socalfunplaces Chapter 36 was indeed empty!
Chapter 36 was indeed empty!
Lan Yanzhi looked up at him, her gaze sweeping over the bright red rose on his chest. Her heart sank: Shadow. The elusive Japanese spy in the Jinling Military and Political Association.
"You're so glib." She lifted her eyelids, glanced at him, and said, "Give me back the box."
Zhou Xiao weighed the small box in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips: "One box of rouge per person, enough for a poor family to eat white rice for half a month—Two Sisters brand, every girl in Shanghai has one, and yours is the newly launched 'Night Fragrance' version."
In the past, the ladies of Shanghai were obsessed with imported products. But in recent years, the trend has changed. The government has been vigorously promoting the development of industry and supporting domestic products. As a well-known local brand, Two Sisters has become a favorite among fashionable people because of its exquisite workmanship and pure fragrance.
"It seems the young lady has excellent taste."
Zhou Xiao gently placed the box of Shuangmei rouge back into Lan Yanzhi's palm.
Lan Yanzhi caught the rouge box steadily with a flick of her finger, then looked him up and down: "You're not quite what I expected... I thought you'd be a tough guy, but you seem more like a pampered young master."
The term "young master" is something that's been gleaned from the streets and alleys of Shanghai—someone with a substantial family background, impeccably dressed, but who has never actually run a business and lives off his parents' wealth. On the surface, they seem successful and smug, but in reality, they're frivolous and clueless, often speaking and acting without tact. They may have broad knowledge, but it's superficial; they dabble in everything but don't delve deeply into anything.
That was clearly a joke directed at him.
Although Zhou Xiao already knew her name was Lan Yanzhi, he still smiled and replied, "Miss Manna is even more outstanding than I imagined. She is so beautiful that I almost didn't recognize her."
Lan Yanzhi glanced at him sideways, a slight smile playing on her lips: "That mouth of yours, so smooth and sweet, you must have practiced coaxing girls a thousand times over."
In the treacherous world of espionage, truth is masked by falsehood, and pretense conceals true feelings.
Zhou Xiao is a fake shadow, and the "Feng Manna" in front of them is also an empty shell with a name.
Regardless of whether it's true or not, Zhou Xiao has already made up his mind—to use Lan Yanzhi as a knife to send Li Moqun to hell!
The scheme had already been laid out.
Lan Yanzhi accidentally learns that Feng Manna is going to meet Shadow in Xianles. She immediately rushes to the dance hall ahead of her, just waiting to find out Shadow's true identity, expose him on the spot, and take care of this number one traitor.
According to the original plot of "Rouge", it should have been after Lan Yanzhi saw the shadow that Feng Manna's parents' identities were accidentally exposed and they were tragically silenced.
Although Lan Yanzhi was involved in the disaster, the two had not yet fallen out and their relationship remained.
This is a vast world where plots overlap and characters are misplaced; many things have long since been pushed off course.
Now, Lan Yanzhi is a sharp blade under the command of the Military Intelligence Bureau, while Feng Manna has donned the cloak of the Special Higher School. Her parents are long gone. The timeline has shifted, the characters have changed, and the cause and effect have become chaotic. The whole game is becoming more and more intriguing.
Zhou Xiao extended his hand, palm up, with a warm smile: "May I invite you to dance?"
Lan Yanzhi's eyes flashed, and she replied lightly, "I couldn't ask for more."
The dance floor lights swayed, and the two people, waist to waist and hands clasped, rose and fell gently to the languid rhythm of jazz music.
But Lan Yanzhi's shoulders and back were slightly tense, and her steps faltered slightly—this was the first time she had danced with a man.
As she danced, she suddenly smiled and said, "Your dance steps are quite skillful, but I wonder if your hand movements are just as nimble?"
Zhou Xiao tightened his grip, pulling her half an inch closer to him, and whispered, "As for skills... there's more than one. Which one would you like to try?"
