Chapter 342: Inside the Cinema

His shock subsiding, Lin Ming continued to watch the “Australian movie.” It was called a “play,” but it had no real plot. The ten-minute film consisted mostly of street scenes and landscapes, some of which looked familiar, likely local scenery from Lingao. The film was accompanied by music, an effect that was enough to excite the moviegoers and give them a taste of “Australian entertainment.”

With this experience, Lin Ming was no longer a stranger to their cinema. The Wang Xinglong siblings were frequent patrons—though, of course, they never invited him to join them. As for why the siblings so loved the movies, Lin Ming’s worldly wisdom supplied an easy answer: it was dark inside.

Meeting at the cinema. Lin Ming understood at once. It was an excellent location. Anyone could buy a ticket, no registration was required, and with multiple screenings a day, each attended by anywhere from fifty to several hundred people, the flow of traffic was complex and anonymous. Most importantly, it was pitch black inside, making it difficult to monitor who was sitting with whom, or what was being said.

He hadn’t expected his sister-in-law to be so adept at this. She had grasped and applied the minor details he had casually mentioned all those years ago.

He deliberately continued to read the newspaper, secretly rolled the slip of paper into a ball, and swallowed it. After a while, as people came and went, he made sure his own departure would not attract attention, then returned the newspaper and left.

The streetlights were already lit. Lin Ming went back to the shop, changed his shoes, and walked towards the cinema.

It was a workday, so the entrance was not crowded. The cinema was a small, two-story building with two screening halls. Hall 1 showed propaganda documentaries at a very cheap price. Ten cents per person, no assigned seats, and no time limit. Five short films, each twenty minutes long, were shown in rotation, with a new show starting about every hour, eight times a day.

Hall 2 was dedicated to “internal reference films”—popular science and technical shorts. These were generally not shown to the public and were mainly for the naturalized citizens from factories, government agencies, and schools. Most viewings were booked in advance.

Lin Ming bought a ticket and went inside. The hall was pitch black. With no assigned seats, there were no ushers. You simply sat where you could find a space. Lin Ming chose a seat in the last row, the highest point in the theater, from which he could conveniently observe the entire hall and the entrance. The key was that no one would pay attention to the last row while watching the film.

He had no interest in the moving pictures on the screen. He just carefully scanned his surroundings for anything unusual.

A few minutes later, in the darkness between films, a figure quietly sat down beside him.

Even without a word, he could smell the familiar, faint girlish fragrance. His heart stirred. A thousand emotions, a thousand sorrows, welled up within him.

In the darkness, he remained motionless, not even turning his head. A warm, soft hand reached out and rested on his knee. Lin Ming immediately grasped it. A voice, both strange and familiar, whispered in his ear:

“Don’t look at me. It’s safe here. We have half an hour…”

He squeezed her hand to show he understood. Her hand was still so soft, but the skin was a bit rough now. She must have suffered here. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yongxun spoke first:

“Brother Ming, are you well?”

That single sentence sent a tingle through him, bringing back a flood of memories. In Foshan, she had often called him that in private.

Thinking of those days… it had truly been a wonderful time in his life. His home was full of beautiful women, his wife and concubines lived in harmony, and he had such a clever, witty sister-in-law. Comparing it to the present, his hatred for the Australians grew even stronger. If they hadn’t abducted Li Yongxun, how would things have come to this?

“You’ve suffered, Sister Xun,” he said in a low voice. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t take good care of you…”

“Don’t say that, Brother Ming,” Li Yongxun’s voice was choked with emotion. “This is all fate.”

It was indeed fate, of a sort. As they say, “no zuo no die.” If Li Yongxun hadn’t been so curious, so insistent on tracking the Australians, she would never have been captured. If she knew she had been seriously considered for secret execution by the State Security Bureau several times, she would probably have had a mental breakdown long ago.

Lin Ming shook his head slightly. “Let’s not talk about it. Are you well in Lingao?”

Though he couldn’t see her face, he heard a soft sniffle. “I’m living very well here,” she said. “It’s just… the longing in my heart…” She sniffled again. “Don’t worry, Brother Ming. I’m living very well.”

Lin Ming savored her words, parsing their meaning. She didn’t seem to resent Lingao, but her longing for her family was strong. There was a chance to persuade her. He seized the opportunity. “I came to Lingao this time to take you away, Sister Xun.”

