After Waking up Beside the Villain

No matter whether it is cold or hot, every night in Haicheng, along the Xinpu River and Suzhou Creek, there will be a lot of traffic along the concessions, and strings of lights as dense as stars will be stretched out, fully displaying the true romance and joy of this city that never sleeps. .

It was like a brand new world.

In contrast, near the Manzhou Road in Zhabei, across the street, the eaves are still soaked in the darkness beyond the feasting and feasting, and they seem to be still stuck in the old time and space, covered with crumbling decay.

A rickshaw arrived at the edge of the concession from the pier on the Xinpu River through the bustling Suzhou Creek.

The coachman was thin, wearing a short gown, revealing his dark skin, and wearing a straw hat on his head.It had just rained a little in the evening, and the brim of the straw hat was still dripping with water, and it was clasped wetly on the head, mixing with sweat into a tide.

The expensive lady in the car hated the dirt so much, she didn't care about her manners, she avoided the driver from a distance when she got out of the car, as if she was afraid of getting dirty.

He raised his well-maintained hand, pulled the jade bracelet on his wrist, and threw a few dimes into the car by the way.

"Go slowly, madam."

The coachman Banzheng whispered again, the eyes under the straw hat rolled slightly, watching the pair of high-heeled shoes that tried their best to avoid the puddles away under the street lights.

It was getting late, there was no one around, and there was not much business to do.

The coachman pulled up the cart again, left the concession, circled Zhabei twice, and finally came to the intersection of Manzhou Road.

There are several shops at the intersection, which have long been closed, but there is still light behind them, a red lantern squeezed in the gap.

This area is full of old houses, common alley houses in Haicheng, with the back door open on the side, the night above the head is blocked by rows of rain shelters from the windows, even the stars and the moon are invisible, depressing And cramped.

The inner lane is narrow enough to squeeze into this rickshaw, and both sides of the lane are full of sundries, if the rain pressure has not overwhelmed the dust at this time, as soon as someone passes by, there will be a smoky atmosphere.

Because it is late at night, this place is also quiet. In the daytime, women who are sheltering from the rain and cooking in the kitchen can play this narrow and long space into a big drama, with conflicts, joys, sorrows and joys.

The men are usually the supporting roles in this play, they only serve as a backdrop for some words or sighs, they can’t eat these human fireworks, and they like to open the window to see other scenery outside, while watching and calculating three or five copper coins His wife talked about the depression of being unemployed or the pride of being appreciated in a foreign firm.

There are more quarrels, as it is in alleys, as long as a window is opened, the affairs of that family will become the affairs of each family, and ordinary conversations will also turn into quarrels.

The wheels of the rickshaw rolled across this rare peaceful and quiet area.

The ticking of the roof leak and the swift footsteps of the coachman were infinitely amplified by this silence, and even the slight panting between the mouth and nose was like a clamoring muffled hammer, with a trembling sound.

Passing through this dark alley, the rickshaw finally arrived in front of the house with the red lanterns hanging on it.

The side door of the house was half opened, and inside stood a slim figure in a cheongsam.

The figure seemed to be waiting aimlessly for something. Seeing the rickshaw approaching, he didn't raise his eyes, but said in the dark, "Are you drinking wine?"

"Regular customers who don't have a guide will have to pay at least ten yuan, and they won't be able to stay overnight. If you can't afford it, go to the hall of Nanyang Bridge, don't stop here."

The woman's voice was a little hoarse, with a bit of an accent that she didn't know where, and without waiting for anyone to respond, she said a series of words like a cannonball, her posture was very indifferent.

The coachman didn't care, put the rickshaw away, walked to the door, and said with a smile, "It's not a regular customer, but an acquaintance. You are a schoolboy, and you don't play the piano and write to accompany the guests in the bookstore. Why do you want to come to the door to see?" Is the door coming?"

The cheongsam woman known as the school book for girls was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly raised her head and said in surprise: "Yo, Master Zhang."

"What brings you here?"

The coldness on the girl's school secretary's face immediately melted into a sweet smile.

As she led the driver in, she said in a familiar tone: "Yesterday, I heard from Master Rong that you took over a big deal and left Haicheng, and you won't be able to come back for a while. I didn't expect to see you today. "

"You don't drive antiques anymore, you pull a rickshaw instead?"

