“What about Luo Lingshu? Is she also…?”

“I don’t know.” Seeing her confused expression, Xie Chi added, “By the way, Fujita Kiyono is leaving Shanghai. He’s going to Changsha after the New Year.”

“That’s next month?”

“Yes.”

“What will you do then? Stay here and continue, or go to the liberated areas?”

“I’ll ask the organization for instructions first.”

“Right, yes.”

“You should go. There’s a curfew at night – be careful.”

“All right.” Jiang Shouyue turned and quickly walked downstairs. Just as she reached the corner, she came back. “Which side is he on? Could it be that when he was in the Northeast, he was already…?”

Xie Chi frowned slightly.

“Fine, I shouldn’t ask. I understand.” Jiang Shouyue let out a long breath. This matter was too unexpected – her emotions would take a long time to settle. “I’ll pretend I don’t know. As for the mission, I’ll find other reasons to stop the assassination attempts on him.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s not talk about such things between us. Moving among the devils, you need to be careful and protect yourself. At least you’re clean.” She paused for a moment and smiled bitterly. “Unlike me.”

“Don’t say such things again.”

“All right, enough sentimentality. I’m leaving.”

“Mm.”

Only after the footsteps completely disappeared did Xie Chi open the door. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw a tall dark figure standing silently by the wall. Fortunately her psychological fortitude was good, so she wasn’t startled.

He Feng said nothing and pulled her into the bedroom. He closed the door and pressed Xie Chi’s back against it. Though she couldn’t see his expression clearly in the dark, Xie Chi distinctly felt the enormous gloom and oppressive force emanating from him. Even his voice carried an unprecedented coldness: “You sold me out.”

“I know her. She can keep secrets and won’t tell anyone.”

“When dozens of torture instruments are brought out, can she still keep them? How many do you think she could withstand?”

Xie Chi fell silent. She didn’t dare guarantee this.

“You know very well what exposure means.”

Xie Chi lowered her head. “I acted impulsively.”

“I know you were worried about my safety. There are too many people who want to kill me – can you explain to each of them individually? What will you do if you encounter this situation again? You’re also an agent – you should know how serious this is.”

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing her face lowered, He Feng grasped her shoulders to comfort her. “All right, it’s already said. Let it be. Even if something unfortunate happens, she doesn’t know which side I’m on, doesn’t know my code name, and has no evidence. It’s fine.”

Xie Chi said “I’m sorry” again.

He Feng pinched her chin and lifted it gently. “You’re not about to cry, are you?”

Xie Chi pursed her lips. “I didn’t think it through. I lost my head. I’m usually not like this. I’ll be careful in the future and control my emotions better.”

Hearing these words, He Feng’s heart clenched. He gently pecked her lips. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so serious.”

Xie Chi hugged his waist. “I was almost scared to death today.”

“You scared me to death, suddenly rushing over like that.” He Feng pressed her head and held her in his arms, swaying. “It’s all right now.”

“You must be careful and protect yourself. Don’t get killed by your own people after not being exposed in front of the devils – that would be too unjust. Stay away from places like windows where you could easily be sniped.”

“All right, wife’s lesson is well taken.”

Xie Chi smiled and lightly punched his back. “You’re so annoying.”

He Feng buried his head in her neck and took a deep breath. “I have to go. Luo Lingshu left me a pile of documents to handle.”

“All right.” Xie Chi hugged him tighter. “Go ahead.”

He Feng smiled and gently sucked her earlobe, warm breath swirling around her face. “You have to let me go before I can leave.”

Xie Chi shrugged her shoulders as he nuzzled her, still reluctant to let go.

He Feng lifted her up. “How about I take you to my place?”

With her feet dangling in the air as he held her high, Xie Chi asked, “Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”

He Feng bumped her chin with his forehead. “Little fool, you’re taking it seriously?”

Xie Chi grabbed his lean cheeks on both sides. “Yes, I took it seriously.”

He Feng laughed. “You’ve changed.”

Xie Chi didn’t understand. “Hmm?”

He said, “In the past you always opposed me, full of thorns, with a very stubborn mouth. Now you’re like a woman.”

“Really? Which kind do you prefer?”

