Espionage codename: Shen Gongbao

early morning.

Father King Road, garden villas.

Wang Xuesen sat at the table, eating a plate of pickled vegetables and silently shoveling his teeth into a bowl of plain porridge. He chewed on a fried dough stick, his cheeks puffed out like a toad's.

The sound of dragging footsteps came from the stairs.

Wanjia, wearing a silk nightgown and with her hair loose and disheveled, walked down the street languidly.

Her eyes were a little red, so she obviously didn't sleep well last night.

Xiaomin is very sensible.

I went out to buy groceries early, leaving the couple to their own space.

Wanjia pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Wang Xuesen, staring at him, her voice slightly tense:

"Darling."

"Do we really have to go?"

Wang Xuesen chewed on a fried dough stick and mumbled, "Of course I have to go."

He dipped the fried dough stick into the porridge bowl and took a big bite.

"Boss Dai isn't one to joke around with us."

"Once he's made up his mind, there will be big trouble if he doesn't carry it out."

"You know that person well."

Wanjia frowned in thought, then suddenly looked up, her eyes brightening: "How about I go with you?"

She was quite pleased with herself:

"My marksmanship is alright. Anyway, I was just shopping at a clothing store, and I know Zheng Pingping."

"One more of me makes no difference, one less of me makes no difference either."

Wang Xuesen almost choked on the fried dough stick and gulped down a mouthful of porridge.

"Give me a break."

He put down his chopsticks and looked at Wanjia speechlessly.

"Your persona is that of a rich young lady."

"Playing with guns and knives is not something that can be done openly. If you were to fire a gun, Li Shiqun would be the first to become suspicious."

Wanjia's lips moved in disappointment, as if she wanted to say something more.

Wang Xuesen waved his hand, his tone softening slightly:

"Besides, if you go, I'll have to take care of you too."

"By then, you won't be able to run away even if you want to."

Don't worry.

He patted Wanjia's hand, which was resting on the table.

"I'm wearing a metal vest, I'll be fine."

Wanjia's eyes immediately reddened.

After a long pause, she finally spoke in a muffled voice.

"All right."

You must take good care of yourself.

"Without you, I..."

She sniffed, her voice trembling.

"I don't want to live either."

Wang Xuesen quickly put down his chopsticks and deliberately put on a playful smile.

"Don't worry, I'll live well even if you're a tigress."

"After all, they're not easy to find."

Wanjia punched him:

"Hate!"

"What time is it? You still have the mind to joke around!"

After finishing breakfast, Wang Xuesen stood up and, while putting on his coat, gave Wanjia some instructions:

"I have time to go to the club today."

"Fang Yao will probably be playing cards. If you can see her, it would be best to join her at a table."

He buttoned up his shirt and lowered his voice.

"Let's talk about syphilis and scare her a little."

"It would be even better if we could get her medical records from the hospital."

"When dealing with Bai Junqi, it would be more convincing to have Fujita Hajime on our side."

Wanjia wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and forced herself to listen.

Wang Xuesen added another sentence.

"Also, pay attention to hygiene when dining, and try not to touch things that the ladies have used."

"Nine out of ten wives are Mei, and the remaining one has no one to keep her company."

"Syphilis is rampant in this circle now, we have to be careful."

Wanjia rolled her eyes at him, pouted, and hummed in agreement.

"understood."

She paused, then suddenly raised her chin and squinted at Wang Xuesen.

"You better behave yourself."

"Rumors about white roses and Li Lu are flying everywhere."

"If you keep messing around outside, what if you infect me one day! Humph!"

She grinned, showing her little white teeth.

"Watch out, or I'll bite you!"

Wang Xuesen rolled his eyes and said confidently, "Fake news!"

"Your man is a respectable person. Would I do anything so immoral?"

He said this without batting an eye, his face radiating righteous indignation.

Wanjia smiled, puffing out her chest with a hint of smugness.

"I doubt you would."

"I have both a great figure and great stamina."

"Can't I even serve you?"

As she said this, she tilted her head and raised her eyebrows.

"Didn't you hear what Lao Du said? I've made you lose your sense of sight."

Wang Xuesen leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Yes, yes, you're a man-eating tigress, the most formidable one."

"I'm gone."

Wanjia followed to the door and leaned against the door frame.

"be safe."

"Be very careful."

Wang Xuesen waved to her and walked down the steps without looking back.

Wanjia leaned against the door frame, watching his back.

Only after he drove out of sight did she slowly close the door and reluctantly return to her room.

……

Number 76, family quarters.

Ye Jiqing sat in front of the dressing mirror, holding an eyebrow pencil in one hand and a powder puff in the other, carefully drawing her eyebrows and touching up her makeup.

