money player

A moment later, Qiong returned and kissed Xian Yaowen on the cheek from behind.

"I'm ready."

Sin Yiu-man closed the book. "I'll go boil some water."

“Wait a minute.” Joan pressed down on Sin Yiu-man’s shoulder. “I’m not thirsty. Let’s talk.”

Sin Yiu-man turned to look behind him and said, “You need to replenish your fluids and electrolytes, and you also need a warm water bath and foot soak.”

"No." Joan leaned against Sin Yiu-man and said softly, "Don't leave, stay and keep me company."

Xian Yaowen chuckled softly, not expecting Qiong to become so weak and clingy when she was sick. He stood up, picked her up and placed her on the bed. Then, he braced himself on the edge of the bed with one hand, bringing his face close enough to feel her soft breathing.

He gently stroked Qiong's lips. "Sweetheart, lie here quietly. I have an appointment for dinner and will be leaving for a while. I'll stay here with you the rest of the time."

Joan hooked her arm around Sin Yiu-man's neck and said excitedly, "Are you staying tonight?"

"uh-huh."

Hearing this answer, Joan's heart skipped a beat. "Isn't this too fast? I'm not ready."

Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "It's not what you think. I'm just worried your temperature will rise again. Peppermint tea or honey lemon tea, which one do you choose?"

Honey lemon tea.

“OK.” Sin Yiu-man kissed Joan on the forehead. “Wait.”

I boiled water, made honey lemon tea, and helped Qiong take a bath and soak her feet. I used the leftover chicken soup from lunch as a base, added carrots and rice, and simmered it. I boiled two eggs, fried two slices of toast with butter, stewed two apples until soft, peeled two bananas, sprinkled some honey, and mashed them into a puree, thus putting together an American-style sick person's meal.

After taking good care of Joan, Sin Yiu-man arrived at Lafayette right on time.

It was lunchtime, and also the military advisory group's day off. The hall was filled with people in U.S. military uniforms, some sitting at tables with three or four colleagues, others facing women in cheongsams. Besides U.S. military uniforms, there were also many foreigners in suits, mostly employees of White Company.

Today is a day of revelry, and the restaurant is in a lively atmosphere. The song "La isla bonita" by the blonde bombshells is playing in the background, and gourmets with champagne cups are dancing among the tables.

Sin Yiu-man grabbed a glass of champagne from the counter, squeezed into the liveliest "dance floor," and embraced the most eye-catching cheongsam-clad beauty, swaying to the music.

After a few dance moves, she released the woman in the cheongsam, wrapped her arms around the waist of a sophisticated American woman, twisted her waist a few times, released her, spun around twice to the center position, and then stomped her feet wildly.

When he became the most dazzling person in the room, he suddenly stopped his eccentric behavior, raised his champagne glass to the surrounding diners without spilling a drop of wine, gave a bow, and turned to walk towards the private room.

There was no one in the cubicle, but the aperitif on the table and the basket of small breads gave Lin Peijun away.

Sin Yiu-man unbuttoned his suit jacket, sat down, and took a small bread roll from the basket.

At noon, we underestimated Qiong's appetite when he was sick. We didn't make much chicken noodle soup, and he only ate two bites. Now he's really hungry.

Just as I took a bite of the bread, a waitress came in. "Mr. Xian, would you like a pre-dinner drink?"

Sin Yiu-man gestured towards the champagne glass on the table with his lip. "Please give me a bottle of water, and where are my guests?"

"The lady went to the restroom."

"Are you also serving here at lunchtime?"

"Yes."

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly, "When ordering food later, please take into account that lady's tastes."

"Ok."

He gestured for the waitress to leave, then stuffed all the bread rolls in his hand into his mouth, wiped his fingers, and tapped them lightly on the table.

A short while later, Lin Peijun walked into the cubicle, still wearing the same clothes she had worn at noon.

Lin Peijun sat back down and gently called out "Mr. Xian," her voice more tender than at noon, and a hint of warmth appearing in her eyes.

Just now, as she watched Xian Yaowen dancing freely on the dance floor, she suddenly felt a vibrant and unrestrained energy that she herself lacked but longed for. A subtle feeling of affection for this man quietly grew in her heart.

"Teacher Lin, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"I just arrived too."

Sin Yiu-man raised his hand to summon the waitress, "Did you enjoy your lunch, Teacher Lin?"

Lin Peijun's face suddenly flushed with shyness. She lowered her eyes, not daring to meet his gaze. Her fingertips curled slightly, and even her breathing became lighter. "It's...it's quite good."

