This Foreign Girl seems to enjoy teasing me with little verbal traps, and likes to see me realize I've fallen into a trap halfway through my sentence.
Angie Perlis laughed across from him. Her naturally fair skin, combined with a slightly smug smile, made her stand tall and straight across from Song Tianyao. Compared to the many women Song Tianyao had seen who lacked confidence in front of men, she possessed a unique allure.
"Excuse me, could you open a bottle of Barton Winery Léoville for us?" Angie Perlis said to the waiter in the distance after winning another mini-game against Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao winked at Angie Perlis: "Although I was tricked by your little scheme again, I still have to say, ma'am, you really know how to pick red wine."
After the waiter brought the bottle of red wine from Bordeaux, Angie Perlis began to recount her visit to Mrs. Shek Chi-yik during the day while she waited for the wine to wear off.
This Mrs. Shek's full name is Beth Mannerling Thompson. She is from St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria Province Australia. She is 36 years old this year. Compared to most of the wives of high-ranking officials in the Hong Kong Colonial Government, who at most had only a girls' secondary school education and studied history or botany, Mrs. Bess is definitely highly educated. She graduated from the Department of Hydrology at the Faculty of Environment, University of Melbourne. After graduation, she first worked as a secretary in a chemical company in Melbourne, and later became the private gardening teacher of the wife of a high-ranking official in Victoria Province. In 1942, she went to London Britain, and began to work in administration at the Anglican Church Po Yan Hospital in London. In 1943, she began to date and marry Shek Chi-yik, who was also Anglican Church.
Mrs. Bess was not averse to people like Angie Perlis who approached her under the guise of gardening exchanges, and Angie Perlis readily relayed Song Tianyao's instructions to her.
At this point, Angie Perlis paused, took a sip of red wine, and glanced at Song Tianyao across from her. While she spoke, Song Tianyao quietly kept his head down, gazing at the wine in his glass. As she paused, Song Tianyao precisely raised his head to look at her, and spoke as if to himself:
"It's not that she doesn't reject you, it's that she doesn't reject anyone. According to the information you received before, this couple's joining the Hong Kong Club has already turned most of their savings into internal bonds issued by the Hong Kong Club Association. Are they waiting for a high bidder, or are they just being so greedy?... No, if they were so greedy, he wouldn't be in this position. And if he were waiting for a high bidder, his position as deputy director of the Industrial and Commercial Administration Office wouldn't just be open to Chinese businessmen; Britain businessmen would probably be lining up to feed this couple. They wouldn't even need to deal with small fry like us who seem to have powerful backgrounds but have no real strength."
"Is there anything you can't think about? You can wait for me to give you the answer." Angie Perlis looked at the young China man in front of her, her tone seemingly carrying a slight complaint, complaining that Song Tianyao didn't give her the chance to reveal the answer herself, but her eyes held an undisguised appreciation.
She wasn't unfamiliar with quick-witted men, but such behavior was only truly noticeable during a man's prime. For example, her male classmates from law school, after turning thirty, began to unleash work abilities and mental agility that made women's hearts race. Combined with their accumulated experience, it was difficult for any woman to resist such masculine charm.
Such a reaction from an eighteen-year-old youth? And from a China youth raised in Britain colony? That's highly unusual.
"If this Deputy Director Shek isn't involved in an auction, then I can only think of one possibility: no wonder you ordered such expensive red wine—you think I can save money on my investment in him? There's an old China saying that perfectly describes this couple's current thinking: wanting to be a prostitute while also wanting to maintain a virtuous image." Song Tianyao picked up his glass of red wine and took a sip. "This hurts me more than giving him cash directly."
Chapter 83 Fine Wine and Fine Tea
Angie Perlis frowned her beautiful brows and said to Song Tianyao, "Your last sentence was really... vulgar. That was the deputy director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau and his wife."
"Then can you tell me if I guessed wrong?" Song Tianyao asked Angie Perlis.
The fact that the wife of a deputy director openly and unreservedly used her to convey messages to any brokers with ulterior motives was highly unusual. Although the deputy director might have some temporary financial needs due to his membership in the Hong Kong Club and his purchase of internal bonds, it was highly unlikely that the Britain, especially Anglican Church Christians, would so brazenly adopt such an indiscriminate attitude.
It can only be said that this deputy director is using this "willing to take the bait" method to find the collaborators he truly needs, and his requirements are very high. An official who is short of money, already possessing colonial status, then all he needs is money. So many people lining up to offer money can't satisfy his appetite? Of course not. There is only one explanation: this guy wants both money and a good reputation. His frequent contact with these various people who approach him is simply a way of filtering out the one who satisfies him.
"Just as you think." Angie Perlis put down her wine glass. "Tomorrow evening, Deputy Director Shek Chi-yik and his wife will be dining at the Peak Restaurant. Besides us, they've invited at least four other Chinese businessmen. If we average out the waiting time before dinner, each person will only have five to seven minutes at most. If that doesn't impress him, we should settle for a chat with a mid-level Customs official. I think we can change our approach. We can bribe a mid-level Customs official to give him some preferential treatment. It won't require too much money, and we won't just get five minutes of conversation. Given Likang Company's current situation, you can't offer that deputy director the benefits and prestige he wants. I can use tomorrow's daytime to investigate other mid-level Customs officials."
She thought that Song Tianyao would readily consider her opinion after hearing her words and try to get to know some Customs -level Britain customs officials, but Song Tianyao didn't react at all, staring blankly at the red wine in front of him.
"Your thinking right now is more like indecisiveness. You can't insist on this just because the other party is a deputy director..." Angie Perlis felt it necessary to use her rationality as a lawyer to remind her young employer that decisively giving up and changing direction was also a business strategy. After all, given the current situation of Likang Company, it was impossible to satisfy either Shek Chi-yik's needs for money or reputation.