Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 567 Cooperation
When Chen Zhen saw that he had relented, the feigned anxiety on his face was instantly replaced by greedy elation.

"These are simple, too simple."

"I'll get someone to make you some right now. I guarantee it'll be dumplings made by the best pastry chef in Harbin."

Soon, a guard came in carrying a food box.

Steaming hot dumplings, a small pot of white wine and aged vinegar.

Chen Zhen personally stepped forward and untied the ropes that were already embedded in Lao Wei's flesh, his movements extremely attentive.

He poured Lao Wei a full glass of wine.

Old Wei's body trembled violently from hunger and pain. He almost lunged at the table, grabbed his chopsticks, and stuffed a dumpling into his mouth.

He knew that his chance to live had come.

We must replenish our food and energy to try and hold on as long as possible.

He held on until Hong Zhiyou and Zhou Yi discovered him and rescued him.

He only breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped his mouth with his sleeve after the dumplings in the food box were gone and the wine in the pot was finished.

"All right."

His voice was still weak, but it had gained a bit more strength.

Chen Zhen immediately handed him a cigarette and lit it with a match:

"Go ahead."

Old Wei took a deep breath, then choked and coughed.

"Get a pen and paper."

Chen Zhen dared not delay and immediately fetched paper and pen.

Old Wei took the pen, and with trembling hands wrote a string of crooked numbers on the paper.

He pushed the note over.

Chen Zhen grabbed it as if it were a priceless treasure.

He stared at the string of numbers, a cold glint flashing deep in his eyes.

Once we get this line, Lao Wei will be useless.

Only a dead man can keep a secret forever.

In this way, he could legitimately take over all the business at the underground transportation station, and truly enjoy wealth and luxury...

Old Wei saw right through his little scheme and calmly said:
"Old Chen, let me tell you the truth."

"Given Section Chief Hong's cautious nature, even if you get through on the phone or even if you meet in person, he won't do business with you."

Chen Zhen's body stiffened slightly.

Old Wei continued, "I have a seal, and he only recognizes that. It's an agreement between us."

"So, even if you kill me now, you still won't get anything."

Chen Zhen, embarrassed by his thoughts being exposed, quickly put on a smile:
"Old Wei, look at what you're saying, they're all our comrades. I'm just doing this under the orders of Team Leader He."

"Otherwise, how could I dare to lay a hand on him?"

His tone became warmer again.

"Don't wait any longer, just give me the seal."

Old Wei gave a mocking smile:
"Old Chen, you were just yelling at me to kill me a moment ago, and now you want to get your seal of office."

"If I gave it to you, would I even be able to survive?"

He closed his eyes to calm himself, building up his curiosity:
"Here's what we'll do: you get in touch with Section Chief Hong first."

"I'll tell you where the seal is once you've reached an agreement, so it won't delay your business."

Chen Zhen quickly calculated in his mind.

That old fox is indeed not easy to deal with.

However, the most important thing right now is to get in touch.

"also."

He nodded, his face regaining its feigned concern.

"Then you should rest well."

He turned to the guard and waved, instructing, "Keep an eye on him. Don't interrogate him tonight; let him get a good night's sleep."

……

night.

Chen Zhen changed into an inconspicuous long gown, put on a round hat, and cautiously walked into the public phone booth on the street corner.

He took out the slip of paper with the number written on it from his pocket, and then took out a few coins and put them in.

They quickly turned the dial according to the number.

……

inside the room.

Hong Zhiyou was getting ready to go to bed.

A sudden, urgent phone call rang.

The sound came from the study.

Hong Zhiyou's brows furrowed instantly.

He has two telephones at home.

One is in the bedroom, used for handling daily tasks.

The other one is in the study; the number of people who know this number can be counted on one hand.

This phone is never used.

When it rings, it means an emergency has occurred.

No matter who's calling, it's never good news.

Hong Zhi put on his bathrobe, walked quickly to the study, and picked up the receiver.

"it's me."

A deliberately lowered, unfamiliar voice came from the other end of the phone.

After listening to what the other party said, Hong Zhiyou simply responded with a faint "Yes."
"okay, I get it.

"See you at the New World Ballroom at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

He hung up the phone decisively.

The person on the phone claimed to be Lao Wei's friend and wanted to meet him.

This is quite interesting.

Old Wei has been arrested, and his fate is unknown.

