Espionage codename: Shen Gongbao

Chapter 130 Ding Mocun: Can I win too?

The next morning.

Su Wanjia got up early and sat in front of the dressing table to apply makeup in front of the mirror.

Wang Xuesen rolled out of bed, leaned over and wrapped his arms around her plump waist from behind, burying his face in her hair.

He took a deep breath and asked with a muffled laugh:

"Why is your makeup so light today?"

Su Wanjia continued working, talking to him in the mirror:

"Xuesen, I plan to go to the hospital to stay with Pingping these next few days."

"Mrs. Okamura's circle is already stable. She has many mahjong partners now, so she doesn't lack manpower whether I'm there or not."

"It's a good opportunity to go and talk to Pingping. She must be having a hard time being alone in the hospital room."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her voice.

"With her injuries like that, if I paint her too elaborately, I'm afraid she'll feel uncomfortable seeing it."

Wang Xuesen kissed her behind the ear: "When did my darling become so thoughtful?"

"You look good even without makeup."

That wasn't entirely a lie.

Wanjia eats well and drinks delicious food every day, goes to bed early and gets up early, her skin is fair with a rosy glow, and she has even grown a little bit of fat on her stomach. Her healthy state is visible to the naked eye.

Su Wanjia glared at him in the mirror, a hint of smugness in her expression:

"I must say, this is the most basic courtesy. I can't let people think I'm ill-mannered."

She screwed on the lipstick cap and turned to face him.

"But, if I go to keep Pingping company, won't Li Shiqun and the others suspect anything?"

"Won't."

Wang Xuesen casually picked up a hair clip from the dressing table and helped her tuck away the stray hairs at her temples.

"Li Shiqun was more than happy that I persuaded Zheng Pingping to completely submit."

"When you go to the hospital to be with her, he sees it as you acting as my advocate, which suits his purposes perfectly."

Su Wanjia nodded, then asked, "And what about you? Do you have any missions lately?"

"no."

Wang Xuesen walked to the wardrobe, pulled out a gray suit jacket and put it on: "I need to find some time to go see Lao Du and District Chief Chen. They've done so much for Shancheng, they deserve a bonus."

"I'm not going to be Lao Dai's laborer for nothing."

Su Wanjia chuckled: "Money-grubber."

"If you don't make money, who will support you?"

Wang Xuesen, fastening his cufflinks, spoke without turning his head.

"If you didn't have an older brother, the Su family's wealth alone would be enough for us to squander for three generations."

"It's a pity you're not an only child."

Su Wanjia's half-brother, Su Muyang, was the manager of the grain department at Mitsui Company.

Wang Xuesen had met her once; her brother-in-law was almost a full twelve years older than Wanjia, and he was calm and experienced in his work.

The fact that the Su family has managed to survive until now despite pressure from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce is largely thanks to this eldest son.

Su Wanjia rolled her eyes at him: "My brother and sister-in-law have plenty of money, why are you worrying about it?"

She stood up, walked over to him, and straightened his tie.

"By the way, what about introducing someone to Xiaomin? Anything going on?"

She frowned.

"I've noticed she's been acting strangely these past few days; she's completely bewitched by that Zhan Shen."

Wang Xuesen shook his head: "I won't introduce you yet."

"Her heart is filled with Zhan Shen right now. If I force someone else into her life now, she won't like it, but she can't refuse because of my feelings. Living a life of conflict and indecision is torture for everyone."

"I can worry about it when she lets it go on her own."

Su Wanjia thought for a moment and said, "That's true."

I went downstairs.

Wang Xuesen did not have breakfast.

Ye Jiqing promised last night to bring him pan-fried buns this morning.

You have to save room in your stomach.

……

We drove to No. 76.

The staff members hurried along, and cars came and went.

Wang Xuesen knew that what happened last night had blown up.

First, based on Zheng Pingping's list, they conducted a night-long search and caught a lot of fish, so they need to finish up.

The other group concerns Yang Jie.

Since Bai Junqi was determined to target Li Shiqun, and had finally captured him, it wouldn't be so easy to get him out of there.

Wang Xuesen knew what was going on, so he deliberately didn't go to the interrogation room.

Those corrupt officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Military Bureau of Investigation and Statistics can be left to Wu Sibao to deal with.

He calmly entered the office and opened the day's application forms to pass the time.

They waited until nine o'clock, but Ye Jiqing still hadn't appeared.

My sister-in-law's steamed buns... are out of the question.

He folded the newspaper and casually took some cookies from the drawer to eat.

I reckon Ye Jiqing isn't in the mood to cook right now.

