(For Chapter 1-163, go to (https://chrysanthemumgarden.com/novel-tl/awbtv/))
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In 1918's Haicheng, there were only three or four places that could properly be called department stores. One of them sat on Nanjing Road—the very destination of Chu Yunsheng's trip.
This department store was called New World Department Store, occupying an entire seven-story building. Its mode of operation wasn't too different from department stores of later generations, and at this time it was still a very fashionable novelty.
It was said that when it was built and opened the year before, every socialite, young lady, and noble madam in Haicheng rushed in all at once, creating an unprecedented bustle. Even now the place was full of people—stylish young women everywhere, and gentlemen in sharp Western suits.
The moment one stepped inside, the dazzling array of merchandise drew the eye, and the cheerful, smiling salesgirls made it truly an excellent place to shop.
Given Sheng €€'s current identity, she had never seen a department store before, so she deliberately showed a touch of shyness and curiosity.
But, prideful of her status, she didn't want to look ignorant. She forced herself to stay composed, revealing only the occasional hint of girlish innocence.
If the person walking beside her were an ordinary man who was even slightly interested in her, he might really be drawn in by such a display. Unfortunately, the person next to her happened to be Chu Yunsheng, so the entire performance was like throwing flirtatious glances at a blind man.
"What do you want to buy?" Chu Yunsheng asked coolly.
He himself was looking around with a hint of curiosity, taking in this era's department store.
Sheng €€ said, "I'm only going to a middle-school interview. I won't buy clothes—I'm not particular about what I wear. But my favorite pen was lost, and I'd like to buy a fountain pen."
The fountain-pen counter was on the first floor and easy to find. Under the enthusiastic service of a salesgirl, Sheng €€ picked out a black Spiker fountain pen.
Chu Yunsheng, committed to playing his role, moved to pay for her. Sheng €€ quickly refused, and in the end bought the pen herself.
Once they finished shopping, it was mealtime, so Chu Yunsheng took her to the Western restaurant next to New World Department Store and ordered a small private room.
Sheng €€ didn't refuse the meal—after all, if she turned down everything, then there really would be no way for anything between them to progress.
While waiting for the food, Sheng €€ took the initiative to chat with Chu Yunsheng, as if to ease the awkwardness.
They chatted from everyday pastimes to amusing stories from studying abroad, from Goethe to Tolstoy, even tossing in a few phrases from different countries' languages. Back and forth they went, seemingly getting along quite well.
"My grandfather was a xiucai back in the day. When we were still in Jinzhou, he wouldn't allow us to read any Western literature—only things like The Three-Character Classic and Selections of Refined Literature."
(TN: "Xiucai" (秀才) refers to a scholar who passed the lowest level of China's ancient imperial examinations, or more broadly, any scholarly talent.)
Sheng €€ smiled. "But later, when I attended the girls' middle school, my English turned out fairly decent, so I secretly bought some English books to read. Our teacher also read us some translated works. Shakespeare and Goethe are my favorites."
"You studied abroad—did you bring back any books from overseas? Foreign-language books are quite rare even in the large bookstores."
Chu Yunsheng said, "I did bring some back."
The original owner of this body had set himself up as a somewhat unrecognized genius, so naturally he would have returned with some books. Chu Yunsheng had read most of them already, and they were all placed in Yu Jingzhi's study—Yu Jingzhi enjoyed reading foreign novels.
"What kind of books were they?" Sheng €€ asked with curiosity, a hint of bashfulness appearing on her face. "If it's possible, may I borrow a few to read?"
Chu Yunsheng listed several titles, then added, "I've already given them away."
Sheng €€'s expression froze for a moment. She quickly turned her face slightly to the side, letting a touch of disappointment show.
But that disappointment didn't last long. A second later, she casually shifted the topic, bringing up how busy Father Chu and Mother Chu had been recently. From there she smoothly transitioned into the matter of the Sheng and Chu families' business dealings.
"In times like these, running a medicinal-herb business is no easy thing. Never mind that Chinese and Western doctors are arguing in the newspapers every day—even ordinary pharmacies are being forced to keep up with the times. I heard Uncle Chu mention a new patent-medicine antipyretic pill the other day. Since then, fewer people bother going to the pharmacy to consult and have medicine measured out."