"Then I'll have to think about it carefully." She smiled, but her mind was racing—how to deliver the message.
Lan Yanzhi is indeed a rare intelligence talent, but her strength lies in listening to the wind and deciphering secret files; she's not a ruthless character who takes up arms. Right now, she's short and weak, and she's not carrying any weapons. Against an opponent like Zhou Xiao, who is tall, strong, and moves like a leopard, her chances of winning are almost zero.
Just as she opened her handbag, Zhou Xiao "accidentally" bumped into her—all to find out if she had anything valuable in her bag. After all, upon closer inspection, that small handbag was the only place she could possibly be hiding a gun.
As expected, it was completely empty.
His vigilance was not due to cowardice, but rather because he understood that it would be too unjust and foolish to fall to one's own people's guns before even infiltrating the enemy camp.
In a battle between secret agents, even breathing is crucial; no move is wasted.
Lan Yanzhi possessed astonishing talent, but unfortunately, she encountered Zhou Xiao—the difference in their abilities was insurmountable.
"Miss Manna, you seem to have something on your mind?" Zhou Xiao asked calmly.
Lan Yanzhi shook her head and smiled faintly: "No way, you're overthinking it."
When the song ended, the two strolled to the bar and sat down, each picking up a glass of wine.
Now that he knew her background, he naturally wouldn't let her contact the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station.
It's important to know that Shanghai is known as the "heart of Eastern intelligence" and is the port with the largest intelligence throughput in all of Asia. The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) has the densest defenses and the largest manpower here, with action teams one after another, like a dense spider web.
Lan Yanzhi belongs to the intelligence action group led by Song Mian.
But now, her every move is under Zhou Xiao's watchful eye. She can't send secret telegrams, she can't transmit coded messages, and her communications are completely blocked.
"Third Brother, now that your identity in the Military and Political Council has been exposed, your infiltration is probably over. What are your plans for the future?" She asked casually, but was actually probing.
Zhou Xiao swirled his wine glass, speaking casually: "Let's take it one step at a time, and see if the Japanese are still willing to give us a meal."
Lan Yanzhi's heart sank—if Shadow continued to act as an accomplice to the enemy, the underground anti-Japanese forces in Shanghai would likely face a bloodbath.
A thought flashed through her mind, and she began to consider: Could she eliminate this shadow all by herself? If necessary, she might even try using her beauty... After all, this person was truly troublesome.
After a few drinks, Zhou Xiao suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Miss Manna, I have a few bottles of fine wine hidden in my room. Would you like to come and have a taste?"
"Great!" she said with a smile, taking his arm. "I've been wanting to see just how well Third Brother has been keeping his good wine hidden."
"When we're out, call me Mr. Zhou," he reminded him.
"Understood, Mr. Zhou," she replied readily.
At this moment, Li Moqun is inside the New Asia Hotel. The longer this drags on, the greater the chance he will escape—making it virtually impossible to get close enough to snipe him again in the future.
Zhou Xiao wanted Lan Yanzhi to accompany him on this trip precisely so she could act as a living witness. After all, on the surface, she was still the daughter of Lan Changming, a banker in Shanghai, with a clean identity that no one could find fault with.
Lan Yanzhi's plan was equally simple and direct: enter the hotel, find a weakness, and kill Shadow. She was willing to use every trick in the book, even her beauty.
Both sides harbored their own thoughts and tested each other, appearing to cooperate on the surface but actually harboring ulterior motives.
Ultimately, they are all "one of us" on the same line.
Zhou Xiao and Lan Yanzhi pushed open the door to room 506, and as soon as they stepped inside, bright light flooded in. The room was exquisitely furnished, with carved window frames, a screen with blue brick patterns, and a rosewood tea table, all exuding an old-fashioned elegance.
"Please sit for a moment, I'll get you a bottle of Fenjiu from our cellar."
Before the words were finished, a knock on the door suddenly rang out—
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Short and sharp, like a taut string being suddenly plucked.
