My spy diary

Chapter 569 A Petty Person's Triumph (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

As dawn broke, a light drizzle began to fall again in the early morning.

The rain fell obliquely, landing on the broad leaves of the plane trees with a soft "rustling" sound.

Behind the plane trees are rows of upscale garden villas in various styles.

In the building to the east, Cui Fangping was making a phone call in his study with the door closed after returning from the station.

"You idiot, what do you mean 'disappeared'? A living person can't just vanish into thin air! Go all out and search! We need to find him alive or dead! What did you say? Shen Zhongnian is back? He went to Li Mulin's office? Only he knows that?"

Cui Fangping listened to the phone call with a serious expression.

As soon as he hung up the phone, his wife, who was waiting beside him, quickly asked, "Still no news about Captain Cui?"

Madam Cui wore a well-tailored silk cheongsam, pearl earrings, and a jade bracelet. She always took great care of her health and appearance, so she still looked elegant and graceful in her forties.

"The prognosis is likely grim."

These words startled the lady, who looked at Cui Fangping in surprise:
"Who did it?"

Cui Fangping stared out the window with a gloomy face, saying nothing.

After a long pause, seeing that her husband remained silent, she couldn't help but ask softly:
"It can't be Li Mulin."

Before he could finish speaking, Cui Fangping suddenly turned around and smashed the teacup on the table.

With a loud bang, the teacup crashed to the floor, shattering into countless fragments that flew everywhere, hitting the walls, tables, and chairs with a clanging and clattering sound.

Cui Fangping stood with his hands on his hips, breathing heavily, his face ashen, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Him? He thinks he can take me down? Wishful thinking! Damn it, I'll see just how tough Li Mulin's horns really are."

The woman was stunned, too shocked to even breathe. In over ten years of marriage to Cui Fangping, this was the first time she had ever seen him so angry. He had slammed his fist on the table and cursed before when things didn't go his way, but he had never thrown things like this. She knew that her husband would never act so out of control unless he was extremely furious.

She frowned, opened her mouth as if to say something, but couldn't say anything. While Cui Fangping was smoking by the window, she quietly went out, found a broom and dustpan, and quickly cleaned up the crumbs on the floor.

Then, she took another cup from the living room, rinsed it repeatedly with boiling water, brewed a new cup of Longjing tea, carefully presented it to her husband, and hesitated before saying:
"Why don't you give Minister Chen a call?"

After the Kuomintang moved its temporary capital to the mountain city, it re-planned and implemented the Southwest Long-Distance Telephone Network. By the end of 39, long-distance telephone service to Luoyang had been opened, but it was mainly used for military purposes, and ordinary people had no access to it, let alone use it.

Cui Fangping, still furious, glared coldly at his wife, clearly displeased with her womanly opinion:

"What did you say on the phone? That I'm a good-for-nothing? That I've been here for three months and still can't control the situation?"
They said I had just made a promise, and only a few days later, I ran into trouble again. This time, I was kicked out like a stray dog.
Who are these people up there? They're all opportunists! If I can't help them, or if I'm no longer of any use to them, they'll abandon me without hesitation.

"What's the point of yelling at me?" Madam Cui retorted angrily. "Are you going to call or not? If not, I will. I can't let this family be ruined."

"Enough!" Cui Fangping interrupted her, not wanting to argue. "Go pack your things right now and leave as soon as it's light."

Madam Cui was somewhat bewildered: "And what about you?"

"How can I leave at this juncture? Leaving Luoyang without orders is, to put it mildly, dereliction of duty, and to put it bluntly, desertion. I don't want to give others any more ammunition to criticize me."

"But."

Cui Fangping's face was flat, and his tone was serious: "Look at me. Listen to me, there's no time to lose. If you wait any longer, you might not be able to leave. Pack your things quickly, the sooner the better, and take the earliest train to Shancheng."

"Didn't you play mahjong with Commander Chen's wife, Madam Tan? As soon as you arrive in the mountain city, go see her. Remember to bring her plenty of gifts she'll like; don't be stingy at this time."

All of this happened so suddenly that Madam Cui was overwhelmed with emotion. Looking at her exhausted husband, she opened her mouth as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.

Since Cui Fangping started having an affair, he has become a husband who craves love and warmth but cannot obtain them, and the marriage exists in name only.

These two long years were less like a wedding period and more like an endless prison sentence.

But now, facing life and death, she realized for the first time that the man who was by her side was the pillar of the family, and the pressure he bore was no less than that of the woman who gave birth to children and managed the household.

Her vision gradually blurred, and her hands involuntarily embraced Cui Fangping.

Cui Fangping's body was a little stiff, but he still slowly hugged his wife.

A moment later, Cui Fangping gently patted her back:

"We've been married for so long, let's stop with the sentimentality and go pack your things."

