

A woman wearing sunglasses sat opposite him. He didn't ask her name; Kong Lingwei had already told him on the phone that her surname was Shi.

The only person he could think of whose surname was Shi and who could represent Kong Lingwei and Soong Mei-ling in negotiating prices was Shi Jingyi.

The woman's involvement has made the already complicated situation even more complicated. He is not just someone who has a slight connection to Duoshi, but is now suspected of being directly involved.

Weighing the pros and cons, he still came. The other party didn't take off his sunglasses or introduce himself, so he pretended to be clueless and didn't know who he was. He simply handed over a packing list with a price quote.

Shi Jingyi looked at it for almost fifteen minutes and said, "I approve of this packing list. The price is also fine. Please ship the goods according to this list as soon as possible."

“No problem.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “Manager Shi, I need to take care of Prince Enterprises’ business. From now on, Manager Chen Hua will handle the business here. She’s on her way from Hong Kong. Would you like to schedule a time to meet her?”

"Mr. Xian, are you going to let go right away?"

"Yes."

Shi Jingyi took out a notebook from her bag, wrote something down, tore off a page, and handed it to Xian Yaowen, saying, "Have Manager Chen make this call."

"Ok."

"Farewell."

Shi Jingyi left in a hurry, seemingly not wanting Xian Yaowen to "clarify" her identity.

Sin Yiu-man didn't leave immediately, guessing that he had been secretly photographed. Putting himself in Chiang Ching-kuo's shoes, he would definitely have had Shih Ching-yi closely monitored.

This question was hard to guess, and even if he guessed it, it wouldn't mean much. In just a few seconds, his mind shifted to pondering whether Shi Jingyi and Kong Song's growing closer was a personal or familial act.

Logically, both are possible. At present, the family-run regime has not yet been formed. Chiang Kai-shek is facing internal and external troubles. Internally, Chen Cheng threatens the "family legacy," and externally, there is the chain reaction of his bad move in 48. The United States is eager to "de-Chiangify" him and has probably already found several people to support.

Other candidates can only be speculated upon, but Sun Liren is almost certain. (End of Chapter)