My spy diary

Chapter 651 Prologue (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Director Dai, can you honestly say you knew absolutely nothing about this matter?"

"I really didn't know!" Dai Chunfeng looked up at Zhang Yi, his brows furrowed. As he spoke, he called in Deputy Officer Jia. "You're the director of the Inspection Office. Did Mao Qiwu consult you before he used family discipline on his own?"

"No, who was disciplined?" Deputy Officer Jia asked in surprise.

"This is utter nonsense!" Dai Chunfeng cursed, his anger flaring. "Who told him to act on his own? Those in the know understand that Mao Shanyu did it on his own initiative, while those who don't might think it was at my behest, Dai Yunong. He doesn't do his job properly; all he does is fight amongst himself and create internal strife. And what kind of person are you, the director of the inspection office? Can't you even manage your subordinates? What are you standing there for?! Tell him to come see me right now!"

"Yes."

Lieutenant Jia was used to being scolded, so he didn't feel embarrassed. He nodded to Zhang Yi, bowed, and left.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely give you an explanation for this." Dai Chunfeng sat on a two-seater sofa, diagonally opposite him was a single sofa, next to a small square table with tea set on it. He personally brewed a cup of tea and patted the seat next to him warmly, "Sit here with me."

Zhang Yi stood there, motionless, seemingly still furious: "I understand the rules and regulations of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Even if it requires me to die for the Party and the country, I won't even flinch. Monkey and Qian Xiaosan are equally loyal to the Military Intelligence Bureau, to the Director, and to the Party and the country. What rule did they break that warrants torture?"

"Have some tea first." Dai Chunfeng picked up the purple clay teapot and poured a cup.

Zhang Yi remained unmoved.

On the other side, Mao Qiwu rushed over anxiously after receiving the call. Just as he arrived at the entrance of Dai Mansion, a guy on a bicycle suddenly rushed out in front of him—it was Mao Zhongxin.

Mao Qiwu was a little stunned. The two of them stared at each other, both panting heavily.

Mao Qiwu: "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Zhang Jinyi?"

"Uncle, I came here with Zhang Yi."

Mao Qiwu glanced inside suspiciously:
"Zhang Yi is here too? What's he doing here?"

"I don't know! Luckily I overheard his conversation, otherwise I would have almost been fooled. Uncle, didn't you tell me to stay close to him at all times? So I followed you!"

Looking at his nephew, who was covered in sweat and riding a women's bicycle, Mao Qiwu felt a surge of anger rising within him.
"Idiot, are you really going to stick to them like this? Do you even know what they were saying in the car? Do you think you have eyes and ears that can see and hear a thousand miles away?"

Mao Zhongxin looked aggrieved: "Uncle, it makes me angry just thinking about it. He doesn't respect me at all, he won't even let me ride in his car."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Uncle, could you ask Director Shen to lend me a car? It would make my work much easier."

As he approached, a pungent stench of sweat mixed with perfume and rottenness assaulted Mao Qiwu's nostrils, sticky and foul. Mao Qiwu instinctively took a step back.
"You think you're qualified to have a car? Didn't you say you were cured of syphilis? Why does it still smell so strong?"

“My uncle, it’s effective, but it takes time, and the medicine is too expensive, costing hundreds or even thousands of yuan per injection.” Mao Zhongxin’s eyes flickered, and then he suddenly had an idea. He stammered, “Oh, right, uncle, that day I had no choice but to use the funds you gave me to pay for the medical treatment. But don’t worry, I will make up for it soon.”

Mao Qiwu's facial muscles twitched, and he said angrily:

"Three days. If you don't return the money in three days, I'll skin you alive!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Mao Zhongxin nodded vigorously, making a hurried promise. As he spoke, he slapped his forehead, as if he had remembered something, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Mao Qiwu said irritably:

"Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

"Uncle, I used the remaining money to buy tea, intending to offer it to you. To feign goodwill towards that Zhang fellow, I brewed him a cup, but this scoundrel, instead of appreciating my kindness, started digging into where I got the tea." Mao Zhongxin, fearing Zhang Yi would accuse him and make things difficult to explain, decided to expose the truth now, becoming increasingly agitated. "At first, I said I'd smuggled it from you, Uncle, but that Zhang fellow didn't believe me at all. He insisted the tea was from Dongting Mountain and even suspected you of having connections with Li Shijun. Isn't that blatant lying? He's just looking for a pretext!"

Seeing him rambling on and on, Mao Qiwu interrupted him with a dark face:

"What do you mean? You want to drag me down with you? Clean up your own mess. Get out of here."

He disgustedly pushed Mao Zhongxin aside to enter, but Mao Zhongxin, with a mournful face, wouldn't let him go:
"Uncle, I'm telling the truth. That Zhang guy is really too insidious."

