money player

After exchanging pleasantries with Madam Lan, Xian Yaowen was about to strike up a conversation with Li Moyun. After all, this woman had been coming over to play cards for some time, and Tang Yiying's goal of kicking out Zhang Zongyao had not been achieved. He needed to help push things forward. But just as he was about to speak, he saw someone enter the living room.

Lu Yansu was accompanied by her bodyguard Wei Qiqian, but her dedicated lover was nowhere to be seen.

Xian Yaowen whispered something in Tang Yiying's ear, then turned to Lu Yansu and led her into the study.

Lu Yansu leaned back in her chair, lit a cigarette, and stared intently at Xian Yaowen, who was pouring the wine. "Was that Huo Baocai's daughter standing next to you just now?"

Xian Yaowen, carrying two glasses of whiskey, walked over to Lu Yansu and handed her one. "You know her?"

Lu Yansu swirled her wine glass. "I've seen her a few times at the party. How did you end up with her?"

Xian Yaowen lightly clinked his wine glass against Lu Yansu's, then reached out and put his arm around her waist, saying with a playful expression, "I don't like your new boyfriend."

Lu Yansu raised an eyebrow and smiled gently, "If you say that, it's easy for me to misunderstand that you like me."

Sin Yiu-man took a sip of his drink and said with a faint smile, "A playboy can't possibly like another playboy. I just hope you'll raise your standards for finding a boyfriend in the future."

Lu Yansu raised her glass, nonchalantly saying, "I'm very satisfied with my taste. As long as I spend the money, he'll obediently fulfill all my requests."

Xian Yaowen slapped Lu Yansu's shapely buttocks, withdrew his hand, and said helplessly, "I will assign you a bodyguard as soon as possible. When you are doing things, have Qiqian keep an eye on you. After you finish, don't sleep together. I'm afraid you might get stabbed to death in bed sometime."

Lu Yansu chuckled and said, "Do we need to be so careful?"

Sin Yiu-man nodded solemnly, “It’s very necessary. You’ve gone too far.”

Lu Yansu stared into Xian Yaowen's eyes for a while, then tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, whispering, "Thank you."

Sin Yiu-man returned the kiss to her cheek, then lifted her chin. "It's good that you came today. Miss Lu Hong Kong will be coming later with her boyfriend. If you're interested, you can try to seduce him."

Lu Yansu, her fingers still holding a cigarette, poked at Xian Yaowen's chest and said with a half-smile, "What, has my value in your eyes decreased, so you're assigning me the job of a socialite?"

"Don't stink me up." Xian Yaowen brushed Lu Yansu's fingers away and gently straightened her suit collar. "Your value to me was very important at first, and it's even more important now. How could I bear to use you as a tool for seduction?"

Sikong Mingqiu and I are going to discuss a collaboration, and there's a high probability we'll end up sleeping together. Since that would leave Sikong Mingqiu's boyfriend somewhat innocent, I thought I'd give him some compensation.

Xian Yaowen pinched Lu Yansu's chin and deliberately turned her head to look at her left and right cheeks. "What's the point of always playing with pretty boys? You should change your taste once in a while. A college student, not bad looking."

Lu Yansu glanced at Xian Yaowen, then turned to look at the tatami mat, and said teasingly, "I want to play with you tonight, no, let you play with me, do you dare?"

Xian Yaowen kissed Lu Yansu's forehead and said in a doting tone, "Stop fooling around."

Then, changing the subject, "What brings you here today?"

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Lu Yansu's eyes, but she said casually, "I'm reporting to you."

“Bananas?” Sin Yiu-man walked away and sat down in his executive chair.

Lu Yansu leaned against the executive desk and said in a cool tone, "Tea leaves."

Tell me about it.

Lu Yansu took a drag of her cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "Yongguang Tea is facing a financial crisis. This afternoon I talked to Manager Perry, and we're planning to work together to take action."

"Oh." Sin Yiu-man nodded dismissively. "Is there any difficulty?"

"To cut off Yongguang Tea's tea leaf procurement channels, we need funds. The Taiwan branch has no money in its account; it's all tied up in goods."

"How many?"

200 million NT dollars.

