Su Peiqiu, a translator who has returned from studying abroad, sets herself three goals: First, earn a living through her own abilities in the chaotic, anything-goes world of Shanghai. Second, steer clear of trouble and get out as soon as she has saved enough money. Third, never get involved with a man in diplomacy. But reality has other plans.
Her job is secure, but knowing too much could land her behind bars at any moment.
Trouble has legs, and wherever she goes to hide, she finds herself at the center of the storm.
As for men in diplomacy…
The newly appointed Special Commissioner Gu is cool, refined, and iron-willed, with a face so handsome it could make anyone’s head spin.
When they first meet, he sizes her up. “Miss Su, you move among the nations as smoothly as a fish in water. Tell me, which boat are you really on?”
Su Peiqiu smiles. “Commissioner Gu, I’m just an innocent ferryboat, earning a little hard-won money.”
Later, in pursuit of intelligence, she is forced to dance with tigers, walking a tightrope between foreign powers.
At a ball, she flirts with the French consul in French, then turns to confer with a German merchant in German. Amid the silks and perfume, blades flash in the shadows.
At the negotiating table, she fights fiercely in English and gives no ground, winning her country a sliver of hope.
Everyone thinks she is a social butterfly currying favor with the powerful. Only Commissioner Gu, watching from the shadows, quietly passes her one “blade” after another.
Until one day, the usually restrained commissioner corners her against a wall, his eyes slightly red. “Peiqiu, will you finally come aboard my ship?”
Su Peiqiu: “…Commissioner Gu, weren’t we supposed to focus on our careers and not on me?”
