The next morning, Chen Shen stood in front of the poster wall on O’Garro Road, wedged in among the crowd, reading various notices and advertisements. He spotted an ad recruiting reporters and typesetters, which clearly contained a hidden message from "the Doctor": The Zero Plan must be expedited.
The streets bustled with people coming and going, accompanied by the impatient honking of cars and the sound of vendors selling roasted chestnuts. Chen Shen had deciphered the message right away but remained still, standing there for a long time. The rare sunlight from above warmed his shoulders and cheeks. He lingered not because of the message, but because he could hear the distant squeals of pigs from the slaughterhouse on Shajing Road. He could imagine the scene—the blood spurting from the small hole in the pig’s throat, flowing like water from a faucet. Standing in the crowd, Chen Shen felt as small as a drop of water in a river. Not only did he feel insignificant, but he also imagined that at any moment, he could be one of the pigs at the slaughterhouse. With this thought, a wave of sadness washed over him, and in his mind, he let out a pitiful, pig-like wail.
That cold winter, Chen Shen spent his mornings in the hallway outside the Direct Action Squad office, cutting the squad members' hair. After cutting three heads, his hands had warmed up, and he offered to give Liu Meina a small wave with the curling iron. Liu Meina, sitting inside the office working on an urgent file for Bi Zhong Liang, didn’t refuse Chen Shen’s invitation. Deep down, she was not only willing to let Chen Shen style her hair—she was willing to give herself to him entirely. The wind blew through Liu Meina’s damp hair as the shining scissors snipped away, and a smile appeared on her face. Across the second-floor hallway, in the opposite office, Bi Zhong Liang stood by the window, his expression dark as he watched. He sighed inwardly. Other than cutting hair and dancing, Chen Shen really was a man with little potential. Some had already filed complaints, accusing Chen Shen of doing nothing while holding the position of First Squad leader. But Bi Zhong Liang couldn’t replace Chen Shen—it would be harder than replacing his own wife. Chen Shen was his left hand, or perhaps his right hand. Losing either hand would be unbearably painful.
As Chen Shen’s scissors clicked rhythmically, Liu Meina enjoyed a pleasant day. That evening, Chen Shen and Liu Meina went to the Grand Theater on Jing’an Temple Road to watch a movie. The film, The Dawn of Manchukuo, was based on the life of Kawashima Yoshiko. As the light from the projector flickered over Chen Shen’s head, he overheard Liu Meina talking about some files from the secretary’s office. A copy of the Zero Plan, because No. 55 was not directly responsible and the anti-Communist pacification plan was nearing its end, had been filed away in the secretary’s office safe as an ordinary document.
Chen Shen felt as though he could walk the streets of Shanghai endlessly that night. He barely paid attention to the movie but took the opportunity to make a mold of the secretary’s office safe key. He figured he had already completed half of his mission, so he insisted on walking Liu Meina home. At the entrance of her apartment building, they stood in the cold air, gazing at each other for a long time. Finally, Liu Meina said, “Why don’t you come up for a while?”
Chen Shen smiled. The night seemed beautiful for a moment, but he didn’t go upstairs. He saw the brief flicker of a spark in Liu Meina’s eyes, a spark that quickly died like a flame doused by rain, leaving only a faint trace of smoke. He watched as she forced a smile and walked into the stairwell. Chen Shen could see the loneliness and disappointment in her retreating figure before she disappeared into the darkness of the building.
That night, Chen Shen bought a bag of roasted chestnuts and went to Li Xiaonan’s place. She sat on the steel-frame sofa smoking, and the ashtray on the coffee table in front of her was already filled with cigarette butts. When Chen Shen entered, he saw her through a cloud of smoke, looking like she had ascended into another realm. He placed the bag of chestnuts in front of her. Li Xiaonan sniffed the air and, after exhaling a puff of smoke, looked at Chen Shen and said, “You’ve been with another woman.”
“How do you know?” Chen Shen asked.
“I can smell the loneliness of another woman. Stay away from her. I can sense a dangerous air around her—it’s not right.”
Chen Shen squinted and smiled, “Mind your own business.”
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