Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

Lin Xi and Shen Jingyuan had already prepared to wait for two more days. If there was still no news from Lihe Foreign Company, they would simply give up their plans in Tianjin and continue to prepare to go north to contact other foreign companies.

But unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better the next morning.

A gold-stamped invitation card with sealing wax was respectfully delivered to the couple's room by the inn waiter.

Lin Xi picked up the exquisitely textured note and her eyes fell on the signature at the end. She couldn't help but frown slightly, "Handel & Co."

She looked up at Shen Jingyuan who was sitting at the table. "Is this company on the list of arms dealers we want to contact?"

"No." Shen Jingyuan, who was sitting at the table, scanned the contents of the invitation at a glance, and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Then what's this?" Lin Xi reached out and tapped the signature on the letter, frowning and asking in a puzzled tone, "A liar?"

"That's not the case." Shen Jingyuan put down the invitation and tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table. "Handel & Co. is an American-backed arms dealer. It's quite large. I heard they have some new equipment that's even more advanced than the German company, Reuther & Co."

"Then why haven't I heard you mention it before? They don't seem to be on the list." Lin Xi's face became even more confused when he heard this.

Shen Jingyuan pondered for a moment, then frowned and explained, "The commander and I initially considered contacting them, but..."

He paused before continuing, "Firstly, Lihe Foreign Company is an established manufacturer, so its reputation and channels are relatively reliable. Secondly..."

He looked at Lin Xi and said in a serious tone, "Handel & Co. has a complicated background and is involved with various forces. I heard that in order to achieve their goals, they sometimes do things that are not in line with the rules. Dealing with such people is too risky.

“So even though they may have offered a lower price, the commander didn’t put them on the list.”

"Then...this invitation..." After listening to Shen Jingyuan's explanation, Lin Xi's eyes suddenly showed some vigilance, "Could it be the Hongmen Banquet?"

"Not necessarily." Shen Jingyuan pondered for a moment and finally shook his head.

"As a rising star, Handel & Co. has always coveted the business of Lihe & Co., even resorting to price-cutting to snatch customers. Although my whereabouts in Tianjin these past two days have been covert, I can't guarantee that I can hide it from everyone."

"If their spies at Lihe Foreign Trade Company discover that our contacts are not going well, they might take the opportunity to extend an olive branch to us, or even..."

Shen Jingyuan's eyes fell on the wax seal on the envelope with the words "Handel & Co.", and his tone became more serious. "I suspect that Mr. Baker of Lihe & Co.'s sudden return to China was also caused by them."

Lin Xi took a deep breath and said hesitantly, "So...are you going to accept this invitation or not?"

Shen Jingyuan stood up, walked to the window and looked at the street outside. He was silent for a long time. Finally, as if he had finally made up his mind, he turned around and met Lin Xi's gaze.

"Go." His expression was extremely serious. "They put so much thought into facilitating this meeting, even tampering with the Lihe Foreign Company. It's obvious they're determined to win."

He walked to the table and tapped the seemingly polite but actually threatening words on the invitation: "You and your wife are invited to come."

"And since they were able to pinpoint our accommodation, and chose a place like the club in the British Concession, it means they've already laid the trap. If we refuse, it would only make us look guilty, and I'm afraid they'll resort to more drastic measures."

At this point, Shen Jingyuan's eyes grew sharper. "Besides, we're unfamiliar with Tianjin. Since they were able to easily disrupt our meeting with Li He, it shows they have considerable influence locally. Instead of passively waiting for their next move, why not take the initiative and see what they're up to?"

"Besides, I was thinking of taking this opportunity to personally meet with Handel & Co. If they're truly sincere about doing business, it might be a good idea. But if they have other motives..."

Shen Jingyuan's hand unconsciously pressed on his waist, where his pistol was hidden. "At least I can use this opportunity to find out the other party's background. It's better than being plotted against in the dark."

Lin Xi listened to Shen Jingyuan's analysis, feeling very nervous.

Although she didn't quite understand the complicated situation, she also knew that the current situation was not good. Seeing that Shen Jingyuan seemed to have made up his mind to go, she took a deep breath, said "Okay", and then turned and walked towards the inner room.

"What are you doing?" She moved suddenly, and Shen Jingyuan couldn't help but ask.

"Pack up and get ready. It's already noon. Didn't we agree to meet at three in the afternoon?" Lin Xi answered casually without stopping.

