The Master's Secret Manual
The moonlight grew dimmer, and the sound of shuffling cards echoed from the quiet alley. Wang Renyong had set up a card table by a tree, tucked a cigarette behind his ear, and invited the other three team members to start playing mahjong.
As the game progressed, more and more figures swayed under the lamplight. While skillfully drawing cards, Wang Renyong would steal glances at the onlookers. Their eyes held a mixture of curiosity, envy, and excitement.
The density of spies on the roadside was no different from usual, which meant that Xu Qiao had not arrived yet. Wang Renyong glanced at his watch, the hands slowly moving to 3. It was already 11:15. He suspected that the train was delayed.
After calling three more times, Xu Qiao didn't show up. Instead, they saw Qing Cheng sneaking out of the back door. This alley was right opposite the back door of Jingjing Dance Hall, so any situation in the dance hall could be reported in time.
Wang Renyong reached behind his ear to remove the cigarette, put it in his mouth, and offered his seat to a passerby who had been eyeing it for a while, pretending to go and smoke to satisfy his craving. Qingcheng wouldn't leave her post without permission; something must have gone wrong.
Away from the crowd, the two stood in the shadows, smoking silently. Qingcheng scratched her head and sighed, seemingly struggling with how to start the conversation. Wang Renyong, afraid that she would be anxious, took the initiative to mention that Xu Qiao might have missed the deadline. He told her not to worry, the mission could be canceled, and they could wait for another opportunity.
A draft swept through, and Qingcheng shivered, hugging her arms. She stammered, "It's not about that. You're married now, so I'll be frank. Miss Susan... she's on her period today, so it's inconvenient for her tonight... um, what do we do now?"
Tsk~ What a coincidence! Wang Renyong forgot to take a drag on his cigarette. He had planned everything, but he hadn't expected the female lead to have her period tonight. He quickly sorted out candidates to replace Susan in his mind. Xu Qiao liked bright and charming women, but they couldn't be too... flirtatious.
Just as the cigarette ash nearly burned him, a name popped into his head. "I've got it!" When Wang Renyong learned that Linda was also on duty, he quickly instructed Qingcheng to buy 30 tickets for Linda's dance performance. They were going to book Linda's entire performance that night.
"It's too late. Miss Linda has already been booked by Manager Sun of Yisheng Trading Company and is taking turns dancing with several managers." Qingcheng's expression grew increasingly worried. "Besides, with so many beautiful dancers, Xu Qiao might not even be interested in Linda."
"Haha, men's preferences don't change easily. You'll see after observing more." Wang Renyong stubbed out his cigarette and said, "Manager Sun spent so much on team building because his team landed a big trade deal with Southeast Asia this week. Yisheng Trading Company deals in dessert processing. What's the food business most afraid of?"
"Hygiene and safety." Qingcheng's eyes lit up. Without waiting for Wang Renyong's instructions, she strode into the phone booth.
A while later, Qingcheng ran out with a smile and said that she had taken care of it. There would be a surprise inspection at Yisheng's food factory tonight, and she hoped that everything at their factory met hygiene standards.
The two men looked at each other and then burst into laughter. They both knew it was impossible; in pursuit of maximum profits, factories always cut corners and fail to meet hygiene standards. If they didn't want to ruin the huge order from Southeast Asia, the managers would have to handle it personally.
At this moment, several vulgar curses came from the mahjong stall across the street. Wang Renyong frowned again. He noticed that more and more spies were gathering around. Oh no, Xu Qiao was coming. But their emergency response was not going to work so quickly.
"Don't worry, I'll ask Lao Li and the others to help me pry things up later." Qingcheng seemed to have noticed the changes on the street as well. She straightened her tie, winked at Wang Renyong, and walked towards the back door of the dance hall.
"You're always full of tricks!" Wang Renyong watched Qingcheng leave with peace of mind. After all, Qingcheng was playing the role of the deputy head teacher today, so she couldn't skip work for too long.
The ballroom, as bright as day, was as lively as ever. Laughter, singing, music, and even shouting were all mixed together. After carefully identifying the source of the noise, Qingcheng immediately found Li Shifa, who was directing the clearing of the area.
He stood under the crystal tassel lamp, coldly watching his men drag a short man with a bruised and swollen nose out the door. The dancers beside him covered their mouths and giggled, seemingly unfazed, before turning back to continue joking with the customers.