Jiuyanzhang took off his straw hat, revealing a simple and ordinary face belonging to a middle-aged man, but he couldn't find it in the crowd: "The antique shop is closed, it's being targeted."

The girls' school book's face changed slightly, he looked around, and didn't answer rashly.

The two walked into the yard all the way and came to a door.

When the girls' school book lifted the embroidered curtain on the door, a strong smell of makeup and powder came to the face, accompanied by bright light.

The inside of the house is completely different from the cramped and messy outside, and it can even be called magnificent. There is a beautiful couch against the wall, with a basin of ice on the side of the couch, and an elderly woman who still has a charm is sitting there. Taking a nap, he opened his eyes when he heard movement, and was not surprised to see that it was Jiuyan Zhang.

"Xue Hongniang ate Mr. Yu's gun, and the apartment was burned to ashes. Over a third of the Jiuliuhui disappeared overnight. I thought you were a rock, and it was time to move. "

Saying that, the woman winked.

The girl's school understood, immediately exited and closed the door, and stood outside on the porch to smoke.

Jiu Yanzhang ignored this, and sat directly opposite the woman, with something in his hand on the coffee table, which was one of the few dimes thrown by Mrs. Gui who got out of the car before.

It's just that this coin is different from ordinary coins. A small note is stuck on one side of the coin. Take it off and unfold it, and write a few petite characters inside with a pen.

The woman looked down with her pipe in her mouth, and her long brows frowned a little: "What are you doing with these foreigners and warlord spies? This is not an ordinary thing. Jiuliu will touch these things because he thinks he is not dead enough. quick?"

Jiuyanzhang shook his head: "It's not up to me. Something happened to Jiuliuhui, do you think Mr. Yu just killed Xue Hongniang's batch of food? This is the crime of Jiuliuhui, both of you and me There is no escape. This is an opportunity given by Mr. Yu to make a contribution to the crime."

A puff of smoke spewed out from between the two brightly painted lips.

"It's a pity that Xue Hongniang died too quickly, otherwise the old lady would tear up her face and throw it to the dogs."

As the woman spoke, her voice paused, and she said again: "You came to me, presumably because you know that these people who are related to spies are regular clients who come here, but I don't want to accept them in my heart. I came from the concession. If I come out, my book apartment will not be safe for a day, I finally moved here, and I have such a peaceful life for a few days, I don’t want to cause trouble.”

"If these people make a mistake with me, I will not only peel off the skin."

"If I'm gone, this book apartment will be disbanded. These girls go outside, but they won't earn any sympathy. The end is nothing more than going to the alley to be a 'pheasant' or being slaughtered by others." 'Salty meat'. After these two years, I'm getting old and decrepit, that is, the life of a lowly servant. If I'm lucky, I might not live until then, and I'm just like other halls, crazy and stupid. To stab the neck with the hairpin, at least die a better death—"

"But I, Qiao Rong, can't see this, Mr. Zhang, do you understand?"

Jiuyanzhang took a look at the woman who claimed to be Qiao Rong but didn't know if her name was real or not, and said calmly: "You who are procuresses are procuresses, don't you really think you are some good people?"

Qiao Rong smiled and didn't speak.

Jiuyan Zhang was also silent for a while, and then said: "Your book apartment was only opened five years ago. Five years ago, the first sum of money for the book apartment was given by Mr. Yu, and the first group of people were Yu Mr. Yu brought it out from the fireworks room at Xiaodongmen, Mr. Yu solved the first trouble."

"Mr. Yu is not a kind person either."

The smoke in the pipe gradually died out.

The room was a little stuffy, Qiao Rong leaned over and picked up the ice in the basin with a silver pick, and said: "Mr. Yu is not a kind person, but believe it or not, if I don't take this job, I will at most be kicked out of Haicheng , is this day going as usual?"

Jiuyan Zhang didn't answer, and Qiao Rong didn't need Jiuyan Zhang to answer.

She lit a match again, lit the little note that had been removed from the coin, got up with her pipe in hand, and went out the door.

The courtyard is surrounded by a patio, and there are two-story buildings.

