My spy diary

Chapter 644 Rainy Night (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"time to eat!"

Hearing Shen Ruozhu's greeting, Zhang Yi put the list he had made into the drawer, turned off the desk lamp, and went out.

Two steaming bowls of noodles were already on the table. They weren't the typical Sichuan and Chongqing style with meat broth and chili oil, but rather the Zhejiang and Shanghai style. The broth was milky white and clear, with a few scallions and a pinch of white sugar floating on top.

Zhang Yi glanced at her, about to speak, when Shen Ruozhu interrupted:
"We couldn't find any other ingredients at home, so we had to make noodles."

"It's good!" Zhang Yi was indeed hungry, so he sat down immediately, burying his face in the bowl and wolfing down his food. When he put down his bowl, he noticed Shen Ruozhu looking preoccupied, fiddling with the noodles in her bowl, so he jokingly asked with a smile:

"Why aren't you eating? You think your own cooking is terrible?" he said, handing her the empty bowl. "Give me another bowl."

Shen Ruzhu took the empty bowl but didn't get up. After hesitating for a moment, she asked softly:
"What were you looking for just now, a bugging device?"

Zhang Yi looked up at her, unsurprised but without responding, and pointed to the empty bowl in her hand:

"Are there any noodles left?"

As Shen Ruzhu got up and walked towards the kitchen, she stubbornly said, "I heard that listening devices are very small these days. Have you found any? I'm scared."

"Don't worry!" Zhang Yi gave her a reassuring look. He had read the report from the bureau's special technology research group. (This group specializes in researching assassination, demolition, arson, poisoning, and eavesdropping techniques, and manufactures various time bombs, poisons, poison bullets, daggers, and various killing tools.) Currently, the most advanced eavesdropping devices can only be made to the size of a matchbox.

It is said that the Soviet Union was researching a bugging device called "Golden Lips," which resembled a tadpole with a tail. Its main body was a copper cylinder about 1.9 centimeters in diameter and 2.4 centimeters high. The Soviet Union later hid this bugging device in a wooden carving of the U.S. national emblem given to the U.S. ambassador and used it to eavesdrop on the U.S. embassy for seven years before it was discovered.

But that was a few years later, so Zhang Yi wasn't worried that any "high-tech" technology could escape his notice.

"Speaking of bugging devices, let me give you a few more words of advice."

"What?" Shen Ruzhu suddenly tensed up.

"Relax! Since we're going to cooperate and act, we have to act well. This mountain town is not the same as Jiangshan County. It's like a dragon's den or a tiger's lair. There are undercurrents and hidden dangers. There are more than one pair of eyes watching us and observing us from the shadows. So, neither you nor I can arouse suspicion, and we can't reveal any flaws."

"I understand!" Shen Ruzhu frowned, looking somewhat distracted. She took a few steps with the bowl in her hand, then suddenly turned back:
"I still don't understand why Boss Dai would suspect you."

She looked expectantly into Zhang Yi's eyes, and Zhang Yi also looked up, not avoiding her gaze at all.

Shen Ruzhu's words were as direct as an arrow, shooting straight at Zhang Yi. Looking at her questioning eyes, Zhang Yi sighed:
"You really want to know?"

"Just curious."

"Oh." Zhang Yi looked at her and said with a gloomy expression:

"Trust is relative; it can be said to be the rarest luxury in the world. The Military Intelligence Bureau is, after all, different from your Jiangshan County Police Bureau. In the business of espionage, everyone moves forward with suspicion. Trust is not a given, and suspicion is a virtue."

There's a saying that goes, "The more you do, the more mistakes you make." Doing things can also bring unnecessary trouble and suspicion. Take my recent promotion to deputy director's secretary, for example; it undoubtedly infringed on Mao Qiwu's interests.

"Director Mao? Is that the short guy in the Zhongshan suit with the big smile on his face today? He seemed quite kind to me!" Shen Ruzhu was still puzzled.

Indeed, Dai Chunfeng was strong and talkative, with a long, dark face. He was unpredictable and his stern expression only made him seem gloomy and sinister.

Mao Qiwu, on the other hand, was dull and short. He wore a neat Zhongshan suit every day, and had a fair and round face. With his smiling face, he looked like a Bodhisattva enshrined in a temple. People who didn't know him would really think he was kind and friendly.

"That's because you don't understand him. Once you do, you'll know how treacherous and ruthless he is," Zhang Yi sneered. "As the saying goes, 'Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately.' While this saying applies to couples, it's even more apt in the workplace. In the workplace, no matter how good the friends or alliances are, they are either based on shared interests or a common enemy. Once that foundation is threatened, damaged, or weakened, everything will collapse, the relationship will change, the enemy will switch sides, and then it will be a bloody battle, a fight to the death."

