Chapter 396: Face-to-Face Instructions

“So what are you going to do?”

“The specific plan will be communicated to the Elders after it is finalized. You can inform the Elders involved in this matter first,” Wu Mu said over the phone. “It’s tonight. We’ll need you to attend a meeting then.”

“Alright.” Although Wu Ciren was not satisfied with this explanation, Wu Mu had already hung up. He wouldn’t get any more information by asking. It was better to wait until the evening.

Back in the rehearsal hall, a solemn-faced Wu Ciren called Yuan Ziguang, Dongmen Chuiyu, and the others into a corner for a “small meeting.” Fortunately, most of the members were gathered around Liu Shuixin and didn’t notice the tense atmosphere. Only the two young Elders, Zhang Yunmi and Lin Ziqi, cast curious glances. Dongmen Chuiyu shook his head to signal that “it’s nothing.”

“This is what I heard from Wu Mu’s phone call. What do you all think?” Wu Ciren asked his fellow enthusiasts after relaying the news.

“This… this is too… what the hell… Even if Zuo Yamei really went to watch the rehearsal with someone, it doesn’t mean anything, right? She’s been cultivated by the Senate for a long time and is a reliable person! She’s still… still…” Yuan Ziguang, the old educator, was clearly at a loss for words, never having expected to hear about “enemy agents” during an idol group activity.

If there’s really something wrong with Zuo Yamei, the education department will be disgraced, he thought. Fortunately, she came from the maid training program!

Dongmen Chuiyu, oblivious to his inner turmoil, said, “I don’t think we need to be too nervous. It’s not the first time various forces have tried to infiltrate Lingao. The grassroots police officers don’t have the ability to distinguish them one by one. It’s enough that the few of us know about this. If Little Zhang and Teacher Liu hear about it, it will definitely affect their mood, and the quality of the show will suffer. It’s better not to tell them. As for other matters, we have the army, the police, and the Political Security Bureau. Are we afraid we can’t keep the situation under control?”

“That’s true, but this is the culmination of several years of our hard work. I can’t afford to lose even one of them!” Yuan Ziguang was so anxious he was about to jump. Several of the girls in the idol group were already reserved by Elders. If one of them were to die, he, as the direct head of the education department, would be condemned a hundred times over. Suddenly, he realized why Xiao Zishan had reformed the maid training program—it was to get rid of this damn burden!

“I don’t think we need to worry for nothing. We’ll understand everything after the meeting. Just in case, I’ll arrange for a car to take Teacher Liu and Little Zhang back later. As for Zuo Yamei’s issue, she’s from the household registration office. I can’t really interfere in this matter. Let’s wait for the Political Security Bureau’s conclusion,” Wu Ciren summarized.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Before Lin Ziqi, who was about to get up, could reach it, a guard pushed it open. The catering team from the Merchant’s Guild restaurant entered in single file, carrying food containers.

Dongmen Chuiyu clapped his hands and announced loudly, “Dinnertime! Everyone line up to get your food!”

The gentlemen of the Grid Skirt Club had always been generous with the idol group they had dreamed of. They had ordered the most high-end “bento boxes.” The Japanese lacquer food boxes, imported from Japan, were valuable in themselves. Inside, colorful dishes were neatly arranged in the style of a high-end Japanese bento from later generations. Not only were there all kinds of delicacies from the mountains and seas, but also pickles and fruits.

The girls, who were used to eating in the canteen, had never seen such a luxurious “bento box.” They all lined up to get their food. Without anyone giving orders, Zhang Yunmi naturally took the lead, followed by Lin Aili and Zuo Yamei in the order of their stage positions. There were no extra tables and chairs in the rehearsal hall besides a few chairs. The girls consciously left them for the Elders and sat on the floor to eat.

Dongmen and the others naturally wouldn’t fight with the girls for seats. The three chairs were left for Liu Shuixin, Zhang Yunmi, and Lin Ziqi.

“Damn, there’s already a hierarchy,” Zhang Bolin muttered as he wolfed down his bento box.

“Without a hierarchy, there’s no motivation to improve,” Dongmen Chuiyu said. “At least we haven’t prepared the ‘cucumber set meal’ yet.”

“What’s your opinion?” Zhao Manxiong’s gentle and steady voice came over the phone.

Wu Mu suppressed his excitement at the prospect of cracking a major case. “Continue surveillance. Find more clues and catch them all in one net.” He added, “The investigators see it that way too.”

“I think you need to be cautious about this,” Zhao Manxiong coughed lightly. “If even one Elder is attacked by the enemy, regardless of whether they are actually harmed, your position as director will be untenable. It doesn’t matter for Yang Cao and the others. I can transfer them somewhere else and promote them later. But you, once you fall, it will be very difficult for you to return to this position…”

“I’m mentally prepared for that,” Wu Mu said. “As long as we can completely eliminate the hidden danger, I don’t care about personal gains or losses.”

“Then I agree with your plan,” Zhao Manxiong said. “Have you notified the relevant Elders to come for a briefing?”

