Seeing Xiao Shunzi's bitter face, Chen Zikong pretended to be angry and said: "Yesterday you were still boasting that you're familiar with the place, but when I asked you to borrow a set of clothes, you kept pushing it off. Xiao Shunzi, you've become spoiled."

  "Brother, I'm helping you find it, isn't that enough?" Xiao Shunzi frowned and led Chen Zikun into the side door, which was a passage for service personnel. The corridor was dimly lit, and from afar, one could faintly hear the sound of saxophones playing and women's giggles.

  Xiao Shunzi wore a white shirt with black pants, dressed as a servant. His temples were shaved clean and his hair was styled like a teapot lid, with plenty of hair wax applied. When he met colleagues, he would greet them warmly. Once the corridor was empty, he quickly opened the storage room door and whispered, "Wait for me here, don't run around."

  Chen Zikun slipped in and stayed in the storage room for nearly ten minutes. Xiao Shunzi finally came back, holding a large package, sweating all over his face, with two lip prints on his cheek.

  "Brother, for you, I've even sacrificed my looks." Xiaoshunzi opened the package, inside was a set of black evening attire, silk shirts, woolen suit jacket and trousers, all freshly laundered, the shirt collar was stiff and straight, the crease on the pants was ironed to a sharp point.

  "We're still short of a pair of leather shoes," said Chen Zikun.

  "Alright, I'm afraid of you." Xiao Shunzi lowered his head and took off his leather shoes, holding them up with both hands. He was born with big feet, and the size just happened to match Chen Zichen's.

  Chen Zikun quickly took off his laborer's outfit, changed into a dress shirt and suit, put on leather shoes, and snapped his fingers: "Wax the car."

  "Alright, I'll give you all of it." Xiaoshunzi took out a small iron box from his pocket, inside was a solid wax-like substance. Chen Zikong scooped it all out with his fingers and applied it to his hair, slicking it back twice, revealing a shiny, smooth pompadour.

  He seemed to have something more to say, and from his old clothes he pulled out a pinch of hair, dipped it in some saliva and stuck it on his lips, and two beautiful eight-character beards appeared again.

  "Indeed, a man relies on his attire and a horse relies on its saddle." Xiaoshunzi took a step back and sincerely praised.

  Chen Zikun was originally not bad-looking, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a face as white as jade, tall and long-legged, slender waist and straight back. Wearing Western-style clothes that accentuated his figure made him look even more handsome and dashing.

  Xiao Shunzi looked Chen Zikun up and down, as if admiring a work of art he had created himself. "You're still missing a tie, wait for me, I'll go find one."

  "It's all right." Chen Zikong was about to open the door and go out.

  "Brother, my dear brother, just take a stroll and that's it, but whatever you do, don't talk nonsense to people. This set of clothes was washed by a French guest, if the truth comes out, my mission will be ruined. Remember, remember!" Little Shunzi kept reminding him from behind.

  "Alright, I've got the number." Chen Zikong opened the door and strode towards the front hall, Xiao Shunzi followed far behind, his heart racing with anxiety.

  Chen Zikun swaggered along the corridor from the kitchen to the dining room, his eyes scanning around, and suddenly saw the white silk window curtains embroidered with gold hanging on the wall. He glanced around and found no one, pulled out a dagger and cut off a piece, wrapped it around his neck, and became a unique scarf.

  The little Shunzi who was secretly following him from a distance almost fainted.

  Just then a waiter brought over a cold platter of sliced Harbin Russian-style red sausage.

  "Bang" Chen Zikun snapped his fingers, and the waiter immediately stopped.

  Chen Zikun picked up a piece and ate it, scolding: "It's so salty, how can you eat it? Pour it all out to feed the dogs."

  The waiter was stunned and stared at him blankly.

  "What's with the staring? Go!" Chen Zikun glared.

  "Oh" The waiter quickly turned around.

  "Wait."

  The waiter stopped again and stared at the man who took out the white napkin tucked in his waist.

  "Go." Chen Zikun dismissed the servant, folded his napkin and tucked it into his chest, cleared his throat, and walked grandly into the dining hall.

  A Beiyang general came forward, wearing a neat blue-gray woolen uniform, with three stars on his golden epaulets, white gloves and a command knife, looking majestic.

  "General, it's been a long time, how have you been lately?" Chen Zikun surprisingly took the initiative to greet this unfamiliar general.

  Little Shunzi following behind was now worried to death, biting his fingernails and praying: "Heaven, please let this troublemaker behave himself today."

  He would reveal a puzzled expression, apparently unable to gather any information about the young man in front of him from his own memory bank. However, since everyone who came to this kind of occasion was an upper-class person, if others were so polite, he couldn't lose his courtesy either.

  "It's all thanks to you, fortunately," said the general.

  "That's great, I have a few old friends here too, excuse me." Chen Zikun gave a elegant nod, pretending to go find his acquaintances, quickly walking away. The servant guarding the entrance didn't even realize he needed an invitation card from him.

  The restaurant of the Liu Guo Hotel is extremely spacious and also serves as a dance hall. Today, it's set up for a cold buffet dinner. The grand hall is filled with people dressed to the nines - men in high-quality evening attire, some with medals on their lapels, while women shine brightly, competing in elegance. Regardless of whether they are Chinese or foreigners, most conversations are taking place in English and French.

