Chapter Nine, the secretary knocked on the door

After allowing Lu Yuntian to enter the office, Wang Feng did not close the office door tightly, but intentionally left a gap of about two to three inches, so that the conversation inside the office could be heard in the corridor outside.

Once the knocking ceased, a voice, extremely loud, followed: "Brother Wang Feng, you started working here and didn’t even inform me, so I could send a car to pick you up. What’s going on? Why are you locking someone in the office during the day? Hurry up and open the door for me."

Director, if you are going to go to such lengths, I feel quite uneasy about it. How about this: for this lunch, you absolutely cannot pay out of your own pocket. The injury I sustained is considered a work-related injury, so we can settle it through the department's accounts. Wang Feng was well aware of Lu Yuntian, who was notoriously stingy, and at this moment, he was merely being polite, so it was not to be taken seriously. Therefore, Wang Feng quickly sought a seemingly reasonable excuse and spoke in a tentative tone.

Next, Wang Feng temporarily set aside the matter of the traitor Li Wenmo, who had betrayed Liu Min's parents, and picked up a fountain pen to begin writing and drawing on the accounts.

The reason Wang Feng acted this way is that he knew Zhang Mingyi, since he had not gone out to carry out a mission today, must be waiting for his arrival. Now, since the director has come to visit, he simply took advantage of the opportunity to talk with the director to deliberately leak the conversation between him and the director in the office.

However, four days ago, when Wang Feng was shot in the arm and fainted at the scene of the incident, Zhang Mingyi, driven by his professional instinct of suspicion, dispatched two subordinates to follow him under the pretext of protecting Wang Feng's personal safety

In the eyes of others in the office, Wang Feng is regarded as a direct subordinate of Lu Yuntian. Ever since he assumed the position of Chief of the General Affairs Section, which appears to be leisurely yet is actually quite lucrative, he has not been secretly monitored by the action team. All of this is due to Zhang Mingyi's apprehension regarding his close relationship with Director Lu Yuntian

Wang Feng was previously an outstanding student in accounting at Yanjing University, and he was very familiar with bookkeeping. Based on this, the accounts he prepared appeared flawless on the surface. Each time officials from the puppet government's finance department in Shangjiang came to audit the accounts, they returned empty-handed and achieved nothing.

In this case, even if Zhang Mingyi usually inquires with Wang Feng, now that the director is present, it is likely that he would find it inappropriate to ask Wang Feng questions in this setting. Furthermore, due to Zhang Mingyi's ruthless and merciless approach to carrying out tasks, as well as his tendency to act in a rather crude and reckless manner, he is not favored by the director

Because Lu Yuntian was previously the deputy station chief of the Zhongtong branch in Shangjiang City, and Zhang Mingyi was formerly the action group leader of the Military Unification branch in Shangjiang City, both of them were later turned over after the Japanese army occupied Shangjiang City

In private, Lu Yuntian, who is Wang Feng's direct superior, holds him in high regard, especially regarding Wang Feng's accounting skills, which give him great peace of mind. This is because the monthly external expenditures of the Special Affairs Bureau amount to at least 50,000 to 60,000 dollars. One-third of these expenses end up in Lu Yuntian's own pocket, and the person responsible for executing this covert operation is none other than Wang Feng.

After the knocking ceased, a woman's voice, gentle yet laced with a hint of seduction, followed: "Chief Wang, have you finished your work? Hurry and open the door, I haven't seen you for several days, and I feel so empty inside. Please open the door quickly, so I can have a good look at you."

In this way, you should not have lunch in our cafeteria today. Later, I will ask Secretary Li to reserve a private room at the Tongfu Restaurant across the street. I will treat you to a meal to properly host you. This banquet is not for free; firstly, it is to express my apologies, and secondly, it is to congratulate you on your recovery and discharge from the hospital, as well as to improve your dining experience.

Oh, it is Secretary Li. Please wait outside for a moment; I only have a little bit of work left. Once I finish my tasks, I will open the door for you right away. Hearing the woman's voice outside, Wang Feng felt a bit overwhelmed. After pausing for a moment, he continued to focus on his work and casually responded.

Over the past two to three years, he has made a considerable amount of money for Lu Yuntian. What is particularly commendable is that, even as he infiltrated the enemy's lair as a Communist agent in the Special Affairs Bureau, he has maintained his integrity and virtuous character, never having profited a single dollar from this endeavor

Given that the two of them previously belonged to two intelligence agencies within the Kuomintang system that were at odds with each other, they now find themselves colleagues in the intelligence department of the Japanese puppet government. Most importantly, Lu Yuntian, who comes from the Central Unification Bureau, is the direct superior of Zhang Mingyi, who hails from the Military Unification Bureau, and naturally, they regard each other with considerable disdain.

