Shanghai morning

After Wang Yao left, Honda Chrysanthemum approached Arthur again, and chatted with Arthur politely and cordially: "Mr. Kirkland, it is an honor for Yokohama Specie Bank to deepen our cooperation with you this time. It is a great honor." Mutual benefit, we are also willing to further develop our business in Shanghai, and we need your more suggestions at that time."

Arthur showed a well-bred smile: "It is also our wish to deepen cooperation at Jardine Matheson. I have long heard that Mr. Honda is far-sighted. When I saw it today, it turned out to be true!"

Honda Ju smiled and waved his hands: "Thank you! Personally, I have always admired the culture of your country, and I sincerely hope that I can get to know more British gentlemen like Mr. Kirkland. I can get to know an uncivilized and barbaric country like China. What a great fortune, the honorable English gentleman!"

With a bit of British arrogance, Arthur accepted Honda Ju's compliments: "I am also honored to know a Japanese nobleman. I think we will have a good cooperation!"

Honda Ju suddenly changed the subject: "Mr. Kirkland, it is not easy to start a business in China after all. What long-term plan do you have?"

Arthur thought for a while, and felt that there was no need to hide it, so he said: "Chinese culture is completely different from that of Britain. The most important thing is that the looks of the two peoples are very different, so I think we should choose talented Chinese and let them accept it. Purely British training, and then using this kind of British-educated Chinese to govern China's affairs will have a much better effect than being directly governed by the British."

Honda Ju glanced at Wang Yao in the distance: "That Wang Sang is your candidate?"

"No, it's not him," Arthur shook his head, "he's already past the age at which he can be molded, and this kind of education should be done while he is young." Arthur chose Wang Yao's younger brother, Wang Gang, but he didn't want to tell Honda Ju.

Honda Ju smiled coldly: "Mr. Kirkland is very smart, but he is too soft-hearted."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and looked at Ju Honda unhappily: "What is Mr. Honda referring to?"

There was an almost pious and cruel expression on Honda Chrysanthemum's face: "Civilization replaces barbarism, and the superior nation conquers the inferior nation. This is the inevitability of history and the law of nature. Therefore, for the inferior races that are destined to be eliminated, invest in Too much help is meaningless, and the correct way is to completely eliminate it, otherwise it will hinder the progress of civilization."

Arthur couldn't help trembling. This man named Honda Ju was too scary, and what was even more terrifying was the growing oriental nation behind him. He laughed and said, "It seems that Mr. Honda has read Nietzsche's book."

Honda Ju resumed her reserved smile: "Yes, I love Nietzsche's philosophy."

"Unfortunately, I like Feuerbach." Arthur smiled proudly, asked Francis to accompany Honda Ju, and saluted Honda Ju with his usual elegance: "The waltz has begun, excuse me!" He invited Belle — the blonde who had just had a hot fight with Francis — dancing.

"You stole my brother's dance partner!" Francis said with a helpless smile, but he didn't have any regrets.

Just now Wang Yao threw away Honda Chrysanthemum impulsively, but now he doesn't know where to go, and has turned into a state of wandering alone in the hall again.He stole a glance at Arthur, saw that the English boss was dancing, and didn't seem to notice him, and he wondered if he should run away.

"Hi, how are you, are you alone?" Wang Yao was startled by a bewitching voice.

Wang Yao looked back as if shocked, and there was a beautiful brown-haired girl standing beside him. He remembered that she came with a silver-haired man, and the two had a quarrel.

"Hi, ma'am." Wang Yao was at a loss and didn't know what to say.

"Don't you want to dance? There are so many beautiful girls here waiting to be invited," Elizabeth blinked her beautiful eyes movingly, "such as the one in front of you."

"Sorry, you have a male companion." Wang Yao didn't know if it would be rude to reject a woman, but he didn't have the guts to provoke that silver-haired man who looked extremely irritable.

"We played, didn't you see? Anyway, I'm your girlfriend now!" Elizabeth pulled Wang Yao into the dance floor without any explanation.

Wang Yao almost fell into it.

Wang Yao never dreamed that one day he would dance with the most beautiful Western girl in the magnificent ballroom of Paramount. Under the surprised and jealous eyes around him, his movements were as stiff as wood.Wang Yao doesn't know how to dance. This kind of foreign dance, which should be a man leading a woman, is now being led by a lady. His hands are weakly resting on Elizabeth's waist, and he dare not really hold that slender and soft waist tightly. limb.Their weird combination attracted a lot of attention. Afterwards, some people called them "beautiful princess and stupid Oriental attendant".

"Ah! Damn it! That woman actually went to find a Japanese man to piss me off!" Gilbert was so angry that his hair stood on end.

