Chapter 15

15

The moment Wen Yan stepped into the territory of Florence Ballroom, he completely let loose.

“Call out your best dancing girls! Don’t worry, this young master has plenty of cash to spend!”

He grabbed the chin of a dancing girl who came to greet him, looked her over from left to right, shoved her aside, and sneered with disdain.

“You dare send goods like this out to welcome guests? Don’t you have anyone who’s even remotely decent-looking?”

As he spoke, Wen Yan racked his memory for the playboy young masters from TV dramas he had watched, trying his best to mimic their behavior, acting as outrageously as possible.

“What is this, just one? Looking down on me? Go ask around who I am! Coming to your place brings glory to your humble establishment. Don’t refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! What appointment? I need an appointment to come here?!”

“What kind of swill is this? With stuff like this, you want to compete with New World across the street? Tell your boss to close up shop immediately, or going bankrupt is only a matter of time!”

“I don’t drink such garbage wine! Have you heard of Lafite? Have you heard of Latour? If you don’t know, study up! You can’t even attend to a customer and know nothing when asked. What kind of business are you even running?”

“What are you staring at? Haven’t you ever seen someone as dashing and handsome as me?!”

Word quickly spread that day that a total weirdo had shown up at the Firenze Ballroom.

The man had caused a scene from the moment he walked in, his face full of disdain as he spewed arrogant nonsense.

Although Florence Ballroom was newly opened, its dancing girls had no shortage of fans. His words and actions provoked the patrons present to fury, nearly getting him mobbed. In the end, the floor manager stepped in and escorted him away in time, barely averting a bloody brawl.

Strangely, rather than being kicked out, this lunatic was ushered into a private room. Later, rumors about his identity began trickling out: he truly was someone of stature, being the son of the wealthy Shanghai merchant Shen and the nephew of Shanghai’s deputy mayor. A genuine scion of an official family, it was no wonder he was so arrogant and overbearing.

It was also rumored that this Shen Po was previously a frequent customer at the New World across the street, as well as a devoted suitor of the famous dancing girl Mary. Thus, it seemed only natural that he disliked Florence Ballroom and had come to pick a fight on her behalf.

However, this Young Master Shen wasn’t particularly bright. For Florence Ballroom to open its doors, how could it lack backing? Rushing over so recklessly, did he really think he would come out on top?

Wen Yan naturally knew that the boss behind Florence Ballroom definitely had some serious capability.

He had been an honest, well-behaved boy all his life and had never done anything so crazy. Now, sitting bold as brass in someone else’s establishment with several sour-faced bouncers standing before him, he had to admit –

It was actually pretty satisfying.

But he had come here specifically to make trouble. The bigger the scene he made, the better the results were likely to be.

For now, it seemed it still wasn’t enough.

“Young Master Shen, with your status, if you want any dancing girl to accompany you, you only need to say the word. Why go to such great lengths and make a scene? Wouldn’t that spoil your good mood?”

Shen Po’s reputation for playboy antics echoed across half of Shanghai. By now, the manager had learned his background from the bystanders and came over personally to placate him.

Beaming with smiles, he bowed slightly and leaned in, displaying utmost humility and courtesy.

Unfortunately, he lacked the weight, and he wasn’t the person Wen Yan wanted to see.

“What’s your name?” Wen Yan asked.

“Young Master Shen, I am He Ting. The ‘Ting’ from ‘Beyond the long pavilion, beside the ancient road^[1].'”

“What nonsense? I’m illiterate, I don’t get it.” Wen Yan picked at his ear.

He Ting could tell Wen Yan was playing dumb.

If it were anyone else, He Ting would have ordered them thrown out long ago, but he truly couldn’t do that to a young master of the Shen family. Although Shen Po’s eldest uncle was only the deputy mayor, rumor had it he was sent to keep an eye on Shanghai for the Generalissimo, acting as an imperial commissioner of sorts, and would return to Nanjing for a promotion once his term ended in a few years. Thus, one had to beware of the master before beating the dog. Young Master Shen’s face wasn’t worth much, but the Shen family behind him was not something to offend lightly.

Thinking of this, He Ting held his nose and continued to offer an apologetic smile.

“My fault, it’s the ‘pavilion’ as in the small pavilion where people rest. Third Young Master, you came here today to have fun, so why let a few blind fools like us ruin your mood? How about I call out our prettiest and most popular dancing girls so you can pick one by one until you’re satisfied? What do you say?”