Shen Ruzhu seemed to be deep in thought. She frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "This is a conflict between you and him, but why would Boss Dai suspect you?"

Zhang Yi hadn't expected that the arrow that had just grazed his scalp would suddenly turn and fly back towards him. There was no way to dodge it; even if it pierced his palm, he had to intercept it.

He gave a wry smile and said, "Didn't I just say that suspicion is a virtue? Boss Dai's principle in hiring has always been 'use those you suspect, and suspect those you hire.'" Sometimes, to get things done, you have to tell some white lies.

Lying is the most costly thing in the world. Once you tell one lie, you have to fabricate more to cover it up, to package it, and to maintain the facade. Therefore, it's understandable that others would have doubts about you. Of course, this in no way affected Zhang's loyalty to the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Party-State.

He spoke sincerely, even with a hint of sadness and helplessness. Then, he pointed to the empty bowl in Shen Ruzhu's hand and asked:
Are you satisfied with this answer? Is there any more noodles?

Shen Ruzhu seemed to realize her lapse in composure and quickly headed towards the kitchen.

Outside the window, a torrential downpour, the raindrops forming a dense net, swept in with the sound of the wind, causing the streetlights to flicker and dim.

Qian Xiaosan got out of the car, opened his umbrella and walked home. He immediately noticed the bicycle parked under the eaves of the tenement building.

The fact that almost all the bicycles on the street look the same doesn't seem to prove anything.

But as a well-trained agent, the sudden appearance of the bicycle still aroused his vigilance.

He stepped back a few paces and looked towards his own window on the second floor, where a sliver of light shone through the curtains.

Finding nothing amiss, he took a few steps forward, squatted down in front of the bicycle, and touched the frame; it was damp. The bicycle was parked under the eaves where it wouldn't get wet, but water was dripping from the wheels.

His expression changed instantly, as if he had realized something, and he immediately drew his pistol.

But at that moment, suddenly, a pistol was pressed against the back of his head:
"do not move!"

Upon hearing the voice, Qian Xiaosan's body instantly stiffened, and he said with a wry smile:
"That monkey is cunning enough."

The monkey disarmed him and sneered, "Likewise!"

"Why do you have to keep pressing this issue?" Qian Xiaosan's voice trembled slightly. "I really have my reasons, Lao Hou. Let go. Are you really trying to drive me to my death by coming directly to my house?"

"I'll take you to see the Chief; it's not too late to turn back now!"

"I truly have my reasons. Please let me off this time, and everything will be over. As long as you don't say anything, the Director won't know. I swear I will be utterly loyal to the Director from now on!" The monkey excitedly turned to face Qian Xiaosan directly.
“Swear an oath? Can you trust the oath of a traitor? I told you, when the Chief returns, you will apologize to him. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

"I'm not a traitor, I really have my reasons, you..." Qian Xiaosan said, suddenly grabbing the pistol pointed at him and wrestling with Monkey.

The monkey kicked him away, pressed the safety, pressed the pistol firmly against his forehead, and said fiercely:
"I'm asking you this one last time: are you going or not? Think it through before you decide!"

"I'm begging you, Monkey. Just this once, pretend you know nothing. I really have my reasons. I have a wife and kids, I have no other choice, really! Everyone encounters a time in their life when they have no other options! If you just have mercy, I'll get through this! I'm begging you!"

The monkey scoffed, "Wife and children? Don't use them as a shield! Today you can betray your superior for them, but tomorrow can you betray the Party and the country and become a shameful traitor to the Wang Jingwei regime and the Japanese?"

Qian Xiaosan's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "It's different! Lao Hou, I'm begging you, please give me some time, okay? Let me think about it carefully. Think about the past, think about the days we fought side by side, how we trusted each other, how we relied on each other, how we could entrust our backs to each other without worry. I consider you my partner in life and death, you're my only friend in the bureau, please help me this once?"

"You were once the only person in the bureau I could tell the truth to!" Monkey said expressionlessly in an extremely cold tone.
"I'll ask you one last time, are you coming with me or not?"

With the last of his strength, Qian Xiaosan said in a trembling voice, "Why are you forcing me like this? We're at the mercy of others. In the end, we're all just small people trying to survive. Wouldn't it be better to turn a blind eye?"

"This is no excuse for betraying the Chief! Do you have any conscience? If it weren't for the Chief promoting you..."

