Dai Peilin studied Fang Jibai.
Even when his expression was calm, Dai Peilin's unsmiling demeanor radiated immense pressure.
"Chief Dai." Fang Jibai furrowed his brow, pausing thoughtfully before he spoke. "The Red Party consists of political dissidents, and their doctrines and so-called ideology have always been regarded as perverse heresies. I have always avoided them like the plague and never made the slightest effort to understand them."
He looked at Dai Peilin and added, "So, with Chief Dai asking me to speak on this, I truly do not know what else to say."
Dai Peilin neither agreed nor disagreed, merely offering a slight nod.
His question had indeed contained a massive trap.
The Party-State's stance toward the Red Party had never been a secret. Although the two parties had entered a series of negotiations following the Zhang-Yang Mutiny the previous year, preparing for a second united front to resist foreign aggression, those talks were still in their final stages and had not yet been formally announced to the public. Objectively speaking, the Red Party remained dissidents and Red Bandits.
As director of the Lixingshe Special Services Department, Dai Peilin was questioning a man on his perception of and attitude toward the Red Party.
Unless one were a complete fool, anyone would know this was a perilous question. Nor would anyone take Dai Peilin's earlier remark about the Party-State avoiding guilt by association at face value; any sensible man would tread with utmost caution.
And therein lay the trap.
If the interviewee truly attempted to give a thorough answer by holding forth on the Red Party's ideology and rhetoric—even if he systematically denounced every single one of their tenets—such a seemingly correct response would be utterly wrong in Dai Peilin's eyes.
A fluent critique and analysis of Red Party doctrines and speeches meant only one thing: you had paid attention to them, or had even studied them.
That was a dangerous signal. Even if one studied their words out of hostility and a desire to criticize them, it remained profoundly perilous.
For one, the Red Party's heresies possessed a formidable power to bewitch the mind, and anyone who studied them could easily fall sway.
Furthermore, an intelligence agency demanded absolute ideological purity, with zero tolerance for the slightest hint of political unreliability.
As for launching an investigation to verify whether an individual had studied the Red Party out of genuine hatred and critique, that was simply out of the question.
Having neither knowledge of nor interest in the Red Party—that was what made a true bulwark of the Party-State.
"To my knowledge, Danyang has always been an area of relatively high Red Party activity," Dai Peilin said. "They began organizing and operating there very early on, and your hometown of Lücheng Town is one of their most active hubs. Did you really never..."
Hearing this, a subtle change flickered across Fang Jibai's face.
"Hmm?" Dai Peilin's expression darkened, his torch-sharp gaze piercing straight into Fang Jibai.
"The Party-State purged dissidents and killed many Reds," Fang Jibai said, visibly tense as he hurried to explain. "My father was terrified. He warned me repeatedly never to associate with such disreputable characters, threatening to break my legs if I ever did."
"I would not dare deceive Chief Dai," he continued, looking at Dai Peilin. "When I said I avoided them like the plague, it came straight from the heart."
With absolute earnestness, Fang Jibai said, "When my father says he will break someone's legs, he truly breaks them. To me, the Red Party was no different from vipers and wild beasts. I never dared come into contact with them, let alone try to understand them. I kept as far away as possible."
"Hahaha!" Dai Peilin kept his eyes locked on Fang Jibai's. Sensing that every word was genuine, he let out a hearty laugh. "You have a good father. With such a strict father, one avoids straying from the right path and escapes calamity."
"Thank you, Chief Dai." Fang Jibai rose at once. Instead of saluting, he bowed with hands clasped in front of him.
It was an expression of gratitude toward a high-ranking superior for praising his father.
Dai Peilin nodded slightly, an extra measure of satisfaction showing in his eyes as he looked at Fang Jibai.
***
"Dongfang Xu appeared out of nowhere, snatched the codebook, and stole your credit. Do you not resent him?" Dai Peilin asked abruptly, fixing his eyes on Fang Jibai.
Fang Jibai fell silent.
"Do you remember what Dongfang Xu told you when you stepped out of the car?" Dai Peilin prompted.
"Secretary Dongfang said that before Chief Dai, one must be honest, honest, and honest once more," Fang Jibai replied.
Dai Peilin gave him a searching look and nodded.
"I was angry, even indignant; for a time, my blood was boiling," Fang Jibai said, drawing a deep breath before continuing. "Yet I would not describe it as hatred."
"Oh?"
"Secretary Dongfang was still decent about it. He merely took the codebook and did nothing unspeakable. In truth, that alone makes it quite a fortunate outcome," Fang Jibai said.
He looked at Dai Peilin and added, "Had it been someone truly ruthless, I might have been eliminated entirely, perhaps even posthumously branded a traitor."
"You are sensible, far from a fool," Dai Peilin said slowly, his eyes resting on Fang Jibai. "Were you worried back then that Dongfang Xu might kill you to silence you?"
"I had my worries, yet I also knew Secretary Dongfang would not go that far."
"Hmm?"
"For the Secret Service, results are what matter. As for how the codebook was obtained, I imagine that is hardly of absolute importance," Fang Jibai reasoned after a moment's thought. "Besides..."
"Besides what?" Dai Peilin asked.
"Besides, I... I borrowed the Generalissimo's prestige..." Fang Jibai stammered, his confidence suddenly faltering.
"Hmm?"
"I said, 'My school principal is Chiang Kai-shek,'" Fang Jibai muttered under his breath, gritting his teeth.
***
"Hahahahaha!"
Dai Peilin stared at Fang Jibai. A strange flicker crossed his stern face before he erupted into roaring laughter.
Watching Dai Peilin laugh so heartily, Fang Jibai grew even more nervous. His face flushed red, and he could no longer maintain his rigid posture, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"I never expected you to see through the Secret Service so clearly." Dai Peilin checked his amusement and adopted a solemn expression as he looked at the fidgeting young man. "Quite right! When my Secret Service acts, why should we explain ourselves to anyone? So what if the credit was seized?"
Fang Jibai nodded without a word, unable to suppress a trace of bitterness. He was, after all, the direct victim of the Secret Service's domineering methods.
"You speak Japanese?" Dai Peilin asked suddenly.
"Yes, Sir."
"Who taught you?" Dai Peilin inquired.
"My second older brother, Fang Jiyan," Fang Jibai said. Anxious that Dai Peilin might suspect something, he rushed to add, "My second brother served in the National Revolutionary Army. He died for the country in the twenty-second year of the Republic during the Defense of the Great Wall."
Dai Peilin waved a dismissive hand.
He gazed at Fang Jibai, seeming lost in a distant memory.
"Years ago, outside the Whampoa academy, someone got into a brawl with me. Unable to beat me, he blustered, 'My school principal is Chiang Kai-shek!'" Dai Peilin said. Looking at Fang Jibai, a hint of warmth softened his unsmiling face. "I was so furious back then that I shouted right back..."
"'As if he wasn't my principal too!'" Dai Peilin said, chuckling at the memory.
Chapter 44