Xu Xuzhi

Chapter 57 Six Nations Hotel
Tonight's dance was held at the famous Liuguo Hotel in the embassy area of ​​Dongjiaomin Lane.

At the beginning, it was a joint venture of six countries, so it got such a name. The owner is also the operator of the famous luxury sleeper train "Orient Express" across Europe and Asia.The hotel has five floors on the ground, and the highest floor is covered, which is also the tallest building in Beiping at this time.The customers are naturally diplomats from various countries, high-ranking people in China, and Chinese dignitaries. Of course, there are also some assassins, ronin, and wandering warblers... Known as "the first social stage of the Republic of China", how many important historical events took place here or about to happen.

As soon as they arrived in front of the hotel, a clever Western doorman wearing a white shirt, black vest and white gloves came up to open the door. Ning Zheng held Feng Jiu's arm tightly and entered the hall. The crystal vase of white peonies, the French band played cheerful music, so lively.

They are the hosts tonight, and they need to stand at the door to welcome the guests. The task is not without difficulty.Hong Si said hello and left on his own. He just needs to take care of himself. I'm afraid his third uncle and aunt will not have time to pay attention to him tonight.

On the way here just now, Ning Zheng had briefly explained to Feng Jiu who would be at the meeting.Most of the guests were Westerners, and the hall was already filled with a strong and pungent perfume smell. Feng Jiu frowned slightly, but Ning Zheng noticed it and patted her arm comfortingly.

Tonight, there were more than ten countries’ envoys to China and their wives attending the reception. Without exception, the envoys were all men, and their attire was similar. It was nothing more than a black tuxedo, a shirt with a collar turned up at both corners, and a silky white tie. French-style pleated cuffs, white silk embroidered vests, white pocket squares, some wearing white gloves, and black patent leather shoes on their feet.If it weren't for the gaudy cuff buttons, they were all different, and I really doubted that their outfits were all made by a tailor.

Ning Zheng was no exception, perhaps only the burgundy pocket square that was chosen to accompany Feng Jiu was different from them.

The first one to arrive was Ciano, the Italian envoy to China and the son-in-law of Head of State Mussolini. He was black-haired and black-eyed, of medium height, with handsome features and a dignified appearance. The beautiful wife, Mussolini's daughter Ada, Fengjiu felt that there was a hint of sadness in her eyes when she looked at her husband.

Ning Zheng talked with them in English, and introduced Feng Jiu to them. Ada saw Feng Jiu smiled slightly, and her attention was immediately attracted by the emerald brooch on her chest, and she praised her a lot: Feng Jiu doesn't like to use antiques, so whenever Ning Zheng has the opportunity, he will not forget to customize some jewelry for her that suits his own aesthetics.Of course, it is not known whether this jewelry really caught the eyes of the Italian princess, or it was just a diplomatic compliment.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two entered the hall to enjoy the music. Next came the British Minister to China, Sir Ram Puson and his wife.Lan Pusheng is Ning Zheng's year-end friend. Even though Ning Zheng was deeply involved in the melee of warlords in the past two years, once the wars are less frequent, he will fly to Peiping to discuss the current international situation with Mr. Lan at his apartment. Chinese influence.Mr. Lan admires Ning Zheng very much, thinking that he has a sharp mind and great ambition.

The couple were very familiar with Ning Zheng, and it was the first time they saw Feng Jiu. They looked pleasantly surprised, probably thinking that the wife Ning Zheng married was unexpectedly beautiful, elegant and generous; Sincere love, I admire Fengjiu's fluent and elegant English repeatedly, and feel that the outstanding Mr. Ning has not been let down by the traditional Chinese marriage ordered by his parents.

Then the ministers from other countries also arrived one after another, and Fengjiu began to feel that his face was stiff with laughter. Among them, the Japanese minister Kenkichi Yoshizawa who caught Fengjiu's attention the most: he was short, with buck teeth, and a gloomy face, which seemed to be quite resentful.Also, the old man dealt with the Japanese slickly, which caused a headache for all aspects of Japan.After graduating from Keio, Kenkichi Yoshizawa has worked in many places in China.