Xian Yaowen tapped his fingers lightly on the table. After thinking for a moment, he glanced at his watch and said, "I'll introduce you to someone later. You can talk to her."

"it is good."

Before Lu Yansu could finish speaking, Xian Yaowen saw Xie Tingyun enter the study.

"Sir, Miss Charlotte has arrived and is in the courtyard."

"Understood." Xian Yaowen replied to Xie Tingyun, and then said to Lu Yansu, "Do as you please, I'll go and entertain the guests."

He went to the kitchen and got two bottles of marble soda. When he came to the yard, he saw Qiong squatting in front of a Japanese maple tree, holding a twig in her hand, teasing something.

Upon closer inspection, she was teasing stag beetles, which he had caught from the wild and tied to the tree with cotton thread. In addition to stag beetles, there were also scarab beetles and ladybugs.

Sin Yiu-man handed over a soft drink, "Did you play with this when you were a kid?"

Joan looked up at him, took the soda, and said in a low voice, "You can see them in the garden every summer. When I was a child, I would catch one every year to make a specimen."

Sin Yiu-man squatted down next to her. "When we were little, after we finished our farm work, my brothers and I would each catch a stag beetle and dig a track in the mud to have a crawling race."

What does the winner get?

Sometimes we bet on food, sometimes we flick each other's foreheads.

"You have many younger brothers?"

"Quite a few."

Joan said wistfully, "When I was little, I didn't have any playmates; I always played alone."

How do you view our relationship?

Joan's hand holding the branch froze in mid-air before returning to normal. "If you reap the benefits of the family, you must give back to the family."

Do you have a boyfriend, or someone you like?

"No."

“My cooperation with the Charlotte family is already very deep, and our interests are intertwined and inseparable. I do not intend to resist establishing a relationship between us, but I cannot give you the status of a formal wife. I am waiting, waiting for a marriage partner who can bring me the most benefits.”

Joan nodded slightly. "I have no objection."

"We need a child, your child and my child."

When do you need it?

"Your opinion?"

"Later," Joan thought for a moment and said, "After next Christmas."

“OK.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “Before the child is born, I will do everything I can to be your lover…”

What happens after the child is born?

“If you can’t find the feeling of being a lover in me, you can find someone else, one, two…” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “It’s your freedom to find whoever you want, how many you want. I have no right to deprive you of your right to pursue love. My only requirement is that you can’t be too high-profile.”

Joan shook her head. "I'm not interested."

"Just because it doesn't exist now doesn't mean it won't exist in the future. What I say is always true." Sin Yiu-man squeezed Joan's wrist and said with a smile, "Come see me when you're on vacation. I'll be your playmate and heal your childhood wounds."

Joan's lips trembled slightly, as if she had a thousand words to say, but after a long silence, she only slowly uttered an "OK".

The wind blew through the branches and leaves, carrying the quietude of approaching night. It brushed against one's face, soft and cool, not biting, but bringing a sense of peace. The chirping of insects in the yard was carried by the wind, sometimes near, sometimes far. A beetle was blown from the leaves and gently landed on the grass.

The wind is gentle and calm, quietly telling you that autumn has truly arrived in Taipei.

Sin Yiu-man and Queen were teasing the stag beetle, which annoyed it. It muttered under its breath, "Lock up the dog and woman, lock them up, don't bother the other beetles."

A short while later, Jiang Yiying arrived. Xian Yaowen told her to go to the study to find Lu Yansu. Then, Chen Hua arrived with Chen Jinxuan and Chen Azhu. The three of them sat in the pavilion and enjoyed tea.

At 6:20, Sikong Mingqiu arrived, accompanied by Qianwanli.

Sin Yiu-man went up to greet them, exchanged a few pleasantries, and led them to sit in the dining room.

Because of the varying degrees of closeness among the people present, no serious business was discussed at the dinner table; instead, everyone focused on keeping each other company and subtly observing what lay beyond.

Qianwanli is a normal man; he has girls in his eyes and his peripheral vision is always on them.

Finished eating.

We moved a table to the yard and set out a few stools—not enough for everyone—and started making tea ourselves.

Sin Yiu-man stood in the crowd, striking out at everyone, chatting with this person and exchanging pleasantries with that person. When the atmosphere was just right, he invited Sikong Mingqiu to sit in the pavilion.

