Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 284 Hepburn and the Coming Lady

Fortunately, the weather was good and it was sunny for seven or eight days in a row. On the billboards in the city center, the photo of Broadway newcomer Audrey Hepburn frying French fries looked particularly beautiful. There was a big M logo and the words "Hongmen Burger, oriental cuisine, opening soon, stay tuned" were written next to it.

Zheng Yi knew, of course, that the "M" was McDonald's' logo, and therefore unsuitable for the Hongmen Burger. But he felt that since McDonald's had done so well historically, the "M" trademark was at least not bad. He wasn't sure what would be a better choice. Should he just use the Chinese character "Hong"? Unsure how Americans would accept Chinese character trademarks, he simply copied the "M."

There are more than 40 similar billboards of various sizes hanging throughout New York, all in areas with dense pedestrian traffic. Hepburn's movements are different for each billboard.

Some are frying French fries, some are making hamburgers, and some are grilling pineapple pies. Although Hongmen Burger’s main dish is hamburgers, it does not prevent it from being labeled as an oriental cuisine.

After all, it wasn't until the 5s and 60s that hamburgers became popular in the United States and really became an American symbol. They are actually a German dish and only became popular in the United States in the early 40s.

Zheng Yi can naturally make the so-called Oriental burger.

If you take out the classic McDonald’s burgers of later generations, they are all oriental burgers in this era.

Americans of this era don’t know that Asians don’t eat hamburgers.

And Zheng Yi's shop does sell some Chinese snacks such as pancakes and wraps.

Audrey Hepburn during this period was still a complete newcomer, barely gaining some fame through stage plays. But a beauty is a beauty because she can attract the attention of all men as long as she has the slightest chance.

Unlike the flaming red lips and slutty looks that were popular in the United States at that time, Audrey Hepburn was born into a European aristocratic family. It was because of the vicissitudes of World War II that she embarked on the road to the entertainment industry. As a well-educated and well-mannered woman, she naturally had an extra layer of temperament that most actresses of that era did not have.

When Zheng Yi asked her to shoot the commercial, he deliberately chose a relatively light and elegant makeup look, which immediately highlighted her special temperament and made her look like a goddess.

Many people who see the billboard can't help but wonder: Is there really such a beautiful woman frying French fries at this fast food restaurant called Hongmen Burger? Why did this restaurant spend so much money on advertising, just to sell French fries, hamburgers, wraps and the like?
At that time in the United States, there were no truly large-scale chain restaurant brands. People instinctively thought that since this fast food brand spent so much money and ran so much advertising, it must be a very large store, because only a very large store would need so much advertising.

However, many colleagues or people who think a little more can't help but be curious. These advertisements are placed in crowded areas, but not in luxury communities. It seems that they are positioning themselves in the field of mass consumption. So many people are wondering whether this so-called Hongmen Burger is not a restaurant, but a canned food company or something.

It actually increased its popularity and aroused people's curiosity.

But objectively speaking, this advertisement only plays this role.

Of course, Ying Xingjiu is in charge of the specific matters. Almost all of its management team members are from the Hongmen Chinese, and there is no public recruitment of black people for work. In fact, even if this store employs more black people, the management team will definitely always be dominated by Hongmen Chinese.

Of course, the Hongmen during this period, at least the Hongmen in New York, accounted for more than 95% of the Chinese, and the difference between Hongmen people and Chinese was not that great.

In fact, Zheng Yi certainly has more and better ways to advertise. Strictly speaking, this advertisement itself is not even up to standard, and does not highlight the real characteristics of Hongmen burgers, which are cheap, low-priced, and fast delivery.

But it is indeed enough for Hongmen Burger. Large-scale restaurant chains and central prefabricated kitchens are a dimensionality reduction attack on their peers in this era.

The purpose achieved by the way was naturally to increase the fame of Ms. Audrey Hepburn, who was not very famous originally. Many gentlemen in New York City would unconsciously ask around to find out who this girl was. Countless advertisers and small Hollywood directors also valued this advertising girl and were looking around to find out who she was.