Feng Jiu is face-blind, but fortunately, these guests have some features on their faces that I can remember for a short time, otherwise it would be really difficult to tell who is who.

Feng Jiu couldn’t help but remember Bao Nai, the French manager of the French Bao Keshu Brothers Company, because his goatee was too eye-catching, and Feng Jiu also chatted with him in French for a while. Kang Suailuo".This is a French business giant, and many of Ningjun's arms, aircraft, and aviation parts are purchased from this company.

Of course, there is also Kai Ziwei, the well-known general manager of Jardine Matheson Co., Ltd., who is less than Fengjiu's shoulders, and she immediately remembered him. Kai Ziwei is also the representative of the British Trust Vickers Arms Factory in China. There are also many business contacts.

But what surprised Fengjiu the most was that Ge Luoli, who was wearing a lake-blue trapezoidal collar and puff sleeve French silk skirt, also accompanied her father—David Ge, who had just been promoted to the U.S. ambassador to Beijing, came. In the past two years, he has met Feng Jiu on several occasions, so he is an old acquaintance.

A few small light blue flowers are adorned on Loli's light golden hair in a princess bun, echoing the color of the evening dress, making her emerald eyes more deep and bright, pure and elegant, while accompanying her They arrived in Yage, wearing a distinctive sea blue tuxedo, instead of a dress vest, they wore a beige kamabond, which is a wide girdle, and the pocket square is also the same color as the girdle, making the He stood out instantly from the crowd of dull men in tuxedos.

Feng Jiu has always appreciated Yin Yage's dressing taste very much, and at this time he couldn't help but keep his dressing experience in mind.

Fengjiu and his best friend were naturally very affectionate when they saw each other. It was only when they exchanged greetings that they realized that it was Yin Yage who drove the Ge family over.Looking at Ge Dawei, who is still upright and handsome in middle age, watching Yin Yage deal with other people with the eyes of his beloved son-in-law, Fengjiu knows it well - Yin Yage is very smart, and he knows the importance of taking the old man's route. Recruitment can be successful.

After a while, Ke Weili also arrived, accompanied by his father, Mr. Ke Dong, the Hong Kong jazz. Sir Ke has a very good personal relationship with the old man.Feng Jiu silently watched the famous "Legend of Xiangjiang", the first super-rich man after the opening of Hong Kong, and couldn't help reviewing the glorious experience of this Eurasian whose father was Dutch-Jewish and whose mother was Cantonese.It is said that in Hong Kong, if you want to satirize a person who is overestimated, you will express it with "I think I am Ke Dong".

The name Ke Dong is so common, but if these two words are mentioned in China, everyone knows that it only refers to Mr. Ke who is wealthy, charitable, and has always regarded himself as a Chinese in Hong Kong.

After all the people from all walks of life arrived, Ning Zheng raised his glass and gave a concise thank you speech in Chinese on behalf of his father. Most of the ministers present could understand Chinese. This is a dinner hosted by the Chinese.

Then the reception started, Fengjiu danced the first opening dance led by Ning Zheng, and then everyone entered the dance floor one after another, and began to enjoy the good time with the live dance music played by the band.

After dancing with Ning Zheng for a while, Feng Jiu and Ning Zheng took him to socialize with the guests. After a while, they separated naturally, and Feng Jiu was soon surrounded by the wives of ministers and other family members from various countries.

After all, the handsome Ning Zheng has always been one of the focal points of private conversations in their small circle. Today, he finally met his young wife. How could it be the heart of gossip that women of all nationalities and countries in the world will not lack? Easily pass up this rare opportunity.

However, they were soon surprised to find that this lady not only looks beautiful and behaves elegantly, but also is very proficient in English, French, and even Italian, and she has never been abroad. She also said that she plans to start learning German, Spanish, etc. English and Portuguese.

In fact, these languages ​​either belong to the Indo-European language family or the Latin language family, and they are more or less related, and many words are only slightly different.