  Chen Zikun picked up a martini from the table, leaned against the wall corner and gazed at the guests, with a hint of a sly smile on his lips. His appearance immediately caught the attention of a group of extremely bored noblewomen, who whispered to each other and threw flirtatious glances at him.

  Chen Zikun also noticed these charming and flirtatious women, raised his cup to invite them with a gesture, and winked at them. This immediately made the women dizzy, and they began to fan themselves rapidly with their fans. A beautiful woman who still had a lot of charm couldn't wait any longer and stood up to approach him, but by then Chen Zikun had already found his target.

  That was a tall and thin middle-aged man who looked relatively gentle. Chen Zikong deliberately bumped into him, spilling the Martini on the other person.

  "Sorry, sir." Chen Zikun pulled out the napkin that was pretending to be a handkerchief on his chest and helped the man wipe his wet clothes. His two fingers quietly took out the invitation from the other's inner pocket.

  The waiters also came over to help, and Chen Zikun took advantage of the opportunity to slip away and slipped out of the ballroom.

  ……

  Fireworks were prepared to be set off in the empty space in front of the Liu Guo Restaurant, and temporary admission tickets were issued to avoid congestion. Those who held these admission tickets were mostly Chinese people who did not have enough qualifications. On a very cold day, they gathered on the streets of Dongjiaominxiang to watch the Western-style scenery, and they all seemed pleased with themselves, looking smug and self-satisfied.

  Lin Wenjing was weaving through the crowd, excited like a free little bird, carrying her father and stepmother out to play, giving her a particularly thrilling feeling. Suddenly, there was a familiar figure in front of her, wasn't that Wang Yuqi?

  "Wang Yueqi, you're here too." Lin Wenjing suddenly appeared out of nowhere, startling Wang Yueqi. Thinking about the ticket incident, she immediately felt guilty and stuttered: "I... my family found an extra ticket later, just one, so I came alone, you won't be mad at me, will you?"

  "How could that be?" Lin Wenjing said, apparently not taking it seriously. Wang Yueqi let out a sigh of relief and thought to herself, "Could her vote have been given by Xu Xuechang? She wanted to ask but didn't dare, so she just endured it."

  Beijing's winter temperature is very low, people waiting to watch the fireworks are all cold and stomping their feet, envying those dignitaries inside the Rokkoukan restaurant with its glass windows, where there is ample warmth, fine wine, music, and foreign women showing off their bare shoulders. However, at the entrance, Indian guards stand like iron towers on either side, and a strict Western manager who refuses anyone without an invitation, no matter if they are the Premier or a Beiyang general.

  Wang Yueqi murmured: "It would be great if Xu Xuechang were here, he must have a way to lead us in."

  Lin Wenjing blinked her eyes, she didn't think of going into the Rokkoku restaurant to play, being able to sneak out and see the fireworks was already satisfying enough.

  Suddenly a very magnetic voice sounded from behind: "Isn't this the young lady of Mr. Lin's family in the Ministry of Education? I don't know if I have the honor to invite you to attend the dance together?"

  Lin Wenjing and Wang Yueqi turned around at the same time, only to find a debonair gentleman standing in front of them, dressed in a black bow tie and evening dress, with two wisps of whiskers and a pair of eyes that shone like stars on a cold night.

  Wang Yueqi was stunned, and Lin Wenjing was also at a loss for words, stuttering: "Y...you know my dad?"

  She actually wanted to say that you look like our family's rickshaw puller, but she didn't dare say it out loud, because people would think she was crazy. This gentleman is obviously a member of high society and has nothing in common with Chen Shu, the rickshaw puller.

  It was probably just a coincidence, and Lin Wenjing didn't take it to heart. The major issue she faced now was whether or not to accept the invitation of this strange man.

  Wang Yueqi anxiously scratched her ears and cheeks, wishing she could replace Lin Wenjing in responding.

  "Lin Wenjing, this is a rare opportunity." She whispered persuasively.

  "Alright... Uncle, what's your surname?" Lin Wenjing's playful nature finally took over, but she wasn't foolish enough to forget to ask about his family name.

  Chen Zikun felt a pang of regret in his heart, why was he still Uncle no matter how much he changed.

  "Oh, I'm Victor." Chen Zikun stretched out an arm. Just then a car drove up and the doorman opened the door for a well-dressed couple who got out hand in hand. Lin Wenjing followed suit and took Chen Zikun's arm.

  "This girl is too easy to deceive, this is not a good omen." Chen Zikong thought to himself.

  Upon arriving at the entrance, the foreign leader asked in French: "Sir, may I see your invitation?"

  "Oh, of course, here it is." Chen Zikun replied fluently in Parisian-accented French, while producing a beautifully printed invitation.

  The team leader took a look and saw that it was an invitation from Mr. Lin Changmin, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He handed it back without suspicion and said in stiff Chinese: "Wish you have fun."

  Sneaking into the restaurant smoothly, Chen Zikun saw Xiao Shunzi in the corner and winked at him with a pleased expression. Xiao Shunzi almost vomited blood on the spot when he saw that Chen Zikun had actually brought a beautiful girl in.

  "Brother, what are you going to make a fuss about?" Little Shunzi let out a mournful sigh in his heart.