Hidden Radiance

The rooftop restaurant at Broadway Building.

The gramophone played Caruso's arias. Outside the window, the shimmering waters reflected where the Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River met.

Lu Minghui sat by the window. His right hand was no longer under the suspenders, and his movements were still a little clumsy, but he held the wine glass steadily.

Nanzo Yunko sat opposite her. The major had changed out of her military uniform into a deep purple backless evening dress, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, and a thin gold chain on her collarbone rising and falling with her breath.

"Minghui-kun, the Wellington steak here still tastes the same as always." Nanzo Yunzi cut off a small piece of beef, put it in her mouth, and kept her eyes fixed on Lu Minghui's face.

"The taste hasn't changed, but the people eating it have." Lu Minghui put down his wine glass, his fingertips lightly tracing the tablecloth. "You used to be my junior, then you became mine... and now you're my boss."

Nanzo Yunzi smiled. The makeup at the corners of her eyes was fresh and the colors were vibrant.

"If Minghui-kun is willing, I can just be your Yunzi." She put down her knife and fork, leaned forward, and lowered her voice. "Just tell me, did Wang Puchen come to see you tonight because of those fifty boxes of penicillin, or for something else?"

Lu Minghui paused for a moment as he cut the steak.

Wang Puchen only returned to Shanghai yesterday. He heard from her faster than he expected.

"He wants fifty cases of penicillin," Lu Minghui said frankly.

Nanzo Yunzi's eyes narrowed. "Fifty boxes? The entire quota for East China combined doesn't even reach that number in a month."

"He's not crazy, and neither am I." Lu Minghui cut open the steak in front of him, revealing the tender pink meat inside. "It's Li Shiqun who's crazy."

Nanzo Yunko stopped using her knife and fork.

"In order to return to Shanghai, he promised Zhou Fohai that he would gather a batch of strategic materials within three months and send them to Nanjing. The bulk of it was penicillin." Lu Minghui put down his knife and fork, looked up, and said, "Wang Puchen's information was bought from inside the Nanjing Special Investigation Committee. Li Shiqun wanted to 'find' this batch of goods by investigating the accounts of Litai Bank, which would then become his pledge of allegiance."

Nanzo Yunzi snorted coldly and gripped the napkin on the table with her right hand.

"He wants to use the Empire's resources to satisfy Zhou Fohai's appetite, and he even wants to step on the Special Higher Police's face. Li Shiqun, does he really think Shanghai is his personal bank?"

"So, I didn't go." Lu Minghui picked up his wine glass. "Wang Puchen's banquet is not as good as Yunzi's dinner."

Nanzo Yunzi picked up her wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

She put down the cup, her eyelashes drooped slightly, but the curve of her lips held a sharp edge.

"Minghui-kun, you didn't ask me out tonight just because you were bored, did you?"

Lu Minghui looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.

Nanzo Yunzi placed her hand, which was clutching the napkin, back on the table, her knuckles clenched tightly, the tips of her fingers turning white. Lu Minghui's gaze fell on that hand and paused for a moment.

He stretched out his right hand and covered it.

When I invited Yunzi, I didn't even know there was such a banquet.

Nanzo Yunko grasped his hand in return. "Thank you."

Lu Minghui didn't pull his hand away. "But there just happens to be a good show."

He picked up the wine glass with his left hand.

at the same time.

76 Jessfield Road, Special Investigation Committee Office.

Li Shiqun sat behind a large desk, holding a worn-out business card that read "Chen Zheng".

Lin Zhijiang stood to the side, holding a copy of the intercepted coded telegram.

"Director, we've found it. Lu Minghui was at the Broadway Building tonight, and Wang Puchen was there too," Lin Zhijiang said in a low voice.

Li Shiqun suddenly looked up.

"According to our informant in the Black Dragon Society, Matsui does indeed have a batch of contraband that has just been unloaded from the docks," Lin Zhijiang added.

Li Shiqun put the business card into his inner pocket.

"They're keeping Nanzo Yunzi hanging while simultaneously supplying the Military Intelligence Bureau with drugs, and they're even draining my blood in the process." Li Shiqun stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of the Broadway Building. "Notify She Aizhen. Have her lead the guards to ambush the area. As soon as the drugs show up, rob them without asking where they came from. If Nanzo Yunzi dares to stop them, just say you're arresting Military Intelligence Bureau agents; accidental injuries are inevitable."

Lin Zhijiang hesitated. "Director, that's Nanzo Yunzi. What if things get out of hand..."

"If this gets out of hand, Mr. Zhou will take the blame!" Li Shiqun turned around, grabbed Lin Zhijiang by the collar, and said, "We are a special investigation committee of the Nanjing government, and we have the right to act!"

He released his grip, took a half step back, and added, "I personally monitored this lead for three days. No matter how capable Lu Minghui is, he couldn't possibly know that I had planted someone in the Black Dragon Society."

Lin Zhijiang nodded and ran out quickly.

As Lin Zhijiang reached the corner of the corridor, his steps slowed. He touched the note in his pocket—it had a phone number written on it, given to him by She Aizhen last week.

"Call this number first if you need anything," said She Aizhen at the time.

Lin Zhijiang glanced at the closed office door behind him. He pulled out the note, held it between his fingers, and turned into the stairwell.

One of the lights in the stairwell was broken, so he stood in the shadows and dialed the number.

