In the mirror, the slender figure twisted repeatedly, the woman's gaze fixed only on the black lingerie.
Lace, push-up...
Everything combined was a deadly temptation for the woman. She even greedily admired her body, running her hands lightly over it, biting her lip lightly. When she turned her head back, she looked at the man on the bed with seductive eyes.
And Li Yian looked at her, gazing at this enticing figure. After returning from New York, he went straight here and gave her this gift. Although men's understanding of lingerie sizes was limited, a smaller size was even more astonishing.
"I can't believe..."
"Believe what?"
"I could be this beautiful!"
The woman stepped lightly, and the shining eyes revealed an affection that could mesmerize anyone.
"Thank you for the gift."
For Stana, she thought the black lingerie on her body was a gift from the man from New York. This gift was enough to fascinate her, and of course, enough to transform herself into a gift for the man she hadn't seen in days.
As she walked towards the bed, suddenly, as if remembering something, she turned back and bent over to take something out of the drawer.
"Darling, while you were away, I attended a few gatherings and recommended our seamless stockings to some ladies..."
Watching the woman bend over, Li Yian couldn't help but swallow. This woman was really a mood breaker; one needed to have self-control!
Money matters.
We'll talk about them later!
...
Finally, after everything settled down, the woman lazily lay on the man's body, and the two began to chat.
"So you went to the US this time for cigarettes?"
"Not just cigarettes, but other scarce commodities too, like stockings. If I get the chance, I'll bring some over from there."
"I see."
Stana finally understood where the man got his stockings from. Her fingers tapped lightly on the man's solid chest. She reminded him softly,
"Be careful. Cigarettes and coffee beans are different from stockings. Those who can afford stockings are wealthy ladies. But cigarettes easily draw official attention."
"Official attention?"
Li Yian puzzled.
"Are the authorities trying to crack down on the black market?"
"What do you think?"
Rolling her eyes, Stana lifted her meter-long legs and rested them on the bed frame as if to relax.
"If the authorities don't crack down, is it still a black market? Since the outbreak of the war, the authorities have sent many inspectors nationwide to supervise. Once caught, black marketeers are convicted. Not only are they fined, but they also serve two years in prison."
As she spoke, she rolled over to lie on the man's body, looking at him earnestly.
"Promise me you'll be safe. I don't want... to visit you in jail."
...
The fog over London was the smoke of the Razor Gang. If the underground order in New York belonged to the Mafia, then the underground order in London belonged to the Razor Gang.
The moment Li Yian stepped into the bar, he felt the eyes of the people on him.
Small suits, bow ties, and flat caps... of course, with razor blades sewn into the brim!
These were a group of suited thugs!
A group that had traveled from Birmingham to London and ultimately became the largest gang in London.
As most British men were serving in the military, they still wandered the streets in suits, wearing bow ties.
When many British people couldn't even get beer and had to make do with cheap alcohol made from potatoes, they could drink the best Scotch whisky from Scotland.
Only these gangsters could receive large shipments, and Anderson, the street peddler, was also part of the Razor Gang. As the introducer, Anderson sat down at the bar after entering the bar, leaving it to Li Yian.
"You're Chinese?"
John asked.
"Yes."
"When did the Chinese start getting into this business?"
John asked bluntly.
"It's not important. What's important is that I can offer 5,000 packs of Camels and 2,000 pounds of coffee beans."
As soon as Li Yian finished speaking, everyone, including John, looked at him in astonishment. The young man beside him said directly,
"This is impossible. No one can produce that much."
"But I can..."
Li Yian's lips curled up slightly.
"And this is just the beginning. In the future, I can offer more goods, of course, if the price is right."
Looking at the Chinese man in front of him, John said,
"Do you have your own ship?"
Li Yian didn't answer the question.
In fact, both sides knew the answer. Now all the ships suitable for ocean voyages had been requisitioned by the Navy. Cargo ships were used to transport goods, fishing boats for anti-submarine warfare, and even yachts for patrolling. How could there be their own ships?
But where did he get these goods from?
Was it from the US military's warehouses?
After calculating in his mind, John said,
"Three pounds per pack of cigarettes, two pounds fifty pence per pound of coffee beans. I can pay you 20,000 pounds."
"I don't want money!"
Once again, Li Yian's words surprised the other party.
"What? No money? What are you talking about?"
John thought the other party was joking with him. Even the people drinking beside him were about to grab their hats - their hat brims were sewn with razor blades, which were cheap and available in stores, perfect for close combat weapons and also the origin of the gang's name.
Of course, there was another benefit now: these blade wounds wouldn't attract attention from the outside world.
"Kid, what do you mean?"
"Carl, when will you learn to stay calm? Can you let him finish speaking?"
John said calmly.
"I need some goods."
Smiling, Li Yian looked at the razor blades sewn into the brims of their hats without fear.
"Oh! What goods do you need?"
"Cars!"
Li Yian said directly.
"Ninety percent new cars!"
"What! Cars? Are you sure you want cars?"
Anderson, who was sitting beside him, was also shocked to hear what Li Yian wanted.
Even Carl beside him looked pleasantly surprised, almost jumping up.
Cars!
He actually wanted cars!
This was unimaginable.
As everyone knew, the least valuable thing in Britain now was cars. Because gasoline was not only scarce but also expensive. Without fuel, cars became decorations, those that still needed to pay taxes every year, and some people wanted to sell their cars to avoid taxes. But at this time, who would pay to buy a pile of scrap metal?
And now someone actually wanted scrap metal!
"Of course, but what I want is not ordinary cars, but high-end cars."
Li Yian smiled.
In the classified ads in American newspapers, there were many ads for buying cars. Unlike in Britain, cars had long become a necessity for most American families. Their lives couldn't function without cars, but the war had caused many Americans' cars to be destroyed and unable to be replaced. After the outbreak of the war, the United States ordered the suspension of all civilian car sales and stopped the production of civilian cars. During the war, the only way for Americans to buy cars was to go to the used car market.
But there weren't that many cars in the used car market, and the scarcity directly resulted in slightly better-condition used cars on the current American market selling for the price of new cars.
The starkly different car markets between the UK and the US presented an opportunity. It wasn't just about huge profits, but also about a very sought-after market.
John sized him up for a moment, then said bluntly, "Deal. I can provide several high-end cars, and they're brand new."