Shen, the manager of the dance hall, chuckled awkwardly and reassured the other guests that they should continue playing and that things would be fine soon. Qingcheng also imitated Shen's obsequious manner, bowing and scraping as she apologized to the guests at each table, and even personally served them a plate of roasted melon seeds as a gesture of apology.
This went on for a while, and the guests no longer complained. Meanwhile, the number of spies in the hall was decreasing at a visible rate. When Qingcheng was carrying a tray around Li Shifa, Li Shifa's expression remained unchanged. He tapped his pocket watch rhythmically with his fingers, which meant that Qiantang would arrive in 15 minutes. Qiantang was Qi Shu's code name.
Under the enormous crystal chandelier, everyone around her seemed out of focus and blurred. Qingcheng gritted her teeth to control her nervousness, but her throbbing nerves made her head throb. She quickly typed back a few telegraphic codes: Understood, something changed, Susan replaced by Linda.
Over there, Li Shifa glanced expressionlessly in Linda's direction, probably wondering how Linda would entertain Xu Qiao since she already had guests. Qingcheng secretly made a prying motion and coughed lightly to indicate that he understood.
"Mr. Li, why don't you sit at the bar for a while? If there's a table available, I'll move it over for you right away," Shen Daban suddenly ran over to chat.
“Hmm, I don’t like noisy places. That private room looks nice. Let’s clear out the people there.” Li Shifa glanced sideways at Linda’s location, putting on an air of great authority.
"Oh dear, please bear with us. They're all repeat customers. They came first, so we can't just turn them away. How about I bring you an extra bottle of red wine later? But we'll definitely prepare a private room for Manager Xu," Shen Daban assured him, patting her chest.
"Why is Manager Xu a guest, but I'm not? Huh?" Li Shifa's drawn-out tone, coupled with his serious expression, scared Shen Daban so much that she almost knelt down and begged for mercy. Shen Daban tried to appease her with methods such as offering a free meal, but to no avail.
Just as Shen Daban was at a loss, Qingcheng boldly spoke up to Li Shifa: "Mr. Li, they are all old customers, we are too familiar with them, it is inconvenient for us Shen Daban to come forward and ask. I am a new deputy manager surnamed Zhou, and I am unfamiliar with him. Why don't I try to talk to them? Please wait a moment."
"Xiao Zhou, right? If you can't come to an agreement, I'll take matters into my own hands," Li Shifa threatened.
The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned icy. People around them secretly cast curious glances at them. Qingcheng forced a smile and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I'll go right away."
The singers on stage did not stop singing despite the commotion below; their deep, seductive voices continued to resonate throughout the dance hall.
Before long, the men in the private room got up and dressed one after another. It seemed that they had been persuaded by Qingcheng. Qingcheng bowed and saw them off. Before leaving, Shen Daban instructed the cashier to give each of them a bottle of red wine, and then went to serve Li Shifa.
As soon as the men left, Linda pulled Qingcheng backstage and complained, "Xiao Zhou, what a mess this is! How could they investigate someone's factory and ruin their business just to grab a private room!"
Holding Linda close, Qingcheng comforted her in a voice only the two of them could hear: "My darling, keep your voice down. That boss is still outside. But I'll give you a chance to get revenge. His boss will be here soon, and Mr. Xu is very generous. Last time he gave Susan a cream pearl necklace the size of a pigeon egg."
Looking at the size Qingcheng was gesturing, Linda's eyes gleamed with greed as she tentatively asked, "Mr. Xu is Susan's sugar daddy, right? Snatching the long-term sugar daddy of one of our fellow contestants will cause trouble."
Qingcheng smiled and whispered in her ear, "We're good friends, so I'm only telling you this. Don't spread it around. I heard Susan isn't feeling well today and can't take care of anyone. You can try your luck; even if you only make one sale, it'll be enough to break even."
"Haha, Xiao Zhou, if you grind for another eight months, you'll definitely become Jingjing's number one boyfriend. Don't forget me when you make it big!" Linda whispered suggestively in Qingcheng's ear.
Just then, Qingcheng noticed a figure eavesdropping at the door. She flicked Linda's earring and flirted with her naturally: "Hey~ I'm far from good enough. I still need to learn more manners from my darling Linda. When are you going to spend some time with me tonight to review the manners?"
"Ugh! Go find some other girls." Linda scoffed and pushed Qingcheng away, but Qingcheng pulled her onto her lap.
