“I love you, I think of you always, yet we can never be together again.”
They met amid the chaos of war, but fate denied them peace and union in calmer times. It was a love engraved deeply over years—a passion intense yet fated to be brief in this lifetime.
On that snowy day, as flakes drifted thick and fast, he stepped off the plane, and she waited not far away. He approached slowly, eyes fixed on a face both familiar and strange, lifting his gaze into a moment that felt eternal. Between them lay the endless river of time.
This is no mere tale; it is a fragment of reality.
He was Shen Zui, once a senior general of the Kuomintang and a dominant figure in the secretive Military Intelligence Bureau, trusted deeply by Dai Li. After the Nationalist government fell on the mainland, Shen was arrested in Kunming, Yunnan.
In 1960, Shen was granted a special pardon and appointed a historical research official at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference’s literature and history committee.
Through a turbulent era, Shen Zui’s life weathered many storms, and so did his love for his former wife, Su Yanping—an affair marked by hardship and change.
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From the innocent passion of youth to the sweet companionship of marriage, their bond was no match for the cruel twists of fate, ultimately settling into a gentle smile born of understanding and warmth.
Born in 1914 into a prosperous family—landowners and bourgeoisie—Shen grew up with access to excellent education. Gifted and diligent, he excelled academically, breaking into tears only if he failed to secure first place.
In his youth, influenced by revolutionary ideals, he boldly declared in front of his father his desire to “overthrow the landlords and tyrants.” At that time, Shen was both intellectually and physically accomplished, mastering the Southern Fist martial art with vigor.
Yet at eighteen, after leading a student protest, he was expelled and forced to move to Shanghai, where he lived with his sister Shen Jinhui and her husband Yu Lexing.
It was then that fate began to turn, setting his path to intertwine with Su Yanping’s.
Yu Lexing had a hidden past—once a Communist, later defecting and now an agent in Dai Li’s Revival Society, highly valued by Dai Li himself.
Yu introduced Shen Zui to the Revival Society, where he began as a liaison officer. Soon after, Dai Li himself noticed Shen’s talents, promoting him to lead the Shanghai French Concession intelligence group.
Excellence marked everything Shen did; he mastered reconnaissance, assassination, communication, and stealth, becoming a formidable agent and laying the groundwork for his rapid rise in officialdom.
When the war with Japan broke out in 1937, the Revival Society became the Military Intelligence Bureau. Within this agency, Shen earned a fearsome reputation as a daring and precise assassin.
Furious at Japan’s aggression, Shen operated undercover in Shanghai, gathering military intelligence, sabotaging enemy facilities, and eliminating key targets to disrupt Japanese operations.
His outstanding contributions and frontline bravery earned him the unanimous respect of the bureau and the personal favor of Dai Li.
In 1942, he was promoted to Major General and Chief of the Bureau’s General Affairs Department, basking in unparalleled glory.
With success in his career came warmth in his heart. Beneath his iron exterior beat a tender affection.
“May we be lifelong partners, and all worldly matters become trivial,” he once wrote to her in poetry.
At that time, she was a blossoming young woman, born to a wealthy merchant family, well-read and exposed to progressive ideas.
Tragedy struck early; her beloved mother passed away when she was young, and with an absent father and a cruel stepmother, she resolved to forge her own path. She enrolled in the Nationalist Central Military Academy’s Seventh Branch, later joining a special training course for spies in Changde, Hunan.
Su Yanping was no ordinary woman—uninterested in fashion, passionate about arms, independent, resolute, and fiercely intelligent. She became Shen’s greatest love.
In 1938, Shen was an instructor at the spy training school, where Su’s courage and beauty caught everyone’s eye.
During a swimming lesson when others hesitated, Su jumped in despite not knowing how to swim and soon found herself in danger. Shen plunged in to save her.
Handsome and composed, Shen was a gentleman around women. Their romance blossomed swiftly amidst the war’s brief calm.
Su devoted herself to training, eager to build a new life away from her troubled family. Shen gave her special lessons, and in those moments, their hearts grew inseparable.
Their love was no mere teacher-student bond. Military law forbade marriages among intelligence officers.
After much thought, Shen pleaded with his brother-in-law for leniency, explaining their childhood betrothal and deep bond. Dai Li, valuing Shen as a trusted right-hand man, reluctantly consented.
Thus, their quiet wedding sealed a love forged in fire.
