Chapter Ten: Lin Tang is Arrested

The long corridor seemed to keep No. 76 from ever seeing the light of day.

Qiao Yuan paced anxiously in the room. He was now trapped in a small space, unable to be free, let alone pass on any messages.

Qiao Yuan's gaze fell on the telephone in the room, and suddenly an idea struck him. He dialed the Ministry of Finance.

The operator's voice was panicked; she clearly hadn't expected number 76 to contact the Financial Secretary directly.

Qiao Yuan impatiently tapped the microphone, "Hurry up and answer! I have something important to tell your Director Chen."

Five minutes later, Chen Kan's voice came through, still as cold as ever, but with a hint of tension that was barely perceptible: "Qiao Yuan? What do you want?"

Qiao Yuan laughed, a hint of provocation in his voice: "Director Chen, you're good at playing dumb. Back then, the gunman you sent almost killed me with a single bullet. You exiled me overseas and took my wife. Did you think you had won? You didn't expect me to come back and work for Captain Sato Sakura at No. 76, did you?"

Chen Kan fell silent instantly on the other end of the phone. Qiao Yuan could hear him gripping the receiver tightly. "Qiao Yuan, you're such a petty person who's gotten your way! You said before that you would never cooperate with the Japanese, but now you're acting like a dog for No. 76?"

"Become a dog?" Qiao Yuan's smile grew even more sinister. "Director Chen, we're in the same boat! I'm at No. 76 now. If Director Chen wanted to cause me trouble, he wouldn't be able to get into this ironclad place, would he?"

"Fine, Qiao Yuan, you just wait!" Chen Kan replied through gritted teeth.

Qiao Yuan hung up the phone. He turned his head to look at the interrogation room at the end of the corridor. The dim light shining through the window was like a wild beast with its mouth open, waiting for its prey to come to its door.

...

Chen Kan's car soon appeared at the entrance of No. 76.

"Tell Qiao Yuan to get out here! He thinks he's all that just because he's wearing a mask!" He was a far cry from his usual refined manner.

He slammed the car door shut, his suit jacket tucked into his arms, his tie askew.

The sentry at the door blocked his way with a gun at the ready. He glared at him, pointing his finger at the sentry's chest: "The Financial Secretary wants to see someone, and you dare to stop him?"

As the sentries looked at each other in bewilderment, Chen Kan rushed in.

Qiao Yuan had already seen Chen Kan on the second floor. Now, following the sound, he came downstairs. Before Chen Kan even arrived, his laughter drifted out from the corridor: "Director Chen, you have quite the airs. What, are you in such a hurry to apologize to me?"

Chen Kan rushed over in three strides and grabbed Qiao Yuan by the collar: "Qiao Yuan, you bastard! Even if I ordered someone to kill you back then, you shot me before! We're even now, why are you acting as an accomplice here and chasing after me?"

Not to be outdone, Qiao Yuan grabbed his suit collar and sneered, "A draw? Director Chen, when you took my wife for yourself, did you not expect me to be waiting for you at No. 76 today?"

"Don't forget that Jintang used to be my fiancée!" Chen Kan's face flushed red as he slammed his fist into Qiao Yuan's shoulder. "If you hadn't murdered me, would Jintang have married you?"

As he threw the punch, Qiao Yuan fell backward, but secretly slipped his hand into the inside pocket of Chen Kan's suit and stuffed the folded list into Chen Kan's suit pocket.

Chen Kan noticed something amiss in his actions and frowned slightly.

Before he could react, Qiao Yuan lunged at him, grabbed his wrist, and pinned him against the wall: "Anyway, she's my wife!"

Chen Kan sneered, "Then Chief Qiao must also remember that Jin Tang has already divorced you, right? She was my fiancée to begin with, and now I'm just correcting the mistakes you made for her over the past five years! Why do you have to act like such a petty person!"

The two argued loudly, and someone reported this to Cheng Qing.

Cheng Qing strolled out, looked at the two men with their eyes glaring at each other, and said with an air of indifference, "Let them make a scene. They'll quiet down when they've had their fill."

Chen Kan glared at Qiao Yuan, his anger almost overflowing, but suddenly smiled mockingly: "Qiao Yuan, that's all you've got. Relying on the Japanese for support, what kind of man are you?" He shoved Qiao Yuan aside and straightened his crooked tie. "I'll let you off the hook today, but I'll settle the score with you properly once you're out of No. 76!"

Qiao Yuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered, "Director Chen, you'd better go back and mind your own business. Don't let me find out one day that you're colluding with the underground party and arrest you too!"

Chen Kan turned and walked towards the car, his hand quietly slipping inside his collar, touching the crumpled piece of paper.

He paused for a moment, then quickened his pace and got into the car.

When the car window rolled down, he glanced at Qiao Yuan, and the anger in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a look of solemnity.

...

Chen Kan immediately drove home.

"Jintang!" he called urgently as he entered the room.

Lin Tang came out of the room and saw his disheveled appearance and bloodshot eyes. She asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Chen Kan closed the door behind him and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his suit pocket: "This is the arrest list from No. 76, which Qiao Yuan risked his life to leak."

Lin Tang took it, glanced at it, and her face turned deathly pale.

Chen Kan grabbed her wrist. "There's no time to ask now. You have to leave immediately. I'll use a pass to send you out of Jiangcheng."

Lin Tang looked up, her eyes already glistening with tears, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "What about you and Xiao Nian? Let's go together."

