Chapter 45: Subtle Tactics

Jiangxi Wen’s words were measured, much like what he’d said to Zhang Yong, but this time layered with more hints. There were two possible reasons why Zhang Song, bypassing his son who was deputy mayor, had come to see him. The first was that Zhang Yong knew certain things, kept them secret not only from Jiangxi Wen but also from his own father, causing the old man to worry about his granddaughter and forcing him to seek answers from Jiangxi Wen without his son’s knowledge.

The second possibility was that Zhang Yong had some unspeakable connection with the kidnappers. Although Jiangxi Wen was only fifteen, his demeanor led Zhang Yong to suspect he knew something, prompting his father, Zhang Song, to put everything aside for his son and test Jiangxi Wen.

Facing the old war hero Zhang Song, Jiangxi Wen preferred to believe the first possibility, and in truth, he leaned toward it. At the family dinner that day, when he suddenly asked if Liu Dashan had visited, he could tell from the different expressions on Zhang Song and Zhang Yong’s faces that Zhang Yong had also hidden something from his father.

After listening to Jiangxi Wen, Zhang Song was briefly taken aback, then fell into thought. “Hmm, Wen, if I were you, I’d have done the same. When the enemy is unclear, the best strategy is caution. But what I don’t understand is, if you were suspicious, why speak up that day?”

Zhang Song had spent half his life as a soldier and then over a decade in government service. His straightforwardness had not changed, but carefulness had become his habit. He naturally understood why Jiangxi Wen wasn’t completely candid with him.

Jiangxi Wen smiled and replied, “For the sake of my friends, I’ve said all I needed to say. If you have a way to get to the bottom of all this, that would be best.”

“Wen, when this is over, I must have a good chat with you,” Zhang Song sighed. “I have no idea who your father is, but he’s raised quite a remarkable son.”

At these words, Jiangxi Wen’s mind stirred. “Maybe you know my father,” he said, pointing to a magazine on the desk. “He’s the chief editor of this magazine. His name is Jiang Hong.”

Jiangxi Wen appeared nonchalant, but was quietly observing Zhang Song’s reaction. Perhaps this was a chance for his father’s candidacy for county chief. He recalled his father had a column in “Yangjiang Communications,” around three thousand words each time, summarizing the latest policies or offering commentary. Within the bounds of the main political line, his father often expressed new and useful ideas for urban development—ideas which, though ignored at the time, proved valuable later.

In his past life, he often saw his father, at home, proudly showing off these old pieces, as if making up for past disappointments.

“Jiang Hong?” Zhang Song suddenly understood. “No wonder. No wonder. I’ve read your father’s articles—he’s quite bold.”

Jiangxi Wen laughed. “Well, you, my father, and I together make a trio of bold tigers.”

He caught the praise in Zhang Song’s words, and responded accordingly, drawing closer to the old soldier. As for anything about the county chief election, he knew better than to bring it up directly.

The old man chuckled. “Wen, you’re quite the character—just my kind of person. When all this is settled, we’ll talk again.”

Jiangxi Wen understood his meaning. The old man regretted that Jiangxi Wen couldn’t be completely open with him, but he also understood why. Given the circumstances, Jiangxi Wen was at a disadvantage—just a child—if he truly faced a conspiracy between the mayor and his son, he had to protect himself.

With all said that could be said, Jiangxi Wen took his leave. Zhang Song, knowing nothing more could be discussed today and with his daughter-in-law about to return, did not insist on his staying.

On the way back to school, the same capable young man drove him. As he got out, he happened to run into his father’s colleague, the deputy director of the Policy Research Office, who was coming out of the school. The deputy director’s son was notoriously mischievous, so visits to the teachers were common for him.

Seeing Jiangxi Wen get out of the old Red Flag sedan, the deputy director was surprised and half-jokingly asked, “Wen, whose car is that? Specially picking you up and dropping you off.”

Jiangxi Wen put on a sunny smile. “It’s my Grandpa Zhang’s car, Uncle Chen. I have to hurry back to class—goodbye!” With that, he dashed into the school, leaving Deputy Director Chen staring after the departing Red Flag, stunned.

Jiangxi Wen didn’t know how useful this little act would be—perhaps not at all—but if Deputy Director Chen realized that this Grandpa Zhang was the first provincial party secretary from the early eighties, Zhang Song, and that his son was Zhang Yong, the news might quietly spread through the municipal government offices.

This would improve his father’s chances at the county chief election. Although Jiangxi Wen didn’t know exactly which leaders would have a say, he was sure that, once they learned of the relationship he’d carefully constructed between his father and the Zhang family, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to ask Zhang Yong directly; at most, they’d probe discreetly. This would give his father a mysterious and powerful aura.

These little tricks were things Jiangxi Wen had picked up in his previous life as a senior programmer leading projects at SSUN, after many dealings with various enterprises and government agencies.

While he hadn’t been adept at networking then, keen observation had made him thoroughly understand the subtle relationships between people, and those insights were still just as useful in this era.

The early December chill made even midday in Yangjiang bone-cold. Jiangxi Wen warmed himself with a bowl of the city’s signature spicy fried noodles at a small shop before returning to the school computer lab.

As soon as he saw Fatty Qi, Jiangxi Wen had him stage another act: call Fan Qiang and ask him out. As expected, Fan Qiang was tough on the phone, bluntly falling out with Fatty Qi. At Jiangxi Wen’s hint, Qi Huan Chang demanded ten thousand yuan as hush money, threatening to cause a scene at Tian Weidong’s place in Shanghai. Fan Qiang, with no other choice, agreed to come to the school immediately.

Jiangxi Wen knew Fan Qiang would never actually pay the ten thousand. The aim of this performance was not only to convince Fan Qiang that Qi Huan Chang had really fallen out with Jiangxi Wen, but also to lure Fan Qiang away from Tianxing, so that while he was gone, Jiangxi Wen could investigate in person. He wanted to see if Fan Qiang had actually recommended the system to Tian Weidong in Shanghai, and whether Tian Weidong, in his usual style, had called back to check with his staff about the system’s effectiveness.

At two in the afternoon, ten minutes after Fan Qiang left Tianxing School, Jiangxi Wen arrived. The teachers there all knew him—as the principal’s honored guest and the young genius behind the computer room management system—and greeted him warmly. They told him Principal Fan had just left and would return soon. Jiangxi Wen sat and chatted, inquiring about the system’s usage. The teachers’ replies were exactly what he wanted: only in the past few days had Chairman Tian heard about the system and called each teacher to ask about it.

So, Fan Qiang had indeed failed to report this earlier, only notifying Tian Weidong in the past two days. As Jiangxi Wen listened, he was already calculating his next move.