Anti-traitor squad
On a winter afternoon, the loud voices of the vendors could echo through the entire street, and no car dared to stop. The bustling atmosphere of the battle spread from the street all the way to the office. Flying newspapers and dust accompanied by hurried footsteps announced that the newspaper had another big news.
"A major assassination attempt has occurred at the Fan Mansion, with a newly promoted high-ranking official shot three times in the back. A mysterious anti-traitor squad has reappeared in Shanghai!"
Looking at the newly printed, huge headline, Qingcheng couldn't help but laugh out loud, silently praising in her heart: Comrades, well done! This kind of shameful traitor doesn't deserve to be kept around for the New Year.
With a stroke of her pen, the layout was finalized. Suddenly, Xu, the editor in charge of layout, rushed in and gave her a new newspaper, asking her to review it again. Qingcheng pulled over the newspaper and saw that the original headline had been changed to "Newly Appointed High-Ranking Official Dies at Fan Mansion."
"Editor Xu, the new title has no appeal at all, it's far from good. No way!" Qingcheng threw the new layout at Editor Xu with dissatisfaction.
"Editor He, the censors said that writing like this would cause social panic, and the title must be changed, otherwise the whole article will be 'blank,' and there's nothing I can do about it," Editor Xu explained with a bitter face.
They actually threatened us to delete the report! Qingcheng spat inwardly, "Pah! What a load of rubbish about freedom of speech! The anti-traitor squad is targeting traitors, how could it cause social panic? Only those inhuman beasts are panicking."
A thought flashed through her mind, and Qingcheng asked with a smile, "Are there any photos accompanying the live report?"
"Sigh~ I dare not include pictures. These days, even suggestive titles are not allowed." Editor Xu sighed deeply, turning to the side.
"Hehe, I remember there was a report in the lifestyle section about a gray wolf that starved to death in the zoo. Its fur was messy, with several bald patches, and its tongue was sticking out really long. In the end, the wolf's skin was even skinned off and made into a vest." Qingcheng described the dead wolf's miserable state in a sarcastic tone.
"Grey wolf?" Editor Xu slapped the table, his eyes gleaming with renewed hope. "Oh—I understand, the picture of the dead wolf is a metaphor for the Zhongshan wolf."
"Although I've always thought that using 'worse than pigs and dogs' to describe scum is an insult to pigs and dogs, we can publish the reports about the death of Zhongshan Wolf together. The pictures can be sandwiched between the two reports," Kiyosumi offered with a smile.
After listening, Editor Xu gave a thumbs up and praised, "Hahaha, so ironic, so ironic, I love it. Editor He, you're amazing."
After Editor Xu left the office, Qingcheng immediately called her secretary, Sister Zhao. She planned to gather the newspaper boys who would be picking up their newspapers that evening, and she wanted to personally teach the children to sing tonight's newspaper-selling song.
The enemy tried every means to block their news, but she insisted on carving out a road through the mountains. As the "mouthpiece," it was time for her to launch a powerful counterattack.
Just as Qingcheng was thinking about the next steps, Sister Zhao pushed open the door and came in with a bag of pastries. Qingcheng asked curiously, "Is someone treating us to afternoon tea today?"
"You still remember it was afternoon tea? No one reminded you, so you skipped lunch." Sister Zhao said with concern, setting aside the documents on Qingcheng's table and laying out the still-steaming buns, "You've been spoiled rotten by Inspector Gao. He bought them for you."
"Tch, if you want to be a dad, don't use her as a practice subject!" Despite her grumbling, Qingcheng rested her chin on her hand and tried to grab a steamed bun with the other, but Sister Zhao slapped her away in disgust. Helpless, Qingcheng could only move off the chair she had been sitting in for almost a day to wash her hands.
After revealing that she had been jilted that night, Gao Junxiao kept quiet for a few days, and then chose an even more perverse way of intervening. He would check up on her every day to see if she ate breakfast or lunch. Especially lunch; if she refused, the man would just throw the lunchbox in front of her and then sit in protest.