There was no one else around at lunchtime, so she ordered a lot of dishes and ate until her stomach was round and full, and it hasn't completely gone down yet.

"I'm just glad you enjoyed the meal. I was worried about neglecting Teacher Lin."

Sin Yiu-man gestured to the waitress, Lin Pei-kwan, who understood and bowed to hand her the menu, saying softly, "Madam, please order."

Lin Peijun, relying on the Western dining etiquette she had hastily learned that afternoon, ordered a few safe and appropriate dishes that would not be impolite.

When Sin Yiu-man ordered the food, he prepared the medicine according to the prescription. After the waitress turned and left, his gaze toward Lam Pui-kwan held a hint of scrutiny and inquiry.

The moment Lin Peijun walked towards her seat, he caught a whiff of the sweet, youthful scent emanating from her swaying hips. At twenty-seven, she still possessed such innocent and vibrant charm—truly a rare sight.

He picked up the champagne glass and gently swirled it, watching the tiny bubbles rise inside. He silently considered whether to give this perfectly balanced sweetness as a final gift before leaving Taiwan.

He gazed at the person before him, and the image that flashed through his mind was of a dignified and composed female teacher holding a pointer in the classroom. A woman holding a pointer and standing solemnly at the podium was a realm he had never ventured into, nor even imagined.

He was interested, but this sweet taste had been quietly settling for twenty-seven years. If he were to touch it rashly or desecrate it in the slightest, it would be like a dam bursting with water, and once it started, it would be uncontrollable.

He pondered to himself for a moment, then slowly asked, "Teacher Lin, what's your decision?"

“Mr. Xian, I have made up my mind. I am happy to help Li Lizhen with her application to National Taiwan University.”

"Thank you." Xian Yaowen took out two envelopes from his suit pocket, gently placed them on the table, and pushed them with his fingertips to Lin Peijun. "One of them contains Teacher Lin's salary for October, and the other contains one thousand yuan, which is the fund I prepared for Teacher Lin. It can be used to pay for hiring other teachers to tutor Lizhen, as well as for entertaining guests and giving gifts."

As he spoke, he pulled out another envelope. "I don't know what Mr. Lin is lacking. I've prepared fifty dollars for you. Take it and buy some imported goods. If you can't buy them, you can tell Lizhen."

Lin Peijun looked at the three envelopes of varying thicknesses, her fingertips trembling slightly. A surge of indescribable warmth and excitement welled up in her heart. She wanted to politely decline, but the words wouldn't come out. She could only manage a soft "Thank you."

Xian Yaowen waved his hand, "There is one more thing I need to ask Teacher Lin. Although Jingyi is not good at studying, I don't want her to go astray. I hope Teacher Lin can keep Jingyi in check at school and have lunch with her."

Ms. Lin only needs to cook her own rice; I'll have someone deliver the vegetables to the school every noon. It will be three dishes and a soup—one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and one side dish. Ms. Lin can tell the delivery person what she wants to eat.

Where is Li Lizhen?

"The fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold."

Lin Peijun nodded slightly, indicating that she understood Xian Yaowen's meaning.

With the business settled, they began their meal. During the meal, Sin Yiu-man chatted casually with Lam Pui-kwan, seemingly just small talk, but in reality, he subtly inquired about a lot of things about her.

After the meal, I took Lin Peijun home and learned where she lived.

After washing up at the Xian residence and changing into sportswear, I arrived at Qiong's dormitory at nine o'clock.

They shared a bed and spent most of their time chatting about university life, movies, music, and celebrity gossip. Occasionally, they could find crispy pork cracklings wrapped in lard among the vegetable leaves.

The next morning, for breakfast, Sin Yiu-man specially prepared honey-smeared white toast and steamed egg custard with milk for Joan, a light and stomach-friendly meal. After she finished eating, he took her to White Company.

Before getting off the bus, Qiong clung to Xian Yaowen and gave him a long and reluctant farewell kiss.

……

on Tuesday.

During afternoon tea, Sin Yiu-man and Chan Sin-cho met and discussed the matter of Si Kong Ming-chiu's mother, Yan Bi-xia.

The Nationalist government has always maintained a policy of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free" when dealing with "communist spies." In addition, the detention of Yan Bixia was based on the "Martial Law Order of Taiwan Province" and the "Regulations for the Suppression of Communist Spies during the Period of Mobilization for the Suppression of Rebellion" under the martial law system.

