Espionage codename: Shen Gongbao

Just as Wang Xuesen was about to get up, Yang Jie, who was closest to the telephone, grabbed the receiver from behind, tucked it over his shoulder, and asked while playing cards, "Who is it?"

"Oh, it's your sister-in-law."

"Xuesen is busy, just tell me what's wrong."

"Old Yang, stop teasing her," Wang Xuesen quickly interjected.

"What a loving couple, Xuesen, you can take this." Yang Jie smiled and handed over the receiver.

Wang Xuesen stood up and took it: "Wan'er, it's me."

"Oh, you can make whatever you want for dinner. I'll eat whatever you make anyway."

"No, I won't go out. I promise you I'll definitely get off work and go home on time."

He smiled and said, "I won't go to the oil painting exhibition. I'm too lazy to look at those foreign things, and besides, I can't find the time."

"Why don't you ask Sister Yu or Mrs. Okamura to go with you?"

"Be good, listen to me, just like that."

"youngest!"

Wang Xuesen kissed the receiver, hung up the phone, sat back on the sofa, and laughed, "Women are such a hassle, they never stop nagging."

"Oh, I really envy you, little brother."

"They were arguing like crazy just a while ago, and now they're inseparable."

Yang Jie scrutinized him with a half-smile, glancing at him sideways.

"I have to thank Director Li and his wife for giving me a hand and allowing me to take on the role of Director of the Confidential Office."

"Let me put it this way."

"The Su family didn't give me a friendly look the other day, treating me like a kept man."

"Now."

"Hehe, if I go to Old Su's house and don't even touch my chopsticks, my father-in-law's feast can't start. If anyone dares to challenge me, I'll flip his table in a heartbeat."

With nothing else to do, Wang Xuesen started boasting.

"That's right."

"No matter how rich you are, you still have to be humble and respectful when you're dealing with officials like us."

"Besides, aren't all women like that? If you have money and status, and you serve them well, they'll chase after you and call you 'Dad.'"

"No money, no power, just a nobody on the street."

"Play a card, play a card."

Yang Jie was satisfied with his answer about gratitude and did not ask any further questions.

……

Deputy Director's Office.

Li Shiqun rarely got angry, staring at Ye Jiqing and saying, "How could you talk about such an important matter in the corridor, and in such detail?"

"It's all Yang Shuhui's fault. She dragged me to play mahjong until 3 a.m. last night."

"My mind is a little foggy."

"At the time, I didn't realize all that, so..."

Ye Jiqing, unlike his usual assertive self, lowered his head and offered an apologetic explanation with a pout.

"Brother, don't blame your wife. Yingying went upstairs, didn't she?" Wu Sibao quickly chimed in.

"What's the point of Ying Ying going?"

"If Wang Xuesen tells Ding Mocun, he can make a phone call all the way to the foreign concession, and our entire plan will be ruined."

"I'll just report them all to the military police, and it'll just be another round of wrangling."

Li Shiqun banged on the table, annoyed.

He paced back and forth a couple of times, his hands behind his back.

"Wu Kaixian, who was arrested this time, was the deputy minister of the Organization Department of the National Government and a special envoy of Chiang Kai-shek. He carried secret letters from Chiang Kai-shek and Kong Xiangxi and was in charge of overseeing the integration of the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, and Du Yuesheng's forces."

"An absolute heavyweight."

"Capturing him would break the negative impact of the Tang Zengyang case and give us face with the Japanese."

"If you mess this up, do you know what the consequences will be?"

"Ding Mocun offered Wang Tianmu a four-department system to persuade him to surrender, which would allow Wang Tianmu to set up telecommunications and intelligence departments under each department."

"These damn Kuomintang agents have both manpower and skills. How are you going to fight them with your bunch of Green Gang brutes?"

"Furthermore, the Japanese are very dissatisfied with the existing system because of the Tang Zengyang case."

"They prefer the four-hall system."

"If we can't win this battle, all our previous efforts will be in vain, and it will be difficult to suppress Ding Mo Village again."

Li Shiqun became increasingly angry the more he thought about it.

"Don't be so pessimistic. Let's take a look at the situation in the foreign concessions first."

"Furthermore, it's not certain that Wang Xuesen would tell Ding Mocun."

Ye Jiqing turned his head away unhappily.

Just then, there was a knock at the door: "Director, it's me."

"Come in." Li Shiqun took a slight breath, then regained his calm and composed demeanor.

"Secretary Ying, how is it?" He smiled calmly, and the cold, oppressive atmosphere in the room instantly vanished.