Enraged by this persistent pest, Mao Qiwu slapped him across the face and yelled:

"You good-for-nothing, get back to where you are, and I'll deal with you after I've seen Director Dai."

Mao Zhongxin was beaten but dared not utter a sound.

Mao Qiwu shoved him aside, snorted coldly, and left.

When he arrived at Dai Chunfeng's office, he took a deep breath, composed himself, and knocked on the door with a smile.

"Enter."

Lieutenant Jia opened the door, and Mao Qiwu walked in meekly. He glanced at Zhang Yi and feigned surprise.

"Is Deputy Director Zhang here?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Yi, who was sitting opposite Dai Chunfeng, reached out and pulled a dagger from his pocket.

Dai Chunfeng's expression hardened.

Mao Qiwu shuddered.

Lieutenant Jia, who was standing at the door, quickly put his hand on the holster at his waist.

Zhang Yi flipped the dagger over, with the handle facing outwards, and placed it on the coffee table in front of Dai Chunfeng.

Dai Chunfeng glanced at him, then shifted her gaze to Mao Qiwu, and asked coldly:

"What's the deal with Qian Xiaosan and the monkey? Explain it!"

Upon hearing this, Mao Qiwu's eyelids twitched, his heart sank, and he cursed inwardly, "That bastard Qian Xiaosan is a complete idiot who's good for nothing and good for nothing!" Judging from Boss Dai's expression, he clearly intended to give Zhang Yi an explanation. After holding his breath for a moment, believing he had considered it thoroughly, he cautiously said:

"Reporting to the Director, I was just about to report this to you. There is a reason for this matter."

"what?"

"The night the Director left headquarters, his subordinates received an anonymous letter. Someone reported that Qian Xiaosan and Monkey were suspected of having illicit relationships."

Zhang Yi and Dai Chunfeng both looked surprised.

Dai Chunfeng frowned and asked, "Where's the letter of complaint?"

Mao Qiwu hurriedly said, "It's in my office drawer." Dai Chunfeng waved his hand dismissively.

"Then what are you waiting for? Bring it here!"

"Yes." Mao Qiwu replied respectfully, then turned and left. Zhang Yi seemed thoughtful. In the drawer? He wouldn't be writing it now, would he?

Dai Chunfeng paused for a moment before looking at Zhang Yi with a suspicious expression:

"A whistleblower letter? What a coincidence! Did Qian Xiaosan and his gang offend someone?"

"I'm not sure about that. As far as I know, there shouldn't be any." Zhang Yi could tell that Dai Chunfeng's mediation, while seemingly fair, was actually biased towards Mao Qiwu. However, he didn't care and played along.

"That's strange. Could it have been the Communist Party? Or someone from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS)?"

"Perhaps only the whistleblower can tell us."

Dai Chunfeng sighed, took a sip of tea, and said, "Yes, the one who tied the knot must untie it. Who is that person?"

Over here, Mao Qiwu left the office with a gloomy face. He caught sight of his nephew, Mao Zhongxin, still fiddling with the women's bicycle. An idea flashed through his mind, and he quickly went over and said apologetically:
"Does it still hurt? I acted impulsively just now, I apologize."

Mao Zhongxin was somewhat taken aback by this sudden enthusiasm, and gave a vague reply before continuing to fiddle with his bicycle.

Seeing this, Mao Qiwu squatted down, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his sweat while sighing:
"Don't resent your uncle. In the end, it's all because of that treacherous Zhang Yi. You don't know, he just complained about me to Mr. Dai again and got a good scolding. Sigh, if this continues, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold onto my position as acting director."

Upon hearing this, Mao Zhongxin panicked. He had only been able to act so arrogantly because he had Mao Qiwu and the "Jiangshan Gang" behind him, using their influence as a shield. If Mao Qiwu were gone, the Military Intelligence Bureau would likely have no place for him. Bao'an Village was small, and the Mao family was prominent. Dai Chunfeng's first wife, also surnamed Mao, was Mao Qiwu's cousin within five degrees of kinship. Therefore, Mao Qiwu was not only the boss's fellow villager and classmate but also a relative, which was why the boss trusted him so much. If Mao Qiwu were gone, the boss would disown him as a relative.

"uncle"

Before he could finish speaking, Mao Qiwu interrupted him, pulling Mao Zhongxin aside and pulling a sheet of Military Intelligence Bureau standard paper from his pocket, handing it to him with a sigh:

Whether you can get through this depends on you.

"Write what?" Mao Zhongxin was completely bewildered.

"The whistleblower letter, this and that." Mao Qiwu's expression was extremely mysterious. He looked around, and seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and gave a few instructions. He handed the pen to his nephew, and seeing that his nephew was about to write, he immediately scolded him in a low voice:

"Switch to your left hand."

