Fujita Kiyono sent someone to fetch Xie Chi’s clothes. She changed out of the kimono and lay flat on the bed. The servants brought her meal—one vegetable dish, one meat dish, and a soup, all foods she usually enjoyed.
She had no appetite. The shadow of the leeches still lingered, making her nauseous from time to time. Having not eaten all day, her body felt weak, but she forced herself to finish the food to maintain her strength.
In the early morning hours, the sound of wooden clogs clicking against the floor echoed from outside. Xie Chi had just sat up when Fujita Kiyono pushed through the door.
He stumbled forward unsteadily, bringing with him the scent of alcohol.
Xie Chi curled up her legs and shrank backward. Fujita Kiyono crawled forward from the foot of the bed, roughly pulled away her blanket, grabbed her ankles and dragged her toward him. Then, like an oppressive mountain, his entire body pressed down on her.
Xie Chi pressed her hands against his chest to keep him from getting closer. “Let go.”
Fujita Kiyono gripped her hands with one hand and pinned them above her head. “How did he kiss you? Hmm?”
Xie Chi struggled desperately, only to be held down even more tightly. Usually he was gentle and refined, appearing weak and frail, but she had never imagined he possessed such strength. Warm breath mixed with the smell of alcohol assaulted her face. In Xie Chi’s memory, he had never drunk himself into such a stupor. “You’re drunk. Let me go.”
“When you were with him, did you ever think of me?”
A drop of warm tears fell on her face. Xie Chi froze in shock—he was crying.
There was no sound of weeping, just tears that wouldn’t stop falling, sliding down her cheeks and into her disheveled hair.
His double eyelids were deep-set, with the corners of his eyes slightly drooping downward. Whether crying or laughing, he always carried an air of melancholy and gloom. Now, with crystal tears in his eyes, he looked heartbreakingly pitiful.
Xie Chi remembered that night in Nanjing when he had hidden in the hospital storage room, crouched between the dark shelves silently weeping. But the sorrow of this moment seemed even greater than the despair of that time.
The brief moment of pity ended when she felt his hand at her collar. Xie Chi lifted her knee and kicked him away violently, quickly retreating backward. She grabbed the fork from under her pillow and pointed it at him. “Don’t touch me.”
Fujita Kiyono, tears still in his eyes, ignored the pain and continued moving forward, pressing toward her. Xie Chi instantly changed direction and pointed the fork at her own neck. “Don’t come closer.” Fujita Kiyono immediately became tense and reached for her hand. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Xie Chi pushed him away forcefully and flipped off the bed to stand by the window.
Fujita Kiyono fell back onto the floor, looking up at her, his voice weary and hoarse. “Do you hate me that much?”
Xie Chi didn’t answer.
“It must have been exhausting, pretending for so long while by my side.” He laughed at himself twice, slowly standing up. “Wanzhi, I won’t force you. I just wanted to hold you, that’s all. You don’t need to be so afraid of me.” He turned his back, lowered his head and stood still for a moment, then swayed as he walked out. “Don’t stand barefoot on the floor. You’ll catch cold.”
…
He Feng had never deeply discussed their respective code names with Xie Chi. For them, the less they knew, the safer it was. Only today did he learn that she was Asparagus, the agent the Special Service Headquarters had been trying to capture.
He Feng heard the news from the interrogation room through his drinking companions. Although Xie Chi refused to admit anything, her identity as a Communist was now a certainty. Given her level, the security measures would definitely be extremely tight. Even if his team members were willing to help, rescuing her would be nearly impossible—they would have to find another way.
In the latter half of the night, He Feng arrived near Fujita Kiyono’s residence, using binoculars to observe the villa. Inside and out, it was surrounded by military police, encircling the house completely. Based on the density, he estimated about fifty people.
Fujita Kiyono’s intentions weren’t hard to guess. Before this, Xie Chi’s identity should have already been exposed, but he was using the engagement as a cover to exploit her and root out the anti-Japanese elements behind her. Yet he couldn’t bear to torture her severely, so he brought her back to watch over her personally. Regardless, being here was safer than that blood-reeking prison cell.
He Feng couldn’t show himself at this time. He had no identity that would allow him to visit her, and appearing rashly would only arouse suspicion. It would be even more impossible to rescue someone from dozens of armed Japanese soldiers.
He had been to Fujita Kiyono’s house twice before. Before Shanghai fell, this place was called the Liu Mansion, the former residence of an opium magnate. Though it had only two floors, it occupied a vast area with high walls enclosing a spacious courtyard.
Ever since becoming an undercover agent, he had always observed his surroundings minutely. He Feng still clearly remembered the interior furnishings and the general layout of the rooms. Besides the servants’ quarters and study, there were six bedrooms. For better surveillance, Fujita Kiyono would certainly keep her close by, which ruled out the room on the first floor.
He Feng observed through his binoculars. Two rooms on the second floor had no curtains drawn and appeared empty inside. That left only the two guest rooms on the southeast side and Fujita Kiyono’s master bedroom. Given his understanding of Xie Chi, she would never compromise herself by staying in the same room with him, so she was probably in one of those two large guest rooms.
He Feng wasn’t certain which room exactly, but he could be sure that Xie Chi definitely couldn’t sleep at this moment. He moved to a blind spot from the master bedroom’s view, holding binoculars in one hand and a flashlight in the other, flashing it toward the window.
Xie Chi was lying on her side on the bed with her eyes closed, thinking. Suddenly she felt a flash of light before her eyes. She opened them and saw a point of light flickering outside the thin gauze curtains.