Qiao Rong took the girls' school books and went up to the second floor from the side stairs, and knocked on a door that was still lit.

Inside, a young man was drinking and frolicking with a girl in a gown. Seeing Qiao Rong and the female school secretary coming in, the drunk young man wanted to have fun with the female school book.

Qiao Rong stretched out her hand to stop it without any trace, and put her arms around Young Master's shoulders, and took a breath with a smile, then accompanied Young Master to hold up the wine glass, and said, "He Shao, I heard that you have a new newspaper, and there are foreigners to support it? "

He Shao's drunken eyes opened a little bit: "Where did you hear what Aunt Qiao said?"

"Yesterday, people from your newspaper office came to have a drink and said, what, is it false?" Qiao Rong said.

As soon as He Shao thought that there were indeed a few people who liked to come here to play in the newspaper office, he didn't think much about it. He laughed and said, "It's not fake, it's true! Those are my friends, Europeans..."

Hearing this, the female school secretary next to him said softly: "You Shao can know such a friend, and he must know a lot about foreigners. This thing about foreigners is a new thing. There are many rumors outside, but we haven't heard a few words. Really, can Young Master He tell us..."

"Wan'er wants to hear? Come!"

He Shao stared at the pretty face of the girls' school book, his eyes straightened, and he stretched out his hand to pull him into his arms, but when he saw no rejection, he became more and more complacent, talking about his foreigner friend endlessly, and soon, after a few glasses of wine, He was tempted again, and told more people from the editorial department, whether they were foreigners or Chinese.

Three days later, in the home of the young master of the He family, there was an extra slender concubine.

Not long after, the concubine was transferred to another person, and the young master of the He family was found dead in a dark alley one night, with all his belongings lost, suspected of being robbed.

Underneath the calm surface, there are ripples floating in the undercurrent.

The low class in Haicheng is a lowly and worthless existence, even if it is thrown in a stinky ditch and has its head gnawed by a mouse, no one will give it a hand.

But at the same time, they are also the largest and densest net in the dark side of Haicheng.Traffickers, pawns, prostitutes and thieves, as long as there are people, there is room for them to breed.And in this space, it is not too difficult to find some people and do some things.

Brothels, rickshaw pullers, pedicure stands, Liyuan Theater...

Messages passed over and over again, observations in inconspicuous corners, and behind-the-scenes actions that seemed ordinary.

For the first time, the dirty, dusty net showed its taut look.

Two weeks later.

In a bungalow in the concession, a brown-haired senior foreign official stared at the information in his hand with a gloomy and ugly expression.

"Louis, if I remember correctly, all of these personnel were lost within half a month. Every one of our intelligence personnel was trained at a great price and placed in Haicheng. The news, connections, and the role they can play are all very huge. But now you tell us that two-thirds of them have died, and all our previous efforts have been wasted?"

"That's unacceptable to me, Louie."

The curly-haired foreigner standing aside bowed his head deeply, without any excuse: "I'm sorry, Mr. Adams."

Adams said, "Is there anyone you suspect?"

"Du Tianming and Pete Boris." Louis said.

Adams frowned slowly, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Add Yu Jingzhi."

Louis raised his head: "Mr. Adams, Gao Lan hasn't answered yet, will we be too quick for Yu Jingzhi?"

"No. We won't do it until we have something to do with him. The war in Europe has just ended, and this is not a good time."

Adams said: "For this matter, we are just following the normal steps to investigate the damage to the intelligence organization. Yu Jingzhi is our partner and a very good old friend. I need his cooperation and provide some convenience. It's not asking too much...if he's still our friend."

Louis nodded, and said again: "That day tomorrow will be over there..."

"You don't need to move anymore, it's enough to borrow someone else's knife to kill someone once." Adams said, "Pete will come to see me. I know him well, we are all for the fat of Haicheng. Jackal."

"Louis, Pete is an idiot. He's not scary. The one we have to keep a close eye on is Yu Jingzhi. Although his performance a while ago was still the same as the wild and crazy back then, my intuition tells me that he has changed. .He is doing something behind the scenes, and he is unwilling to continue to be our puppet."

