Chapter 175: Long Have I Heard Your Name, Miyazaki-kun

“Miyazaki-kun is back.”

Speaking fluent Japanese, the man greeted Cheng Qianfan warmly with a ninety-degree bow.

A chill ran through Cheng Qianfan’s heart.

He immediately realized that through a moment of carelessness, he had committed an extremely serious mistake.

He should not have come to investigate this house in Hongkou District using his own appearance.

He should have disguised himself.

His appearance was almost identical to Miyazaki Kentaro’s. The moment he appeared here today and the neighbors saw him, a hidden danger was created.

One possibility was that Miyazaki Kentaro had not yet arrived in Shanghai.

In that case, when the real Miyazaki Kentaro arrived in Shanghai several days later, weary from travel, and came to this residence, the neighbors would naturally be astonished.

If that happened, then after leaving today, Cheng Qianfan would have no choice but to immediately find a way to intercept Miyazaki Kentaro at the docks, railway stations, and every possible location where he could be stopped in advance, doing everything possible to eliminate him silently before he arrived.

The other possibility was the current situation.

From Cheng Qianfan’s earlier judgment that the house was already occupied, combined with the man’s words, it was clear that Miyazaki Kentaro had already arrived in Shanghai and had moved into this residence.

The real Miyazaki Kentaro was either inside the house at this moment or had gone out temporarily.

And this man had mistaken Cheng Qianfan for Miyazaki Kentaro.

The courtyard gate was unlocked.

A moment ago, Cheng Qianfan had not had time to determine whether the doors inside the house were locked.

Therefore, he could not tell whether Miyazaki Kentaro was home or away.

However, judging by the probabilities, it was more likely that he was inside.

Perhaps the real Miyazaki Kentaro would push open the courtyard door and walk out the next second.

Or perhaps he would return from somewhere down the street.

A terrible situation.

Although Cheng Qianfan was alarmed inwardly, his face remained completely calm.

From what he had learned about Miyazaki Kentaro through Imai Futoshi, this man was relatively introverted, had few friends, was wary of strangers, and disliked social activities.

Almost imperceptibly, Cheng Qianfan altered his facial expression.

It became stiffer and colder.

Or rather, polite but visibly conveying a desire not to be disturbed.

His gaze swept over the man before him with incredible speed.

In the shortest possible time, he accurately captured the other’s appearance and distinguishing details.

This was a short man dressed neatly and cleanly.

However, the cuffs of his sleeves were frayed.

Some areas also had brown stains that could not be washed away.

These were traces of machine oil or grease.

Most importantly, the man had just given Cheng Qianfan a ninety-degree bow, the highest form of respectful bow.

It was an extremely formal gesture.

Furthermore, his words were filled with respect toward “Miyazaki Kentaro.”

Among Japanese citizens, unless there was an enormous disparity in status and one was expressing exceptional respect, gratitude, or profound apology, such a bow was rarely used.

There were many Japanese factories in this area.

Cheng Qianfan had once heard Imai Futoshi explain that the owners of these factories liked to employ Koreans as overseers.

The frayed cuffs resulted from prolonged handling of whips, whose tips constantly rubbed against the sleeves.

The brown spots on the cuffs were a mixture of machine oil and blood.

From this, Cheng Qianfan reached a conclusion.

This man was a Korean working for Japanese factory owners.

More specifically, he was a Korean overseer in a Japanese-owned factory who wielded a whip to beat Chinese laborers.

These Korean overseers, who ought to have shared a common hatred with the Chinese workers, often displayed exceptional cruelty and brutality toward them instead.

Within an extremely brief span of time, Cheng Qianfan’s mind and eyes analyzed and calculated, arriving at the judgment most likely to match reality.

He quickly devised a response.

Lu Bingjiu felt uneasy.

This Miyazaki Kentaro had not responded to his enthusiastic greeting.

Instead, he had stared at him for more than ten seconds with a cold expression.

Lu Bingjiu rapidly searched his memory.

Had he somehow offended Miyazaki-kun?

“You are?”

Cheng Qianfan slightly raised his chin.

The gesture made him appear somewhat arrogant without becoming openly rude.

He let out an almost inaudible grunt.

“Miyazaki-kun, I’m Lu Bingjiu from the Hanshin Screw Factory. It’s all my fault, my name is too difficult to remember.”

Lu Bingjiu hurriedly explained.

Seeing Cheng Qianfan frown, he immediately added,

“When you arrived here yesterday, I even helped carry your suitcase.”

Naturally, he dared not complain that the Japanese master had a poor memory.

The only explanation could be that his own name was too difficult to remember.