Holding the covered bowl in his hands, Xian Yaowen's gaze subtly drifted towards Qian Wanli, who was sitting at the table. "Miss Sikong, is Mr. Qian the person you want to spend your life with?"

Sikong Mingqiu turned to look at Wanli, then turned back to look at Xian Yaowen's face. "Wanli and I haven't reached the point of discussing marriage yet."

Xian Yaowen's gaze pierced through Sikong Mingqiu's protective barrier and plunged into her eyes. "I know you have a marriage arranged."

Sikong Mingqiu did not back down, his gaze plunging into Xian Yaowen's boundless abyss, "I want to make my own decisions about my own affairs."

Sin Yiu-man lifted the lid of the bowl and said calmly, "There are gains and losses in everything."

"I am willing to pay a 'reasonable' price."

"Is your family originally from Fujian?"

"Yes."

“Fujian,” Sin Yiu-man chewed, “It’s not easy for a hen to crow at dawn, and besides, you don’t have much time left.”

Sikong Mingqiu chuckled lightly, "Mr. Xian, are all the women in the courtyard related to you?"

"Not entirely, some are just colleagues."

"Mr. Xian doesn't discriminate based on gender when hiring people?"

Xian Yaowen gestured towards the women in the courtyard with his chin, "Isn't this your reason for coming to me?"

“Yes.” Sikong Mingqiu laughed heartily, “That’s why I’m seeking cooperation with Mr. Xian. I want to become the head of the Sikong family.”

Sin Yiu-man raised the covered bowl to his lips and said, "It's not easy for a hen to crow at dawn."

Sikong Mingqiu's smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. "I know it won't be easy, but I'm willing to pay a reasonable price. Mr. Xian, please name your price."

Xian Yaowen took a sip of tea, put down the covered bowl, and tapped his fingers lightly on the stone tabletop, again and again, countless times. He slowly said, "I am not interested in the assets of your Sikong family. What I want is to do something using the name of your Sikong family."

Sikong Mingqiu blurted out, "What is it?"

Xian Yaowen looked at Sikong Mingqiu's face and said calmly, "Miss Sikong should be able to find the answer to this question herself; otherwise, the basis for our cooperation would not exist."

Sikong Mingqiu pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Xian, let's arrange to meet in a quiet place another day to talk alone."

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly, "Okay."

The conversation ended there, and Sikong Mingqiu left with Qianwanli.

As the card game began into the night, most of the people in the courtyard went into the living room, leaving only a handful of three people chatting under the moon.

Xian Yaowen did not join in the fun, but went into the study and asked Xie Tingyun to invite Madam Lan.

As soon as Madam Lan sat down, she lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and said quietly, "Chen Lulu is dead."

Sin Yiu-man asked calmly, "How did he die?"

Mrs. Lan said with a somber expression, "The official record is suicide."

"They silenced them?"

Mrs. Lan nodded emphatically, "There are rumors that Zheng Jiemin personally executed the body and sealed it with cement on the Songshan Airport runway."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled lightly, "Is this something I can hear?"

"Chen Lulu is directly under the Mainland Affairs Office and is responsible for infiltrating leftist individuals."

Xian Yaowen frowned slightly. "Mrs. Lan, be careful what you say."

Madam Lan smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Xian, let's not beat around the bush. I participated in collecting your file, so I know what kind of person you are."

Sin Yiu-man remained calm, showing no emotion whatsoever. "Tell me, how did Chen Lulu die?"

"Touched interests that shouldn't have been touched."

"You touched it too?"

Mrs. Lan nodded gently and stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.

Xian Yaowen glanced at the ashtray, then crushed the still-sparkling cigarette butt completely. "Is there anything I can do?"

“I need to be an American’s wife.” Mrs. Blue paused, then added, “A fiancée is also acceptable.”

"Is it urgent?"

"Within one month."

Before she finished speaking, Madam Lan placed her left hand on the buttons of her cheongsam, as if to unbutton them.

Xian Yaowen waved his hand and chuckled, "Don't repay kindness with enmity. I'm too busy watering the flowers at home to have the energy to pick a wildflower like you."