Luo Li stood beside her, gently holding her forearm, supporting her, but after a while, she found that her Chinese best friend was not as nervous as she thought she would be, on the contrary, she was like a duck to water.

There is no necessary connection between people liking to do something and being good at doing it. For example, Fengjiu doesn't like to socialize from the bottom of her heart, but she is naturally keen, has a wide range of knowledge in all aspects, and is one in a million. Her expressive ability allows her to easily control the communication activities with strangers, just like now, she is subtly manipulating the topic of conversation with the female relatives, switching from time to time to the next one without a sense of bluntness. It is a topic that is easy to be interested in, and at the same time controls a moderate rhythm, making the atmosphere extremely hot, which is definitely a talent.

Ning Zheng stayed far away, and did not forget to glance at Feng Jiu from time to time, preparing that when she showed impatience or exhaustion, she could only bet on her good buddies Ke Weili or Yin Yage, and his husband Then go forward to save the unsociable wife from the fire.

But what made him slightly disappointed and full of pride was that he only saw more and more Western female relatives surrounding her, and the faces of the noble ladies had comfortable smiles. There were bursts of laughter, and he knew that his wife had adjusted well again.His Fengjiu is always so unexpected.

At this moment, Sir Lan, who had just listened to the gossip outside the female family circle, came over. Ning Zheng took the initiative to clink glasses with him. Sir Lan said with a smile: "Your wife is really funny. She just said that men can only be in two situations. Only when the door is opened will the wife open the door—one kind, the car is new; the other kind, the wife is new.”

This kind of witticism made the men around Ning Zheng burst into laughter.

At this time, the music was changed to Fox Dance, which was adapted from the American New Black Jazz Dance and became popular all over the world, that is, the slow four foxtrot dance. There was an urge to find his wife to dance, so the circle of male guests and the circle of female guests began to move towards the middle, hand over, merge, and then spread out, and Fengjiu was able to come down to rest.

After following them into the hall at first, Kouji who disappeared like a drop of water into the lake suddenly appeared behind her, holding a glass of low-alcohol Spanish cava in his hand. Dry, smiled gratefully, took a few sips.

Seeing that Ning Zheng was surrounded by other guests again, she turned her head and secretly told Hong Si that she wanted to go out to get some air—the smell in this hall was really bad.

Hong Si smiled and stretched out his arms, Feng Jiu took them, and the two walked back; outside was the Zhongyu River Bridge, and a bright moon hung high in the sky, quietly looking down on the world.

Feng Jiu suddenly sighed, "During the Ming Dynasty, this was the Taipuguan, which was in charge of the emperor's chariot and horse orders. 300 years ago, the moon in the Ming Dynasty shone on the Forbidden City, and naturally it also shone on the Taipuguan; now, the moon in the Republic of China It’s like the Forbidden City, but it’s also the same, it’s no longer the imperial servant’s house, but this restaurant run by foreigners. The flowers are similar every year..."

Kouji smiled slightly, "Don't be sentimental, soon, we will beat out all these foreigners who are rampant in China."

Feng Jiu looked at him suspiciously, "Really? Soon?"

"Yes, very soon, but not by my grandfather and... third uncle, but... but by thousands of Chinese people."

This is the second time Fengjiu talked about the current situation with Hongsi, and only then did he realize that it was the first time he saw Hongsi in a tuxedo. He was handsome and straight, with a persistent belief on his face, which greatly encouraged everyone The warlords of the road fought endlessly for territory and power, and the angry and helpless Fengjiu continued to expand the joy in his heart.

Listening to the cheerful and playful foxtrot music wafting from the lobby of the hotel, Hongji suddenly put his arm around her slender waist, "Dance?"

Fengjiu's first dance partner was Hongji in front of him: Tongze asked his students to learn ballroom dancing at that time, and it goes without saying that mixing and matching students from boys' and girls' schools was the best choice; Fengjiu even danced with Hutou later—poor The Hutou is also a boys' school, but there is no friendly girls' high school like Tongze boys' high school nearby, so it is really difficult to find a female companion.