The goods were gone, her brother was arrested, and she probably didn't sleep a wink all night. She's crying in front of Li Shiqun.

Bai Junqi has really made a big fuss this time.

Just right.

The bigger the commotion, the better.

He unfolded the newspaper again, and the phone on the table suddenly rang.

Wang Xuesen picked up the receiver.

"it's me."

Ding Mocun's hoarse, gloomy voice came from the other end of the microphone.

"Xuesen, come up here."

Wang Xuesen replied, "Okay, I'll be right there."

He put down the receiver and thought for a moment.

Ding Mocun's visit to him was most likely related to Zhao Huimin.

That woman is still being held in the detention room of Lieutenant Shibuya's military police branch.

That short Japanese guy from Shibuya is notorious for being ruthless and heartless; he used to give Ding Mocun some face.

Now?

Ah!

Ding Mocun is already in dire straits; if he doesn't pay up, why should Shibuya release him?

Wang Xuesen took the cassette tape from the drawer, put it in the inside pocket of his suit, got up, and went upstairs.

……

dong dong.

He knocked on the door twice.

"Come in."

As soon as I pushed open the door, a strong, pungent smell of smoke hit me.

Ding Mocun sat behind his desk, his eyes sunken, and his face was even paler than usual.

The ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts; it looks like he hadn't slept all night.

Wang Xuesen walked to the table and greeted him with a smile, "Uncle, have you not slept a wink all night?"

Ding Mocun stubbed out his cigarette sharply, staring at him with a cold gaze:

"Xuesen, don't be too snobbish, and don't get carried away with your success."

"Think back to when you first came to No. 76, how did Li Shiqun treat you? Without my protection, could you have gotten to where you are today?"

He exhaled a puff of white smoke from his nostrils, and his voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't underestimate me just because I'm down on my luck today."

"I'm at a disadvantage now, but have you ever thought about the day I can rise again?"

"Uncle, what are you saying? How could I dare..." Wang Xuesen quickly replied.

Before he could finish speaking, Ding Mocun slammed his hand on the table:

"You've got some nerve!"

"How dare you slap my wife and have the military police arrest her!"

He pointed at Wang Xuesen's nose, veins bulging from his temples:

"Don't hit someone in the face! What do you mean? Are you trying to show off your power, flaunting your newfound ability and trying to curry favor with Li Shiqun?"

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Wang Xuesen nodded: "I am indeed from Uncle Chong."

Ding Mocun's pupils constricted sharply; he wished he could devour him.

"But not to kick you when you're down." Wang Xuesen took the cassette tape out of his suit pocket and gently placed it on the table. "It's to save you."

He pushed the tape forward with his fingertips.

"This is a recording from yesterday's interrogation room. Uncle understood after listening to it."

Ding Mocun stared intently at his face, trying to find even the slightest trace of guilt or pretense.

I couldn't see anything.

He snorted, got up, turned on the tape recorder, inserted the cassette, and pressed play.

hiss!

As the tape began to play, Wang Xuesen's questioning and the shouts of two female hooligans could be heard.

Snapped.

Ding Mocun pressed the stop button.

The tape recorder stopped abruptly.

He spoke in a deep voice: "What do you mean?"

Wang Xuesen took a step forward and lowered his voice:

"Uncle, have you ever thought about this? How did Auntie know Zheng Pingping had been arrested?"

Ding Mocun frowned but did not answer.

"Li Shiqun made such a big show of arresting Zheng Pingping that night."

"From the military police to the intelligence department, everyone was kept in the dark. Even I, the head of the interrogation room, was notified at the last minute."

Wang Xuesen spoke slowly and deliberately.

"But my aunt led a group of people into the interrogation room early the next morning."

Who notified her?

Ding Mocun picked up the cigarette from the ashtray, took another puff, and frowned even more deeply.

"Why didn't Li Shiqun stop his aunt?" Wang Xuesen continued, "He has so many men under him, Wu Sibao, Liu Zhongwen, any one of them could have stepped in and blocked it."

"But he didn't send any, letting his aunt barge in and make a scene."

"Uncle, isn't it obvious?"

"He let my aunt in on purpose."

Wang Xuesen's tone turned cold.

"If Zheng Pingping is beaten to death by her aunt in the interrogation room, you and she will be charged with murdering a witness and destroying evidence, which is punishable by death."

"They didn't kill him?"

"Even better. You are now suspected of condoning the family's delay in the trial and buying time for the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) to retreat."

Ding Mocun was horrified, his face turning pale layer by layer.

Wang Xuesen did not stop.

