A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

Days passed by like the flowing water of the Huangpu River, and before we knew it, winter was almost here.

The Li family's power plant was successfully registered in Shanghai through the mediation of Lü Mai, and Zhao Yuping provided the funding, so construction could begin after the new year.

The grand plan for the Shanghai branch of the Central Martial Arts Academy is proceeding smoothly. Li Jinglin attaches great importance to it, and Sun Congzhou also uses this as an excuse to stay in Shanghai.

Li Yu, Xu Wu, Wang Xiaojiu, and Wu Chuan, as children of the Zhabei shantytown, were the first to join the Zhabei branch of the Central Martial Arts Academy and learn martial arts from Chen Shi.

Taking advantage of Sun Congzhou's free time and the lack of things he needed to do himself, Chen Che almost never left the house, pestering Sun Congzhou to personally guide him in his cultivation techniques every day, and thus touched the edge of the "Pulse Forging" realm.

Chen San also made great progress and broke through the "condensation aperture".

That day, Chen Che and Chen San were sparring, and the training room was filled with the sounds of short swords clashing against iron rods.

"Ring ring, ring ring." The phone rang in the living room.

Chen Che wiped the sweat from his brow, picked up the receiver, and heard it was Uncle Qian.

"Young Master," Uncle Qian's voice was tinged with anxiety, a stark contrast to his usual methodical tone, "The matter of the Zhabei Martial Arts School has been rejected by the mayor's office."

"Rejected? What does that mean?" Chen Che's mind raced.

"They didn't give a specific reason, they just said they wouldn't approve the project," Qian Bo muttered. He said that the project had been underway for two months when they discovered that the approval was not coming through, without even a reason. This was his dereliction of duty.

"Okay, I'll check." Chen Che hung up the phone casually.

Where should we begin?

Chen Che thought about it. Zhao Yuping, Richard, and Lü Mai all had connections, but asking for favors was the most difficult thing, especially since the four major families had business relationships with them. The favors owed today might have to be paid out in large sums of money tomorrow.

He quickly realized that owing favors is an art; one can establish a subtle connection with the other party. If one can maintain a proper balance and avoid awkward situations, it might even enhance the relationship between the two parties.

Chen Che walked back to his room and took out a business card from a drawer.

He picked up the phone, and the operator's voice came through: "Mr. Chen, where would you like to be transferred to?"

Chen Che gave out a phone number.

After a short wait, a female voice came from the other end of the microphone: "Feed?"

"Aunt Gong? Hello, I'm Chen Che," Chen Che asked politely.

"Chen Che... Oh! It's you, Che? Hello, hello, why did it take you so long to call me? Auntie missed you so much!"

Gong Xin's voice was filled with joy; it seemed she was genuinely happy to receive Chen Che's call.

"I know you're busy, and I didn't want to bother you," Chen Che said politely with a smile. "I hope this visit won't be a bother."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two got down to business.

Chen Che carefully explained to Gong Xin the whole story of why the Central Martial Arts Academy wanted to open a branch in Shanghai, speaking earnestly and adopting an extremely humble attitude.

Gong Xin listened quietly to Chen Che's explanation, asked a few more questions about some details, and agreed to help Chen Che arrange a meeting with Wang Zhongning from the Shanghai Market.

Chen Che felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders and bid farewell to Gong Xin with profuse thanks.

"Ah Che, I helped you with this without expecting anything in return. But you'll have to call me often from now on, okay?"

"Of course, Auntie, I'd love to do exactly that," Chen Che said with a smile.

After hanging up the phone with Gong Xin, Chen San came over and asked, "Young Master, is everything alright?"

Chen Che shook his head, his face showing no change: "Let's go practice some more."

Two days later, Qian Bo called, saying that Mayor Wang Zhongning invited Chen Che to his office for a meeting.

Uncle Qian had been entrenched in Shanghai for over a decade, with numerous connections and informants at all levels. This time, however, he had run into a brick wall, leaving even him at a loss.

But the young master had only been in Shanghai for less than half a year, and within two days he had even managed to get into the mayor's office. Uncle Qian couldn't help but look at Chen Che with new respect.

At 10 a.m. the next day, the Ford sedan arranged by Uncle Qian stopped on time in front of the Peace Hotel.

Chen Che wore a well-tailored navy blue suit with a white handkerchief folded into a triangle in his jacket pocket and a blue top hat, looking both noble and handsome.

Chen Che got into the car, and the car turned into the western part of Shanghai.

The mayor's office building stands on Fuzhou Road near the Bund. It is a six-story reinforced concrete structure that stands out among the mostly two- or three-story brick and wood old houses around it.

Uncle Qian was waiting by the car. After Chen Che informed him, he went straight up to the sixth floor.

Pushing open the door, the first thing that catches the eye is the deep color of teak. The floor is inlaid with fine stripes, polished to a mirror-like smoothness, faintly reflecting the shadow of the imported Western brass chandelier overhead. The chandelier hangs with long chains, its bright bulb illuminating the entire room and dispelling the usual gloom of old-fashioned Chinese halls.

In the center of the room stood a huge, heavy mahogany desk. The desk was wide, and several documents were neatly stacked on the left side, the top one being a clipping of the Shen Bao newspaper, with several points marked with a vermilion pen.

Wang Zhongning, dressed in a well-tailored suit, sat behind his desk. He wore thick-lensed glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses occasionally flashed with a cunning light.

"Young Master Chen, the leading figure of this generation among the four great families of Jinling." As Chen Che entered, Wang Zhongning emerged from behind his desk and shook his hand firmly. "A pleasure to meet you!"

Chen Che glanced at Wang Zhongning indifferently and shook hands.

"Young Master Chen, you have quite the influence; even Chairman Gong is speaking up for you." Wang Zhongning gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Please sit down. What brings you here, Young Master Chen?"

"Is Mayor Wang asking a question he already knows the answer to, or is he just forgetful?" Chen Che sat down; he didn't intend to spend too much time playing games with Wang Zhongning.

"Is Mr. Chen referring to the Zhabei plot?" Wang Zhongning seemed oblivious to the barb in Chen Che's words, his smile still on his face.

"Our four families from Jinling have been developing the canal transport system in Shanghai, investing in the Peace Hotel, and building power plants—aren't all of these good things that benefit the people and revitalize Shanghai?" Chen Che frowned. "The Zhabei land project can improve the physical health of local residents and also allow for unified management and registration of migrants. How come Mayor Wang rejected it without even giving an explanation?"

"Young Master Chen, please calm down, let me explain," Wang Zhongping said. "Just this month, new regulations came down from Yanjing. They require that, taking Shanghai as a model, efforts be strengthened to promote cooperation between Chinese and foreign investors. For all new large-scale projects in Shanghai, overseas capital must hold more than 30% of the equity."

Wang Zhongping spread his hands, looking helpless: "This new regulation was completely unexpected, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Chen Che said, "Is that so? How come I didn't know?"