Chapter 14: A Single Cherry Blossom Petal
Chapter 14: A Single Cherry Blossom Petal
Jin Kemu adjusted the venetian blinds and looked outside through a gap.
From his office, he had a perfect view of everything happening in the duty room.
“Heh, this Xiao Cheng, tsk.”
After pondering for a long time, Jin Kemu frowned, then shook his head.
Pushing aside those chaotic thoughts, his mind was ultimately occupied by the sudden arrival of good news.
Leaning back in his chair, one foot propped on the desk, he hummed a Kunqu opera tune contentedly.
He Guan pushed the door open and was about to enter.
“Uncle.”
“Get out!”
The foot He Guan had just stepped in with immediately retreated.
He backed out, closed the door, then knocked.
“Inspector, your subordinate He Guan.”
Jin Kemu sat upright, cleared his throat, and said,
“Come in.”
Before he had finished speaking, He Guan pushed open the door and entered.
“Uncle, Qianfan said...”
Jin Kemu glared at He Guan.
The latter chuckled awkwardly, turned around and shut the office door, then eagerly asked,
“Uncle, has the Deputy Chief Inspector position been decided?”
“Always so impatient, making a fuss over nothing.”
Jin Kemu scolded him sternly.
“Attention. At ease. Stand properly.”
Only after seeing He Guan standing respectfully at attention did he nod in satisfaction and smile.
“Eight or nine parts certain.”
At these words, He Guan was instantly overjoyed.
His uncle was always cautious and never spoke too definitely.
If he said something was “eight or nine parts certain,” it was essentially already settled.
The position of Deputy Chief Inspector of the Central Police Station had been vacant for half a year.
The Central Police Station oversaw three patrol divisions.
Jin Kemu, Liang Yuchun, and Yuan Kaizhou were the inspectors in charge of those three divisions.
The three men had been openly and secretly fighting over the deputy chief position for nearly six months.
“Subordinate He Guan.”
He Guan snapped to attention and saluted.
“Greetings, Deputy Chief Jin!”
“You little brat.”
Jin Kemu laughed and cursed, unable to conceal his delight.
The entire French Concession consisted of only six districts: Pétain District, Foch District, Central District, Avenue Joffre District, Mylan District, and Eastern District.
There were six chief inspectors and six deputy chief inspectors.
Among them, the Central Police Station held the most important position.
Its deputy chief inspector carried authority and influence comparable even to the chief inspector of the much smaller Eastern District.
For Jin Kemu, successfully taking this step was the pinnacle of his life.
“Behave yourself.”
Jin Kemu warned.
“The official appointment document hasn’t arrived yet. Keep your head on straight and don’t go shouting about it everywhere.”
“Hehehe.”
He Guan grinned foolishly.
“Uncle, um, Qianfan beat up Old Mo. Is that really all settled now?”
“Does that kid look like someone who’s in trouble?”
Jin Kemu pointed toward the duty room.
“I knew it. Qianfan’s capable. If he says it’s fine, then it’s definitely fine.”
He Guan said happily.
“In the future, stay away from...”
Jin Kemu paused.
Looking at his nephew, he tapped the desk and changed his words.
“In the future, spend more time with Qianfan. I don’t expect you to become like him. If you can learn even half of his abilities, your uncle will be satisfied.”
“Yes, Deputy Chief Jin.”
He Guan grinned.
After being laughingly told to get lost by Jin Kemu, he saluted respectfully, backed out, and gently closed the office door.
“This little brat.”
After He Guan left, Jin Kemu kept muttering “Deputy Chief Jin, Deputy Chief Jin.”
His face was full of satisfaction.
Humming Kunqu opera, he walked to the window and happened to see the Ford V8 parked in the courtyard below.
It was Chief Inspector Qin Detai’s official car.
Jin Kemu fell silent for a long while.
Then he mocked himself.
“My brain’s gone bad.”
Lightly patting his own face, he said to himself,
“Heh, Deputy Chief Jin.”
Once he calmed down, his thoughts became clear as well.
“That little rascal is sharp.”
Jin Kemu snorted.
“One big fox and one little fox!”
In pursuit of the deputy chief position, Jin Kemu had spent considerable effort seeking connections and influence.
Previously, he had visited the Political Department translator Xiu Gongshen.
