Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 93: After the Heroes
"Um...are you Li Lili? Ah...hello, hello, uh...no need, I don't want to dance either."

With that, Zheng Yi left the dance floor and wanted to go back to his seat to have a few more drinks.

Li Lili was obviously stunned when she saw this.

In China's upper class society, there are still people who don't know her?
Don't you want to watch movies?

Don’t you look at the posters when you buy things?
Zheng Yi really didn't watch it.

Being influenced by modern society, I really have no feelings about the black and white movies of this era. They are so boring, like playing house.

Seeing that Zheng Yi had no interest in dancing, Li Lili did not back off. Instead, she took the initiative to reach out and hold Zheng Yi's arm, then leaned against him.

In Nanyang, the weather is still very hot even in October. Everyone is wearing summer clothes. Zheng Yi can even feel a comfortable softness on his arms.

Zheng Yi was also stunned for a moment, but he didn't walk away. He just let her go and took her downstairs. He sat on the sofa, but his brows were slightly frowned, as if thinking about something.

[Li Lili... I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before... Where...]

Returning to his seat, Zheng Yi took out a cigar and wanted to light it for himself, but Li Lili was standing beside him. She naturally took the cigar and started to roast it for him. Zheng Yi let her do it, but he was still frowning and thinking.

Where had he heard the name Li Lili?

"Mr. Zheng, don't you usually watch movies?"

"Ah...I'm usually too busy and barely have time to watch it."

"Mr. Zheng's selfless dedication to the public is truly admirable. I heard that even people in the United States and Europe admire you very much."

"Ah, it's okay. I just have some technical knowledge. It's not like I'm doing anything for the public good. I'm just running my own business."

Li Lili saw this and knew that Zheng Yi was not in the mood to chat, but she still said, "Mr. Zheng, may I offer you a drink?"

After saying that, she threw a coquettish glance at Zheng Yixian, and then drank the wine in the glass.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Yi suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Fuck, I remember who you are!!"

Li Lili was very excited: "Mr. Zheng, did you remember my movie? I starred in it this year..."

Zheng Yi interrupted, "Is your real surname Qian?"

"Cough, cough, cough."

The sudden revelation made Li Lili choke on her wine. When she looked up again, her face was full of horror.

With a click, the cup in his hand fell to the ground.

"This...this...Mr. Zheng, you, you, how could you..."

Zheng Yi understood what was happening, knowing that he was right. However, he couldn't help but sigh, "Mr. Qian Zhuangfei, one of the three heroes of Longtan, actually has a daughter who is... a celebrity? Sigh~"

For a moment, Zheng Yi actually felt quite touched.

In this era, we only heard of movie stars, especially female stars, being lovers, but not even one of them married into a wealthy family. It was completely different from later generations. At least in the eyes of the upper class, they were actually no different from the top courtesans in ancient brothels.

Li Lili was born in a song and dance troupe. Before she acted in the movie, she was one of the four famous golden flowers in the Shanghai local song and dance troupe.

Isn't this just a pure dancer?!
Especially... when I think about how... flirty she was just now.

He suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

The romantic thoughts that had just come to my mind disappeared in an instant.

It’s a good thing that he didn’t have sex with a prostitute, otherwise when he later remembered that this was the daughter of a revolutionary martyr, wouldn’t he have slapped himself in the face?
Suddenly, Li Lili had tears in her eyes and couldn't help crying, even losing control and screaming "Ah~". She suddenly squatted on the ground and cried helplessly, and her tears were like pear blossoms in the rain, and she looked miserable. Everyone couldn't help but look at her sideways, thinking that Zheng Yi had done something to this movie star after drinking.

Zheng Yi was also startled for a moment, but then he realized that this woman seemed to have misunderstood something.

But he couldn't help but feel a pain in his heart.

For Li Lili, both her parents are special mission personnel, and they have been displaced since childhood.

Later, her parents were forced to move away from Shanghai because their identities were exposed. They did not dare to take their child with them. She first ended up in an orphanage, and was later spotted by Li Jinhui, the general manager of the Mingyue Song and Dance Troupe, and taken to the troupe to be raised.

When she was a child, she did odd jobs in the song and dance troupe, washed clothes for her sisters, and learned to sing and dance. Later, she accompanied others to drink and socialize. At the age of fourteen, she fell into the entertainment industry. It was not until she started acting in movies a few years ago that her situation improved a little.

But the movie stars of this era are indeed not that different from the prostitutes of the past, and they are not as happy either.

Sometimes she really wondered if her father and mother could watch movies over there.

If you could watch a movie, would you still be able to recognize yourself?

If they recognized me, would they... send someone to pick me up and reunite with them?
Every time she heard news about her parents, she couldn't help but feel a pain in her heart.

But they would try their best to pretend nothing happened, not daring to show any sign in front of others, and even afraid of talking in their sleep.

God knows how many times she has dreamed of her identity being exposed, being captured by spies, being tortured, or simply being humiliated to vent her anger.

However, he never expected that the first person to reveal his identity would be in Nanyang.

In her entire life, she had never enjoyed any love from her parents, but because of their identities, she was cautious and never dared to live happily. Now, her identity was exposed.

Sometimes she couldn't help but think: Why the hell did you give birth to me?

Seeing that the woman was on the verge of collapse, Zheng Yi also squatted down and gently stroked her back with his hand, but said, "Miss, there must be a misunderstanding. I have really admired your father and mother for a long time, so I just asked her out for a test. If you are willing, you can stay by my side and be my secretary instead of returning to Shanghai."

Li Lili was stunned and raised her head: "Huh???"

"Here, you can restore your real name or not, it's up to you. At least in Penang, I am the boss. You can be my secretary and learn some things from me.
I usually come into contact with many young talents, and I think they are always cleaner and purer than the ones you come into contact with in Shanghai. In Penang, no one should dare to do anything to my secretary."

Li Lili was bewildered, tears streaming down her face as she asked, "In Mr. Zheng's heart, isn't my father... a traitor?"

Zheng Yi: "In your heart, isn't your father a hero?"

"Hero..."

For a moment, Li Lili couldn't stop her tears and they began to flow.

"Mr. Zheng, you are a rich man, right?"

Zheng Yi: "It's hard to say how much personal assets I have. I'm not sure how much money I have right now, but in terms of the funds I control, at least in the private sector, there's definitely no one who can compare to me."

Li Lili: "Why would someone like you be so attached to Jiangxi? You... you... you're not afraid that if they really take over the world one day, they'll confiscate your property?"

Zheng Yi smiled when he heard this, and unconsciously thought of Tan Kah Kee.

After thinking about it, he said honestly, "If I were developing in China, to be honest, I don't know what I would choose in the end. But now I am developing in Southeast Asia. If there really comes a day when you ask me to return to China? I can't do it, and I definitely won't go back.

But since we are not going back, there is no conflict between the national interest and my personal interest. Miss Li, your father and mother may have let you down, but to the country, the nation, and future generations, they are both worthy of the title and are two great people.

"Look, even though I'm a capitalist, and perhaps even a class enemy they want to eliminate, don't I still admire them and treat you differently because of that? Maybe one day, you'll be proud of them?"

Li Lili: "I see. Then, President Zheng, I'm honored to be able to stay by your side as your secretary. I didn't have much education, so I'm not sure if I'm up to the task. If there's anything I haven't done well, please take care of me."

(End of this chapter)