At this time, this beautiful woman who had just made her debut in the American entertainment industry was making love with Zheng Yi in the top floor suite of the Waldorf Astoria. From time to time, she could hear some very loud groans, as if Zheng Yi was very strong.

In fact, as a yellow man who is almost forty years old, how could he be strong compared to a white girl? Zheng Yi is not a gifted person.

Outside the bedroom, Yamamoto Fujiko was sitting calmly on the sofa, reading the new manga Astro Boy. One hand unconsciously stroked her belly, and she turned a deaf ear to the sounds inside, although to a large extent, she knew that the woman was calling out on purpose for him to hear.

Collins was a little embarrassed at the side. She felt quite awkward being around Zheng Yi now. Although it had only been a few days, she had a rough idea of ​​what was going on with Zheng Yi's secretary.

In the past, he had never imagined that one person could have nearly a thousand secretaries. These one thousand secretaries would be responsible for handling all the government affairs of the entire SAARC, big and small, and ultimately report to the Secretary-General Qian Qiwen. In addition to Qian Qiwen, there was also a person named Li Jianqiao, who was said to be Zheng Yi's personal secretary, but she had never seen where this personal secretary had gone.

It is said that he will come tonight.

Her position is the same as Yamamoto Fujiko's, both are Zheng Yi's personal secretary. However, Collins is a little confused about what a personal secretary is. It seems that the role is to take care of Mr. Zheng's daily needs in life and not to help him handle any official business.

But isn't this a repeat of the maid?
Oh, the Chinese don’t call them maids, they call them servants.

Collins asked Yamamoto Fujiko, and Yamamoto Fujiko said that the biggest difference between her and a maid was that she had to sleep with Mr. Zheng.

Collins understood, but the problem was that Zheng Yi didn't sleep with her either.

As a result, Collins had almost nothing to do these days except acting as a "vanguard" to recruit her brother's gang of friends.

It's so embarrassing.

You say Mr. Zheng is being cautious and won't mess around with women? But isn't that girl inside still screaming and groaning?

If you say you don't like her, then why keep her around?

He was a prostitute before he followed Zheng Yi, so there was no question of whether he was willing or not.

She is a very smart person, and she is not completely without judgment of her own value. She can clearly see that Zheng Yi is trying to please the black community, and is particularly fond of his younger brother.

She and her brother have different fathers. Her father ran away shortly after she was born, which is a traditional custom for black men. Her brother's father was actually a very good man, but he was tied up and burned alive by the white KKK. Their mother also went crazy after that incident.

Strictly speaking, her younger brother was raised by her, and she became a prostitute because she had to take care of her mentally ill mother and raise her younger brother.

Because of this, my brother has a deep hatred for white people, especially the KKK.

In her opinion, Mr. Zheng was most likely attracted by this hatred. Maybe Mr. Zheng wanted to use her to support her brother, but in order to train them to become a group of knives who do dirty work and do bad things for Mr. Zheng when necessary.

That is the death soldier in Chinese culture.

Collins was not opposed to this. After all, the brother and sister were like rats and bugs in the stinking ditch that could die and rot at any time. One was selling his body and the other was selling his life. It didn't matter who they were selling themselves to.

Although they had some misunderstandings about Zheng Yi, the Collins siblings did not reject it. However, if they had the chance, they would certainly not be content with just that. Especially Collins, he was unwilling to be satisfied with just the role of a contact person, even if it was just to sleep with him.

At least if they could develop some feelings for each other during sleep, Zheng Yi would have some room to maneuver when he used her brother in the future.

But Zheng Yi didn't even sleep with her. Collins was the most confused about this matter. Therefore, he couldn't help but feel a little envious of the person in the room.

In the end, she could only think that she was not good enough and had not attracted Mr. Zheng. So, in addition to beauty and fitness every day, she also spent a lot of time studying, hoping that she would be useful to Mr. Zheng one day.

No matter what the purpose is, it is better than just making a telephone for display.

Although Fujiko said that a personal secretary was not qualified to help Zheng Yi handle official business, nothing is absolute. At least in Collins's opinion, Yamamoto Fujiko was not completely unwilling to help Mr. Zheng handle official business. It seemed that because the mysterious Secretary Li was away, Yamamoto Fujiko took on some of Secretary Li's duties.

