Chapter 30: Yingzuo

Chapter 30: Yingzuo

“Has Qianfan noticed something unusual?”

Seeing the change in Cheng Qianfan’s expression, Song Fuguo hurriedly asked.

“Team Leader, your insight is admirable.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded.

“I didn’t think anything was amiss at the time, but now that I reconsider it, there truly was something unusual.”

“Oh?”

Song Fuguo nodded.

“Tell me about it.”

“At the time, I was also watching the crowd of onlookers, fearing that surviving Communists might be conducting surveillance.”

Cheng Qianfan recalled.

“I noticed one person’s figure seemed somewhat familiar. Just as I was about to step forward and question him, a colleague happened to be questioning a passerby, so I turned my head to look. By the time I turned back to search for that person again, he had already disappeared.”

Song Fuguo was overjoyed.

What Cheng Qianfan described matched exactly what Old Ma had reported.

Sure enough, just as he had previously speculated, Mr. Fu had been frightened and immediately fled.

“That’s right.”

Boss Tao nodded as well.

“Brother Cheng, we questioned one of the tenants. According to him, the suspect claimed to be a secondary-school teacher. At the time, his lecture notes fell to the ground, and he bent down to pick them up...”

“Picking up lecture notes?”

Cheng Qianfan clapped his hands.

“So that’s it, so that’s it. That man must have seen me as well. Fearing that I would recognize him, he bent down. With so many people watching, the crowd conveniently concealed his figure.”

“Qianfan, you said that person seemed familiar to you?”

Song Fuguo immediately seized upon the key point.

“Yes. If my judgment is correct, this person should be an old acquaintance of mine.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded.

“To be precise, he is a Japanese man I know.”

“An old acquaintance? How would Qianfan have dealings with a Japanese person?”

“Team Leader doesn’t know?”

Cheng Qianfan looked surprised.

“Given my background, Team Leader should already know everything about me.”

Know my ass.

Song Fuguo felt as though someone were scratching an itch inside his heart.

The information he had obtained only established that Cheng Qianfan was the son of Cheng Wenzao and Su Zhifu. He possessed no additional details.

The Special Service Office certainly had influence, but thoroughly investigating a person’s background was not something the French Concession Intelligence Group could accomplish comprehensively in a short period of time.

“To be honest.”

Song Fuguo did not conceal the truth.

“I only knew that you are Mr. Wenzao’s son. That fact alone was enough to reassure me, so I did not investigate further.”

“Thank you for your trust, Team Leader.”

Cheng Qianfan looked visibly moved.

“The Japanese have invaded our land and slaughtered our compatriots. Because of my grandfather’s instructions, although I possessed the ambition to serve the nation, I could only endure for the time being. However, I did not remain idle. As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself. I developed the idea of studying Japanese.”

“You know Japanese as well?”

Song Fuguo was delighted.

He had only known that Cheng Qianfan was proficient in French. He had never expected him to know Japanese too.

The boy was an exceptionally versatile talent.

“Yes.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded.

“At the time, the East Asia Common Culture Academy was recruiting auditing students free of charge in Shanghai. I seized the opportunity to study Japanese there and also hoped to interact more with Japanese people and learn more about them.”

“I never imagined Qianfan had once studied at the East Asia Common Culture Academy.”

Song Fuguo was astonished.

It seemed his understanding of Cheng Qianfan was extremely incomplete.

“Qianfan, how could you attend that...”

Boss Tao hurriedly asked.

“Brother Tao, I understand what you mean.”

Cheng Qianfan waved his hand.

“At first, I only wanted to learn Japanese. After entering the school, however, I gradually discovered that it concealed far more than appeared on the surface. One could see from this school alone that the Japanese had harbored ambitions of invading China for a very long time.”

“Indeed. We’ve also been paying attention to this East Asia Common Culture Academy.”

Song Fuguo nodded.