The two old dance partners then jumped from one end to the other on the bridge, and jumped back again. Hongji's dance steps were a bit aggressive, and the figures of the two had flashed into the southeast corner of the small garden connected to the Zhongyuhe Bridge without paying attention. .

They laughed silently, and were about to go out, when they suddenly heard a familiar clear and shallow male voice: "Miss He Si, I thought I made my words very clear three years ago. It's really not you who are chasing you everywhere." style of."

"Ruiqing, it's not that I don't want to let go, but that I really can't let go. I've found so many boyfriends, but none of them can compare to you..."

When Hong Si first heard Ning Zheng, he glanced at Feng Jiu nervously, but Feng Jiu looked calm and breezy.A little joy suddenly appeared in Hongji's heart, but the rationality that had been controlled for a long time was still there. After a quick calculation, he decided to show up with Fengjiu before the pair of ex-lover outside said more outrageous things, so as to save trouble Until everyone can't end.

Unexpectedly, Fengjiu saw his plan, but smiled without saying a word, and only stretched out his hand to loosely pull his sleeve... Just such a small movement was enough to stop Kouji's next move.

"So what? I've been married for two years, and you've already been engaged. As an old friend, I still can't bear to see you ruin yourself like this, Miss He Si..."

"Why, can't even Liyun yell out?" A faint female voice sounded, with an unmistakable sorrow, "I have already retired. Tonight I saw your wife from a distance. She is so beautiful, and the way she spoke , even I feel happy in my heart, she is someone worthy of your heart, I can't compare... But I dare say, the heart that loves you, she will never be able to compare, I'm not afraid to compare with anyone... Ruiqing, I don't mind being small, as long as I can be with you, I..."

"Forget it, Miss He Si, unless you don't marry, I'm afraid you won't have anything else in this life besides this title. I'm done with this, so please do it yourself. Also, stay away from my wife. I don't I hope your appearance will make her unhappy." Ning Zheng's voice became completely cold, even on this early summer night, there was not even a trace of temperature in the chill.

Listening to the conversation outside coming to an end, Feng Jiu was thinking about whether to take a sneak peek, so as not to miss the right number if they meet later, it would be really fatal.

Suddenly he heard the unique rubbing sound of luxurious silk clothes, and the two people outside didn't speak anymore, but Hong Si still heard the woman's rapid panting, and then heard Ning Zheng's suppressed growl, "When did you change your mind?" Is it so worthless?! Worse than a girl in the fun field, the daughter of He Yunfu, the minister in Europe, is she so self-deprecating? Once again, I will ask you to wake up in the river!"

The sound of heavy footsteps leaving abruptly indicated that Ning Zheng had returned to the hall.

After a while, there was a low cry, and the fourth Miss He also hurried past them with her head down, and it seemed that she didn't intend to go back.Bong Goo saw her quite beautiful face the moment she looked up at the moon in the sky to prevent tears from falling.

Kouji looked at Fengjiu worriedly, but she looked back at Hongji with a smile without any strangeness, Hongsi's hands unconsciously wrapped her shoulders, "Bongjiu, you..."

"I'm fine, don't worry. It's not that I don't know who your third uncle is. Besides, you see how resolutely he refused just now, right?"

Kouji hesitated for a moment, then nodded.In his heart, Feng Jiu, who is as pure as the most noble diamond, should not have the slightest connection with these low-level scandals, which is already defiled her; if she married him, if...

"Let's go back." Feng Jiu broke free from Hong Si's hands calmly, "I guess, your third uncle should be very anxious to find me now."

Kouji's hands fell to the ground, and slowly dropped to the sides of his body, and his head also dropped.

"Why don't I go in first, lest your third uncle find trouble—sometimes, he is really childish, tsk tsk."

Feng Jiu waved hands with Hong Si indifferently, and the wine-red soft silk skirt swirled, swinging a mesmerizing moon flower, holding the hem of the skirt with both hands, and walking forward lightly Go, the graceful figure looks like a frightened bird under the moonlight, and soon disappears at the entrance of the hall.