Broadway Building, underground bar.

The saxophone melody lingered on the notes. Men and women swayed their bodies in the dance floor, amidst swirling smoke.

Wang Puchen sat in the deepest booth, a black briefcase in front of him. He was wearing a gray suit, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd.

The bar's door was suddenly kicked open.

Dozens of guards in black uniforms rushed in, carrying submachine guns, and instantly surrounded the booth.

She Aizhen walked at the front, high heels on her feet, carrying a Browning pistol. The muzzle was lowered, not raised. As she entered, her gaze swept quickly towards the second-floor platform, so quickly that those behind her wouldn't notice.

"It's quite lively." She Aizhen looked around, her gaze finally settling on Wang Puchen's face. "I heard there's a large-scale transaction of contraband here, so we've been ordered to shut it down."

Wang Puchen sat in a booth, his right hand resting on a black briefcase. He didn't move, his gaze piercing through the smoke as he coldly watched the black-clad agents who surrounded him.

She Aizhen raised the Browning pistol in her hand, pointing it at Wang Puchen's forehead. Her nail-painted index finger rested on the trigger, her hand steady.

"Station Chief Wang, the contents of this box are probably something that can't be brought to light, aren't they?" She Aizhen said with a playful smile.

Wang Puchen removed the cigar from his lips and flicked off the ash. "Station Chief Wang? What Station Chief Wang?"

"Hehe." She Aizhen took half a step back, making room for the side.

Lin Zhijiang and his men rushed over. He was running quite fast, his forehead covered in sweat, but his eyes gleamed with excitement. He stopped in front of Wang Puchen and grabbed the black briefcase.

Wang Puchen did not loosen his grip.

"Director Lin, even when you're robbing someone, you have to consider who their master is," Wang Puchen said in a low voice.

"My master is the Special Investigation Committee of the Nanjing Nationalist Government!" Lin Zhijiang suddenly snatched the briefcase away. He didn't open it immediately, but turned to look at the bar entrance.

Li Shiqun strode in.

He pushed aside the secret agent blocking his way, a cool breeze rising from the hem of his trench coat. He stopped in front of the booth, his gaze falling on the black briefcase before moving to Wang Pucheng's face.

"Station Chief Wang, you've worked hard." Li Shiqun's voice betrayed an barely suppressed smugness. "The fifty boxes of penicillin that Lu Minghui promised you, are they right here?"

Wang Puchen didn't speak, he just sneered.

"Open it," Li Shiqun ordered Lin Zhijiang.

Lin Zhijiang clicked open the latch. Just then, the saxophone in the bar hit a high note, sharp and piercing.

The box was opened.

There were no delivery slips or bundles of banknotes inside.

A necklace lay on a black velvet background. The pendant was a pigeon blood ruby, which refracted a dark red light when illuminated.

Li Shiqun's hand hung in mid-air, his five fingers spread open, frozen there.

Before he could stop, a series of crisp boots echoed from the bar's stairwell.

"Director Li, do you think my necklace looks good?"

Nanzo Yunzi's voice came from the second-floor platform. She was wearing a deep purple evening gown with a large military overcoat draped over it. She walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing, her high heels clicking crisply on the iron steps.

Lu Minghui followed behind her. His right hand was in his suit pocket, his left hand was slightly bent, and his gaze swept over Li Shiqun's face without lingering.

Li Shiqun stood frozen in place. The lid of the box in Lin Zhijiang's hand was still open, and the light from the pigeon blood ruby ​​shone brightly on their faces.

"Miss Yunzi..." Li Shiqun opened his mouth, his throat a little dry.

"Tell me, is my necklace pretty?" Nanzo Yunzi walked up to Li Shiqun. She was shorter than Li Shiqun, but the agents around them unconsciously lowered their guns.

"This...this is from the Military Intelligence Bureau." Li Shiqun pointed at Wang Puchen. "I'm here to arrest Military Intelligence Bureau agents."

"A Kuomintang agent?" Nanzo Yunzi sneered, turning to look at Wang Puchen. "Mr. Chen, are you a Kuomintang agent?"

Wang Puchen stood up and straightened the wrinkles in his suit. He took out an ID card from his pocket and handed it to Nanzo Yunzi.

That was a special pass issued by the Japanese military police. The holder was Chen Zheng. His identity was that of a senior business representative of the Black Dragon Society.

"Miss Yunzi, I'm just here to deliver a promotion gift to Section Chief Li as instructed by Mr. Matsui," Wang Puchen said calmly. "I didn't expect Director Li to be so interested in the gift."

Li Shiqun suddenly turned his head to look at Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui was taking a cigarette out of his pocket, but didn't light it. He looked at Li Shiqun, and his lips twitched slightly, a very small movement.

"Director Li stormed in with his men, saying he was arresting Kuomintang spies and searching for contraband," Lu Minghui said, his tone tinged with helplessness. "But what you stole was Miss Yunzi's necklace?"

He held the unlit cigarette between his fingers and waved it at Li Shiqun.

"Is it because you're used to stealing, or because you've gotten used to it?"

Li Shiqun's lips moved twice, but no sound came out. His gaze shifted from the ruby ​​in the box to Nanzo Yunzi's face, and then to the unlit cigarette in Lu Minghui's hand.

She Aizhen put away her Browning and retreated to the wall. She lowered her head to check the bolt, the curve of her lips hidden in the shadows.