This is the opportunity.

At this time, she was struggling to learn Chinese by referring to the book. Fujiko's Chinese was not very good, or he was too lazy to teach her, so she could only learn by herself. However, the woman's screams in the room were too loud, making it difficult for her to concentrate.

Of course, what really made her uneasy might not be the woman in the house.

"Sister Yamamoto."

Collins, unable to continue reading, closed the book and couldn't help asking, "Sister, I heard that Madam and Mr. Zheng's real personal secretary, Mr. Li, will be coming from Asia tonight."

Yamamoto Fujiko glanced at her with a half-smile, not closing the book, and nodded, "It is indeed at this time... They should have already transferred in Israel. You know, Mr. Zheng's influence is also in the Middle East."

"Ah, is the lady...easy to get along with? Is she..."

Although nothing actually happened between her and Zheng Yi, Collins knew that her identity was still rather ambiguous. Besides, even if she said nothing happened, the wife would have to believe it.

Hearing that they were talking about the Madam, Wendy, who was working nearby, put down her work and hurried over to listen. Her eyes were full of pleading as she looked at Yamamoto Fujiko.

In fact, Wendy had a harder time than Collins during this period. Collins at least had a position as the "Tiger General Vanguard" in the Hongmen and could still learn, but Wendy was deeply aware that she seemed to be a waste.

Zheng Yi's personal secretary's duties overlapped somewhat with those of a maid, so generally speaking, it was not her job to serve Mr. Zheng. However, she was not good at even cleaning.

After all, this is the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and the hotel itself has a butler and cleaning service specially assigned to Zheng Yi. Even the furniture in this room is gilded, and those decorations hanging on the walls are purely for beauty, but they are all famous European paintings with great historical and artistic value.

The sheets, quilt covers, and carpets were all made of oriental silk and Persian workmanship, all high-end products. The room keeper specifically instructed her to try not to let her touch anything in the hotel, as high-end products required specific cleaning techniques, which she didn't know, and might end up damaging them.

Although she was working, there was actually nothing else for her to do except washing clothes for Zheng Yi and others, and she didn't do that very well.

She had originally snatched this job from the hotel, but the problem was that there weren't many clothes that could be washed by hand, and the hotel didn't seem too willing to teach her how to use a dry cleaner. Seeing both of them looking at her, Yamamoto Fujiko chuckled and said, "We Easterners are different from you Westerners. We have a culture of taking concubines and maids."

Yamamoto Fujiko pointed at herself, then at Collins, and said, "We are actually quite similar to traditional Chinese maids. If we behave well in the future, especially if we can give birth to a son or daughter, we may have the opportunity to move up to concubines. But to be honest, it's difficult. Not everyone can be Mr. Zheng's concubine."

"The one coming tonight is the eldest lady. You may or may not have heard of her, but anyway, the lady is from the Nanyang Li family, and the Li family is in the Southern Alliance... Haha, I've never heard of such a powerful foreign relative in Chinese history."

"But you don't have to worry. As long as you don't offend the lady, she will most likely leave you alone."

Hearing this, Wendy couldn't help but ask, "Madam... can't you manage the servants?"

Yamamoto Fujiko: "How could the Madam have the heart to deal with us? She hasn't even spoken to me. She is the Minister of Labor of the SAARC. With this position, the Madam can almost intervene in everything in the entire SAARC and all the companies. She is very busy."

"So, the one who manages us is the butler?"

"Who is the butler?"

Yamamoto Fujiko: "There is no nominal housekeeper, but in reality... Xiaohuan, the lady's personal maid, is no different from a housekeeper. No, in a normal family, a housekeeper would not be so arrogant.
In short, this maid is very special. Even Mr. Zheng has to give her face. I have encountered her several times, and she did not speak to Mr. Zheng very respectfully. Zheng Yi sometimes even calls her "Little Sister Huan". The maids, or even the maids who serve in the same room, are all under her control.

Everyone: "………………"

He calls his wife's maid "sister". Could it be that Mr. Zheng is marrying into his wife's family?
It sounds like the Li family is quite special in the Southern Alliance. Could Zheng Yi be a little afraid of his wife?

