Jiaojiao Lao Wang
They met again in the mortal world, raising their golden whips in a high salute. Reunion is a joyous occasion, and they mustn't spoil the mood. Qingcheng wiped away her tears and, together with Xu Xi, helped Wang Renyong back to bed.
Xu Xi looked at Qingcheng, then at Wang Renyong, standing bewildered by the bed like a stone statue. Qingcheng hung her head, unsure how to explain her lapse in composure to Xu Xi.
For a long while, no one spoke in the room, until Old Wang broke the awkward silence.
"Come here and smell it, smell it!" Wang Renyong said with a grin, pointing to his head. "Can't you smell the aroma? My brain is almost cooked; I could just sprinkle some scallions on it and serve it."
"What time is it for you to joke around?" Qingcheng glared at him, annoyed.
Looking at Wang Renyong's tattered body wrapped in bandages, the tears she had just suppressed welled up again and swirled in her eyes. She placed the back of her hand on Wang Renyong's forehead and found it was indeed burning hot, most likely due to inflammation.
The veteran secret agent, Mr. Wang, who was supposed to be the most influential person in Shanghai, ended up being beaten to a pulp. She asked, her voice trembling with tears, "Even like this, why aren't you lying still? How did you fall to the ground?"
"Haha, why are you crying? I'm not dead yet. I was just excited to see you and wanted to greet you in person, but I forgot that my leg is bad." Wang Renyong laughed optimistically as always.
"Welcome?" Qingcheng turned her questioning gaze to Xu Xi, who immediately swore that it was all a coincidence and that he didn't know they knew each other. Otherwise, he would have asked Qingcheng for the medicine long ago and wouldn't have needed to go through such a roundabout way.
Xu Xi reminded her that Qingcheng remembered the purpose of her visit that night. There was a tray of sterilization equipment on the bedside table. She pulled Wang Renyong's arm to prepare the skin for the injection, tied a hemostatic rubber band, and kindly reminded Old Wang that the tetanus shot would hurt a little. Wang Renyong pursed his lips and nodded.
Before the needle even went in, Wang Renyong covered his eyes and yelled, "Oh ho ho, be gentle, be gentle, I'm afraid of needles!"
"You haven't even been treated yet, why are you wailing like a banshee? Don't you know the Xu family is surrounded by tabloid reporters? Don't cause them trouble." Qingcheng's warning had no effect.
“No, no, do you have a medical license? I won’t be the first person you practice on… Ah—” As Wang Renyong was rambling on, Qingcheng suddenly plunged in.
"Senior brother, keep your voice down, or the neighbors will call the police." Xu Xi covered Lao Wang's mouth. Perhaps to distract Lao Wang, he took out a box of fruit candies and half-coaxed and half-tricked Lao Wang into his mouth. Lao Wang immediately stopped making a fuss. He really knew how to do things.
After the injections were finished, Wang Renyong was still covering his eyes like a child. Qingcheng couldn't bear to watch, so she untied the tourniquet and let him press the cotton ball himself. Then she gestured angrily towards the empty glass on the bedside table, asking Xu Xi to pour a glass of water and prepare some anti-inflammatory medicine. Xu Xi seemed to have been waiting for this moment, and disappeared in a flash.
"They run so fast!" Qingcheng turned around and patted Wang Renyong, telling him to stop acting, as Xu Xi had already gone downstairs.
"Ouch, it hurts! Be gentle, I'm not acting. I really do get terrified of needles. When I was in school, Xu Xi always covered my eyes during physical exams." Wang Renyong shrank back, his voice a little hoarse.
No wonder, it turns out Xu Xi was already very familiar with the process. Qingcheng calmed down and went through the "Camphor Tree Project" in her mind. When she raised her head, her eyes became serious. She had something to report. Only after she finished reporting could Lao Wang rest.
Dodo—
The two turned their heads at the same time. Xu Xi put the water and medicine on the dresser, then yawned and said that he had to film a movie the next morning and was going to sleep first. He asked Qingcheng to lock the door for him before she left.
Wang Renyong thanked him, and Xu Xi smiled but didn't say anything. Before leaving, he closed the door for the two of them.
"Don't worry, Xu Xi is a trustworthy friend of ours. Even if you hear it, it won't matter." Old Wang's words dispelled Qingcheng's last bit of wariness.
In the most concise language, Qingcheng recounted the plan discussed in the group to Lao Wang. However, when he heard that Secretary Yu had returned to the Soviet area alone with materials to expose him, Wang Renyong became agitated and criticized Qingcheng, saying that she was being reckless!