“It’s tonight,” Wu Mu said. “To be honest, I don’t think it’s very appropriate. Shouldn’t this matter be kept absolutely confidential?”

“You can’t look at this matter purely from a professional perspective. You need to have a political perspective,” Zhao Manxiong said in a lukewarm tone. “To do political security work, the first thing is to maintain the correct political perspective…”

“I understand what you mean,” Wu Mu said.

“When you reel in the net, be timely. Don’t let the fish drag you into the water…”

Wu Mu hung up the phone. It was already seven in the evening. The office was quiet. He opened the curtains, looked at the lights of Dongmen Market, took a deep breath, and a moment later, picked up the phone. “Have Yang Cao, Liu Fuqing, and Ke Yun come to my office.”

After dinner, the members of the Grid Skirt Club continued their rehearsal until late at night, only dispersing after Liu Shuixin nodded and said the result was basically acceptable.

Lin Ziqi, being young, was already exhausted and fell asleep in the carriage on the way home. In the end, it was Zhang Yunmi who helped her into her house and also spent the night at her best friend’s place.

At the same time, a meeting was being held in the Political Security Bureau building in Bairen City—the “Umbrella Case” inter-departmental coordination and briefing meeting.

It was a small, closed conference room. Several Elders sat around a round table. Wu Mu personally chaired the meeting, with his confidential secretary sitting behind him taking notes.

Since it was a briefing, besides the Elders directly involved in the case—Lingao Garrison Commander Li Yiyang and Director of the National Police General Affairs Department Mu Min—several other directly involved Elders were also present: Dongmen Chuiyu, Wu Ciren, Yuan Ziguang, Zhang Bolin… Even the usually reclusive and sleep-loving Dongfang Ke and Nangong Hao were summoned.

After briefing them on the relevant situation and reiterating that the content of the meeting must be kept confidential, Wu Mu invited everyone to express their views and suggestions.

Dongfang Ke was the first to speak. He once again recounted what he had seen earlier and concluded by reiterating his hope that the Garrison Battalion and the Political Security Bureau would strengthen security to ensure the safety of the arts troupe’s performance, especially to protect those Elders who were unable to protect themselves.

Li Yiyang said, “The Executive Committee has already approved your previous request to increase the security forces for the cultural festival. But, with all due respect, Comrade Dongfang should not place too much hope on our Garrison Battalion. The role of the garrison soldiers is more of a deterrent. Potential enemies will be scared away by a target with a large number of troops, but they won’t leave. They will look for places with relatively weak security to cause trouble! Therefore, I believe Director Wu should make full use of the Political Security Bureau’s role to prevent problems before they happen and ferret out the enemies of the Senate in advance! This is the only way to ensure the safe and smooth running of all the cultural festival activities!”

Wu Mu replied, “Yes, we have done relevant work, especially regarding the situation reported by Comrade Dongfang. We have set up targeted surveillance and will strengthen security in key areas in the next few days. During the process of your folk orchestra and the Grid Skirt Club entering and exiting the performance and rehearsal venues, I will send staff to follow you. I hope the Elders in charge will cooperate.”

Wu Ciren chimed in, “Of course we will cooperate. After I received the notification last night, I immediately organized a discussion with the club’s Elder comrades. But everyone unanimously agreed that we cannot treat our member Zuo Yamei as a suspect for the time being. After all, she has no opportunity to engage in any conspiracies or sabotage!”

Dongfang Ke retorted with a straight face, “Yes, mingling with a martial artist of unknown origin certainly doesn’t pose any security risks!”

Wu Ciren was at a loss for words. Wu Mu smoothed things over. “Alright, we have conducted a detailed investigation into Zuo Yamei’s situation, and the relevant clues are being followed up. We won’t elaborate on that here. By the way, Dongfang, are you guys going to have a dress rehearsal before the official performance?”

“Yes, the day before. All performance units, including the Fāngcǎodì Drama Club, will enter the venue and go through the performance flow. Will you be clearing the venue at that time?”

“No, we will do more efficient work. By the way, the General Office has dispatched more official horse-drawn carriages and guards in response to the recent security situation. You shouldn’t always ride your bicycle alone. Pay attention to safety, travel by carriage, and don’t leave the sight of your accompanying guards.”

Dongfang Ke nodded noncommittally.

“Regarding security work, everyone doesn’t need to worry too much,” Mu Min said. “The detective team of our General Affairs Department’s Section 10 has been fully deployed and is adopting a man-to-man strategy against the exposed suspects. They are all experienced professionals. In addition, personnel from General Affairs Section 9 will also join the operation. We will also mobilize plainclothes police from the public security department. Ran Yao has also sent a request for assistance to the General Staff. More security forces will be transferred to serve as guards. This will free up more Garrison Battalion troops to perform more important personal protection tasks.”

The meeting lasted until midnight. After Wu Mu announced the adjournment, he did not rest. Instead, he immediately called Yang Cao to his office and gave her detailed instructions for a long time.