Chapter 56 Dividing the Army into Two Groups
After a journey of more than 20 hours, the train arrived at Shanghai Railway Station.
The train's whistle as it pulled into the station startled the two people who were chatting.
As soon as the car door opened, a wave of humid air, unlike the dryness of Beijing, rushed out, a unique characteristic of the South.
This is Shanghai.
"The meeting point will be at the Peace Hotel, it won't change." Su Wantang smoothed her wind-blown hair, her eyes darting around as she surveyed the city that felt both familiar and strange.
Lu Jingyan hummed in agreement.
"I need to report to the military control area first and contact the investigation department." He carried their luggage and whispered in her ear, his tall figure naturally separating her from the crowded people.
He pulled a hard object from his pocket and shoved it into Su Wantang's hand without a word, her palm feeling a sharp pain from the cold steel.
It was a small, exquisite pistol, in excellent condition, with a cold, dark sheen on its barrel.
"Take it, just in case." Lu Jingyan's voice was low, carrying an order that brooked no refusal.
Su Wantang weighed the pistol in her hand, raised an eyebrow, put the gun back, and casually took the jeep keys from his other hand, twirling them between her fingers.
"I don't need it," she said with a smile. "I trust myself more than that. See you at dinner time tonight."
Lu Jingyan's brows furrowed into a deep frown, as if he wanted to say something.
Su Wantang tiptoed closer to his ear, her breath sweet as orchids: "Commander Lu, don't forget, you're in charge of following the rules, and I'm in charge of... not following the rules. Splitting up will be more efficient, won't it?"
The warm breath brushed against his earlobe, and Lu Jingyan's body stiffened. Looking into those bright, penetrating eyes, he ultimately did not insist any longer.
He knew he couldn't persuade her.
This woman is more stubborn than anyone else at heart.
"Be careful." All the words in the story can be summed up in just these four.
"Don't worry." Su Wantang waved the keys in her hand, turned around and merged into the crowd, her back view graceful and without a trace of lingering.
Lu Jingyan stood there, watching her slender figure disappear at the exit. A hint of worry flashed in his eyes, but more than that, there was a trust and pride that he himself did not realize.
This is how his woman should be.
......
Su Wantang drove a military green jeep along the famous Bund.
On one side is a collection of international architectural styles, exuding an air of old-money elegance and arrogance;
On the other side is the muddy river water, carrying silt and sand, flowing endlessly.
The Jeep then executed a beautiful drift and came to a smooth stop in front of the legendary building.
Peace Hotel.
Su Wantang turned off the engine but didn't rush to get out of the car. She looked up at the magnificent Gothic building, which, like a silent giant, had witnessed half a century of vicissitudes and buried countless secrets.
The background of my mother's photo is this place.
That mysterious phone call also pointed to this place.
She took a deep breath and opened the car door.
Beneath the slit of her cheongsam, a pair of long, straight legs stepped out, landing firmly on the soil of Shanghai.
Meanwhile, in the Shanghai Military Control District.
The office was simply furnished and filled with smoke.
The person who received Lu Jingyan was the head of the assisting department, a deputy director surnamed Wang. He was around fifty years old, with a slightly protruding belly, and a friendly smile.
"Oh, Comrade Lu, you must be tired from your journey." Deputy Director Wang personally poured Lu Jingyan a cup of tea, the tea leaves swirling in the cup. "Comrades from Beijing are all our role models."
"Director Wang, you're too kind." Lu Jingyan got straight to the point, handing over his identification and the approval document for the investigation. "I'm here regarding the theft of 'Zhulong'."
Upon hearing the name "Zhulong," Vice Director Wang paused almost imperceptibly in his teacup.
He took the approval document, pretended to look at it for a long time, and then slowly opened his mouth.
"Comrade Lu, this case... it's been going on for quite a while. It's been ten years. Back then, we invested a lot of manpower and resources, turning the whole of Shanghai upside down, but we didn't find a single clue."
He sighed, looking troubled: "It's not that we're not cooperating, it's just that... we don't know where to start. The people in charge of this case have changed several times already, and the files are just gathering dust in the archives."
"Look, why don't you go to the guesthouse and rest for a couple of days? We'll also help you find the files from back then, so you can take your time looking at them."
This is a classic case of passing the buck.
The words were impeccable, but the meaning was clear: it's an old case, we can't find any results, so don't expect us to put in much effort. Go look at the files yourself and don't cause us any trouble.
Lu Jingyan's eyes turned cold.
He didn't say anything, but simply picked up the cup of tea with tea leaves floating on top and took a sip.
It seems that his path was blocked from the very beginning with a subtle, deliberate attempt to sabotage it.
The Peace Hotel, with its magnificent, golden lobby.
The gleaming marble floor reflected the enormous crystal chandelier overhead, and the air was filled with the mixed scents of fine cigars and French perfumes.
Most of the people coming and going were blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners and big bosses from Hong Kong Island, dressed smartly and with arrogant expressions.
Su Wantang walked straight to the front desk, ignoring the fleeting glance and disdain in the waiter's eyes.
"I'm looking for Du Kangnian, General Manager Du." Her voice was clear and not loud, but it carried an undeniable penetrating power.
The waiter's professional smile froze for a moment, then replaced with a more formulaic politeness: "Miss, do you have an appointment? General Manager Du is very busy."
Su Wantang did not answer, but took out a beautifully crafted name card from her small bag and gently placed it on the marble table.
The calling card was printed on fine Xuan paper. It contained no phone number or address, only four characters written in elegant, delicate small regular script:
An old friend of the Bai family.
The waiter's smile froze completely when he saw the name card.
His pupils even contracted slightly. When he looked up at Su Wantang again, the disdain and perfunctoriness in his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by a scrutinizing gaze that was almost astonishing and a hint of... awe.
"Please...please wait a moment." His voice was strained.
He dared not ask another question, picked up the name card, turned around and strode quickly toward the inner hall.
Less than a minute later, a middle-aged man in a foreman's uniform walked out hurriedly.
His gaze swept quickly across the crowd and precisely locked onto Su Wantang.
"Is he... an old friend of the Bai family?" The head waiter walked up to Su Wantang, bowed slightly, his posture extremely humble, and his tone filled with undisguised respect.
Su Wantang remained noncommittal, only offering a faint smile.
"General Manager Du is currently unavailable to receive guests," the supervisor explained immediately. "Miss, if you don't mind, please come with me and wait inside for a moment, is that alright?"
Su Wantang nodded and followed the head waiter through the magnificent lobby and into a quiet corridor.
Soon we arrived at a room with a sign that read "Not open to the public".
The heavy wooden door closed slowly behind me, shutting out all the noise from the outside world.
Su Wantang looked around the room, which was filled with the extravagance of the old era. She walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looked at the Huangpu River flowing outside, and a sly smile appeared on her lips.
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