Chapter 72
night.
The mahjong game had long since ended, and everyone else had left.
After taking a shower, Xu Ying hummed a tuneless song. Wearing a long robe and her slightly damp long hair, she returned to her study and quietly sat down at the computer to start typing.
Regarding her new book, a story about spies in the Republican era, she already had a general outline of the story in mind. Now that everything was quiet, it was the perfect time for her to be full of inspiration, and she was eager to record the images in her mind.
Shanghai, 1939.
The news that Citibank's new president, Yang Boyuan, will be arriving in Shanghai with his wife to assume his post was immediately relayed to major powers in Shanghai.
"Does anyone know who this Yang Boyuan is?"
"You don't know this? Let me tell you, this Yang Boyuan is said to be a top student in the finance department, and he even studied in Japan. He's a rare talent in finance, and the higher-ups value him highly..."
"The higher-ups really value him; they gave him the title of financial advisor even before he arrived."
In the private room of the restaurant, amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, information about Yang Boyuan was conveyed in just a few words, while Ye Xun, the deputy director of the intelligence department who was dining with them, remained silent.
What's news to others is somewhat outdated to him.
Three days earlier, Yang Boyuan's complete resume had already appeared on his desk, and he had secretly forwarded it to various parties in Shanghai.
Sending out this kind of insignificant information is just a favor; they'll have to repay it later.
A calculating glint flashed in Ye Xun's eyes.
Meanwhile, Yang Boyuan, who was being discussed by everyone, had already arrived at his residence.
He put down his luggage, carefully surveyed his surroundings, then closed the doors and windows, and gave his nominal wife a wink.
Lin Jingshu understood.
She put down the rag in her hand, sat down at the table, and said with a serious expression, "We just arrived, and the Special Higher Police couldn't wait to send us an invitation. It seems they want to find out about you."
Let's find out whether this Citibank president is aligned with the Special Higher Police or the Military Intelligence Bureau.
Yang Boyuan loosened his suit tie and chuckled softly, "Who would have thought I was on the same side as the Communist Party!"
Lin Jingshu frowned and shot her a sharp look: "I don't want to hear those words again. Be careful what you say."
"Yes," Yang Boyuan immediately lowered his head.
On the surface, Lin Jingshu is his wife and his appendage, and the outside world has focused its attention on him. Who would have thought that the mastermind behind all this is actually a delicate and beautiful lady?
Lin Jingshu, codenamed "Dodder Flower," was the head of the Shanghai underground party intelligence group and the actual planner and executor of this operation to disrupt the Japanese puppet regime's economic order and secretly raise funds for our party.
Yang Boyuan was the best entry point she found.
Yang Boyuan has an overseas study background and professional financial knowledge, making him a rare talent. It is believed that the Military Intelligence Bureau and the Special Higher Police will not give up on such a talent.
As expected.
They had just disembarked from the ship today when people from the Special Higher Police were already waiting at the dock to hand out invitations.
That was quick!
But that suited her just fine.
However, she glanced at Yang Boyuan, who was dressed in a sharp suit beside her. Yang Boyuan had only been recruited as a Party member last year. In her opinion, he had no experience in underground operations and was too reckless in his words and actions.
This is also why she had to pretend to be the other party's wife.
“Take me to the ball in three days. Be careful not to be too polite to me at the ball,” Lin Jingshu reminded her.
"Okay, I understand."
Three days later.
Lin Jingshu put her hair up and went out wearing a well-fitting cheongsam.
Standing at her door, she immediately noticed that the shop owner and servant across the street had changed. She glanced at Yang Boyuan without making a sound.
Yang Boyuan was still completely unaware.
He opened the rear door of the car, placed his hand on the top of the door, and smiled tenderly, seemingly immersed in the performance of a devoted husband.
Lin Jingshu twitched the corners of her mouth and, with his considerate care, leaned over and sat down in the car.
At the ball.
As Lin Jingshu entered the venue arm in arm with Yang Boyuan, they immediately attracted attention from all sides, including Ye Xun, the deputy director of the intelligence department. He only glanced at them briefly before looking away.
At this moment, Li Minghua, the vice president of Citibank, came forward and led Yang Boyuan and Lin Jingshu inside, quietly introducing the important figures present at the ball.
"Manager, look over there. That man with the beard is Mr. Sakata, the section chief of the Special Higher Police's External Affairs Department."
"That tall and strong man is Yan Feng, the head of the action department."
"And the man sitting over there drinking is Ye Xun, the deputy director of the intelligence department. Don't mess with him easily, or you'll find yourself in a difficult situation..."
When a new book is first written, that's when my imagination is at its peak and when I'm most motivated to write. Xu Ying got so engrossed in her writing that she wrote straight up until 1 a.m.
It was only when her phone suddenly chimed that she snapped out of her reverie and realized it was already late at night.
She rubbed her tired eyes, picked up her phone and glanced at the text message. Oh, it was a weather warning from the meteorological center, reminding citizens that high temperatures would continue for some time and to take precautions against heatstroke.
