Perhaps it was the age difference, or perhaps Qiu Jingwen had gained enough confidence after being turned, but he was not afraid at all when facing Wei Dongping's gun. Instead, he calmly reached out, grasped the other man's cold and thin hand, pressed it against his head, and asked with a smile, "Old man Wei, shoot, shoot, shoot! The three thousand yuan is in my bag, you can take it."
He was certain that Wei Dongping's meeting with him, his repeated precautions against him, and the change of location and time meant there must be something else going on. He couldn't have contacted him just for three thousand yuan. If he hadn't seen the telegram sent to Wei Dongping from Taiwan, he might have thought that the old man's demand for three thousand yuan was just like Liu Han's—extortion.
"Qiu Jingwen, don't force me, and don't think I really wouldn't dare to shoot."
Although Wei Dongping was a veteran spy, that was a thing of the past.
For the past two or three decades, he has always kept a low profile. Naturally, he is not the same as he was before the liberation. He is not stupid. He knows that he can't cause any trouble in Duliang. The reason he accepted the orders from the Taiwan Strait was out of necessity. He was afraid of being exposed and then spending his life in prison, or even being sentenced to death. His hands are stained with the blood of many revolutionaries. He has directly or indirectly killed no less than forty people. He understands that his crimes are heinous and that once they are verified, he will surely die.
Wei Dongping's hands were trembling. Qiu Jingwen, quick-witted and agile, snatched the gun from his hand, turned it around, and pointed it at Wei Dongping's head, saying, "Old Wei, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Use them all."
Wei Dongping laughed and said, "You killed Liu Han, do you want to have another life on your hands?"
"Why wouldn't I dare? Besides, you're a spy. Even if the police solve the case, I probably won't be sentenced to death."
"What about your wife and children? You don't want them anymore, you don't want your happy life, and you don't even want to be the deputy factory director anymore?"
"If it weren't for your and Liu Han's sudden appearance, I would have forgotten my identity as a spy long ago. It was you who completely changed my life. Now that you have my identity in your hands, I just want to shoot you dead."
"But what have you thought about? Even if you kill me now, someone will still contact you and use this to blackmail you."
"Old Wei, have you ever considered what if I were turned by the Communist Party?"
"Impossible. I have conducted a thorough investigation into you over the past six months. It is impossible for you to have been turned. Even if you were, the Communist Party would not promote you to manage the entire production of the Red Flag Factory."
"Old Wei, now it's my turn to ask you a question."
"Ask away."
"What do you need three thousand yuan for?"
"I've already said I have no comment."
"Fine, I'll show you how to be stubborn."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Jingwen smashed the butt of his gun directly on Wei Dongping's head.
He used moderate force, not intending to kill the other man, but blood was already gushing from Wei Dongping's forehead. And that wasn't all; Qiu Jingwen kicked him, and the poor, seventy-year-old man was instantly swept to his knees.
"Qiu Jingwen, how dare you lay a hand on your superior! You'd better think about the consequences!"
Even after kneeling down, Wei Dongping didn't forget to make threats, still acting like a leader.
"If you don't tell me, believe me, I'll make you crawl home today!"
Qiu Jingwen tucked the gun into his waistband and used it to threaten the other man, which made Wei Dongping tremble with fear.
"I'll talk, I'll talk, please don't hit me."
"Tell me the truth quickly."
"I need three thousand yuan to get my son a wife."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Qiu Jingwen was both amused and exasperated. Damn it, was this another extortion attempt?
"You—you say that again!"
Qiu Jingwen looked at the other person with a questioning gaze, wanting to make sure he hadn't misheard.
"Director Qiu, I really didn't lie to you."
"Stand up and speak."
Faced with an old man in his seventies, Qiu Jingwen couldn't bear to keep him kneeling, especially since the blood from the blow he had given him with the butt of his gun hadn't dried yet.
Wei Dongping acted like a subordinate. After getting up, he trembled as he told Qiu Jingwen about demanding three thousand yuan. He even complained to Qiu Jingwen with tears streaming down his face: "If I don't give my son three thousand yuan to get married, my wife and son will report me to the police. I'm an old man, I can die now, but I'm afraid of being tortured in jail. I have no choice but to remember Liu Han extorting money from you, so I'll do the same and extort you once, just once."
The development of events was completely beyond Qiu Jingwen's expectations. He never imagined that Wei Dongping was blackmailing him because his wife and son had leverage over him as a spy. It was quite pitiful and tragic.
Willow trees grow by the water. As Wei Dongping spoke, his eyes kept glancing into the depths of the water. This action made Qiu Jingwen realize something, and he said to the old man, "You're not a butterfly?"
The old man looked at Qiu Jingwen in surprise and said in disbelief, "How did you know?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you're just a butterfly stand-in, or rather, you've been contacting me under the name of the butterfly all along, from the very beginning."
"Liu Han once said you were a born agent, and now I believe it. How did you figure that out?"
"You don't need to know that. I'm asking you, where are the real butterflies?"
"I don't know either. He always gave me letters when he issued orders."
"Did he come with you and hide in the reeds deep in the water?"
“I’m not sure, but while I was waiting for you, I saw a small boat moored over there. I suspect that he might be following me, or he might have sent someone to follow me.”
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