Before Su, Shen had once been involved with a female writer, Mo Ye, pen name Bai Bing, editor of revolutionary publications and lyricist of the famous “Ode to Yan’an.”
Their passion was fierce but ultimately undone by differing ideals.
Yet none compared to the depth of Shen and Su’s devotion.
Married, they lived a modest but tender life, though visits from relatives were rare.
But happiness was fleeting.
Soon after their wedding, Changsha fell, and Shen found himself trapped in a siege. Worrying for him, Su set out alone on a perilous journey to find him.
Her path was fraught with hardship, every rumor she heard more grim than the last. Disguised as a soldier, she entered the city and found Shen safe.
Tasked with rooting out enemies, Shen discovered his wife’s secret arrival, and their embrace was a fierce, unbreakable bond amidst the chaos.
Their love, tested by war, held both everyday cares and the ultimate loyalty of life and death.
Life in wartime was harsh. Su gave up work to care for their children and Shen, remaining youthful and elegant among official wives.
Shen often took Su to Military Intelligence Bureau banquets, where her presence dazzled all.
At one event, Dai Li’s gaze lingered on Su, prompting him to inquire about her. Hearing the question, Shen nervously confirmed: “Su Yanping is my wife.”
Though Dai Li nodded, Shen’s sweat ran cold, knowing the chief’s notorious desires.
Afterward, Su withdrew from public events to avoid unwanted attention.
Over eleven years of marriage, they raised five daughters and one son—years marked by love and loyalty, treasured memories even as separation loomed.
When the Civil War escalated, the Nationalists faltered. Shen, unwilling to abandon his homeland but fearing for his family, sent them to Hong Kong for safety—unaware this would be their final parting.
Arrested in Kunming, Shen was imprisoned for ten years in Beijing’s Gongdelin War Criminal Management Facility, severing all contact with Su.
In prison, Shen often thought of his wife and children, yearning for reunion and worrying over their welfare.
He wore a wool sweater she knitted, feeling her presence close despite distance. His diaries overflowed with recollections and longing.
Ten years dragged on, a harsh trial few men endure, yet Shen remained steadfast, embracing reform and reflecting on his past mistakes.
Finally, in 1960, Shen was among the second batch of pardoned prisoners by the new government, released on November 28.
Before release, he joined the Yunnan Uprising, making amends with deeds for the people despite past transgressions.
After freedom, Shen sought news of Su, only to learn she had remarried.
Believing Shen dead after the mainland’s liberation, she had received compensation from the Nationalists and, struggling to raise six children alone, eventually remarried Tang Rushan, another Nationalist officer who helped her resettle in Hong Kong.
Thus, fate tore them apart.
Though Shen understood, the pain lingered deeply.
In his memoir “My Thirty Years,” he wrote: “The news struck me like thunder from a clear sky. After reading the letter, I nearly collapsed! No, I refuse to believe it... My beloved, I feel as though a knife pierces my heart!”
Despondent, Shen withdrew, drowning sorrow in drink.
Concerned friends introduced a nurse named Du Xuejie to him, hoping to bring new light to his life.
Su’s childhood nickname was “Xuexue,” and Du’s name also contained the character “Xue.”
Perhaps fate, or chance, brought Du into Shen’s life, and eventually they wed, allowing Shen a fresh start.
Shen remained attentive and caring in his later years, cherishing Du’s companionship deeply.
He kept his post at the historical committee, always bringing gifts back for Du after travels—fabrics, trinkets chosen with care.
He noted her preferences and wishes in a special notebook, honoring her likes and dreams.
In the quiet flow of time, these peaceful days were filled with warmth and contentment. Yet Shen’s heart held a quiet ache, often gazing toward Hong Kong, where Su lived.
Though they corresponded before his marriage to Du, Su wished him happiness, but the past remained unresolved.
Understanding this, Du arranged a meeting between them, knowing only acceptance could heal old wounds.
On a snowy day at Hong Kong airport, Shen stepped from the plane, and Su waited calmly ahead, just as she had in countless nights of their youth.
Time had etched lines on their faces; both had built new families.
Before meeting, Su feared his anger, his blame, his reproach.
The man who once killed with a gun now carried the soft calm of age.
He told her, “We will always be family.”
Then turning to her current husband, he said, “I’m the third brother in my family. Call me Third Brother. Thank you for taking care of Yanping all these years. Please continue to look after her for me.”
Their reunion sparked a media frenzy, but the two faced it with serene hearts, having