Hearing this, Madam Cui raised her tearful eyes and asked sadly:

"And what about you? How will they deal with you?"

Cui Fangping was silent for a while before saying, "Stop being so wishy-washy. They won't dare to do anything to me. The worst outcome will probably be that I'm sent to Shancheng. As long as you handle things well and Commander Chen is willing to speak up for me, then this big problem can be turned into a small one, and a small problem can be resolved. I'll be locked up for a while, and once things calm down, I can make a comeback. When that happens, I'll make sure that bastard surnamed Li suffers the consequences."

Madam Cui had nothing more to say. She sighed and walked downstairs, her face full of sorrow.

Meanwhile, another conversation was taking place discreetly in Zhang Yi's room.

The gold bars and confessions seized from Li Weizhang's house and handed over by Shen Zhongnian were all laid out on the table in front of Zhang Yi.

Li Mulin said in a serious tone, "Thanks to Director Zhang's reminder, I was able to discover Li Weizhang and Shen Zhongnian, these two traitors. But even though I sent people to keep an eye on them, I couldn't find any conclusive evidence."

Later, seeing that Station Chief Cui's power was waning, Shen Zhongnian suddenly realized his mistake and conspired with Li Weizhang to arrest him. After torture, Station Chief Cui confessed to being ordered by Cui Fangping to assassinate Miss Xia. This is his handwritten confession; the evidence is now conclusive, confirming that our Station Chief Cui Fangping is undoubtedly the mastermind behind it all.

Then, still somewhat unsatisfied, he recounted in detail the process that Shen Zhongnian had told him.

He spoke with utmost seriousness, and Zhang Yi listened with equal seriousness; it sounded like a truly thrilling arrest and interrogation.

Zhang Yi stared at the interrogation records, lost in thought. He didn't believe a single word of Shen Zhongnian's account or Li Mulin's retelling; there were too many uncertainties involved.

But now that Cui and Li are dead, continuing to dwell on it will only make things worse for yourself.

Regardless of Li Mulin's role in this matter, Zhang Yi became curious about Shen Zhongnian. This man's "speech and behavior" seemed unusual. Was Li Mulin really willing to accept him?

Li Mulin lowered his head to drink tea, while stealing glances at Zhang Yi out of the corner of his eye.

After a long pause, Zhang Yicai asked, "As the director of the inspection office, you have the right to supervise the station chief. Have you reported this matter to the headquarters?"

"The telegram was sent an hour ago, but headquarters has not yet replied."

“After all, this concerns the station chief, and Director Jia can’t act on his own. He’ll definitely have to report to Boss Dai and consider it carefully before making a decision,” Zhang Yi said reassuringly. He glanced at his watch and then asked, “Any news from Cui Fangping?”

"To prevent him from resorting to desperate measures, I've already arranged for people from the Supervision Office to keep a close watch on him." "That's good."

Zhang Yi nodded, thought for a moment and said, "Okay, give him another call and tell him that I'll be waiting for him in the 'Spring' private room downstairs at 11:00 a.m.

"Yes."

But unexpectedly, as soon as Li Mulin left, the radio in the room received a call from headquarters.

Zhang Yi walked over, put on the headset, connected with the agreed-upon code, and began receiving telegrams.

He translated the telegram in no time.

The telegram was short and contained three main points:

First, Zhang Yi immediately returned to headquarters.

Second, immediately escort Cui Fangping, the stationmaster of Yuzhou Station, back to Shancheng for investigation.

Third, Li Mulin, the deputy stationmaster, was appointed to act as the stationmaster of Yuzhou Station and temporarily take charge of the station's work.

After reading the telegram, Zhang Yi smiled, but the smile was somewhat subtle.

Just then, Li Mulin, who had just finished his phone call, knocked on the door and came in. Zhang Yi then said with a smile:
"Congratulations, Brother Mu Lin, the telegram from headquarters has arrived."

Li Mulin was surprised and excited, his eyes brimming with undisguised joy as he eagerly took the telegram.

However, in just one glance, the joy in his eyes turned into disappointment. He looked at Zhang Yi with mixed feelings. He had gone to great lengths to plan and scheme, and it seemed that he had brought down the man surnamed Cui, but in the end, he had only benefited someone else.

Who knows when the title "agent" above my head will be officially recognized?

Is it the Year of the Monkey or the Month of the Horse?

Thinking of this, Li Mulin felt indescribably disheartened.

That's because the template is kept at headquarters.

What do you mean?
Speaking of this, we must mention Zhao Libiao, the former acting district head of the Shanghai district, who is currently lying low at the bureau headquarters, serving as the head of the action section with a sense of grievance.

This fellow outlasted several station chiefs before finally being promoted to deputy station chief, only to be replaced by Wang Tianlin.