Wu Hao was not in the Soviet area but in Shanghai, and no one was there to receive the materials. Secretary Yu held those materials as if he were holding a time bomb, and his life was in danger at any moment.
Eliminating traitors was their job, not Secretary Yu's. Their security work should have ended after Li Sheng sent Secretary Yu back to the Soviet area.
"No, eliminating traitors is our job, but eliminating villains, especially bad people among the masses, is everyone's responsibility." Kiyosumi's eyes were filled with an extreme coldness of rationality.
It was this unassuming aura that froze Wang Renyong in place. Qingcheng then recounted the whole story, and Wang Renyong's eyes widened as if struck by lightning. He remained silent for a long while before asking, "Is your source accurate?"
Qingcheng blurted out, "Accurate! Our comrade swore on his life that he had been investigating for a long time, but he didn't dare to hand over the evidence directly. The anonymous report sent to the Soviet area was also ignored. This is a very serious problem, but no one cares. Is that normal?"
When questioned, Wang Renyong avoided Qingcheng's earnest gaze: "It is abnormal, but... if this matter is not handled properly, it will shake the foundation of the Soviet area, so we need to take it slow."
"Wang Renyong, don't give me that bureaucratic talk. There's no room for compromise on matters of principle!" Qingcheng retorted sharply, her pent-up anger rising to her head. "Letting the toxins spread will only make the roots rot faster. If we don't get rid of the poison in time, we clean-loving Party members won't be able to stand it."
"Don't worry. It's precisely because it concerns principles that I had to inform Wu Hao so he could prepare as well." Wang Renyong's helpless expression suddenly caused Qingcheng a pang of heartache.
Wang Renyong was a good comrade; he also wanted the Soviet area to become better and more beautiful, but everyone has their own difficulties. Qingcheng's tone softened; Wu Hao and Lao Wang could be contacted slowly, but the security work for Secretary Yu was not over.
She bluntly asked Lao Wang to contact the Soviet Area Security Section to provide Secretary Yu with 24-hour personal protection. The security personnel should be selected from the security personnel withdrawn from our Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, preferably new Party members and young people without too many social connections.
Wang Renyong nodded repeatedly in agreement to the request for protection, and he proposed that the news of Secretary Yu's return to the Soviet area be blocked as soon as possible. The fewer people who knew the news, the safer Secretary Yu would be, and the smaller the scope for them to find the traitor would be.
Not only traitors, but also large, medium and small spies who have infiltrated the Soviet area will also show their faces. Qingcheng calmly analyzed that there are several forces of spies infiltrating the Soviet area, mainly the CC Clique and the Chicken and Goose Alley faction. The relationship between the two sides has become extremely hostile after being provoked, and they are ready to ignite at any moment.
The first phase of the sparks has been planted; all that's needed is a favorable wind. So, we can begin our second phase of counterattack!
Wang Renyong's eyes lit up, and he craned his neck to ask Qingcheng where to start her counterattack?
"Starting from the wrong telegraph station in Chicken and Goose Lane, did Ouyang or anyone from the Fourth Division return to the Soviet area?" Qingcheng asked.
“Ouyang is back. Oh—I understand. We’ll leave all the professional matters to him.” Wang Renyong looked at Qingcheng knowingly.
Qingcheng suggested that we could use the exposé materials to write a proper essay, clearly defining the direction. She added that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Soviet Area Security Section would soon receive many anonymous reports or deliberate complaints. She also asked Ouyang to send the frequency of the counterattack if convenient, as she wanted to monitor it.
“Eavesdropping is allowed, but sending telegrams is prohibited. The concentration of spies in Shanghai is already saturated. You don’t want to end up like me, do you?” Wang Renyong spread his hands noncommittally.
"I haven't even asked yet, how did you become such a freak? Why didn't you contact me after you escaped? I thought I was disconnected." Qingcheng glared at Lao Wang.
"What? Rui Rui didn't contact you?" Wang Renyong scratched his neck. "I did tell her."
Thinking of Lao Wang's half-finished and somewhat frivolous "explanations," Rui Rui probably hadn't even realized it yet. Qing Cheng said through gritted teeth, "No! Can you two tune to the same frequency? Rui Rui, you need to speak to her in plain language and make the priority order clear. Don't leave half a sentence unsaid. Not everyone likes to guess what you're going to say next."