These special laws issued during special periods aim to quickly resolve the situation and stabilize it in the shortest possible time. While they are swift and efficient, they cannot withstand close scrutiny. There are already quite a few cases of innocent people being implicated or even deliberately framed. Precisely because of this, some things are left with room for maneuver.

This time, the aim is not to overturn the verdict or recover the confiscated assets, but simply to bail the person out. This would make things much easier. After making inquiries, Chen Xianzhou provided two names and solemnly instructed, "Once the person is rescued, do not make a fuss. It is best to leave Taiwan immediately and return after serving your sentence."

Once you know who can succeed, the rest is simple.

After reaching an agreement with Chen Xianzhou, Xian Yaowen headed to the area near Taipei Main Station on Hengyang Road. Chen Hua had previously purchased a building there, similar in size to the Hengyang Hotel, to be used as office space for Prince Bus.

The building has three floors, but only the ground floor is currently in use. There are six desks in total, and three of them are occupied: Chen Azhu, Chen Jinxuan, and an unfamiliar man who appears to be a "brother" and is probably someone sent by Cai Jintu.

Sin Yiu-man walked straight to Chan Ah-chu's desk. Seeing that she was completely unaware of his approach, he tapped lightly on the desk with his finger.

Chen Azhu looked up and saw it was Xian Yaowen. She smiled and said, "Sir, what brings you here?"

Xian Yaowen's gaze swept over the papers on the table, which were clearly visible beneath his eyes. He realized they were the design drawings for the restaurant's main hall. "You've found a shop?"

“I’ve found someone I like, but we haven’t signed the contract yet. I plan to look around some more.” As she spoke, Chen Azhu got up and moved a chair over for Xian Yaowen to sit down.

"No rush, take your time." Xian Yaowen took out a piece of paper and quietly slipped it into Chen Azhu's palm. "Remember the name on it. Go to National Taiwan University and find a female student named Sikong Mingqiu. Tell her that things have progressed and ask her to prepare the money."

Chen Azhu unfolded the note, glanced at it, memorized the name, and handed it back to Xian Yaowen, asking softly, "What's next?"

"Find Tang Yiying to buy two items and send them out."

Chen Azhu was no stranger to such shady dealings as giving gifts and smoothing things over. She nodded slightly: "Does Sikong Mingqiu know the purpose?"

"It was originally her business."

"Should we leave some benefits for ourselves?"

Xian Yaowen waved his hand, "No need. Sikong Mingqiu and I are business partners. This is just to help her out."

"understood."

"Master, have some tea."

Just as Sin Yiu-man was about to speak, Chan Kam-shuen presented him with a teacup.

Taking the teacup, Xian Yaowen naturally grasped Chen Jinxuan's soft hand and gently stroked it a couple of times. "Are you getting used to the work?"

Chen Jinxuan's cheeks flushed slightly. She gently tried to pull her hand away but didn't pull it away. She replied softly, "It's alright. With Sister Hua leading the way, everything is still quite easy."

Xian Yaowen glanced at his watch: "You should leave work early later. Ah Zhu and I will go to your place for dinner."

Chen Jinxuan lowered her eyes and smiled faintly, replying softly, "Okay, I'll go back and prepare two more dishes."

After Chen Jinxuan returned to her desk, Xian Yaowen gave Chen Azhu a wink, and the two of them got up together and walked to the front door.

Sin Yiu-man lifted the lid of the cup, blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface, took a sip of tea, and slowly asked, "Is everything going smoothly at work?"

"Sister Hua is very capable. You can learn a lot from her."

"Has the highway bureau opened a channel?"

"It's connected."

"Was there any loose endeavor left behind?"

“Clean and tidy.” Chen Azhu paused slightly. “Sister Hua has been with several women, and one of them might be a bit troublesome.”

"what's the situation?"

“My husband has connections at the highway bureau, so he might have been recognized.”

"Was it salvaged?"

"I greeted them."

"Hmm." Xian Yaowen nodded slightly. "Be more careful in the future. Even though it's consensual, don't ruin someone's life because of one or two incidents."

Chen Azhu lowered her eyes and agreed, "I'll remember, and I won't make this mistake again."

Xian Yaowen put his arm around Chen Azhu's slender waist and asked, "Have you received the initial and final payments for the fish sale?"

Chen Azhu smiled faintly, "Received it, made quite a bit of money."