"A long time ago, my father warned me that if you encounter a dog that can't be tied, the best way to deal with it is to kill it as soon as possible to avoid being bitten back."

In the morning, the sky is warm.

In the car heading to Fang's mansion, Yu Jingzhi casually talked about the results of his handling of Jiuliuhui, and finally glanced at Chu Yunsheng with a smile, and asked jokingly.

"Don't you think it's scary?"

After Chu's father and Chu's mother knew that Chu Yunsheng had returned to Haicheng and worked in Yu Jingzhi's hospital, Chu Yunsheng suggested to Yu Jingzhi to change his plan and let himself have a superficial identity.

The trust between the two was enough, Yu Jingzhi did not reject the proposal, and even thought it might be better to do so.

After all, on the premise that the Chu family knew about Chu Yunsheng's return, it would be too suspicious in the eyes of outsiders to cover up Chu Yunsheng's existence and confine him.

An ordinary doctor just offended Tianminghui, took refuge in Yu Jingzhi, and became Yu Jingzhi's so-called friend, so it wouldn't be so secretive, right?

This is obviously a ghost.

And now that Minghui's headquarters is being washed by Yu Jingzhi's blood, Du Tianming will definitely stop for a while.Without the threat of the Tianming Society in the short term, Chu Yunsheng can take it for granted and regain his freedom. Being an ordinary doctor and ordinary friend will not attract too much attention.

This is what Chu Yunsheng and Yu Jingzhi wanted.

Moreover, the matter of penicillin has come to an end for the time being, and only the operation of secret mass production is left. Chu Yunsheng can just get out, get rid of the relationship by the way, and continue with other plans.

After reaching an agreement on identity, Yu Jingzhi cleared up some traces, and took Chu Yunsheng out for a stroll around Haicheng. Occasionally, Boss Meng and Li Ershao came over. Li also regarded it as Yu Jingzhi's subordinate, nothing unusual.

But today, Yu Jingzhi is going to take Chu Yunsheng to visit his middle school teacher Fang Jiming.

Hearing what Yu Jingzhi asked with a smile, Chu Yunsheng looked out the window and said, "Being a good person is never easy."

Stretching his shoulders and leaning back on the seat, Yu Jingzhi laughed softly: "Fortunately, I'm not a good person."

Chu Yunsheng did not answer this question.

The car soon arrived at Fang's mansion in the concession, but the two of them didn't see Mr. Fang. The housekeeper only said that Mr. Fang went to the editorial office of Oriental Daily before dawn.Yu Jingzhi asked Lu Yun to turn the car around and report to the east.

Chu Yunsheng knew about the Oriental News, so he asked Yu Jingzhi to subscribe to the newspaper during the days when the laboratory and the hospital were not going out.

Dongfang Daily is not as famous as Shenbao and Progress, and often has advanced speeches or foreign languages. The rumors of the common people are true and false, but they always publish some big truths that will be pulled out and shot by the warlords outside at any time.

It doesn't have a fixed style, nor is it limited to any kind of articles. It seems that what to publish and what to write are all based on the preferences of the editors, which is very arbitrary.

The masthead is also unique, and a gentleman's sentence is printed: "The newspaper is not just a passing opinion, but it will become the name of the world."

Because of this nature, Mr. Fang Jiming can’t count the number of times he squatted in a cell. The newspaper office of Oriental Daily was also shut down every three days. The editorial department often changed places. It is miraculous that an office can be cleaned up in 10 minutes, and people and things can be packed and sent to a rickshaw.

It's also because Fang Ming's family background is solid and he has many contacts, otherwise he might not even be able to get himself out of the prison, let alone continue to run the newspaper.

The car stopped at Bao'anli, and Chu Yunsheng and Yu Jingzhi walked over.

"There are quite a few newspapers here, big and small, but most of them are tabloid newspapers that cannot be named, and live and die."

Yu Jingzhi walked and said: "When the Oriental Daily was first established, it was also on the Wangping Street's declaration side. There were many newspaper offices there, the news was smooth, and there was a newspaper association. Mr. Fang also joined that association, but he just joined it. In less than half a month, he wrote an article scolding the Association, and the next day the Newspaper Association published the newspaper and dismissed Mr. Fang's name. It was also that time that Mr. Fang moved away from Wangping Street, and the Newspaper Association also Soon gone..."