That old fox had politely refused the gift and never clearly stated whether he would help.
Instead, he dragged Jin Kemu into a long and confusing conversation.
He lamented the uneven quality of police personnel and talked about the need for fresh blood and the cultivation of professional talent.
Jin Kemu had been deeply disappointed.
He came from the old-school policeman tradition.
In his worldview, accepting a gift meant being willing to do business.
Refusing the gift meant refusing to help.
“Turns out he’s not even as straightforward as my yellow-faced wife.”
Jin Kemu chuckled and tapped his forehead.
When he had returned home, sighing repeatedly, his wife had immediately called him an idiot.
“What kind of person is Translator Xiu? Why would he waste time chatting nonsense with you for no reason?”
Cheng Qianfan was Xiu Gongshen’s student.
Jin Kemu naturally knew that.
However, Xiu Gongshen had never shown any obvious special care toward Cheng Qianfan.
As a result, Jin Kemu had genuinely failed to make the connection.
Accepting a gift was a one-time transaction.
That old fox had refused the gift.
Clearly, Xiu Gongshen wanted something bigger.
For example, today.
Jin Kemu had been forced to speak up and vouch for Cheng Qianfan.
In the eyes of anyone paying attention, that amounted to showing goodwill toward Xiu Gongshen and moving closer to his camp.
Jin Kemu suspected that Xiu Gongshen had orchestrated today’s affair behind the scenes.
In effect, he had been forced to declare his position.
“I, Old Jin, have been dragged aboard a pirate ship.”
Jin Kemu laughed and cursed while taking a sip of tea.
He felt somewhat annoyed, but not truly angry.
Being forced to choose a side meant he had value.
The real fear was not even being worthy of recruitment.
He was simply curious.
Had Xiu Gongshen gone mad?
Wasn’t he afraid Qin Detai might truly turn hostile?
Heh.
He was both worried and strangely looking forward to it.
“The maiden enters the chamber and says, my lord, cherish your servant...”
Closing his eyes, Jin Kemu gently shook his head, tapping the tabletop with a finger while singing in a falsetto voice.
Jin Kemu was contemplating Cheng Qianfan.
Most of his subordinates were old-school policemen.
Cheating people, extorting money, bullying the weak, associating with all manner of shady characters, gambling, drinking, visiting brothels, using petty tricks to harm others, making money through dubious means, those skills they possessed in abundance.
Expecting them to be meticulous thinkers, capable investigators, or reliable at critical moments was asking too much.
Cheng Qianfan was an honors graduate of the French Concession Police Cadet School.
This was probably the professional difference that Xiu Gongshen had once mentioned.
Jin Kemu admitted that the young man was talented.
As for whether that talent could be used, and how it should be used, that depended on how his relationship with Xiu Gongshen developed.
He Guan had asked Cheng Qianfan how he knew Jin Kemu was about to be promoted to deputy chief inspector.
Cheng Qianfan had merely joked that Inspector Jin’s face was glowing with prosperity and official fortune.
He Guan snorted.
“Translator Xiu must’ve told you beforehand.”
Cheng Qianfan only smiled without answering.
When he had first entered the police station, he had deliberately kept a low profile and never revealed the deeper relationship between himself and Xiu Gongshen.
His colleagues only knew that he was Xiu Gongshen’s student.
Nothing more.
After spending this period training at the grassroots level, Cheng Qianfan had successfully established himself through his own abilities.
Now, with Xiu Gongshen helping Jin Kemu secure the deputy chief position, Cheng Qianfan had become the “link” connecting Jin Kemu and Xiu Gongshen.
Especially after today’s events, that appearance had become even stronger in outsiders’ eyes.
Remaining low-key was no longer possible.
Cheng Qianfan smiled bitterly inwardly.
For an undercover operative, this was not a good thing.
Yet the opportunity was too rare.
He had no choice but to act.
After He Guan left, Cheng Qianfan lightly traced patterns on his desk with his fingertip.
Others could not see it.
But in his mind, he clearly knew what he was drawing.
A single cherry blossom petal.
The item he had taken from Old Mo was a token-like object.
On its front was a single cherry blossom petal, seemingly engraved at a later date.
On the reverse side was a character carved into the surface.
It was extremely blurry and impossible to make out clearly.