Chapter 16

16

Wen Yan’s attitude was not a shift from arrogance to deference, but from arrogance to sheer enthusiasm.

Feng Yun had seen all kinds of people, so unlike He Ting, he was not furious. He smiled faintly and asked, “Has Young Master Shen cooled off yet?”

Wen Yan said, “What are you saying, Uncle Feng? It was clearly He Ting who didn’t know how to speak properly. He couldn’t even train his staff well enough to keep the guests happy. In the end, that only hurts your business, Uncle. I was just helping you run a little quality check in advance.”

Feng Yun asked, “Should I be thanking you, then?”

Wen Yan said, “If you feel bad about it, Uncle Feng, just treating me to a casual meal will do.”

Feng Yun: “…”

Even someone of Feng Yun’s stature was left thoroughly at a loss.

Seeing that he had not reacted yet, Wen Yan promptly pressed his advantage.

“No day like today! If Uncle is free, why not right now? Perfect timing for a midnight snack. To tell you the truth, seeing you reminded me of a great business opportunity, and I wanted to see if you might be interested.”

Feng Yun knew of Shen Po’s reputation as a hedonist, but he had never heard of the fellow knowing anything about business. Wasn’t this likely an idea he had just cooked up on the spot?

Thoughts aside, he gestured forward.

“After you.”

Feng Yun genuinely wanted to know what this spoiled young master, known only as a loafer who had thrown a tantrum just to see him, was actually up to.

Judging by the decor alone, the Florence Ballroom was a cut above the New World.

This was likely related to Feng Yun’s personal taste.

Wen Yan followed Feng Yun and He Ting into a small room and sat down on an upholstered Western-style chair.

“Since Uncle can run the Florence Ballroom here, it shows you move easily between both sides of the law, and even the Green Gang has to give you some face. As for me, Shen Po, though I’m an unlearned loafer, I still know whom I can cross and whom I can’t.”

Assuming Shen Po’s identity, Wen Yan felt no burden at all belittling “himself.”

Feng Yun gave a dry laugh. “Spare me the flattery. Speak your mind.”

Wen Yan said, “To tell the truth, this idea only came to me after seeing you, Uncle Feng. I wonder if you have any interest in the shipping business?”

Feng Yun asked, “Are you talking about ocean shipping, or inland waters?”

Wen Yan replied, “Inland.”

Feng Yun sneered. “What is there to be made in inland shipping?”

Inland shipping yielded thin profits. The limited existing market, especially on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, was monopolized by foreign companies. Chinese firms were few and far between, reduced to meager operations handling only single stretches of the route. Even if a business got off the ground, passing through areas controlled by different local bosses meant that if anyone wanted an excuse to obstruct you, they had plenty. Navigating all that required extensive connections.

Wen Yan had no time to beat around the bush, so he went straight to the point. “The Japanese have already occupied the Three Northeastern Provinces without lifting a finger. Today, Japanese militarism is fiercely ambitious. They even dare to assassinate officials in their own government, let alone face a China that barely resists. As for China, Beijing is naturally the political center, but when it comes to economic prosperity, nowhere compares to Shanghai at this moment. Everyone knows this, and the Japanese know it too. Once they take Shanghai, they can drive straight inland. I’ve heard most of your businesses, Uncle, are concentrated in the Nanjing-Shanghai area. That’s not very safe.”

When asking for someone’s help, the best approach was usually to build rapport first, close the distance, and then bring up one’s objective naturally once both sides were well-acquainted.

Yet Wen Yan felt that every single second right now was filled with urgency. The time he had left felt like sand draining through an hourglass. What was more, before a shrewd tycoon like Feng Yun, beating around the bush would only bring half the result with twice the effort; being direct was far better.

Wen Yan knew his idea was hardly dazzling, but to forge a connection with Feng Yun on short notice, this was his only option.

Hearing his words, Feng Yun raised his eyebrows in surprise. His reaction was much like Zhang Yuanji’s earlier, seemingly unable to believe that such words could come from a dandy like Shen Po.

“Which elder in your family sent you to speak on their behalf?”