"Who said I'd take you with me?" Shen Jingyuan frowned upon hearing this and said firmly, "You stay at the hotel. If you need a female companion, I'll arrange someone else."

"No!" Lin Xi stopped in her tracks and blurted out without thinking, "I don't want to stay here alone."

"Lin Xi, stop messing around." Shen Jingyuan's eyes darkened. "This isn't a department store in Shanghai. They're here with ill intentions, and the situation is unclear. I absolutely cannot take you on such a risk."

Lin Xi turned around, with a rare stubborn look on her face, and looked straight at him, "I'm not messing around."

She took a breath and tried to keep her voice steady. "Shen Jingyuan, think about it. The invitation clearly states 'Mr. and Mrs. Shen' are invited. They even know I'm traveling with them, which means they know everything about us."

She took two steps forward and lowered her voice. "If we temporarily changed our 'wife,' wouldn't that tell them we're on guard against them? That would only arouse suspicion."

Seeing Shen Jingyuan's frown and sullen face, clearly still disapproving, Lin Xi felt anxious, and a barely perceptible pleading tone lingered in her voice, "And... and if you leave me alone in the inn, I... I'll be even more unsure and scared."

Thinking of the anxiety and fear she felt when she was alone in the room two days ago, watching the sky gradually darken, but still couldn't hear the footsteps of Shen Jingyuan returning, her voice couldn't help but tremble. "Besides, what if... what if they are trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain and come to cause trouble for me while you are away..."

"Then I'll take you to Yuxiang Teahouse first!" Shen Jingyuan interrupted her increasingly dangerous thoughts with a firm tone, leaving no room for negotiation. "Manager Liu is one of us. If I don't come back tonight, they will arrange for your safe return to Shanghai as soon as possible."

"I'm not going back!" Lin Xi shook her head without even thinking, her tone extremely firm. "I've come here through so much hardship. There's no way I'm going back in disgrace like this!"

"Lin Xi!" Shen Jingyuan felt the veins on his forehead throbbing faintly, and couldn't help but raise his voice a bit, "Wake up, this is not playing house. This is Tianjin, not a dance party in Shanghai where you can do whatever you want!"

"Of course I know this isn't a dance!" Lin Xi was also irritated by his attitude. She met his angry gaze without flinching, and raised her voice.

"Because I know the danger, I can't let you go alone! If something really happens to you, how will I explain it to Father? What...what should I do?"

When she said the last sentence, her momentum suddenly weakened, and she was filled with a hint of dependence and grievance that she herself was not even aware of.

She suddenly took a step forward and grabbed Shen Jingyuan's sleeve regardless of anything. Her tone softened, with a hint of naughtiness, "Shen Jingyuan, we came here together, and we have to go back together. You can't leave me behind."

Shen Jingyuan's body stiffened as she gripped his sleeve tightly. He lowered his head to meet her stubborn and slightly panicked eyes. The anger in his chest was strangely pierced a small hole, but his rationality made him refuse: "No, it's too dangerous..."

Seeing that he was refusing to budge, Lin Xi rolled her eyes and suddenly adopted a desperate expression. She said in a threatening tone, "If you don't let me follow you openly, I'll definitely find a way to sneak away. You know I'm capable of that!"

As she spoke, she raised her chin and put on an attitude of "What can you do to me?"

"You...!" Shen Jingyuan felt a surge of anger rushing to his head, and his vision went dark. He pointed at Lin Xi, took several deep breaths, and finally squeezed out a word that was almost a roar from between his teeth, "You are simply... unreasonable! Unless I die, you will never step out of this door today!"

……

"Follow me closely when you come in, don't run around."

Outside the door of the British Concession Club, which was decorated magnificently and stylishly, Shen Jingyuan stretched out his arm expressionlessly and gave cold instructions to Lin Xi beside him without even glancing at him.

"Yeah!" Lin Xi quickly placed her hand on his arm, cautiously glancing at his tense jawline. A flattering and obedient smile appeared on her face, and she nodded repeatedly: "I heard you! I promise not to run around or talk nonsense. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west!"

"Hmph." Shen Jingyuan caught a glimpse of her obedient appearance from the corner of his eye, which was completely different from the way she had been coerced and bribed and acted like a spoiled child in the inn before. He snorted with an ambiguous meaning, tensed his back, and led his men towards the waiter in a neat uniform at the door.