“No!” Chen Kan shook his head. “If the Financial Secretary suddenly disappears, 76 will definitely investigate, and then even you won’t be able to leave. I’ll stay here and buy you some time! I’ll take good care of Xiao Nian. Once things have calmed down, I’ll bring her to you.”

"Okay." Knowing the situation was urgent, Lin Tang didn't hesitate any longer and said, "I'll go check on Xiao Nian and leave right away."

Chen Kan stood outside the door and heard Xiao Nian crying coming from inside the room.

He put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked to the door. He saw Lin Tang squat down, hug her daughter, and whisper, "Xiao Nian, Mommy is going away for a few days. You have to listen to Daddy at home."

Xiao Nian tugged at her clothes, pouting, "When is Mom coming back? I want to go with Mom."

Lin Tang almost couldn't hold back her tears and turned her back to him.

Chen Kan walked over and reached out to touch his daughter's face: "Mom will be back soon, and I'll bring Xiao Nian a new dress then."

He winked at Lin Tang.

Lin Tang nodded, handed her daughter to Chen Kan, and turned to pack her luggage.

Lin Tang's attitude was resolute. These people, who were used to life and death and led the Crescent Moon Gang, had long since disregarded life and death when they decided to join the revolution. But when it came to the separation, they still couldn't control their emotions, and tears were already streaming down their cheeks: "Chen Kan, you have to take good care of yourself and Xiao Nian."

Lin Tang took it, her fingertips touching his hand, still warm, yet it felt like a farewell. She bit her lip, bent down to kiss her daughter's forehead, then picked up her bag and walked towards the door.

Lin Tang stopped without turning around, but then she heard her voice, trembling with tears yet resolute: "I'll be waiting for you."

The door creaked shut.

Chen Kan is holding his daughter.

Chen Nian tugged at his collar with her little hand and asked, "Daddy, when is Mommy coming back?"

Chen Kan lowered his head, kissed his daughter's face, and his tears fell onto the back of her hand: "I'll be back soon, very soon."

...

Just as Lin Tang's car reached the edge of the city, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, and the front of the car nearly crashed into the barbed wire fence in the middle of the road.

Lin Tang clutched the pocket watch in her arms. When she looked up, she saw Liang Zuo leading seven or eight men from the 76th Division to surround her. They pointed their guns at the windshield and a roguish smile played on their lips: "Miss Lin, please come back to the 76th Division for a cup of tea."

Lin Tang looked at him calmly and said, "Captain Liang, I am the wife of Director Chen of the Finance Department. I need to go out of the city to visit some relatives. I don't have time to go back with you."

Liang Zuo's smile grew increasingly arrogant. "Miss Lin, I'm afraid that's not up to you whether you have time or not."

Lin Tang angrily retorted, "What right do you have?"

"Why should I?" Liang Zuo laughed and waved his hand. The person behind him immediately opened the car door and tried to pull Lin Tang out. "You'll know when we get to No. 76."

Lin Tang frowned.

Suddenly, a car horn sounded in the distance, and a black sedan sped towards them, kicking up a cloud of dirt as it braked.

Cheng Qing got out of the car, walked to Liang Zuo's side, and smiled coldly: "Captain Liang, this is the person I want to arrest, and you want to take him away too? Isn't that going too far?"

Liang Zuo frowned: "Ouyang Qing, are you trying to steal the credit?"

"Shut up!" Cheng Qing suddenly frowned and turned to look at Qiao Yuan behind him. "Qiao Yuan, help me keep an eye on Captain Liang."

Qiao Yuan walked out from behind Cheng Qing.

Lin Tang was taken aback when she saw Qiao Yuan.

Qiao Yuan didn't dare to look at her even once. He took a step forward, grabbed Liang Zuo's wrist, and pressed the gun against her lower back.

Liang Zuo flew into a rage, "Ouyang Qing, how dare you?"

Cheng Qing ignored him and said to the people behind him, "Take Lin Jintang to No. 76. I want to interrogate her myself."

Lin Tang was pushed out of the car. As she passed Qiao Yuan, she looked at him in disbelief, but he simply avoided her gaze.

"Qiao Yuan, I really didn't expect this..."

Qiao Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Lin Jintang, you should have thought of this the day you took over my Crescent Moon Gang and married Chen Kan."

Lin Tang sneered, "If I had known that day, I shouldn't have spared your life. I should have killed you with one shot!"

Cheng Qing, holding the gun, looked at the two men with amusement before saying, "What are you waiting for? Take them away!"

Qiao Yuan watched as the crowd pushed and shoved Lin Tang away. He walked at the very back and silently threw a crumpled piece of paper on the ground. Falling leaves barely covered the paper.

...

As soon as Lin Tang was escorted into the interrogation room of No. 76, Chen Kan, dressed in the uniform of the Finance Department, stormed in aggressively, clutching a document in his hand: "Cheng Qing! Who gave you the audacity to arrest my wife? What makes you think you can falsely accuse her of being a member of the underground Communist Party?"

When Cheng Qing saw Chen Kan, she stood up calmly. "Chen Kan, although you are the Financial Secretary, you are involved with the underground party. Even with your and the Chen family's resources, I'm afraid you can't afford to take the blame." She walked to his side in her riding boots and said in a low voice, "Besides, it's still unknown whether your Chen family can protect you."

Chen Kan felt a chill run down his spine, but he glanced at Lin Tang and angrily said, "How could Jin Tang be a member of the underground party? Do you have any evidence? This is an abuse of power to suppress and retaliate!"