Wang Jingfei picked up the receiver. "Hello... Oh, Chairman, hello!"
Guo Xiaopeng's deep voice came through, "I've been wanting us to have a meal together and chat. How about today?"
Wang Jingfei responded immediately, "I was just planning to visit you for some advice in person." Guo Xiaopeng replied cheerfully, "Great minds think alike?"
Wang Jingfei changed the subject, "You're the boss, you set the time and place."
"Seven this evening, I'll pick you up at the building," Guo Xiaopeng said and hung up.
Lethal Deception
In the bustling downtown street, the sun was shining brightly, and the traffic was heavy. In front of a busy mall, pedestrians crowded, surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors.
Liu Mei, having just finished washing her hair and getting a facial, looked radiant and alluring in her striking red, low-cut dress. She walked down the street, attracting many gazes, but she ignored everyone as she walked to a nearby public phone booth and made a call.
"Brother Yang? It's Liu Mei. How about meeting today?"
"Where?"
"The usual place. Golden Coast, Number Eight. Be there before dark."
Yang Chun said nothing more and hung up.
Liu Mei slowly hung up the receiver, stood there for a moment, then suddenly turned, hailed a taxi, and quickly left.
Watching Liu Mei from a corner, Li Xinjian emerged and quickly walked to the phone booth. Just then, his phone rang.
Li Xinjian answered and recognized the voice of the telecom bureau's office director. The director mentioned they overheard one of the three numbers he provided while repairing a computer terminal and asked if he was interested in listening to the recording.
Li Xinjian, turning to jog back, shouted into the phone, "Of course! I'll be right there!"
A Perilous Interrogation
Qiang Min, in tattered clothes, was beaten black and blue, hanging from the beam and gasping for breath. A big man played with a gleaming boning knife, speaking slowly, "What rank do you hold in the bureau?"
Unable to struggle, Qiang Min feigned ignorance, "Good sirs, don't tease an honest man. I... I don't understand."
Lu Hui coldly said, "One touch of your ID, and I knew it was fake. I started my career making fake IDs. I'll ask you one last time—name?"
The henchmen roared in unison, "Tell the truth!"
Qiang Min pleaded, "I really am Ma Tie Zhu from Ma Jia Gou Village, Xixian County, Zaozhuang, Shandong!"
Lu Hui, enraged, shouted, "Alright, you have guts! Men, take him out and finish him!"
The henchmen swarmed in, hoisting Qiang Min and swiftly carrying him outside, tossing him into a pre-dug pit, and began filling it with soil without hesitation.
Qiang Min, crying and snotting, screamed, "I'm innocent! Innocent! Mercy, Mr. Lu!"
Lu Hui, smiling, said, "Tell the truth, and I'll spare your life."
Gasping, Qiang Min confessed, "My real name is Wang Xiangyang. I worked at a brick kiln. The owner owed wages and wouldn't pay, so in a fit of anger, I... I took his daughter. Afraid she'd talk, I killed her."
A henchman, intrigued, asked, "How old was she?"
"Twelve or thirteen."
The henchman threw a spade of dirt in Qiang Min's face, "You bastard, molesting and killing a child!"
Lu Hui raised his hand to stop them, "No interruptions! Tell us the important stuff."
Qiang Min, face covered in dirt, sobbed, "The police are after me everywhere. I couldn't stay at home, so I changed my name, bought a fake ID for a hundred yuan, and ran. I first went to Wuhu in Anhui, where the police caught me as a vagrant. I escaped on the way back to Shandong and came to Haizhou to seek refuge with my wife's uncle, Boss Zhou."
Lu Hui glanced at a scholarly middle-aged man who had been silent. The man nodded.
Qiang Min, desperate to live, pleaded, "Boss Lu, I don't want money. I'll work for you for free, as long as I can live!"
A Window to the Past
The night view of Haizhou Tower's plaza was breathtaking. The music fountain shimmered under the bright lights; melodious tunes surrounded the majestic, luxurious four-star hotel main building.
