Chapter 183: Go Under
Back at the tea house, the police officer standing guard at the door reported: “Director Gu, Captain Wu from Agent Headquarters came looking for you just now. I told him you were out on business, and he said to have you contact him.”
“Good, I got it.”
Gu Yansheng went upstairs and called Wu Sibao on the telephone, “Hey, Sibao, what’s up?”
Wu Sibao said: “It’s still about acting as a banker. That family isn’t very cooperative. You got time? Come over. Sister-in-law is here too. I’ll tell you face to face.”
Gu Yansheng went to Agent Headquarters, where Ye Jiqing and Wu Sibao were already waiting.
Ye Jiqing ground coffee and greeted him with a smile, “Sorry to trouble Director Gu to make the trip. Please sit.”
“It’s just a short way.” Gu Yansheng looked at Wu Sibao, “What’s wrong? You can’t even handle one businessman?”
Wu Sibao frowned and said: “Trouble. It’s not that I’m not trying. Mainly, he’s not an ordinary businessman. Yong’an Department Store is a big enterprise with over 20 million in assets. Their family is famous in the concession, lives in a villa, has bodyguards, pays taxes to the concession, pays taxes to the Japanese too. Their network runs deep. I’ve watched for a few days, no chance to make a move.”
Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Make a move? What move? I told you to negotiate. That’s to talk business. Why are you talking about making a move? Wait, you wanted to kidnap him?”
“It’s not that I wanted to kidnap him. It’s that family is too uncooperative!” Wu Sibao got angry just thinking about it. “First meeting, I talked nicely with him, went to his department store to find him, said I wanted to cooperate with him, buy his shares. No matter what I said, he wouldn’t agree, even had me thrown out, said he’d call the police station if I didn’t leave.
If this were anywhere else, I’d have killed him already.
Even then I didn’t get mad. I learned from Liu Bei, visited the thatched cottage three times, waited for him at his department store door after work, went up to talk. He glanced at me and had his bodyguard push me away.
I fucking lost my temper right then. I said if you don’t want to talk nicely, don’t blame me for being nice first then forceful.
And he still left.
Even then I just made threats, no action. Now the son is in charge. He won’t talk, so I went to find his father.
Got in the door, drank tea, and he pretended to be hard of hearing. Had to repeat one sentence seven or eight times, then he says, ‘Ah, what did you say? My ears aren’t good, I can’t hear.'”
Wu Sibao imitated him perfectly, making even Gu Yansheng laugh. Wu Sibao said angrily: “Tell me, isn’t that family uncooperative!”
Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and said: “Did you tell them who you are?”
“I did.”
“No wonder then.” Gu Yansheng sneered: “You know how bad the reputation of No. 76 is. His department store gets associated with your name, and you still expect the business to be good?”
Wu Sibao felt so wronged, “If I didn’t tell him who I am, he wouldn’t even see me the first time. What could I do?”
Gu Yansheng sighed.
Seeing this, Ye Jiqing said: “Mr. Gu, actually I noticed that too, but setting aside our identity, he really doesn’t see outsiders. If not for No. 76’s intimidation, we couldn’t even meet him. Even if we wanted someone to make introductions, we wouldn’t know who to ask.
Later, I went to see him myself, told him we wouldn’t leak the news of us holding shares, but he still wouldn’t sell.”
“This isn’t about selling or not. It’s about stance.” Gu Yansheng looked at Wu Sibao accusingly: “I told you to investigate. What did you investigate? You just looked into which chambers of commerce Yong’an Department Store is in, how much it’s worth. Did you investigate his stance?
He’s a concession businessman. Either centrist or pro-Chongqing. Is he pro-Japan? No? Centrist, then he’s more pro-Chongqing.
A so-called patriotic businessman, and you go with Agent Headquarters’ brand demanding he sell you shares. Only a ghost would sell to you. If he really sells, you’d worry the company is about to go bankrupt.”
“If I don’t say that, I can’t even see him.” Wu Sibao spread his hands, complaining.
Gu Yansheng said exasperatedly: “Can’t see him if you don’t say that? Believe it or not, I send any random person over, and they’ll still see him.”
“Impossible.” Wu Sibao sneered, “With his security, ordinary people can’t even get close. For such a big boss, how could he see just anyone?”
