The Plough - Chapter 53

Ling Shu felt that Zhen Congyun didn’t come for him at first.

The target was the French consul not far in front of him.

The French are romantic and love to join in the fun. Zhen Congyun’s birthday party caused a sensation in Shanghai, and both politicians and businessmen had to give her face. While other countries’ consuls might send a secretary to represent them, the French consul was interested enough to come in person.

Choosing him as the first dance partner was both dignified and left no room for criticism.

Those who were dissatisfied would definitely not dare to cause trouble for the “foreigner”.

It made perfect sense.

However, when Zhen Congyun saw Ling Shu behind the French consul, she changed her mind at the last minute.

Ling Shu felt uneasy and turned to leave, but it was already too late.

Miss Zhen walked towards him with a smile on her face, extending her jade hand.

“Mr. Ling, may I invite you to dance with me?”

The crowd was stunned and in an uproar.

Most of the people present did not know Mr. Ling. But it didn’t matter, from tonight on, Mr. Ling would become a celebrity in Shanghai.

Because Miss Zhen had chosen an unknown young man over many young talents and big shots.

Although he was indeed very handsome, and the light on his face was almost impossible to ignore, but with so many outstanding people present, how could he be the only one?

Lin Dingkang was already stunned. He looked dreamy and even doubted whether he had not yet woken up.

His face couldn’t help but show a dazed expression as he muttered to himself, “A true person does not reveal their appearance, and one who reveals their appearance is not a true person!”

If only he had known twenty years ago that he could win over Miss Zhen with just his face, Lin Dingkang thought he would have stuffed himself back into his mother’s womb and come out as a fresh-faced young man again.

He could already see Miss Zhen and Ling Shu walking hand in hand into the marriage hall, becoming the talk of the town in all of Shanghai, with Ling Shu’s success story of jumping over the dragon gate.

To go or not to go.

Ling Shu was hesitating.

He didn’t have as many ridiculous fantasies as Lin Dingkang, nor did he have any grand ambitions.

He had only wanted to come here for a sumptuous dinner and to find an opportunity to get closer to Miss Zhen, so that he could come and go as he pleased in the future. As he had told Yue Dingtang, if he could use this opportunity to get in touch with Director Wang, it would be one more path for him in the future.

But he didn’t need to get so close all at once! The gazes that fell upon him were like sharp arrows, making Ling Shu’s scalp tingle.

“I’m not very good at dancing, I only know a little waltz,” Ling Shu said, taking Miss Zhen’s hand.

If Zhen Congyun wanted to dance the rumba, she would willingly give up on him.

If Zhen Congyun still insisted on dancing with Ling Shu, then his actions would not have caused her to lose face.

“It’s okay, then let’s waltz. Just follow my rhythm,” Zhen Congyun smiled, her skirt swaying like waves, shimmering brightly.

She was surprisingly easy to talk to, so Ling Shu had no choice but to obey.

The people around them saw that the dance was already set, so they dispersed and waited for them to spin into the center of the dance floor, surrounding them like stars around the moon.

“Why aren’t you curious why I chose you?” Zhen Congyun asked as they danced gracefully. The voice was low, just between the two of them.

“Ling Shu: “I have two answers, I don’t know which one to choose.”

“Zhen Congyun: “Oh?”

“Ling Shu: “The first one is that my outstanding demeanor made you overlook the more suitable French consul. After all, being born with good looks is something that my parents gave me, I can’t help it.”

Zhen Congyun was amused by his words.

“What about the second one?”

“Ling Shu: “The second one is that Miss Zhen doesn’t like me and wants to see the show of this unknown little guy being hated and envied by everyone. Maybe, as soon as I step out of the Bailemen tonight, I’ll be blindfolded and beaten up and thrown into a dark alley.”

Zhen Congyun smiled slyly, “If it were me, I would say it’s the second one.”

Ling Shu said, “I have held Miss Zhen’s jade hand and danced with her, but can only bear a little of the weight that should not have been borne in my life.”

Zhen Congyun replied, “Talking to you is really interesting. If only I had met you earlier.”

Ling Shu had a bad feeling about her words and said, “This kind of talk often leads to something unpleasant.”

Zhen Congyun explained, “Tonight at the ball, there were countless people who wanted to get close to me and strike up a conversation. Some were favored by the Zhen family, while others were not to be offended. I was overwhelmed and didn’t know who to choose. Instead of picking one and making others unhappy, I decided to choose someone with the least background, so that everyone would have nothing to say.”

Ling Shu sighed, “Yue Dingtang is my immediate superior. You could say I have the least amount of background. It would be difficult for Captain Yue.”

Zhen Congyun smiled, “The Yue family does carry weight, but you’re neither Yue Dingtang’s brother nor his wife. Would he offend others for your sake? As for the assistant position, it can easily be replaced. Even with the bond of old classmates, your current job is already a favor from him, isn’t it?”

Ling Shu replied, “It seems Miss Zhen has investigated me thoroughly. I feel like I’m completely exposed in front of you, like I’m standing naked.”