Ying Ying repeated Wang Xuesen's words in detail.

"That bastard dares to call my sister-in-law by her full name! Who does he think he is!" Wu Sibao roared in fury.

"Wang Jingwei and Chen Bijun don't treat him like a human being."

"He had no choice but to sit on the fence; he was forced into this situation."

"If you were Wang Xuesen..."

"Don't even think about climbing to the director position. You should be grateful if you can stay here for three days."

After hearing this, Li Shiqun breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go down first and write down everything Wang Xuesen and Ding Mocun said, don't miss a single word." He turned to Ying Ying and instructed her.

"Yes, Director." Ying Ying acknowledged the order and withdrew.

"Shiqun, will everything be alright?" Ye Jiqing asked, a little flustered.

"Wang Xuesen's words themselves would make Ding Mocun suspicious."

"But from his standpoint and perspective, there's nothing wrong with his manner of speaking and the content of his words." Li Shiqun clasped his hands together to loosen his knuckles, offering a seasoned analysis.

"Could he already suspect that Ying Ying is one of our people, so he's deliberately being evasive and not daring to say it?" Ye Jiqing frowned, her eyes sharp.

"No way."

"If he knew Ying Ying was one of ours, how dare he call her by her full name? He's asking for death!" Wu Sibao exclaimed.

"After observing for so many days, we can basically confirm that this kid is a fence-sitter."

"After observing for so many days, we can basically confirm that this kid is a fence-sitter."

"However, if I were Ding Mocun, and thought about it more, it would be easy to connect it to the translation and the concession issue."

"After all, there's not much Wang Xuesen can do."

"Old Ding has done a lot of things that have dragged us down."

"Sibao, call Hu Junhe immediately and tell him to keep a close eye on the concession area."

"I immediately informed Captain Okamura that we couldn't wait for Wu Kaixian's meeting this afternoon to take them all down at once; we had to act ahead of schedule."

"We can't afford to gamble."

"At worst, we'll just arrest them and let them work their jobs out one by one."

Li Shiqun's eyes sharpened, and he decisively and wisely gave the order.

"Yes, I will go and inform the brothers to take action immediately."

Wu Sibao grabbed his hat and hurriedly went out.

……

Inside the pharmacy.

Looking at the panting Su Wanjia, Du Song said with displeasure, "I didn't put up a sign outside, why did you come at this hour? Can't you see there are still many patients waiting in line over there?"

"It's too late, I have important intelligence."

Su Wanjia took a breath and repeated what Wang Xuesen had said on the phone.

"Did you arrange to see oil paintings?" Du Song asked.

"I said that yesterday."

"But it was Xuesen who brought up this topic on the phone."

"In the past, he never passed intelligence over the phone."

"The person who answered the phone was Yang Jie."

"Xue Sen is likely under surveillance; there's a major operation planned by Number 76."

Su Wanjia spoke very quickly.

"Oil painting, oil painting, what does that mean?" Du Song was also completely confused.

"Oh, and he also mentioned foreigners."

"Foreigners."

"The concessions?"

Su Wanjia's eyes lit up, and she quickly said:

"Is the 76th Division going to the foreign concessions to arrest people?"

"This person must be very important, otherwise, given Xuesen's cautious nature, he would never do something so risky."

"not good!"

"District Chief Chen is going to a meeting in the basement of the church in the French Concession at 3 p.m. today."

"The Central Committee sent a deputy minister of organization down to Shanghai, who was secretly ordered by Chairman Chiang Kai-shek and Chen Lifu to integrate the anti-Japanese intelligence front in Shanghai, especially to mediate the internal strife between the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) and the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Juntong).

"Wu Kaixian!"

"This is troublesome. Boss Dai repeatedly emphasized that this person is very important and carries the Chairman's secret mission."

Du Song slapped his forehead, looking utterly shocked.

"What do we do now? Li Shiqun and the Japanese have their eyes on him."

"Contact District Chief Chen immediately."

Su Wanjia also lost her composure.

"No, I can only meet with District Chief Chen alone. If anyone gets involved, you will be exposed."

"And even then, we might not be able to find him."

Du Song frowned, at a loss for what to do.

"Old Du, I remember now."

"My mother used to have a secret contact, which belonged to the US Ambassador, Mr. Gauss. Boss Dai instructed that it should not be used unless in dire straits."

"How about I try calling Ambassador Gauss?"

Su Wanjia gritted her teeth and decided to go all out.

……