Two lines of subtitles are played in a loop on the neon flashing LED sign:
(2019-09-22 Sunday, the twenty-fourth day of the eighth lunar month 20:45)
(Warm reminder from the Traffic Police Corps of Shanghai Public Security Department: Don’t drive after drinking, and don’t drink while driving.)
…
Zhou Shuheng, who had a shiny slicked back hair and was wearing a British three-piece suit with a soft Chinese 333 burning to the butt of a cigarette in his mouth, stepped out of a matte black car with a conspicuous red M3 logo on the rear.
Get out of the BMW three series coupe cab.
"Bah! Such a familiar word...that stupid woman Zhuang Rong often said this too...haha...drink a car but don't drive a wine, drive a wine but don't drink a car,."
He pointed at the harmful trash can and spit out the cigarette butt from his mouth, squinting at the conspicuous neon sign.
"There is still a drunk driver in China these days? Isn't he afraid of death? This is not a corrupt country..."
"That little turtle on the roadside has such a big stomach. Lie down here and kill the black-bone chicken. My brother is here with whiskey. Lie down here and kill the black-bone chicken."
Hearing this ringtone, Zhou Shuheng glanced around nervously.
"It's all my fault that this song is too popular. It's easy to ring in places with many people. I don't understand. Electronic music has always been semi-popular in China. How come... I can't follow the trend?
.”
After checking that no one was around, Zhou Shuheng struggled to unbutton his double-breasted suit jacket and took out his mobile phone from the lining pocket.
"I have indeed gained weight after returning to China. I can't fit my phone into the hand-sewn Savile Row trousers. Oh, Alex, you noble man, are you going to recommend me a job again?"
After glancing at the incoming call reminder on the screen, Zhou Shuheng answered the call casually.
"alex?"
Zhou Shuheng said to the other end of the phone with a reserved look: "I just parked the car... I plan to walk around Xintiandi... Maybe I will buy two Macallan 18yo and a few pieces of ribs... Hey, this is not high-class, you know it
…Thanks to Mr. Yuan’s gift, yes, I made a small fortune recently…”
He was a little moved, but his expression remained reserved: "Of course I will consider it. If there is a good opportunity, I will definitely try it... After what happened at Pantai, it is impossible to work part-time, even in this life. I
Only positions above middle management level are accepted.”
After a while, Zhou Shuheng repeated some key information he heard on the phone with a smile on his face: "Forbers top500 company, British background, Shanghai Asia Pacific headquarters, fast moving consumer goods retail industry, rank dep.manager (department manager)"
Zhou Shuheng gave a high-five to the air: "Their HR attaches great importance to academic background? Alex, you know that I graduated from UCL, a prestigious aristocratic school in the country with a history of over 100 years..."
He bowed repeatedly to the wall of the underground parking lot: "Convenient and convenient, of course convenient, I know, remember, card pack number 8, it can be there in ten minutes, Alex Thank you so much."
After closing the line with joy, Zhou Shuheng stuffed the phone back into his lining pocket and straightened his appearance in front of the bright fire hydrant mirror.
"Fortunately, I have been holding myself to the strict standards of a gentleman from a corrupt country for many years. Even if I go out for a stroll without a handbag, I still dress extremely decently... That's what the people of the corrupt country do."
Zhou Shuheng familiarly found the direct elevator to Building 6. After pressing the button for Floor 5, he stood politely on the innermost side of the elevator, exuding a strong aura of an English gentleman.
The DJ's inflammatory spoken words came from the LCD advertising machine in the elevator:
…
"As one of the top 100 nightclubs in the Yangtze River Delta region, Shanghai Fusion adheres to the trendy party culture concept and brings the international electronic music trend to music lovers across the country.
Luxuriously decorated and extraordinary, this place has all the facilities and is worthy of the massive investment of tens of millions of dollars.
In the space of more than 1,000 square meters, there are finely polished dance floors, flat and wide stages, recording studios, music production rooms, private rooms, scattered decks, etc.
The OMI team created special sound, light, electric and dance special effects here, which are beautiful and dazzling.
Asia's advanced audio and sound system is unique and has excellent sound quality, leaving listeners hooked.
Not to mention that the world’s top 100 DJs and well-known music producers come here to give amazing and amazing performances.”
…
Not long after returning to China, Zhou Shuheng, who loves electronic music, was a frequent visitor to Fusion. He was tired of hearing what the DJ said, so he thought quietly:
"Ian, Ian, is a traditional Scottish man's name. It means a man of God's glory. He may be born into a family with strong faith."
At this time, Xintiandi has a dense flow of people, and the elevators stop at one floor after another. Zhou Shuheng is not annoyed and has plenty of time. He continues to think about this corrupt man named Ian in his mind to prepare for improving the interview pass rate.
"The interview was held at the largest electronic music club in Shanghai: fusion. This HR guy from China is a bit interesting. He was born conservative, has trendy ideas, and likes electronic music. He should not be too old. He values academic background. This is probably their company.