"If you know you are angry, don't fall for it," Francis returned to him at some point, "Also, that's not a Japanese man, it's a Chinese employee from us."

"Chinese? What kind of taste does this woman have!" Gilbert angrily rushed to the dance floor.

On the other side, Al also looked at the weird pair of men and women on the dance floor with an uneasy expression, and seeing Gilbert rushing over, he suddenly asked Ludwig who was not far away, "Will your brother kill people?"

"It's possible." Ludwig said with a stomach ache.

Al immediately walked over quickly, and Ludwig followed closely behind. Al said very fast: "On my father's honor: If he dares to kill the little otter, I will break his neck!" It's just that my father doesn't have much reputation, he added in his mind.

Elizabeth was very interested in Wang Yao's nervous and shy appearance: "Is it the first time to dance? Or is it the first time you hold a woman in your arms?"

Wang Yao was speechless in embarrassment: "The only woman who is so close to me is my sister."

As soon as the words fell, Wang Yao almost cried out in pain—someone grabbed his hair and forced him to leave Elizabeth, and his body lost his balance and flung to the side. Just when he thought he was about to fall to the ground, a pair of strong Hold him firmly in your arms.

"Get lost! You pervert!" The silver-haired Gilbert glared at Wang Yao with fiery red eyes, "It's my turn!"

"Keil you bastard! You're so rude!" Elizabeth scolded.

Without any explanation, Gilbert grabbed Elizabeth's hand roughly, and pulled her body into his arms, and the two jumped up in the middle of the dance floor as if they were fighting.

Ludwig looked at Wang Yao with an ugly face. The latter had just stood up with Al's support: "Uh, are you okay? I'm sorry, my brother is too rude!"

"It's a little better than you," Al rushed to answer, "at least there's no blood."

Thinking of Wang Yao's bloody face last time, Ludwig blushed: "I'm really sorry!"

Wang Yao was still in shock, but he still remembered Ludwig's words: "I don't care." As a result of such an incident, he who was not noticed at first became the focus of the audience, his head was almost blank, buzzing, he didn't Knowing how ugly his expression was, I couldn't even think about it.He blankly let Al pull him to sit on the sofa next to him, and took the wine that Al handed over to him and drank it in one gulp, at least he calmed down a bit.Al sat beside him, watching Wang Yao pouring himself, without making a sound.

On the other side, Ludwig and the two people he brought were arguing about something.

"Big Ludwig! I told you I don't want to stay any longer, the music here is terrible!" the handsome young man with dark brown hair complained repeatedly.

"Roderich! Can't you just bear it for a while? It's impolite to leave so early now!" Ludwig said earnestly.

Feliciano next to him also chimed in: "Rod, Luther said he wanted to see you play in public once, wouldn't it be a good time for you to play a piece now?"

"Why should I play the piano for the idiot? You dead potato who doesn't understand art!" Roderich said harshly, but there seemed to be some expectation in the eyes that shot Ludwig.

Ludwig felt a headache, this bad-tempered young master was always saying something differently, it took careful thinking to guess what he meant, but Ludwig was an experienced person after all, so he said sincerely: "Play a song , I like to hear you play the piano."

Roderich finally said kindly: "Hmph! You will only make it difficult for me! I hate playing in such a bad place, not because you don't bother me anymore!" He walked to the piano and motioned to sit there The musician gets out of the way.Sitting at the piano, Roderich looked like a proud prince. His slender white right hand quickly and gracefully brushed across the keys, bringing out a string of notes as clear as drops of water.All the eyes of the audience were attracted by this new musician. In his melody that seemed to be alive, people almost forgot that this was a glitzy and depraved place, and thought they were in the ethereal city of angels.

From the moment Roderich's finger pressed the first key, Wang Yao's body became stiff.He looked at Roderich in shock. He knew this music all too well. The mysterious musician he had been dreaming of was now in front of him. In this beautiful music, his heart sank to hell.

The "foreigner girl" who has imagined countless times stands under that window sill every day just to listen to her piano sound that is comparable to fairy music. The imaginary face overlaps with Roderich at the piano. Like the moon in the water that was disturbed by people, it shattered.For the first time, Wang Yao felt that he was ridiculously stupid. Just because Roderich could play such beautiful music, he imagined Roderich as a girl, and had a crush on him for so long. Wang Yao felt that his thoughts were reckless, reckless and frivolous.Before he knew it, he drank a few more glasses of wine, but he didn't quite remember what he was doing.

Wang Yao opened his mouth involuntarily, and what he said was unexpected: "I want to go home."

"You rest first, I'll take you back later." Al said, leaving Wang Yao to find Arthur.

Without waiting for Al to come back to find him, Wang Yao put on his coat like a puppet, left the bustling Paramount, and stepped into the winter night in Shanghai.