Zhou Xiao strode forward and opened the door. A young woman stood outside: she was tall and slender with bright eyes and a skirt that draped perfectly. A pair of pearls on her earlobes gleamed softly.
Feng Manna!
She was the person who should have been the main character in this blind date.
"You...you're Third Brother?" She was startled, her pupils contracted slightly, and she subconsciously took a half step back. "The person in the photo doesn't look like you at all!"
"Who are you?" Zhou Xiao asked, his expression unchanged, his tone full of unfamiliarity. "Who are you looking for?"
"Third Brother!" Feng Manna rushed forward, her voice trembling. "It's me, Feng Manna! The Feng Manna who sent you letters every month, carefully crafting each word!"
"Feng Manna?" He feigned surprise, stepping aside and glancing at Lan Yanzhi, who sat regally inside the room. "And who is she?"
Feng Manna's breath caught in her eye when she saw Lan Yanzhi, and her face instantly tightened: "Lan Yanzhi? What gives you the right to sit here? Impersonating me to see Third Brother—what are you up to?"
Zhou Xiao felt a sense of relief: It was done. Two living witnesses were now frozen in place—once Li Moqun collapsed, no one would have guessed that the knife had been handed to him.
Zhen Fengmanna chased after Zhou Xiao to the Xianles Dance Hall for their date, only to watch helplessly as Zhou Xiao and Lan Yanzhi held hands and turned to enter the Xinya Hotel. She rushed over, still breathless, and knocked on the door.
But Zhou Xiao still needs to use Feng Manna's identity to infiltrate the Special Higher Police, and he also needs to rely on the "Shadow" card to turn the tide—this highly charged confrontation must not be allowed to escalate.
"Ladies, please come in and talk." He stepped aside to make way, his tone calm but firm.
The three sat down, and he personally took the pot and poured a cup of amber-colored wine for each of them.
Feng Manna tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, slamming the glass heavily on the table. Her gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced Lan Yanzhi: "Speak! Are you mute? Or are you too guilty to speak?"
Lan Yanzhi raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping lightly over Zhou Xiao before she slowly spoke: "Manna, I'm afraid you'll get too deeply involved and find it hard to turn back."
"For my own good?" She sneered, her fingers tightening around the rim of her glass. "Using my name to deceive Third Brother—is that what you call 'for my own good'? That's a more polished excuse than lyrics from a theatrical performance!"
Zhou Xiao glanced at the two men who were on the verge of exchanging blows, shrugged and smiled: "Alright, alright, you two can chat slowly. I'm going to take a shower first—those two drinks just now really got to me." With that, he got up and went straight into the restroom.
Lan Yanzhi and Feng Manna exchanged a glance, assuming he was trying to avoid suspicion, and neither of them suspected anything.
As soon as the door closed, Zhou Xiao immediately shed his languid demeanor, deftly loosening his tie and taking off his suit jacket. He had already figured out the details of this building: each floor of the New Asia Hotel had the same layout, and the bathroom windows of 406 and 506 faced the same drainpipe; although the exterior walls were as smooth as a mirror, old-fashioned cast iron brackets were embedded below the window frames—providing both leverage and concealment.
His murder plan was extremely simple: he climbed out of the 506 bathroom, slid down the wall to the 406 window, sneaked in, shot the victim, and returned. The entire process was silent and traceless, leaving no fingerprints and alerting no one.
Lan Yanzhi and Feng Manna are the most natural and irrefutable alibis.
There is only one dangerous spot—going up is ten times harder than coming down.
He could faintly hear arguing outside the door, so he reached out and pushed open the narrow bathroom window. The window wasn't large, but it was just enough for one person to bend down and pass through.
He grabbed the windowsill with his bare hands, pulled in his waist and abdomen, and slid down the wall silently like a gecko, lightly touching the ground with his toes, and hovered steadily outside the 406 windowsill.