Ye Jiqing believed Gu Yansheng, “Mr. Gu, do you have some method?”
Gu Yansheng looked at the two, “What if I say I’m from Chongqing, sent by President Jiang? Could I get a meeting?”
Wu Sibao’s head jerked, his mouth forming an O.
Ye Jiqing looked impressed, “Brilliant move, too brilliant. Mr. Gu, this way, we can pretend to be from Chongqing and buy his shares?”
Gu Yansheng thought for a moment, chuckled and shook his head, “Not necessarily. He might not sell, but at least he won’t throw us out. Absolutely better to negotiate than with No. 76 identity. Might even get a discount.”
Ye Jiqing nodded: “That’s for sure.”
Wu Sibao thought of something, “Wait, no. You think he’ll just believe that? You say Old Jiang sent you and he believes? He’s not that naive.”
“How does he disprove it?” Gu Yansheng countered: “Can he meet Old Jiang? Or is he Military Statistics Bureau, can send a telegram to verify?”
“But you can’t prove you’re from Chongqing either.”
“Who says.” Gu Yansheng sneered, blinked and said: “One appointment letter from Chairman Chiang. You can’t make that?”
Wu Sibao slapped his palm, suddenly enlightened, extremely annoyed, “Damn, why didn’t I think of that move.”
Ye Jiqing glanced at him and sneered.
Wu Sibao perked up, “Then I’ll go make one right now and arrange for someone to visit.”
“Too late.” Gu Yansheng gave him a look, “First time you play like that, he might believe. Now you two No. 76 people have both been to his door. How could he not be alert? He’ll definitely think you’re tricking him.”
“Then what do we do?” Wu Sibao was stunned.
“Very difficult now.”
Gu Yansheng pondered silently.
Ye Jiqing said reproachfully: “Sibao, look at you, so reckless. Wasted such a good opportunity. When there’s something, you should consult Mr. Gu more.”
“Didn’t expect it to be so troublesome?” Wu Sibao didn’t say more, afraid to disturb Gu Yansheng’s thinking.
Gu Yansheng sipped coffee. Li Shiqun was hard to turn, but this might be a chance to pull his wife in.
Just didn’t know if Yong’an Department Store’s boss would cooperate.
Gu Yansheng thought and said: “Use my method, we can probably still get a meeting, but he won’t believe it unless we have a way to let him see something with his own eyes, proving we really are from Chongqing.”
Ye Jiqing asked: “How to prove?”
Gu Yansheng thought and looked at Ye Jiqing: “If I were President Jiang, why contact him? What do I want his shares for? Stock trading? What’s the purpose of stock trading?”
“Make money.” Ye Jiqing said without thinking: “Old Jiang likes stock trading. That’s reasonable.”
“Then ignore such a big department store?” Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow: “If you were President Jiang, would you have him cooperate to ship some goods to Nationalist controlled area? Then ship some goods back from Nationalist controlled area to sell in Shanghai?”
Ye Jiqing got it, “You mean, we help him open a route to ship goods to Nationalist controlled area, to prove we’re from Chongqing.”
Gu Yansheng nodded, “Only then, after he sees with his own eyes the goods enter Nationalist controlled area, can your No. 76 identity be washed clean for him, make him believe you’re Chongqing people embedded in No. 76, with a special mission.”
“That’s not hard. I’ll open one for him right away.” Wu Sibao didn’t care. Smuggling, it’s not like they hadn’t done it.
Ye Jiqing nodded too, “I think it’s feasible. And his department store has plenty of goods. We sell to Nationalist controlled area and make another profit. Sibao, right?”
“Yeah.” Wu Sibao laughed: “Not just western medicine. Yong’an Department Store has tons of imported stuff from all countries. Chongqing’s high officials have plenty of money. We can sell them all, like red wine, pianos, Simmons beds.”
Ye Jiqing got excited too, talking with Wu Sibao about what else they could sell.
Gu Yansheng watched dumbfounded.
He’d even prepared some arguments to prove this was safe.
Like, if something goes wrong, how to make it unrelated to themselves, so Japanese can’t find trouble.
But seeing these two, they really didn’t care.
Li Shiqun the third wheel. Clearly these two are the perfect match.