Wang Renyong was stunned by the scolding. When he came to his senses, he fanned Qingcheng with his hand and said, "Calm down. I was sent to investigate Zhang Tianhe as soon as I got home. I didn't even get to drink a sip of hot tea. I may not have explained things clearly enough."
It turned out that the big traitor had already written a pledge of loyalty, but he was arrested before he could send it out. When Wang Renyong searched his house, he also found house deeds and land deeds in the suburbs of Qingpu and Nanhui, so thick that they had to be measured with a ruler.
How could a working-class proletarian have so much money to buy land? It must all be embezzled organizational funds. Wang Renyong slammed his fist on the bed, then frowned and blew on his hand, probably in pain.
To avoid being investigated, most of the land deeds of the Zhang family were registered under the names of his wife, father-in-law, and younger sister. He did not embezzle alone, but led his whole family to embezzle the organization's most urgently needed funds.
His father-in-law had even planned to take the embezzled assets and some of the organization's account books to Nanjing to surrender to him, which was utterly lawless.
If they didn't teach them a lesson, Zhang Tianhe would think the organization was weak and easy to bully. A crimson glint flashed in Wang Renyong's eyes. With Comrade Wu Hao's approval, they organized a ten-person team and spent a whole night eliminating traitors.
Wow~ You killed more than one person in one night, right? Qingcheng swallowed hard: "Were you injured while eliminating traitors? How many shots did you take?"
"I wasn't shot, but I suffered some minor injuries that night. It's a pity that if you don't nip it in the bud, it will grow back in the spring." Wang Renyong sighed and recounted the story.
Two people were spared at the time. One of them was Zhang Tianhe's seven-year-old nephew. Zhang Tianhe somehow found out where the child was and took him away from his foster relatives. He didn't feel sorry for his nephew; instead, he used him. He made the child stand at the intersection near his house and point out the uncles and aunts he knew.
Within a few days, another large number of the undercover comrades fell victim to the scheme. Wang Renyong volunteered to deal with the little brat who had caused them significant losses.
Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang, and Qingcheng's heart was in her throat: "This is obviously a trap. If you go, you'll just be walking into a snare."
“There was no other way. The safety of our comrades was the most important thing. Even though we knew it was a trap, we had to walk into it.” Wang Renyong took a deep breath. “Fortunately, the child’s father was on our side. With his cooperation, we easily tricked the child out of the heavily guarded villa. However, the guards happened to come to check the rooms. They didn’t see the child and immediately chased after him. I could only cover their retreat and distract the guards. In the end, we escaped to Xu Xi’s house.”
Wang Renyong glossed over the part about covering the rear, but judging from his disheveled appearance, he probably suffered a great loss.
Qingcheng couldn't bring herself to ask how the child would be treated, so she changed the subject: "You need to see a doctor, especially about the leg injury. If you leave it untreated, it might cause a limp."
"Sister, I'm on the wanted list, how am I supposed to get to the hospital?" Wang Renyong asked helplessly.
But it wasn't a good idea for Old Wang to stay here, so Qingcheng asked, "Did you see Xu Xi's housekeeper this morning?"
“I came for a while this morning and wanted to go upstairs, but Xu Xi sent me away and gave me a few days off,” Wang Renyong replied.
A bad feeling arose in her heart. The housekeeper of Xu Xi's house was her brother's informant, and there was a high probability that she had already reported the strange things in Xu Xi's house to Xu Qiao. Qingcheng solemnly told Wang Renyong that if he stayed in Xu's house any longer, his identity would be exposed, and he should leave immediately. She would contact the clinic.
“I don’t want to cause Xu Xi any more trouble, but I can’t leave like this. If I get arrested at his doorstep, it will only implicate Xu Xi.” Wang Renyong threw off the blanket, revealing his bandaged injured leg.
“Okay, I’ll drive over tomorrow. You find a chance to sneak into my car. We can’t let Xu Xi get into danger.” Qingcheng’s brows were full of worry.
call--
The wind blowing in from the corridor interrupted their argument. Xu Xi, still leaning against the door, seemed to have mustered his courage and snapped on the overhead light: "If you don't mind, I'd like to do something for you."
The soft light illuminated most of his handsome face. Qingcheng and Wang Renyong stared at Xu Xi with their mouths agape, as if asking, "Friend, do you know what your words mean?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. It's just that you were arguing and your voices were getting a bit loud, so I wanted to remind you." Xu Xi's eyes flickered, and he seemed a little unsure of himself.
