Chapter 8 Night in Jinling

  The first day of a newcomer's report is always complicated and tense, like a puppet on strings, being led to run east and west, meeting people, exchanging pleasantries, receiving items, listening to warnings. But Dong Zhiyu had never mixed up any link, every detail, every person she met, what they were called, what they did, every place she went, what institution it was, what function it had, she remembered everything in her heart.

  After getting off work in the evening, she went home to tidy up and change her clothes, painting her lips bright red. She was going to meet with people from Yejinling and Xunton tonight, which was the first meeting time agreed upon after reporting for duty on Monday.

  The night of Xuanwu is not as prosperous as that of Shanghai, especially after the baptism of the massacre by the Japanese army in the previous years. Everywhere was bombed and burned, with broken walls and scars all over the place. In the past year, many places have been rebuilt, but they are still far from being restored to their original state.

  However, in any era, there are always people who want to have fun. The new street at the old country's beginning of the 20th century had already become a modern commercial center. Although the city was just bloodbathed, it was now bustling with neon lights and music. Dong Zhiyu easily found this not-so-small nightclub, which was similar to many nightclubs in Shanghai. At the entrance, there were rickshaw pullers, vendors selling cigarettes, sugar-roasted chestnuts, and flowers... things that were present in prosperous times were also available in chaotic times.

  Upon entering Night Golden City, the decorations looked new, probably less than a year or two old. However, the facilities were not as luxurious as those of the two famous nightclubs on Shanghai Beach. The doorman was also not as stylishly dressed. After all, Shanghai Beach was a place where foreigners and locals mixed together. But in the then-Republic of China, this nightclub was considered one of the top places for wine and women.

  Dong Zhiyu glanced at the watch on her wrist, 7:59. She walked straight to the bar and sat down in an empty chair. She knew that Xuan Tongsi and the person she was supposed to meet should have arrived by now and were probably waiting for her nearby, perhaps even sitting next to her, waiting for her to say the password.

  On the other side of the bar was a small stage, which was also used as a dance floor. At this moment, a slender woman with a seductive waist was singing a slow and melancholic song. The song itself was elegant, but it was ruined by her worldly and affected tone, as well as the lackluster accompaniment of the dancer beside her.

  She smiled slyly at the little brother wearing a black vest behind the counter.

  "What can I get for you, miss?"

  "Here," Dong Zhiyu looked down and rummaged through her handbag, then shrugged, "do you have 'White Jade Orchid' cigarettes? I forgot to bring mine."

  The young man behind the counter was taken aback, just about to respond, when a low and steady male voice came from one side: "Miss is from Shanghai, right? 'White Jade Orchid' is a popular ladies' cigarette among Shanghai's madams, but it's unknown here in Xuanwu."

  The young man smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Fortunately, the male voice saved him from embarrassment and asked with a smile: "Miss, is there anything else you need?"

  On the other side, Dong Zhiyu swept a glance, and the one who responded to her was a slightly chubby middle-aged man, dressed and styled quite decently. In such a place of wine and beauty, he looked somewhat different from the others with his Confucian merchant demeanor. Dong Zhiyu had already counted him in her mind, but she didn't strike up a conversation, just raised an eyebrow as a response.

  "Give me a cup of 'Smoke and Fire Memories of Qin'."

  "Alright, miss, just a moment." The bartender replied, turning around to instruct the mixologist.

  "Without 'White Jade Orchid', I wonder if this 'Purple Bell Mountain' can enter the eyes of a young lady?" The middle-aged man politely handed over an exquisite silver cigarette case, Dong Zhiyu picked one from it and held it in his lips, the middle-aged man lit it for him, and he puffed out a wisp of smoke, "Thank you," paused for a moment, "Purple Bell Mountain is naturally good, this is the dragon vein of Xuanwu."

  As soon as they finished speaking, both of them burst out laughing. The young man quickly handed over a cup of shallow golden liquid with flames burning on its surface, just like the splashing water and colorful lights of fireworks exploding in the sky.

  "I'm Fu Qiu Sheng, Deputy General Manager of Jinling Hotel. Miss, would you do me the honor of putting tonight's drinks on my tab?"

  "Since Mr. Fu has already spoken, how can I not respond?" Dong Zhiyu smiled with a pure yet alluring smile.

  Fu Qiusheng burst out laughing and said, "Miss, please follow me to the VIP lounge."

  Dong Zhiyu held her wine glass and followed Fu Qiusheng around the dance floor. The slow dance had just ended, replaced by a lively tune. They arrived at a VIP seat slightly further away, with sheepskin sofas arranged in a way that left ample space between each seat to protect one's privacy. Although it was a bit far from the stage, this angle and height were actually the best spot to watch the performance.

  "Miss Dong Zhiyu, how are you? Is everything going smoothly?" Fu Qiusheng suddenly became serious, abandoning his earlier flattering tone.

  "Everything has been going smoothly so far, reporting today and starting work formally tomorrow. I'm staying at Youxin Square next to Central University, which is quite convenient, just a 10-minute rickshaw ride away."