In accordance with convention, whenever Wang Feng organizes documents and accounts in the office, he locks the office door to prevent others from seeing his process of reconciling accounts. This is also why Lu Yuntian, who initially felt somewhat puzzled, was relieved upon entering the office and seeing the stack of documents placed on the desk.

Seeing that his general affairs section chief was so clean and tidy, Lu Yuntian trusted him even more. Wang Feng, taking advantage of the good personal relationship he had established with Lu Yuntian, was thriving in the Special Affairs Office. Even though Zhang Mingyi disapproved of him, he did not dare to take action against him lightly

Brother Wang Feng, what can I say to you as your elder brother? Among the two to three hundred people in our place, you know me the best. Today, as your elder brother, I will listen to you for once and do as you say. Lu Yuntian, with a satisfied expression, pointed to Wang Feng standing beside him and praised him wholeheartedly.

The person standing outside the office door, affectionately calling Wang Feng "Brother Wang Feng" and referring to himself as "Brother," is not an ordinary individual from the Special Affairs Division; he is Lu Yuntian, the director of the Special Affairs Division of the Jiangshang City Police Department

After the gradually receding figure of Lu Yuntian disappeared at the entrance of the corridor leading from the fourth floor to the fifth floor, Wang Feng, who was standing outside the office door in a gesture of farewell, finally turned back into his office and once again locked the office door from the inside

Due to Wang Feng's graduation from the Accounting Department of Yanjing University, where he was one of the top students, handling accounts became an effortless task for him after he joined the General Affairs Section of the Special Services Bureau in Shangjiang City. This is also the reason why Lu Yuntian assigned him to this position, which, at the same time, caused him considerable distress

As Lu Yuntian walked into the office with his hands behind his back, he glanced over and immediately noticed the small stack of disorganized documents piled on Wang Feng's desk. He then turned around, nodded in satisfaction at Wang Feng beside him, and said with great relief: "Brother Wang Feng, it seems I have come at an inopportune time, haven't I? I have disturbed your work. These past few days, I have been occupied with discussions with the Japanese, and I have been unable to visit you in the hospital. I feel quite guilty about that."

After Wang Feng sat back down in his chair, he looked at the small stack of documents placed on the desk in front of him. He then took a key from the inner pocket of his jacket, unlocked a lock on the drawer beneath the desk, and took out a thick ledger. Thus, he began to immerse himself in the task of reconciling the accounts.

In the midst of a hurried work environment, time flies by like a fleeting horse. When only two sheets remained from the small stack of documents in front of Wang Feng, he suddenly heard a series of knocks at the door.

Since the matter of the account has been settled, Lu Yuntian raised his left hand, glanced at the Swiss watch on his wrist, and turned to bid farewell to Wang Feng, who was standing beside him: "Brother Wang Feng, it is getting late; it is now 10:10 AM, and in a little over an hour, it will be time for lunch. You can continue with your work here; I will not disturb you. When the time comes, I will have Secretary Li come to call you."

Wang Feng, who is astute and perceptive, quickly understood the discordant relationship between the two after joining the Special Affairs Office. Adhering to the pragmatic principle of seeking shelter under a big tree, he aligned himself with Lu Yuntian, while publicly referring to Zhang Mingyi as a brother, he secretly joined forces with Lu Yuntian against their common adversary

"Very well, I will follow your arrangements, Director. Please take care as you leave," said Wang Feng, feeling a sense of relief as he respectfully escorted Lu Yunfei to the office door.

However, in Wang Feng's view today, since the director had personally come to his office to visit him, Zhang Mingyi would naturally not interrogate him in front of Lu Yuntian. For him, Lu Yuntian's arrival at this moment was like a lifeline, which he naturally had to hold onto tightly.

When the sound of knocking and questioning reached his ears, Wang Feng sprang up as if stung by a wasp, immediately standing up with urgency. He did not dare to show the slightest neglect towards the person questioning outside the office door and hurriedly went to open the door

Furthermore, as the head of the General Affairs Department, if I were not present in the office, various expenditures and arrangements within the department might encounter issues, which would undoubtedly cause trouble for you, Director. Just yesterday, I hurriedly discharged myself from the hospital. You are so busy, managing countless affairs daily; how could I dare to disturb you? I was just thinking of finishing the documents on my desk before visiting your office, but unexpectedly, you came over first

When Wang Feng opened the locked door, he smiled respectfully at Lu Yuntian, who entered with his hands behind his back, striding confidently. He said, "Director, I apologize for the inconvenience. I only sustained a relatively minor gunshot wound on my arm, and after resting in the hospital for three days, I am almost fully recovered. The expenses for food and accommodation in the hospital were quite substantial."

It is unclear how much time has passed, but when Wang Feng was still sitting in the chair behind his desk, leaning back with his head tilted and eyes closed in deep thought, he suddenly heard a series of knocks at the door.