"What have I done to offend the director?" Qian Xiaosan felt guilty. Although he had mentally prepared a thousand reasons to betray him, he knew very well that betrayal was betrayal. "As for conscience, why bother with it? I have no other ambitions now. I don't want to get promoted or make a fortune. I just want to live like an ordinary person, with a wife, children, and a warm bed. If I can make their lives a little better, I'll be content."

"You know perfectly well what you've done," the monkey said with a sneer as he pulled the trigger.

"No! Don't shoot!" Qian Xiaosan shouted in terror, "You'll pay with your life if you kill me!"

"Snap!" Just then, the upstairs window suddenly opened, and a little girl poked her head out. She seemed to have heard her father calling and screamed in panic:

"Dad! Daddy!"

The monkey instinctively glanced back. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qian Xiaosan disregarded everything and rushed into the rain like a madman.

The monkey pointed a gun at his back, but after much hesitation, he couldn't bring himself to fire in front of the child.

In the pouring rain, Qian Xiaosan ran for his life.

Perhaps because he was soaked to the bone, even his shoes were filled with water, every step he took made a "thud" sound like a duck's foot hitting the ground. He ran like this, disheveled and reckless, until he reached a public phone booth not far from his home. The light from the streetlamp shone in and onto his distraught face.

He took a few deep breaths and dialed the number:

"Director Mao? It's me."

After saying something on the other end of the phone, Qian Xiaosan hung up, let out a deep breath, and pushed open the door, whereupon the wind and rain rushed in. He walked out into the downpour, disappearing into the night.

Half an hour later, he knocked on Mao Qiwu's door.

Soon, the door opened.

A short, stout maid with protruding teeth, a crooked mouth, and slanted eyes, stood with one hand on her hip and the other gripping the door, asking with a sidelong glance:
"Who are you looking for?"

Even though the King of Hell is easier to see than his underlings, Qian Xiaosan dared not be negligent in the slightest, forcing out an ugly smile:

"I am Qian Xiaosan. I just called Director Mao. Please inform him."

"Wait!" The maid slammed the door shut. After a while, she came out to inform her:

"Master is taking a bath. Madam invites you in."

Since being disciplined by Mao Qiwu last time, Xiang Xinying has become very well-behaved, staying at home all day learning Peking Opera.

She was sitting on the living room sofa, legs crossed, listening to the radio. The weather had been scorching these past few days; the summer in this mountain city was particularly intense, unbearably hot and humid. She was only wearing a Western-style silk slip dress, her hair loosely draped over her shoulders. She wore sandals, her toes painted a vibrant scarlet lacquer, her nails also dyed the same color—intense and flamboyant, which, combined with her nightgown, made her appear both sexy and alluring.

Qian Xiaosan entered, and after only a quick glance, he felt that Mrs. Mao was incredibly charming today. He dared not look at her again, and bowed his head humbly, saying:
"Hello, madam."

Xiang Xinying looked up and saw that Qian Xiaosan was covered in sweat or rainwater, looking like a drenched duck that had just been pulled out of a hot pot, with steam rising from his head and water dripping from his feet.

"Lieutenant Colonel Qian." She covered her mouth and chuckled a few times, then slowly asked, "What happened to you? You didn't even bring an umbrella. Xiao Cui, go and make a bowl of ginger soup."

Xiao Cui gave him a disdainful look, then turned and left.

Qian Xiaosan said respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I had to rush to report to Director Mao and forgot to bring my umbrella."

"Oh, since it's urgent, I'll go urge him on." Xiang Xinying called into the house, then asked with a hint of gossip, "I heard Zhang Yi brought a woman back? Is she pretty?"

“He brought back a woman.” Qian Xiaosan wanted to see Xiang Xinying’s expression but didn’t dare to look up. “He glanced at her briefly. She was decent-looking, but no matter what, she couldn’t compare to Madam’s elegance and grace.”

This flattery was pleasing to the ear, and Xiang Xinying was secretly pleased, but the thought of Zhang Yi made her face darken again. She sighed and asked:

What did he say to you when he came back?

Just as Qian Xiaosan was about to speak, he heard footsteps. Mao Qiwu came out from inside. He had intended to invite Qian Xiaosan to the study for a private talk, but seeing that he was soaking wet, he was somewhat displeased. However, the displeasure vanished quickly, and he walked over with a smile, saying with concern:

"Why don't you give the lieutenant colonel some money to find him some clothes?"

"I'll go look for it," Xiang Xinying replied sweetly, turning and walking into the bedroom.

Qian Xiaosan was about to express his gratitude when Mao Qiwu interrupted him, asking directly:
"What happened?"

(End of this chapter)