Wen Yan said, “If I said I thought of it myself, would you believe me, Uncle?”

Feng Yun: Of course not. If you had that kind of wits, would you spend all your time loafing around drinking and chasing girls?

Still, he did not dwell on the matter.

“As far as I know, the Shen family does indeed collaborate with Lu Zuofu^[1] on shipping. But you only have two vessels of your own. Are you trying to bring me in as a partner to rival Lu Zuofu?”

Wen Yan was somewhat dumbfounded. Huh? The Shen family really has a shipping business?

His initial reasoning had merely been that, following this trend, the relocation of industrial, political, and economic centers to the southwest was only a matter of time. When the Japanese arrived, unless Feng Yun was willing to be their running dog, no amount of connections would help; no matter how big his business grew, in their eyes it would just be a piece of fat meat.

Yet Wen Yan realized that the idea he had come up with in his haste seemed far too reckless.

He didn’t know Feng Yun’s background or true details at all, nor did he know whether the man had secret dealings with the Japanese. Showing up out of the blue and proposing a business partnership despite barely knowing him, who would possibly agree?

As an ordinary modern person, Wen Yan suddenly felt that his modest intellect, let alone in ancient times, might make it impossible to take even a single step in the Republic of China.

Seeing him visibly deflate, Feng Yun raised an eyebrow.

Wen Yan scratched his head. “I’m sorry, Uncle Feng. I oversimplified things. The truth is, I just wanted to do something to make my family look at me in a new light, so I came up with this idea on an impulse. My family knows nothing about this. Sorry to have troubled you.”

Feng Yun gave a faint, knowing smile. “Is Young Master Shen playing games with me?”

Wen Yan stood and bowed to Feng Yun. “It was childish of me. Please forgive me, Uncle Feng. How about I discuss it with my elders once I return home, and then give you a proper explanation?”

Watching this unpredictable young man whose moods shifted like the wind and rain, Feng Yun felt there was little point in holding it against him. He waved his hand. “You may go.”

As soon as Wen Yan left, the door to the adjoining room opened, and someone walked in.

“What do you think, Brother Wang?” Feng Yun asked him.

“It seems the young man has run into trouble,” the man said with a smile. “He wanted to approach you directly for cooperation and help, but didn’t dare speak the truth.”

Feng Yun snorted coldly. “What trouble could a rich boy possibly have? Nothing more than getting scolded by his family and wanting to pull off something big so his elders would see him in a new light. I’ve seen plenty like him, nothing unusual about it!”

The guest shook his head. “How about we make a bet?”

Feng Yun grew intrigued. “What kind of bet?”

The guest replied, “Brother Feng, send someone to tail him and see what this young master of the Shen family is really up to. If it turns out as you predicted, I will owe you a favor. But if my guess is right and he truly is troubled by serious business, you will owe me one.”

The guest was around thirty, considerably younger than Feng Yun, yet Feng Yun treated him as a brother, even showing great delight at the prospect of a promised favor from him.

“Then it’s a deal! Getting a favor from Brother Wang is a huge win for me!”

Mr. Wang merely smiled without a word.

Feng Yun kept no useless men under his command, and the one sent out soon returned to report.

“Young Master Shen didn’t head home after leaving here…”

Feng Yun raised a hand to stop him. “Wait, let us make a guess. If he didn’t go home, did he go to the New World across the street?”

The subordinate shook his head. “He went to The Commercial Press.”

“Oh?” Feng Yun raised an eyebrow. “That is quite a surprise. And then?”

The subordinate replied, “After getting out of the car, he paced in circles outside the Commercial Press looking troubled. Then he had the driver take him back, stopped not far from the entrance of the New World for a long while without getting out, and finally headed toward Seymour Road.”

Feng Yun truly could not guess now. “What is that boy doing running off to Seymour Road? Could he be meeting a lover?”

The subordinate said, “He went into the Lin Residence.”

Feng Yun froze for a moment, letting out an “Ah?” followed by another “Ah!”

The first was confusion, the second astonishment.

Even the unshakeable Mr. Wang uttered a soft sound of surprise.

