Chapter 651: Mao Qiwu Requests a Meeting

Feng Nairong and his group were very quick to pay the money. That afternoon, they held another board meeting. Wang Yan attended this time, and several accountants and senior bank executives were present to witness the recalculation of shares this time.

As chairman, Wang Yan personally witnessed this capital increase. Besides that, he didn't do anything else, nor did he say any other nonsense. At this time, it was unnecessary. When the cold pistol was pressed against Du Yong's head, this invincible struggle had already achieved a phased victory. It was not in line with his status, nor his code of conduct, for a victor to show off to the losers.

He was waiting, waiting to see what kind of follow-up moves Du Yong and Feng Nairong's group had. But unfortunately, Feng Nairong and the others didn't make trouble at the board meeting. Everyone was harmonious, determined the further development route, and agreed to maintain the current situation, unite as one, act in unison, and not give the Green Gang branches that defected to the Japanese any opportunity, so they could all happily and steadily make money together.

And in the period of time after this meeting, Wang Yan didn't wait for their follow-up moves, which meant they were holding back a big one. However, he didn't care. It was still the same saying: no one wanted to kill him, and no one wanted to force him to defect to the Japanese. As long as these two points were guaranteed, it didn't matter.

He had already expressed his anger to Wang Man Chun before, and it was estimated that it had been passed on to Minami Tada Yoko. Once Minami Tada Yoko knew, the others in the Consulate and the military also understood, so they restrained themselves a lot and didn't continue to force him. Therefore, in the following days, he returned to his past life.

Except for reporting and contacting his superiors every few days, saying some things he had seen and heard, supplemented by subjective analysis, all for the sake of making them understand his situation and have a grasp of the current situation.

In the current Shanghai Bund, his position could be said to be the highest. It was just because he hadn't defected to the Japanese that he couldn't obtain the latest and most confidential intelligence. However, he had also been intentionally colluding with the Japanese recently, and occasionally went to Japanese banquets. Those were high-ranking Japanese military and political officials, and an occasional unintentional word was key intelligence, which was still somewhat useful. Moreover, his business of reselling materials was the top priority. He did it alone, better than the "reddened" red capitalists and the Red Party's own companies, and the things he got were more critical.

Based on these two points, he had received instructions: in non-essential situations, he didn't need to personally execute sanction actions. Relevant intelligence could be notified to the Shanghai underground organization by himself. If the Shanghai underground organization needed him to take action, it needed to be reported for a decision, depending on the situation. Of course, this was also because his combat record was too fierce. Not to mention the actual combat record he didn't have in this realm, just the time he robbed the prison, he relied on the night and the terrain advantage, one person and one gun, blocked five hundred Japanese troops for half an hour, and killed more than half of the commanders. This was extremely exaggerated.

After all, on the front line, five hundred Japanese troops could fight against two or three thousand Nationalist troops and cause huge casualties to the Nationalist troops. Comparing this, it highlighted Wang Yan's high and peerless individual combat ability. It was not suitable to use him easily. After all, he was also risking his life, and he didn't know when he would have bad luck and die, so naturally, he had to be used on the "blade."

As for women, because he only cared about his own fun now and didn't care for women, it resulted in Wang Man Chun and Yu Manli having to rest for two or three days after spending the night with him, so there were no bad things happening. Besides these two women, he still maintained the good habit of going to dance halls, casinos, etc., to find women, still following the rhythm of resting one day after working one day.

To some extent, shamelessly speaking, he was also doing "merit." Although the dance hostesses looked glamorous, they lived very difficult lives. And people's perversion had existed since ancient times. Dance hostesses didn't have a very high status. Facing those who could mix, their status was extremely weak, and they could only be asked for whatever they wanted. Really speaking, it was no different from Yu Manli being in a brothel, just having more choices, and more likely to become a concubine of a big figure and get rid of the current predicament.

Although Wang Yan didn't bring girls home, he was really generous, and his bed skills were quite good. Spending a night with him, although he couldn't extravagantly enjoy a month, it was enough for a very good life. So in this regard, he was really a "living Bodhisattva."

At the same time, the Japanese investigation into Yu Manli was basically completed. Yu Manli had been in Shanghai for such a long time before approaching Wang Yan, just to act for the sake of identity safety. Wang Tianfeng's arrangement was very comprehensive: the school in Hunan, the hooligans who wanted to bully Yu Manli, the neighbors nearby, the distant uncle in Shanghai, where she lived, what she did on weekdays, who she contacted, what way she found to teach Chinese at the Catholic primary school, and other details were arranged clearly by Wang Tianfeng, and the Japanese agents also investigated clearly.