Is this so-called "friend" a friend or foe, or... a trap?
Regardless, I'll go see them tomorrow, and everything will be clear then.

Thinking of this, he returned to his bedroom, picked up the phone on the bedside table, and dialed Yong Sheng Kui's number.

"Tiger, go clean up the New World."

"I need to meet someone there at 10 a.m. tomorrow."

"He will be wearing a round hat and carrying a brown briefcase."

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

……

In the small villa.

Gu Qiuyan brought over a basin of hot water and placed it next to Zhou Yi's feet. Then she took a chair and sat down next to him.

"Where's Sasha?" Zhou Yi asked.

“I let her sleep with Aunt Liu.”

Gu Qiuyan's voice was soft, and with the passage of time, it had become much more composed and gentle: "She now treats Aunt Liu like her own grandmother, and Aunt Liu also adores this child. The two get along very well."

Zhou Yi nodded and said:
"People aren't plants or trees. If you think about it carefully, Aunt Liu has been with our family for several years now. She's already one of us."

Gu Qiuyan nodded.

"Yes, I think Aunt Liu seems to have guessed what we do."

“Every time we go out or talk behind closed doors, she will consciously go back to her own room or find an excuse to avoid us.”

Zhou Yi said, "She's very smart. In this world, it's better to avoid trouble."

He paused, then looked up at Gu Qiuyan.

"I have some bad news for you."

"Old Wei has been arrested."

Gu Qiuyan's body trembled violently, and her beautiful eyes widened instantly.

"what!"

Her voice suddenly rose, filled with horror.

"Old Wei has been arrested? Doesn't that put you in danger?"

Zhou Yi's expression remained calm, but his tone became more serious:
It's hard to say.

“Gao Bin came to see me today. He showed me Lao Wei’s photo. I think they were testing me.”

"In other words, Lao Wei should not have implicated me yet."

"But we must be prepared for this."

Gu Qiuyan completely panicked: "Then, what should we do?"

She grabbed Zhou Yi's arm; her fingertips were icy cold.

"By the way, I have contact with Sister Ma from Old Meng's Leather Shop at No. 93 Forest Street. She took care of me when I gave birth in Jiamusi. I can use her to pass on messages to the comrades at the transportation station and work group to evacuate."

Zhou Yi shook his head: "We cannot act rashly."

"We don't know how many eyes are watching us from the outside right now. If we make any wrong move at this time, it will be a disaster."

At this point, he turned his head and stared intently at Gu Qiuyan.

"Qiuyan, if, I mean if."

"If I get arrested one day, don't panic."

"You can't say you know anything about it."

There is a mechanism behind the third book on the bookshelf that can open a hidden compartment inside.

"You can hand over the contents of this to Gao Bin later. It contains some evidence and intelligence about my ticket."

"Besides, there's Sasha and Zhiyou; he'll protect you."

Gu Qiuyan shook her head vigorously, tears welling up in her eyes:

"No, we'll die together."

"If you are arrested, I will not live on my own."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Thank you."

"But you still have Sasha, and Zhang Pingru, you should live on."

"The situation is very tense right now. Let's not say anything more and just do as instructed."

Gu Qiuyan's eyes reddened, and tears finally streamed down her face.

“Zhou Yi, you are also Sasha’s father. She calls you Dad every day and waits for you to come home every day.”

“We’ve been family for a long time, the closest of relatives. Neither she nor I would allow anything to happen to you.”

Zhou Yi was silent for a moment, then sighed softly:
"I've long considered Sasha as my own daughter."

"Qiuyan, if that day ever comes, you must take good care of Sasha."

"Also, please tell Jiaqiao and Yuejian that I'm sorry."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Qiuyan suddenly hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, her body trembling violently. "Stop talking, please, stop talking."

"We will all be alright, we definitely will."

Zhou Yi's body stiffened for a moment.

He didn't hug her, but he didn't push her away either.

……

The following morning at 10:00 AM.

The back door of the New World Dance Hall.

Chen Zhen pressed down his round hat and straightened his collar before stepping forward and gently knocking on the mottled iron gate.

The door opened a crack.

Peng Hu leaned forward and scanned him up and down, then said after confirming that it was him:
"Come in with me."

Chen Zhen went inside.

The dance hall was empty.

A man in a well-tailored suit is sitting alone at a table, sipping his drink.

