1928: The rise of giant merchants

Paper media from all over the north and south praised Ye Luo non-stop.

"Shenbao" praised Ye Luo as "a model of businessman", "News" said that Ye Luo was "a model of patriotic industrialist", and even Lu Yucai, who is always known for his sarcasm, boasted about it in a new essay. After talking to Ye Luo, he said that what he did this time would be of great benefit to the country and the people.

Amidst the praise from students and people from all walks of life, Ye Luo and Zhang Hanqing boarded the train to Fengtian and quietly left Peiping.

December 31, the 18th year of the Republic of China (1929).

A villa in the suburbs of Fengtian.

"Miss Meng, Mr. Ye, Mr. Ye and Commander Zhang are here!" the sixteen-year-old maid shouted in surprise to the bored woman in the room, singing a drama alone.

"Brother Luo is here?" Meng Xiaodong, who was much thinner, suddenly woke up. He didn't even bother to change out of his costume, and ran towards the courtyard in a hurry. As he ran, he couldn't help shouting, "Brother Luo? Is it Brother Luo?"

"Xiaodong, it's me." Seeing a woman in costume and makeup flying toward her, Ye Luo's heart trembled slightly and he couldn't help but put her in his arms and hugged her tightly, "You've lost weight. Haggard."

"You must not have eaten well or slept well in the United States. You should pay more attention to your health. There is always money to be made." Meng Xiaodong snuggled into his arms, her eyes full of satisfaction.

Ever since we parted ways at Zhang Hanqing's house that day, Meng Xiaodong has moved into this villa.

The Winter Emperor, who used to be majestic on the stage and as famous as Mei Lanfang, eventually became a man's plaything, a caged bird——

Similar remarks appeared one after another in various pornographic tabloids in Tianjin, Peiping and Fengtian. Even if Zhang Hanqing sent people to personally come out to rectify them, they still continued to appear.

Who allowed these paparazzi of later generations to make a living from this?

Meng Xiaodong is still the top figure in the troupe, but now he seems to be hidden in a golden house. Naturally, it is a gimmick topic that they cannot let go.

At first, Meng Xiaodong was sad, distressed, and even angry. She stayed indoors for a period of time, isolated from the world, and almost suffered from depression, but then she gradually thought about it.

Before the age of sixteen, her life was smooth. After meeting Mei Lanfang, she always hoped to marry into the Mei family and have an upright reputation. However, after being delayed for several years, she gradually looked away. Then she met Ye Luo and finally Find your true love.

When I was sixteen years old, I would never have been able to accept being someone else's mistress without even the most basic status.

But now, she is willing to give up everything for Ye Luo, living despite the infamy of the world, and she is happy with it.

"Brother Luo, after you left, I learned English and asked the embassy staff to show me Western newspapers and magazines. Occasionally I would see your photos and information, and I would be so happy." Meng Xiaodong pulled him Entering the house, she was chattering away, like a little daughter-in-law who has been waiting for her husband for a long time.

Zhang Hanqing originally wanted to joke a little bit, but seeing that they were so affectionate and almost selfless, he smiled and greeted the maid, asked her to leave with him, and invited the two of them to reminisce about old times during dinner.

Ye Luo and the two came to the hall, which was decorated like a small stage.

"Commander Zhang told me about your difficulties. I am also a married woman. It is a great honor to follow you. If I go out to sing again, I will ruin the reputation of you and He Ming. So, I have no choice but to stay here. Set up a stage here and sing by yourself." Meng Xiaodong huddled in his arms, secretly looked at Ye Luo, and asked in a low voice, a little scared, "Brother Luo, you, you won't blame me, right?"

"Fool, this is your lifelong pursuit. What if you give up even this for me?" Ye Luo hugged her and comforted her in a low voice.

"Yes." Meng Xiaodong felt a little more at ease and led him to the second floor. "I usually live in this room, but there is always an empty room here. Sometimes Sister Xiangsheng will come to stay for a few days and sing with me. Sing and chat. She told me that when I have time, I can go play mahjong with her. My days will be busier and I will have fewer ideas. But I don’t like playing mahjong very much.”

"Then let's not fight." Ye Luo listened to her trivial words and walked around the villa with Meng Xiaodong.

This is like a home, but not a home.