"Linda, my darling, you're the most dazzling one here, but Manager Xu prefers the kind of... restrained allure that female celebrities have. You know what I mean?" Qingcheng kindly reminded Linda, almost whispering in her ear.
"Haha, I get it." Linda chuckled and tapped Qingcheng's nose. "If it works out, I'll treat you to drinks tonight."
"I'll be waiting for your good news." Qingcheng gently patted Linda's pert bottom to encourage her, while glancing at the wall clock. Xu Qiao should be arriving soon.
When Qingcheng followed Linda back into the dance hall, she immediately saw Qi Kejun standing at the door of the private room. He was still wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, and his conservative temperament was out of place in the entire dance hall.
Through the crystal beaded curtain, Qingcheng could see Susan's lotus-colored sequined dress. As usual, she would first have a few drinks and some snacks with Xu Qiao. Although Xu Qiao was a womanizer, he was always gentle and generous to his women.
Sure enough, after learning that Susan was unwell, he took the initiative to call Shen Daban, threw a bag of silver dollars at her as payment for the week's private event, and told Susan to get some rest.
Outside the private box, Linda's face was full of envy. She gave Qingcheng a confident smile. Qingcheng, one of the directors of the show, was very satisfied with her performance; our leading lady was ready to go.
As the number of guests increased in the evening, Qingcheng had to keep an eye on the private rooms while attending to them. Taking advantage of Xu Qiao's return from the restroom, Linda pretended to be drunk and stumbled into him. It was a very old-fashioned way of striking up a conversation, but it worked, something Qingcheng knew all too well.
Old Wang guessed correctly. As soon as Linda was helped up by Xu Qiao, the two made eye contact. But Linda was a very tactful woman. She thanked him politely and left. Xu Qiao stared at Linda's delicate figure, seemingly lost in thought.
Xu Qiao lost interest in having dinner with Susan. After seeing her off, he picked up his wine glass and launched an attack on Linda. The two chatted for a while, and Xu Qiao downed the wine in Linda's glass in one gulp, his wild desire undisguised. They seemed to be discussing changing locations.
The scorching aroma of alcohol filled the air, and Qingcheng knew their plan was halfway to success. She winked at Qi Kejun, who nodded slightly. He was the crucial link; whether they could leave behind the codebook depended on Qi's art of conversation.
When Xu Qiao led Linda back to the private room, he called Qi Kejun, who was standing at the door, in as well. Qingcheng felt her heart dancing along with the saxophone. Meanwhile, in another private room, Old Li would occasionally take out his pocket watch to wipe it, the subtle movements revealing his inner anxiety.
Her head was getting increasingly swollen, and her clear, wandering gaze shifted back and forth between Qi Kejun and Xu Qiao. Gradually, the singing in her ears changed tune, and their conversation seemed to go on and on indefinitely...
"Xiao Zhou, come here for a second." Shen Daban interrupted Qingcheng's thoughts in an unfriendly tone.
As soon as Qingcheng arrived, she was berated by Shen Daban. Susan, knowing that her sugar daddy had been stolen, threw a tantrum backstage. He finally managed to coax her back and told Qingcheng not to do that again, as it would easily cause trouble.
"Brother Chen, how can you blame me? Boss Xu got involved with Linda himself, I didn't do anything." Qingcheng spread her hands innocently, and after realizing that someone was eavesdropping, she prepared a set of excuses in her mind.
Shen Daban tapped her head with exasperation: "You little rascal, don't you know walls have ears? You and Linda were whispering backstage, and someone with ulterior motives overheard you."
"I'm innocent, Brother Chen! You have to help me! I'm going to tear that gossipy bastard to pieces! I was just talking to Linda... you know what I mean, I can't just shout it out loud." Qingcheng stubbornly denied it with a grin, making sure that only Linda could hear her.
"Alright, alright, don't get agitated. I've already dealt with the gossips. But be careful, Susan might have someone ambush you after get off work. I suggest you go home now to avoid trouble." Boss Shen nodded, signaling Qingcheng to leave work early.
Hehe, going home? I bet you're just crying wolf, aren't you, Mr. Shen? Qingcheng knows that she stole Mr. Shen's thunder today, and he's probably holding a grudge.
Going home was out of the question. Qingcheng's face fell, and she pretended to be scared: "Brother, don't scare me. They're blocking my way. I can't leave the dance hall now. If I go back too soon, my aunt will get suspicious, and if my uncle asks, you won't know how to explain it."
