Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 468 Rui Rui, I really am your man
Hong Zhi's confidence and composure made Honma Masaharu think even more highly of him.

"Hong-san, then I wish you all the best on your trip to Jinhai." Honma Masaharu chuckled dryly and patted his fair hand a few times.

Alpaca... You pervert!
"Thank you, Commander. Goodbye." Hong Zhiyou had goosebumps and quickly got up to take his leave.

"Matsuda-kun, please see Hong-san off for me."

After the meeting ended, Honma Masaharu summoned Matsuda Shin, a handsome military officer who was serving him.

"Hong Sang, take care."

Matsuda Shin saw the two off to their car. As the headlights disappeared into the night, the respectful smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a gloomy expression.

He strode back to his study in the official residence and said to Honma Masaharu in a deep voice, "General, the followers of Shibuya Saburo are all fanatical young people. It would be best if we avoided contact with Koji Yu to prevent getting burned."

Masaharu Honma nodded, deeply agreeing.

"You're right."

"We can't get involved in this mess."

"But he is, after all, a prince's man."

He stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the Hejian area in Hebei.

"What we need to do is neither stop nor help."

"Hehe, isn't General He's unit, which is in the Hejian area?"

"Didn't the North China Command just distribute a batch of new poison gas bombs to us?"
"I'll personally lead a team to deliver a few rounds to them to try! It'll also be perfect for avoiding Hong Zhiyou, that plague god!"

Matsuda Shin immediately lowered his head: "Hai!"

As Honma Masaharu spoke, he suddenly turned around and gently took Matsuda Shin's hand, his eyes becoming unusually tender.

"Matsuda-kun..."

Matsuda Shinichi felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, but he dared not break free and could only stiffly let him lead him into the adjacent Japanese-style room.

Sacrifice is a small matter.

As long as Masaharu Honma doesn't interfere, how much trouble can an outsider from Manchukuo cause?
He believed that as long as he and Mu Liancheng joined forces, they would be able to keep Hong Zhiyou on this land forever.

Of course, his most important task right now is to serve this... commander with his peculiar tastes.

……

Back at the hotel, Hong Zhi rushed into the bathroom immediately.

He rinsed his body with hot water, but he felt that he couldn't wash away the sticky feeling.

Keiko took a towel and gently rubbed his back while chuckling and asking, "What's wrong? Wasn't Commander Honma Masaharu very polite to you?"

Hong Zhi snorted, his voice tinged with disgust amidst the steamy air: "It's best to avoid dealing with this old Japanese devil in the future; there's something wrong with him."

"Is there a problem?" Keiko paused in her work.

He chuckled and realized what was going on: "I also felt that the way he looked at you was strange, just like how I... looked at you."

“I’ve heard that he used to be very close to some male actors in Tokyo, and maybe those rumors are true.”

"Damn pervert!"

Hong Zhi cursed under his breath, grabbed a towel, and wiped himself haphazardly.

After taking a shower, he quickly changed his clothes.

Watching his nimble movements, Huizi asked with some concern, "It's so late, are you still going out?"

"Yes, I have to see someone."

Hong Zhiyou answered without looking up, while applying something to his face to change his skin tone.

Hui Zi frowned: "Everyone outside is saying there are assassins watching you. It's too unsafe to go out so late. How about we let Peng Hu go with you?"

"Forget it." Hong Zhi waved his hand. "Too many people will only make things more confusing and easier to spot."

He tidied himself up a bit, turning his once handsome face into a dark and rough one. He then put on a worn-out baseball cap, a cotton-padded jacket, and a fake beard, making him look exactly like a laborer making a living at the docks.

Astor Hotel.

In his previous life, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics often held team-building activities here, so he was very familiar with every nook and cranny of the hotel.

Hong Zhiyou skillfully made his way around to the back kitchen, and under the cover of night, he mingled with a group of workers dumping kitchen waste and slipped out silently through the back door.

Half an hour later, he turned into a secluded alley.

He stopped in front of an inconspicuous courtyard gate and gently knocked on the door knocker according to the pre-arranged code.

Soon, the door opened a crack.

A middle-aged man in a suit, with a shrewd and capable expression, poked his head out and eyed him warily: "Who are you looking for?"

It was actually Mei Shao?
Mei Shao is Wu Ruirui's maternal uncle.

