Zoo

"Xiao Jie, come with me to the Paramount Ballroom tonight."

After settling Shen Ruoqiu in, Liu Jie returned to his office. Lu Chen handed him a cigarette, lit it himself, and spoke casually.

Paramount, the place Huang Dayong took the two of them to last time. Da Hu went there and died after returning.

"OK."

Xiao Jie nodded without hesitation.

Paramount is Zhang Rongshan's territory. Now that Lu Chen has taken over Huang Dayong's military police, he can only keep an eye on the Green Gang if he wants to expand his influence.

The rest were all small-scale operations; the money-making industries were basically monopolized by the Green Gang.

"Since we've chosen to have our own power, we must make it big!"

Lu Chen thought to himself that the main reason for going to see Zhang Rongshan tonight was to find out what businesses Zhang Rongshan controlled and his relationship with the Japanese.

"Okay, you just wait and see. I'll come over again tonight."

Getting up and leaving the office, Lu Chen was heading to Wang Yan's place. The truth about Huang Dayong's death couldn't be kept secret for long, and the position of warehouse director was now vacant. He needed to see how Wang Yan planned to handle the situation.

"Rat One, take this. If you get any useful information, let me know."

Lu Chen handed the receiver of the bugging device to Shu Yi. Whether it was because of his long-term contact with the Japanese army or because Shu Yi was too smart, he could now understand some simple Japanese words.

Moreover, animals are very sensitive to emotions, and if they hear something amiss on the other end of the listening device, they can immediately notify the listener to monitor it.

Lu Chen didn't intend to tell Wang Yan the truth; he would tell a small lie to clear his name.

"Huang Dayong is paralyzed, mute, and partially paralyzed. The Japanese are investigating, but they don't know who did it."

Lu Chen told Wang Yan directly that he already knew the location of the batch of logistical supplies that Huang Dayong wanted to sell, and that he would get them to him later.

Each time Lu Chen came to see Wang Yan, it was simply to exchange information. After finishing his conversation, Lu Chen left and returned home.

"We'll go see Zhang Rongshan later tonight, there's still so much time."

With so much time to spare, and the military police station being a place to waste time anyway, Lu Chen simply went home.

"uncle."

As soon as he entered the door, Xiao Yao rushed over, and Lu Chen picked her up in his arms.

Today is the weekend, so Xiaoyao doesn't have to go to school.

"Brother, I've made plans with some friends to go ice skating. I've never been to such a trendy place before. Xiao Yao will keep an eye on things for you today."

Lu Xiulian was wearing a dress, her hair styled in big waves, and carrying a handbag, looking every bit the wealthy lady.

Lu Chen nodded, telling her to come back early and not to stay outside for too long.

Now that the family is not short of money, Lu Xiulian doesn't need to go out to work. She has also made friends with several French women who speak Chinese, and they take her to places she has never even heard of before.

The French Concession was relatively safe during the day, so Lu Chen wasn't too worried, as long as he didn't stay out too late.

"So what should we do, Xiao Yao?"

Looking at Xiao Yao, Lu Chen didn't know what to do for a moment. To be honest, he didn't understand children. He could only tease them occasionally.

"Uncle, why don't you take me out to play? It's so boring staying at home every day."

Xiao Yao leaned on Lu Chen's shoulder, pouting. The school she attended was mostly filled with Chinese children, but Xiao Yao didn't want to play with them.

They were talking about things they didn't know, so they couldn't get along.

"Okay, let's go, your uncle will take you to play."

Lu Chen suddenly thought of Shen Ruoqiu, whom he had met once. She was a woman and should understand children better than he did.

He took Xiao Yao out the door and hailed a rickshaw to the military police station.

"Brother Chen? Who is this?"

Liu Jie looked at Xiao Yao, then at Lu Chen. Xiao Yao and Lu Chen looked somewhat alike.

Seeing Lu Chen like this, Liu Jie never expected that he was actually married and even had a child.

"This is my sister's child, the one you met last time. This is my niece."

Lu Chen gave a brief explanation and then asked Liu Jie where Shen Ruoqiu had been placed.

After Liu Jie gave him directions, Lu Chen told him to go about his own business.

"Shen Ruoqiu."

The sudden knocking startled Shen Ruoqiu, who was inside. After hearing Lu Chen's voice, she became flustered.

She had just washed herself clean, and the disguise on her face had been completely removed, revealing a rather pretty face.

He picked up the skin, somewhat flustered, and stuck it to his face. After fixing it in front of the mirror, he stepped forward and spoke.

"Chief, I just finished washing up, I'm sorry."

The moment Shen Ruoqiu opened the door, she saw the child in Lu Chen's arms who looked somewhat like him, and her heart skipped a beat.

He's married? Is this his child?

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing that Shen Ruoqiu's expression was a little off, Lu Chen subconsciously asked her for help.

"It's nothing, Chief. Did you need something from me?"

Shen Ruoqiu didn't understand why she had this feeling, but she still forced a smile and asked Lu Chen why he had suddenly contacted her.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I know too much about kids, and I thought you women would understand them better. I'm planning to take Xiaoyao out for some fun, do you want to come along?"

Lu Chen spoke calmly, and Shen Ruoqiu's half-pale face made the fake burns appear even redder.

Looking at that half of her face, Lu Chen felt that Shen Ruoqiu's eyes were somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before, but he couldn't quite place them.

"Uncle, why is this girl's face so red?"

Seeing the burns on Shen Ruoqiu's face, Xiao Yao looked at Lu Chen in confusion.

"My sister was injured before, so this is how she is. Your name is Xiao Yao? You're so cute."

Before Lu Chen could speak, Shen Ruoqiu answered Xiao Yao's question and poked her face with her finger.

She had just heard Xiao Yao call Lu Chen "uncle," and realized she was his niece! She was terrified; she thought he was married.

"Chief, I'll go change my clothes first."

Shen Ruoqiu closed the door and came out a moment later. Unlike the way women dress nowadays, Shen Ruoqiu was wearing a green shirt and light blue pants, looking extremely plain.

"Where are we going, Chief?"

As he walked out of the military police station, Lu Chen thought for a moment about places suitable for children to play.

"Let's go to the French Concession, to the zoo."

There are practically no places for children to play in the Chinese-controlled areas now, whereas there are many more in the French Concession.

"Xiao Yao, shall we go to the zoo?"

"Great! I've never been before, I want to see the big tiger!"

Xiao Yao clapped her hands and cheered, raising her hands high and cheering incessantly.

Lu Chen wasn't holding Xiao Yao right now; after all, she wasn't that little anymore, and it would be tiring to carry her all the time.

Watching Xiao Yao run happily forward, Lu Chen smiled faintly and glanced back without making a sound.

A dark figure vanished instantly where my gaze shifted.

"They're still following."

Lu Chen thought to himself that the people Kuroda sent were following him constantly, and he couldn't even find a chance to check when the mouse in his pocket gave him a hint that the bug was making a sound.

Shen Ruoqiu held Xiao Yao's hand, making Xiao Yao giggle non-stop. She caught a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of her eye. Her expression remained unchanged, but a sense of doubt arose in her heart.

"Have we been discovered?"