Chapter 24: Passing The Baton
At 12:01 noon, Lu Bowen’s figure appeared at the coffee shop entrance.
The most distressing thing right now is how to complete the contact. Gu Yansheng knows this, and Lu Bowen knows it too.
The problem Lu Bowen faces now is that even if he knows he’s being followed, he can only let them follow him and absolutely cannot play smart to shake off No. 67’s people.
An ordinary person showing awareness of counter-surveillance is no different from directly telling No. 67 that he is an agent.
To completely wash away suspicion, he can only let them follow, using prolonged calm to tell No. 67 that he is just an ordinary person.
But how exactly to make the contact, he considered for two days and still couldn’t come up with a 100% safe method. The tail is really too annoying.
For now, he can only hope that Gu Yansheng’s information brings him some surprise.
Lu Bowen finished a cup of coffee outside, then went to the restroom as agreed. The moment he entered the door, his eyes quickly swept under the door.
Sure enough, there was something on the ground, an inconspicuous scrap of paper.
If not reminded, he would have thought it was just a small scrap of toilet paper. No fool would pick it up.
But now, he picked it up immediately, racing against time, glanced at the words on it, then without thinking threw it directly into his mouth and swallowed it deeply, afraid that something unusual would happen at the door.
Fortunately, nothing did.
Swallowed for nothing.
“Shh”
He unbuckled his belt and relaxed with a big piss. If someone came in, it was none of his business. Whether it was his tail or not didn’t matter. Lu Bowen had been holding it in all morning, and this was a particularly large piss. Even if someone watching wanted to see, he was just here to urinate, with a powerful stream and great momentum.
After finishing, he didn’t even look at the person who had just come in beside him, went out on his own, hailed a rickshaw. When the rickshaw came over, he casually stood with his left hand on his waist waiting, then got on and returned home.
He Yun was already waiting. She knew today was the day Lu Bowen and Gu Yansheng would make contact.
“How did it go?”
Lu Bowen put down his clothes: “Didn’t show up. Confirmed being followed. You should be the same. But there was a note. He wants me to give him the contact method. He’ll handle the contact, then after he completes it, give us what he gets.”
He Yun nodded upon hearing this and said seriously: “This is indeed the safest way. How to give it to him? You go again tomorrow?”
“I will go, but the one actually going tomorrow is you. Didn’t he arrange for you to go to the Municipal Council tomorrow morning to ask about transferring residency to France? He probably thought of it then—switch people midway, you bring the information over. The note didn’t specify how to hand it off, but he should come out to find you.”
“That’s how it is. Okay, then I’ll prepare. I’ll see what clothes to wear tomorrow, where to hide the thing. You write it first. Once it’s written, I’ll test it first in case there’s only a brushing-past opportunity—how should I give it to him.”
Gu Yansheng saw Lu Bowen come out with his left hand on his waist signal and knew he had seen the note. This was an inconspicuous agreement, but it had a big effect.
This meant Lu Bowen agreed to hand over the contact mission to him.
The deeper meaning was that the moment Lu Bowen made that gesture, it meant his contact mission was over. From then on, even if No. 67’s people kept following him, there would be no more risk of exposure.
Lu Bowen was now purely a businessman.
This point was very important. Now Gu Yansheng just needed to take care of himself, with no worries behind.
Tomorrow, as long as he got the specific contact method from He Yun, he could arrange and decide the rest himself.
Paid the bill and left.
Back at the law firm, Wen Yan told him the newspaper company’s case had been transferred, and the specifics would be handled by Wolf’s team.
“According to the process, the newspaper company should hear the news as early as tomorrow. Is there any chance the newspaper will publish another article cursing us too?” Wen Yan grinned.
“Whatever. The pen is in their hands. If they curse lightly, it’s painless; if harshly, sue them again.”
Gu Yansheng didn’t care about such small matters.
Stealing a moment of leisure amid busyness, he went to the law firm’s archive room to find and flip through past cases they had handled, especially those at the partner level.
Don’t underestimate these files. These files are treasures. They not only record the partners’ various ideas and tactics but also, at the partner level, the people they represent are either rich or noble. They hide bits of infighting among various forces and businessmen’s secrets.
This was also the content Gu Yansheng valued most.
It was like reading a novel called the filthy past of high society.
Around two o’clock, Wen Yan reminded him it was about time to keep the appointment.
“Happy times are always so short. Then let’s go.”
Gu Yansheng reluctantly put down the files. They were pretty good, like feuding over family inheritance in a wealthy clan—the sister slept with her brother-in-law and flew into a rage, leading to a complete break and court. In the end, it turned out the sister had slept with her son too, and the two fought in court.
“Mr. Gu, aren’t you bringing your money box?” Wen Yan asked when he saw Gu Yansheng going out empty-handed.
“Bring what money? No rush.”
Hong Yun Restaurant was across from the train station.
The train station and Hong Yun Restaurant both belonged to the Shanghai urban area, meaning outside the concession, under Japanese jurisdiction.
Without a luxury vehicle, leaving the concession inevitably meant being stopped by Japanese gendarmes for inspection, but both had complete identification documents and legitimate occupations, so they weren’t overly troubled by the Japanese.
Stepping into the Shanghai urban area, the first thing in sight was Shanghai’s busiest train station.
Japanese gendarmes stood guard at the train station entrance, and Japanese soldiers patrolled the streets.
Now Japan’s main direction was to restore Shanghai’s economic prosperity, so the living environment for ordinary residents was much better than right after the war.
As far as the eye could see, there was at least no obvious bullying or extortion.
“That’s Hong Yun Restaurant.” Wen Yan pointed in the direction.
“Then let’s go.”
On the second floor of the tea house, the two sat down for tea. About ten minutes later, two black sedans pulled up downstairs.
“They’re here. That’s the Green Gang minor leader I mentioned. See how he nods and bows to the leader? I guess that person is Wu Sibao.”
Gu Yansheng poked his head out. They say looks reflect the heart, and sure enough, Wu Sibao had a real traitor face.
He was quite fat, wore a suit and tie, with a face full of jowls, and most crucially, that currently popular traitor hairstyle on his head.
Gu Yansheng came up with the name “traitor head” himself. Who knows how that aesthetic emerged—temples shaved bald, oily hair slicked to the scalp, and a middle part at that.
But looks didn’t matter. This guy held power.
Knowing the visitor was Wu Sibao, Gu Yansheng wanted more.
Originally, he just planned to connect with No. 67. Such an expensive car couldn’t be handled by a small figure; he judged the one who stole his car was at least a minor leader. But now, unexpected surprise—an even bigger leader showed up.
Whether it was the Green Gang force in Wu Sibao’s hands or the conveniences he could get from working for the Japanese.
Gu Yansheng coveted them all.
Not to mention he had no power now; even if he later entered a government department and took a position, this kind of basic military force in Wu Sibao’s hands would be very useful.
Haven’t you seen collusion between officials and merchants? Under the merchants, there are always underlings to handle dirty work.
That’s the reason.
To fight on in Shanghai, military force is far more reliable than money.
This vehicle theft was a perfect example. All that effort scheming a case, and it wasn’t even worth as much as one car.
Yet a car worth over ten thousand US dollars was gone just like that, without even saying goodbye.