But as soon as the words were out, she refused. “Brother Ming, I… I can’t leave.”

This was not entirely unexpected. His sister-in-law had “fallen” to Lingao. If she had truly wanted to escape, there would have been opportunities. The fact that she hadn’t meant she had some unspeakable reason. To take her away, he had to untie that knot in her heart.

But it was a delicate matter. He thought for a moment. “Sister Xun, it is no long-term solution for you to stay here, working for the Australians. Your parents are still waiting for you in Nanjing—they are worried sick. For you to have gone missing in Guangdong… your sister and I bear a great responsibility.”

At this, her hand trembled. Lin Ming glanced at her. Her body was bent over her knees, her hands covering her face, her shoulders shaking violently. Her heart was in turmoil.

There’s a chance, he thought. Whatever her difficulties, whatever her concerns, the bonds of family were precious. If he could move her on this point, he could slowly work on the rest.

After a long while, she finally spoke. “Brother-in-law, just know that I am well. And please, bring a message to my parents. Tell them I am well… and that I am sorry.”

Lin Ming shook his head. “Sister Xun, can you be so heartless?”

She did not answer, but asked in a low voice, “Brother Ming, have you found anything unusual here?”

Though it was unrelated to his purpose, it was a matter of his own survival in Lingao. “The incident on the embankment…”

“That woman was not bait. I’ve already checked,” she said. “She is indeed a prostitute.”

Lin Ming shook his head slightly and told her of the Jinyiwei agent lurking in Lingao. “There are Jinyiwei here. That prostitute was on a mission. The commotion was because I refused to make contact with her.”

“Is that so?!” Li Yongxun was surprised.

“That’s right. Someone understands our secret code. There are colleagues here.”

Even without him saying it, Li Yongxun knew the situation had become complicated. Lin Ming had come to Lingao on a “private matter,” with no other designs on the Australians. He would not put himself in danger.

But with “colleagues,” it was different. The Jinyiwei in Lingao were either spies or plotting something. The group captured in the last major manhunt was highly suspicious. Though she hadn’t gleaned any important information from the few interrogations she had participated in, it was an indisputable fact that someone had organized their infiltration of Lingao.

Under heaven, besides the Ming government, no other power would dare risk so much to send agents to Lingao. Could this person be the “mastermind” who had escaped the last roundup?

If this person knew a “colleague” like Lin Ming was in Lingao, he would surely use blackmail to force him into his plots. In that case, Lin Ming would be in grave danger. With the State Security Bureau’s surveillance capabilities, if their activities became frequent, if they left any clues, it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

Once Brother Ming was arrested… under the three wooden instruments, what confession could not be obtained? With the State Security Bureau’s methods, no one who still drew breath could keep their mouth shut. He would confess about her, and she would be doomed.

A cold sweat broke out on Li Yongxun’s skin. Even Lin Ming noticed her palm had turned cold. Just as he was about to comfort her, he heard her say slowly:

“Brother Ming, this person cannot be left alive.”

Lin Ming was secretly shocked. He hadn’t expected that after a few years, his sister-in-law, once so carefree and mischievous, had become so scheming, so decisive.

Though her words were cruel, it was the safest course of action. Otherwise, they would sooner or later be ruined together. As for the loss to the court of a colleague who had risked his life to infiltrate Lingao, Lin Ming cared little.

But killing a person was not an easy matter, especially under the rule of the Australians. The less trouble, the better. “Sister Xun, let’s leave together,” he said. “If you go back to Foshan with me, this matter will be over. He doesn’t know my identity—besides, it’s not certain he can even make it back himself.”

Li Yongxun shook her head and smiled bitterly. “Brother Ming, if you leave alone, you can still get away. If you take me with you, you will never make it.”

“As long as we find a way, we can always get away…” Hearing her words, Lin Ming was overjoyed.

“No, we can’t. You don’t know how formidable the Australians are.” As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced around. “Brother Ming, you should go back, and soon. But as long as you are here, do nothing. The moment you act, the Australians will find you.”

Lin Ming didn’t quite believe it, but seeing her so nervous, he thought her words were likely not an exaggeration. She was working for the Australians now; she knew their inner workings better than he did.

“If you don’t go back, I won’t go back either.” He had gone through so much trouble to come to Lingao, to see his sister-in-law. How could he just turn back now?