In his previous life, this guy was incredibly eloquent. He encouraged Rui Rui to go abroad, instigated a marriage alliance between the Wu and Su families, and almost colluded with outsiders to swallow up the wealth that Old Wu had painstakingly accumulated.

Haha, what a coincidence!

If we run into you here, do you think you'll leave Jinhai alive?

Hong Zhi lowered the brim of his hat and said in a hoarse voice with a Northeast accent, "I'm in the business of mountain products. I heard you're looking to buy some old ginseng from good years?"

Mei Shao glanced at him up and down, but couldn't find anything wrong with him, so he stepped aside and said, "Come in."

We entered the inner room.

Mei Qiuju and Rui Rui, who had been waiting, quickly stood up.

"Are you Mr. Hong?" Mei Qiuju asked.

She overheard Wu Jingzhong mention on the phone that a Mr. Hong would be bringing some things over from outside the Great Wall.

Looking at the familiar face before him, Hong Zhiyou forcibly suppressed the word "Mom" that almost slipped out.

To meet again in the next life.

Mei Qiuju, who was standing in front of me, was not yet forty years old, but there was a lingering sorrow between her brows. She looked much more haggard and thinner than she had been after settling down in Jinhai in her previous life.

After all, Lao Wu was conducting intelligence work behind enemy lines, and the authorities inside the Great Wall were cracking down on Kuomintang agents and corrupt officials. The mother and daughter lived in constant fear and had no peace of mind.

Wu Ruirui, who was standing next to her, had just graduated from high school and was probably around eighteen years old.

With a pure and innocent temperament, a tall figure, and a face that is almost identical to that of the later actress Ni Ni, she still carries the innocence of a young girl.

Lacking the tempering of social experience, and without the embellishment of later generations' big waves, designer clothes, high heels, and red lips, Rui Rui's charming and capable female elite temperament had not yet been revealed.

In terms of looks alone, she is far less stunning than Xu Yunying and Liu Yawen when they first met; she can only be described as pretty.

But this did not diminish Hong Zhiyou's surging longing and love.

This is the woman who accompanied him through the ups and downs of the business world in his previous life, managed his vast business empire, and bore him children.

Especially when he was negotiating with MacArthur in Tokyo, it was Riri who went to North America alone to lobby Secretary of State Acheson and others on his behalf.

They are husband and wife, but more importantly, they are comrades-in-arms.

It can be said that Hong Zhi's early retirement and ability to become a hands-off manager was largely due to Rui Rui's efforts.

"Mr. Hong?"

Mei Qiuju frowned when she saw him staring intently at her daughter.

Wu Ruirui felt uncomfortable under his gaze; her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her face showed obvious displeasure.

"Sorry, I'm rude."

Hong Zhiyou immediately snapped out of his daze, smiled apologetically, and made up a lame excuse: "Miss Wu looks a lot like an old friend of mine."

He then turned to Mei Qiuju and respectfully addressed her, "Teacher's wife, I am acting on behalf of my teacher."

As he spoke, he placed a heavy cloth bag on the table.

Mei Qiuju didn't hold back either.

She opened the cloth bag, inside which were neatly arranged rows of gleaming gold bars.

She picked one up, weighed it in her hand to estimate its weight, and then carefully counted it.

Twenty-three, not one missing.

She immediately felt a bit more favorably disposed towards this man. Despite his dark complexion, he seemed to have a kind heart; at least he hadn't taken any kickbacks.

Mei Qiuju tied up her cloth bag, looked up and asked, "Is he doing alright over there?"

"I heard that the checks outside the Great Wall are very strict. The Japanese don't even allow ordinary people to eat rice or wheat flour."

She knew her husband's tastes; he loved those flatbreads and enjoyed eating beef and mutton.

In Chongqing, you can buy anything with money, but that's a different story in Northeast China.

"Don't worry, Madam," Hong Zhiyou replied with a smile. "Our teacher has a red-book ration certificate from the Japanese, so he can get whatever he wants to eat. There's plenty of beef and mutton, and he's in excellent health."

Mei Qiuju breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: "That's good, that's good."

She then chuckled softly, "Everyone says that the Northeast is a harsh place, freezing cold, and nobody wants to go there. But it seems that Lao Wu's ability to generate income there is quite impressive."