“I love both.”

She looked down at his handsome face and gently kissed his eyes. “All right, put me down. Go on.”

He Feng set her down. They looked at each other silently for a moment before he spoke: “Don’t think too much. You did very well today – you saved me without arousing the slightest suspicion from that little devil Fujita. But don’t be so impulsive in the future. Using your own body as a shield is very dangerous. If something happened to you, what would I do?”

“I understand.”

“Go wash up and sleep.”

“Mm.”

He Feng tweaked her nose. “See you in dreams.”

“I want to dream of you every night.”

“Then I’ll definitely enter your dreams every night.”

…

Recently He Feng had been mixing with several people from the Plum Agency. Each had their own interests, often drinking until very late.

This night, he was again dragged by Miyamoto Ryo to drink at a small tavern in the Japanese expatriate district. Also present were Nakatani and Kitamura from the Special Higher Police. Miyamoto was a classmate of Koike Taichi. Having had too much to drink, he kept pulling He Feng to talk about their childhood. Halfway through the drinking, an action team captain from the Special Action Unit arrived. Normally someone of this rank couldn’t socialize with them publicly or privately, but this captain was cunning, with first-class flattery skills. He deliberately waited until the officers were getting excited from drinking before coming in, diligently serving them from the side. His sweet talk had them laughing heartily.

Near the end of the drinking session, this captain had his subordinates waiting outside send in four girls, leering at them with a sly smile: “They’re all virgins.”

He Feng looked at these girls – only fourteen or fifteen years old, all trembling with fear. His smile gradually froze.

This Japanese tavern wasn’t a proper drinking establishment to begin with. It had many small private rooms, and the female attendants would casually drink and sleep with customers. Each of them took a girl and left. Before entering his room, Nakatani staggered and joked with He Feng, “Go easy on her, hahahaha.”

He Feng roughly pushed the girl inside, pretending to be drunk, swaying as he pointed at him, “Mind… your own business.”

He slammed the door shut. The girl cowered by the table, trembling. Seeing him approach, she quickly knelt and begged, “Please spare me.”

As soon as she spoke, He Feng was slightly stunned. This familiar accent – he hadn’t heard it for years.

That collaborator, knowing his preferences, had already prepared various implements in the room. He Feng picked up a small bamboo stick, kicked over the low table with one foot, and raised his hand as if to strike the girl.

“Ah—”

Miyamoto in the next room shouted: “Koike-kun! You’re too loud!”

The girl held her head, shaking uncontrollably. The stick hadn’t actually hit her – it struck the bedding beside her.

He Feng walked around the private room, checking for listening devices or similar things. After confirming it was safe, he sat beside her.

The girl shrank back in fear.

He Feng asked in a low voice, “How old are you?”

The girl didn’t answer.

“I have a bad temper. You’d better answer everything.”

“Four… fourteen.”

Hearing her pure hometown accent and natural reactions, it didn’t seem like she’d been sent to test him. But he still couldn’t let his guard down. He continued questioning: “Where are you from?”

“Shandong.”

“Where in Shandong?”

“Yanzhou.”

“Where in Yanzhou?”

“Redstone Village.”

He Feng fell silent. Redstone Village – when he was thirteen, he’d gone there with Lei Ming to fight. Two little kids had beaten older youths so badly their front teeth fell out.

Recalling his childhood, he couldn’t help showing a bit of a smile, his voice becoming much gentler: “How did you end up here?”

“I was sold here.”

“Your family sold you?”

“No, I was kidnapped, first sold to Jinan, then brought here.”

“What’s your name?”

“Gao Xiu’e.”

He vaguely remembered that Redstone Village indeed had many families surnamed Gao. Ten years ago she was only four – even if she’d seen him, she definitely couldn’t recognize him now. He Feng looked at the calluses on her hands, which should have been left from farm work. “What does your family do?”

“Farm.”

He Feng stood up, gripping the bamboo stick as he went out, randomly grabbing a passing female attendant. “Get me some lipstick.”

The attendant quickly lowered her head. “Please wait a moment.”

Soon, lipstick was delivered.

He Feng closed the door and walked toward the girl, sitting beside her. “Put out your hand.”