"Pfft." Madam Lan chuckled, her watery eyes greedily licking Xian Yaowen's face as she said in a seductive tone, "Mr. Xian, have some medicinal food to nourish yourself. If you ever think of me, this wildflower, you can pick me as you please."

"We'll talk about this later. The event can't be complete without you. You should go now."

"it is good."

Madam Lan didn't say much, and swayed her waist as she walked out of the study.

Watching the person leave, Xian Yaowen pondered Madam Lan's true intentions. Perhaps it was to save herself, or perhaps she was using him to infiltrate the "American" camp, or perhaps she was a pawn of Lucas, someone he was preparing to place by his side.

It's hard to say which possibility it is, and there's no need to waste time figuring it out. Just take some time to find Lucas, and think of it as throwing a boomerang back at him to see how he responds.

Before the matter was settled, there was a knock on the study door. After receiving permission, Chen Jinxuan walked in, carrying a plate with a bowl on it.

She walked gracefully to the desk and placed the plate on the table. "Master, I have made lotus seed and lily bulb soup."

Xian Yaowen grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. "You're so thoughtful. Why didn't you go home sooner? Aren't you worried about Zhiwei being home alone?"

Chen Jinxuan buried her face in Xian Yaowen's neck, her ears burning. "Zhiwei is very well-behaved, it's alright."

"It's better to be safe than sorry. Has Lin Mingxuan been home recently?"

Chen Jinxuan frowned, her face full of disgust, and said, "Yesterday I brought a prostitute home. The two of them were lying on my bed smoking opium. I kicked them out as soon as I got home. The room was filled with a disgusting stench, so I had to sleep in Zhiwei's room all night. I had to soak the sheets in hot water first thing this morning."

Sin Yiu-man patted Chan Kam-shuen's back. "You didn't hit him, did you?"

"No, they just chased people away with brooms."

Xian Yaowen moved his hand up to Chen Jinxuan's head and said softly, "Lin Mingxuan is still useful to me, so don't torment him. If he wants money, just give it to him."

"Ah."

Chan Kam-shuen tilted her chin up and showered Sin Yiu-man's neck with kisses, one after another, her breathing growing heavier.

As her lips moved upwards, Sin Yiu-man pressed her head down and gently pushed it outwards, saying, "This is the study."

Chen Jinxuan's burning gaze lingered on Xian Yaowen's profile, her eyes filled with a seductive charm that enveloped him like an evening breeze. "Master, it's been quite a while since you visited me."

“I went back to Hong Kong and just got back.” Sin Yiu-man gently stroked Chan Kam-shuen’s burning cheek. “Can you leave work on time the day after tomorrow?”

"I don't know, Sister Hua hasn't said what the arrangements are for the day after tomorrow." Chen Jinxuan wrapped her arms around Xian Yaowen's neck, leaned her head back, and faced Xian Yaowen's face. "I heard from Sister Hua that the master wants to buy the house next door?"

"Ah."

Chen Jinxuan said hopefully, "Could you reserve a room for me? I'll stay in both places so it'll be convenient for me to serve the master."

Xian Yaowen lifted Chen Jinxuan's chin and said with a mischievous smile, "You're full of little schemes. This is your home too, so of course there's a room for you."

Chen Jinxuan was overjoyed, but her face was filled with shyness. "I just want to be closer to Master. My heart feels empty when I can't see Master. I only feel at ease when I'm in Master's arms."

Xian Yaowen didn't bother to delve into how much sincerity Chen Jinxuan had in her words, or how much was driven by self-interest. He simply held Chen Jinxuan tightly, his hands roaming over her back.

Their cheeks were pressed tightly together as they whispered sweet nothings to each other.

The two of them hugged for half an hour, but were awakened by a knock on the door.

Chen Jinxuan sprang up, straightened her clothes, said "I'm going out," and hurriedly left.

Sin Yiu-man did not respond to the knocking. Chan Kam-shuen opened the door and looked at Wong Yau-ka, who had knocked, through the door frame. The two did not speak, but simply made way for each other, one going out and the other coming in.

After Wang Youjia entered the room, he went straight to Chen Jinxuan's thigh, which still retained the warmth of her buttocks. She sat down with a thud, and Xian Yaowen felt the soft flesh of her thigh sink in more noticeably.