Xu Ying didn't take the high temperature to heart.
She sat in front of her computer, looking at the first three chapters she had painstakingly written all night, wondering whether to publish them now. But if she published them now, it would be like publishing without any chapters, and she would have no more drafts left.
Let's forget about it.
She's already dragged this out for four months, so I suppose readers won't care about a day or two.
Thinking this, Xu Ying saved the three chapters, turned off her computer, and got up to go back to her room to sleep. But as soon as she reached the study door, she suddenly realized that she hadn't yet posted the pre-order...
How can this be!
She strode back to her computer, turned it on, logged into her Feihong author account, and started filling in the book title, synopsis, and theme. After finishing all of this, more than half an hour had passed.
So sleepy.
Xu Ying yawned. She had been kept awake by the excitement of starting a new story, but now she was really sleepy, and her eyelids were starting to droop.
After hastily distributing the advance payments, Xu Ying rushed back to her room to sleep.
Xu Ying slept straight until noon. In her half-asleep state, she was awakened by a phone ringing.
"Hello," Xu Ying said, reaching for her phone from the bedside table and placing it to her ear with her eyes closed.
"Xu Ying, you're so fast! You just mentioned having an idea yesterday, and you've already started writing it today. I've never seen anyone as efficient as you!"
What?
Xu Ying opened her eyes. What do you mean, "started writing"? She didn't start writing; she just posted the pre-orders.
"What did you say? I just placed an advance order."
"Go check again. Your new novel is being serialized, not pre-ordered," Fuyou realized something was wrong and urged Xu Ying to check the author's backend herself.
Xu Ying was roused by Fuyou's words. She immediately checked Feihong's blog on her phone and was shocked to find that Feihong had actually set "Code Name: Dodder Flower" to be serialized.
How could that be?
"So, is it a problem with the backend, or did you make a mistake?"
It must be my own problem.
Xu Ying sat on the bed and sighed: "I guess I didn't pay attention when I set it last night and forgot that the serialization status was updated."
She spent a long time writing the book's synopsis last night, and was exhausted when she finished. She didn't check the pre-order page repeatedly before clicking submit, which was really careless of her.
The mayfly on the other end of the phone sounded anxious: "What should we do?"
"It's okay, I have some drafts saved up." Xu Ying wasn't in a hurry. She only put the book up for pre-order to save up more drafts. Now that it's being serialized, she'll just release three chapters and then write and release as needed.
Upon hearing that she had a draft, Fuyou breathed a sigh of relief: "You have a draft? You scared me to death."
Even three chapters in reserve are still reserve chapters.
Xu Ying smiled and said, "Then I'll hang up now. Since it's already being serialized, I'll go and post the first three chapters."
"Okay, I'm hanging up."
*
February Sky's new book, "Code Name: Dodder Flower," suddenly became a hot topic on the Taxue Forum this morning, with netizens discussing the new story, which hadn't even had a single chapter yet, in a very lively manner.
Family, is this the benefit of my early to bed and early to rise? Look what I found! [Screenshot][Screenshot]
-Wow, Eryuetian has started a new story?!
-The goddess has started writing! Congratulations! Wow!!!
I've finally waited for you, and I'm so glad I didn't give up!
- "Code Name: Dodder Flower" is a strange name, but the synopsis is quite interesting.
- In times of war, or under colonial rule, her imagination is running wild. I just feel there's a risk of her being criticized...
- He's already been thoroughly criticized.
- In other posts, she's practically been labeled a traitor [bitter smile].
-What's going on?
- It's basically an attack on her for deliberately belittling and smearing the image of the Yu Kingdom, calling her a spiritual foreigner or something like that.
- I'm dying of laughter. The copy clearly states that it's a fictional story, but some people just can't see that and insist on trying to fit it into a national context. I'm speechless.
-It's supposed to be fictional, but everyone can see at a glance that it's based on our country. Since it's obvious, what else could it be but intentional? February Sky has a problem with its thinking!
- Let's have a rational discussion. The author is just writing a novel; there's no need to make a big deal out of it.
-She's not your average author, she's a top-tier author under the Fei Hong banner, and she even starred in a wildly popular TV series. I don't need to elaborate on her influence.
- That's right. A few casual words from her can have a negative impact on minors, so it's best to be careful with your words.
Are you guys serious?
-At this point, they finally admitted that her influence had grown, and when ranking Fei Hong's authors, they never included Er Yue Tian.
- What a confusing statement. How can a fictional novel affect the values of minors?
I've really learned something new. If you really want to smear someone, even their breathing is wrong.
I've disliked February Sky for a long time, and now she's finally messed up, hehehe, it feels so satisfying to finally see someone I hate get caught.
- What's so exciting about that? One chapter of the main text isn't enough; just a hundred-odd words of synopsis is enough to get you all this excited.
Stop arguing, February Sky has updated her story, go read it!!!
The thread suddenly went silent; everyone who had been arguing fiercely just moments before rushed to read the story on the site called "Code Name: Dodder Flower".
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