“As far as I know, it appears on the surface to be an ordinary school established by Japanese business conglomerates, recruiting both Chinese and Japanese youth and even receiving official academic recognition from both the National Government and Japan. Only later did we discover that we had all been deceived by the Japanese. In reality, it is operated by the Japanese Foreign Ministry and military authorities specifically to cultivate personnel for work concerning China.”

“Team Leader’s insight is admirable.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded.

“I only realized this after entering the school myself. The school promoted and indoctrinated students with ideals of Sino-Japanese friendship, but its actual purpose was to cultivate pro-Japanese sympathizers.”

As he spoke, Cheng Qianfan let out a cold laugh.

“If I had not constantly remembered my parents’ teachings and the blood debt owed for Japan’s invasion of our land and slaughter of our people, I might also have been deceived by the Japanese and their hypocritical ideology.”

He pounded the table heavily.

“Unfortunately, from what I’ve observed, quite a few Chinese students have been deceived by the Japanese tricks and genuinely believe the school’s propaganda about Sino-Japanese friendship.”

“That is where the Japanese are truly cunning.”

Song Fuguo snorted coldly.

“The Special Service Office has also captured Japanese spies. There is no shortage of Chinese willing to serve Japan, people who feel no shame at being traitors.”

“Since Brother Cheng discovered the Japanese scheme, you angrily withdrew from the school?”

Boss Tao asked.

“No.”

Cheng Qianfan smiled proudly.

“Not only did I stay, but in the eyes of the school authorities, I was probably an exemplary student who wholeheartedly supported Sino-Japanese friendship.”

“Brother Cheng, how could you?”

“Good! Good! Good!”

Song Fuguo applauded in admiration.

Under Boss Tao’s astonished and confused gaze, he stepped forward and patted Cheng Qianfan on the shoulder.

“Qianfan, excellent. I have even higher expectations of you now.”

“Team Leader’s insight is admirable. Thank you for understanding.”

Cheng Qianfan said sincerely.

“I thought Team Leader would scold me for bowing and scraping before the Japanese.”

“To endure what ordinary people cannot endure. Qianfan, I think highly of you. You are excellent material.”

Song Fuguo nodded with satisfaction.

“In the future, you must also be careful not to openly display anti-Japanese sentiments. You understand what I mean.”

“I understand.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded seriously.

“Team Leader, I don’t understand.”

Boss Tao could not help saying.

“You don’t need to understand.”

Song Fuguo replied sternly.

“Xiao Tao, everything Qianfan has discussed today is absolutely confidential. Not a single word may be leaked. Violators will be dealt with under military law!”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Startled by Song Fuguo’s severe gaze, Boss Tao hurriedly expressed his compliance.

“At the East Asia Common Culture Academy, because I ‘performed well,’ I became acquainted with several Japanese people.”

Cheng Qianfan continued.

“At first, I did not associate that familiar figure with any Japanese person. Fortunately, Team Leader has informed me of the circumstances today. Now that I think carefully about it, there is one person who fits my suspicion.”

“Who is it?”

Song Fuguo asked immediately, overjoyed.

“Yingzuo Eiichi.”

Cheng Qianfan took a deep breath.

“If my judgment is correct, it should be him.”

“Yingzuo?”

Song Fuguo fell into thought.

“What relation does he have to Yingzuo Teiaki?”

“Team Leader’s insight is admirable.”

Cheng Qianfan looked impressed.

“Yingzuo Eiichi is a member of the Yingzuo family. It is said that Yingzuo Teiaki thinks highly of this nephew of his. Back at the East Asia Common Culture Academy, he was already a very active figure, and many Japanese students regarded him as a leader.”

“A perfect opportunity. Kill him!”

Boss Tao growled excitedly in a low voice.

“We can’t touch Yingzuo Teiaki, but we can start with his nephew!”

Cheng Qianfan said nothing.

Song Fuguo also sank into contemplation.

Boss Tao was about to say more when Cheng Qianfan tugged at his sleeve and shook his head, signaling him not to disturb Song Fuguo’s thoughts.