A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 272 Self-defeating
It’s Spring Again (1933).

At the Shangri-La Hotel, Chen Guangliang sat with Li Jinhui, Xu Lai, and Jiang Meiying, and everyone was enjoying the performance of the first all-Chinese jazz band formed by Li Jinhui.

Since the Shangri-La Hotel and Li Jinhui cooperated to release "Rose Rose I Love You", Chen Guangliang personally selected Li Jinhui's wife Xu Lai to go to Times Film Development.

Li Jinhui was already in his forties, and Xu Lai was in his twenties.

Xu Lai and Li Jinhui's first wife had a daughter of about the same age, and they were good friends; but Xu Lai was young after all, and was easily attracted to older men and "masters", so she married Li Jinhui, who was 20 years older than her, a few years ago.

After Xu Lai joined Times Pictures, she immediately participated in the filming of the drama film "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", which was released around the Spring Festival this year. It was a huge success with its eye-catching scenes of women dressed as men and beauties taking a bath.

As for Jiang Meiying, she is now Chen Guangliang's dance partner and was just invited to dance together today.

Chen Guangliang is a calm man. He likes beautiful women very much, but considering Yan Renmei's family background, marrying a concubine will only put the family in trouble, so he and Jiang Meiying only dance together occasionally.

Maybe after Yan Renmei recovers her figure, Chen Guangliang will no longer look for Jiang Meiying as his partner.

But today's scene made Xu Lai think too much, his eyes occasionally wandering between Chen Guangliang and Jiang Meiying. One was a business tycoon and the owner of Times Pictures, the other was the "Queen of Times Pictures". Could they have some kind of close relationship?
It is not surprising that Xu Lai has such a guess. After all, in her opinion, people like Chen Guangliang are very popular with girls. Although being a concubine is not a good thing, it may not be a bad thing since the target is Chen Guangliang.

After a while, Gong Qiuxia began to sing "Rose Rose I Love You". The scene was quite lively. Although today was not the weekend, there were still many people coming to watch.

The all-Chinese jazz band also made its official debut. They are currently based at the Shangri-La Hotel, but the American jazz band's schedule is staggered.

Chen Guangliang also invited Jiang Meiying to walk onto the stage together, put his arms around her waist, and started dancing.

"Has Dai Li come to Shanghai to see you recently?"

When Jiang Meiying heard this, she said playfully, "Are you worried about me?"

As soon as she said it, she felt a little regretful because the sentence was a bit ambiguous.

She always warned herself not to fall in love with Chen Guangliang because he was a married man and they were very loving.

Chen Guangliang said calmly: "Don't forget who asked me for help. What's more, you are an employee of Times Pictures, so it's normal for me to worry about you."

The first sentence is to put aside the relationship; the second sentence is a superficial attitude.

He has no intention of getting involved in any relationship now, and he is just enjoying dancing with Jiang Meiying. Even if he has any thoughts about her body, they will only stay in his mind and he will control his lower body.

Jiang Meiying finally regained her composure and said gracefully, "He didn't come to see me! Actually, I made a big deal out of it. He might have happened to be in Shanghai last time, and maybe he admired me, so he asked me to dance. He himself is a gentleman and didn't do anything out of line. Finally, seeing that I was quite cautious, I believe he won't come to me again in the future!"

Chen Guangliang said seriously, "If you think like that, you'll be sold out one day and you won't even know why! Men are all lustful. If he admires you, it means he wants you. He's still acting like a gentleman, but he's just trying to conquer your soul first. If you keep rejecting him, but he gets another chance, sooner or later he'll reveal his claws and pounce on you!"

Jiang Meiying was so frightened that she was stunned. She said, "What should I do? I really don't want to dance with him. Can I just refuse? Will that implicate my family?"

Chen Guangliang was delighted to see that his intimidation was effective. Although she was his dance partner, he could not dance with other partners while dancing with her.

So what if Dai Li is just a dog of the commander-in-chief. As long as his master doesn't give the order, can he still threaten me?

What's more, Chen Guangliang is now one of our own.

"Didn't I tell you the method last time? Just do it that way, and I guarantee he won't dare to come looking for you again!"

"Um"

Jiang Meiying remembered that she still kept the reporter's phone number in her bag.

But after a while, she forgot her fear and said cunningly, "You just said that all men are lustful. Does that include you?"

This girl is really bringing up things that are not related to the topic.

Chen Guangliang said generously: "Congratulations, you guessed it right, which means you have become smarter!"

“I’m not stupid.”

I don’t know if he is stupid or not, but Chen Guangliang feels that he is not very smart, otherwise he would not have ended up in a bad way in his previous life.

