Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 176 Song Yawen's young stepmother's identity is suspicious

Song Yating said with a smile, "Mr. Wu, am I not disturbing you?"

"How could that be? Please come in. Your sister is taking a shower in the inner room." Wu Zhiyuan stood up. "Yating, did you need something?"

"Nothing special, I just wanted to chat with you." Song Yating blinked. "I really like China because I know my roots are in China. Are there many interesting things about China?"

"China is a vast country, and there are certainly many interesting things to do," Wu Zhiyuan continued, "But Yating, you're the daughter of the Song family; you must have been to many places, right?"

"No way!" Song Yating pouted. "My dad is very strict with me. He rarely lets me go out alone except for school activities. He says it's too chaotic and unsafe outside."

Wu Zhiyuan nodded and said, "Your father is also thinking about your safety. Families like yours do need to be extra careful."

Song Yating sighed: "Sometimes it's really annoying, there are people following me wherever I go."

But today, since you taught me self-defense, I suddenly feel that learning some skills is a good thing, at least I can protect myself.

"It's good that you have this idea. However, self-defense is not a panacea."

Even if I were unarmed, I would have no chance of escape if surrounded and pursued by multiple gunmen.

In an emergency, someone like you would need to rely on security personnel to protect yourself.

"I know." Song Yating nodded, then suddenly lowered her voice, "Mr. Wu, what do you think of Aunt Li?"

Wu Zhiyuan's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm: "Aunt Li, she looks very elegant, approachable, and cares about you all very much."

Song Yating curled her lip: "Elegant is elegant, but caring? Humph, who knows if it's genuine?"

"What do you mean by that?" Wu Zhiyuan asked curiously.

"Aunt Li is Dad's wife from last year; she used to be an actress," Song Yating said in a low voice. "My sister said Aunt Li might have ulterior motives for getting close to Dad. She's more than twenty years younger than him!"

Wu Zhiyuan cautioned, "Yating, it's best not to say these things casually, especially to people you've just met."

Song Yating stuck out her tongue and said playfully, "Mr. Wu, I don't consider you an outsider at all! How should I put it, meeting you is like meeting the older brother next door. What's that word again? Right, it's 'love at first sight'."

"Ya-Ting, thank you for your trust in me."

Song Yating lowered her voice: "Mr. Wu, I feel like something's off about the house."

"Strange? What's strange about it?" Wu Zhiyuan was taken aback.

"Sometimes Dad brings strange people home, like the people you see today."

Once, I overheard my father arguing with someone in the study, talking about things like the CIA and the plan.

What does the CIA do? Of course I know. I asked my sister, but she told me not to ask, saying it wasn't something a child should know.

Wu Zhiyuan was startled, but his expression remained calm: "Children really shouldn't meddle too much in adults' affairs."

"But Yating, do you know those people who accompanied President Song on his walk today?"

"I know that fat guy with glasses, his name is Suha, he's a politician, he often criticizes the government on TV. I don't know the other two foreigners."

"Foreigners? Do they come here often?"

"He comes occasionally. My dad has a big business and knows a lot of foreigners." Song Yating thought for a moment, "but he seems to be coming more often in the last few months."

Last month, there was a woman from America who was very beautiful, with long, wavy blonde hair and a fantastic figure. Aunt Li didn't seem too happy to see her.

Wu Zhiyuan said casually, "These should all be your father's business partners."

At that moment, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

A few minutes later, Song Yawen came out wearing a bathrobe, her hair wet and draped over her shoulders.

Seeing Song Yating, she was somewhat surprised: "Yating, what are you doing here?"

"I came to chat with Mr. Wu," Song Yating said with a smile. "Sister, are you finished showering? Then I'll go back to my room first. See you tomorrow, Mr. Wu!"

After Song Yating left, Song Yawen dried her hair with a towel and asked Wu Zhiyuan, "Tingting didn't say anything strange to you, did she?"

"No, we were just chatting. Ya-ting is very lively."

"She's too lively, sometimes she speaks without thinking." Song Ya-wen sat down on the sofa. "Qianjin, there's something I want to remind you."

"Please go ahead, Sister Ya-wen."

"You need to be careful when you get along with Aunt Li. She may seem gentle on the surface, but she's actually quite cunning."

She can sometimes be overly enthusiastic, especially towards young, handsome men.