Her carefully made-up face was reflected in the mirror.

Her eyebrows were neatly curved, and her lips were bright red; she looked very stylish.

That's really rare.

Xuesen actually invited me to go shopping.

What's even more remarkable is that Old Li, who's so jealous, actually nodded in agreement.

She likes Xue Sen.

It's not that kind of liking.

He's simply a fashion enthusiast with a good eye, a pleasant voice, and the ability to keep up with the times—a truly remarkable person.

Going shopping or playing tennis with him is much more fun than going out with Lao Li.

That was truly joyful.

"Old Li, do you think my makeup looks good?"

Ye Jiqing turned his head and asked Li Shiqun excitedly.

Li Shiqun glared at her unhappily: "Beautiful, beautiful."

His tone was clearly tinged with jealousy as he looked his wife up and down.

"How old are you? You're still piling layers and layers of makeup on your face."

Ye Jiqing pouted and slammed the powder puff on the table: "You jealous fool."

Ye Jiqing pouted and slammed the powder puff on the table: "You jealous fool."

"I can't even get you to go shopping with me once a year."

"You're not happy that Xue Sen is keeping me company."

Li Shiqun snorted, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing more.

He wasn't afraid that Ji Qing might have some other intentions.

He has bodyguards with him wherever he goes.

Furthermore, knowing that Ji Qing was greedy for money, he intended to use their sibling relationship to win over Wang Xuesen.

I wouldn't go so far as to doubt it.

I'm just a little jealous; I can't stand her enthusiasm.

You know, when we were dating back then, she never seemed this attentive.

Ye Jiqing looked at herself in the mirror again, nodded in satisfaction, opened the drawer and rummaged through it, then picked out a blue silk scarf, tied it into a bow around her neck.

She was gesturing in the mirror when the phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.

Li Shiqun reached out and took it.

"Feed".

He frowned slightly, his expression changing: "Okay, I understand."

Click.

The phone hangs up.

Ye Jiqing saw his face in the mirror and slammed the powder box shut in her hand.

Li Shiqun turned around and looked at her.

"Alright."

"The shopping trip can be cancelled."

Ye Jiqing's carefully maintained smile froze: "Wha... what do you mean?"

Li Shiqun placed the teacup on the bedside table, his tone as heavy as iron:

"I just received a message from Chen Mingchu."

"The Military Intelligence Bureau is going to assassinate Wang Xuesen today."

Ye Jiqing's eyes widened suddenly: "Why did they have to choose today of all days?"

Li Shiqun remained silent.

How can he explain this?

It was a bad idea that I sent someone to come up with.

The original intention was to test Wang Xuesen's capabilities, but the Military Intelligence Bureau actually fell for it and acted without hesitation.

But he lit the fire.

Spilled water can't be taken back.

Moreover, Ding Mocun will be accompanied by Wang Xuesen.

This guy rarely goes out, and my plot against him at No. 76 would have had a terrible impact. It was only with great difficulty that I was able to get rid of him through the Kuomintang's military intelligence.

Furthermore, if he were to go and try to dissuade Wang Xuesen, the high-level informant that Chen Mingchu had carefully planted might be exposed.

He can only hope that Wang Xuesen will have good luck.

"Old Li, this is our god of wealth. It would be a real problem if he died."

"The outpost is gone, so we were hoping he could get supplies from the Americans."

Ye Jiqing spoke urgently, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Don't you realize we're short on funds right now? If the Military Intelligence Bureau cuts down this cash cow, what will we starve to live on?"

"Besides, Xuesen always cares about us so much; why doesn't he send us the best things first?"

"You'd better think of a solution quickly."

She stomped her foot in anger and stood up.

Li Shiqun was also filled with regret.

The hole they dug themselves almost buried their own money tree.

Who knew those mad dogs from the Military Intelligence Bureau would act so quickly?

Sigh, that old Liu.

What a terrible idea! It seems I can't trust him too much in the future.

He turned around, his face grim, and after thinking for a moment, said, "Don't panic."

"In that case, I'll equip Wang Xuesen with an iron vest, and assign Wang Lin to him as well."

"I reckon he'll bring Zhan Shen with him too."

"With this lineup, it should be very difficult for the opponent to succeed."

Ye Jiqing felt a little more at ease: "Alright, you'd better keep a close eye on things, don't let our God of Wealth really get burned out there."

……

8:30 a.m.

Wang Xuesen arrived at the office on time.

I had just put down my briefcase when the phone on the table rang.

He answered the phone: "Director Li."

"Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, a mocking smile appeared on Wang Xuesen's lips.

Sure enough, there was a mole in the Shanghai Military Intelligence Bureau.

Li Shiqun indeed learned of the assassination attempt.

That old fox is well-informed; he's probably trying to cover for himself.

Wang Xuesen pushed open the door and entered Li Shiqun's office.

Except for Lao Li.

Wang Lin, a master of Bajiquan, was also there.

His hair was slicked back and neatly combed. He was wearing a formal Zhongshan suit and a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

With his upright and tall physique, he has quite the demeanor of the senior disciple of the Broken Water Flow Sect.

That aura—just standing there makes people feel extremely intimidated.

Wang Xuesen stepped forward to greet him: "Director, Mr. Wang."

Li Shiqun held a cigarette in his hand, but didn't light it.

Wang Lin doesn't smoke, which is a basic respect for a master.

He looked at Wang Xuesen and said, "Xuesen, your sister-in-law had a cough this morning. I can only apologize for what happened to you."

Wang Xuesen feigned a miserable expression and said, "Alright, then I'll just have to bleed myself to keep Old Ding company."

Li Shiqun said, "Given the current poor security situation, I'll have Mr. Wang accompany you to ensure your safety."

Wang Xuesen hurriedly and respectfully clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Wang Lin, saying, "This, this is not appropriate. How could I possibly trouble Mr. Wang?"

It's worth noting that Wang Lin was recommended to Li Shih-Chun by Wang Zhaoming.

He was also very famous in Shanghai, and his martial arts skills were excellent.

Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can be his bodyguard.

Li Shiqun waved his hand and said, "Alright, we're family, no need to be so polite. Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Wang."

Wang Lin nodded slightly, his expression cold and stern, and remained silent.

"Oh, right, I had the equipment room prepare an iron vest for you. Remember to wear it," Li Shiqun added.

"Thank you, brother." Wang Xuesen was overjoyed.

This thing was incredibly heavy, weighing eight or nine pounds. Carrying it on his back felt like carrying a tortoise shell, which forced Wang Xuesen to abandon his original suit and wear a large trench coat instead.

……

Nine o'clock in the morning.

Zheng Pingping arrived in front of Building No. 76.

She wore a beige coat today, which made her look exceptionally dignified and elegant.

A moment later, Wang Xuesen and Ding Mocun came down.

He originally wanted to call him Zhan Shen.

On second thought, today might turn into a chaotic battle, so it's better not to send my brothers to their deaths.

When Zheng Pingping saw Wang Xuesen, she inwardly cried out in alarm.

She immediately frowned, complaining with a look of disgust, "Director Ding, why is he following us? Isn't he ruining our fun?"

Wang Xuesen met her gaze and felt a surge of emotion.

At least you have some conscience.

Knowing today is a battleground, I want to drive myself away.

Unfortunately, she still came.

He was so eager to kill Ding Mocun that he couldn't be persuaded otherwise.

Of course, it's also possible that pressure was exerted by the upper echelons of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS).

Within the Kuomintang, the Military Intelligence Bureau was usually regarded as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a group of military men.

People like Shen Zui and Chen Gongshu, at best, could only fire guns and set off explosives; they were willing to fight and kill.

Since the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) was rooted in the party headquarters, it was mainly responsible for party affairs and internal monitoring.

This group is more cunning, ruthless, and adept at business.

Wang Xuesen likened it to the Eastern Depot (a notorious secret police agency).

Xu Zhaolin had finally managed to get his hands on Zheng Pingping, so there was no reason not to play her card.

It's easy to imagine that Zheng Pingping was under immense pressure.

Wang Xuesen chuckled and said, "Director, I knew Miss Zheng didn't like me. Maybe I shouldn't go."

Ding Mocun was still counting on him to pay.

Furthermore, seeing that Li Shiqun had even sent Wang Lin along.

With such a skilled protector, they felt reassured and could not let Wang Xuesen go.

He waved his hand repeatedly and said, "Hey, Xuesen has a better eye than me. He knows what the latest international styles are. With him around, it's easier to pick things out."

"Alright, let's go."

He didn't give the two a chance to refuse or refute, and invited them to get into the car.

Wang Xuesen and Wang Lin drove their own bulletproof car.

Wang Lin sat in the passenger seat, his sharp eyes scanning the scenery outside the car window.

Wang Xuesen, gripping the steering wheel, casually remarked, "Mr. Wang, thank you for your hard work today."

Wang Lin replied calmly, "It's my duty."

Ding Mocun and Zheng Pingping were in the same car.

Ding Mocun sat in the back row, his hands wandering along her cheongsam and stockings.