money player

Fei Baoqi said quietly, "Yes, the situation is complicated with the mainland faction, the American aid faction, and the local gentry. If Chiang Kai-shek and his son want to consolidate power, they will inevitably provoke struggles and eliminate dissidents, and Taiwan will be in chaos."

Xian Yaowen glanced back and saw Huo Zhixian appear in the entryway, her hair still wet. He smiled and turned to Fei Baoqi, "Huo Zhixian is here."

Upon hearing this, Fei Baoqi turned her head and glanced at him. After a moment, she turned back and said, "Awen, the Huo family's daughter looks quite good for you."

Xian Yaowen gave a soft "hmm," and asked, "Which ones are it today?"

"Li Moyun, two matches every day for the next two days, without missing a single one."

How was her luck?

"Bad luck and bad card skills." Fei Baoqi chuckled. "Losing big in a row, I lost my composure and got really grumpy. Tang Yiying told everyone to go easy on me last night, it was pretty boring."

"If you're not energetic, why are you even joining in?"

Fei Baoqi glanced at Xian Yaowen and said, "What do you think?"

Sin Yiu-man patted Fei Po-ki's hand, everything was understood without words.

"Yaowen".

Huo Zhixian arrived at the pavilion, glanced at Fei Baoqi, and then measured the distance between Fei Baoqi and Xian Yaowen.

"Zhixian."

Xian Yaowen got up and came to Huo Zhixian's side, took her wrist, and led her to sit on the stone bench opposite Fei Baoqi. He gestured to Fei Baoqi, "Baoshu's sister, Madam Chen."

Upon hearing this, Huo Zhixian nodded slightly to Fei Baoqi, "Hello, Mrs. Chen, I am Huo Zhixian."

"Hello, Miss Huo. Yaowen just introduced you. Welcome to Taipei." Fei Baoqi's tone was neither enthusiastic nor cold.

"Thank you."

As soon as the pleasantries ended, Fei Baoqi excused herself.

"Zhixian, do you want to take a nap after lunch?"

Huo Zhixian shook her head. "I don't have the habit of taking a nap."

"There's a Longshan Temple here, it's very popular with worshippers. Shall I go with you to offer incense this afternoon?"

Huo Zhixian was slightly taken aback, then shook her head. "Today is too rushed. Let's go again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at dawn."

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly. "We don't have any incense or candles at home. I'll go with you to an incense shop this afternoon."

"it is good."

Would you like some tea?

"Is it almost time to eat?"

"We can serve meals anytime."

"I'm not drinking anymore, I'm a little hungry."

"Let's go to the dining room."

After dinner, Sin Yiu-man took Fok Chi-han out for a stroll, wandering aimlessly and letting her experience the atmosphere of Taipei.

Sin Yiu-man brought a camera and took many photos of Fok Chi-han, but didn't take a single photo of himself.

As the sun set, the two sat at an open-air tea house in Ha-no-jo, facing the cool breeze of the Tamsui River, peeling peanuts and quietly watching the fishing boats return to port.

Huo Zhixian gently pinched the peanuts, the peanut skins came off, and with a puff of her mouth, she blew on them, sending two milky-white peanuts into Xian Yaowen's mouth.

Sin Yiu-man chewed gently, picked up the almond tea on the table, and held the glass straw to Fok Chi-han's lips. Fok Chi-han sipped and took a sip, then moved the other glass straw to Sin Yiu-man's lips.

Sin Yiu-man took a sip and exchanged a smile with Fok Chi-han.

"I've made up another love story today."

"Is it the same as last time?" Huo Zhixian said with lingering fear, "I don't want to hear that kind of story."

“No,” Sin Yiu-man shook his head. “It’s a story about a misunderstanding.”

"I want to hear it."

"The Liu family, the most prominent family in Taipei, has few descendants. In this generation, there is only one daughter, Liu Ruyan, who manages all of the Liu family's businesses. Five years ago, Liu Ruyan and Shen Ye fell in love at first sight. They dated for three months, but Shen Ye went to study in the United States, and their relationship ended without a trace."