Wu Zhiyuan recalled Li Ruoxue's gaze and actions that evening, and realized that Song Yawen was absolutely right: "Thank you for reminding me, Sister Yawen. I will be more careful."

"Also, if my father asks you to do anything or asks about my whereabouts, you must tell me immediately."

It's not that I don't trust my dad, it's just that some things in the family are complicated.

Wu Zhiyuan understood the unspoken meaning in her words: "I understand. You are my employer, and my duty is to protect your safety. I will do whatever you say."

Song Yawen nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. By the way, I'm going to the port to check on a batch of goods tomorrow, so you should get some rest and be well-rested."

"Okay, goodnight, Ya-Wen."

a new day.

Wu Zhiyuan drove to Nancheng Port.

Nancheng Port is the largest deep-water port in Country A and a key project aided by China.

Inside the port, large cranes stand tall, containers are stacked high, and cargo ships come and go, creating a bustling scene.

Ya Yun Trading had a batch of high-end handicrafts imported from Europe that were about to arrive at the port, and Song Ya Wen came to inspect the goods in person.

The car drove into the port area and stopped in front of the customs-supervised warehouse.

"Qianjin, wait for me in the car. I'll go in and take care of the formalities," Song Yawen said.

Wu Zhiyuan wanted to familiarize himself with the port environment, so he said, "Sister Yawen, let me go in with you. The port is crowded and a mixed bag."

Song Ya-wen thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Okay."

The two went into the warehouse office to complete the pickup procedures.

Wu Zhiyuan cautiously observed his surroundings. The port was bustling with people, including merchants from various countries, dockworkers, customs officers, and truck drivers.

Wu Zhiyuan's gaze was drawn to several figures in the distance.

There were three men in port work clothes talking in hushed tones in a container area.

Although they were dressed in the clothes of local workers, Wu Zhiyuan keenly noticed that one of them had obvious signs of military training in his posture and gestures.

Even more suspiciously, one of them kept glancing around warily as they talked.

Wu Zhiyuan quietly noted down their appearance and the container number they were in—Carea C, 78.

"Qianjin, what's wrong?" Song Yawen noticed his distraction.

"Nothing much, I just think the port is really big," Wu Zhiyuan said casually, withdrawing his gaze.

After completing the formalities, Song Yawen went to the warehouse to inspect the goods.

As the two stepped out of the office, a familiar figure approached them.

Lin Keke!

She was wearing a business suit and carrying a folder, walking and talking with a port official.

The two met again, their eyes briefly meeting.

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Keke's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, looked away as if she were seeing a stranger, and continued talking to the official.

Wu Zhiyuan was filled with mixed emotions, but his professionalism allowed him to quickly calm down.

The inspection process went smoothly, and there were no problems with the quality or quantity of the handicrafts.

Song Ya-wen was in a good mood: "Qianjin, I'll treat you to lunch. There's a really good seafood restaurant near the port."

"Thank you, Sister Ya-Wen."

Just as the two were about to leave, they suddenly heard a commotion.

"Grab him! Don't let him get away!"

A man in overalls was seen running from the direction of Zone C, with two port security guards chasing after him.

The man was clutching a black package tightly in his hands, looking flustered.

Just as he passed by Wu Zhiyuan, he tripped and fell forward, the black package in his hand flying out and landing right at Wu Zhiyuan's feet.

The package was opened to reveal its contents—not smuggled goods, but a stack of documents and a digital camera.

The man struggled to his feet, trying to retrieve his package, but two security guards caught up with him and pinned him to the ground.

"Behave yourself! Who are you to be taking pictures in the restricted area of ​​the port?" a security guard shouted sternly.

Another security guard picked up the package and looked through the documents and camera inside.

When he saw the photos on the camera, his face changed drastically: "Boss, this guy photographed the military control zone of the port!"

Wu Zhiyuan was startled.

Part of Nancheng Port is a military control zone, a naval port where warships dock and enter and exit, and photography is strictly prohibited.

"Take him away! Hand him over to the Port Authority's Security Department!" the security chief ordered.

As the man was dragged away, his gaze swept desperately over the surrounding crowd.

When his gaze met Wu Zhiyuan's, Wu Zhiyuan noticed that his lips moved slightly, as if he were to utter a word: tide.

