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

Su Yanqing's faint fragrance still lingered on Chen Che's bed.

He tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He went to a medicinal sauna and then a medicinal bath, his upper body bare except for a pair of boxer shorts. He felt refreshed afterward.

Su Yanqing arranged for Chen Che to meet with Director Chen of the Shipping Bureau in the afternoon at the British Chamber of Commerce on the Bund, and Chen Che arrived as scheduled.

This place is a membership-based social center for the upper-class British and American society in Shanghai, and Su Yanqing is a member.

Chen Che discovered that Su Yanqing was truly a social butterfly; she could name everyone in the British Chambers of Commerce, from the manager to the waiters.

What was supposed to be a routine meeting became both formal and relaxed, and quite pleasant, thanks to Su Yanqing's arrangements. The shipping route between Nanjing and Shanghai was settled within the first twenty minutes, and the rest of the time was spent enjoying fine wines and sharing shipping news and observations from foreign firms in Shanghai and Nanjing.

After a few rounds of drinks, a faint blush appeared on Su Yanqing's face. Moreover, she was a singer and had a particularly beautiful voice.

The grandfather clock in the corner struck heavily and slowly; it was already nine o'clock.

Slightly tipsy, Director Chen showed no signs of leaving. He swirled the wine glass in his hand, his eyes lingering on Su Yanqing almost imperceptibly.

Chen Che turned around and beckoned to the bar. The head waiter, dressed in a tuxedo, approached and bowed obsequiously: "Sir?"

Chen Che pointed to the empty wine bottles on the table: "Prepare another case for Director Chen." Then he turned to Director Chen and said, "Director, should we store it here or have it delivered to your residence?"

"Keep it here. We'll meet again here next time," Director Chen said to Chen Che, but his eyes kept glancing at Su Yanqing.

"Ahem," Chen Che coughed twice, winked at Su Yanqing, and said, "Director, we country folk haven't had much experience with this foreigner's wine. I've had a bit too much to drink and am feeling a little unwell. Perhaps Yanqing could keep you company a while longer?"

They were drinking three-star brandy. Chen Che didn't drink it often, mainly because he thought it was too low-class. A mere shipping bureau director in Nanjing would find it difficult to even get an audience with the Chen family. But now in Shanghai, Director Chen was Chen Che's primary contact in official circles, and he attached great importance to him.

However, it was a bit unfair to Su Yanqing.

"Director Chen, let me sit with you a little longer, and then you can take me to the Paramount. Would you like to support my performance at ten o'clock?" Su Yanqing said to Director Chen in a gentle and soft voice, her hands on her knees, but her eyes were filled with resentment and fierceness as she looked at Chen Che.

The three exchanged a few more polite words. Director Chen, who had kept Su Yanqing with him, was clearly in a great mood. Chen Che was perfectly at ease in this kind of situation, and in Director Chen's words, he had already become a "family member".

After politely sitting for a few more moments, Chen Che got up and left. He secretly glanced at Su Yanqing, paid the bill, and went downstairs.

The Omega watch on my wrist reads 9:15. The summer night breeze in Shanghai is soothing and pleasant. The Huangpu River ripples gently under the moonlight, and the Bund lights twinkle like stars. Neon lights sway across the bustling metropolis, and the clear chimes of the clock tower echo through the houses on both banks.

Chen Che hailed a rickshaw and returned to the Peace Hotel.

A long queue stretched out at the street corner, and Chen Che saw Li Yu squatting at the end of it, looking distressed. Judging from his appearance, he probably hadn't had much business all day.

Chen Che was in a good mood and thought about giving Li Yu two silver dollars. But then he thought that with so many rickshaw pullers in line, it might not be appropriate for him to give only to Li Yu.

Chen Che smiled and strode into the restaurant, thinking that he would like to patronize Li Yu more often in the future.

The elevator went up to the top floor.

Chen Che pushed open the door and entered the room. Chen San, Uncle Qian, and a blond, blue-eyed foreigner were sitting on the sofa around the coffee table.

Upon seeing Chen Che enter, the three of them stood up together.

Chen Che gestured for the three to sit down, loosened his tie, gave the foreigner a friendly smile, and then sat down next to Chen San. He said to Uncle Qian, "Uncle Qian, what are you doing here so late?"

"I've ordered a tactical telescopic baton for you; I need to take its dimensions." After saying that, Qian Bo gestured towards the foreigner: "This is Mr. Smith, the British Army's ordnance supervisor in Shanghai."

Smith didn't seem to speak Chinese. Chambers whispered a few words in English to him, and Smith took out a small black tin box from his pocket, pulled out an ink thread from each end, and turned it into a precise ruler.

Smith measured the length from Chen Che's shoulder to his elbow to his palm, the circumference of his upper and lower arms, and even the length of each finger, the distance between the fingertips, and the width of the web between his thumb and forefinger.

Finally, he meticulously measured Chen Che's height, chest circumference, waist circumference, and so on, like a tailor...

It took him a full fifteen minutes to nod to Uncle Qian and sit down.

There was a leather suitcase in front of Uncle Qian. He pushed the suitcase in front of Chen Che and opened it: "This is a pair of standard British military tactical telescopic batons. Young master, please use them first. I will send them to you as soon as the custom-made ones are finished."

Chen Che took out a tactical baton from the box, swung it a few times in the air, and felt something was wrong; it was even lighter than the one in the Central Martial Arts Academy.

"Make it heavier for me," he told Uncle Qian. "At least five kilograms per tube. And the materials must be the best."

Uncle Qian nodded. Chen Che then gave him a few more instructions on the allocation of ships on the Shanghai-Nanjing waterway before seeing Uncle Qian and Smith off.

"Third Brother." Qian Bo had barely stepped out the door when Chen Che turned to Chen San and said, "Would you like to practice your staff techniques with me?"

Chen San said "okay," and the two went back to their rooms to change into their workout clothes before going up to the ring in the middle of the gym.

"Young Master, the staff technique that Master Ren created for you hasn't been named yet."

"Hmm." Chen Che frowned as he looked at the two tactical batons in his hands. "Let's not get fancy with this. Let's just call it 'Nameless Baton Technique'."

"Hey, that's a good name, young master," Chen San laughed. "I'm here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen San's figure flashed forward like lightning, his right hand grabbing Chen Che's wrist, intending to take the tactical baton from Chen Che's hand.

"Stick One!" Chen Che shouted, his arms striking out more than a dozen times in quick succession like a storm, the sticks flashing and whistling as they struck Chen San's outstretched hand.

Chen San quickly withdrew his hand, jumped back a step, and asked, "What does 'Stick One' mean?"

Chen Che laughed, "The first move of the 'Nameless Staff Technique' is called 'Staff One.' Stop talking nonsense and take my 'Staff Two'!"

Chen Che turned to the side, left foot bent, right foot arched, right shoulder forward, and with his tactical baton in hand, he chopped straight down at Chen San.

This move is completely devoid of any fancy tricks; it's all about speed.

Chen San turned to the side, dodging the attack in a flash.

"Stick Three!" Taking advantage of the momentum of "Stick Two", Chen Che changed the tactical stick in his hand from a downward chop to a straight thrust. His body and the tactical stick seemed to transform into a long spear, stabbing towards Chen San's chest.

Chen San took several steps back, bumped into the rope, and then turned around to avoid it.

Chen Che slowly started to get the hang of it and said, "Let's do it again."

Chen San shook his head repeatedly, saying urgently, "Young Master, this won't do."