Chapter 1531 - Inside the Cinema

After recovering from the shock, Lin Ming continued watching the "Australian shadow play." Though called a "play," there was actually little plot—the ten-odd minutes of footage mostly showed street scenes, landscapes, and such. Some of the images looked familiar; they were probably scenes from Lingao itself. The film played with music accompaniment. But even this modest effect was enough to thrill the audience—they had "opened their Australian eyes."

With this experience, Lin Ming had grown quite familiar with "Australian shadow plays." The Wang siblings went to see movies often—though of course, when they went together, they definitely wouldn't invite him along. As for why the two of them loved movies so much, Lin Ming easily figured it out with his intelligence: the cinema was dark.

Meeting at the cinema—Lin Ming understood immediately. It was a perfect spot. Anyone could enter just by buying a ticket; no registration required. Many showings ran each day, each with anywhere from forty or fifty to several hundred people, a jumble of humanity. Most importantly, inside it was pitch black—who sat with whom, who said what, would be very hard to monitor.

Who would have thought his sister-in-law had developed such expertise in this area? Those little tips he had once casually mentioned, she had integrated and applied.

He deliberately continued reading, secretly crumpled the slip into a ball, and swallowed it.

After a while, as people gradually left and others arrived, he made sure his departure wouldn't draw attention before returning the newspaper, standing, and leaving.

The streetlights were already lit. Lin Ming returned to the shop to change his shoes, then walked toward the cinema.

It was a workday, so there weren't many people outside the cinema. The cinema was a two-story building with two screening halls. Hall One showed propaganda documentaries—very cheap, ten cents a seat, no assigned seating, no time limit. Five short films rotated, each about twenty minutes, roughly one hour per cycle. Eight showings per day.

Hall Two was dedicated to "internal reference films"—actually educational and technical shorts, not publicly screened, mainly for naturalized citizens at factories, government offices, and schools to watch, usually in private sessions.

Lin Ming bought a ticket and went in. The screening hall was pitch dark. Since there was no assigned seating, there were no ushers; you sat wherever an empty seat appeared. Lin Ming thought for a moment and sat in the back row where he could observe the entrance. This was the highest vantage point, allowing easy observation of the entire cinema; most importantly, no one paid attention to the back row during a movie.

He wasn't interested in what was showing—he only watched carefully for anything unusual around him.

A few minutes later, during a reel change when the hall went completely dark, a figure quietly settled into the seat beside him.

Even without speaking, his nose caught the familiar faint fragrance of a young woman's body. His heart stirred; a thousand feelings and ten thousand worries surged up together.

In the darkness he sat motionless, not even turning his face. But a warm, soft little hand had already reached over and rested on his knee. Lin Ming gripped it immediately. A voice, both strange and familiar, came to his ear:

"Don't look at me. It's safe here. We have half an hour..."

Lin Ming squeezed her hand to show he understood. The little hand was still soft, but the touch had grown somewhat rough. She must have suffered here. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yongxun spoke first:

"Ming Brother, are you well?"

That single address made half his body tingle and melt, stirring endless memories. Back in Foshan, she had often called him this in private.

Thinking of those days—truly a beautiful time in Lin Ming's life: the household full of lovely women, wife and concubines in harmony, and this clever, spirited young sister-in-law. Comparing it to now, his hatred for the Cropped-Hairs deepened. If not for their abducting Li Yongxun, how could things have come to this!

"You've suffered, Xun Mei," he said softly. "It's all Brother-in-Law's fault for not looking after you properly..."

"Ming Brother, don't say that." Li Yongxun's voice was slightly choked. "It's all fate."

Fate indeed—as they say, no zuo no die. If Li Yongxun hadn't been too curious back then, insisting on tracking down the Cropped-Hairs' whereabouts, she would never have been captured by the Australians. If she knew she had several times been seriously considered for the Political Security Bureau's secret execution list, she probably would have had a mental breakdown already.

Lin Ming shook his head slightly. "No more of that. Are you doing well here in Lingao?"

Though he couldn't see his sister-in-law's face, he could hear soft sniffling. He heard her say: "I'm actually doing quite well here... it's just the longing in my heart..."

She sniffled again: "Ming Brother, don't worry about me. I'm doing very well here."

Lin Ming quietly pondered the implications. It seemed his sister-in-law wasn't averse to Lingao—it was just her longing for family that weighed heavily. There might be a chance to persuade her. Seizing the moment, he said: "The reason I came to Lingao is to take you back, Xun Mei."

To his surprise, the moment he finished speaking, Li Yongxun refused: "Ming Brother, I... can't leave..."

