In Shanghai during the isolated island period, there was a phenomenon that was really puzzling.

Perhaps it is the collapse of the country and the death of the family that many people feel depressed, so everyone wants to find excitement, and the business of those entertainment venues is several times better.

The most obvious is the various dance halls.

Originally, there were only about a dozen dance halls in the pre-war concession, large and small. By 1940, dozens of dance halls had sprung up.

These ballrooms are not only open in the evenings, but also have afternoon tea dances and even lunchtime dances.

What is puzzling is that several dance halls are still open - morning dance.

As if exercising in the morning, the dancers bought tickets to go in and hug each other for a "bangcha".

It's just that among these large and small dance halls, Paramount is a well-deserved leader in the industry. Back in the 30s, in the modern capital of Shanghai, this club was a trendsetting place.

……

In the rhythm created by jazz drums and clarinets, one left and one right, one white and one black, two naked dancers are writhing seductively on stage.

The white dancer is a European woman with a hot body. He wore an exaggerated Indian headdress on his head, and his shirtless body was covered with gold sequins only on the "shameful" part.

Another black dancer in the same outfit, with dark skin and writhing her crotch violently, is a professional dancer who has come all the way from the United States of America to pan for gold.

The two of them cooperated with very provocative movements in the obscene sound, pouting at the audience from time to time, opening their hips and shaking their chests, seducing those well-dressed so-called gentlemen.

Suddenly, without warning, the stage was dimmed.

Then a spotlight at the top of the curtain hits the center of the stage.

The two dancers in front of the stage had disappeared from the stage.

Only the light projected on the backdrop of the stage shows the silhouettes of two female figures.

At this time, the jazz drums began to beat the prelude. Then a band consisting of saxophone and trumpet and clarinet began to play.

The jazz prelude is long, and the stage is empty except for the silhouettes dancing in the background.

At some point, a singer in a tuxedo and a top hat in the English top hat suddenly appeared in the spotlight and sang with his voice open to the rhythm:

"Dust to dust, soil to soil, eliminate and ...... in the years"

"Right now, wait until the last moment."

"The ocean of time, the law of eternity."

"Dust to dust, dust to dust."

"Dust to Dust......

"Life is like a dream, and the past follows the wind."

"Who knows ......"

While singing, the singer makes seductive masculine provocative poses to the rhythm.

It's just that she has a mustache sticking to her lips. But anyone can tell from her posture and appearance that she is actually a woman.

A very charismatic European woman.

The atmosphere in the ballroom is getting hotter and hotter. The dance floor was filled with dancers and dancers, all of whom were involuntarily inspired to dance to the music.

The atmosphere reached its peak when the singer took off his tuxedo and threw it into the crowd.

Far from over.

Still in a frenzied agitation below, she took off her top hat and flew into the crowd, revealing short blond hair.

At this time, the singer, dressed in a waistcoat and shirt, tied with a bow tie, swayed his blonde hair, continued to sing:

"The clock on your wall is filled with gravel."

"Touching the heart with a wonderful hand, you and I will be eternal."

"Make Your Choice......"

"Leave me in happiness and pain."

"But I forgive you......"

"You're on the verge of death, but your eyes are clear."

"You're looking at me, and I'm ready."

"Join you in the quest for eternal life."

……

At this point, the band's music suddenly accelerated.

The rhythm of the strong drum beat seems to convey a signal.

Everyone in the audience followed the rhythm at this time, and all of them turned sideways to make a unified posture towards the stage. And the singers on the stage also made the same movements, and the movements of hundreds of people in the audience were actually uniform at this time.

In addition to the singers on the stage, there were only two silhouettes of dancers dancing behind the scenes. At this moment, the lights of the audience were turned on, and from the side curtains on both sides, four gorgeous foreign vacuum dancers, wearing exaggerated feather headdresses, danced on the stage.

In front of them was the singer who led the dance.

With her dance steps and gestures leading. Everyone on the dance floor was dispatched by her and moved along with her movements. Even the waiters looked at the stage with a tray and involuntarily writhed.

After a long string of suffocating jazz drum solos, the band's instruments sounded again.

The singer then held out a finger and pointed to the crowd on the dance floor. After dancing for a long time, he opened his voice again at this moment, and his breath was actually not disordered.

"It's like a dream."

"The past goes with the wind."

"Who knows ......"

"You're on the verge of death."

"But your eyes are clear."

……

No doubt. When the singer finished the last note, the audience cheered and applauded.

The singer on stage maintained a posture of standing with his legs crossed and his hands drooping, his chin tucked up and motionless. Then there was a soft thud from beneath her feet, and then a puff of white mist erupted......

In front of everyone's eyes, she disappeared on the stage......

Immediately after, there was another uproar and applause on the dance floor, and then the lights went out again.

Three seconds later, when the lights were turned on again, the voice of the emcee was heard in the field:

"Now, right now!"

"It's now, it's now!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, please choose a dance partner!"

……

In the booth, Pu Su also applauded involuntarily before.

At this time, he said to Gu Ji beside him: "No wonder it is said that Shanghai is now a little Paris, I don't remember that there was such a lively place there when we were in Paris." ”

"It's not that Paris isn't lively, it's that we were all poor students back then."

"Besides, how old were you then? Little Red Guy! ”

"Why didn't we take you to the library when we told us? What do you think we're going to do? ”

Without waiting for Pu Su to be anxious, he waved his hand and called the foreman to whisper a few words.

"Do you think it's still the same as it was before you left the country? I saw that set seven or eight years ago, when I first came to Shanghai. ”

"You know Lao Hong, right? A little to the east, Liz had a fight with Japanese spies. ”

As soon as Gu Ji said this, Pu Su thought to himself that it was no wonder that he was so calm before.

And it seems like a lot of people in the dance hall will be humming that song along. After all, it is an English song, even if it is a public concession and a dance hall where there are still mostly Chinese.

Although Shanghai is deeply influenced by Western culture, there are many people who are familiar with English. It's just that even English songs can be hummed along, and there are many dancers among them, which is strange.

At this time, the foreman came over and nodded towards Gu Ji, stretched out a hand to make a leading gesture, Gu Ji got up and beckoned Pu Su to go with him.

Exiting through the side door is a row of VIP rooms, and down the corridor to the innermost dressing room for the actors. After the foreman knocked on the door, a female voice came from inside to let people in.

After opening the door, the foreman stood in the doorway and motioned for the two to enter.

In the powder room, a woman is sitting in a chair and removing makeup in front of the mirror. The fake beard on his lips has been removed, and it is the singer who shined on the stage before.

Valgentina...... Oh, sorry, I can't change it, I should call you Lisa. ”

Gu Ji seemed to have seen an old acquaintance. While motioning for Pu Su to find a sofa to sit down, he walked in front of the singer.

It happened that the singer took out a cigarette from the cigarette case, and Gu Ji lit it for her with a lighter.

Although Gu Ji smiled and seemed to be very happy. It's just that the singer, who doesn't know whether his name is Valentina or Lisa, obviously looks at him with a not so friendly attitude.

The blonde woman took a puff of her cigarette and sprayed the smoke on the mirror in front of her. Blue eyes looked at himself in the mirror, and said lightly in authentic Chinese:

"Inspector Gu. Oh no, Mr. Gu, I thought I would never see you again in my life. ”