He thought that with such a humble attitude, the other party would quit while he was ahead. Who could have known that Wen Yan would only double down?

“What, haughty before and humble now? Cowering as soon as you hear who I am? And all the earlier stuff is just wiped clean? You call this running a business? Across the street at New World, their boss would at least come out personally to apologize. And here? Just you?”

With that, he looked He Ting up and down with an expression of utter contempt.

Rage flared in He Ting’s chest. Just as his anger was about to show on his face, he managed to hold back and forced a stiff smile.

“Our boss is busy today…”

Wen Yan said, “What business could be more important than coming to see me?”

Who do you think you are! He Ting cursed inwardly, but still smiled. “You are an honored guest, of course, but the other party had an appointment beforehand. What do you think?”

Wen Yan said, “An appointment? Then let’s meet together. It just so happens I haven’t met your boss yet. Surely they aren’t afraid to show their face?”

He Ting wondered why this man couldn’t understand plain human speech, but he could only swallow his anger and smile. “Then I’ll have to ask the boss. Please wait a moment.”

This unruly guest was simply too difficult to handle, leaving He Ting no choice but to actually consult the boss.

He called over several popular dancing girls to keep Wen Yan company. Sitting in a row flanking him on both sides, some urged him to drink, some acted coquettishly, some brought out playing cards to play with him, and others offered to sing solo for him and asked for his song requests.

Warm jade and fragrant softness, an arm around a beauty on each side – was this what ancient emperors experienced?

But Wen Yan only thought –

It’s so noisy!

His mind was consumed with guessing the identity of the boss behind Florence Ballroom, leaving him no mood to fool around with these dancing girls. Yet he couldn’t show his impatience, as that would contradict Shen Po’s persona. Wen Yan had no choice but to force a smile, pushing away the wine offered by one girl while pretending to discuss songs with another.

Wen Yan had only one goal in coming here: to force Florence Ballroom’s boss behind the scenes to show up.

Since Xiao Wu had said Zhang Xiaolin held shares in New World, and Wen Yan knew Zhang Xiaolin would later collaborate with the Japanese, the plan to partner with the Green Gang to steal the book was a dead end. The Green Gang was bound to have Japanese informants within its ranks, making leaks practically inevitable.

Florence Ballroom dared to rival New World, so it certainly had backing. It was not backed by the Green Gang, but perhaps by the canal transport syndicate or some Nationalist Party big shot. In short, as long as the money was right, working together was not out of the question.

Other people transmigrated, rallied allies, unlocked overpowered cheat abilities, and dominated the Shanghai Bund. He transmigrated only to find that even trying to protect a few books and a single city was fraught with difficulties.

Wen Yan turned it over in his mind and could only come up with this slightly more feasible plan. Problems that could be solved by throwing money at them were often much simpler.

Just as his patience was wearing thin and he was about to chase the women away, He Ting finally arrived, fashionably late.

But this time, He Ting clearly was not the main figure.

A man in a long gown walked over at an unhurried pace. He looked ordinary, yet possessed an indescribable presence that instantly reduced He Ting beside him to a mere backdrop.

He leaned on a walking stick, not out of any physical disability, but because it symbolized a certain status. Nowadays, quite a few gentry liked to appear with a cane to project an air of dignity.

“I heard the Shen family’s young master made a scene at Florence Ballroom just to draw me out for a meeting?”

The man offered a faint smile, though it did not reach his eyes.

“Might I have the honor of hearing why Young Master Shen insists on seeing me?”

The man certainly looked like someone of considerable stature.

Wen Yan showed nothing on his face, maintaining his arrogant posture without even bothering to stand up.

“And who might you be?”

“I am Feng Yun.”

Wen Yan thought about it for a moment, but drew a blank.

“Never heard of you.”

He Ting could no longer hold back. “Mr. Feng is a prominent public figure! In his early years, he followed Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and now he is a senior advisor to the Nationalist Government. Even your eldest uncle greets him as Brother Feng!”

Wen Yan paused, taken aback. Such an impressive background?

He Ting sneered. Finally learning to be afraid?

Instead, Wen Yan beamed with delight. He stood up, grasped Feng Yun’s hand, and said, “What an honor! No wonder I felt such an immediate affinity the moment I saw Mr. Feng. Since even my eldest uncle calls you brother, I’ll call you Uncle Feng!”

He Ting: … How could someone be this shameless? Shouldn’t he be worried that his earlier disturbance had caused offense, afraid of having complaints lodged against him, yet here he was shamelessly cozying up to him?