Enterprises have unified recruitment standards... I will do this in a moment..."
The elevator stopped at the fifth floor. Zhou Shuhengqian let the last one out of the elevator. He glanced at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master series watch on his left hand. The time was just right.
The security captain at the door was an African-French man, and Zhou Shuheng greeted him familiarly. When he entered Fusion, he felt as if he had returned to his own home.
"Playing in Fusion feels much better than at home! Everyone there is talented and speaks well. I like it very much!"
Zhou Shuheng walked straight to booth No. 8. A standard Scottish man with a severely receding hairline looked at him with a smile. With a thick Glaswegian accent, he started to say hello to him in a familiar manner, starting from complaining about the weather in Shanghai.
Zhou Shuheng spoke in a standard received pronunciation (standard British accent). His valuable Savile Row handmade suit and standard RP accent helped him gain a lot of points.
The two started their exchange with a tacit understanding by complaining about Cockney accent. Cockney accent mainly refers to the English spoken by people in East London. This area has traditionally been a gathering place for a large number of middle- and lower-class workers.
"In fact, if it weren't for Broadway in the United States and the people in Hollywood, a few people would think that the London accent sounds good."
"In China, it is well known that Scottish accent is the 'sexiest accent in Great Britain'."
These two sentences successfully scratched Ian's itch, and he was so excited that he wanted to immediately notify Zhou Shuheng to report directly to the company tomorrow.
Zhou Shuheng glanced at the valuable bottle of Macallan 30-year-old sherry cask single malt Scotch whiskey on the table. Ian hadn't drank much at the moment, so his work ethic was obviously good.
While Ian poured Zhou Shuheng a double shot of dark mahogany-colored whiskey, he began to ask him some questions about his past experience in the industry.
The wine under the ice ball in the square cup that Ian pushed in front of Zhou Shuheng exuded a strong aroma of spices, thick toffee, provocative aroma of cardamom and honey syrup. Just taking a sip, he felt that the aftertaste was long and powerful.
Zhou Shuheng took a deep breath and declined in an unskilled Scottish accent: "I have to drive back later, so I can't drink."
"A bottle of wine costs 50,000 Chinese dollars, the Rolls-Royce of whiskeys. Maybe this is a test. There are a lot of rules in the Roguo Company."
Wary, Zhou Shuheng complimented Ian a few more times on how good Ian's taste in drinking was, how pure the dark peach wood color of this bottle was, and the rich sherry flavor, with aromas of citrus, cloves, cardamom and smoked wood.
Those who are good at fighting have no great achievements. The words of Zhou Shuheng, who claims to be the champion of the whiskey country, made Ian look at him with admiration.
This straightforward and bold Scottish man pressed his tongue and persuaded in a relatively pure Shanghainese dialect: "Mimi, old wine~"
"Hiss, I know all the classic words to persuade people to drink in Shanghai... I'll call a driver later... Alas, Scots also have a true love for whiskey. The three greatest blessings in life are that ian can be regarded as meeting a close friend in a foreign country..."
No longer entangled, Zhou Shuheng picked up the square cup and took a sip.
"Oh! Jesus! Smooth! Goose girl!" (Oh, my God, this is so smooth, incredible!)
Facing Ian's expectant gaze, Zhou Shuheng expressed his true feelings about the experience: "The taste is surprisingly smooth, with aromas of dried fruits, sherry and smoked wood, and the aftertaste is rich and long-lasting." Nose, with hints of citrus, spice and smoked wood.”
Zhou Shuheng felt that he was truly lucky. Meeting such a person and liking him made him feel happy.
With this bottle of wine, Ian, who has a strong sense of professional ethics, began the formal candidate interview.
As time goes by, you and I walk until 22:45, Imperial City time, and the fusion gradually fills up. This wave of people will continue until three or four o'clock in the middle of the night before dissipating.
Zhou Shuheng's bottle of 700ml wine was almost at its bottom. Ian's green pupils were full of loss and regret. He said angrily: "Actually, in my opinion, Pantech's contract termination experience is not considered at all." What's the black spot? It's because our company's new Chinese human resources director is too strict."
Ian had just drunkenly called Ms. Ren and argued for Zhou Shuheng. After a fierce argument, he ultimately failed.
Looking with emotion at this friend whom he had just met but was extremely close to, Zhou Shuheng searched for something to say, but he shrank back every time the words came to his lips.
"Oh, you're so special!" Ian held up the remaining wine in his glass to him. The damn Scotsman could even use the Shanghainese dialect "There is no perfect road" at his fingertips.
The communication between the two has been switching between Scottish-accented English and Shanghainese dialect at will, and neither of them felt any sense of violation.
"It's nice to meet you, Ian!" Zhou Shuheng, who was drunk and confused, drank the last sip of whiskey with a dark mahogany color and an alluring luster.
"It's time for me to go back."
Zhou Shuheng took out his mobile phone from the lining pocket of his suit that he had already taken off and was about to call for a chauffeur service. With hazy eyes, he realized that his mobile phone seemed to have no signal.