It was Hong Zhiyou.

Chen Zhen stepped closer and asked in a deep voice, "Is it safe?"

Hong Zhi didn't even look up; he simply drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

"Safety.

"During the day, the girls in the dance hall are all taking their beauty nap. Apart from my men at the door, not even a fly can get in."

"Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Chen Zhen pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, leaning forward slightly.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Chen Zhen. I am the head of the political propaganda team and also Lao Wei's superior."

Hong Zhi picked up the bottle and poured himself another half glass:

"Work group? Hmm, you're very bold."

Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you?

Chen Zhen showed no fear on his face, and instead smiled: "You won't arrest me."

"You're a policeman, and I'm in the labor unit; those are just our jobs, places where we get paid."

"Essentially, we are actually the same kind of people; we are all businessmen who love money."

Hong Zhi paused for a moment while swirling his wine glass.

"Yes, I like hearing that."

He leaned over, picked up a clean glass, poured Chen Zhen a glass of wine, and pushed it towards him.

"Try it, it's American."

Chen Zhen had never tasted such high-class stuff before.

He picked up his wine glass, swirled it like Hong Zhiyou, and then took a big sip.

A strong aroma of fruit and alcohol instantly filled my mouth.

He smacked his lips and nodded repeatedly: "Hmm, it has a sweet and mellow aftertaste, a good wine."

Hong Zhiyou said calmly, "That sip you just drank is worth a year's salary for you."

Chen Zhen's hand holding the wine glass froze in mid-air, his eyes widening instantly.

"This is... so expensive?"

Hong Zhi chuckled lightly: "It's not expensive. I can give you two bottles when you leave."

Let's get down to business.

Chen Zhen carefully put down his wine glass and took out the photo from his pocket, placing it on the table.

In the photo, Lao Wei is covered in blood and his eyes are unfocused.

“Mr. Hong, I have come here today with 1,000 percent sincerity,” he said.

Hong Zhi picked up the photo, glanced at it, and put it down again.

"Did something happen to Lao Wei?"

Chen Zhen lowered his voice, a hint of cold laughter in his tone:
"To be honest, there's a guy in your police department named Zhang Tao who works for us."

"He sold you and Lao Wei to He Qinghua, the group leader."

"That idiot He Qinghua is convinced that Lao Wei is a traitor and is secretly interrogating him."

Hong Zhi's confusion was suddenly resolved.

It turned out to be the case.

Damn it, after all this commotion, it turns out Lao Wei wasn't arrested by Liu Zhenwen or Gao Bin's men, but rather fell victim to infighting among his own people.

He sneered inwardly. This damned work group was just here to cause trouble in Harbin.

His expression remained unchanged, though he glanced at Chen Zhen:
"So, you want to..."

Chen Zhen made no attempt to hide the greed in his eyes:
"Old Wei has been expelled from the Party by the organization. In other words, he is useless and has lost the right to contact the mountains. It will be difficult for him to receive furs again."

"So, I want to take over this business and continue doing business with Section Chief Hong."

“However…” he changed the subject, his face showing difficulty, “Old Wei said he has a seal that serves as proof of your transaction, but that guy absolutely refuses to give it to me.”

Hong Zhi waved his hand dismissively and laughed:
"Brother, the seal is just a certificate of transaction."

"You said it yourself, Wei Shan is already useless, do you think I would still care about that thing?"

As he spoke, he took out a dark brown cigar, cut it open, lit it, and handed it to Chen Zhen.

Chen Zhen had never seen this before, and he took it with some trepidation, imitating the way he smoked, taking a deep drag.

A pungent, strong fumes instantly filled his lungs, and he coughed until tears almost streamed down his face.

Hong Zhiyou laughed and said, "Old Chen, is this your first time smoking a cigar?"

"This stuff shouldn't be inhaled; just put it in your mouth and enjoy its aroma."

Chen Zhen coughed until his face turned red, and he gave an awkward, dry laugh.
"Mr. Hong, please forgive my ignorance. I was just lacking in knowledge."

Hong Zhi flicked his cigarette ash: "There will be plenty of opportunities like this in the future."

"So, as for Lao Wei, he's a useless person, and his existence is meaningless. I won't look at his seal anymore. From now on, we'll just cooperate directly."

"As I've said before, I'm a businessman; I only care about profits, everything else is secondary."