"Uncle, Zheng Pingping has confessed everything."

"She admitted to being a member of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) and confessed that her purpose in approaching you was to assassinate you."

"Regarding the assassination attempt at the fur shop, you failed to investigate Zheng Pingping immediately after being ambushed, which constitutes the crime of harboring a criminal."

"But now, with what Auntie did in the interrogation room, and the fact that you were the one who handled Tang Zengyang's case in the first place!"

He paused for a moment, looking into Ding Mocun's eyes.

"You come from the CC Clique. If you connect all these points, what will the Japanese think?"

"Secret communication... Yamashiro!"

Ding Mocun broke out in a cold sweat.

He had thought of these things.

From the moment Zhao Huimin was taken away by the military police, he knew it was a setup.

But he only thought of the aspect of "favoring Zheng Pingping".

He never expected that Li Shih-Chun would use Chao Hui-Min as a trigger, which would expose two fatal new charges: "delaying the interrogation" and "covering up the escape of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics."

With these two additional points, the nature of the matter is completely different.

The "Butcher Ding," whose hands were stained with blood and who had killed countless people in Shanghai, finally showed a look of desperate fear on his face.

He looked at Wang Xuesen, his lips moved slightly, his voice dry:

Did Zheng Pingping mention me in her statement?

Wang Xuesen paused for a second, then said, "I brought it up."

Ding Mocun's body stiffened.

"She said that Tang Huimin and Tang Zengyang have a very close personal relationship, and you knew that," Wang Xuesen said slowly.

These words were like a sharp knife stabbing into Ding Mocun's chest.

Ding Mocun clutched his chest and slumped into the large chair.

Wang Xuesen continued, "Uncle, if I hadn't interrupted Aunt's interrogation in time, Zheng Pingping would have died at her hands."

"At that point, with lives on your shoulders, you won't be able to clear your name even if you jump into the Huangpu River."

Ding Mocun remained silent for a long time.

He was completely unaware that cigarette ash had fallen on his suit trousers.

After a long silence, he took a deep breath, his voice tinged with guilt: "Xuesen, I misunderstood you."

"My mind is a complete mess right now. Things from one beginning to the next are all jumbled together, and I can't make sense of them."

He raised his head, the gloom in his eyes fading considerably, replaced by an unusual earnestness:

"I know you have deep connections with Li Shiqun, and you also have influence with Lieutenant Shibuya. Plus, you're quite intelligent."

"Hurry up and use your winning strategies to come up with a good plan for your uncle."

Wang Xuesen didn't rush to speak. He took a cigarette from the pack on the table, lit it, and leaned back in his chair.

The fact that the old fox has adopted this posture shows that he is truly panicked.

Cut when necessary, but don't cut too drastically.

Even when slaughtering a pig, you have to leave one alive, fatten it up, and then slaughter it a second time.

He flicked his cigarette ash and said, "Uncle, we still have a chance of winning."

"Only by winning less, winning more by a small margin, and winning later."

Ding Mocun sprang up from the sofa, his face filled with disbelief: "How... how can I possibly win?"

Wang Xuesen nodded: "It's a guaranteed win. Of course, there will be some price to pay."

Ding Mocun slapped his knee: "As long as your aunt and I can get through this, I'll pay any price!"

Wang Xuesen held up one finger:

"First, get my aunt out of the military police detention room immediately."

"You know that guy in Shibuya; he's ruthless and heartless. The longer this drags on, the more dangerous it is for your aunt."

"At the same time, make her pin the blame for the whole trouble in the interrogation room on those two female lackeys."

"Just say that your aunt was bewitched."

"They were the ones who started the fight."

"The two men's purpose was to extort money from the Zheng family, and it has nothing to do with the case of No. 76."

"This is a case of sacrificing a pawn to save the king."

"In this way, the nature of the matter will be less serious, and Auntie can get away with it."

Ding Mocun nodded repeatedly, a look of relief on his face: "That's great! Your aunt's health was already weak, and her family is very domineering."

"If we don't get her out soon, the spittle from her family alone will drown me."

After saying that, he leaned closer eagerly: "Tell me again, how do we win?"

Wang Xuesen stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and leaned forward slightly.

"Uncle, the die is cast. There's no point in you staying at No. 76 any longer."

Ding Mocun's expression changed.

Wang Xuesen didn't give him a chance to interrupt and continued:

"Why not give all the remaining power in your hands to Li Shiqun?"

"Then, let's broaden our horizons. Mr. Wang will be setting up a new government next March; that's the real grand strategy."

