The moment Chu Xiaoxin saw Lu Yuanchun, he felt uneasy. He had been a long-time figure in Hong Kong's entertainment circle and had seen countless women—beautiful, ugly, good, bad, sociable, cold, understanding, and unromantic. He had dabbled in all of them, but Lu Yuanchun was completely different from any of the women he had encountered before.
This woman looked gentle and weak, but she was shrewd. So, for most of the movie, Chu Xiaoxin barely spoke a few words to Lu Yuanchun, and simply let his fiancée talk to her about the movie.
"Why did A-Yao ask you to bring her to see me? There's no need to hide it. It's like you're up to no good, like a secret rendezvous between spies, isn't it?" Chu Xiaoxin asked Huang Liu.
Huang Liu peeled a dried fruit, popped it into his mouth, and smiled. "Mr. Chu, I'm just running errands for you. How could I possibly guess what my boss is thinking? He's the one who instructed me to arrange a meeting between you and Miss Lu if anyone in Hong Kong is willing to stand up for Lei Danzi. In short, there are benefits to be had."
"That guy's already gone to Britain to sleep with Foreign Girls, and he's still thinking about the benefits of Hong Kong? Isn't he afraid of getting himself sick?" Chu Xiaoxin rolled his eyes. "I feel sorry for those Foreign Girls. Can a man really be distracted by women? Is he even a man?"
Chu Xiaoxin picked up a cigarette from beside him and lit it.
Perhaps it was the light from the match that drew the two women's attention. Lu Peiying whispered something to Lu Yuanchun and carefully moved her upper body closer to Chu Xiaoxin:
I need to use the restroom.
Lu Peiying got up and walked out of the screening room, leaving only Chu Xiaoxin, Lu Yuanchun, Huang Liu in the huge screening room.
Seeing Chu Xiaoxin extinguish the match, Lu Yuanchun said, "This movie doesn't seem to suit Chu Xiaoxin's taste?"
Chu Xiaoxin watched the protagonist on the screen, dressed in finery, strolling through the banquet, and smiled, "It's all a lie, the simplest way. A-Yao is just a country bumpkin, not even considered an upper-class figure yet. I know very well how he got to his current status. In the movie, this guy wants to get ahead because he likes a pretty girl, and the way he does that is through financial assistance? Miss Lu, do you believe that there are people in this world who, seeing that you like a pretty girl, will throw money at you to help you pick up girls?"
Lu Yuanchun had a faint smile on his face, "Actually, this movie is adapted from a novel, so it shouldn't be taken too seriously. It's just that the director shows the audience what they want to see. As for how much suffering and danger they encounter on the road to achieving their Great Expectations, that's not important to the audience."
"Because I've seen her, I don't find this movie as enjoyable as other viewers. Besides, I don't think that pretty girl is worth A-Yao's reckless devotion. Even if it weren't for A-Yao, I wouldn't do it myself." Chu Xiaoxin exhaled a smoke ring. "Miss Lu, Huang Liu asked you to see me. Just say it directly. I'm not the type to beat around the bush."
Lu Yuanchun glanced at Huang Liu Huang Liu, who shrank back slightly.
"It's like this, Mr. Chu. It's not that I wanted to meet with you, but Mr. Song said that if I wanted to cooperate with him, I would make sure you benefited in Hong Kong."
Chu Xiaoxin laughed, "What did that bastard A-Yao say? Of course he has to give me benefits. I'm his Big Brother. What business is this? If we're talking business, let's just talk it out openly. Why bother inviting me to a movie?"
"Mr. Chu, are you aware that everyone is talking about it today, that tycoons Xu Pingsheng and Yu Shiting met?" Lu Yuanchun asked.
Chu Xiaoxin was taken aback. "I've heard of it, but what does it have to do with us?"
"So Mr. Chu, what do you think is the point of these two meeting...?"
"Miss Lu, my boss asked you to look after Mr. Chu, not to ask him about his chances of becoming the Mr. Chu scholar. My boss respects Mr. Chu very much." Huang Liu tossed an almond into his mouth, interrupting Lu Yuanchun, and said.
When he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the movie screen, as if he had just said something casually.
Lu Yuanchun paused for two seconds, then laughed, "Alright, let's get straight to the point. Song Tianyao plans to take advantage of the situation while the two sides are fighting, so he can reap the benefits."
Chu Xiaoxin's cigarette trembled, a speck of ash falling onto his trousers, then his eyes widened:
"Are you joking with me? A-Yao may have a big appetite, but he's not an idiot. The fisherman reaps the benefits? Do you know who's fighting now? Xu Pingsheng, Yu Shiting! Xu Pingsheng sank cargo ships to resist the Japanese; his prestige in Hong Kong is unmatched by any opium dealer."
"That's the plan. We don't intend to steal all the business," Lu Yuanchun said to Chu Xiaoxin. "We can't compete with the two of them anyway; we'll just pick up some small profits when we see an opportunity."
"How do you know they'll definitely fight over it?" Chu Xiaoxin asked.
Lu Yuanchun hesitated for a moment. "I don't know, but Song Tianyao does."
"What does he know? He can't even stay still in Britain!" Chu Xiaoxin said. "Is this how you treat me? You want me to live too carefree, and you want to force me into a fire pit! I'm not Flower boat; I don't need to jump into a fire pit for money."
Chapter 457 Yu Shiting's Past
In the antique-style Flower-tail Ferry Tang Restaurant, Xu Pingsheng sat in a private seat by the window, admiring the layers of waves outside.
Yu Shiting watched Xu Pingsheng quietly, smiling without saying a word.
The servants a little further away didn't dare to breathe, with more than a dozen pairs of eyes fixed on their respective bosses, ready to react swiftly at the slightest movement or glance from their bosses.
Xu Pingsheng stared out the window for a good five or six minutes before turning his gaze away and exchanging a smile with Yu Shiting.
"Boss Yu, you're so kind. I haven't taken the Flower-tail Ferry or eaten at its fancy restaurant in decades."
Yu Shiting opened the menu on the table and politely handed it to Xu Pingsheng: "Uncle Sheng, would you like to order a few dishes? Please have the chef sit down and bring them up."
Xu Pingsheng took the menu and flipped through it. "Has Flower-tail Ferry's menu remained unchanged all these years? I remember the last time I ate at Flower-tail Ferry, I was sitting in the main dining room of Tang Restaurant, alone, and ordered 'Smoked Cabbage,' 'Wen Gong Zhai Stew,' and a bowl of white rice. At the time, those were the two cheapest dishes in the main dining room."