"It's fine." Xian Yaowen leaned down and kissed Chen Azhu on the cheek, then pointed to the two jeeps parked on the side of the street. "Are you comfortable sitting in them?"

"Sister Hua said she picked out some of the best cars, and they're more comfortable to ride in than her husband's car."

Sin Yiu-man glanced at the tires. "These are new tires this year, and the car was probably manufactured this year too. Of course, they're better than my seven-year-old antique."

Chen Azhu chuckled and said, "Shall we change to another one?"

"No, this old antique will change owners in two months at most."

Chen Azhu's face darkened, and she asked softly, "Sir, you're leaving in two months?"

Xian Yaowen nodded slightly, "Mm."

Chen Azhu gripped Xian Yaowen's arm tightly, her expression sorrowful, her voice trembling: "If the master leaves, what... what will we do then?"

Xian Yaowen chuckled lightly: "It's not like I'm never coming back. Besides, you can come find me, can't you?"

Chen Azhu's nose tingled, but she still forced herself to remain calm, her fingertips trembling slightly: "But this world is chaotic, how can I, a woman, just go looking for someone like that..."

Xian Yaowen patted the back of her hand, his tone becoming more serious, with a reassuring tone: "Don't worry, I will make arrangements. I won't leave you helpless, nor will I let your fertile fields lie fallow. At most, it will just be crop rotation."

Chen Azhu was taken aback at first, then her face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. She pinched him and complained, "Sir, you're just teasing me with these silly things."

Xian Yaowen chuckled as she pinched him, then grabbed her wrist in return, his fingertips tracing her warm skin. His tone was playful yet serious: "Nonsense? I'm telling you the truth. Wouldn't it be a waste if no one took care of you, such a fertile field?"

Chen Azhu's cheeks flushed even redder. She struggled twice but couldn't break free. Her eyes, however, no longer held any anger, only a hint of grievance and dependence: "Master always makes fun of me. 'Rotating the plow, rotating the plow,' you say it so easily. What if... what if you don't come back for a long time? What will I do?"

Xian Yaowen dropped his joking expression, gently stroked her cheek with his fingertips, and said in a much gentler tone, "Silly girl, I said I would make arrangements, and I won't go back on my word. I won't miss the farming season."

Chen Azhu lowered her eyes, a soreness rising in her nose, but she couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile, her voice barely audible: "Then sir, you must keep your word and not keep me waiting too long."

“Of course I’ll keep my word.” Xian Yaowen squeezed her hand and nodded in agreement: “You go back to work first, I’ll go for a walk around the streets, and we’ll meet at Jinxuan’s place later.”

Chen Azhu responded softly, tiptoed, and gave Xian Yaowen a light kiss on the cheek, then asked softly, "Come to my place tomorrow night?"

"Ah."

A faint blush rose on Chen Azhu's face. She gently scratched his palm with her fingertips, her eyes filled with tenderness and expectation. Seeing that he agreed readily, she said no more, let go of his hand, and took a half step back.

"Then I'll go in first. You should go ahead soon so we don't have to wait too long."

As soon as she finished speaking, she straightened her clothes, turned around and walked away quickly, her back view light and nimble, with a touch of girlish charm.

As Xian Yaowen watched her walk away, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and slowly turned to Chen Jinxuan beside him.

As Chen Jinxuan gazed at him, the moment their eyes met, the gentleness she had shown with Chen Azhu vanished, replaced by a renewed heat and ambiguity unique to her and Chen Jinxuan.

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly and stepped into the bustling street.

10 PM.

The bedroom was filled with the faint scent of straw mats and incense, and the paper-shaded light bulb cast a soft and ambiguous light on the half-closed shoji sliding door.

Sin Yiu-man and Chan Kam-suen embraced tightly, their bodies intertwined, their movements filled with urgent and deep affection. Chan Kam-suen's soft moans echoed gently in the quiet room. Her arms were wrapped around Yiu-man's neck, her skin glowing delicately in the dim light, completely immersed in this moment of intimacy.

Outside the window, the night wind rustled through the low trees in the courtyard, and the sporadic chirping of insects masked the subtle sounds inside.

Just as the two were passionately entwined, a series of heavy footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, accompanied by the clinking of metal keys, and a strong smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and sweat.

Chen Jinxuan's body stiffened instantly. She pushed Xian Yaowen away abruptly, her eyes flashing with intense fear and disgust.

"It's him...he's back." She lowered her voice, her tone flustered and urgent, quickly pulling the blanket over herself. (End of Chapter)