Chu Yunsheng had heard a lot of anecdotes about Mr. Fang from Yu Jing's mouth, and the image he sketched in his mind was that of a serious gentleman with a cold brow.

However, as soon as he entered the editorial department of Oriental Daily, he saw Mr. Fang Jiming with his own eyes, but he was completely different from this image.

When they entered the editorial department office on the second floor, there was a busy scene in the office, with noisy people everywhere, some were copying quickly with their heads down, some were walking in a hurry, some were chatting and arguing with others quickly, Fang Jiming was sitting in a plain robe. Behind the desk in the corner, writing.

He is about 50 years old, with a round face, a round nose, and a short beard. At first glance, he can only make people think of the most friendly and kind old man in the neighborhood, and he must not be hooked up with any sharp and sharp cultural people.

Yu Jingzhi is obviously a frequent visitor here, and the people around did not pay much attention to his arrival, only Fang Jiming, who was at the desk, saw him, raised his head, and said with a smile: "It's hard for you to find this place."

"Who is this……"

Yu Jingzhi pulled out two chairs without realizing it, let himself sit with Chu Yunsheng, and said in his mouth: "I went to Fangfang Mansion. This is my friend Chu Yunsheng, a doctor."

Fang Jiming nodded, took a look at Chu Yunsheng, then looked at Yu Jingzhi, and said, "When there was such a big commotion before, I wasn't afraid of verbal criticism. Dongfang Daily doesn't take any stand, you don't have to count on me Speak for you."

"Sir, you don't have to speak for me. As long as there are some things that are the truth and the truth, you will naturally say it." Yu Jingzhi smiled, and asked again, "Did you tell Mr. Zheng about this? So he did it a few days ago. I just moved out of Fang Mansion."

Fang Jiming nodded: "It can't be said that we have different ways and do not conspire with each other. It's just that he wants to meet some people and do some things, but I haven't made up my mind whether to do it with him. You have to know, no matter That position is good or bad, as long as you stand, the truth is no longer the truth, and the truth is no longer pure."

As he said that, Fang Jiming sighed, shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about him, let's talk about you. What's the matter with you today? Let's start with the ugly words. I still won't accept your silver dollars."

"Sir doesn't need my help, so I won't force it."

Yu Jingzhi took out a piece of paper from the cuff of his robe, unfolded it and handed it to Fang Jiming.

Fang Jiming didn't intend to accept anything from Yu Jingzhi, so he just glanced at it casually when he saw it.

But it was this one glance that made his gaze freeze directly.

His eyes narrowed first, then widened in disbelief, his fingers grabbed the piece of paper, then he raised his head belatedly, looked around vigilantly, and finally turned his eyes back to Yu Jingzhi : "The drug described... really exists?"

He suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed again: "The medicines in Jihetang are also yours?"

Yu Jingzhi nodded slightly.

Fang Jiming was startled, and almost stood up suddenly from the chair, but he finally controlled his movements, only trembling his fingers, and suppressed the emotion in his voice, "What do you want to do?"

Yu Jingzhi said: "I just want to use the power of my husband to save more people."

Fang Jiming stared at the piece of paper, bent slightly and approached the chair, and didn't speak for a while.Yu Jingzhi and Chu Yunsheng also sat quietly without speaking.

Just then, the telegraph machine in the editorial department suddenly rang, and a telegram came in.

An editor near the telegraph picked up the telegram and read it casually. This is a very common thing, but today's telegram seems unusual.

"Oriental people bully people too much!"

There was an angry curse, accompanied by a loud bang when the table was smashed angrily.

Everyone in the office was startled and looked at it one after another.

"Zhaofu, what's wrong?"

"What happened, why are you so excited?"

"What was written in the telegram?"

In the corner, Chu Yunsheng calculated the current time and had some guesses in his heart. He turned his head and looked, and sure enough someone came over curiously and read out the content of the telegram——

"Yesterday, at the peace meeting, the Dongyang government proposed to unconditionally transfer Germany's rights and interests in the Qingzhou Peninsula to Dongyang.

The Chinese delegation refused.

Refusal may be invalid. "