At this time, in the bedroom.

After unremitting efforts, Zheng Yi finally surrendered and lay on Hepburn's legs, looking quite tired.

"Oh, honey, you're amazing. You're the strongest man I've ever met. I can't help but feel overwhelmed."

Zheng Yi rolled his eyes at him and said, "Don't flatter me. I'm just a yellow man, how can I be that strong? My condition is far worse than it was ten years ago. I don't believe that I'm the strongest of all your men. Even the weakest one might actually believe it."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi reached out his hand and asked her to bring him the ashtray, and then lit a cigarette for him.

"Look at what you said, as if I have a lot of men."

"hehe."

Zheng Yi did not comment on this. In fact, this was what Zheng Yi thought. He was even not sure whether this woman would still flirt with other men after being with him. If so, he would not be surprised.

To be honest, Zheng Yi is not a lustful person, but he is indeed a vulgar man, especially as a time traveler. Some women will still feel itchy once they have the opportunity.

There's no need to suppress yourself too much.

Even if he has no interest in ordinary beauties, if he sees Audrey Hepburn, which time traveler would let her go?

In the entire United States, at this time, there were only two women who would make him feel extremely interested, and the other one was Marilyn Monroe.

It's normal, isn't it? It's human nature.
Objectively speaking, Audrey Hepburn was not really that beautiful. He himself believed that the American woman whose appearance most suited his taste at that time was Joan Fontaine, who played Jane Eyre.

But there's nothing I can do. I'll just consider it as paying for some delusion in my previous life. When I was a teenager in my previous life, I really did unspeakable things in front of the photos of these two goddesses. As for the so-called halo and filters on them, they were basically shattered after entering the mobile Internet. This person is actually a big green tea, holy on the surface, but actually has a terrible private life.

Or it could be said that it is really hard to find clean goods in the American entertainment industry in this era, and there is basically no problem in treating them all as whores.

Of course Marilyn Monroe wanted to, but at this time, Monroe was already a second- or third-rate actress and was in Los Angeles, not New York. Zheng Yi knew that she had married early, and he didn't know whether she was divorced or not at this time.

If they hadn't divorced, Zheng Yi felt that he had to restrain his little desires. A gentleman knows how to pick up girls. Although her husband must have been cuckolded a lot, Zheng Yi still didn't want to add another one to the list for others.

At this moment in time, Audrey Hepburn was just a dancer performing in Broadway musicals. Although she was no longer completely unknown, she still had no chance to be the protagonist, let alone make a movie.

Zheng Yi recognized Audrey Hepburn when he went to see a play on Broadway before. He immediately went backstage to contact her and expressed his admiration for her.

He was not an unknown person in the United States, but rather a famous person. Hepburn, who was not yet a big star, saw that Zheng Yi was interested in him, and she threw herself into his arms without any reservation or hesitation on the spot. The two got together that day.

Of course, he couldn't sleep with her for free. Although he didn't pay her directly, Zheng Yi still recommended her to be the advertising model for Hongmen Burger, and Ying Xingjiu got her a considerable endorsement fee.

But it goes without saying that once you get involved with this kind of woman, it's not so easy to get rid of her. Since she's with a big shot like Zheng Yi, she will naturally do her best to get the most benefits.

"Honey, I heard that our Southern Alliance is planning to collaborate with Hollywood to produce a war movie. Can you give me the role of the clothes moth? You can discuss it with the director. To be honest, I'm tired of dancing on Broadway all day. You have to show your thighs to so many people every day, right?"

Zheng Yi: “…………”

To be honest, he really didn't care. Before he got Hepburn, his possessiveness was indeed extremely strong. After all, she was indeed his goddess during his adolescence in his previous life. But after sleeping with her, he actually felt that it was just like that.

After all, in this time and space, she is not a superstar, nor is she Princess Anne in Roman Holiday. She is no different from an ordinary beauty, even more greedy and hypocritical. Anyway, the communication between the two is only about desire, and there is no love at all.