When Jiang Meiying saw Chen Guangliang admit that he was also lustful, she couldn't help but feel a little strange, because Chen Guangliang's eyes also began to become aggressive.

But she said to herself: "No, this man is a gentleman and won't do anything rash."

She thought again, "It would be great if he wasn't married. I would be qualified to be his wife!"

She thought her family background was pretty good. Her father was a master's degree holder who studied abroad and was also a factory owner. Although she was not rich, she was considered a lady from a wealthy family.

In fact, the marriage between Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei was not only a marriage of love, but also a marriage of equal social status.

The two returned to their seats.

Xu Lai immediately praised them, "You two are the most dazzling couple in the whole place. Not only are you a great dancer, but you're also a perfect match!"

As expected of a spy socialite during the Japanese occupation period, she spoke naturally and pleasantly.

Jiang Meiying said shyly, "Sister, Mr. Chen and his wife are a perfect match. I was just a dance partner that he dragged me here forcibly."

She was afraid of being misunderstood, but also expressed her charm.

Chen Guangliang did not refute it. This time it was indeed he who took the initiative to invite.

Then, Li Jinhui asked, "Mr. Chen, what do you think of this all-Chinese jazz band?"

He was inevitably a little nervous, but after all, he felt honored to be collaborating with the Shangri-La Hotel. Furthermore, thanks to his lyrics and music for "Rose, Rose, I Love You," he had gained far greater fame than before, so he was very grateful to the Shangri-La Hotel.

Chen Guangliang said: "There are no major problems with the performance, but I still lack some experience in controlling the stage."

Li Jinhui quickly asked, "What do you mean by controlling the situation?"

Chen Guangliang said, "It's about mastering on-site communication skills, so they can learn some of the stage control techniques and hosting skills of American jazz bands. Of course, we definitely support Chinese jazz bands."

"Thank you. It's an honor to have your guidance."

Li Jinhui had a feeling that "Rose Rose I Love You" was created by Chen Guangliang, but the other party transferred it to him because he thought it was not good.

Of course, this is also good, as you can gain more honor, status and wealth.

This day.

Dai Li came to Shanghai on business and lived in the villa of Yang Hu, the head of the Shanghai Security Department. The two had been in contact for a long time.

As soon as they arrived at the villa, Dai Li said, "Brother Yang, the principal is not very satisfied with your work this time."

Yang Hu cursed Dai Li inwardly. His former underling was now acting like a brother to him. Meanwhile, he had worked tirelessly for the principal, only to secure a nominal position at the Southern Whale Company two years earlier. After all, when he and the principal were acting like brothers, Dai Li was still struggling to make a living!
However, Yang Hu didn't want to offend Dai Li. After all, Dai Li was very popular at the time, so he just said, "It's a good thing that you're here. I'll help you with the rest of the work. But it's almost time now, so don't rush. I can host a dinner for you tonight."

Dai Li thought so when he heard this. It had been so many days since the incident, so there was no need to rush it tonight. He said, "Okay, thank you for your hospitality, Brother Yang. It's perfect. I can also invite a friend!"

Yang Hu laughed and said, "Haha, your friend is no ordinary person. She is now the most popular and beautiful actress in Shanghai!"

Just recently, Jiang Meiying surpassed Hu Die to become the new "Movie Queen" of Shanghai. Of course, this must have involved the intrigue between Times Pictures and Star Movies, and this "Movie Queen" was won.

Dai Li thought of Jiang Meiying's voluptuous figure and pretty face, and couldn't help but reveal his dog-licking nature. He said: "Miss Jiang is so beautiful that I am not surprised at all that she was chosen as the movie queen. After all, apart from her, I really can't think of anyone else who can compare with her."

"Haha," Yang Hu laughed, "In that case, Brother Dai should take the initiative and clarify the relationship."

Dai Li immediately shook his head and said, "How could I offend such a beautiful woman? I only admire Miss Jiang and am a fan of hers. I have no other improper thoughts about her."

Yang Hu felt contempt in his heart, knowing that Dai Li was afraid of failure in his confession.

However, Dai Li sent a driver to invite her. Jiang Meiying was immediately annoyed, but she did not dare to offend Dai Li.

She finally decided to follow Chen Guangliang's advice and called Wang Chunhua of Oriental Daily. Wang Chunhua, on the other side, received the tip and took immediate action.

At this time, Wang Chunhua was already the most famous reporter in Shanghai, because he had good relationships with many celebrities, some of whom needed some exposure, and his news always favored female stars.

Take Ruan Lingyu and Zhang Damin as an example. Wang Chunhua made an absolute contribution by portraying Zhang Damin as a "scumbag" who was hated by everyone, and also helped Ruan Lingyu get a smooth divorce.