Hong Zhi grinned: "Master's wife, this is nothing."

"Just you wait and see. When the country is restored, it wouldn't be surprising if your teacher brought you back a mountain of gold."

He changed the subject, lowering his voice: "Of course, we can't say this to outsiders, otherwise, people will be trying to get Boss Dai to help them go to the Northeast."

Mei Qiuju laughed at his words and nodded repeatedly, "That's right, that's right."

After chatting for a while, Mei Qiuju found him more and more pleasing to the eye. She thought the boy was clever and had a friendly and approachable quality that made him particularly appealing.

Of course, it just looks a bit poor and sloppy.

“Teacher’s wife, may I speak to Rui Rui alone for a few minutes?” Hong Zhiyou suddenly asked. “Teacher has some instructions.” “This…” Mei Qiuju hesitated. Deep down, she was a rather traditional person.

"It's about her going abroad to study." Hong Zhiyou leaned close to her ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Upon hearing this, Mei Qiuju hesitated.

She had never really approved of Rui Rui going abroad, always thinking that those foreigners were no good, but she couldn't resist her younger brother's persuasion and Rui Rui's own desire to go.

Since Old Wu sent his trusted confidant to deliver the message, it's natural to hear what the father's opinion is.

She nodded and agreed.

"Then you two go inside and talk."

As she spoke, she said to Wu Ruirui, "Ruirui, you talk to Xiao Hong, I'm going outside for some fresh air."

Once inside the room, he finally had some space to be alone with his wife.

Hong Zhiyou tried his best to control his excitement.

He knew that being overly enthusiastic with a stranger would seem "abnormal" and could easily arouse the other person's suspicion and discomfort.

"You're here to persuade me not to study abroad on behalf of my father, right?"

Wu Ruirui spoke first, her tone carrying a hint of girlish stubbornness and aloofness.

“I’ve already discussed it with my uncle and I’m going to study in the United States. My uncle said that the moon there is rounder than in China, and even the air smells sweet. It’s a free and pure land.”

Hong Zhiyou just laughed.

He took a stack of photos out of his pocket and gently spread them on the table.

"Pure land?"

He pointed to the photo, his voice calm yet powerful.

“Look at this. During the Great Depression in America, their people can’t even afford a loaf of bread. Their children are suffering from hunger on the streets.”

"With money, you can have freedom and happiness anywhere in the world."

"Without money, even if you go to the so-called pure land, you'll just be a lamb to the slaughter."

These photos were taken by Japanese spies in the most sordid, dirty, and darkest corners, deliberately chosen to attack the United States in the media. However, the suffering depicted in the photos is real.

Hong Zhiyou looked at Wu Ruirui's face, which had turned pale with shock, and continued, "You're a smart girl. If you don't want to be cornered and bullied by dozens of black men in an alley late at night in a foreign country..."

"If you don't want to have your last penny stolen by drunkards, vagrants, and drug addicts on the street, I advise you to stay in this mountain town."

"After all, you are the daughter of a high-ranking military intelligence officer there, so you can at least live a life free from worries about food and clothing."

"Of course, you can also stay in Tianjin. I will arrange for you to enter Nankai University or Beiyang University, and I will assign someone to protect your safety."

"Remember, there is life and there is liberty."

"You're not a revolutionary ready to sacrifice yourself for the freedom of all mankind, so there's no need for you to hold up the torch of the Statue of Liberty, is there?"

Wu Ruirui fell into a long silence.

The hunger and despair in those photos shattered her beautiful illusions about the other side of the ocean like heavy blows.

Her innate shrewdness and intelligence made her instantly realize that every word the man in front of her said could be a bloody truth.

Seeing her eyes flicker and waver, Hong Zhi knew it was time to take drastic measures.

He looked at her, his gaze suddenly becoming incredibly affectionate, and his voice lost its previous coldness, carrying a hint of pleading:
"Rui Rui, not for anyone else, but for my sake, please don't go abroad, okay?"

This sudden change made Wu Ruirui freeze.

"You? What do you mean?"

She instinctively took a step back, staring at him warily, ready to shout at any moment.

"Don't be afraid, give me two minutes to listen to me, okay?" Hong Zhiyou quickly raised his hand to indicate that he meant no harm.

His eyes were sincere, without a trace of frivolity.