He insisted on watching her finish her meal, and he was becoming increasingly overbearing... nice to her. She felt incredibly ungrateful, but reason told her that she absolutely couldn't keep a man like that. If he was so controlling now, what would happen in the future... No, there would be no future.
Just then, the phone on the table rang, and Gao Junxiao's voice came through the receiver: "Sorry, I've been too busy today. Have you eaten?"
"Thank you so much for the snacks. Please keep them for yourself, or I'll have to give you money," Kiyosumi said in a deep voice.
Gao Junxiao wasn't angry at all, remaining as calm as ever: "Don't act like you're keeping everyone at arm's length. Care can't be bought with money."
“I don’t need other people’s concern to relieve my emotions.” As soon as Kiyosumi finished speaking, a suppressed laugh came from the other end of the line, as if she had said something funny.
"Are you sure? Or should I just buy two boat tickets to Hankou?" Gao Junxiao asked tentatively.
"Huh?" Qingcheng was stunned for a moment, then blurted out unconsciously, "What are you going to Hankou for?"
“Go back to your hometown,” Gao Junxiao said matter-of-factly.
"You're crazy, who's going back to your hometown with you?" Qingcheng's voice kept rising.
“It’s me going back to your hometown with you,” Gao Junxiao immediately corrected.
Tired of playing games with him, Qingcheng yelled into the microphone, "What exactly do you want?"
“I’ll go back and get revenge for you.” Gao Junxiao didn’t give Qingcheng time to think and continued, “That blind idiot who broke off your engagement, I found out he’s now an associate professor at Wuhan University, quite promising for his age. Your father had good judgment. But I still want to go and thank his whole family.”
She wanted to advise him against doing anything reckless, but then Qingcheng thought that this man was probably testing her limits again, so she pretended to be indifferent: "How should I thank you? Wipe out his entire family?"
"Wow! Goodness, so you prefer the simple and brutal method. I've been thinking about this for a long time. But if you want..." Gao Junxiao's tone left much to the imagination.
Fearing he might go crazy, Qingcheng quickly called out, "Stop—killing someone without cause is illegal."
"I know that blind man isn't worthy of trading one for one with me. You can listen to my plan first." Gao Junxiao's words were like the whisper of a devil, carrying a deadly temptation.
Knowing full well that he couldn't possibly say anything nice, Qingcheng's damn curiosity kicked in again. If he didn't finish what he was saying today, she probably wouldn't be able to sleep. Her hand holding the microphone trembled slightly, and she hesitated for a long time before saying, "I don't want to hear it. Don't treat him like a love rival. I haven't seen that person since I was six years old."
“Even if you’ve met him since you were six, I’m not afraid,” Gao Junxiao said confidently. “I’m just afraid that once he’s met you, he won’t be willing to break off the engagement.”
Since she had already backed down, Kiyosumi retorted, "Heh, what's the point of making assumptions now that it's a fait accompli?"
“It’s pointless. Anyway, he won’t call off the engagement, and you’ll oppose an arranged marriage with your personality. But he made the first move, and we can’t save face. As long as you suffer, he has to pay the price,” Gao Junxiao said confidently.
It wasn't just a matter of losing face; it was an utter disgrace. Qingcheng felt a pang of heartache thinking about how her mother had cried for days on end. Back then, her mother had gone to the matchmaker and the mistress of that house, only to be met with disdain and baseless accusations.
She didn't feel anything about the annulment of the engagement, and was even a little happy, but her mother's grievances were her grievances, and her heart hardened as well: "What do you want to do?"
“I just took one step, and I presented their school with a banner that read ‘Thank you for helping us achieve our goals.’ In a few days, I’ll go and present them with a banner that read ‘A family of integrity, unwavering in the face of profit.’ I don’t believe their scholarly family won’t understand.”
Where there is profit, there is no slouch; such a person can be called a petty person. They certainly understand the simple irony of "petty people are honest," yet they still go to great lengths to offer it, how despicable! Qingcheng suppressed a laugh and said, "It's about right."