Does this man know about "Project Tide"? Who is he? Is he a CIA agent, or a spy for some other organization? Or...?

"Let's go, let the port security handle this." Song Ya-wen tugged at Wu Zhi-yuan's sleeve.

"Okay." Wu Zhiyuan snapped out of his thoughts and left with Song Yawen.

But he didn't notice that in the shadows of the shipping containers in the distance, a pair of eyes were coldly watching their backs.

……

That afternoon, Wu Zhiyuan made an excuse that he still had some resignation procedures to take care of and asked for leave to go to Sihai Company.

On the second floor, in the marketing department, Zhao Dagang and Li Gangjian were making phone calls to contact clients, while Wang Gang's workstation was empty.

"Brother Zhao, where's Wang Gang?" Wu Zhiyuan asked.

"Old Wang, he went out at noon, said he was going to the docks to check on a batch of coffee beans." Zhao Dagang hung up the phone. "Little Wu, I heard you went to be a bodyguard for Miss Song? Not bad, you've climbed the social ladder!"

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "It's all about making money. Brother Zhao, has Wang Gang said when he'll be back?"

"He didn't say. But he said he might have dinner with clients tonight, so he probably won't be going back to the company."

As Zhao Dagang was speaking, he suddenly lowered his voice: "Xiao Wu, there's something I find a bit strange."

"What is it?"

Yesterday afternoon, Old Wang received a phone call, acting all mysterious, and hid in the stairwell to answer it.

I happened to be going to the restroom when I overheard him mentioning things like "port" and "security."

Wu Zhiyuan became alert: "Brother Zhao, what else did you hear?"

"That's all I heard. When Lao Wang realized someone was there, he quickly hung up the phone." Zhao Dagang scratched his head. "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Lao Wang is always cautious."

"Thanks, Brother Zhao, I understand." Wu Zhiyuan patted Zhao Dagang on the shoulder. "I have some things to take care of."

After leaving the marketing department, Wu Zhiyuan went to Liu Mingxuan's office.

Liu Mingxuan was looking at documents when Wu Zhiyuan entered. He gestured for him to sit down and asked, "Qianjin, what's going on?"

Wu Zhiyuan gave a detailed report on what he had seen at the port that day, especially mentioning the man who had secretly photographed the military-controlled area, and the word "tide" that the man seemed to have said.

Liu Mingxuan's expression turned serious: "Are you sure he meant 'tides'?"

"It should be. Mr. Liu, could that man be one of ours?"

"Impossible." Liu Mingxuan said firmly, "I know all our contacts at the port, there is no such person here."

Furthermore, if it were someone on their own side, they wouldn't use such a clumsy method to secretly take photos, and then get caught.

"So he's with the CIA?"

"That doesn't seem like it either." Liu Mingxuan shook his head. "CIA agents are highly trained and wouldn't make such a basic mistake. I suspect he might be working for a third party."

"A third-party force?"

"The waters in Nancheng run deep." Liu Mingxuan stood up and walked to the window. "Besides the CIA and us, there are many other national intelligence agencies active here, including GRU, MI6, and Mossad."

In addition, some local political forces also have their own intelligence agents.

Wu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment: "President Liu, there's one more thing."

Wang Gang went to the dock at noon today and hasn't returned yet.

Zhao Dagang said he received a mysterious phone call yesterday that mentioned "port" and "security."

Liu Mingxuan whirled around: "You suspect Wang Gang?"

"I don't suspect him, I just find it a bit of a coincidence," Wu Zhiyuan said cautiously. "Wang Gang is one of our men, so he shouldn't be behaving suspiciously. But if there really is a problem within our ranks..."

"I understand what you mean." Liu Mingxuan walked back to his desk, pressed a hidden button to confirm that the office's anti-eavesdropping device was working properly, and said, "Qianjin, whatever you hear next must be kept strictly confidential."

Wu Zhiyuan replied solemnly, "Yes."

"Wang Gang is a reliable comrade of ours, but he's on a special mission." Liu Mingxuan lowered his voice. "Based on our comprehensive assessment, it's possible that an enemy spy has infiltrated Sihai Company. Wang Gang's mission is to find this person."

Wu Zhiyuan suddenly realized: "So, some of Wang Gang's suspicious behavior might be a ploy to lure out the enemy?"