However, Liu Ruyan was deeply in love with Shen Ye. Less than two months after they separated, she fell ill from missing him and developed hysteria. She lost her appetite and spent her days drinking, spacing out, and laughing foolishly. The Liu family had no choice but to find Xian Yaowen, who looked like Shen Ye, and sign a contract with him.

Xian Yaowen accompanied Liu Ruyan for five years. The Liu family not only supported the Xian family's business but also gave Xian Yaowen one million NT dollars upon the expiration of their contract.

Huo Zhixian smiled faintly: "How does the Liu family expect you to accompany Liu Ruyan?"

"A contract marriage, lasting five years."

"Oh."

"For five years, Xian Yaowen cooked for Liu Ruyan, preparing three meals a day. Because she often attended parties and drank too much alcohol, Liu Ruyan developed a serious stomach problem. Xian Yaowen would spend several hours cooking stomach-soothing porridge for her."

Liu Ruyan has a very discerning palate; all the food she eats is the result of countless trials and refinements by Xian Yaowen…”

Huo Zhixian asked in surprise, "A man washes his hands to cook?"

"Do you know Ernest Dichtère?" Sin Yiu-man asked in return.

"do not know."

"A new trend is emerging in the Western advertising industry, using psychology, especially Freud's psychoanalysis, to explore the deep subconscious motivations behind consumer buying behavior. This is motivation research, and Ernest Dichtwer can be called the father of motivation research."

"I don't understand." Huo Zhixian shook her head, grabbed Xian Yaowen's sleeve with her small hand, and gazed at Xian Yaowen's profile with a slightly admiring look in her eyes. "Tell me about it."

Xian Yaowen stuffed the naked peanuts in his hand into Huo Zhixian's mouth and said in a doting tone, "We are the new generation of the 1950s, and our historical mission is to worship foreign things and fawn over foreigners. Get up early tomorrow and come to my study to read American newspapers."

Huo Zhixian chuckled and said, "Is 'foreign' only about America?"

“The United States is the most representative country and the country with the strongest comprehensive strength. It is ahead of other countries by at least 20 or 30 years, and sometimes by more than 100 years.” Sin Yiu-man said seriously, “If you understand the modern economic and political history of the United States, you can be a boss in Hong Kong, even if you can’t be a boss. If you can study at Harvard for a few years, you can definitely be a favored concubine.”

Huo Zhixian chuckled, fiddling with Xian Yaowen's cufflinks, "Which rank is your concubine?"

Xian Yaowen wiped a few peanut crumbs from Huo Zhixian's lips with his middle finger. "Don't worry about the ranking. I've always treated everyone equally. Instead of worrying about the ranking, you should worry about how many lovers I've had outside."

Huo Zhixian pouted, a wronged look on her face. "A lot?"

“Quite a few.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “When I first arrived in Hong Kong two years ago, I had my fortune told at a fortune-telling stall on Temple Street. The fortune teller gave me a single character: An Ren.”

"An Ren?" Huo Zhixian thought for a moment. "That name sounds familiar."

Pan Yue, courtesy name Anren.

"Pan An?"

"Ah."

"You think you're as handsome as Pan An?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "Am I not qualified?"

Huo Zhixian spat lightly, "Shameless."

"Hehe, I originally wanted to marry a wife who had shared hardship and live a simple life, but unfortunately I'm destined to be a ladies' man, I'm too popular with women..."

Before Xian Yaowen could finish speaking, Huo Zhixian spat out, "If you're a womanizer, then be a womanizer. Don't make excuses for yourself."

Xian Yaowen grasped Huo Zhixian's soft hand and gestured towards Jiang Zhongjinri with his lips, "Isn't it beautiful?"

Huo Zhixian gazed at the faint golden light. "Beautiful."

"Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River, is beautiful, with clear water flowing through the forest and you can walk across the source creek on rocks; the park has ancient pine forests, hiking trails and camping areas, and it is especially dreamy when the maple leaves turn golden in autumn."

