Chapter 17

17

Lin Guisheng looked at the young man before her.

She did not even know why she had agreed to see him.

Perhaps it was because she had not seen the vibrant energy of youth in far too long, or perhaps the housekeeper’s description had struck a chord with her.

A cornered young master from a wealthy family, showing up in the dead of night claiming to have a matter of life and death affecting tens of thousands of people, all of Shanghai, and even the whole of China. Lin Guisheng found it almost laughable.

Young people these days certainly put effort into scripting their lies.

What important business could an inexperienced kid, who had not even finished half of college, possibly have? It was nothing more than an exaggeration, an excuse to meet Huang Jinrong’s ex-wife just to satisfy his curiosity.

Lin Guisheng had seen plenty of such people in the past, and she had shut the door on every last one of them. Yet tonight, she had made an exception.

She never could have anticipated that this very meeting would completely alter her destiny.

Tonight, Lin Guisheng had been unable to sleep.

For some reason, old memories kept resurfacing in her mind.

Though she no longer felt bitter or heartbroken, those past events remained a thorn buried deep in her heart, unseen most of the time, yet occasionally stinging with sharp pain.

Unable to fall asleep, she had simply told a servant to brew a cup of tea and sat by the window watching the scenery outside, which was how she had spotted Wen Yan pacing back and forth.

After hearing the housekeeper explain his purpose, Lin Guisheng had been puzzled as well. She had no ties whatsoever to the Shen family, so why had this young man come looking for her?

“Greetings, Mr. Lin,” Wen Yan said with utmost politeness, sitting upright and proper.

“The title of ‘Mister’ carries too much weight; I cannot accept it,” Lin Guisheng replied, declining the honorific. “Young Master Shen, since you have come in the middle of the night, if your business is not as important as you claimed, please see yourself out.”

Wen Yan did not want to beat around the bush or tell lies anymore, so he cut straight to the point: “I would like to ask Mr. Lin to help me steal a batch of books.”

Lin Guisheng: ?

In all her life, she had heard countless bizarre requests, but never one like Wen Yan’s.

Lin Guisheng was so exasperated that she let out a dry laugh. “You came all the way here in the middle of the night just for this? Do you think that because I have fallen from power and have no one to rely on, you can make sport of me as you please?”

Wen Yan’s expression turned solemn. “I have highly reliable intelligence. Please do not ask where it came from, as I cannot say, nor can I explain it. The Japanese will bomb Shanghai at the end of the month, and one of their primary targets will be The Commercial Press, run by my granduncle. The books in the Commercial Press took my granduncle years to gather from all over the country, including rare and unique editions from various dynasties. Some do not even have photographic reproductions. Once burned, they will cease to exist in this world. I am no military or political official, and I cannot accomplish great feats. Even if I say these things, few people would believe me. After much thought, my only option was to come knocking on your door. I heard that back in the Green Gang, Mr. Lin was like this-“

He gave a thumbs-up.

“I know you have retired from the underworld, but having run out of options, I could only come to you hoping to try my luck.”

Upon hearing that the Japanese were going to bomb the city, Lin Guisheng instantly sat up straight.

She scrutinized Wen Yan’s expression, searching for any hint of lying or playing a prank.

But all she could see was an anxiety and urgency he could barely suppress.

“Your eldest uncle is the vice mayor. Why seek help from far away when you have someone close at hand?” Lin Guisheng asked.

With her life experience, there was no way she would rashly believe Wen Yan. Not throwing him out on the spot was already remarkably generous.

Wen Yan gave a bitter smile. “If I told anyone this, who would believe me? My uncle would certainly demand where I got the information and who told me. How could I possibly answer him?”

Lin Guisheng asked, “I would like to know as well. Can you truly not tell me where your information came from?”

Wen Yan said, “I truly cannot. I can only swear on the lives of everyone in the Shen family, including my own, that this information is absolutely genuine and will definitely happen. As for the rest, please forgive me, but I cannot speak of it.”

In these times, people still took solemn oaths seriously. Seeing that he had staked his entire family on this, a thought suddenly crossed Lin Guisheng’s mind-

Could Shen Po secretly be in contact with certain people, obtaining intelligence from them?

Those people held opposing ideologies to the current Chairman. Though they were severely suppressed, countless youths still threw themselves into the cause one after another, trying every means openly and covertly to reach Yan’an.

Rumor had it that members within the Shen family had had a falling out over this back then. Shen Po’s second elder brother had died because of it, and his eldest brother had mysteriously vanished without a trace, which might very well be connected to this matter.

In that case, it wouldn’t be surprising if Shen Po had learned this news in advance.

In other words, was it not Shen Po’s own idea to come today, but rather the people backing him who sent him to ask for help?

At this moment, Wen Yan had no idea that Lin Guisheng had completely misunderstood. Her train of thought had veered entirely in another direction, and she had even filled in a plausible explanation for him.

Seeing Lin Guisheng remain completely silent, his heart began to sink, thinking he had made another wasted trip today.

“Since you are certain your eldest uncle won’t help, why come to me? Aren’t you afraid I might leak this news?” Lin Guisheng said slowly.

Wen Yan replied, “Any Chinese with spine and integrity, even if doubtful of the information’s authenticity, would never do such a thing. Mr. Lin turned a blind eye even to the vast empire of the Green Gang, so of course you wouldn’t go kissing up to the Japanese.”

Lin Guisheng stared at him for a long time, her face expressionless, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Time had left its marks upon her face; she was no longer the woman who could bring Huang Jinrong to his knees.

“How… do you want me to help?”

At last, she spoke slowly.

Lin Guisheng knew she was no saint. She had committed many wrongs in her youth, and having ended up like this, she had often thought it might just be karmic retribution.

Yet, the heart she thought was as unruffled as an ancient well, unmoved even by Du Yuesheng’s repeated visits and persuasions, had actually stirred with ripples because of this young lad’s words.

Wen Yan had already considered this question before coming, so he said, “I hope to stage an accident near the Commercial Press so it can temporarily close for repairs. We will move out as many books as possible to preserve them, but this must remain strictly confidential. Otherwise, if the Japanese find out, all our efforts will come to naught.”

The accident had to be significant enough, and the Commercial Press had to sustain considerable damage, for Zhang Yuanji to consider closing for repairs. At the same time, it could not cause too massive a commotion, or the plan to move the books would become impossible to carry out.

“Once the matters at the end of the month are settled, we can explain the whole story to Old Mr. Zhang,” Wen Yan said. “From then on, Madam Lin, you will be a hero of the nation, bound to go down in history. After experiencing this, my granduncle will surely listen to reason and transport the books in batches for protection.”

He remembered that when the war broke out back then, the cultural relics of the Palace Museum had also been evacuated south in batches. Traveling thousands of Li from Beijing, they made their way all the way to Shanghai and Nanjing, and as the war escalated, they were hurriedly transported to Sichuan. Through all those relocations, not a single artifact was damaged or lost in the end, which was nothing short of a miracle.

“If a nation perishes, there may still be a day of restoration; but once Chinese culture is broken, there is no remedy forever.” Wen Yan stood up and bowed deeply to Lin Guisheng. “I am truly out of options. I can only place my trust in you, Madam.”

If a nation perishes, there may still be a day of restoration; but once Chinese culture is broken, there is no remedy forever.

Lin Guisheng silently turned Wen Yan’s words over in her mind, slowly rising from the sofa where she had been sitting.

“You certainly know how to give me a difficult problem,” she sighed. “If I had known, I never would have let you through my door.”