Reborn as a Noble's Son

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang’s gaze was genuine. Inviting Li Lixue to dinner, his intentions were pure. He simply considered Li Lixue someone worthy of admiration. This was just a meal and had nothing to do with gender.

Looking at Nie Zhenbang, Li Lixue fell silent for a moment. She finally agreed and nodded, saying, “Alright. In half an hour, let’s meet in the dining car.”

Upon hearing these words, Nie Zhenbang also nodded with a smile, “Ok, half an hour later. See you there, or be square.”

As soon as he boarded the train, Liu Kun rushed up to him, “Brother, it’s rare to see you so captivated. Even in front of Dong Wan, you never show any admiration. But today is quite different. I have to admit though, this lady is no less impressive than Dong Wan. As the saying goes, ‘spring flowers and autumn moon both have their own beauty.’ Need me to clear some space for you two tonight?”

Looking at Liu Kun’s playful behavior, Nie Zhenbang also laughed, saying in teasing reproach, “What are you blabbering about? I haven’t even thought about it yet. Better deal with the matters at hand first.”

Having said that, he turned to Su Zhenhua on the side, “Su, there is something else I need your help with. Please book another sleeper cabin for me, preferably one next to ours.’

Su Zhenhua paused for a moment, then quickly understood. It seems that young Nie is tailing after Li Lixue. No wonder, among the pedlars who travel this route, who isn’t attracted by Li Lixue? Otherwise, when Li Lixue was being robbed just now, so many would not have abandoned their business to rush over to help.

This does not mean that Huaxia’s people are indifferent. After a few years, once their status is legalized, the people of Huaxia are actually quite united.

Misunderstandings and rivalries within the community are not made public. But there’s unity when dealing with outsiders. At this time, those running this route are walking on a tightrope, any conductor or patrol officer could make trouble for them.

Everyone knows that there are two things you should not do when traveling to the Soviet Union. First, don’t draw attention. Just keep your head down and make a quiet living. Secondly, don’t offend the patrol officers.

The dining car was in the ninth carriage. By the time Nie Zhenbang and his companions arrived, Li Lixue was already waiting inside.

When Nie Zhenbang and his companions approached, Li Lixue stood up and said to the waiter, “Waiter, please serve the dishes.”

Then, Li Lixue explained with a smile, “I do not know how I should address you, brother. But to express my gratitude, how about I treat you all to this meal?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Kun was about to interject, but was stopped by Nie Zhenbang. Observing Li Lixue’s expression, she seemed determined to pay for the meal. She is a stubborn girl, indeed. It seems like she doesn’t want to owe anybody a favor.

Thinking about it, how could such a beautiful young girl not be stubborn and tenacious? If she did not have such a spirit, she would have long been lost on this extensive route. With Li Lixue’s looks, she could easily find a powerful trafficker to lean on. Any man would be willing to accept Li Lixue, however, even a person like Su Zhenhua admits that Li Lixue insists on running independently. This is ample proof that this woman’s inner strength and obstinacy.

Subsequently, Nie Zhenbang calmly sat down and said to Li Lixue, “Well in that case, we will gladly accept your hospitality. But let me make it clear first, originally, it was I who intended to invite you all for the meal. If you insist on treating us instead, I won’t stop you. However, I happen to have a vacant sleeping berth here. It’s a long six days and nights on this train. It’s only beginning, and it will be tough. Later, you can move your goods to the sleeping berth. If you agree, we’ll accept your invite for this meal, if you don’t, we’ll leave immediately. It will be like you never met us before. From then on, we’ll be strangers. What do you say?”

Seeing Nie Zhenbang’s steadfast gaze, this man, who seemed gentle on the surface, exuded a remarkably strong and unyielding demeanor. A personality familiar to Li Lixue, because she herself was of the same temperament.

Originally, Li Lixue, who never accepted any goodwill, nodded like she was being influenced by an unknown force, “Okay!”