"Joseph, it's rare to meet a close friend in a foreign country. Give our friendship another chance!"
Ian called Zhou Shuheng's English name to attract his attention. The Scotsman took out his cell phone and made a call while still drunk.
"...At least you can meet him. He is a really outstanding person. Okay, thank you boss, we will be there soon."
Drunk and confused, Ian burped with rich smoky wood wine and said to Zhou Shuheng: "I called the boss of the old witch named Ren. Macgrill is also a Scottish gentleman. He will be at the executive wine on the 19th floor of the Intercontinental Hotel in Ruijin.
gallery."
As he spoke, Ian smiled like a 200-pound child: "If we can arrive within 10 minutes and he can chat with us for a while, we can slap that old witch in the face!"
Zhou Shuheng was about to pay with a pained expression on his face. The bartender shrugged and pointed at Ian, telling him that the man had already paid the bill.
Zhou Shuheng was so moved that he sobered up. Maybe it was because he was not there yet. There was no driver at the door of Fusion. Time waited for no one. He helped Ian and forced him to squeeze through the eyes of others who disliked drunkards.
Entered the elevator.
"Even gentlemen are crazy sometimes."
After getting out of the elevator and standing on Zizhong Road outside the first floor of Xintiandi, Zhou Shuheng felt himself getting more and more awake as he felt the gentle sea breeze blowing from the Shanghai Sea.
Time passed by second by second, and there was no empty taxi on Zizhong Road. Ian became more and more drunk and irritable, muttering Scottish curses. If he was so drunk that he would have died without Zhou Shuheng's support.
Lie down directly on the ground.
Zhou Shuheng anxiously patted his cell phone, which seemed to be in trouble.
"There are only six minutes left. He hates his subordinates for being late. I'm sorry, I'm too drunk. Leave me alone and let me lie here for a while. You go think of a way. Remember the 19th floor..."
"I'm in pretty good condition. I walked along Fuxing Middle Road to the Ruijin InterContinental Hotel. The whole journey does not exceed two kilometers. It's totally in time. When I was studying abroad in China, I often drank some wine and drove back."
A dangerous idea came to Zhou Shuheng's mind.
Ian was lying on a lounge chair next to the flower bed on the road, muttering: "Leave me alone, hurry up and leave."
"Give it a try!"
With his brain inexplicably excited, Zhou Shuheng rushed towards the underground parking lot.
…
three minutes later
Fuxing Middle Road and North-South Elevated Road
Auxiliary road fork under the bridge
…
A matte-colored BMW M3 avoided the working sprinkler truck in front and directly hit the side of the viaduct pier.
Zhou Shuheng woke up from the exploding air bag, and he was stunned to find that the door of his cab had been ripped open heavily.
"Hello, are you injured?"
After confirming that Zhou Shuheng was not injured, the two traffic policemen wearing reflective vests saluted according to the procedure. The elder in charge took out the alcohol tester and handed it to Zhou Shuheng's mouth.
"Blow it, please!"
While blowing in cooperation, Zhou Shuheng's roaring ears could hear the onlookers' comments intermittently:
…
"Prepare to go to jail..."
"How dare you, this is drunk driving..."
"Tsk, what a fool!"
"Fortunately the speed is not too fast..."
…
"It's over, it's all over, Rongrong! I...I should listen to you..."
After taking the alcohol test, the traffic police politely asked him to get into the police car. Zhou Shuheng felt regretful, and his ex-girlfriend's words of advice to him came to mind: "Don't drive when you drink, don't drink when you drive..."
…
Shanghai·Huangpu·Xintiandi
Nanli Plaza
…
"That kid is lucky enough. That's it for now. Remember that you signed a confidentiality agreement and take the money back to your Broadway."
Irishman Keane reached out and took a wad of cash from the hand of the man in black who spoke. He was in high spirits and did not look drunk at all: "Actually, I think Mr. Zhou is pretty good."
…
"Originally, I just wanted to teach him a lesson. Haha, locking him up for a month will almost relieve his hatred..."
In the parking lot under the north-south viaduct, a relatively handsome man from Shanghai and Hainan was sitting in an ordinary off-road vehicle.
"Helena, why do I feel that you are much more cruel to Zhou Shuheng than Yan Qing..."
Playing with a black box in his hand, Yuan Yuqiu jokingly asked Huo Hailun in the back row.
"A woman is a gentleman and a Confucian scholar, while a woman is a Confucian scholar and a villain...Besides, my relationship with Yu Chun is much better than yours."
The standard duchess sat leaning, expressionless Helen was seriously misinterpreting "The Analects of Confucius Yong Ye Sixth", but she was secretly thinking about another person in her heart.
"Spying on retirees in a twisted world... This pension job is a bit boring..."
…
ps: Last night’s translation was complained about that some parts were not trustworthy enough. I have changed it again. In addition, I have explained Helen’s identity in the author’s statement! The experience will be better if we read it together.