Yu Manli was temporarily safe, and the suspicion was ruled out. The rest depended on whether she would be involved in certain things in the future and have her tail caught. If she did, she wouldn't be able to run. But regardless, Yu Manli had climbed into Wang Yan's bed and established a long-term partnership, so this bit of face had to be given to Wang Yan.

Besides these things, Wang Yan occasionally went to the police station to report, contacted feelings with those French people, grasped the situation in the jurisdiction, and most of the time continued to be the "big joke" of the Shanghai Bund, a Green Gang leader doing science, still pushing forward the research of instant noodles and drinks with the teachers and students of Datong University and the workers who were continuously supplemented later.

The difficulty of this research was not great. It was just frying the noodles, compressing those vegetables, preparing the seasoning packets, and researching a plastic bag packaging to extend the shelf life. As for drinks, it was even simpler. It was not easy to get aluminum cans, so just use glass bottles. This thing could also be recycled, melted, and remade into bottles. The main difficulty was researching and manufacturing production equipment. Although manpower was cheap, noodles and drinks were also cheap, so it was still necessary to improve the flow production process as much as possible and use as little manual operation as possible. After all, once the assembly line was opened, continuous production was faster than manual operation.

Of course, even so, with existing technology, a reliance on manual labor is still necessary. It also requires quite a few workers, which is only to be expected. At any time, being able to provide jobs for the masses and keeping them from gathering to cause trouble is a great achievement. It was like this eighty-some years ago, it was like this for the hundreds and thousands of years past, and it is like this now.

Whether it is the Japanese or the Westerners from Britain, France, and America, what they all want is stability within the areas they control, and on that basis, to harvest as much as possible. Once large-scale unemployment breaks out among workers, led by those with ulterior motives, causing trouble becomes no small amount of trouble. One can never rely on slaughter to solve all problems; slaughter can only show off one's might for a moment, and the accumulated anger will only be more severe when it erupts next time. Therefore, in this era, providing a massive number of jobs is also a not-so-small protective talisman.

Meanwhile, the research on penicillin in Yan'an is also progressing very smoothly. Large batches of penicillin cultivated using indigenous methods have been tested successively on mice and wounded soldiers. However, due to purity issues, the effect has not been that powerful, but continuous use has still shown decent results.

This confirmed the efficacy of penicillin, giving the experts and scholars in Yan'an confidence, and subsequently, they invested almost all their strength into research on purification and mass production. Currently, progress is good; experimental drugs have already been produced, and they are further conducting experiments on the drug's efficacy.

These messages were all told to Wang Yan by the handsome man, letting him know exactly how the progress was going. After all, if it really is mass-produced, he is the one who will have to sell it. This helps him maintain the persona of being on good terms with the Red Party, and it is normal for the Red Party to return the favor by giving him a profitable business. Another point is that his channels are more powerful; whether selling to the Japanese or to foreigners, it is very convenient.

It is just like the scene where soldiers on the front lines are fighting to the death while Japanese goods are rampant in the rear. If the Red Party really researches penicillin, their own soldiers will certainly not all be able to use it. They can only develop it bit by bit; the excess goods will definitely be brought out to sell in exchange for resources to alleviate the pressure on the Soviet areas. And since the Japanese are running rampant in China, it is impossible not to sell to them. One can only say to sell a little less and sell it at a much higher price.

The situation on the front lines is still not ideal. Fierce fighting has already begun in Wuhan, with territory being lost every day, and the radio broadcasts the war situation daily. War correspondents at this time are very bold, providing absolute first-hand news. However, the broadcasts of the Japanese puppet government only talk about how fierce the warriors of the Great Japanese Empire are and how vulnerable the National Army is, while basically not even mentioning the Red Party guerrillas. Then they go on to talk about their East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, telling the Chinese to be sensible and not to cause trouble.

As for the National Government's radio station, it is relatively much better. They report the results achieved and the casualty figures that sound tragic just to hear, followed by appeals for the people of the whole country to unite, giving impassioned speeches about the determination not to be a subjugated people, and calling on people to join the ranks of resisting Japan and saving the nation.