  Fu Qiusheng nodded, took a puff of smoke, "They should have made it very clear to you what your mission is here," paused, "Today was originally supposed to be just a feeler, get in touch with me, remember, for now, the only contact person you have in Xuanwu is me, there are many people from the Xuantong government in this nightclub and even in Xuanwu City, but you can only contact me directly, got it?"

  "I understand." Dong Zhiyu nodded, she felt that Fu Qiusheng's words were not finished yet, and there was something more important behind.

  "Something big has happened," as expected, Fu Qiusheng furrowed his brow, as if he had touched upon a mysterious and ominous matter. "Xu Xinquan, the head of Xuwen District in Shanghai, was recently arrested in Shanghai and was escorted back to Nanjing by the 76th Special Operations Unit just two days ago."

  Dong Zhiyu suddenly remembered the scene he saw when he got off the train two days ago. "Two days ago, I took a train from Shanghai to Xiaguan Station and saw several puppet spies escorting a man in his 40s out of the station and into two waiting cars. Could it be him?"

  Fu Qiusheng was startled and hesitated for a moment, "The train from Shanghai to Xuanwu the day before yesterday... it's probably him, nine out of ten."

  Dong Zhiyu was also shocked, so it turned out that she had a bad premonition at Xiaguan Railway Station that day. Although she was an underground party member of the Red Gang Party in Xuantong Temple, with the current anti-Japanese situation, people from Xuantong Temple falling into the hands of Wang's traitorous regime was not what she wanted to see. "What is this person's attitude like? Is there a possibility of betrayal?"

  "It's hard to say," Fu Qiusheng took a deep drag on his cigarette, as if the question had touched a sore spot. "But once Qian Xinmin turns against us, the losses for Xuanwu Country will be immeasurable. He has always been the main person in charge of the Xuantong Agency's Shanghai-Xuanwu line, with a large number of confidential documents, codebooks, and radio locations in his possession..."

  Dong Zhiyu fell silent for a moment. The events of the past few months could be described as one misfortune after another, from Old Chen being discovered and killed by Xuan Tongsi, to being sent to Xuanwu City and losing contact with the organization, to now facing a fatal blow again. If she weren't a firm atheist and nihilist, she might really need to find someone to help her figure things out.

  Fu Qiusheng sensed Dong Zhiyu's silence and worry, but slightly misinterpreted the other's concern. "However, there is one thing you can rest assured of: Qian Xinmin does not know about 'Song Que Action', nor does he know who 'Que' is. This is a very covert single line, so far, only I, Manager Duan, and 'Que' himself know. Others, including important ones like Qian Xinmin, at most know that 'Que' exists, but do not know his identity."

  Dong Zhiyu nodded, at least she was still stable for now, and they could discuss it further later. "What do you need me to do?"

  "The situation is serious, 'Qian' will temporarily hide out and wait for the storm to pass before reactivating. Qian Xinmin doesn't know you exist, which is a good thing. I'm currently consulting with Boss Duan to see if we can make adjustments to our plan. There's something that needs to be taken care of right now, let's see if you can handle it."

  "What's wrong?"

  "For the time being, I can't tell you, it needs Old Master Duan's approval, and then we'll discuss it further."

  Dong Zhiyu's face flashed a hint of disappointment, which did not escape Fu Qiusheng's eyes. He changed his serious expression and chuckled, "Young people, having momentum is good, but doing things must have patience. Wang Zaoming has been on edge since he was shocked in Hanoi last year, now he thinks everyone wants to kill him and everyone is an internal spy. For 'Qu' to be able to hide under his nose, wisdom and patience are indispensable."

  Dong Zhiyu smiled somewhat embarrassedly, earlier he indeed was a bit too hasty. In the past when he was in the Intelligence Class, there was a lesson on "curiosity", as an intelligence personnel, one must have curiosity, but being curious about something doesn't mean asking it out loud, rather it's putting it in your heart and questioning, then finding ways to get the answer. "Yes, Zhiyu will follow Mr. Fu's teachings."

  "Haha!" Fu Qiusheng burst out laughing again, it seems that if it weren't for Qian Xinmin's matter, he should be a very optimistic person. "Let's stop here for today, we'll meet often in the future. The people of the Wang puppet government gather every Saturday night to drink and have fun, the government pays the bill, at 'Ye Jinling'."

  "What a coincidence!"

  "This is not a coincidence, we set up the liaison station in 'Ye Jinling' for this purpose. You should try to come every week, if there are tasks or situations we can take the opportunity to communicate, and if I have an emergency, I will send someone to find you, but I will try not to take this step, so it's very important that you can come here every Saturday."

  "I understand." Dong Zhiyu wanted to ask if Que would come over every week too, but after what just happened, she chose to keep her mouth shut.

  "Now, Miss Dong, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" Fu Qiusheng asked politely, reverting to his earlier manner.

  The author has something to say: According to the book, Qian Xinmin was taken from Shanghai to Nanjing by the 76th Special Agent on November 9, 1940. The author arranged for him and our Zhiyu Miss to be on the same train, which he thought was a great idea~

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