radicalducati Chapter 75 The situation in Europe is spiraling out of control.
Chapter 75 The situation in Europe is spiraling out of control.
As soon as the two settled into the private room by the window on the second floor, the waiter bowed and handed them the gold-embossed menu with a respectful attitude.
Wan Liwen didn't stand on ceremony with Yan Shuo. She took the menu, flipped through a couple of pages, and pointed directly to the most expensive dishes: "For appetizer, I'd like escargot burgundy, foie gras with truffle toast. For main course, I'd like pan-fried filet mignon, medium-rare, with black truffle sauce, and a side of Normandy mussels."
She looked up at Yan Shuo, a teasing smile playing on her lips: "And you? Don't order anything cheap, lest I seem like a big eater and embarrass you."
Yan Shuo took the menu, glanced at it, and casually pushed it back to the waiter, saying loudly, "Same as the lady, add another roasted lamb chop, medium-rare. As for drinks, open a bottle of 1928 Bordeaux red wine, let it breathe a bit."
The waiter's eyes lit up. The 1928 Bordeaux was also a signature wine of the Tuileries restaurant. He immediately bowed and replied, "Please wait a moment, the wine will be decanted shortly, and the dishes will be served soon."
After the waiter left, Wan Liwen picked up the lemonade on the table, took a sip, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "You're being generous today. This bottle of wine is probably enough for an average family for half a year. What? Did the boss get paid and his wallet is bulging?"
"Sister Wan has worked so hard for the company for so long, what's a little drink?"
Yan Shuo leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on her white dress. He chuckled softly, "Besides, Fengming is doing very well right now. Several of our films have been box office hits, and we've sold our record rights in Europe and America quite well. What's a little money to us?"
"You're good at patting yourself on the back," Wan Liwen chuckled. "Those films were so popular because I picked good scripts and promoted the right artists. You just invested the right amount of money and then did nothing."
As the two were joking around, a waiter came in with a decanter and slowly poured the deep red wine into a stemmed glass, instantly filling the private room with its rich aroma.
After the waiter poured wine for the two, he brought out the dishes one after another. The golden baked snails sizzled, the foie gras was delicate and soft, and the steak was pan-fried until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with bright red juice still seeping from the cut.
Yan Shuo raised his glass: "To Sister Wan, may our Fengming grow bigger and bigger, make more money, and let all the brothers have enough to eat."
Wan Liwen gently clinked glasses with him, the red wine went down her throat, and the taste was mellow and lingering.
She put down her wine glass, cut a small piece of steak and put it in her mouth, then lowered her voice and got down to business: "This afternoon you said that Matsushima Keiko was an undercover agent. I thought about it carefully, and today when we were paying salaries, she did indeed use the excuse of organizing the salary files of Japanese artists to spend more than half an hour in the finance office, her eyes constantly glancing at those summarized revenue reports. If you hadn't reminded me, I would have really thought she was just being diligent."
"She's not serious, she's looking for an opportunity." Yan Shuo cut the lamb chop, his voice also becoming deep. "I only noticed today when I went to inspect the artist department that when she was organizing the files, her fingertips were always stroking the pocket watch. There was a miniature camera hidden in that pocket watch."
The two ate and chatted, and the topic gradually shifted from work to everyday matters.
Wan Liwen recounted that when she received her salary today, several Chinese artists excitedly discussed going to a department store in the French Concession to buy fabric to make new clothes.
Speaking of the small canteen in the company's backyard, the braised pork was especially delicious today, and even several artists who are usually picky eaters ate two bowls of rice.
"And then there's Maeda Yuji, who came to the company today and made outrageous demands, insisting on getting people involved in three movies." Yan Shuo took a sip of red wine, his tone somewhat mocking. "But it's fine, it'll be good to have him help us fend off other troubles from the reporting department."
"You certainly know how to leverage resources," Wan Liwen chuckled. "However, I will try to reduce the number of scenes featuring the Japanese actors and simplify their lines so as not to affect the overall quality of the film."
The two were joking and laughing in hushed tones when the door to the next private room seemed to be slightly ajar, and several deep foreign voices drifted over.
Wan Liwen, fluent in English and Japanese, immediately perked up her ears, and Yan Shuo also stopped eating and listened attentively.
The people talking next door were two foreigners; one was British and the other French, judging from their accents, and their tone was somewhat anxious and serious.
"Germany's ambitions have grown even larger since the occupation of Poland," the British voice said gravely. "Now they are amassing troops on the Western Front, with German forces filling the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands. Chamberlain's appeasement policy is utterly useless and will only embolden them further. At this rate, war in Europe could break out at any moment."
"It's not just Europe; the entire world's economy will be dragged into a quagmire." The Frenchman's voice was full of helplessness. "Germany has controlled Poland's coal and steel resources, greatly increasing its industrial strength. Our French economy was already sluggish; once war breaks out, there will be shortages of supplies, soaring prices, and the lives of the people will be unbearable."
"The situation in Shanghai is not optimistic either," the British man added. "The Japanese have blockaded the Yangtze River waterway, and our merchant ships are unable to enter the interior at all. British, American, and French trade in China has declined sharply, causing prices in Shanghai to rise three times a day. I'm afraid we won't be able to maintain our status as the financial center of the Far East."
"What's more troublesome is that Japan and Germany are getting closer and closer," the Frenchman sighed. "Once war breaks out in Europe, Japan will definitely take the opportunity to expand in the Far East, and our interests in Shanghai will probably be completely lost. The only hope now is that the United States can intervene; otherwise, the whole world will be plunged into darkness."
The two gradually lowered their voices, as if they had changed the subject.
Yan Shuo and Wan Liwen exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.
Wan Liwen put down her knife and fork and whispered, "They are officials from the British and French consulates in Shanghai. Judging from what they said, the situation in Europe is likely to spiral completely out of control. This is not good news for us."
"It's certainly not good news, but it's not necessarily a bad thing." Yan Shuo picked up his red wine and took a sip. "With Europe at war, Britain, the US, and France will be too busy to deal with their own problems, and their control over Shanghai will loosen. We can take this opportunity to expand our supply channels. As for Japan and Germany forming an alliance, so what? As long as we have enough intelligence and enough strength, we can stand firm in this chaotic world."
He put down his wine glass, looked at Wan Liwen, and a smile returned to his lips: "Alright, don't think about these worries anymore. It's a rare treat to have a meal out, so let's enjoy it."
After dinner, Yan Shuo drove Wan Liwen home and then drove home to rest. He talked to Li Zhiyao about what happened that day. Li Zhiyao nodded and said, "Is the Japanese reporting department in Shanghai trying to promote their 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' pie? It's a pity we can't do anything about it."
"Who said that! We send a message to headquarters, and they have plenty of ways to handle things. We can't do it on our own, but we have big shots at headquarters who can come up with solutions! The amount of propaganda they can control is still quite considerable."
"That's true!" Li Zhiyao nodded, finally relaxing her furrowed brows.
"Forget about it. Tomorrow I'll urge Lucas to increase the number of cargo ships. We can handle as many as they come. We need to stockpile supplies now, otherwise who knows what will happen to the shipping route later. Let's take advantage of the opportunity while we still have it and stockpile as much as possible."
"Um!"