DCFRP Extra 7

TL: Hua

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Half an hour later, the Pontiac car took Qi Xiaoyu to the commander’s mansion on Baochang Road again.

The car drove in and stopped on the white marble steps. Qi Xiaoyu saw an old man in his fifties or sixties, dressed neatly in an iron-gray robe, walking over with a majestic black dog with two white hairs on his forehead.

A guard came up from the side and helped Qi Xiaoyu open the car door.

When he got out of the car, he heard the old man ask, “Excuse me, are you Mr. Qi?”

Qi Xiaoyu politely nodded and said, “Hello.”

The old man also bowed slightly and nodded in return. While reining in the big black dog that was about to pounce on Qi Xiaoyu, he introduced himself very solemnly.

“Hello, Mr. Qi, I am the butler of the commander’s mansion. My surname is Cheng, and my name is Cheng Shiqian. If you don’t mind, you can call me Uncle Cheng. The young commander is currently meeting guests. Please wait in the living room.”

“Thank you.”

Qi Xiaoyu nodded and followed Zhang Han, the butler, and the big black dog inside.

They went up the steps, entered the gate, entered the yard, and walked through the corridor. They met many more servants along the way than last time. It seems that after Xun Qian officially moved in, he gradually cleaned up the commander’s mansion.

When the servants saw Qi Xiaoyu, they all stopped and made way for him to go first. “Hello, Mr. Qi.”

Qi Xiaoyu was slightly surprised and immediately remembered what Xun Qian had said to him that day, that everyone in the commander’s mansion knew him. It seemed that they really did.

At the same time, he also felt a kind of inexplicable gratitude in his heart. He had never encountered such treatment when he was singing opera in Beiping.

Although he was praised in the theater, he was not respected much when he went to the mansion of dignitaries. Not to mention that the servants greeted him; sometimes he even had to go through the side door.

Undoubtedly, the various treatments he received in the commander’s mansion were the best.

Qi Xiaoyu was still somewhat stunned by the time they arrived in the living room.

Zhang Han and Butler Cheng were waiting for him at the door. The big black dog was sitting on the ground, sticking out his tongue at him.

Butler Cheng made a gesture to invite him and led him to the sofa on the right side of the living room.

The last time Qi Xiaoyu came to the Commander’s Mansion was at night. The next day, he was confused by Xun Qian again and didn’t look at the decoration of the Commander’s Mansion carefully. Today, he found that this living room is much larger than he remembered, with a combination of Chinese and Western styles. There are two long and four short soft leather sofas on the right and a circle of rosewood armchairs on the left, surrounding an eight-immortal table[mfn]I think I used to add footnotes for this before? It’s the name of the Chinese traditional furniture with four sides of equal length and a wider tabletop.[/mfn].

In the middle of the living room, a redwood staircase covered with carpet leads to the second floor.

The servant made him a pot of monk fruit tea while Butler Cheng explained, “Several ministers of the Economic Department came without prior notice, saying that they have urgent matters to discuss with the young commander. So could you please wait a little longer?”

“It’s fine.” Qi Xiaoyu turned his eyes and saw the big black dog squatting beside the sofa, grinning and staring at him.

Qi Xiaoyu was curious and asked, “What’s its name?”

Butler Cheng brought the dog closer. “It’s called Xiao Hei. Are you afraid of dogs? If not, you can play with it for a while.”

Qi Xiaoyu was not afraid of dogs and liked small animals very much. However, his life in the opera troupe was unstable. The courtyard where they lived before was crowded with people, and they were afraid of encountering dog thieves, so they hadn’t been raising pets. He thought about it and beckoned, “Xiao Hei, come here.”

Butler Cheng loosened the leash in his hand. Xiao Hei jumped forward and pounced on Qi Xiaoyu, pressing him into the sofa.

Qi Xiaoyu scratched Xiao Hei’s chin, and Xiao Hei licked Qi Xiaoyu’s fingers.

Butler Cheng said beside him, “Xiao Hei really likes you. He just came from the Northeast and is not familiar with this place. He has been listless these days and doesn’t pay much attention to people.”

Qi Xiaoyu smiled. “Really?”

The man and the dog played intimately for a while before the sound of footsteps on the stairs interrupted them.

Qi Xiaoyu immediately put Xiao Hei down, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and then looked up the stairs.

On the stairs, Xun Qian, dressed in a khaki suit, walked at the front, followed by four or five men in suits and bowler hats.

Xun Qian’s expression was a little cold; his eyebrows and facial features were expressionless. No matter what the people next to him said to him, he would only nod or turn his head to say a few words.

When he spoke, the people around him listened attentively and even forgot to descend the stairs. They kept nodding incessantly, their eyes and body movements expressing admiration.

Even though Qi Xiaoyu was sitting on the sofa from afar, he could vaguely hear them say “Yes,” “Commander Xun has thought this through,” and “The policy for the next quarter will be in accordance with the method you described”.

Qi Xiaoyu thought that Xun Qian at the moment looked more like a young commander who was in charge of the whole city.

As he was thinking, Xun Qian had seen off the guests, turned around, and walked towards him.

Before Qi Xiaoyu could look away, Xun Qian took a long step and was already in front of him.

Xun Qian’s expression softened, and his dark eyes seemed to be shining with stars, as if the cold and arrogant young commander just now had disappeared in a matter of seconds. Xun Qian stood in front of Qi Xiaoyu with a smile and bent down slightly. “Were you looking at me just now?”

Zhang Han saw off the guests while Butler Cheng pulled Xiao Hei back a few meters away.