"Yes, yes, yes." Mao Zhongxin quickly switched hands, took a deep breath, and began to write.

Soon, a serious-sounding letter of complaint was written.

Mao Qiwu took it and looked at it for a while. After the writing on it dried, he gently rubbed the edge of the paper with his fingertips, then folded it into a neat square and stuffed it into his pocket.

Then, the letter of complaint was presented to Dai Chunfeng.

Dai Chunfeng looked at it and said, "This handwriting is like scribbles."

Zhang Yi glanced at it, sneered inwardly, and said:
"He probably wrote it with his left hand so he wouldn't be recognized."

“It should be.” Dai Chunfeng squinted at Zhang Yi, pondered for a moment, then put on a stern face and asked Mao Qiwu, “Just because of this piece of scribbles on a peach charm, you used torture on your own? Why didn’t you report it or ask for permission beforehand?”

Mao Qiwu crossed his arms in front of him, bowed his head, and looked extremely apprehensive as he said:
"Please calm down, Director. It happened so suddenly. You must have been on the plane at the time, and I didn't have time to ask for instructions. After all, there have always been rumors in the bureau about Communist Party spies, and I dared not be careless. I'd rather believe it than not. Monkey and Qian Xiaosan have extensive connections in the bureau and involve many people. If they really were spies, the consequences would be unimaginable. So, in a moment of impulse, I took action. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. Now I can say with certainty that everything mentioned in the whistleblower letter is completely unfounded and pure fabrication. Qian Xiaosan and Monkey are completely trustworthy."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi interrupted him without any politeness:
"Your so-called connections and entanglements include me, right?"

"Deputy Director Zhang is joking. This is just a routine screening. After all, they are your right-hand men. They didn't notify you because they didn't want to put you in a difficult position."

"Hmph, on this matter, I've always held only one stance: the interests of the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Party-State are paramount." Zhang Yi sneered, then suddenly stood up. "You make it sound so casual, is that all?"

Dai Chunfeng also chimed in, "Mao Shanyu, Mao Shanyu, aren't you being far too hasty in your work?"

"I am terrified, ashamed, and have no place to hide. I am willing to accept any punishment," Mao Qiwu said, feigning even greater fear.

Dai Chunfeng didn't respond, but looked at Zhang Yi.

Mao Qiwu understood. He walked up to Zhang Yi and said with a slight apology:
"Deputy Director Zhang, this was indeed a misunderstanding. We are truly sorry that they have been wronged."

Zhang Yi snorted coldly, grabbed a dagger from the coffee table, and asked bluntly, "Director Mao, do you dare say this isn't directed at me?"

When Mao Qiwu saw Zhang Yi draw his knife, his expression changed instinctively, and he couldn't help but feel a chill. His tongue also became less fluent when he spoke:

"Deputy Director Zhang, I've offended you a lot in the past, please don't hold it against me. I was wrong to suspect you were a Red Party spy before, but since last time, your innocence has been proven. How could I doubt you again? It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. How about this, tonight I'll host a banquet to apologize to you. I'll also invite Monkey and Qian Xiaosan. We'll drink until we drop, how about that?"

Zhang Yi, seeing that he had gained the upper hand, deliberately let out a sigh of relief:

"It's all good that it was a misunderstanding. I hope this kind of annoying misunderstanding won't happen again in the future." Then, he changed the subject, "As for dinner, I think we should skip it."

Mao Qiwu said with a forced smile, "Don't worry, there won't be a next time."

After saying that, he stretched out his hand to Zhang Yi, taking the initiative to shake hands with Zhang Yi and make peace.

Zhang Yi glanced at him, put the dagger away, and did not extend his hand.

Mao Qiwu still held out his hand, waiting.

Seeing this, Dai Chunfeng, who was sitting on the sofa, called out:
"Yunyi".

Left with no other choice, Zhang Yi slowly extended his hand, gave it a perfunctory shake, and then immediately withdrew it.

"That's great!" Dai Chunfeng stood up, smiling broadly, and poured two cups of tea, placing them in front of the two of them. "What's there to be unclear about? If you keep things bottled up inside, they'll always be a knot in your heart. Now it's all cleared up, the misunderstanding has finally been resolved."

As he spoke, he gestured for the two of them to pick up their teacups. “You are both my right and left hands. Each of you has your own strengths and weaknesses. You complement each other and are indispensable. Today, I will act as a peacemaker and sing a song of peace between the general and the minister. I hope that you two will work together in the future and share honors.”

"Yes!"

Both men picked up their teacups and answered loudly. In truth, they both knew the unspoken truth: the open argument seemed to have come to an end, but the power struggle behind the scenes had only just begun.

(End of this chapter)