Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 32: Qin Shuman Sliped Up

Hearing Qiu Tu’s words, Qin Shuman laughed heartily. She reached out, lifted Qiu Tu’s chin, and looked at him with a captivating yet dangerous gaze, whispering, “Agent Qiu, it seems you don’t know me well enough.”

Qiu Tu frowned slightly, pondering the meaning behind her words. He felt as if Qin Shuman had revealed something crucial, but he couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

Before he could think further, Qin Shuman, sensing something amiss, poured herself a glass of cold water. After drinking it, her eyes cleared slightly, and the dangerous aura around her diminished.

She reverted to her usual innocent demeanor, “By the way, what brings you here? Did something happen with Yan Chen again?”

Qiu Tu glanced at her, then, while sipping his drink, replied thoughtfully, “Yes, Yan Chen is causing trouble again.”

He continued, “Actually, since arriving at the Qin family, I’ve been guarding you during the day and scouting around at night.”

“To be honest, after two days of investigation, I’ve discovered some leads.”

Qin Shuman paused, resting her chin on her hand curiously, “What leads?”

Qiu Tu, eyes sharp, declared firmly, “I found that the Qin family might indeed be colluding with the military and the anti-government forces!”

As he said this, Qiu Tu watched Qin Shuman intently, noticing her waist tense slightly.

“Oh? Really? Did you find any evidence?” Qin Shuman asked nonchalantly.

Qiu Tu frowned, “Actually, I found some. So, I reported to Yan Chen for reinforcements, requesting a team of Political Division agents for a secret investigation.”

“But who knew Yan Chen would mess with me by having the agents enter the Qin family openly!”

He pounded the table in frustration, “The Qin family isn’t stupid. This completely alerts them!”

He downed another drink in frustration.

Qin Shuman, seemingly deep in thought, drank some water before asking, “So, what’s your plan?”

Qiu Tu continued drinking, “What else can I do? Keep investigating.”

Qin Shuman continued sipping her water, “Where will you start?”

As they drank and chatted, time passed unknowingly.

As Qin Shuman learned more about Qiu Tu’s plan, she suddenly felt a hand on her waist.

Startled, she looked at Qiu Tu, only to see that the previously sober Qiu Tu now looked drunk, his eyes filled with an unreadable intensity.

Panicking slightly, she tried to push away his hand that was lifting her skirt, whispering, “Qiu Tu, the maid is still outside!”

Qiu Tu, his face flushed with drunkenness, leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “Be quiet, no one will know.”

“And I just want to exchange some information with you.”

His warm breath on her ear sent shivers down her spine.

Half an hour later, Qin Shuman, her waist weak, leaned against the bar, holding her skirt, angrily muttering, “Bastard, you’re such a bastard!”

Qiu Tu, fastening his belt, pushed open the door and left the bar, his hand inexplicably marked with several crimson bite marks.

The maid outside, noticing nothing unusual, glanced at Qiu Tu, bowed slightly.

Qiu Tu nodded at her, drunkenly saying, “Miss Qin is also drunk and can’t walk. Help her back to her room.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The maid entered the bar while Qiu Tu staggered out of Qin Shuman’s courtyard. However, as he left, his steps became steady, and his eyes cleared, filled with deep contemplation.

‘Drinking can indeed cause mistakes.’

‘But fortunately, it wasn’t me, it was Qin Shuman.’

‘She pretended for so long, but a few drinks made her slip.’

‘Although we are currently allies, our positions differ slightly.’

‘For instance, proving the Qin family’s collusion with the military and anti-government forces benefits me but not her.’

‘Because, with enough evidence, I could betray her and the Qin family.’

‘In this context, she didn’t worry about how I’d protect her but about where I’d investigate. This doesn’t fit her persona.’

‘It seems my intuition was right: there’s something off about her identity.’

‘Now that the bait is set, I’ll just wait to see who contacts me, then I’ll know whose side Qin Shuman is on.’

‘And I’ll understand why they’re so fixated on me.’

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu felt the fog surrounding his rebirth starting to clear, revealing the outline of the truth.

Returning to the guard team’s base, Qiu Tu found Cao Dabiao waiting for a long time.

Seeing Qiu Tu’s late arrival, Cao Dabiao’s eyes blazed with anger, his voice strained with suppressed fury, “Sir, you’ve been very busy. I’ve been waiting here for hours.”

Qiu Tu ignored him and didn’t even answer his question.

He sat down leisurely, changing the topic seamlessly, “How old are you this year, Dabiao?”

Cao Dabiao, struggling to keep up with Qiu Tu’s erratic conversation, replied, “Thirty-five.”

Qiu Tu nodded, taking a sip of tea, then asked, “I don’t recall any major families or organizations with the surname Cao in New Realm City, correct?”

Cao Dabiao’s eyes flickered, not answering directly.

Qiu Tu set his teacup aside, tapping the table lightly, “A temporary agent earns 300 copper coins a month, a third-level agent earns 1 silver coin plus 500 copper coins, a second-level agent earns 3 silver coins, and a first-level agent earns 8 silver coins.”

“New Realm City has been established for a year, and the Political Division has been around for half a year. After deducting daily expenses, how much have you saved? 30 silver coins?”

Cao Dabiao opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu brought the box of operational funds to the table, opening it to reveal the shining silver coins.

He sat back down, speaking slowly, “I’m 21, the same rank as you, with backing from high-ranking shelter officials and support from the director.”

“I’m young, wealthy and powerful. And I’m your superior. What do you have against me?”

“Even if you succeed in obstructing me, in a few months, I’ll get promoted and can deal with you effortlessly.”

Author's Note