"The Minister of Police, the Minister of Finance—aren't those powerful positions more valuable than the chair of Director No. 76?"

Ding Mocun's lips moved, but he didn't speak.

"I reckon Li Shiqun will definitely fight for it too." Wang Xuesen lowered his voice slightly. "If you're not absolutely sure, Uncle, then take a step back and push Zhou Fohai forward."

He drew a circle in the air.

"In short, you have more say and more room to fight outside than you do when you're trapped in this building."

"Now Uncle is surrounded by enemies on all sides at No. 76, and is a dead end."

"It has almost lost its value to Zhou Fohai and Mr. Wang."

"It's time to consider leaving."

The office was quiet for a while.

Ding Mocun slowly leaned back on the sofa, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes, and said with a bitter smile:

"This is what they call... people thrive when they move, but trees die when they're moved."

Wang Xuesen smiled: "That's right."

"Uncle used a strategy of retreat to advance, secretly targeting Li Shih-Chun to prevent him from obtaining important positions such as Minister of Police, thereby weakening his influence in the new government."

"If we can persuade Zhou Fohai to compete with him, then Li Shiqun's opponent will no longer be his uncle, but Mr. Fohai."

"You can then remain on the sidelines and watch."

"Safe and secure."

He tapped the table with his index finger, his smile widening.

"If Li Shih-Chun doesn't win, then you win."

"Whether Zhou Fohai wins or you win."

"You keep winning, no matter what."

"This is precisely a case of winning by a small margin, or winning by a small margin."

Ding Mocun's breathing quickened, and his eyes regained their sparkle: "Go on, keep going, I love to hear it."

"As for winning later," Wang Xuesen paused for a moment, "that requires long-term planning."

"Once the struggle between Li Shiqun and Zhou Fohai intensifies, it's only a matter of time before my uncle pulls in behind the scenes and brings him down."

"This is the victory that follows."

He stood up, placed his hands on the edge of the table, and looked straight at Ding Mocun.

"It all boils down to one sentence."

"Uncle, you've already won as long as you give up this chair."

Ding Mocun stared at him for a good five or six seconds.

Then he slowly stood up, reluctantly looking around at the furnishings in the room:

"To be honest, I've been fed up with it for a long time. But I'm trapped by the title of director, and I always feel that if I lose it, I'll lose everything."

He turned around and looked at Wang Xuesen with gratitude:

"As expected of Old Master Wang's grandson, he is a promising young man."

"Now your words have awakened us from our slumber; it's time to end this nightmare."

"The victor is king, the loser is a bandit."

"I accept it today; we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Wang Xuesen smiled and waved his hand: "It's simply a matter of those involved being confused while bystanders see things clearly."

"As Mr. Zeng once said, everything that happens is a good thing."

"Uncle, this is just a temporary predicament. Only those who have the last laugh will be the winners."

"Good fortune is yet to come."

"On the other hand, Li Shiqun, though he won for a moment, was always trapped in a maze from which he could not extricate himself."

"One day, I will be exhausted and die."

Ding Mocun threw his head back and laughed heartily:

"Hearing your words is like drinking sweet dew from a celestial pool; even my migraines that I've had for two years have been cured!"

"That felt great! That felt great!"

The laughter abruptly stopped.

Ding Mocun stared at Wang Xuesen, his voice slowing down: "Did you say the same thing to Li Shiqun?"

Wang Xuesen remained calm and composed, without the slightest hint of evasion:

"Of course. I'm judging people, not things."

"My uncle asked me, and I answered."

"If he asks me, I'll analyze it."

Ding Mocun licked his dry lips and sighed, "Xuesen is still a kind person."

Wang Xuesen nodded slightly: "It's good that you understand, Uncle."

Ding Mocun remained silent for a moment, then suddenly adopted a pleading expression:

"Then... I'll leave Auntie's matter to you. You're familiar with Shibuya, so I'm at ease with you handling things."

Wang Xuesen's smile froze for a moment.

No, no!

Why did you leave it to me?

This bastard really thinks I'm some kind of powerful figure.

He cursed under his breath, but only gave an awkward laugh on the surface:

"Uncle, I can handle it, but there will be operating costs."

Ding Mocun blinked, looking puzzled.

"Given your relationship with Lieutenant Shibuya, why would you need to spend money? Wouldn't that hurt our relationship?"

Wang Xuesen felt a wave of disgust and waved his hand, "Uncle, the Japanese don't have any feelings to speak of. Even brothers are fake; they only care about business."

"If the money isn't in place, I'm afraid that making a request might backfire."

"Shibuya hasn't tortured your aunt yet, but if he does, it'll be troublesome."