Wang Youjia is fuller and rounder than Chen Jinxuan; some people do gain weight in middle age.

"You're back so late?"

"Where did you stay last night, sir?"

The two asked the question in unison.

Sin Yiu-man answered first, "At Li-hua's place."

Wang Youjia asked in surprise, "Master, you've distinguished between yourself and that young girl, Yang Jingyi?"

"Not yet." Sin Yiu-man changed the subject. "Why are you back at this hour? It's neither here nor there."

"I went to the Zhang residence, had dinner and a cup of tea, and ran into Tang Jishan when I went out. He pulled me aside and we chatted for a while." Wang Youjia's tone was nonchalant, as if she were talking about what she had for dinner, but her hands were not so well-behaved, playing around with Xian Yaowen.

Xian Yaowen felt Wang Youjia's body inexplicably aroused, and she felt weak all over when he touched her slightly. He calculated the days, and tomorrow night at the latest would be the day she would be dressed in red to welcome the distinguished guests. He rubbed her lower abdomen twice and said, "Go take a bath first, turn up the water temperature, and don't touch cold water. I will go to the bedroom in an hour."

Wang Youjia nodded slightly, then lightly kissed Xian Yaowen on the cheek, "Would you like to smell magnolia or jasmine tonight?"

"Jasmine flower".

"I'll go pick it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Youjia transformed into a butterfly, fluttering his wings and flying into the yard to pick a jasmine flower.

Xian Yaowen left the study and went to the mahjong table. Seeing that Huo Zhixian was not there, he glanced at her bedroom. A dim yellow light was faintly spilling out from the crack in the door. He withdrew his gaze, went behind Chen Azhu, pushed her off the stool, and sat down on it, catching her plump buttocks with his thigh.

He wrapped his left arm around her lower abdomen, rested his chin on her small shoulder, and sniffed her neck. He could smell the scent of roses, but not the faint fishy smell.

"You can't smell fish on you anymore."

"The scent used to be on the clothes, not on my body." Despite being flirted with in public, Chen Azhu remained calm, raising her left hand to cover Xian Yaowen's cheek, gently kneading his earlobe between her index and middle fingers. "It feels very comfortable to touch."

"Ah."

A soft hum came from her nose, as if sounding a charge. Chen Azhu became even more audacious, and her right hand touched Xian Yaowen's thigh.

After touching him for a while, he whispered in Xian Yaowen's ear, "When will it be my turn?"

"the day after tomorrow."

"Ah."

After completing the rendezvous, before the other players could make any jokes, Sin Yiu-man returned the chair to Chan Ah-chu and went behind Fei Po-ki, who was not in the audience.

He pulled up a stool, sat to her right, and gently stroked her shapely buttocks with his left hand.

Fei Baoqi was suddenly attacked, but she remained calm and didn't look back. She simply played a card, put her hand under the table, pinched his wrist twice, and then suddenly pulled it away.

Having delivered the words of comfort and patted her a few more times, Xian Yaowen withdrew his hand, focusing his attention on Fei Baoqi's hand. He offered a couple of random suggestions, which resulted in a loss, and he quickly ran behind Tang Yiying.

This person has the "Xian" label on him, so there's no need to sneak around. The stools are right next to each other, and his hand is openly around her waist.

Her waist was very slender, and she could walk around it effortlessly, but correspondingly, there wasn't much soft flesh. Touching the bone was a little rough. Fortunately, she was still one of the many beauties in the world, adding to the diversity of her charm.

Li Moyun sat to Tang Yiying's left. She noticed Xian Yaowen's movements more or less, but she didn't make fun of him. She just glanced at Xian Yaowen's left arm from time to time, feeling a little jealous.

She had been with three men, all older than her, and had no experience with men of similar age, let alone younger than her.

Sin Yiu-man was in the prime of his life, a local tycoon, handsome, and with a good temper. It was the first time she had ever seen someone of his status cook and wash dishes, and he did so without any pretense.

"Tang Yiying, Wang Youjia, and I heard Fei Baoqi's sister are all flirting with these old hags. Why don't they flirt with me? I'm still in my prime."

Li Moyun was thinking this way, but his mind was not on the cards. The more he played, the more chaotic the game became. He could only play a seven out of a set of six, seven, eight, and nine.

