Chapter 21: Su Pingnan's Pride

Shanghai, the Magic City.

The bustling waterfront was awash with lights and wine. Countless heroes rose here and many more met their end.

In his previous life, Su Pingnan had only visited the Magic City a few times, always skimming the surface like a lost dog. Now his return was filled with ambition—proof that life was indeed unpredictable.

This time Su Pingnan traveled alone. There was no direct route from Wucheng to Shanghai. He had to go from Wucheng to Tiandu first, then change trains to the Magic City.

Su Pingnan had really underestimated how notorious he had become. The conductor from the Wucheng–Tiandu train was unusually courteous, even sharing drinks with him in the dining car. When they reached Tiandu to change trains, the conductor—a young man—escorted him off and, shyly at parting, said: “Brother Red Robe, in future can I say I drank with you, that we’re well acquainted?”

Seeing Su Pingnan’s stunned look, he hurriedly added, “Don’t worry, Brother Red Robe. It’s just that when railway folks go to the Pleasure Forest we’re always asked whether we know you, so since we’ve had a drink together, I figured I could say we’re acquainted, right?”

When Su Pingnan nodded, the young man beamed and dashed back onto the train.

The Gao brothers were well connected too. Upon learning about Su Pingnan and Gate God Jiang, they were iced with fear. And after also finding out Su Pingnan had thrown money around at an auction, it sealed their resolve to maintain a good relationship with him.

It was those two brothers who arranged the sleeper train from Tiandu to the Magic City—otherwise Su Pingnan would have had no way of getting there this quickly. They sent a lot of men to wait early on the platform, so as soon as Su Pingnan stepped out of the first train, they swarmed around him.

The train started its journey. Through the window, the young conductor saw a pack of tough youths surrounding Little Red Robe like planets around a star, and he realized for the first time he wasn’t that impressive. On top of that, he’d learned over drinks that Little Red Robe was only twenty years old—his sense of superiority evaporated.

A full thirty hours—such was the train’s pace.

After disembarking, Su Pingnan didn’t hurry to business. Instead he leisurely toured the greater Shanghai.

The Magic City still retained the flavor of the Republican era. Though it lacked the future skyline of skyscrapers, its old buildings gave Su Pingnan a peculiar charm.

In high spirits, Su Pingnan chartered a taxi and told the driver to take him on a purposeless wander.

The first stop was the Huangpu River. Su Pingnan skipped the modern tourist boats and strolled alone along the riverbank, feeling the sweep of the great river and the sense that even charismatic figures eventually pass away. He felt calmer after that.

Since his rebirth, he had spun like a top lashed by an invisible whip—endlessly turning. Now he finally felt leisure.

The Huangpu River in this era was tranquil. There were no crowded tourist boats. Su Pingnan liked this feeling very much. Thinking that one day it would be packed with people, he frowned and resolved to savor the present scenery.

After visiting the Huangpu, the taxi driver enthusiastically drove him around to every spot—Du Yuesheng’s mansion, the Presidential Palace, and the like.

As dusk fell, Su Pingnan said to the driver, “Take me to the best hotel.”

“I can tell, boss, that you really have money. The Peninsula, you want that?”

“Alright.”

The driver was excited: the Shanghai Peninsula Hotel on the Bund rarely accepted taxi drop-offs because the hotel provided its own transport. With a chance like today, and hearsay that its decor surpassed the Presidential Palace, he really wanted to go in and have a look.

The Shanghai Peninsula Hotel was the Kadoorie family’s ambitious, deep-pocketed venture to reassert themselves on the Shanghai waterfront.

When a doorman in snow-white attire pulled open the glass doors carved with door gods for Su Pingnan, he momentarily felt as if he’d returned to a later age.

Gothic ribbed vaults made the lobby vast, and the lifelike human-faced sculptures further emphasized an aristocratic air.

“Sir, this way please,” the hostess said gently. “May I help straighten your attire?”

Having spent dozens of hours on trains and wandering about the whole day, his black suit was slightly rumpled and travel-worn.

Su Pingnan said nothing—his ambitions made such things trivial. He only gave the smiling hostess a long look, then strode toward the bar.

Mu Yizhi was likely among the first women from Xia Country to study hotel management abroad. A native of Shanghai, she returned and, with elegant looks and solid management skills, quickly became the Peninsula’s lobby manager.

That day she was on her usual patrol of the lobby and continuously scanned the surroundings. Hearing the hostess, she couldn’t help frown.

She sighed inwardly: “There are so many nouveau riche now; one complaint and trouble erupts—and then it becomes yet another one of my problems again.”

With that she hurried over and smiled slightly, “Sir, is there something you’re dissatisfied with? I’ll personally take care of you.”

The hostess, seeing Su Pingnan quicken his pace, felt her earlier words presumptuous and a little aggrieved. She thought to herself, “If you didn’t look so distinguished, I wouldn’t have reminded you, but you didn’t care for my concern at all.”

Seeing Manager Mu take over the guest, she hurriedly stepped back to avoid a dispute.

Mu Yizhi’s voice was clear and pleasant. Su Pingnan looked up to see a tall woman in a modern dark suit smiling at him.

Mu Yizhi was also surprised at how young he appeared.

Su Pingnan thought: “I harbor grand ambitions and have lived two lives, yet I’m still swayed by my surroundings. It is indeed my fault.”

With that he smiled faintly and said to Mu Yizhi, “No—it’s I who was suddenly obsessed with the way I appear to others.”

Then, surprisingly, he walked back to the hostess, bowed slightly, and said, “I am Su Pingnan. I apologize for being rude earlier.”

Under their puzzled gazes, Su Pingnan waved his hand and softly said, “We will meet again,” then opened the door by himself and walked out with composure.

Mu Yizhi and Xiao Qiao exchanged glances. Mu Yizhi said lightly, “What a proud man.”

Little did either of them imagine that two years later, the Kadoorie family would be attacked in the stock market and forced to sell the Shanghai Peninsula Hotel to the local Jinxiu Group—and that the chain of events would ultimately be caused by Su Pingnan’s pride.