by Mingmei Yip
“So you’ve been working as a spy?” The gossip columnist encroached another inch into my forbidden territory.
If I told her the truth, would she be my protectress? My mind was whirring like a ceiling fan. Could I somehow regain the upper hand?
But instead of answering her question, I threw her another. “What about Big Brother Wang now?”
“He’s mostly taken over Master Lung’s number one position.”
“Then how come it’s not in the newspapers?”
“If Big Brother Wang has replaced Master Lung, that means he is now Police Chief Li’s best friend. So you think Li wants this all over the newspapers?” She paused to sip her champagne, leaving on the flute a red lipstick mark that looked to me like a capsized boat smeared with blood.
“Then why don’t you write something about it, your column has always been fearless.” But this was not the time to offend Rainbow, so I swallowed the rest of my sentence, “And making things up anyway in order to sell more papers.”
Her answer surprised me. “Because I’m protecting you.”
“How?”
“Obvious. “If I fan the flames of this drama in my column, Chief Li will definitely use all his means to find and kill you.”
”But why would he do that?”
“To please his new partner, your old boss Big Brother Wang.”
“Then why hasn’t he already done so?”
“Because there’s no extradition law in Hong Kong. So he would be wasting his time to try to get you. But now you’re back…” She paused to give me a significant look, to suggest that I was stupid or that I was under her total mercy—or both.
I took a big gulp of my champagne to soothe my tightened nerve. “So you’re not going to write about—?”
“You think I have the heart to harm you, Camilla?” she said, her eyes filled with tenderness, or an imitation of it. “Have you heard of the saying, ‘A knife’s sharp tooth but a tofu heart’?”
This means though a person’s speech is vicious, her heart is tender.
“Then what do you want?”
“You know what I always want.”
Damn, of course I knew. She’d tried her best to seduce me in the past.
“Rainbow, but that’s not going to work and you know it.”
“Who’s talking about eternity here? Nothing is going to last forever anyway. As you well know, having studied the Book of Changes. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a few moments together, does it?”
I definitely didn’t want to have sex with her and even less to become her kept woman as the price of her keeping my secrets. But maybe I would have to until I could find a better way out. Anyway, as a spy, I’d had to endure far worse. In my life, the question was never right or wrong, but surviving. Compared to what I had been through earlier in my life, having sex with one more person, man or woman, should not be a big deal.
She went on. “As you well know, love cannot prevail against power. Believe me, Camilla, there’s no exception to this. You must have read stories of the high government scholar-officials who fell in love with the wrong woman? The courtesans would bewitch the besotted man with singing, dancing, playing music, and frolicking in bed. Everything that the scholar’s wrinkled old wife could never imitate. However, at the end, who’d be at this man’s deathbed? The wrinkled old wife, of course, whose rival would either go back to the prostitution house or enter a nunnery.”
“Rainbow,” I was getting impatient, “just tell me what you want to say instead of beating around the bush.”
She held up her champagne flute and looked at the bubbles, to create suspense, I supposed, or to annoy me. Then her next statement gave me a jolt.
“Camilla, I want you to be my spy.”
I’d planned so long and worked so hard to cut myself off from my former life, I was not going back to it under any circumstances!
“Is this a joke?”
“You came back to Shanghai. It’s your own fault.”
“Who could I possibly spy on?”
“Your new lover Edward Miller.”
“What?!”
“Don’t act so shocked, Camilla. If you could spy on a gangster, surely you won’t have any problem spying on an ambassador. Besides, he’s infatuated with you, so it should be an easy job.”
“How did you find—”
She smiled triumphantly. “Our spying Pink Skeleton Empire doesn’t get its name for nothing.”
“But I’m not going to harm him.”
“Relax. No one is going to harm anyone. You heard of the bombing at the embassy?”
I nodded. I did not tell her I had also witnessed it.
She went on. “Someone is not happy with the ambassador. Miller is new here and quite decent—really, I should say naive, or even stupid, for a diplomat. His predecessors, including the last one who had a heart attack and dropped dead, all reached accommodation with the black societies and made out rather handsomely as a result.
“But this Edward Miller wants to clean things up, especially the gambling. Can you imagine how many enemies he’s already making, eh?! Worse, he’s not even a real ambassador, only an acting consul! Why doesn’t he just have a good time here, including enjoying a few pretty Chinese girls, then go home to his erotic memories and his profits?”
I suppressed the itch on my hand, which was longing to give her a slap, but instead calmly asked, “So what do you want me to do?”
“See what his plans are and persuade him not to pull the tiger’s whiskers.”
“I don’t think I have that kind of power.”
“Don’t underestimate your power over him. Many less beautiful than you have toppled whole countries. You know the Thirty-six Stratagems—one of the best is the Beauty Trap. It worked on Master Lung, right? All you have to do now is get some information from a lonely American who happens to be the Consul General, or at least the acting one. That’ll be a piece of moon cake, right? Anyway, the gambling business has been going downhill for a while, so it’s time to profit from it while we can. You understand?”
