59. Keeping the Appointment

When Zhou Hongyi walked out of the police bureau chief's office once again, his hands were loaded with a few more precious sticks of Western ginseng.

Humming a little tune, he headed up to the third-floor office of the Special Operations Unit. There, he saw Ghost sitting and wiping his short blade, while Fusheng walked around with a spray bottle, misting the plants here and there. Fusheng seemed quite fond of these green things.

Upon seeing Zhou Hongyi, Ghost hurriedly stood up, slipped the knife back into his waist holster, and stepped forward. "Team Leader, everything you instructed me to do has been taken care of. The flour, the silver dollars, and some clothing have all been delivered."

Knowing that Ghost was referring to the surviving disaster victims at the Guanyin Temple, Zhou Hongyi nodded without asking further questions, tossing the Western ginseng into a drawer.

"We won't be eating at the mess hall this noon. Come with me to the Great World; the Team Leader is going to treat you both to something good."

At the mention of good food, Fusheng's eyes instantly lit up. He set down the spray bottle and grinningly stood by Zhou Hongyi's side, looking ready to set off at any moment.

"Well, well, Fusheng. Ever since Ghost came along, you haven't buttoned your uniform wrong even once."

Seeing that Fusheng's uniform was neatly buttoned—no longer uneven like before, with the inner garments no longer spilling out, and his belly no longer exposed in such a sloppy manner—Zhou Hongyi felt as though he was looking at a completely different person today.

Fusheng chuckled honestly. "Big Brother Ghost helped me button it."

Zhou Hongyi nodded with satisfaction. "Right, excellent. Members of our unit must help and care for one another. I have no other demands of you; the only requirement..."

Before Zhou Hongyi could finish his sentence, Fusheng eagerly chimed in, "Be obedient, hehe. Fusheng is the most obedient."

Zhou Hongyi laughed heartily and gently tapped Fusheng on the chest with his fist.

The three of them chatted about some news items in the newspaper, and soon it was noon. Zhou Hongyi changed into casual attire and, taking his two brothers with him, arrived at the Great World Teahouse to keep his appointment with Boss Gu.

"Sir, do you have an appointment?" As soon as Zhou Hongyi stepped through the doorway, a waiter wearing a short jacket and a small cap stepped forward to ask.

"I have an appointment. Tell Boss Gu that Zhou Hongyi has arrived."

***

Zhou Hongyi knew that the actual financial backer behind the Great World Teahouse was none other than Gu Tianbo, and that this place served as a safe house and contact point for the latter. Whenever Gu Tianbo had no other pressing business, he would spend his time here.

Upon hearing the name Zhou Hongyi, the waiter didn't ask any further questions. The smile on his face grew even brighter as he repeatedly said, "Young Master Zhou, Boss Gu has been waiting for you. Please follow me."

*Oh, how did Boss Gu know I would come this noon? He really is omniscient and almighty.*

A second thought crossed Zhou Hongyi's mind: since Gu Tianbo dared to transport supplies to the anti-Japanese patriots right under the noses of the Japanese and their special agents, he bound to have his own network of informants. Moreover, his own deliberate probing the other night must have made the man extra cautious. For all he knew, someone inside the police station might even be Gu's spy.

However, Zhou Hongyi didn't care. After all, Boss Gu was not his enemy; as long as someone was fighting the Japanese devils, they were an ally of his.

Led by the waiter, the three of them went up to the second floor and arrived at a window-facing private room. The name inscribed above the door read "Red Sun."

"Young Master Zhou, please go right in." The waiter knocked twice on the door, pushed it open, and stood outside, watching the three men enter before closing the door smoothly. Instead of leaving, however, he stayed right outside to keep guard.

Gu Tianbo's teahouse was designed in a purely traditional Chinese style. The private room, in particular, was furnished almost entirely in the style of wealthy households from the Ming and Qing dynasties: official's hat armchairs with four protruding posts, waisted long tables, long side tables, and ink-wash paintings hanging on the wall alongside a pair of antithetical couplets. A guqin rested on a side table, next to which stood a bronze incense burner emitting delicate, curling wisps of blue smoke.

Gu Tianbo sat in the host's seat, a pot of tea already brewed on the table before him. Seated to his right was a stranger.

"Young Master Zhou, I've finally been waiting for you. Please, take a seat. And these two brothers are—?"

Zhou Hongyi gave a subtle glance, and Ghost pulled Fusheng back toward the doorway.

"They are both my brothers. But I know Boss Gu might have some words he doesn't wish to spread further, so who might this gentleman be?"

Gu Tianbo chuckled and introduced him. "This is also a brother of mine, as well as a business partner, Boss Qiao Si."

Noticing that Gu Tianbo had no intention of asking the man to leave, Zhou Hongyi immediately activated his [Insightful Eyes]. He had no desire to sit and chat with someone whose background was entirely unknown to him.

The moment [Insightful Eyes] activated, a subtle contraction flickered deep within Zhou Hongyi's pupils, but he covered it up instantly with his superb acting skills, cupping his fists in a very natural salute.

***

"So it is Boss Qiao. Forgive my ignorance, I am Zhou Hongyi."

Boss Qiao appeared to be around forty years old, with a square face and large, round eyes. Seeing Zhou Hongyi salute him, he promptly stood up from his seat and returned the gesture with cupped fists.

"You are too modest, Young Master Zhou. Although this is our first meeting, I have yearned for your acquaintance for a long time—especially those two new songs you wrote for Miss Manyu. I even specially bought the records and listen to them every day."

"Ha-ha-ha, Boss Qiao is quite the music lover. Forgive my lack of awareness."

Smoothing things over, Gu Tianbo said, "Alright, Young Master Zhou, please sit down. You must have come to me today having already thought of your answer. If I'm not mistaken, Young Master Zhou will definitely be participating, won't you?"

Knowing that Gu Tianbo was referring to the beauty pageant judge position, Zhou Hongyi replied immediately, "Naturally. With something so entertaining, how could I possibly miss it? Besides, that young lady from my shop is also participating, so I can look after her a little or two."

At the mention of Xiaobei, a trace of vulgarity involuntarily surfaced in Gu Tianbo's eyes, though he masked it almost immediately. He introduced, "This Boss Qiao is one of the initiators of this Miss Rose election, and a large portion of the prize money is funded by him."

Feigning extreme astonishment, Zhou Hongyi exclaimed, "Oh, Boss Qiao is truly magnanimous! I wonder what kind of business Boss Qiao is in."

Zhou Hongyi was asking a question whose answer he already knew, because under the gaze of his [Insightful Eyes], this man's identity had been completely stripped bare.

Qiao Si, also known among underworld brethren as Fourth Master, was a senior elder of the Viper Gang, one of the largest local gangs in Shanghai. His business dealings spanned both the underworld and legitimate enterprises; even though the Japanese devils had occupied Shanghai, they still found these underworld members quite a headache.

However, as far as Zhou Hongyi knew, a large portion of Shanghai's underground gangs still colluded with the Japanese devils, even acting as their informants to help hunt down underground members of the Red Party and patriotic anti-Japanese figures.

Of course, alongside the traitors, there were also men of hot-blooded valor. Both this Qiao Si and Little Dao, whom Zhou Hongyi had previously encountered, were genuine tough guys. Even though they usually fought fiercely and didn't always act honorably, they never wavered on matters of national righteousness. Fighting among ourselves behind closed doors was one thing, but for an outsider to barge into our home, play the master, slaughter our kin, and ruin our homeland—that was absolutely out of the question.

It seemed this man was also an ally of Gu Tianbo. Were these two trying to test him today? Or did they want to use him?