The house didn't actually belong to them, and there was no one else in the house except the servant and her, the mistress.

It could be heard that Meng Xiaodong loved himself so much that he could endure this uncomfortable and even somewhat restrictive life.

In her mind, she was still Mei Lanfang's unmarried wife, Ye Luo's lover abroad, someone who was stabbed in the spine by those pornographic tabloids, ridiculed by her peers, looked down upon by celebrities from all walks of life but unable to refute.

But she doesn't regret choosing this path.

Ye Luo took her back to the small room and sat down.

The two met again after a long absence. Meng Xiaodong's pretty face turned red, thinking that he was in a mood, so she untied her bun and reached out to unbutton her costume.

Ye Luo grabbed his hand.

"Brother Luo?" Meng Xiaodong looked at him lovingly, her eyes seemed to overflow with water, and she was a little confused.

"Xiaodong, look at this." Ye Luo took out a pocket watch hidden close to his body and opened it. Inside was a slightly shabby group photo.

This was a group photo of the two of them in Fengtian, and Meng Xiaodong stayed with him. Later, Mr. Ding Guomao came to the north to provide disaster relief and rescue people. Because of Ye Luo's request, he came here to see Meng Xiaodong and brought the group photo back with him.

To Meng Xiaodong, this was like a token of love between the two. Asking Mr. Ding Guomao to bring it to Ye Luo also implicitly showed her firm belief.

This is a strange woman who will go all the way to the end once she makes up her mind.

"Brother Luo, do you always carry it with you?" Meng Xiaodong smiled sweetly, leaning on his shoulder.

"Yes, after I got it from Mr. Ding, I knew what you wanted." Ye Luo hugged her and said calmly, "I went to the United States and met Mr. Mei."

"Yeah." Meng Xiaodong didn't say much.

"Mr. Mei took the initiative to talk to me about you." Ye Luo felt Meng Xiaodong hold his hand tighter, "He said that he actually knew in his heart that with the current situation of the Mei family, it is impossible for him to give you happiness. of."

"I know." Meng Xiaodong had mixed feelings when it came to this matter.

She hated Mei Lanfang for wasting her youth, and was grateful to him for introducing her to Ye Luo.

Various feelings flowed through my heart, but now they are all relieved.

"He agreed with the two of us." Ye Luoyan said concisely.

Meng Xiaodong suddenly looked up at him, in disbelief: "Don't he resent me? After all, I am his wife in name only."

"No, not at all. In fact, he is very guilty of you." Ye Luo sighed, "Mr. Mei and I have chatted for a long time. If you are willing, we will publish a newspaper to clarify the relationship between you, and then we will settle down." Okay, let’s have nothing to do with it anymore. He will explain the Mei family’s side, and I will handle those messy newspapers and periodicals.”

Ye Luo didn't know about it before, and he was not in Fengtian, so he couldn't take action to solve these problems. Now that he is here, he will definitely not let Meng Xiaodong suffer any further grievances.

"Okay!" Meng Xiaodong nodded heavily.

This is the best. Even if you don't have a name in the Ye family, at least you don't have to be poked in the back.

"By the way, Hu Die gave birth to a pair of twins for me. The boy's name is Ye Hao and the girl's name is Ye He." Ye Luo smiled.

"Miss Hu Die?" Meng Xiaodong knew a lot of his love affairs. Unlike Bai Xiuzhu and the others, she had a very clear self-positioning, so she didn't mind these things. She was an old-school woman and thought it was okay for a man to have a concubine.

What she cared about most before was a sincere love and a legitimate status.

Now, for the former, she can even abandon the latter.

"Yes, Xiuzhu and I have discussed that we will welcome her to the house in a while. But because Xiao Aqiao has never held a wedding, Hu Die and you can only accept it and hold a small wedding banquet for relatives and friends. No more fanfare for weddings.”

Ye Luo nodded and said,

"This way Xiuzhu can relax."

"That's great. Hey, me, Miss Hu Die and me?" Meng Xiaodong suddenly woke up and looked at him with surprise and confusion.

Ye Luo stood up slowly, then knelt down on one knee, took out a diamond ring customized from the United States, and said with a smile: "Yes, Miss Meng Xiaodong, will you marry me?" (End of Chapter)