“That’s not enough. I also found out that the matriarch is getting old and losing her looks, and wants to find an obedient concubine for the old man to compete with the other two beautiful concubines in the house. I’ve already asked people to arrange things with several well-known matchmakers in the area. They can forget about the obedient one and just wait for their house to be in chaos,” Gao Junxiao said leisurely.
Qingcheng regretted asking him: "Alright, please use your intelligence to fight bandits and stop meddling in other people's affairs."
“That’s what they deserve. I’ve always felt that too many women in a house can easily lead to trouble. I only need one wife,” Gao Junxiao said, seizing the opportunity to express his feelings.
"One at home is enough, but there are colorful flags flying outside, right?" Kiyosumi teased.
"No way, I'm a top-notch man certified by all the gossipy women in the surrounding villages." Gao Junxiao said this nonsense with a straight face.
Qingcheng couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Why are you bragging like this? Everyone in the surrounding area, the whole of Beiping should know you, Young Master Gao, right? Brother, there's a limit to arrogance."
"Don't disbelieve me. Go to Beiping and ask around. Which of the Gao family men in Jinyu Hutong has taken a concubine or kept a mistress? Besides, with my father around, the family discipline is extremely strict. When my elder brother was studying, he accidentally wandered into the Eight Great Hutongs and was beaten so badly by the old man that his buttocks were bruised and battered." Gao Junxiao gave an inappropriate example.
Qingcheng was skeptical that he had mistakenly entered the palace. Besides, his family was strict, and he was a high-quality man. There was no reason for that. Even Emperor Wen of Sui had a son, Emperor Yang of Sui. Qingcheng said sarcastically, "Oh, no wonder you dare not go back. Are you afraid of family discipline?"
"Of course! My young mind was greatly traumatized back then. Who wants to be beaten for no reason, especially by a mixed-gender beating?" Gao Junxiao said aggrievedly.
"Hehehe, I should wait for you at the entrance of Huanyufang, take the photos and send them directly to your house." Qingcheng said mischievously while fiddling with the phone cord.
"Miss He, please leave me a way out. I'm going to discuss work, not to play around. Think of General Songbai," Gao Junxiao explained.
"General Songbai had a little Fengxian, leaving behind a beautiful story of a beauty saving a hero. Who knows if you have a big Fengxian behind you?" Qingcheng's mood sank again.
"Haha, Da Fengxian, Miss He has quite the imagination. To prove her innocence, I'd like to trouble Miss He to disguise herself and go to a brothel with me next time." Gao Junxiao laughed as he made a very unreliable suggestion.
"Who cares about you? You're unreliable." Qingcheng rolled her eyes. Just then, Sister Zhao pushed open the door and pointed downstairs, which meant that the newsboys had all been gathered.
"Wait a minute, emmm... could I treat you to dinner?" Gao Junxiao, who had been so arrogant just moments before, suddenly became hesitant.
Qingcheng, with a rhyme in mind for later, dismissed the man directly: "Eat, eat, eat, bye."
Rows of streetlights were lit one after another, like luminous pearls scattered across the bustling street. Newspaper boys along the roadside sang tonight's newspaper-selling song: "Fan Mansion, ungrateful wretch, Zhongshan wolf in the zoo, may you be arrogant for a moment, for three shots from behind will terrify you."
Inside Wu's car dealership, Wang Renyong cracked sunflower seeds while flipping through the transferred files. Gao Junxiao came from a prestigious family and had never lacked food or clothing since childhood. As the youngest child in the family, he was naturally loved by his parents. But why was there a two-year gap in his academic record? And why did he drop out of Peking University, which he had finally managed to get into, without even finishing his studies?
The file explained that he was in poor health and had moved to the countryside to recuperate. Two years later, he enrolled in the Baoding Military Academy, and his career has been smooth sailing ever since. Wang Renyong thought this explanation was utter nonsense. Even ancient emperors who died unnatural deaths were recorded as having died suddenly; who knows how they actually died?
However, it wasn't entirely without clues. He recuperated during the year of Jiwei (1919), and withdrew from school after the summer vacation. In 1919, at Peking University, he roughly knew why Gao Junxiao had dropped out, but where had he been recuperating for those two years?
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