Zhen Congyun said, “I always make sure to investigate the background of anyone who gets close to me. Otherwise, how can I handle any potential danger?”

Ling Shu nodded, “Makes sense. Others may be like hot cakes, but you are a big piece of gold. Hot cakes may be left on the road and only those who have not eaten will pick them up. But if you stand on the street, anyone will be tempted by you.”

Zhen Congyun pretended to be angry, “How can you use gold to describe women? Usually, people say roses.”

Ling Shu replied, “Roses will wither, but gold will always hold its value and never fade. Besides, while the French may find roses romantic, the Chinese may not be impressed. But gold is different. Who doesn’t like it among people from all over the world?”

Zhen Congyun laughed again. Many of the small characters surrounding her often had extreme attitudes.

They either flattered her excessively, hoping to gain some benefits from her, or pretended to be high-minded, using their rebelliousness to cover up their inferiority, as if this could eliminate the gap in their status.

But Ling Shu was different.

He was neither like the two types of people mentioned above, nor was he timid or shy. Even in such a situation, he could move freely and confidently.

This could be said to be a kind of talent.

Perhaps it was related to his past family background.

“After the three dances are over and during the intermission, follow me and I’ll introduce you to some people. How much you can network depends on yourself.” Zhen Congyun threw him a candy.

Ling Shu dared not take the candy, afraid that there was rat poison inside.

As the music ended, regardless of whether or not he dared to accept, Zhen Congyun and Ling Shu separated in an instant. She lightly touched her two fingers to her fiery red lips and blew a flying kiss towards Ling Shu.

Zhen Congyun gracefully lifted her skirt and elegantly exited, not taking a single cloud with her.

Meanwhile, Ling Shu was surrounded by a multitude of different gazes and voices.

Those words and looks were like a hundred thousand arrows shot with precision towards Ling Shu. But he put on his armor of indifference, shaking off those arrows and disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

As the music started up again, people took their partners’ hands and danced gracefully on the dance floor.

Ling Shu’s name had already quietly appeared on many people’s lips, lingering in the air long after the first dance had ended.

Lin Dingkang’s mind was filled with question marks, and he was looking for an opportunity to interrogate Ling Shu. This old classmate always seemed to bring him many surprises when he least expected it.

Looking around, he just caught a glimpse of someone who looked like Ling Shu, but the next moment the person disappeared like a slippery eel in the crowd, evading anyone who tried to catch him.

Although there was a lot of attention just now, in reality, only the closest people could see Ling Shu’s appearance clearly. The rest only knew his name but not his face. If Ling Shu walked away and stood in a corner, he would not be noticed by anyone.

After arriving, he only had two sips of champagne and didn’t even taste the small cake.

Ling Shu truly regretted that he had attracted so much attention. He picked up the strawberry cake closest to him and placed it on his plate, using a fork to take a small bite and savoring the sweet and sour taste of the strawberry sauce mixed with the creamy aroma.

He had heard that tonight’s buffet was all ordered and delivered by the Zhen family from outside, using the skills of foreign chefs. It seemed that the skills of these foreign chefs were truly extraordinary.

Ling Shu thought to himself that the annoyance of being used as a shield by Miss Zhen had dissipated somewhat.

With his appetite appeased, he had time to do other things. He looked up and casually scanned the surroundings, while also avoiding the light and shadow.

Suddenly, Ling Shu’s gaze stopped at one place. He saw Jiang He. This person was standing on the balcony not far away. Through the fluttering window screens, his face was vaguely visible.

Lin Dingkang had just introduced him, and Ling Shu was impressed and quickly recognized him.

Tonight, Jiang He was supposed to accompany Lu Tongcang, but the person he was talking to on the balcony was not Lu Tongcang. It was Chen Wendong, the driver of He You’an.

Not long ago, Chen Wendong was just listed as one of the suspects in the serial threat letter case. According to He You’an, Jiang He had warned her not to get too close to Lu Tongcang.

To others, Jiang He was a ruthless person who could do anything for Lu Tongcang’s safety. Even Lin Dingkang advised Ling Shu not to provoke Jiang He easily.

Jiang He and Chen Wendong, two people who should not have any involvement, are now standing together and talking.

If it were a chance encounter, with Jiang He’s unwelcoming aura, he would never have any interaction with He You’an’s driver.

Does this mean that He You’an’s guess was true?

The mastermind behind these threatening letters is indeed Chen Wendong?

He couldn’t have done it alone, so he conspired with Jiang He?

As Ling Shu was still enjoying his cake, the two people on the balcony had already separated. Chen Wendong hurriedly went inside and quickly disappeared into the crowd. The lights flickered, making it difficult for Ling Shu to find him.

He decided to follow Jiang He.

Just as the third dance ended, Jiang He put out his cigarette and left the balcony, heading towards the door. Without hesitation, Ling Shu put down his cake and followed him.

He had a feeling that tonight might be the night to uncover the mystery of the death letters. At the very least, he could solve part of the puzzle.

As for Miss Zhen’s offer to introduce him to her connections, it didn’t seem that important anymore.