The girl didn’t dare move.

He Feng pulled out her hand and rolled up her sleeve. Using his finger to dab some lipstick, he stained some red marks on her arm. “Don’t be afraid. You’re too young – I won’t touch you. I’ll send you home. For the next couple of days, stay with me and do as I say.”

The girl hurriedly knelt before him, about to kowtow when He Feng caught her forehead and lifted her up. “Kneel to heaven, earth, and parents – don’t kowtow randomly. Your life can be lost, but your back can’t be bent. Your legs can be broken, but your backbone can’t be lost. Understand?”

The girl nodded and stole a glance at his face. “Are you Chinese?”

He Feng didn’t answer. “If you want to live, talk less. Keep your face down, don’t look at me, don’t ask questions.”

The girl lowered her head deeply.

“Cry. Make your eyes swollen from crying.”

“I can’t cry anymore.”

“Think about your parents.”

“My father is gone, he was…” The girl didn’t dare continue, her mouth trembling as tears fell. “Mother and little brother are at home – they must be worried sick.”

He Feng let go of her hand. Seeing her tears streaming, she was about to wipe them with her hand.

He Feng grabbed her sleeve and said fiercely, “I just painted those on you. If you wipe them off, I’ll really hit you.”

Looking fierce and menacing, the girl cried even harder.

…

At dawn, He Feng carried her away.

The manager and attendants respectfully saw him to the door. In the dim light, they saw red marks showing faintly from the girl’s sleeves and collar. Only after he’d gone far did they dare to gossip.

“Poor girl.”

“He was really brutal – falling into his hands is truly tragic.”

“I hope he never takes a fancy to me.”

“How terrifying.”

…

He Feng settled the girl in a hotel, and the next day paid people to send her away.

There were too many such girls – one disappearing would be completely unnoticed.

Xie Chi’s mood hadn’t been good lately. Two comrades had been caught by Wang puppet regime people while stealing intelligence. One of them was a veteran agent with countless achievements. Though she had no direct contact with them, facing the suffering of compatriots left her feeling helplessly distressed.

Guoqiang had a fever, and A’Ru stayed home all day taking care of him.

After leaving the shop that evening, Xie Chi went to the pharmacy to get medicine and brought it back, also buying Guoqiang’s favorite chestnut cake.

The tram went “clang clang clang—” as it approached from the distance.

Too lazy to wait for a rickshaw, Xie Chi got on for a ride. There weren’t many people on the tram. She sat in the back row, wearily leaning against the car body, looking listless.

A man in a long robe got on and sat beside her. Xie Chi gazed vacantly outside when she heard the person beside her say in a deep voice, “What are you thinking about? Your soul has left your body.”

Xie Chi suddenly perked up. She looked at the man beside her – he wore black-rimmed glasses, his mouth covered with thick whiskers, and a Western-style wide-brimmed hat, looking rather foolish. She couldn’t help but smile, turning her face away to laugh.

He Feng frowned slightly. “Still laughing.”

The tram went a stretch, and the person sitting in front got off.

He Feng covered her hand. “Those two will be sent to Nanjing tomorrow, leaving at five in the afternoon, staying overnight in Suzhou. That’s all the information I have. Whether to save them and how – have your people decide.”

Xie Chi interlocked her fingers with his, suppressing the joy in her heart. “Thank you.”

He Feng rubbed her fingertips. “I’m going.”

With his long legs, he reached the door in a few steps and jumped off before the tram stopped. Xie Chi’s gaze followed him. She stood at the rear of the car, watching him leave with reluctant eyes.

He Feng spread his arms, smiled as he walked backwards, blew her a kiss, then disappeared around the corner.

Xie Chi returned to her seat and only then noticed a bag at her feet that hadn’t been there when she arrived – it must have been left by He Feng. She picked it up – it was heavy, but she didn’t know what was inside.

She untied the rope binding the cloth bag and looked at what was inside – it was a large package of lychees.

A casual remark she’d made, and he’d always remembered.

Xie Chi smiled with pursed lips, sat back down, took out one to peel and put in her mouth. All her bad mood instantly vanished like smoke with the sweetness in her mouth.

…