However, Zheng Yi didn't completely reject what she said. Instead, he said, "This matter... I'm afraid it won't be a big deal. To put it bluntly, the film is mainly produced by you in the United States, directed by William Wheeler, and we in the Southern Alliance are just cooperating."

"He wanted to make a film about the American flying squadron during World War II. We had consciously preserved a large amount of video footage from the war, even in color, which could be used directly in the film. That's why he chose to work with us. Our request was that he show the contributions of our SAARC flying squadron as much as possible."

Hepburn: "Then why don't I speak for you pilots from the Southern Alliance? You should have a say in this matter. Oh, by the way, I heard that your wife is not from the flight squadron..."

Zheng Yi: "But there are no white pilots in our Southern Alliance. This film will be shot in a semi-documentary style, so there really is no place for you. As for my wife, you mean Qiao Yun? That girl...she will act in the scenes related to her herself. To be honest, there's nothing I can do about her, ah~"

Zheng Yi rubbed his temples with a headache and added, "She's the most troublesome of all my women. Do you want to play my second wife? I'm afraid you're not qualified yet."

Wang Qiaoyun is the woman with the least desire for power among his three women. In fact, her influence is completely enough to suppress Qian Qiwen. After all, her influence is mainly in the military, and political power comes from the barrel of a gun.

But that woman was extremely casual. She stayed in the army to do her job well because the country was in crisis and to fight the Japanese. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, she had no idea about power. Otherwise, she would not have left Penang to fight in Israel.

That crazy girl was actually just having fun and seeking excitement.

Not only did she not have any thoughts of competing for favor or power, but she felt sorry for Li Jiazhi and listened to Li Jiazhi in everything. Although objectively speaking, there was a certain amount of conflict between the Li and Wang families, the relationship between Li Jiazhi and Wang Qiaoyun was completely reversed from before.

This led to the perception in Penang that Li Jiazhi and Wang Qiaoyun were teaming up to bully Qian Qiwen, forcing him to take sides at times, which gave him a headache.

It is not easy to enjoy the happiness of having many people.

But this Audrey Hepburn...

"I do have the idea of ​​setting up a film company in the United States. Since you're so eager to act, I can give you a few scripts to practice with. However, if you want to make a living as an actor, you'll need to hone your acting skills. Once you've honed your skills, I can find a screenwriter to tailor a script just for you."

Anyway, he also needs the Imperial Guard Entertainment Industry. This thing has nothing to do with money, but the influence of the American entertainment industry on politics, and even on global politics, is too great. These days, there are no ready-made large film and television companies that he can directly acquire with money. Even if there are, such behavior is too high-profile and too obvious. It is better to start from scratch.

Since he was going to set up a film and television company anyway, Zheng Yi also believed that Audrey Hepburn was born to do this job and was a potential superstar, so why shouldn't he use it? Besides, she was indeed his woman.

Hepburn was extremely excited when she heard this. She turned around and climbed onto Zheng Yi's body, saying, "Honey, you are so kind. Let me serve you again."

Zheng Yi waved his hands nervously, "No, no, I really can't."

Hepburn: "Okay, you believe me."

Zheng Yi: "It's not your problem, but... you know, my wife is coming tonight. After all, she is my wife. Although we are an old married couple, a long separation is better than a new marriage. I have to save some ammunition to pay the public grain."

"You too, pack up and leave quickly. Don't leave your scent behind and let my wife notice anything bad."

Hepburn was quite incredulous when she heard this and asked, "You, you, you're not afraid of your wife, are you? You have such a high position, why do you still pay public grain? What, doesn't your wife know that you have many other women outside?"

Zheng Yi: "I know, of course I know. I kept it a secret to save face for both of us. She wouldn't go out of her way to find out, so she just pretended not to know. Isn't that the most basic respect between husband and wife? Cheating is something you can't do openly."

"As for being henpecked... Dear Miss Hepburn, I must remind you that although I do like you very much, you must not do anything to displease my wife. My wife, and my brothers-in-law, if they want to kill you, I can't stop them. I can only let them do what they want. Don't get your position wrong."

As he said that, Zheng Yi slapped Hepburn hard on the butt.

(End of this chapter)