"Brother Chu, do you know anything about this antipyretic pill?"
The real test had finally arrived.
Chu Yunsheng took out the pocket watch inside his lapel and checked the time. "I do."
Sheng €€ showed just the right amount of curiosity—no more, no less—as if asking casually: "So that antipyretic pill is really as miraculous as people say? Brother Chu, you're in this line of work—do you know who makes it?"
"I do."
Chu Yunsheng added, "I made it."
Sheng €€ froze for a moment, nearly unable to keep her expression steady—was this how a man bragged in front of a girl? Chu Yunsheng really dared to say anything.
"Brother Chu, don't tease me. Aunt Lu told me you studied Western medicine." Sheng €€ curved her lips into a gentle, polite smile, one that looked as though she'd just been amused.
Chu Yunsheng's expression remained calm. "Don't you think the food here is taking a bit too long to arrive?"
Sheng €€'s faint smile immediately stiffened at the corners.
"When we spoke in several foreign languages just now, your Deyizhi leaned strongly toward colloquial usage. You tried to make it seem like you weren't very fluent, but overall, it was still the most natural for you. You claimed you didn't know Dongyang, yet when I suddenly switched to it, you instinctively reacted."
"During the recent uproar over the conference in Ouhua and the turmoil in Qingzhou, your remarks still leaned toward a Dongyang perspective. They lacked the reaction one would expect from someone trying to present herself as a patriotic progressive."
"So, I can assume that you've had much contact with Deyizhi, but you yourself may have ties to the Dongyang."
At some unknown moment, the pocket watch in Chu Yunsheng's hand had been replaced by a gun—its muzzle aimed directly at her.
The confused, flustered expression Sheng €€ had been wearing—her apparent desire to explain herself—slowly vanished under Chu Yunsheng's words, leaving only cold vigilance, as if facing a deadly threat.
"Who are you?" she said icily.
Chu Yunsheng said, "The doctor who made the antipyretic pill?"
Sheng €€ looked as if she had just seen a ghost. Was there really someone in this era who told the truth during a conversation?
She forced her expression to relax, though her eyes stayed fixed on Chu Yunsheng—more precisely, on the loaded gun pointed her way. "You talked with me for so long before showing your true colors. You must have some other goal in mind. Just say it—what do you want?"
Chu Yunsheng didn't reply—because he truly had no other goal. Everything he had said to Sheng €€ was to probe her, to determine who she was, and to buy time while waiting for Yu Jingzhi.
And just like that—speak of the devil, and the devil arrived.
The private room's door was suddenly pushed open. Yu Jingzhi stepped inside, wearing a hunting outfit and tall boots, a riding whip dangling from his hand.
He glanced at Sheng €€ and said mildly, "Young lady, I advise you not to even think about using the moment the door opened to reach for the gun strapped to the inside of your thigh."
"If you make that move, not only will it fail to help you break out and run— it might very well get you killed on the spot."
Sheng €€ flinched as if struck by a venomous snake. Her right hand, which had been slowly sliding downward, froze instantly at the hem of her qipao.
She could recklessly lift her dress and pull the gun—but she was certain the bullets of Chu Yunsheng and the men outside would be faster than she was.
What mattered more was that she recognized the man who had just entered.
She had seen his photograph in that booklet filled with the names of dangerous figures. She knew this was the half-emperor of Haicheng—Yu Jingzhi.
A genuine flicker of terror and dread finally appeared on her face.
She even began to suspect that all this time, it wasn't them hunting Chu Yunsheng at all—
it was Yu Jingzhi deliberately luring them into a trap.
So who was it that said this mission was so simple it could be completed with eyes closed?
Yu Jingzhi lifted his hand slightly. A sharp, efficient-looking woman in military uniform immediately stepped forward. She expertly Sheng €€'s arms, bent down to remove the gun hidden on her thigh, then briskly and thoroughly searched her, pulling out blades, a military knife, and other concealed weapons.
Only after confirming that this female spy was now harmless did the others withdraw, leaving only Yu Jingzhi, Chu Yunsheng, and the female soldier who conducted the search.
And of course, Sheng €€—whose expression now showed utter exhaustion and despair.