Wang Yan is clear about all the developments of the war, but he is powerless to change anything. So, if it weren't for the fact that he still has an emergency contact method agreed upon with the Shanghai underground party for noon, he wouldn't even listen to the radio. This is a form of escapism, and it should be escapism, to avoid feeling troubled.

Time has arrived at August. Today is an overcast day in the Shanghai Bund. Cold winds began to rise at midnight yesterday, black clouds pressed down on the city, and a rainstorm arrived suddenly. Fortunately, by the morning, the rainstorm turned into a light drizzle, which clattered all day without stopping.

Autumn has already begun. The rain no longer brings coolness, but rather a layer of chill. It is damp and cold inside the house, and outside, it is even colder, whipped by the wind and light rain. Wearing too much is hot, wearing too little is cold; it is very irritating.

Of course, this is for those who have extra clothes to choose from and a house to live in to shelter from the wind and rain. For the little beggars standing on the street corner, wearing tattered cloth shoes tied with rope, tattered cloth clothes with holes, faces and necks blackened, hair cut into a dog-chewed mess by their own scissors, holding broken paper umbrellas with holes, hiding from the wind and rain under eaves that can only cover half the rain—now that autumn has come, can winter be far behind?

It is time again to see whose life is tougher. If they get through it, it is another year. They have grown a year older, their bodies and strength can be a bit better, and life will be easier to live in the future. If they don't get through it, they won't even remember their parents, so going down early to see them is fine too; they can tell them about the hardships and seek some warmth and comfort they have never felt before. Living is so tiring...

The little beggars shivered, looking at the table full of food and drink by the window opposite, laughing and chatting as they evaluated those delicacies. They are just children; if their opinions differ, they argue, and if they can't make sense of it, their voices get higher and higher, lively as can be.

It was precisely during the arguments of these little beggars that a rickshaw puller wearing a raincoat, with his face covered in rainwater, steadily parked the rickshaw at the entrance of this restaurant. The woman in the cheongsam and silk stockings sitting in the seat reached out to hand over the money, then stepped off the rickshaw in her small high heels and ran into the restaurant with a fragrant breeze.

"Detective Wang isn't going to the dance hall today!" a little beggar said, one foot on the ground, the other leg bent at the knee against the wall, hugging his shoulders, sounding very certain, with a look that said, "I'm so clever."

As soon as these words were spoken, a companion next to him immediately spoke up: "Bullshit, who doesn't know that woman is Detective Wang's mistress? Since she's already come looking for him, she must be going back to the Wang Mansion. Do I need you to tell me that?"

"I heard she's even a primary school teacher, teaching Chinese."

"What is Chinese?"

"It's the Chinese language you're talking about, and those articles we can't understand when we sell newspapers—that's what she teaches."

"You know so much."

At this moment, a little beggar raised the corner of his mouth, pretending to be indifferent while saying things everyone else already knew, but the dirty little teeth he revealed couldn't hide his pride.

The Shanghai Bund has one more happy child, at least for this moment...

Wang Yan naturally noticed the children opposite. He had even read their lips and knew what those children were saying; it was ignorant, pure, and high-level happiness. It is ignorant because although these little things have practiced some life skills, such as observing people's expressions, they don't yet know much about the world. It is pure because they are really just simply and aimlessly discussing things of no great significance. It is high-level because he no longer has the opportunity to feel this happiness.

Even his current chuckling is just laughing at the simple thoughts of the children.

Qi Si was also looking out the window, but he wasn't chuckling, because he had once stood outside the window like that waiting for Wang Yan's leftovers. He knew that autumn and winter were approaching, that diseases were frequent, and he knew that some people would never be seen again. He wanted to help do something, but he couldn't. To this day, he has only found a warehouse belonging to Yonghua Industrial for that group of people to live in, occasionally sending them some money.

Having followed Wang Yan for so long, many things have not been hidden from him, and he has truly felt the madness of the Japanese. He is very clear that Wang Yan did not lie to him back then; the Japanese would really use the lives of those little beggars to threaten him. If he didn't comply, these little beggars would die very miserably, and he would have no way to take revenge. Because the Japanese have already secretly approached him...

Hearing the sound of high heels keenly, Qi Si's ears twitched. He came back to his senses and very consciously picked up his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and went to the table next to him. Then he came back to take a few plates of food over to eat by himself, not forgetting to nod at Yu Manli, who was walking gracefully toward him. Compared to Wang Manchun, he still likes this Yu Manli more.