Wang Jingfei, in light makeup and simple dress, elegant and graceful, walked down the grand steps of the lobby.
Guo Xiaopeng, dressed in casual attire, refined and handsome, uncharacteristically opened the car door for Wang Jingfei.
The Mercedes-Benz silently glided onto the brightly lit seaside avenue, disappearing into the twinkling taillights.
The sea roared, night birds wailed, and the eerie wind howled.
A red taxi stopped far away. Yang Chun got out alone and slowly walked towards Villa Number Eight.
The dim moon drifted in and out of the dark clouds; the shadows of trees looked like fairies and demons hand in hand. From a distance, the secluded villa glowed brightly in the night.
Yang Chun casually whistled as he approached the empty villa. The door was ajar, and he heard faint water sounds from inside. He stopped, scanned the surroundings with his peripheral vision, then slowly ascended the steps and decisively pushed open the door. The brightly lit living room was empty, and a softly playing television reported local news. The faint water sounds from the upstairs bathroom were tantalizing; the quiet air conditioning added to the atmosphere.
Yang Chun paused, then climbed the wooden spiral staircase. He walked through the dim hallway and kicked open the master bedroom door. The room was silent. After a moment's observation, he leapt inside with agility.
The bedroom was empty. The bed was neat, the luxurious floor-to-ceiling curtains hung orderly.
Yang Chun slowly approached the slightly ajar bathroom door and suddenly pushed it open. Water sprayed like a fountain. The bathroom was filled with steam, empty, with the showerhead turned to its maximum, water splashing everywhere.
Then, a soft sound from behind made him shudder. He turned abruptly. Li Xinjian sat on a window-side sofa, lighting a cigarette.
Yang Chun was surprised but not panicked. He asked, "Captain Li, what are you doing here?"
Li Xinjian exhaled smoke, "It seems your friend stood you up. I'm here to ensure your safety."
Yang Chun smiled, "No one asked me to meet. Why would you protect me?"
Li Xinjian retorted, "If no one invited you, why are you here? Sleepwalking?"
Feigning innocence, Yang Chun said, "As far as I know, this villa belongs to Spring and Autumn Brothers Film Company. Is it not normal for me to visit my own home? Your presence here is what puzzles me. What are you doing here?"
"Perhaps your friend is testing your sincerity. If I'm not mistaken, she won't show up. What happens next time is hard to say."
The Echoes of the Past
On the top floor of the Donghai Hotel's revolving restaurant, Guo Xiaopeng and Wang Jingfei sat by the window, the city lights glittering outside.
The elegant walnut table held exquisite and expensive French cuisine and a bottle of red wine. Guo Xiaopeng poured wine for Wang Jingfei, saying, "This wine is from Provence, France, from 1966."
As a sharp whistle blew, the lights went out. In the large shed, dozens of tightly packed henchmen fell asleep in unison, making no sound.
Absolute military discipline.
On the island, all lights were forbidden. Armed guards with wolves patrolled, their flashlights occasionally flashing.
Exhausted from intense nerve-wracking activities and a day of hard labor, Qiang Min lay in the sweaty, smelly pile of men, pretending to sleep, eyes flashing in the dark, thinking hard about a way out.
In the revolving restaurant, Guo Xiaopeng and Wang Jingfei sat facing each other. Whether it was the stimulating conversation or the wine, they seemed to be in high spirits. Especially Guo Xiaopeng, who seemed eager to share.
"My father was a writer who published a novel at eighteen. Unfortunately, he was labeled a rightist and sent from Beijing to Haizhou. Back then, Haizhou was far from prosperous. My mother was a famous Yue opera actress in Jiangnan."
"She must have been very beautiful," Wang Jingfei imagined.
Guo Xiaopeng sighed, "That beauty brought her many troubles."
"Beautiful women always encounter troubles," Wang Jingfei said empathetically.