Qingcheng cleverly revealed her background: the identity she was using this time was that of the second wife's cousin.
After pondering for a while, Shen Daban pretended to be magnanimous and asked her to serve the "difficult" Li Shifa. Hehe, isn't this like putting a mouse in a rice jar? Qingcheng kept a straight face and dared not show the slightest bit of happiness. She lowered her head and ran to Li Shifa's private room.
As she passed the next private room, her heart tightened, because Linda was the only one in the room; Xu Qiao and Qi Kejun were nowhere to be seen.
Huh, where is everyone? Just as Qingcheng was wondering what had happened, Li Shifa called her in from the private room. She immediately went inside, deliberately blocking the beaded curtain with her body, and asked directly, "Mr. Li, is the red wine to your liking? Would you like to change the vintage for the next bottle?"
"No need, the red wine tastes quite good. My boss even wanted to take a bottle with him." As he spoke, Li Shifa wrote on the table with red wine: "The secret document has been placed in the safe."
Qingcheng calmly wiped away the writing with her napkin: "Oh, that's good. The bosses' praise is our motivation to provide better service."
"Oh, right, my colleague will be here soon. He doesn't drink, so order him some fried rice with a long-handled metal spoon. Don't get it wrong." Li Shifa still maintained his meticulous bureaucratic demeanor.
Only Qingcheng knew that Lao Li wanted her to prepare the tools for picking locks so she could give them to Lao Qi later. She readily agreed and deftly collected the extra wine glasses.
A short while later, Xu Qiao took Linda away from next door, while Qi Kejun remained respectful until they left through the back door of the dance hall, at which point Old Qi cautiously stepped into the private room.
The two people inside had been waiting for him for a long time. Qingcheng helped Lao Qi set out the long spoon, and when he got close, she immediately transferred the long-handled tool in her hand to him.
The safes provided for guests at the dance hall were kept in a special cubicle in the corner backstage. After dinner, Lao Qi slipped into the backstage area. As a guest, no one paid attention to his movements, and the dance hall continued its merriment.
Not long after Lao Qi went inside, Qingcheng, under the pretense of buying tobacco for Boss Li, followed closely behind to keep watch for him. As soon as Qingcheng entered the backstage area, she saw a half-empty bottle of red wine on the dressing table. In a moment of quick thinking, she spilled and poured the red wine haphazardly on the table.
Just as she put down the bottle, her hand still on the bottle, the foreign dancer Belle suddenly returned, a hint of doubt in her lake-green eyes, and asked in broken Chinese, "What are you doing? How did the backstage become like this over the weekend?"
At the critical moment, Kiyosumi calmly picked up the bottle again, threw it into the trash can, and replied with feigned disgust, "I don't know what got into me. It's okay, it's okay, I'm cleaning up now. Miss Bell, be careful not to slip."
Because Kiyosumi handled the situation skillfully and didn't reveal any flaws, Bell pursed her lips and told her to hurry up and dry herself. She then took the cigarette case and turned to leave the backstage area.
After Bell left, Kiyosumi quickly put up a cleaning notice at the backstage entrance, tidied up a bit, and then knocked on the door of the corner cubicle using the pre-arranged code.
The narrow cubicle was just big enough to stretch out one's arms, so Qingcheng couldn't go in to help. Fortunately, the lock wasn't complicated, and Comrade Qi quickly opened the safe and found the codebook, a small, palm-sized rubber notebook.
However, after observing the area with a flashlight, Comrade Qi immediately covered his mouth and nose and turned to ask Qingcheng to fetch the tape.
What happened? Is it poisonous? Working at night, danger is always lurking. Qingcheng didn't dare to delay and brought over some tape. She watched as Comrade Qi carefully used the tape to stick a hair on the codebook before letting out a long sigh of relief.
Wow, Xu Qiao is so cautious! He deliberately put a hair on the codebook so that he would know if the codebook was moved.
Fortunately, Comrade Qi was one step ahead and observed the safe's condition before unlocking it to retrieve the items. Qingcheng admired him greatly and knew she should be more careful in the future.
Qi Kejun and Qingcheng exchanged a smile after taking out their codebook. The most urgent thing now was to take pictures. Qingcheng handed the reconnaissance camera to Lao Qi, then took a mop from the tool shed and returned to the backstage area to guard the door.
