Fine rain fell from the curtain of the sky. In 1930, Shanghai was beset by crises from within and without, but the sky was still the same as it had always been.
Under that sky stood Xu Ning, like a drop of ink dissolving into a river.
Shanghai at this time was a place of extremes. Some people went hungry, their faces gaunt and their eyes dull and lifeless.
Others were dressed to the nines, surrounded by attendants wherever they went, and never had to worry about where their next meal would come from.
This was an old society that devoured people.
This was an old society on the verge of death.
Xu Ning: I will add fuel to the fire of this old society, enough to burn it down to ashes.
She is a scholar from the New Era and will never accept being cast down.
In Shanghai's grandest dance hall, a beautiful woman in a qipao sang with sorrow. Liang Mingyan played the pipa and sang a little tune, giving no thought to the affairs of the nation or the future.
Her greatest wish was to find a powerful, wealthy patron at the dance hall and become his concubine.
As long as she had something to eat and drink, she wouldn't have to worry about a thing.
Until she found Xu Ning.
The young woman's bright eyes blazed with fire.
It was a fire that made even her soul tremble.
[Okay, a quick content note. The main couple are both sexually inexperienced, because I'm a stickler for that. But many male supporting characters will appear, because that era was dominated by men. Women's awakening is a slow process, and the protagonists will help bring it about, so more female supporting characters will appear later on.
As usual, none of the novels on this account will be contracted or put behind a paywall. They're free, so please read to your heart's content.
Most of the story is set in an alternate, fictionalized version of history, and some people and events are invented. I'm not particularly familiar with the history of this era, so I'll research Shanghai's history as I write.
The inspiration for this story came from the song "Shanghai Bund." Listening to it gave me a real sense of an era coming to an end. I had mixed feelings about it, so I decided to write a story related to Shanghai.
Since I use voice input, there are often a lot of typos. Please point them out to me, and I'll correct them when I see them.]
[This story is entirely fictional.]
Theme: Women's awakening!