After she sat down and fiddled with the bowl and chopsticks sent by the waiter who followed closely behind, Wang Yan asked, "Didn't we see each other the day before yesterday? Why did you come looking for me yourself after only one day?"

"What, can't I come if there's nothing wrong? Can't I miss you?" Yu Manli seemed a bit unhappy, acting a bit coquettish. She is only twenty years old this year, truly young, and she put on the little temper belonging to a young woman. She didn't believe that with this, she couldn't beat that twenty-seven-year-old vixen Wang Manchun.

Her days in Shanghai have been extremely comfortable. Apart from teaching classes and grading homework, the rest of the time she spends making friends outside. Relying on the skills she practiced from her background in the social scene, and the fact that she is indeed somewhat cultured, she quickly made friends with other women in academic societies, schools, and other places. And there is so much money Wang Yan gives her; the purchasing power of US dollars is extremely strong. She has felt the beauty she never imagined in the Shanghai Bund.

And what she has to pay is very little, just occasionally meeting Wang Tianfeng, and the rest is accompanying Wang Yan to mess around. In this process, she still enjoys it; she really came to the right place...

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow: "I advise you to say what you have to say if you have something; don't keep me in suspense."

Yu Manli rolled her eyes. She had already become familiar with him and felt she had grasped Wang Yan's measure. She curled her lips, ate a bite of food, and said, "You are going to have trouble."

"Let's hear it."

Seeing that Wang Yan was still as nonchalant as before, Yu Manli leaned forward, her hands supporting the edge of the table, getting as close to him as possible, and lowered her voice: "The Chief Secretary of the Military Statistics Bureau, Mao Qiwu, has come secretly. He wants to see you."

Observing Wang Yan's expression seriously, she frowned and asked, "Why don't you have a reaction? Aren't you surprised? Don't you want to know what he came to find you for?"

"Maintaining a calm spirit when facing major events is the most basic quality of a superior, and it is also something you, as a spy lurking behind enemy lines, must possess. You must control your expressions and your eyes well. Don't show shock just because you hear shocking news; only then can you live long."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "Mao Qiwu has secretly infiltrated Shanghai and wants to see me. I don't need to be curious about what he wants to see me for, because it will be clear when the time comes. Moreover, his purpose in wanting to see me is actually not hard to guess. I have dealings with him in business, dealings of a very large amount, so we can be considered friends. Logically speaking, he must communicate with me first when he comes to Shanghai, because there are business entanglements, and also because I am reliable.

But he didn't inform me in advance; instead, he infiltrated Shanghai directly and used your channel to make an appointment to see me. That means he is in a difficult position but has no choice but to do it. He wants to force the matter directly to my face, making me make a choice and give an answer directly. My only recent trouble, apart from the Japanese, is Du Yong. So it must be that Du Yong said something to Dai Yunong and persuaded him, which is why he sent Mao Qiwu to come personally. It is both to inspect the work situation of the Shanghai Intelligence Station and to communicate with me secretly. Looking at your expression, I know I'm not wrong."

Yu Manli widened her eyes. She truly felt the terror of having a brain: "What you said is the same as Wang Tianfeng's analysis. He also thinks this is the case. How did you know?"

"Everything in the world is connected. As long as you master enough information and have a clear understanding of yourself and others, then you can predict some things. I had thought before that Du Yong would drag you Kuomintang people into this, but because he has deep roots and too many disciples and old acquaintances, I didn't know which department's people he would drag in."

Wang Yan drank a mouthful of wine, ate some food, and smiled: "To tell you the truth, in this little patch of the Shanghai Bund, I, Wang Mou, have a much larger target than Mao Qiwu. Secret meetings are impossible because I have no secrets. In public meetings, the Japanese have his photos. If he is discovered, that would be a disaster for your Shanghai Intelligence Station. It would be fine if he died, but if he were captured, none of you would survive. Even if Mao Qiwu confesses late, you wouldn't be able to run out of Shanghai either; Dai Yunong would definitely execute family law on you. Wang Tianfeng is capable and won't die, but for you, it's hard to say."

"I'm just a worker at the bottom. Besides, don't I still have you? Since I'm by your side, they won't be able to find me." Yu Manli didn't care at all. She turned to talk about the meeting arrangements with Mao Qiwu...