After Wang Tianlin defected to the enemy, Zhao Libiao thought that he had finally become the official district head, but in the end, he was still just the acting district head.

He was full of enthusiasm for his position, thinking that as long as he achieved results, the position of district head would be his.

Unfortunately, Boss Dai thought he was hot-tempered and incapable of handling things independently, so he transferred Chen Gongshu instead.

At this point, Zhao Libiao's dream of becoming district head has completely vanished.

Learning from past mistakes is essential for future success. Li Mulin was naturally frustrated.

At that moment, in Zhang Yi's eyes, the new stationmaster looked somewhat forlorn.

As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. Zhang Yi was fully aware of the orders from headquarters, or rather, from Boss Dai.

This is a moment.

Li Mulin is currently the deputy station chief and also serves as the director of the inspection office. If he were directly appointed as the station chief, that would be a big deal.
Wouldn't Yuzhou Station become his personal fiefdom?
Given time, they will surely develop Yuzhou Station into their own territory, impenetrable to any interference or influence, eventually becoming an impenetrable block, where no one can interfere or speak out.

This is precisely what those in power fear most. Unrestrained power is like a wild horse that has broken free of its reins, easily running rampant in the wilderness of desire.

However, Zhang Yi couldn't say this directly, so he smiled, patted his shoulder, and comforted him:

"Brother Mulin, don't look so gloomy. The station chief is very important, and Boss Dai also needs to take a comprehensive view."

Besides, the Battle of Yuzhou was a Class A battle. Even if Boss Dai nominated you, it would still require approval from the Military Commission, and all of this would take time.

Haste makes waste. Be more patient. Instead of worrying about gains and losses here, why not call Director Mao and ask him to put in a good word for you with the boss?

Besides, the key is still the tasks assigned by the boss. If you do well, maybe Boss Dai will be pleased and you'll be promoted to a permanent position, hmm?

Li Mulin pondered Zhang Yi's words carefully, then suddenly snapped back to reality and quickly said respectfully:

"Thank you, Director Zhang. Your words have been invaluable. I understand now, and I will certainly complete the task assigned by Boss Dai."

Zhang Yi nodded and asked him, "What are your thoughts on bringing Cui Fangping back to Shancheng? Do you have a plan?"

"Escorted by train, they were rescued by their own men en route, a firefight ensued, and he died a violent death!" Li Mulin blurted out. Realizing it might have been a bit abrupt, he quickly added:
"Releasing a tiger back into the mountains will cause endless harm. If he really gets to the mountain city and meets Commander Chen, he'll start spouting nonsense!"

"Okay, that's settled then. Go and make the arrangements. Remember to get a complete statement." Zhang Yi nodded, paused, and then asked:

Are there any suitable candidates?

Li Mulin seized the opportunity and said, "I think Captain Shen Zhongnian is very suitable. He solved the case, so it's a good opportunity to give him a chance to make a contribution."

Zhang Yi gave him a meaningful look, understanding that Li Mulin wanted to eliminate Shen Zhongnian as well, and waved his hand, saying:
"You're the station manager now, so you handle it. I only care about the results."

"Yes." Li Mulin stood up straight, saluted, and walked away with high spirits.

On the other side, Station Chief Cui, dressed in a high-quality suit, was standing in front of the mirror, tidying his appearance. Glancing at the piles of packages of various sizes in the living room, he said somewhat impatiently:

"I've said it so many times, we went to the mountain city to seek refuge, not to move. We lost everything except gold, silver and valuables."

Madam Cui was somewhat displeased and complained, "Those are all antique paintings and calligraphy, they're extremely valuable."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden screech of brakes came from outside the yard.

Station Chief Cui's expression hardened. He forgot to scold his wife anymore and hurriedly went to the window to look through the screen. He saw Shen Zhongnian leading more than a dozen plainclothes officers with guns jumping out of the car and rushing in through the iron gate. He frowned immediately, thought for a moment, and drew his pistol.

Soon, Shen Zhongnian, who had just been promoted to action team leader, led his men in. Seeing Station Chief Cui holding a pistol, he showed no fear, walked up to Cui Fangping, disarmed him, and personally handcuffed him.

"I'm sorry, Station Chief Cui, oh, you're not the station chief anymore. We are acting on orders from headquarters, Director Zhang, and Station Chief Li to request that you and your wife return for investigation. Xiao Li, take men to search all rooms and seize all property."

"Xiao Wang, take your men and seal off the area. A thorough search must be conducted before anyone leaves. From this moment on, everything here belongs to the Party and the State; no one can take anything away."

The handcuffed Cui Fangping remained silent, coldly watching the smug Shen Zhongnian, as if their words and actions had nothing to do with him.

(End of this chapter)