It was Morse code.
In that instant, she could only think of He Feng.
Xie Chi didn’t have time to put on shoes. She got out of bed barefoot and quickly pulled open the curtains.
He Feng saw her at the same moment.
His heart began beating violently beyond his control, but his hands remained steady as they gripped the flashlight.
On, off, on, off…
As the most straightforward code, Xie Chi could accurately and quickly decode the message.
【Are you alright】
Xie Chi guessed he might be using binoculars and tapped the window sill with her finger in response:
【I’m fine, don’t worry】
The light continued flashing.
【I will get you out】
Xie Chi’s heart ached, and she tapped lightly with her finger:
【You must be careful】
The signal was quickly discovered by security personnel. Immediately, there was commotion downstairs as ten men split off and drove toward his location at high speed.
He Feng naturally noticed this. His visit tonight wasn’t only to catch a glimpse of her, but also to deliberately expose himself to confuse the enemy into thinking there were still accomplices around.
The distance wasn’t far, and soon the sound of cars could be heard. He Feng sent out one last signal:
【Wait for me】
When Fujita Kiyono burst through the door, he happened to see the distant light through the window. Furious, he rushed over and pulled Xie Chi away, gripping her shoulders. “Even at this point, you’re still doing these things behind my back.”
Fujita Kiyono’s eyes turned red with rage. He looked into the distance, unsure whether the person had left or not, and deliberately grabbed Xie Chi’s hair, viciously devouring her lips. Xie Chi grabbed his neck and pushed him away forcefully, nearly causing him to fall.
He Feng hadn’t planned to fight. Once the other party discovered him, he would leave. But Fujita Kiyono’s actions completely enraged him.
The sound of gunfire continued. Fujita Kiyono dragged Xie Chi to the window and held her there, gripping her chin to make her look at the distant gunfire. “How touching indeed. Your good lover—do you think he can escape?” He smiled sinisterly, leaning close to her ear to whisper, “I’m going to skin him alive and use it as a shroud for your bastard child.”
Xie Chi turned and kicked him away, grabbing a vase to hurl at him. “Get out.”
Fujita Kiyono staggered back two steps before steadying himself. The vase had struck his forehead hard, and a line of fresh blood slowly trickled down.
The vase shattered all over the floor. Xie Chi picked up a shard. “I will kill you.”
Fujita Kiyono leaned against the table, looking at her with grief. “Finally showing your true face. This is your real appearance, isn’t it?”
The gunfire stopped.
A soldier came to report. “Report, sir.”
Fujita Kiyono straightened his back and walked to the door. “Where is he?”
“He escaped. Captain Ishihara has taken men in pursuit.”
Xie Chi breathed a sigh of relief.
Fujita Kiyono’s gaze lingered on her for a moment. He bit his teeth but said nothing, closing the door as he left.
…
A’Ru was also brought to the Special Service Headquarters for questioning all afternoon. Her background was clean, so after clearing suspicions, she was released.
The qipao shop was sealed, and there were guards watching the house. Guoqiang was taken to stay with neighbors. Afraid that her emotional breakdown might affect the child, she went to stay at a hotel for the night.
She cried until her eyes were red and swollen, and continued crying even after reaching the hotel. She cried until the middle of the night when her tears finally dried up. From noon until now, she hadn’t had a drop of food or water. Her stomach felt uncomfortable, and her head was throbbing with pain. She pulled herself together from the breakdown and went downstairs to get some water. Just as she entered the room, a large palm covered half her face.
The water kettle fell. He Feng quickly caught it, preventing it from hitting the floor. He pressed A’Ru gently against the wall, preventing her from seeing his face. “I’m going to let go of you now. Don’t scream. If you understand, nod.”
A’Ru quickly nodded.
He Feng released her mouth but kept her hands pinned behind her back with his other hand. “How many people are in your group total?”
“I don’t know.”
“How much do you know about what she does?”
“I don’t know.”
“I want to save her more than you do. If you don’t want her to die, tell me everything you know.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t trust me.” He Feng didn’t know how to explain his identity, nor did he know how much Xie Chi had revealed to her. “I’m one of our own. She has a red mole an inch below her left breast, a two-centimeter knife scar on her right shoulder, and on her lower back there’s—”
Before he could finish, A’Ru called out, “Brother-in-law?”
He Feng paused.
“Brother-in-law, is that you?”
“Yes.”
A’Ru immediately began to sob, her voice choked with tears. “Brother-in-law, please save sister quickly. I heard that people who go into that place are tortured until they wish they were dead. She’s still pregnant—how can she endure such severe punishment?”
He Feng’s heart shook violently. “What child?”
A’Ru pressed her face against the wall, tears squeezing out and smearing all over her face. “You don’t know? Sister is pregnant. She’s carrying your child.”
It was like being struck by a thunderbolt, plunging him into an icy abyss. “When did she get pregnant?”
“Sister said it’s been over three months.”
He Feng’s head was buzzing. Something that happened in the summer—she had actually hidden it from him for so long.
Even so, he had to remain calm and not lose his composure. “What’s the codebook?”
“What codebook?”
“You really don’t know anything?”
“I only know that sister and the Japanese devil are putting on an act—it’s fake. She’s actually fighting against the Japanese. I don’t know anything else.”
“Then protect yourself. We never met tonight. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I know.” A’Ru calmed down. “You will save sister, won’t you?”
“Yes.” He Feng said no more and left after releasing her.
…