At Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman doubled over with laughter. Then, reaching out to tilt his chin upward, she fixed him with a gaze both alluring and dangerous, her breath sweet as orchids. "Well then... it seems Agent Qiu doesn't know me very well at all."
Qiu Tu frowned slightly, turning her words over in his mind. He had a nagging feeling that Qin Shuman had just let slip a critical piece of information, but for the moment he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
She didn't give him any more time to think, however.
As if sensing something was amiss, she poured herself a cup of cold water.
After downing the cold water, her eyes cleared slightly, and the dangerous aura around her dissipated considerably.
Then, gradually returning to her usual innocent persona, she asked, "By the way, why did you come looking for me so late? Is something going on?"
With that, she looked at Qiu Tu with concern. "Could it be that Yan Chen has..."
Qiu Tu's gaze swept over her. Taking a sip of his liquor, he said with a grim expression, "Yeah. Yan Chen is stirring up trouble again."
"Actually, ever since arriving at the Qin family compound, while I've been guarding you by day, I've been sneaking around every night gathering intelligence," he explained. "And wouldn't you know it, over the past two days, I really did turn up some leads."
Hearing this, Qin Shuman paused for a second before resting her chin in her palm and asking curiously, "What kind of leads?"
Qiu Tu's eyes sharpened, and he said with absolute conviction, "I found evidence suggesting the Qin family really might be colluding with the Military Department—and the anti-government army!"
As he spoke, Qiu Tu kept his eyes glued to Qin Shuman. He caught the sharp, sudden tensing of her slender waist.
"Oh? Is that so? Did you find any proof?" Qin Shuman asked casually.
Qiu Tu's brow furrowed. "A little, in fact. That's why I submitted a report to Yan Chen asking for reinforcements, bringing in a squad of Political Department agents for a covert investigation.
"Who would've thought Yan Chen, just to trip me up, would order them to march straight into the Qin family compound in broad daylight!"
At that, Qiu Tu slammed his fist onto the table in frustration. "The Qin family isn't stupid. That completely alerted the snake in the grass!"
With an aggrieved scowl, he tilted his head back and downed another glass.
At this, Qin Shuman seemed to consider something. Sipping her water thoughtfully, she asked, "So what do you plan to do?"
Qiu Tu kept drinking. "What else can I do? Keep investigating."
Qin Shuman took another sip. "And which angle do you plan to investigate from?"
And so the two chatted, drink after drink.
Neither knew how long they talked or how much was consumed...
Just as Qin Shuman was getting a clearer and clearer picture of Qiu Tu's plans, suddenly—she felt a large hand clasp around her waist!
A jolt went through her, and she hurriedly turned to look at Qiu Tu.
She discovered that Qiu Tu, who had been completely lucid a moment before, was now looking at her with a heavy, drunken gaze—probably from the alcohol catching up to him. His eyes carried something dangerous that dared anyone to touch...
Flustered, she pressed down on his hand as it reached toward the hem of her skirt and whispered, "Qiu—Qiu Tu, the servants are right outside!"
Qiu Tu's eyes were bleary and half-lidded, his handsome face flushed from the drink. Leaning close to her ear, he murmured softly, "Be good... cover your mouth, and nobody will know.
"Besides, I just want to share some intelligence with you."
As he spoke, his warm breath brushed against Qin Shuman's ear, sending a shiver of goosebumps rippling down her skin...
Half an hour later, Qin Shuman leaned against the bar counter, her waist weak and limp. Clutching her skirt, she glared after Qiu Tu's retreating back in mortified fury, muttering under her breath, "Bastard... absolute bastard!"
Meanwhile, Qiu Tu buckled his belt, pushed open the door with bleary eyes, and stepped out of the private bar. For some reason, several crimson bite marks now dotted his hand...
The maid waiting outside hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Glancing at Qiu Tu, she gave a slight curtsy.
Qiu Tu gave a nod and slurred drunkenly, "Miss Shuman had too much to drink too. She's having trouble walking. Help her back to her room to rest."
"Yes, sir."
The maid pushed open the door and entered the bar, while Qiu Tu swayed unsteadily out of Qin Shuman's courtyard.
Yet the moment he stepped beyond the courtyard gate, his stride gradually steadied, and the drunkenness in his eyes slowly receded, replaced by a cool, calculating depth.
'Drinking really does cause trouble.
'Too bad it wasn't me who slipped up, but Qin Shuman...
'She's been keeping up that act for so long, but after a few drinks today, she finally gave herself away.
'Even though she and I are grasshoppers tied to the same string right now, our stances aren't entirely aligned.
'For instance... proving the Qin family is truly colluding with the Military Department and the anti-government armed group benefits only me, not her.
'Because once I gather enough evidence, I can substantiate the lie and sell out both her and the Qin family.
'Under these circumstances, she didn't worry about how I would protect her once I found the evidence. Instead, she was only interested in which angle I was going to investigate. That doesn't fit her persona at all...
'Looks like my intuition was right all along: there's definitely something fishy about her identity.
'Now that the bait is cast, I just need to see which faction reaches out to me to find out who Qin Shuman really works for...
'And I can finally figure out why they've been dogging my steps all this time.'
With these thoughts, Qiu Tu felt the dense fog that had shrouded him since his transmigration begin to thin. He could almost make out the faint contours of the truth...
Returning to the guard corps' quarters, he found Cao Dabiao had already been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Qiu Tu arrive so late, Cao Dabiao's eyes burned with fury. His voice was squeezed almost through gritted teeth. "The commander certainly keeps busy with official duties. This subordinate has been waiting here for hours."
Qiu Tu paid him no mind, not even bothering to answer the complaint.
He took a seat casually and smoothly changed the subject. "Brother Biao, how old are you this year?"
Cao Dabiao failed to keep up with Qiu Tu's erratic train of thought, but replied anyway, "Thirty-five."
"Oh," Qiu Tu murmured. He took a sip of tea, then looked up and asked, "As far as I recall, there aren't any prominent Cao families or syndicate leaders in all of Xinjie City, are there?"
Cao Dabiao's eyes flickered, but he didn't answer directly.
Qiu Tu set the teacup aside and tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. "A temporary agent makes three hundred copper coins a month. A Rank 3 agent earns one silver dollar and five hundred copper coins. A Rank 2 agent makes three silver dollars, and a Rank 1 agent makes eight.
"Xinjie City was founded only a year ago, and the Political Department was established just six months ago. Subtracting your everyday expenses, how much do you have in savings? Thirty silver dollars?"
Cao Dabiao parted his lips as if to say something, but ended up closing his mouth.
Seeing this, Qiu Tu walked into the inner room, brought out the chest containing the operational funds, and opened it on the table. Inside, rows of silver dollars gleamed brightly enough to dazzle the eyes.
He sat back down and said deliberately, "I am twenty-one years old, hold the same rank as you, have higher-ups in the sanctuary backing me from above, and have the Director's support from below.
"I'm young, rich, influential, and I'm your commanding officer. What are you going to fight me with?
"Even if you manage to make things difficult for me now, once I get promoted in a few months, bringing you to heel will be as easy as turning over my hand."
Chapter 32