Sin Yiu-man is using a relay strategy today, partly to ensure everyone gets their share, and partly to provoke Li Mo-yun.

Although this woman doesn't fit his aesthetic, and he doesn't want to personally take the stage in this Cao Cao drama, as long as he can stir her heartstrings, Tang Yiying will be easier to manipulate later.

After sitting next to Tang Yiying for fifteen minutes, Xian Yaowen whispered in her ear, "Come over for breakfast tomorrow."

Tang Yiying nodded gently. Xian Yaowen quietly returned to his study, brought out a bowl of lotus seed and lily bulb soup, and slowly drank it spoonful by spoonful in the courtyard...

The next day.

Early in the morning, after washing up, Xian Yaowen brushed aside the sticky tentacles of Wang Youjia's house and went to the courtyard, where he saw Huo Zhixian sitting in the pavilion holding a book.

"morning."

"morning."

Sin Yiu-man raised his right leg high above his head and pressed it against the pavilion pillar. "Do you usually get up this early?"

Huo Zhixian closed the book and shook her head. "I used to get up at seven o'clock."

Xian Yaowen glanced at Huo Zhixian's face a few more times. She seemed to be in good spirits, so her early rise was clearly not due to insomnia. "Because of me?"

Huo Zhixian nodded.

"Getting up early is good, it helps you get used to the rhythm of getting up early and going to bed late. In recent years, because of veterans enrolling in college, American college students have a very heavy workload. They get up at seven in the morning, have class at eight, and finish class at four-thirty in the afternoon. They immediately take a sandwich to the library to study, and it is normal to stay up until one or two in the morning. You only have five or six hours of sleep every day."

Huo Zhixian nodded slightly. "Sister Chengxiu has already told me that she hardly takes any holidays at Columbia University and often forgets the sunrise and sunset, not knowing what year it is."

"It's good that you know what I'm doing. I won't disturb you while you're reading."

Sin Yiu-man remained silent and focused on stretching his legs.

Huo Zhixian was slightly dazed, but then she reopened the book and immersed herself in the pages.

One was still, the other active; the two did not disturb each other.

A little after seven o'clock, Sin Yiu-man had already finished breakfast and was sitting at the table reading the newspaper when Tang Yi-ying arrived late.

Milk skin sesame cakes, pea flour cakes, and almond tea were her usual breakfast combinations when she was in the Prince's Mansion. Her third sister made them for her, and she also had fried dough sticks and soy milk almost every day.

Tang Yiying chewed on her pea flour cake and said softly, "What do you want to say?"

Without looking up, Xian Yaowen said, "Li Moyun's heart is already in turmoil. Arrange a gigolo for her."

Tang Yiying narrowed her eyes. "I think she's interested in you, but you don't like her?"

Xian Yaowen looked up and glanced at Tang Yiying, "After you get together with that pretty boy, have your brother give you some encouragement, and things should be pretty much settled."

"I think it's a bit short. We should find someone to cripple Zhang Zongyao's middle leg so he can't cause any trouble."

Xian Yaowen's gaze swept over Tang Yiying's face. "She's truly the most vicious woman. You might as well just kill him."

Tang Yiying said with a smile, "I was just teasing you. I'm already confident about Li Moyun."

"That's good. Now that we've started, let's get a few more done. Is Zhang Daqian in Taipei?"

I heard a while ago that he went to Japan, but I don't know if he's come back yet.

“We should keep an eye on famous artists, but we shouldn’t let go of those who aren’t famous either, especially those who are old and don’t seem to have many years left to live. For example, Huang Binhong. Last time, Lizhen brought back a lot of his paintings from Shanghai. They were worth 10,000 to 20,000 RMB each, but even at such low prices, nobody wanted them. We should keep the paintings for now and then speculate on them after he passes away.”

"Huang Binhong's painting skills are profound, but his style is dark, dense, thick, and heavy, which I cannot appreciate and is not the mainstream style today."

"As you said, aesthetics are unpredictable these days. What we think is ugly now might become mainstream in ten or twenty years. What makes a good painter? A dead painter is a good painter."

Tang Yiying said thoughtfully, "What you said makes sense. I need to think about it carefully." (End of this chapter)