I nodded. “Yes. But why do you care? Gambling and Edward Miller have nothing to do with you.”
“I have some interests here. I loan money to some of the gentlemen who gamble. But no one can know about this.”
”You’re not afraid that I’ll tell?”
She laughed. “Not at all. You shouldn’t forget that I have my poisonous pen.” She paused, then made a sweeping gesture. “And my Pink Skeleton girls.”
I sighed inside. Now I could feel the nails of the tiger’s paw.
She spoke again. “If Miller stops his silly crusade against the gambling dens, he can go home rich and it will be a win-win situation for all parties. If not”—here she stopped and gave me a direct look—“I don’t want to imagine the consequences.”
Raising one immaculately painted brow, the gossip columnist patted my hand sympathetically. “Now, go get some rest, Camilla, you look tired. You like Miller anyway, so you can have a good time while you carry out your assignment.”
I nodded. As if I had a choice.
It was not until almost two weeks after the bombing that Edward Miller had time for me. Because the consulate was still being heavily guarded by the Shanghai police, he suggested we meet at his governess Emily’s place.
“Jasmine.” Edward kissed me after we sat on the governess’s floral-patterned sofa. “Sorry that I couldn’t see you earlier. There were so many things to take care of after the bombing.”
“Do you know who did this?”
“Someone very evil. Just think about it, who has the guts to bomb a consulate? Of course, it could be the anarchists. Since I am new in Shanghai, this whole thing really alarms me. What goes on here is impossible for a foreigner to figure out. There are wheels within wheels. China is so complicated and entangled. Anyway, let’s not talk about unpleasant things.”
The ambassador tilted my chin and looked into my eyes. “Jasmine, tell me how have you be
en?”
Of course I wasn’t going to tell him I’d actually witnessed the bombing with my old lover, Gao. Nor about my search for Jinying. And certainly not that I was now being forced to spy on him.
“I’ve been worried about you, Edward. But things are fine with me,” I lied. “What about you?”
“Jasmine, don’t you worry about me. Henry and I are fine too. Only that I might not be able to see you as much as I want to. There are so many meetings and things to take care of.”
“It must be boring to be in meetings all the time.” I wanted to probe but not awaken any suspicion.
“It is. I am sure you wouldn’t be interested. Anyway, I can’t tell you.”
I nodded. “Edward—”
I really didn’t know where to start to warn him about his danger with the gangs without giving myself away. So instead, I asked, “Do you fear another bombing?”
He nodded.
I went on. “I hear that the gangs… I just wish this was not their doing…” I hoped my warning was subtle yet effective.
“Jasmine, I’m not going to be intimidated.”
Unlike me, he had no idea about the power of Shanghai’s triads.
“Then how do you plan to deal with them?”
“Jasmine, you know I can’t tell you that. I haven’t seen you for a while, so let’s not talk about this and have something to drink.”
He poured each of us a glass of white wine, took a meditative sip, then spoke again. “Next Saturday, I am having a reception to entertain both foreign and Chinese guests. This is to soothe the tension after the bombing. I would like you to come and sing again. I’m sure your wonderful voice would put everyone at ease.”
I hesitated. I couldn’t do this again, not when Chinese were being invited. Someone was bound to realize my true identity. It was bad enough that Rainbow had. But she would keep my secret—until it was to her benefit to let it out.
I had to make up an excuse, so I said, “My voice. It’s not doing very well lately. I really need to rest. I’m afraid I can’t sing for a while.”
“That’s really too bad. Anything I can do? If you need a doctor, I know someone to recommend.”
“Edward, that’s not the problem…” I couldn’t believe that I’d just blurted out something stupid like this. But unfortunately I couldn’t take my words back.
“What’s wrong, Jasmine? Please tell me.”
And now I couldn’t say, “No, it’s nothing.” So I said, “Edward, I heard rumors that some criminals are not happy with you and the bombing was a warning.”
His bushy brows knitted. “Where did you hear this from?”
Fortunately, I came up with a simple explanation. “Some Chinese gossip newspapers you’ll never read.”
“Which one?”
Suddenly I remembered since he spoke Chinese fluently, he must be able to read it also.
“Can’t remember, I read it a while ago.”
“What did they say?” He looked anxious.
“I’m sorry, I should have saved it for you. It was something about the gambling houses. Anyway, there’s a lot of them angry at you because you’re meddling in their affairs.”
“Yes, because I don’t take bribes and I intend to clean things up!”
“Edward… do you really think you can change China?”
His face flushed and his voice turned angry. “Not all of China, we’re starting here in the foreign concessions.”
“Whatever you call it. But can you fight five thousand years of history?” Or bribery, I might have added.
His hand struck the table, causing a small earthquake that set Emily’s tea cups and saucers into a little nervous tango.
“That’s the problem. No one tries.”
Of course, he was right. We Chinese just accept the way things are. We follow the old proverb, “Sweep the snow from our own door and ignore the frost on other people’s roofs.”
He did not realize that no one would stand up for him.
“Edward, but you’re all alone….”
