Qiu Xiaolong - Shanghai Redemption

“So you want to divorce him-” He cut himself short. She wasn’t even the man’s wife, and he was disturbed by the possibilities of who the man might be.

“No, I just want him to let me go, with or without financial help. But he says that if I try to leave him, he’ll have me crushed like a bug.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I need you to gather evidence that will derail his career. It’s only with that kind of information that I can even hope to negotiate with him.”

“I see.”

“The new woman in Shanghai-”

“You have met her?”

“No, but she called him one night while he was with me in Suzhou. I checked his cell phone while he was sleeping, and I got her name and number.”

“That’s something to start with.”

“Whatever evidence you get, try to make sure it’s as graphic as possible.”

“But what are you going to do with this so-called evidence? If he’s a high-ranking official, none of the official media will publish it.”

“Now that the Internet exists, there’s no point in bothering with the People’s Daily .”

That was exactly what Old Hunter had told him. Her plan could work.

In a determined voice, she said, “Even in the worst-case scenario, where the fish dies and the net breaks, I’ll still have my freedom.”

“Because of his position at the Shanghai Foreign Liaison Office,” Chen said, “he might have special agents working under him. I’ll have to move carefully, but I’ll definitely look into it for you.”

“Great,” she said, taking out her checkbook.

“No, I don’t know how far I’ll be able to proceed, so I can’t take your money now.” After a pause, he continued. “But I have a question for you. Do you know anything about the nightclub attached to my hotel?”

“Southern Heavenly World?” she said. “He took me there one evening. I don’t know why men are so crazy about it.”

“You mentioned that it’s affiliated with the Heavenly World in Shanghai and that you have a former colleague who works at that one.”

“Yes. Why are you so interested? You’re working on a case for another client, aren’t you?”

He nodded without responding. It was a reasonable guess-he was pretending to be a PI, after all.

“Yes, one of my colleagues ended up working there. I can make some calls for you.”

“That would be great. I’d really appreciate it.”

“But, back to my case. You should at least let me cover your expenses.”

“Don’t worry about it. You are doing me a favor, so it’s only fair that I do one for you. Now, about the new woman in Shanghai; you gave me her basic info last time we met, but I’m afraid I don’t have it with me.”

She scribbled the woman’s name, address, and phone number on a piece of paper.

“One last thing. I’ll contact you whenever I need to speak with you. But don’t try to contact me at the hotel,” he said, writing down his new cell phone number. “If anything, call this number and this number alone. That’s very important. And don’t call me unless it’s an emergency and you absolutely have to speak to me. Otherwise, I’ll call you as soon as I have something.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call.”

DETECTIVE YU WAS HURRYING home. He’d gotten a phone call from Peiqin, who had received a phone call from Old Hunter.

The old man had gotten straight to the point with his daughter-in-law, quite unlike his usual Suzhou Opera Singer self. He complained to her about how difficult it was to get hold of Yu these days. In response, Peiqin invited him to come over for dinner that evening. Old Hunter accepted the invitation with an enigmatic comment.

“Good idea. Your three-cup chicken is delicious. The fried mini buns near the agency are not too bad, but you can’t have them every day. By the way, an old friend of mine, who recently lost his job, speaks highly of your cooking skills too, and even quotes a poem about it.”

What Old Hunter had said was unusual, particularly the part about the mysterious old friend, so Peiqin had dialed Yu immediately. Half an hour later, Yu arrived home, having almost run there, arriving even before Old Hunter.

“Old Hunter’s no gourmet,” Yu said, still short of breath. “A cup of strong tea is about all he needs. I think I know which old friend he was talking about.”

“Yes, the friend who recently lost his job,” Peiqin said. “Also, the old man was calling from a new number.”

“You mean a new cell phone number?”

“That’s right.”

Yu lit a cigarette. For once, instead of saying anything about it, Peiqin walked over to the stove.

Pouring a small cup of sesame oil into the wok, she started on the three-cup chicken by frying the chopped chicken. As it fried, she set up a cup of yellow rice wine, a cup of soy sauce, and a pinch of fresh basil on the kitchen counter.

Yu tried to help, clumsily, without much success. His mind kept wandering back to the conversation he had with Party Secretary Li back at the bureau.

Just the day before, Li had snapped at him, even threatening to remove Yu from his position when the latter questioned him about Chen’s being removed from the bureau without notice. But then this afternoon, Li talked to Yu like an amiable Party secretary again. After a bit of small talk about the recent work of the Special Case Squad, Li came around to the point, telling him that the decision to remove Chen and to promote Yu to the head of the Special Case Squad had come entirely from the higher authorities. As far as Li was concerned, the promotion was long overdue. Even Chen himself had suggested it several times.

“The decision was unknown to us until the morning it was announced,” Li said emphatically. “I had no choice but to read it word by word. Some people might have different interpretations of what the higher authorities intended with this decision. Have you heard any, Detective Yu?”

“No. I’ve been overwhelmed with the squad’s caseload, particularly with Chen gone, and Jia away on vacation, and…”

“Has Chen spoken to you lately?”

“Only once, when he was on a cemetery bus to Suzhou. I tried to discuss the open cases with him, but like a filial son, he talked about nothing but his guilt over not having visited his father’s grave in years.”

“How did he sound to you?”

“A bit low. But that’s natural for one on a Qingming trip.”

“Did he mention anything about what he’s planning to do?”

“That would be too personal a topic.”

“No, I mean what he plans to do once he starts his new position.”

“Nothing that I recall.”

“Nothing?” the Party secretary asked, with a suggestion of seriousness in his voice. “You have to take the correct attitude, Comrade Detective Yu. As a Party member and the head of the Special Case Squad, you must trust the Party authorities. In today’s society, things can be complicated. Whatever Chen might have said to you or whatever information he might have given to you, you know what you should and shouldn’t do.”

“Of course, Party Secretary Li. I’ll report to you if there’s anything new. The position as head of the squad is difficult, with a lot of new responsibilities unknown and uncharted. I’ll look to move forward under your guidance.”

“You’re an old hand in our bureau. With Chen gone, there’s nobody but you to help yourself. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

“Yes, Party Secretary Li. I’ll keep every word of yours in mind.”

It was a talk in which Yu had decided not to give anything anyway, speaking only in respectful yet empty phrases. Li should have known better than to try to get him to reveal anything about the ex-chief inspector.