Wu Ruirui stopped moving, but her vigilance did not diminish in the slightest.

"I know what I'm about to say is absurd and may even be beyond your imagination, but please be patient."

Hong Zhi organized his words, seemingly searching for the most suitable entry point.

Have you ever heard of time travel?
"What I mean is, I actually came from the future."

Even Hong Zhiyou himself thought it was outrageous when he said it.

"After the liberation in 1945, your father became the stationmaster of Jinhai Station, and I was his secretary. You were in Guangzhou at that time, and that's where we met."

"Later we fell in love, got married, had children, and have our own island in Hong Kong. We are still the richest people in the world."

"Our daughter's name is Lele, she is very cute... she loves to play on the beach."

"You always liked to accompany her to draw on the beach, and you would draw for a long time."

"You always make me play piano pieces for you, even though I play them terribly."

"That's a white piano. I had it specially made for you in Switzerland when you were twenty-five. It has your English name, Karen, engraved on it."

"To put it simply, in our previous life, we were husband and wife."

"We have supported each other through thick and thin, and we have witnessed many historical events and miracles."

Hong Zhi, who was always proud of his eloquence, suddenly became somewhat hesitant and stuttering.

Recalling those warm moments, his thoughts became jumbled, and his eyes inexplicably welled up with tears.

Wu Ruirui did not laugh at his "nonsense".

She simply watched him quietly, her eyes filled with curiosity and inquiry, carefully examining this rough man with a full beard.

"If... as you say, you must know something about me, right?" she began, her voice slightly nervous.

“Of course.” Hong Zhi nodded.

"You like to sleep lying down like a big toad, you like to draw quietly, your favorite things to draw are gardenias and cats, and you don't like to eat cilantro..."

“My mom and dad know all this, you can find out from them.” Wu Ruirui didn’t interrupt him, but calmly interjected.

"Then I'll tell you something they don't know."

Hong Zhiyou took a deep breath and spoke faster.

"When you wash your hair, you always have to apply shampoo twice."

"When you were in elementary school, you kept a little spider in your pencil case, but your naughty deskmate killed it, and you cried for a long time because of it."

"When you were in junior high school, a male classmate who had a crush on you was run over and killed by a military vehicle on the road. You were so scared that you had nightmares for a whole month."

"You like money the most because only money can give you a sense of security. Of course, you may not like it now, but you will definitely like it in the future."

"Really, I know everything about you."

Hong Zhi leaned forward and lowered his voice even further.

"For example, you have a small mole there."

"For example, you..."

He then revealed a series of private details that only Wu Ruirui herself knew.

Wu Ruirui's expression changed from initial surprise to utter astonishment.

The color drained from her cheeks quickly, leaving them pale.

My parents are very traditional at heart, and they would never tell an outsider about her childhood, let alone some of their most secret things.

Furthermore, his father was often away from home, rarely seeing him, and he was completely unaware of many things.

As for the mother, the caution she showed when counting the gold bars revealed that she didn't know this person at all before.

Then how did he know?
Is it...

Wu Ruirui fell completely silent.

The reason she didn't immediately kick Hong Zhiyou out as a madman and was willing to listen to all his "nonsense" was because of a secret buried deep in her heart for many years.

Since she was twelve years old, she has often had the same dream.

In her dream, she saw the sky over Beiping filled with five-star red flags.

She dreamed that she lived on a beautiful island, full of luxurious villas, and in the distance, there was a magnificent sailboat-shaped hotel by the sea.

The husband and children were laughing and playing on the beach, enjoying each other's company.

The father and mother sat leisurely in their recliners, chatting and basking in the sun.

The child, the daughter in my dream, was named Lele.

She could still see the iconic port in the distance, and the dazzling night view.

She later learned that it was Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.

Everything in the dream felt incredibly real, except for her husband, whose face she could never see clearly, and whose name she didn't even know.

This dream occurs every few days.

Sometimes the scene changes; it might be on a tennis court, or on a luxury yacht. Many things are even beyond her current understanding.

Without exception, family members were always by her side, and her dreams were filled with luxurious, wealthy, and harmonious scenes.

Everything the man in front of her said matched her dream perfectly.

Wu Ruirui was almost certain that Hong Zhiyou might really be the husband whose face she couldn't see in her dreams.

only……

(End of this chapter)