“Mr. Lu.”

A faint smile appeared on Cheng Qianfan’s otherwise stiff face.

“I remember now.”

Hearing that Miyazaki-kun remembered his name, Lu Bingjiu became extremely excited and was about to continue showering him with flattery.

“Mr. Lu, I apologize. I am very tired and wish to return home and rest.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded slightly.

“Please do not disturb me.”

The more one spoke, the more likely one was to make a mistake.

He had no idea how much this man actually knew about Miyazaki Kentaro.

It was best to dismiss him as quickly as possible.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bingjiu immediately abandoned his plans to curry further favor and hurriedly said goodbye.

Bent at the waist, he quickly walked to his own front door and entered.

Then he turned around and gave “Miyazaki Kentaro” a flattering smile while lowering his head.

“Miyazaki-kun, please take good care of your health.”

Afterward, Lu Bingjiu bowed deeply before finally closing the door.

He even slid the bolt into place from inside to demonstrate that he would not disturb Miyazaki Kentaro.

After hearing Lu Bingjiu’s footsteps move away from the doorway, Cheng Qianfan glanced around.

Then, with a light push of his hand, he nimbly vaulted over the courtyard wall and landed inside without making the slightest sound.

Imai Futoshi’s residence happened to be located at the end of the alley.

Aside from Lu Bingjiu’s house, none of the neighboring houses directly adjoined it.

Its concealment was excellent.

As long as Lu Bingjiu was not secretly watching, there was little risk of being seen.

Moreover, Cheng Qianfan had already judged from the footsteps that Lu Bingjiu had left the doorway.

And given Lu Bingjiu’s height, he could not see over the neighboring courtyard wall anyway.

After landing, Cheng Qianfan crouched low.

Following a semi-elliptical route, he bypassed the main hall and bedrooms and headed straight toward a separate room to the side.

It was the storage room.

The storage room was unlocked.

Cheng Qianfan quickly put on gloves.

As he gently pushed the door open, he supported it with one hand to prevent the old hinges from producing any creaking sounds.

He entered, turned around, and carefully closed the door behind him.

A quick glance revealed an old desk, a dustpan, a ruined tire, and several stacks of discarded newspapers.

A worn straw mat leaned diagonally against the corner of the desk.

A thought occurred to Cheng Qianfan.

He unfolded the mat slightly, casually placed a newspaper over one of its holes, and then slipped behind it.

He would wait.

Wait until nightfall.

While waiting, Cheng Qianfan also reviewed the gains and losses of this operation.

He should never have come here in his true appearance.

That was his only mistake, but also his greatest one.

Fortunately, his reaction had been quick enough.

Not only had he fooled Lu Bingjiu, he had also obtained an extremely important piece of information from him.

Miyazaki Kentaro had arrived in Shanghai yesterday.

And considering Miyazaki Kentaro’s introverted personality, that meant very few people had actually met him.

His arrival here today had still been timely.

Under these circumstances, since he had already shown his face here today, the real Mr. Miyazaki Kentaro could no longer be allowed to exist.

Inside the bedroom.

The windows were closed, though the curtains had not been drawn.

Miyazaki Kentaro lay on the bed, snoring loudly.

Several empty liquor bottles sat on the table.

Many sheets of paper were scattered across the floor, densely covered with writing.

The heading on one document bore Japanese text identifying it as:

Department of Chinese Literature, Kobe University.

The first line beneath it read:

Kunshan Field Investigation Report...

As the sky gradually darkened, night finally arrived.

Holding a dagger, Cheng Qianfan slowly inserted it through the crack of the door and gently manipulated the latch.

After four or five movements, the bolt was pried open.

He did not enter immediately.

Instead, he gently pushed the door open and used a stick to extend a tattered felt hat he had found in the storage room through the doorway.

It looked exactly like a person cautiously poking their head inside.

Meanwhile, he kept his body to one side to avoid any sudden gunfire from within.

About fifteen seconds passed.

There was no movement whatsoever.

Cheng Qianfan sniffed the air.

He detected a strong smell of alcohol.

Even so, he did not dare relax his vigilance in the slightest.

His right hand gripped the dagger tightly, maintaining a posture from which he could strike at any moment.

With a swift crouching movement, he slipped inside.

No attack came from either side of the doorway.

Only then did Cheng Qianfan raise his head.

In the darkness, illuminated faintly by moonlight streaming through the window, he could just make out a figure lying on the bed, snoring loudly.

If his judgment was correct, this man was Miyazaki Kentaro.

Long have I heard your name.

Today, I finally meet you.

Mr. Miyazaki Kentaro.