After Jiang Meiying called Wang Chunhua, she suddenly felt a little regretful. She felt that she should have directly rejected Dai Li's invitation.

"Next time, I will definitely refuse and will never be threatened!"

Subsequently.

Jiang Meiying boldly got into the car of Dai Li's subordinates. At this moment, she finally realized one thing - courage.

At the entrance of Yang Hu's villa.

Dai Li had already been waiting at the door, his face not showing any impatience, but rather a smile.

When the car arrived, Dai Li immediately opened the door for the customer, unaware that someone was secretly taking photos.

Although Dai Li was an expert in this area, he and his subordinates clearly had not anticipated that someone had already targeted him. Of course, on the other hand, Wang Chunhua and others were also experts in this area, also known as the "paparazzi."

After Dai Li opened the door, Jiang Meiying walked out slowly.

"Ms. Jiang, I'm very grateful that you can come tonight!"

"Um"

Just 'hmm'?
Dai Li quickly put on a smile and said respectfully, "Please come in. Today, all the people here are Shanghai celebrities. They would be honored to meet Miss Jiang!"

"Mr. Dai, thank you for the compliment."

Seeing that Jiang Meiying was getting impatient, Dai Li quickly led the way to Kinmen, looking like a bootlicker.

After entering the villa, we saw many celebrities including Yang Hu and his wife, Du Yuesheng and his fourth wife.

When everyone saw that Dai Li had invited Jiang Meiying to come, they gave her face and praised her highly.

However, everyone soon discovered that it seemed to be just Dai Li's wishful thinking. Jiang Meiying did not like such a scene and probably came here because she was intimidated by Dai Li's power.

The next day, the Oriental Daily published a piece of news, which became a hot topic of conversation among Shanghai residents.

"A high-ranking official from Nanjing came to Shanghai on business and invited the newest actress to a dinner."

For a time, it caused an uproar.

Dai Li became nervous at the first moment. As expected, he received a call from Nanjing soon. The commander-in-chief scolded Dai Li for being ostentatious, greedy for enjoyment, and causing trouble.

When some people saw the newspaper, they immediately became alert and hid deeper, or even fled far away from the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

"who is it?"

Dai Li was looking at the Oriental Newspaper at this time and roared.

Yang Hu was watching the excitement and joked, "Brother Dai, although Miss Jiang is beautiful, she is, after all, the most famous actress in Shanghai. She's in the newspapers every now and then. This time, they just included you in the photo."

Dai Li was extremely upset at this time. He no longer thought about Jiang Meiying, but was thinking about how the principal would continue to scold him after he returned this time.

Afterwards, he called Du Yuesheng and asked him to go to the Oriental Daily to find out the situation.

Du Yuesheng also readily agreed and repeatedly assured that this matter would be done well.

The matter naturally came to nothing. After all, Du Yuesheng was also a director of the Oriental Daily News. Secondly, he would never offend reporters. Finally, Wang Chunhua had once made contributions to Song Zaiwen.

At this time, Jiang Meiying was very upset. She thought she shouldn't have listened to Chen Guangliang and dragged the reporter into it.

Now, she has become the gossip of Shanghai and has also been branded as vain and greedy.

Fortunately, the Oriental Daily did not write any "dirty jokes" this time, but simply described it as a gathering of upper-class people, and that a certain couple and others also attended.

But even so, Jiang Meiying's father, Jiang Zhenhua, angrily called her to him and said, "You, what did I tell you at the beginning? You can go in and have fun, but you must keep yourself clean."

Jiang Meiying said aggrievedly, "Dad, I just invited you to dance. It was a banquet with a lot of people. Besides, this was my first time experiencing this kind of thing, and I was afraid of offending Dai Li and causing trouble for you."

Jiang Zhenhua's anger subsided when he heard this, and he said, "He's not an ancient emperor. What else can you do if you reject him? Besides, I'm not afraid!"

Jiang Meiying quickly said, "I know I was wrong. I will never accept such an invitation again."

Jiang Zhenhua said, "However, after this incident, Dai Li will be more restrained and may not do such things again. However, this is not a solution. I plan to introduce you to a husband you know."

I thought my daughter would be obedient, but unexpectedly Jiang Meiying said this time: "I don't want to get married yet"

Originally, if she didn't have any outstanding works, Jiang Meiying thought it would be fine to get married; on the other hand, she didn't know why, but she thought of someone in her mind.

Jiang Zhenhua frowned and said, "She's very well-off and a nice person, so why can't you just spend some time with her? Or do you already have someone you like?"

Jiang Meiying quickly said, "No. We can get along, but you can't force me!"

Jiang Zhenhua then said with relief: "I am a very open-minded father. If you like it, that's fine. If you don't like it, I won't force you."

(End of this chapter)