Qingcheng was the first to react. She stood up and walked towards Xu Xi, gently advising, "Bai Xi, just pretend you don't know Wang Renyong's true identity. Tomorrow, you focus on filming. I'll find a chance to take him away. Just keep insisting that he never came."
“No, it’s best if my senior brother stays here. When I was removing the bullet from his knee, I found that the bones were shattered. Moving him around will really make him lame. Besides, he has a fever and can’t exert any strength. How can you move him by yourself? Or does Miss He not trust me? Because I am the brother of a big spy.” Xu Xi’s words were sincere, but his tone carried a hint of grievance.
Hearing that Xu Xi's way of addressing him had changed, Qingcheng was somewhat moved: "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have discussed things at your house. Any one of the things we just talked about, you could just pick out and tell your brother, and you would get a huge reward."
Xu Xi's expression softened instantly: "Then stay here to recover. I have a way to deal with Xu Qiao and won't let you get caught."
“It’s not just Xu Qiao, there’s another group too,” Wang Renyong chimed in.
“Then you should stay with me even more. With my public influence, neither side will dare to act rashly. During your recovery, you can use my house as a contact point. Don’t neglect your work either. It’s not too late to go out after your senior brother has recovered,” Xu Qiao calmly analyzed.
That makes a lot of sense. Qingcheng and Lao Wang's eyes met. Actually, staying wouldn't be a bad thing, but this matter would not benefit Xu Xi at all, and would instead bring great risks.
Perhaps sensing their concerns, Xu Xi continued, "I've been unhappy with my butler for a long time. Why don't you think of a way to get me a real butler instead of a spy?"
This idea coincided with Qingcheng's. A flash of inspiration struck her, and Qingcheng said confidently, "I'll get rid of the housekeeper for you, and I won't let Xu Qiao put anyone else in. Old Wang doesn't need to go out either. I'll find you an international colleague from a German clinic, but there's a condition: I need Xu Xi to do a little bit of cooperation."
"Don't mess with him." Wang Renyong gave him a wary look.
"Don't worry, Xu Xi is also my friend, I won't harm him." Qingcheng smiled and brought over the medicine and water, beckoned the two together, and explained her plan.
The next day, the azure sky deepened, as if it had been smeared with ink. Boom! Large raindrops fell on the asphalt road, bringing a cool breeze.
In the noisy office, reporter Xiao Li, soaking wet, rushed up the stairs and shouted, "Big news! Big news! Xu Xi accidentally fell while filming, and after his cast was put on, he's been taken home from the hospital."
His words drew sighs, especially from his female colleagues who were all crying and lamenting, wishing they could fly to Xu Xi's residence to take care of him.
Inside the room, Qingcheng put down her pen and calmly dialed Xu Xi's hotline. Her agent, Brother Shen, answered the phone. Brother Shen asked impatiently who it was, but after hearing Qingcheng's voice, his attitude became much more polite. He thanked Qingcheng for the call in a businesslike manner and said he would reply to everyone after the doctor gave the final diagnosis.
"Okay, I'll ask again later. Make sure Xu Xi gets some rest. By the way, does he need a professional caregiver? I know a few caregivers who are very discreet and have excellent nursing skills; both men and women are available." Qingcheng pretended not to know the extent of the injury and kindly offered him a list of candidates.
"Yes, yes, of course I need it. Give me their contact information and I'll contact them." Brother Shen was so excited he almost cried.
"Uh, they don't have a phone at home. Why don't you write down the address? There's one that lives in a slightly remote area," Qingcheng said awkwardly.
"Oh no, I have to go myself! Oh no, I have to deal with the media, I can't leave for a while!" Brother Shen stomped his feet anxiously.
"Let the assistant handle it. You, the great agent Shen, don't need to do these trivial things," Qingcheng kindly suggested.
"No way, the little assistant doesn't know her place and isn't good with words. She'll just spout nonsense. Xu Xi is very protective of privacy." Brother Shen immediately rejected Qingcheng's suggestion.
"Oh my, Xu Xi is so lucky to have such a dedicated manager like you. As his friend, I'd like to do my part. I'll have them meet at Xu Xi's house tonight, and you can choose whichever you like," Qingcheng generously suggested.
"Thank you so much, Miss He. You are beautiful inside and out. I'll thank you on behalf of Xu Xi." Shen Ge's excitement was practically overflowing from the microphone.
After hanging up the phone, Qingcheng rubbed her hands together with a smile. By now, all the media in Shanghai should have surrounded Xu Xijia's house.
The gun is already loaded, Old Wang, you'd better hide.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