Feng Jiu's guess was really accurate. Ning Zheng didn't want to find Feng Jiu right away, like a fly without a head. Yanyan danced a slow three waltz with a smile.

He had been in a good mood all night and was spoiled by He Si. To be honest, he had already regretted the wanton squandering of his feelings back then. If he had known that the consequences would be so serious, he would have lost all confidence in front of Feng Jiu. How could he not control himself?
Ning Zheng was struggling to accommodate Mrs. Lan who hadn't stepped on a spot while dancing, when he suddenly saw the burgundy flying figure that he had been looking for just now finally appear. pull.

Mrs. Lan followed his gaze, and smiled, "Look at you, just read it after not seeing you for a while? Hey, it's nice to be young." She playfully tapped Ning Zheng's generous Shoulder, "Okay, don't accompany me, an old woman, in pain, go and dance with your wife, the dinner party is almost over."

How could Ning Zheng obey, naturally he waited until the end of the song before sending Mrs. Lan back to her husband respectfully.

Ning Zheng met Feng Jiu's smiling gaze, walked over leisurely, with a smile on his face, stretched out his hand to pinch her slender waist, secretly gritted his teeth and asked, "Where did you go just now? I searched everywhere and found nothing." I'll see you." Otherwise, he wouldn't be stuck in the small garden by He Si who stared at him all night.

His mood is quite unstable now, Feng Jiu didn't expect that a veteran in the field of love would be more stimulated than an outsider like himself.

She was a little uncomfortable trying to break free from Ning Zheng's hands locked around her waist like iron tongs, but in vain, Ning Zheng had already embraced her and walked to the adjacent flower hall, and in the end he kissed her regardless. He needed her comfort, and immediately ,immediately.

After a while, Feng Jiu took out a small handkerchief from the dinner bag hanging on his wrist, and carefully wiped his lips stained with her magenta lipstick.

Ning Zheng held her face in his hands and looked at her lips fascinatedly, "You don't need to touch up your makeup. Your lips are already red without painting."

After speaking, it was another deep kiss.

"Huh? Where's your pocket square?"

When Feng Jiu was let go by him, he realized that his wine red pocket square was gone, leaving only the bare opening of the pocket.

"I just wiped my sweat, I think it's dirty, so I threw it away." Ning Zheng put his arms around her waist after explaining lightly, "Come on, let's go dancing."

They went back to the hall to dance, but someone immediately came up to invite Feng Jiu, Ning Zheng could only let go, and then he was very unhappy to find that his wife almost didn't even have the time to come back and sit for a while, often a dance When it's over, another person immediately comes up to take over, which is really unpleasant.

After a few dances, Feng Jiu suddenly saw Ke Weili as his partner.

This tall and straight quarter Eurasian had a sad face, Feng Jiu knew what was going on at a glance, she comforted Ke Weili: "Tomorrow I happen to be going to Yanda to look for Weiwei, I will take care of myself To persuade her. You must know that Weiwei is indeed a little girl at heart, and she is especially slow in emotional aspects, so don't act too hastily, or let nature take its course, okay?"

Ke Weili knew that Fengjiu was a smart person, but he didn't expect that he had guessed his own thoughts completely before he opened his mouth. He couldn't help showing gratitude. He was not good at talking, and he felt that he was at a disadvantage in love.

He suddenly remembered something, and told Fengjiu solemnly: "Mrs. Ning, I am not afraid of your jokes, please tell Weiwei the truth. Although my mother is a devout Buddhist, I believe in Catholicism. I won't do nonsense, please rest assured."

... Caught off guard by such personal privacy, Feng Jiu blushed, and could only forcefully agree.

The night is dark, and the song ends.Feng Jiu and Hong Si were driven back to the palace by Zhi Changsheng, while Ning Zheng put his head in and kissed her gently on the forehead after sending Feng Jiu into the car, "Don't wait for me, have a good dream." Nine whispered yes, Ning Zheng closed the car door, put his hands in his pockets, and watched "Fengtian No. [-]" drive away, then wiped his face, and turned to deal with the group of young talents who were widely distributed in various fields.

(End of this chapter)