Qi Xiaoyu had experienced the previous few times, so he had to be much calmer and more self-controlled this time.

He lowered his flickering eyelashes and raised them again. “Yeah. I was wondering what the commander wanted to see me for.”

Xun Qian touched his nose, smiled softly, and sat down on the sofa opposite Qi Xiaoyu.

Xun Qian was indeed looking for Qi Xiaoyu to talk about what happened to the troupe recently.

He got straight to the point but said it very tactfully, “Yesterday I met the boss of the Laurel Stage. The Yue Opera troupe he cooperated with before the New Year has reached the end of its term, and he is looking for a Peking Opera troupe with a good reputation to cooperate with. Is your Red Moon Troupe interested?”

Qi Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up. Recently, he bought newspapers and read information about various theaters in Shanghai every day. Today, he also saw a report about the Laurel Stage in the newspaper, praising the success of the spring drama performances held by the Laurel Stage.

He quickly nodded and then thought of something else, “What are the requirements of the Laurel Stage for the cooperating troupes?”

Xun Qian softly comforted him, “Don’t worry, I mentioned the Red Moon Troupe to the boss of the Laurel Stage, and he is very satisfied with your qualification. The commission is also reasonable, 50-50.”

Laurel Stage is on the edge of the Bund, next to the Paramount and the Peace Hotel, in the most central location of the Ten Mile Metropolis.

Not only is the location excellent, but the layout is also very appropriate. It is divided into three floors. The downstairs is surrounded by tables and chairs like a theater, and there are private rooms upstairs. The stage is not open-air but indoors, so they don’t have to be afraid of wind and rain. The overall environment is very good.

The tickets are expensive, and the troupes signed in are all famous in Shanghai for many years, with a reputation and big money. The threshold and grade are much higher than Huanxi Garden.

Qi Xiaoyu is naturally not naive to think that the boss of the Laurel Stage is really satisfied with the Red Moon Troupe and is willing to share the profits with them 50-50. If it weren’t for Commander Xun Qian’s face, how could it be so easy?

Qi Xiaoyu blinked, moved his lips slightly, and said very frankly, “Our Red Moon Troupe is currently looking for a new theater to cooperate with, and if Young Commander can take the lead in cooperating with the Laurel Stage, on behalf of the Red Moon Troupe, Xiaoyu is grateful to Young Commander.”

Qi Xiaoyu is well-behaved, sincere, and full of gratitude, which makes people feel endless tenderness.

In the future, Qi Xiaoyu, without the deep bond of the Red Moon Troupe, would have been much more calm and composed. But at this moment, this kind of obedience made Xun Qian’s heart melt in half. He wanted to hold his baby in his arms and give him a kiss.

What he wanted to give his baby was more than a theater and a stage. He wanted to make up for all the regrets that Qi Xiaoyu had told him. He wanted to bring all the best things of this era to him. He even thought of holding a Chinese wedding and taking advantage of the presence of the elders of both sides to fulfill their wishes together.

Under Xun Qian’s gaze, Qi Xiaoyu keenly inclined his head. Every time Xun Qian looked at him like this, he felt uncomfortable all over. There was something else in those eyes, something indescribable.

Even the gratitude just now was all gone in an instant.

Not far away, Butler Cheng also witnessed the scene with his mouth wide open in an O shape. He was as surprised as Zhang Han, who was seeing the world for the first time. He thought that the young commander was particularly fond of this actor, but he never expected that their young commander would show such a tender side to someone he just met.

However, Butler Cheng had been with Xun Qian longer than Zhang Han. After thinking about it for a while, he figured out a key point.

Over here, seeing Qi Xiaoyu’s reaction, Xun Qian could only helplessly put away his legitimate thoughts as a husband and then called Xiao Hei over and rubbed Xiao Hei’s head to replace the impulse to rub Qi Xiaoyu, “Then I’ll tell Laurel Stage and ask them to contact Master Qi as soon as possible to sign the cooperation contract.”

“Good.” Qi Xiaoyu thanked him again.

Xun Qian continued, “Besides this matter, I have another thing to ask you for help.”

Qi Xiaoyu was originally staring at Xiao Hei, and when he heard Xun Qian ask him for help, he sat up straight. “Young Commander, please go ahead.”

“Next Thursday, I have a banquet to attend.”

Qi Xiaoyu looked at him puzzled.

Xun Qian hinted, “One needs a companion for such a banquet.”

Qi Xiaoyu had a guess of what Xun Qian wanted to say, but the banquets Xun Qian attended should be filled with socialites, ministers of various divisions, high-ranking officials, and their wives.

Seeing that Qi Xiaoyu did not respond, Xun Qian pointed out, “I want you to accompany me.”

Qi Xiaoyu did not speak.

Silence is golden.

Xun Qian smiled, “Then I will take it as your consent.” Then he said, “I’ve arranged for a tailor to come over today and measure your size later to make a suit for the banquet. Is that okay?”

Qi Xiaoyu pursed his lips and looked at him, thinking that Xun Qian was not asking for his help or consulting his opinion. He already made an appointment with the tailor in advance. But Xun Qian had just helped him solve a big problem, and he was indeed grateful for this kindness. If he refused him now, it seemed a bit like he was burning the bridge after crossing it.

He felt that he had been set up by Xun Qian, but he couldn’t say anything.

Xun Qian’s long eyelashes fluttered down, the corners of his lips curled to the side as he happily rubbed Xiao Hei’s head, which made Xiao Hei cry out, “Then it’s settled. Let’s eat something first, then get the measurement.”

Everything was neatly arranged.

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