Land there isn't too expensive; you could buy a plot of land larger than Macau and build your own dream vacation villa.

A glint flashed in Huo Zhixian's eyes, "A vacation villa even bigger than Macau?"

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "Everything will be made to your liking. This is my betrothal gift to you."

Huo Zhixian blushed with embarrassment. "I haven't agreed to your request yet."

Xian Yaowen leaned down and kissed Huo Zhixian on the cheek, teasingly saying, "Like a lamb entering a tiger's den, do you think you can escape my grasp?"

A blush spread across Huo Zhixian's face, and she murmured, "You're so annoying."

Sin Yiu-man pulled Fok Chi-han into his arms, and the two of them stared at the river in silence for a long time.

As the wind grew cooler, Sin Yiu-man draped his suit jacket over Fok Chi-han's shoulders and resumed his interrupted conversation, "The target audience for the love stories I write is women, so naturally they have to satisfy women's fantasies about love and marriage."

“Okay, continue your story.”

Where was I?

"Sin Yiu-man washed his hands and cooked soup."

"Oh, Xian Yaowen is not only a good cook, but also a great business partner. He helped Liu Ruyan expand the Liu family's business three times over."

But Liu Ruyan was blind to his own eyes and heart, treating Xian Yaowen as if he were invisible. He was indispensable, yet she ignored him. Her heart belonged only to Shen Ye, and she never shared a room with Xian Yaowen.

Xian Yaowen loved Liu Ruyan from the very first time they met. Five years of living and working together deepened his love; Liu Ruyan was his everything, and he was willing to die for her.

Huo Zhixian's eyelashes trembled. "Liu Ruyan doesn't love Xian Yaowen?"

“Don’t worry, the answer will come later.” Xian Yaowen replied, and then continued the story, “Liu Ruyan and Xian Yaowen lived under the same roof. Although they were not close, they treated each other with respect. However, this relationship was broken by a phone call one day.”

It was dusk on August 20th. Liu Ruyan picked up the microphone and listened for a couple of minutes. Xian Yaowen noticed that Liu Ruyan's face, which had been frozen like ice for millennia, had thawed. He later learned that it was the face of someone deeply in love.

After receiving the phone call, Liu Ruyan changed her clothes and went out, not returning home all night.

"Shen Ye is back?"

"Ah."

Huo Zhixian hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Those two...are they...?"

Xian Yaowen shook his head. "Liu Ruyan's longing and love for Shen Ye had been accumulated and suppressed for five years. Naturally, she was willing to give herself to him, but at the last moment, she inexplicably pushed Shen Ye away."

From that day on, the phone rang frequently. Whenever Liu Ruyan answered the phone, she would go out, sometimes for several hours, sometimes for several days. Whenever Xian Yaowen asked, she would make excuses about business matters.

From that day on, large sums of money were frequently transferred in Liu's account. Liu Ruyan bought Shen Ye a love nest and a car, and often bought him watches and made expensive clothes. She accompanied him on vacations, to Japan to enjoy the snow, and to Macau to gamble. She spent money like water.

Shen Ye is very cunning. He often pretends to be sick. Liu Ruyan treats him like Jia Baoyu, serving him tirelessly, feeding him medicine, cooking porridge for him, and giving Shen Ye the tenderness that Xian Yaowen never experienced.

As time went on, Shen Ye was no longer satisfied with gifts and companionship. He set his sights on becoming Liu Ruyan's husband. He followed Liu Ruyan around, participating in the Liu family's business and attending various parties as her male companion. Naturally, Xian Yaowen became aware of his existence.

Huo Zhixian chuckled and said, "Will the two men be fighting over her next?"

"You guessed right. Do you need me to go into the next part?"

"I want to hear it."

Sin Yiu-man glanced at his watch. "It's time for us to go home. I have plans for tonight."

Huo Zhixian said coquettishly, "Stay a little longer, and finish your story."

"The time on the road is just enough for me to finish telling the story."

"Alright, let's go back." (End of Chapter)