Shen Qing couldn't understand the German the designer was speaking, but because the German pronunciation of the word "Japan" was similar to that of English, she immediately guessed that the Japanese had found the German consulate.
She stood up nervously, walked over, and whispered to Cheng Zhiwen, "Have the Japanese come looking for us?"
"No." Cheng Zhiwen gently put his arm around her. "I'll take you back to your room first."
After saying goodbye to the designer, he then escorted Shen Qing back to her room to stay with Chunju and Sulan.
He put on his coat and hat, and before leaving, he told Shen Qing not to leave the room until he returned.
As soon as he stepped out of the German consulate, two young men in black suits came up and grabbed his arms.
"Mr. Cheng, Mr. Cai and Minister Tanaka wish to see you. Please come with us!"
Feeling the pressure on her arms tighten, Cheng Zhiwen felt a bit disgusted and glared at them, saying, "Who do you think you are? Get out of here!"
After saying that, he straightened his shoulders and shook off the two men's hands.
The two men wisely stopped touching him and instead followed behind him.
He arrived at the Japanese consulate located on Yangzijiang Road in the North Bund area.
When the gatekeeper saw him appear, a hidden hatred flashed across his face, and he clenched his fist tightly as he held his spear.
In less than half a day, all the Japanese in Shanghai knew that a Chinese man had shot and killed a Japanese businessman at the Astor House Hotel that day.
The death of a Japanese businessman wouldn't normally be a big deal, but the problem this time is that the Japanese businessman was killed by a Chinese person!
Cheng Zhiwen knew what these people were thinking. He glanced coldly at the gatekeeper, put his hands in his pockets, and entered the Japanese consulate.
Immediately, a Japanese man wearing small round glasses stepped forward, bowing and scraping, and said, "Mr. Cheng, Mr. Cai and Mr. Tanaka are waiting for you."
His Chinese wasn't fluent, but you could tell he was very respectful.
Whether it was genuine respect or not remains to be seen.
Cheng Zhiwen didn't even glance at the man and went straight to Tanaka Motohashi's office.
The door opened, and Cai Chongsheng was bowing and explaining something to a bald Japanese man.
This Japanese man is Tanaka Motohashi, the Japanese ambassador to Qing China.
Upon seeing Cheng Zhiwen enter, he immediately shoved Cai Chongsheng aside, drew the Japanese military sword that was lying on the side, and thrust it straight at Cheng Zhiwen.
Cheng Zhiwen did not move an inch, and showed no fear on his face as he calmly faced the blade pressing against his carotid artery.
If Tanaka Motohashi's hand had moved just an inch further, Cheng Zhiwen's carotid artery would have been pierced, and blood would have immediately spurted out.
"Mr. Tanaka! Mr. Tanaka!"
Cai Chongsheng's expression changed as he rushed forward and said to Tanaka Motohashi in Japanese, "It was that Japanese man who first raised his gun and tried to shoot a Chinese woman and child! That's why Mr. Cheng shot him; his intention was also for the sake of his compatriots!"
"Baka!" Tanaka Motohashi cursed. "He shot my comrades for the sake of his comrades, and today I will kill him for the sake of my comrades!"
After saying that, he leaned forward, as if he were about to stab Cheng Zhiwen in the neck.
Cai Chongsheng was so frightened that he almost knelt down on the spot.
On the contrary, Cheng Zhiwen showed no fear and even asked Tanaka in Japanese with a smile, "If you kill me, how will you explain it to the Americans?"
Tanaka's expression changed, and he slowly lowered his military knife.
Cai Chongsheng quickly pulled the military knife from his hand and put it back in the knife holder.
Cheng Zhiwen pulled at her coat collar, stretched her head and neck, and a cold, arrogant smile remained on her lips.
He spoke to Tanaka Motohashi in fluent Japanese:
“It is inappropriate to shoot and kill Chinese women and children in Chinese territory! Mr. Tanaka, I hope you can properly advise your compatriots not to attempt to bully Chinese people, otherwise I will kill them one by one!”
After saying that, he left the Japanese consulate with a cold face.
Cai Chongsheng chased after him, shoved him into the carriage, and growled, "You're lying!"
Cheng Zhiwen adjusted his coat cufflinks and said nonchalantly, "What makes you say that?"
"You didn't fire to save your compatriots! That woman... is your lover! You, Cheng Zhiwen, would never easily offend the Japanese for the sake of your compatriots!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiwen burst into laughter: "Hahahahahaha..."
He raised an eyebrow at Cai Chongsheng: "That woman is a widow. Do you think I would choose a widow as my lover?"
"widow?"
Cai Chongsheng looked at him suspiciously, trying to find a flaw in his expression.
After a long pause, she finally believed him, patted him on the shoulder, and gently advised, "The fate of people like us is easily predictable. Playing the field is fine, but never actually find a lover. Today she's your lover, tomorrow she might become your enemy, or your enemy could control your weapons! Remember that!"
After saying that, he jumped off the carriage.
Cheng Zhiwen saw Old Xu squatting far away, waving at him.
Old Xu immediately ran up to him: "Boss Cheng, what can I do for you?"
Cheng Zhiwen stared at Cai Chongxin's departing figure, his eyes darkening, and said, "Boss Shen will not be leaving the German Consulate anytime soon. You can stay with me for the time being and wait for my notification before you return to Jiangzhou."
"Yes, Boss Cheng!"
...
After nightfall, Su Lan's fever finally subsided.
Chunju fed her some milk and chicken porridge, and her pale face finally regained some color.
Shen Qing knew the child was quite frightened, so she sent Chunju away, sat down on the edge of the bed, and comforted her, "Today was an accident. Master has been to Shanghai so many times, and this is the only time we've encountered this. Besides, look, Uncle Cheng is protecting us, so there's nothing to be afraid of."
Su Lan nodded obediently without making a sound.
Shen Qing felt that her reaction was abnormal, so he lowered his face to observe her expression.
Her eyes, eyebrows, and lips were all drooping, and she looked very remorseful.
Shen Qing felt a pang of heartache and hugged her tightly: "It's not Su Lan's fault, it's that Japanese man's fault! He bullied people, he even tried to kill someone, he deserved to die! He's the one in the wrong!"
Su Lan burst into tears: "Su Lan shouldn't have bumped into him! If Su Lan hadn't bumped into him, he wouldn't have been angry, and he wouldn't have killed anyone..."
Seeing her like this, Shen Qing's heart broke.
She didn't know how to comfort the child.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Chunju hurried to open it and, seeing the person standing outside, exclaimed in delight, "Young Madam, Second Young Master Cheng is back!"
A huge weight was finally lifted off Shen Qing's shoulders.
She comforted Su Lan and led her back to the living room.
Seeing Cheng Zhiwen standing there unharmed, she was so excited that she wanted to rush forward and hug her immediately, but she held back.
She had thought he would never come back, and even more tragically, she thought he might disappear forever.
But now he's back.
Her eyes reddened, and she stepped forward to ask, "You're back. Are you alright?"
He smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing."
She nodded with a silly smile, her gaze sweeping from his face down to his neck, when she suddenly noticed a conspicuous bloodstain on his artery.
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