"Of course, there's a condition for me to cooperate with you."

Upon hearing that there was hope, Chen Zhen was overjoyed. He hadn't expected Hong Zhi to be so easy to talk to, and quickly said, "Mr. Hong, please speak."

Hong Zhi stared intently at Chen Zhen: "I used to cooperate with Lao Wei because he was the one who called the shots in Harbin underground."

"But you clearly don't have the ability or the qualifications."

"If I were to rashly cooperate with you, and you were unable to handle the situation, it would be very difficult to manage."

"Also, you red tickets have always had an unwavering faith, how can I be sure you're not just trying to hook me?"
"So, even though I'm willing, I'm afraid you don't have the ability or the sincerity."

Chen Zhen's eyes flickered.

Hong Zhiyou is right.

Although He Qinghua was foolish, he was a die-hard. If he could get rid of Lao Wei over a business deal, how could he possibly let himself take over so easily?
Without eliminating He Qinghua, this dream of wealth and power is nothing but a mirage.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhen gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind.

"Mr. Hong, to show my sincerity, I am willing to present a generous gift."

"I know the place where He Qinghua met with Zhang Tao from the police department."

“I was responsible for his safety during every meeting.”

"They are very likely to meet in the next few days. When that happens, I will give you a message, and you can arrest him. Wouldn't that be an amazing achievement?"

"According to our organizational principles, once He Qinghua is arrested, I can only be the person in charge of the Harbin work group."

"Wouldn't it be natural for us to do business then?"

Hong Zhi nodded, a satisfied smile on his face: "Hmm, this plan is good. It's a one-time solution and will also help me gain merit."

He then changed the subject and made a new request.

"However, I have one more request: release Lao Wei."

Chen Zhen frowned warily. "Old Wei is no longer of any value. Keeping him around might not be a good thing."

Hong Zhiyou picked up a cigar, took another puff, and said slowly, "It's precisely because he's no longer of value that we keep him alive."

He smiled when he saw Chen Zhen's puzzled look.

"Do you know what it took for me to get to where I am in Harbin?"

Chen Zhen asked instinctively, "What?"

Hong Zhi exhaled a smoke ring.

Money, and reputation.

"Who doesn't know that I, Hongzhi, am the most benevolent and righteous?"

"Since Lao Wei is no longer of any value, I'll at least spare his life. It'll be a good story if word gets out."

“Just like you,” he pointed at Chen Zhen, “even if you become worthless in the future, I will still take care of you. I will never let my friends suffer.”

Chen Zhen thought about it and agreed.

Hong Zhiyou was trying to reassure himself.

Anyway, it's a fact that Lao Wei has been removed from the register. The mountain area probably received the telegram from the General Committee a long time ago. Even if Lao Wei is alive, he has lost the qualification to operate the transportation line.

He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll try my best to protect Lao Wei. Once we've dealt with He Qinghua, find a chance to take him away."

"Thank you."

Hong Zhiyou stood up, took out a pack of unopened cigars from the wine cabinet behind him, and then took out a bottle of the same red wine and placed it on the table.

"It's not appropriate for you to take it away now."

"We can take it when we catch He Qinghua and celebrate our victory."

Chen Zhen quickly stood up and thanked him profusely.

The two left the New World Dance Hall one after the other.

Hong Zhi got into the car and, instead of going home, had the driver take him directly to the police station.

He went straight to Zhou Yi's office.

Zhou Yi was reading documents when he saw him come in, so he put down his pen.

Hong Zhi visited Chen Zhen and recounted in detail what had happened during their meeting.

After listening, Zhou Yi frowned.

"How could He Qinghua be so muddle-headed?"

"He actually wanted to find me... I thought it was Gao Bin's trick, but now it seems..."

Hong Zhiyou also shrugged, speechless: "Yeah, this is the first time I've ever encountered such a genius."

"But no matter what, at least Lao Wei is still alive."

"You don't need to evacuate."

Zhou Yi's tense nerves relaxed a little: "It's good that I have you as my advisor."

"If I had made any moves last night, I'm afraid I would be in big trouble by now."

Hong Zhi nodded:
"Okay, you and your sister-in-law keep things calm for now. I'll have Chun San find someone clever to keep a close eye on Zhang Tao."

"Once they make contact, we'll arrest them immediately."

"Now we just need to wait for good news."

……

(End of this chapter)