The food wasn’t a grand meal. Given Li Lixue’s means, it wouldn’t have been possible to afford such a feast. It was simply an ordinary Russian meal. The alcohol was standard vodka. This fiery spirit is absolutely not for the faint-hearted. Yet outlandishly, Li Lixue’s capacity for alcohol was quite startling.

In the end, she had engaged in a drinking duel with Nie Zhenbang. Both of them had downed nearly two bottles of vodka. Even with Nie Zhenbang’s drinking prowess, he was feeling somewhat tipsy at this point. As for Li Lixue at this moment, her face was simply a bit flushed.

Afterward, Long and Tiger acted swiftly and efficiently, moving Li Lixue’s two large bags of goods to the sleeper carriage.

Li Lixue had just sat down when Su Zhenhua stood up and said: “Young Master, you guys carry on. I’ll go to the front of the car to have a cigarette and come back later.”

At Liu Kun’s signal, Long and Tiger too had made excuses to leave, such as going to the restroom or stepping out to have a smoke.

Seeing everyone behaving in this manner, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but laugh. Now in the compartment, it was only Nie Zhenbang and Li Lixue left. The Soviet Union’s train was a kind of broad-gauge train; the carriages were roomier than ordinary ones. Sleeper cars weren’t open like those domestically; on these trains, whether it were for soft or hard sleepers, each compartment had a door, like an enclosed mini environment.

Seeing Li Lixue looking slightly uneasy, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said: “Haha, I thought you really had nerves of steel. Never did I expect that the famous Evelina would get scared too.”

These words immediately incited a strong reaction from Li Lixue. Perhaps, it was the alcohol, her blushing face made Li Lixue seem more charming. She shot Nie Zhenbang a glare and immediately pouted: “Who’s scared of you? I’ve just had too much to drink, that’s all.”

From the start, Nie Zhenbang had only seen Li Lixue’s strong side. He hadn’t expected that this sturdy-looking woman could also be so adorable. He immediately burst out laughing.

Seeing that Li Lixue was starting to get annoyed, Nie Zhenbang cleverly toned it down and said seriously, looking at Li Lixue: “Li Lixue, do you know why I regard you differently?”

Upon hearing these words, a hint of contempt flashed across Li Lixue’s face.

Seemingly, many people had already said something similar.

However, Nie Zhenbang noticed this fleeting expression and said with a smile: “Li Lixue, I believe you’re good at keeping secrets. To introduce myself, I’m from Jingcheng. Although I’m here in the Soviet Union to dabble in business, I’m still new here. Seeing that I’m unfamiliar with the circumstances here, I must find someone suitable who is well-acquainted with the Soviet Union to assist me. It’s purely coincidental that you’ve caught my eye.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Zhenbang realized that his last statement seemed somewhat ambiguous.

Indeed, Li Lixue blushed slightly. However, the shyness quickly disappeared. She calmly looked at Nie Zhenbang and said: “There are plenty of people familiar with the Soviet Union. For example, Su. So why choose me? I do small-scale business. I don’t know as many people as Su. I am not the best candidate. Young Master, you’re involved in major operations, you better find someone else.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang replied calmly, lighting up a special ‘Panda’ cigarette, and after taking a puff, said to Li Lixue in a commanding tone: “There’s no specific reason. It’s because of your personality. Su is not bad. But those people he knows mean nothing to my business. What I need is not a network, but how to develop new ones. I believe you have what it takes. Let’s put it like this, how much do you earn a year? Thirty thousand dollars? Well, if you work for me, as my assistant, starting from now, every year, I’ll give you three hundred thousand dollars. You don’t have to worry about the goods and the transportation. All you need to do is assist me with matters here. Interested?”

Upon hearing this, Li Lixue was stunned. Thirty thousand dollars, that’s what people like Su Zhenhua make. For herself, making ten thousand dollars a year would already be considered good business. Three hundred thousand, to her, that was a huge sum.

PS: Exploding with the second update.

Thanks to nqm, Reading is the Best Pleasure, There’s Only One Fish, Su Yan, and Innocent Courage for their generous support..