The second hand on the wall visibly spun downwards, round and round...
Finally, after Qi Kejun finished taking pictures of all the pages, he had Qingcheng carefully check the page numbers again. There were no mistakes. Only then did Comrade Qi carefully put the codebook back in its original place, remove the tape from his hair, and gently close the cabinet door.
Success! We finally got the secret code.
But Qingcheng knew she couldn't relax yet; there was still one last step: she had to safely transfer the film to Old Wang outside before her mission could be considered complete.
The two didn't dare linger backstage. Lao Qi returned to the dance hall first, while Qingcheng rushed out the back door to find Wang Renyong in the alley.
Under the dim light, a restless, anxious figure was visible. Qingcheng approached and discovered that Wang Renyong's feet were surrounded by cigarette butts, which had been blown about by the wind. As the chief director, he must be the most nervous person tonight.
Looking around, Kiyosumi saw that the mahjong stalls across the street were still bustling with activity. The once familiar back street was now strangely quiet, probably because the spies who had been driven out had gone to watch the excitement.
When Wang Renyong saw Qingcheng, he still flashed his signature toothy grin, but Qingcheng couldn't smile. She had offended Susan earlier, and Shen Daban's warning was something she'd rather believe than disbelieve. If something unexpected happened, it would be a huge loss.
The handover of the items was urgent! As Qingcheng brushed past Wang Renyong, she immediately shoved the reconnaissance camera she was holding into Wang Renyong's hand. Wang Renyong took it and casually stuffed it into his pocket. The two moved in perfect unison, completing the historic handover in a matter of moments.
In the cold wind, Qingcheng wiped the sweat from her palms with her clothes, glanced at the neon-lit avenue full of spies, and worried about whether Lao Wang could get away unscathed. However, when she thought of the whole team behind her, she instantly regained her confidence and calmly returned to the dance hall.
As expected, as soon as Shen Daban caught Qingcheng, he accused her of slacking off at work. Qingcheng kept smiling and did not argue. The more you pay attention to this kind of petty person, the more energetic he becomes.
After Shen Daban finished scolding, Qingcheng took out the tobacco box she had prepared in advance and said that she was going to pack a pipe for Boss Li. Shen Daban immediately fell silent, her face turning red and then pale. She waved her hand and told her to hurry up and go.
Upon entering the room, Qingcheng's first action was to place the tobacco box on the table: "Mr. Li, the cigarettes you asked me to buy have been unpacked. I'll pack them for you now."
Li Shifa knowingly pulled out his pipe: "Hmm, I heard that some hooligans rip people off around the dance hall at night. Have you encountered them when you went to buy cigarettes?"
"No, I haven't encountered any yet. My cigarette purchase went very smoothly," Kiyosumi replied while pressing down on his pipe.
"That's good. But be careful on your way home. I heard Susan found a senior member of the Green Gang with the character 'Shan' in his name. You'd better have someone accompany you back." Li Shifa's serious statement left Qingcheng unsure whether he was joking or warning.
Actually, those of the "Shan" generation are all juniors in front of him. Qingcheng's master, Ms. Xia Wanlan, is of the "Tong" generation. Even Mr. Du has to call her "Shishu" when he comes.
However, the temple is small but the winds are strong, and the water is shallow but there are many turtles. The shrimp soldiers and crab generals below like to call themselves big brothers. I'm afraid they won't recognize the real immortal and will bite indiscriminately.
Perhaps seeing Qingcheng's hesitation, Qi Kejun laughed heartily: "Hahaha, Lao Li, don't scare the kid. Xiao Zhou, Lao Li has already called a rickshaw from Wu Ji Car Company for you. Consider it a tip."
"Thank you, Mr. Li." Qingcheng bowed deeply to Mr. Li. She was so moved that she didn't know what to say. It couldn't be better to have someone from her own circle pick her up and drop her off.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Comrade Qi and the others accompanied Xu Qiao, who had just returned from her escapades, and she left. Her mission for the day was considered successfully completed.
Almost simultaneously, Shen Daban came over to Qingcheng with a fake smile on his face, saying that Boss Li praised her for her excellent service today and that she could go home to rest early after finishing this order.
This couldn't be better news. Qingcheng was secretly pleased that she had returned home early. Maybe if she rested a bit, she could still make it to her future father-in-law's house for dinner.
Ah Xiao, wait for me to come back!
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