Yu Jingzhi sat down naturally in the chair beside Chu Yunsheng, as if greeting an old friend. He gave Sheng €€ a gentle smile and asked, "Did Adams send you?"
Sheng €€ had read countless reports on this Mr. Yu. Seeing the handsome, refined young man before her did nothing to lower her guard. In fact, his mild demeanor—so different from the cold ruthlessness she had expected—only made him more terrifying.
Hearing his question, she pressed her lips together and chose silence.
Yu Jingzhi raised an eyebrow, and said casually, "Kill her. We'll wait for the next one."
As soon as the words fell, the female soldier behind him drew her gun, loaded it in one smooth motion, and aimed it straight at Sheng €€'s head, finger tightening on the trigger.
"Wait—wait!"
Sheng €€ was so terrified she nearly leapt to her feet, shouting frantically to stop them.
She truly hadn't expected Yu Jingzhi to mean it literally when he said "kill her." He didn't hesitate for even a second. There wasn't even a hint of bluffing—he went straight for the kill. This was nothing like the scenarios taught in spy-capture training; he didn't even bother with the usual procedures!
Sheng €€ could feel the casual, indifferent killing intent. When she screamed, she was terrified her voice would be a moment too late—that the bullet would already be flying.
Yu Jingzhi looked at her with an expression of mild surprise.
Sheng €€ didn't want to die. So she didn't hesitate again. She blurted out, "Yes… Mr. Yu, I was sent by Mr. Adams. I belong to the intelligence organization under him—'Green Eagle.'"
Chu Yunsheng lifted his eyes toward her.
Adams—yes, he remembered. That Deyizhi was the very one Yu Jingzhi had chosen to cooperate with when first establishing himself in Haicheng years ago.
Calling it cooperation wasn't quite accurate. Their two forces were more like mutual exploitation. Adams supported Yu Jingzhi because he wanted to make him a puppet to help him control Haicheng. But Yu Jingzhi was far beyond his control—so in the end, their relationship remained only a superficial façade of friendliness.
Yu Jingzhi chuckled lightly. "Green Eagle's intelligence officers are divided into A, B, and C ranks. You're B-rank?"
Sheng €€ nodded honestly.
She wasn't surprised that Yu Jingzhi could guess her rank. Even with just the cases she personally knew of, more than ten Green Eagle agents had been captured by Yu Jingzhi on the spot. He clearly understood the organization well.
And the higher-ups didn't think the mission involving Chu Yunsheng was difficult enough to warrant sending an A-rank agent. A B-rank should have handled it with ease.
Yet things had gone completely against everyone's expectations.
"She may also have Dongyang ties," Chu Yunsheng said.
Sheng €€'s expression shifted slightly. In that instant, she truly hated Chu Yunsheng to the bone.
From that subtle change in her face, Chu Yunsheng had no doubt— if Sheng €€ had a gun in her hand right now, she would turn him into a sieve.
This time, she didn't even wait for Yu Jingzhi to speak before confessing: "I'm not Dongyang. I'm from Northeast Huaguo. My parents died when I was five— Dongyang people picked me up and raised me. I'm with Green Eagle. I really have nothing to do with Dongyang's intelligence organizations. You can investigate if you want."
Yu Jingzhi and Chu Yunsheng exchanged a glance, but neither commented. Instead, Yu Jingzhi shifted the conversation abruptly: "Give me one piece of information worth the price of your life."
Sheng €€ looked miserable.
She had finally understood Mr. Yu's attitude toward spies—and his methods.
He had no interest in the usual mind games or complex strategies that intelligence operatives preferred.
He went straight for the throat.
And that, precisely, was what spies feared the most.
For only with a bit of maneuvering and negotiation did spies have a chance to survive—
a chance to turn the tables. But facing someone who didn't care about information, missions, or procedures—someone who might pull the trigger at any moment—
none of those tactics were useful.
Information worth her life…
Sheng €€'s mind raced, and she spoke quickly: "I know that among the people close to you, Mr. Yu, there is someone who has defected to Mr. Adams."
Yu Jingzhi's expression shifted slightly. "Oh? Who?"
"Meng Wangda," Sheng €€ said seriously.