Looking at Ding Mocun's stingy and uncooperative manner, he emphasized, "Besides, you're just paying to avoid trouble."

"In Shibuya, they're not just releasing people; they're also going to pin the entire interrogation of Zheng Pingping on those two shrewish women."

"Uncle, this isn't just about saving Auntie, it's also about buying a talisman for yourself." He paused, then added casually.

"You decide what to do."

"If you don't have the money, I can just give you a heads-up. Don't blame me if things fall apart later."

As he spoke, he pulled out a chair, stood up, and turned to leave.

What a joke!

I'm already being lenient by not charging you for your psychological counseling; do you expect me to pay out of my own pocket to bail you out?

Do you still think you're the same person who was once powerful and held real authority?

They think I'm a sucker, ready to rip me off every time?

If I don't get my money back today, including interest, I'm not a Li, I'm a Wang.

"stop!"

Ding Mocun called out to him from behind, his voice filled with urgency and heartache.

"Name your price, how much will it cost?"

Wang Xuesen stopped, turned around, and slowly extended five fingers.

Ding Mocun was shocked: "Five thousand legal tender?"

Wang Xuesen shook his head.

Ding Mocun's face paled, and his lips began to tremble: "Five thousand... silver dollars?"

Wang Xuesen still shook his head: "Uncle, it's five thousand US dollars."

"As you know, Lieutenant Shibuya was recently promoted."

"He's no longer the junior sergeant he used to be; his appetite has naturally grown."

"Let's make this clear first, even five thousand US dollars might not be enough to get it done."

Ding Mocun slumped onto the sofa, face up to the ceiling, feeling like he was half dead.

"Xuesen, could...couldn't you make it a little cheaper?"

"I'm really short on money lately."

Wang Xuesen knew that this old man was just a shill.

Ding Mocun is notoriously stingy.

He buys all the high-end suits and Italian shoes from the tailor shop on Avenue Joffre, yet his bank account has more savings than anyone else's.

This guy hasn't gone out to find girls for almost a month.

That "entertainment expense" saved would amount to at least several thousand dollars.

It's impossible for them to be broke.

He smiled and said, "Uncle, if you don't have money, you can ask the Zhao family for it."

"My aunt's family has plenty of money; they can't just stand by and watch her die."

Ding Mocun sat up straight and raised his hand to stop him: "Alright, alright! That's not embarrassing enough."

He closed his eyes, his brow furrowed, and tapped his fingers on the sofa armrest.

For a time, it seemed there was no other way.

His backers are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy, and he has never gotten along with the military police and the army system.

If you want to get someone out of the military police, besides Wang Xuesen, only Li Shiqun and Zhou Fohai have the connections to do so.

Should we ask Li Shiqun for help?

He might as well just kill himself.

Asking Zhou Fohai for such a trivial matter makes me seem incredibly incompetent.

Ding Mocun gritted his teeth, as if he had made a momentous decision, and suddenly opened his eyes:

"Five thousand it is, I'll give it my all!"

"Wait here, I'll go get the money right away."

A moment later, Ding Mocun returned from his third-floor residence, clutching a cowhide envelope in his hand.

His fingers were visibly trembling as he handed the envelope over.

Wang Xuesen took it, unsealed it, and glanced inside.

Five thousand US dollars.

Brand new.

All of them are 100-yuan bills.

His heart skipped a beat.

It's not easy to get US dollars in Shanghai right now.

Wealthy people have their bank exchange limits capped at around 500 yuan, and most of the banknotes circulating in the market are old 10-yuan notes.

The fact that Ding Mocun could produce so many large denominations of new banknotes at once shows that he had close private ties with people in the Shancheng financial system.

This guy really doesn't show off.

"Xuesen, we're counting on you." Ding Mocun's face grew even more grim with heartache.

Wang Xuesen tugged at the envelope several times before finally "snatching" it back: "Uncle, you can rest assured that I'll handle things. You should pack your things and get ready to bring your wife home."

He walked to the door, then turned back, winked, and smiled:

"I'm waiting for the day when Uncle wins big."

Ding Mocun groaned weakly, "It will happen."

Wang Xuesen pushed open the door and went out with light steps.

That day will definitely come.

Li Shiqun died in front of Dingmo Village.

But who can escape the wrath of Heaven?

Old Ding and his gang of traitors, don't expect them to have a good ending.

Only one person truly wins in the end, and wins completely.

That's yourself!

There was no one in the corridor.

Wang Xuesen took out the envelope, pulled out the stack of US dollars, and smelled it under his nose.