Guo Xiaopeng's deep expression contained sadness, "The troubles you face now, no matter how powerful the harasser is, you can still avoid them. But my mother had nowhere to hide. She had left Shanghai to be with my father. My father was under labor reform supervision, and many people harassed my mother. Moreover, rightists in labor reform received no salary, not even food. My brother died at two from hunger and illness."
"Didn't you encounter any good people?" Wang Jingfei asked with concern.
Guo Xiaopeng's mouth twitched, "That's a complicated question. What defines a good person?"
"Someone who genuinely helps you is a good person."
"In that sense, we did meet one," Guo Xiaopeng took a big gulp of wine. "A deputy secretary and propaganda minister took care of my mother. Without him, my parents wouldn't have survived. But such help had conditions. This deputy secretary later became my stepfather."
Wang Jingfei's heart trembled, "Was it before or after your father's death?"
"After," Guo Xiaopeng said quietly.
Wang Jingfei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, tears unknowingly welling up.
Guo Xiaopeng, almost cruelly calm, continued, "Since I can remember, I've heard many versions of this story. The most authoritative version is 'Hero Falls, Beauty Stays Loyal.' They say my stepfather, overthrown during the Cultural Revolution, met my mother in Haizhou, fell in love, and became a couple through hardships. Later, he regained his high position, and my mother left him, taking me to Hong Kong, earning the name 'fickle woman.'"
Wang Jingfei, unable to bear it, softly consoled, "Don't say anymore, Chairman, I understand your feelings."
Guo Xiaopeng held back a tear, smiling sadly, "I've made you emotional."
Wang Jingfei calmed herself, then asked, "When did your father pass away?"
"Before I was one year old. On his deathbed, he told my mother that no matter what, I shouldn't become a writer."
"So you studied engineering?" Wang Jingfei tried to lighten the topic.
"You can't imagine what my life was like in my stepfather's high-ranking official's house."
"Did they beat you?"
"My stepfather, being a high official, wouldn't personally beat anyone. But the deep-seated discrimination and psychological torment are unimaginable. It was a contempt beyond class hatred."
Liu Mei suddenly appeared behind them, smiling coldly, "Chairman, your revolutionary family history is touching!" She turned to Guo Xiaopeng, "I've followed you for years and never heard this."
"Leave," Guo Xiaopeng coldly ordered.
Liu Mei awkwardly turned and left quickly.
The Mercedes drove silently on the deserted seaside avenue. The flickering streetlights, occasional foghorns from distant docks, the road extending endlessly.
The soft volume of the laser sound system played a popular song, the female singer's sad voice drifting in the dark. No one spoke; the air was heavy.
Wang Jingfei looked at Guo Xiaopeng's vivid profile, her heart racing, feeling a faint sense of being conquered. She couldn't tell if this was luck or danger. Her fear was how to face her beloved Li Xinjian.
The car swayed gently, and the lights of Haizhou Tower became visible. Wang Jingfei forced herself to return to reality, constantly reminding herself: You should understand your situation! You should be clear about your task! In the face of sacred duties, everything else is insignificant!
Shadows and Whispers
The ringing phone broke the midnight silence. Wang Jingfei, just entering the room, rushed to answer, groping in the dark. She said "Hello" several times, but the caller remained silent before hanging up.
She rushed to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked down. In the shadows, a Mitsubishi SUV remained motionless, a cigarette glowing inside.
The sight of the intermittent red dot made her heart churn.
The phone rang again. Wang Jingfei rushed to grab the receiver, asking urgently, "Hello, who is this?"
Guo Xiaopeng's voice, low and gentle, said, "Jingfei, may I call you that? I just wanted to say goodnight."
Her emotions mixed, Wang Jingfei softly replied, "Goodnight."
She hung up and returned to the window, but the Mitsubishi had vanished. She gazed at her reflection in the small mirror on the table for a long time, seeing no change in herself.