“I know. My colleagues want me to let things be. But if I…” His voice trailed off.
A brave man. But, of course, like everyone, he feared for his life.
I touched his face. “Edward…” But I didn’t know what more to say.
He took my hand and kissed it. “Jasmine, you are my comfort. My wife left me and I also fear for my son. I am not sure if I can win this war against the gangs. So if anything bad happens to me…”
“Edward, can’t you just leave everything behind and go back to—”
“No, it’s a matter of honor.”
“But that’s nothing to do with honor, it’s just… plain foolish.”
His face flushed as he raised his voice. “Jasmine, you don’t understand !”
“What don’t I understand?”
“I have never backed down from a challenge.”
“What about running away?” I was, in fact, asking this question for myself. I’d run away, but I had come back. And I still had no idea how it would end for me.
“Edward, maybe you’re right. But still I don’t want you to be…” I couldn’t say the word killed.
He pulled me to him and kissed me. “I won’t, Jasmine, I’ll be very careful.”
I didn’t know how to respond, so I remained silent. He tilted my head so we were looking into each other’s eyes. In my fear his eyes seemed to blur, as if he were looking at me from another world—a ghostly one.
15
Shanghai Lily
Edward Miller seemed to be the sort of man who deemed honor the most important thing in life. I only hoped that his honor did not end up costing him his life. But there was little I could do if he was determined to persist in his vain hope of ending corruption. I’d hoped he could be my protector, but ironically, his situation now seemed even more dangerous than mine.
A few weeks later, when I called, Emily said her boss would like me to go to an opera with him. This presented a dilemma. If I dressed as a woman, I’d risk being recognized as Camilla the Heavenly Songbird. But with Miller, I certainly could not show up dressed as a man. So I suggested I’d much rather see a movie instead if her boss wouldn’t object. At least I’d be in the dark most of the time and the chance of being recognized would be much less.
So the following Monday, Edward picked me up at the street corner close to where I’d said I lived and drove us to the Cathay theater in the intersection between Huaihai Road and Maoming Road, “Sea of Huai and Prosperous Fame.”
Edward took one of his hands from the wheel to cover mine. “Jasmine, I’m so happy that you suggested to see a movie instead. I just never thought of that for a change. And the Art Deco Cathay theater, it was built by the famous Hungarian architect, C. H. Gonda, you know about him?”
I had never heard of this architect, so I didn’t respond, only put up a sweet smile.
He went on. “Gonda also designed the Bank of Communications Office and the Capitol Cinema—”
I had no interest in this sort of thing, nor did I care about Art Deco. So I interrupted. “Edward, I suddenly have stomach cramps, can you stop for a minute so I can use the bathroom?”
“Of course.” He turned to cast me a concerned look. “If you are not feeling well, we can go back to my place now.”
“I’m fine. Just need to use the bathroom.”
So Edward pulled up the car next to the first public restroom we saw. Of course, I didn’t have cramps and felt perfectly fine. I only wanted to delay until after the movie started so it would be dark when we entered the theater. Besides, I studied myself in the mirror to reassure myself that with short hair and minimal makeup, I looked very different from my former self.
When Edward and I finally entered the theater, the previews had already started and no one paid us any attention in the dark. People were busy chewing on peanuts or chicken bones, drinking tea, and commenting on the happenings on screen, laughing or cursing.
The movie was
Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich and the Chinese actress Anna May Wong. It was an exciting story in which a prostitute saves the life of a doctor, her former lover, on a train after he had been taken hostage by a warlord. Other excitement as the train sped from Peking toward Shanghai included a kidnapping and soldiers searching for rebel spies.
The movie served up intense condiments of emotions in me. The two actresses played women who, like me, must “live by their wits,” because they had no one to fall back on. I admired these fictional women who pretended to have the kind of life I really did have.
On the train, the warlord condemned the two women, declaring, “Even though one is Chinese and the other is not, souls are evil…. Anyone with any sense can see that these two women are on this train to find victims.”
I hoped my soul was not yet completely rotten and that soon I could stop having to search for victims.
To me, the most touching part of the movie was that despite Marlene Dietrich’s character, Shanghai Lily, supposedly lacking moral sense, Doctor Harvey still loved her. Of course, it made me hope that Jinying, wherever he was, would come back and continue to love me in spite of my past. Right now, the only man I had in my life was the one next to me, covering my hand with his, but completely unaware of how rotten I really was.
Although I didn’t have deep feelings for Edward as I did for Jinying and Gao, I’d be very sad to think that someday he’d be gone too. But I sensed that my coming into his life might tear it apart like a tornado, because Edward was too decent a man to fall in love with a skeleton woman like me.
He whispered into my ear, waking me from my thoughts. “Jasmine, you like the movie?”
He had paid for the best seats, so I nodded.
“Good, I’m happy that you’re happy,” he whispered again, lifting my hand and pressing it to his lips.
There had been many men in my life, but each loved and touched me in a different way. Lung, Jinying, Gao, now this foreigner official. Hmm… what would be next for me? When would my drifting boat finally touch the shore?
