Chapter 102: Replacement

“What will you do next?” Li Wensheng asked.

Wang Feng sighed deeply, his face filled with worry. “What else can I do but wait? If luck is on my side, Mr. Gao will send someone to take over my position. If not... I only have a few days left to live.”

“I can help you,” Li Wensheng offered.

Wang Feng was momentarily stunned before giving a bitter laugh. “Hero, thank you for your kindness, but your military intelligence has an anti-traitor squad, the central intelligence agency has assassins, and even Yan Prefecture has its own. Even if your military intelligence doesn’t kill me, those other two will come looking once they know I left Yan Jing’s mansion unharmed.”

“I said I can help you live,” Li Wensheng said firmly.

Wang Feng stared into Li Wensheng’s eyes for several seconds before whispering, “Hero, how exactly will you help me?”

“I’ll impersonate one of Mr. Gao’s men and take over your position. Once I appear, all eyes at Yan Jing’s mansion will be on me. Without their watchful gaze on you, given your status in the Qing Gang, you should be able to find a way to leave the country immediately.”

Wang Feng’s pupils contracted slightly as he gasped, “You’re not part of the anti-traitor squad?”

His mind, sharp as ever, pieced together that Li Wensheng’s sudden change in tone regarding Yan Jing’s mansion and his proposal to impersonate Mr. Gao’s man must mean he intended to infiltrate the mansion. The anti-traitor squad only dealt with traitors; they wouldn’t infiltrate Yan Jing’s mansion.

“It doesn’t matter whether I belong to the anti-traitor squad. What matters is whether you want to live,” Li Wensheng said quietly.

“I want to. Hero, as long as it means survival, I’ll do anything.”

Seeing Wang Feng’s anxious expression, Li Wensheng smiled. “Right now, you really do look like a traitor.”

Wang Feng hastily suppressed his anxious look and forced a wry smile. “I’m afraid of dying, but I’m even more afraid of being a traitor. I can’t bear to face my parents if that happens.”

Li Wensheng smiled and shifted to the matter at hand. “Does everyone at the Lido Ballroom know all of Mr. Gao’s trusted men?”

Wang Feng immediately shook his head. “No. Mr. Gao has many businesses, each person responsible for a different one. Some rarely come to the Lido Ballroom.”

“Then who do you think would be the best for me to impersonate?”

Wang Feng thought it over and whispered, “There’s a man named Ma Xiaowu, very capable in a fight, always handling Mr. Gao’s dockside business. His age and build are about the same as yours.”

“Ma Xiaowu it is. I’ll come find you at the Lido Ballroom tonight to take over your position.”

“Hero, although Ma Xiaowu’s age and build are similar to yours, he has a large red birthmark on the left side of his face. Because of this, he rarely comes to the ballroom, fearing ridicule,” Wang Feng quickly added.

Li Wensheng frowned and quietly asked, “Do you have a photo of him?”

“No.”

Wang Feng understood why Li Wensheng wanted a photo and continued, “Hero, to impersonate Ma Xiaowu, a photo isn’t necessary. I used to help Mr. Gao relay messages and dealt with Ma Xiaowu frequently—I remember his features well.”

“That’ll do.” Li Wensheng stood. “Stop drinking. Let’s find a room, and get me some makeup supplies.”

Wang Feng quickly followed him.

They didn’t go far before finding a nearby inn. After Wang Feng bought the makeup, he watched Li Wensheng apply it, immediately pointing out any flaws and explaining Ma Xiaowu’s character.

The more Li Wensheng transformed, the more amazed Wang Feng became. When the makeup was complete, he exclaimed, “Hero, your skill is incredible. You look like a completely different person. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought you were Ma Xiaowu himself.”

Li Wensheng gazed at his reflection. “Our facial structures are somewhat alike, plus the half-face red birthmark. Without that, no makeup could have made me look this similar.”

He then stood and said to Wang Feng, “Draw the secret entrance to Yan Jing’s mansion. Then go back. I’ll meet you at the Lido Ballroom at seven tonight.”

Wang Feng nodded and picked up a pencil to sketch.

When finished, he stepped back, bowed slightly, and said solemnly, “Hero, thank you.”

Li Wensheng glanced once at the drawing on the table. “Alright, go quickly.”

After Wang Feng left, Li Wensheng memorized the map, then stepped outside to grab lunch at a roadside stall.

Next, he found a phone booth to call home, telling Sister Fang he would be away for a few days.

Then, following the map, he observed the secret entrance from a distance.

The secret door was at the left rear corner of Yan Jing’s mansion’s wall. Behind the mansion was a quiet alley, with the left rear corner facing the intersection of two alleys.

The area was surrounded by flowerbeds and streets, beyond which lay a district of single-family villas on one side and various shops on the other.

The alley intersection was shaded by several lush trees, making it easy for someone to come and go unnoticed.

The secret entrance was more like a hidden door, blending seamlessly into the wall as it was part of the wall itself.

Without Wang Feng’s sketch, Li Wensheng wouldn’t have been able to spot it.

After surveying the secret door, Li Wensheng went to a nearby street to find a café. He sipped coffee and waited.

At just past six in the evening, Li Wensheng left a restaurant and took a rickshaw to the Lido Ballroom.

The Lido Ballroom, located in the concession, was famed throughout the city, both before and after the war. Every night, it attracted wealthy aristocrats, influential officials, and socialites seeking pleasure.

When Li Wensheng entered the lavishly decorated ballroom at precisely 7:03, it was already packed with people.

Wealthy heirs and socialites danced and chatted in the central dance area.

Rich businessmen and high-ranking officials sat around the perimeter, drinking and discussing various matters.

On the stage to the right, the great singer, the Beijing Opera queen Bai Hong, was performing "Whispers at Midnight."

Ma Xiaowu’s face was indeed startling—half covered in a dark red birthmark, he looked like a demon. As Li Wensheng walked in, people nearby were startled and quickly moved away.

The doorman noticed Li Wensheng immediately, and a man approached him.

Before the man could speak, Li Wensheng scowled, lowered his voice, and said coldly, “Where’s Wang Feng?”

Wang Feng had described Ma Xiaowu as always wearing a stern expression, as if he held grudges against everyone, never speaking politely. Li Wensheng mimicked this, adopting a cold and stern tone.

The man was momentarily taken aback but politely replied, “I’m not sure who you are, sir. What business do you have with our manager?”

“My name is Ma Xiaowu. Where’s Wang Feng?”

Though Ma Xiaowu rarely came to the ballroom, people respected him deeply for his fighting skills.

Upon hearing the name Ma Xiaowu and recalling the large birthmark, the man had no doubt and respectfully said, “Brother Wu, Manager Wang is in the office upstairs.”

“Take me to him.”