“If I remember correctly, isn’t the Lin Residence the home of Lin Guisheng?”

Feng Yun said, “It is indeed. But what is Shen Po doing there? I’ve never heard of the Shen family having any ties with Lin Guisheng.”

Lin Guisheng was a woman, but a woman with an extraordinary background.

Her ex-husband was Huang Jinrong, currently a heavyweight boss of the Green Gang in Shanghai, a man who could summon wind and call down rain.

More importantly, Huang Jinrong’s rise to power had depended entirely on Lin Guisheng’s backing.

Yet once Huang Jinrong became a big boss, he took a fancy to the famous opera singer Lu Lanchun and did everything he could to divorce Lin Guisheng.

After the divorce, Lin Guisheng had lived in her apartment on Seymour Road, retiring from the underworld to live in quiet seclusion, seeing no one and steering clear of all worldly affairs.

How could such a figure have any connection to Shen Po?

Both Feng Yun and Mr. Wang found it unbelievable.

Spurred by their wager and by Wen Yan’s bizarre actions, the two had developed a deep curiosity about the young man.

About half an hour later, another subordinate arrived to report that Shen Po had not been thrown out by the master of the Lin Residence; instead, he had been sitting inside for half an hour and still had not emerged.

This was even more bizarre. Ever since her divorce from Huang Jinrong, Lin Guisheng had hardly seen anyone aside from one or two old friends, let alone an inexperienced youth like Shen Po.

It had been a long time since Feng Yun was this curious about something. He even felt an urge to summon Shen Po back and ask him straight out what on earth he was trying to do.

Yet in the end, it remained just a passing thought.

*

Wen Yan was truly at his wit’s end.

After walking around the Commercial Press, he realized that stealing the books was not something he could accomplish simply by hiring a few thieves. Leaving aside the impossibility of hauling away so many books in bulk, if the plot were exposed, Shen Po’s reputation would be ruined. Even worse, if the Commercial Press tightened security and patrols as a result, Japanese bombers might end up killing even more people. The plan had to succeed in a single stroke, even if it meant seizing the books by force first.

He had regretted getting involved with Feng Yun the moment he did. He had never heard of the man, and with Feng Yun’s background unknown, Wen Yan dared not rashly entrust so many precious books to him.

Wen Yan had finally figured it out: the best choice was a neutral figure with no entanglements among the various factions, someone on decent terms with all sides, possessing enough social standing yet remaining out of the spotlight. This person also needed to be softhearted enough to believe his words more readily than others, and thereby be willing to lend a hand.

And so, after turning it over and over in his mind, Wen Yan had finally thought of someone: Lin Guisheng^[2].

In terms of status, she was a former Green Gang boss and one of its founders.

In terms of connections, she had stepped away from the Green Gang and paid no heed to worldly matters, yet commanded respect due to her past standing; even Huang Jinrong, who had divorced her, did not dare cross her lightly.

In terms of temperament, this female boss had not sought vengeance against Huang Jinrong or Lu Lanchun^[3] after the split, nor had she striven to build some earth-shattering enterprise. Instead, she spent the rest of her days in quiet seclusion within the bustling city. Someone like that ought to be relatively softhearted and easier to persuade.

Moreover, looking at it through the eyes of a transmigrator, she had not faced any purges after the founding of the nation, which proved she had no ties with the Japanese. Someone like her was far more reliable than Feng Yun.

Taking the approach of treating a dead horse as if it were still alive^[4], Wen Yan paid an abrupt visit to Lin Guisheng.

He had expected it would take several attempts to secure an audience. To his surprise, he had merely stated his purpose with utter sincerity, explaining that a grave matter was at hand, one concerning not only his own life but the lives of many others; as a mere youth powerless on his own, and having heard of Madame Lin’s vast influence, he could only come knocking for help, begging her to show mercy and grant him a meeting, even if only to hear the story from start to finish, for which he would be endlessly grateful.

Perhaps his pitiful appearance amused the butler, or perhaps no youth like Shen Po had come calling in all these years, but Lin Guisheng had actually agreed to see him.