This wasn't unexpected to Lin Ming. His sister-in-law had "fallen" into Lingao; if she truly wanted to escape, she should have had opportunities. That she had never left clearly meant there was something she couldn't speak of. To take her away, he would have to unravel that knot in her heart.

But the words were hard to say. Lin Ming thought a moment: "Xun Mei, staying here to work for the Cropped-Hairs is no permanent solution. Setting aside your parents still waiting for you in Nanjing—you've disappeared without a trace, and they're worried sick. And your disappearance in Guangdong puts tremendous pressure on both your sister and brother-in-law..."

At these words, Li Yongxun's hand began to tremble. Lin Ming stole a glance at her: bent over her knees, hands covering her face, shoulders shaking violently—clearly in great inner turmoil.

There's hope. Lin Ming thought. No matter what she couldn't say or what held her back, parental love was the most precious thing. If he could move her on this point, he could work gradually toward her return.

After a long while, Li Yongxun finally said: "Brother-in-Law, just know that I'm doing well here. And please give my regards to my parents—I'm fine... I'm just sorry to them."

Lin Ming shook his head. "Xun Mei, are you so heartless?"

Li Yongxun didn't answer. Instead she asked softly: "Ming Brother, have you noticed anything unusual here?"

Though this had nothing to do with his purpose, it concerned whether he could continue staying hidden in Lingao. He said: "The embankment incident..."

"That woman wasn't bait—I've already checked," Li Yongxun said. "She really is a prostitute."

Lin Ming shook his head slightly and whispered about the Brocade Guard operatives lurking in Lingao: "There are Brocade Guard people here. That prostitute was sent under orders. The reason there was a scene was because I refused to make contact with her."

"There's such a thing?!" Li Yongxun exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right. Our codes—someone understood them. There are fellow operatives here!"

Even without Lin Ming saying so, Li Yongxun knew things had become complicated. Lin Ming had come to Lingao only for "personal matters" and had no designs on the Australians; naturally he wouldn't risk his life.

But with "fellow operatives," it was different. Brocade Guard lurking in Lingao were either spies or plotting something. Those people caught in the recent sweep were highly suspicious; though the interrogations she had participated in hadn't yielded significant information, someone had definitely organized their infiltration into Lingao.

In all the world, the only ones who would dare take such a risk and send people to Lingao with ill intent—apart from the Ming court—there could be no other. Could this person be the "mastermind" who had evaded capture?

If this person learned there was a "fellow operative" like Lin Ming in Lingao, they would certainly threaten him with exposure and drag him into the mission. That would put Lin Ming in extreme danger—with the Political Security Bureau's surveillance capabilities, the moment activity increased and enough clues emerged, capture would be only a matter of time.

Once Ming Brother was arrested, as they say, "under three sticks, what confession cannot be extracted?" Given the Political Security Bureau's methods, no one had ever kept silent while still breathing. He would certainly confess her involvement, and she would instantly fall into an abyss of no return!

Li Yongxun broke out in cold sweat. Even Lin Ming noticed her palm had gone cold. Just as he was about to comfort her, he heard her say slowly:

"Ming Brother, this person cannot be allowed to live..."

Lin Ming was secretly startled. He had not expected that after these few years apart, his carefree, even somewhat whimsical young sister-in-law had become so calculating and ruthless in her decisions.

The words were cruel, but under the circumstances, this was the only safe course—otherwise, they would both be destroyed sooner or later!

As for killing a fellow operative who had risked sneaking into Lingao and what great loss that might mean for the court—Lin Ming did not much care.

Still, killing someone was no easy matter, especially under Cropped-Hair rule in Lingao. Better to leave well enough alone. Lin Ming thought a moment and said: "Xun Mei, let's leave together. Come back to Foshan with me, and this whole matter will vanish like smoke. He doesn't know my identity—besides, whether he can even get back is uncertain."

Li Yongxun shook her head with a bitter smile. "Ming Brother, if you were leaving alone, you might still manage. But if you take me, there's no escaping."

"If we try, there's always a way..." Hearing this, Lin Ming felt a surge of joy and quickly pressed on.

"No, there's no way. You don't know how formidable the Australians are." As she said this, Li Yongxun instinctively glanced around. "Ming Brother, you should leave as soon as possible. Just don't do anything while you're here—the moment you act, the Australians will find you."

Lin Ming was somewhat skeptical, but seeing his sister-in-law so anxious, her warning couldn't be exaggerated. She worked for the Cropped-Hairs now and naturally understood their inner workings better than he did.

"If you won't leave, neither will I." Lin Ming had gone through great hardship to reach Lingao and had finally found his sister-in-law. How could he simply turn back now?