Glancing at the unfamiliar number, Qiu Tu tapped open the message.
Inside was just a single, brief sentence: *Agent Qiu, I have intel that will interest you. If you wish to cooperate, please meet me at the Milan Hotel tonight at eight o'clock.*
Reading the message, Qiu Tu rubbed his chin in quiet contemplation.
Which fish was biting now?
City Hall? The Military Department? Another branch of the Qin family? Or perhaps an anti-government organization?
And did this mysterious number have any connection to Qin Shuman, or was it simply an outsider?
With so little information, Qiu Tu had no way of knowing for sure.
What he did know, however, was that an intriguing choice now lay before him:
Fourth Master Qin, or the mystery person?
The Zhizhen Grand Hotel, or the Milan Hotel?
At the thought, Qiu Tu's gaze turned inscrutable.
Time ticked by, and several hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Seven o'clock in the evening.
Outside the Zhizhen Grand Hotel.
Dressed in plain clothes and flanked by two trusted subordinates, Cao Dabiao swaggered inside with a cigarette dangling from his lips.
At the sight of the three men, a tall hostess hurried over with a warm smile, bowing slightly. "Good evening, gentlemen. Do you have a reservation?"
With the cigarette bouncing between his teeth, Cao Dabiao gave a haughty nod. "Room 107."
"One moment, please," the hostess replied, beaming.
She checked her register, looked up, and asked, "Are you Mr. Cao?"
Cao Dabiao nodded.
The hostess gestured politely with an outstretched hand. "Right this way, please." With that, she turned to lead the way.
Trailing behind her, Cao Dabiao and his two men kept sweeping their eyes over the layout of the Zhizhen Grand Hotel from the corners of their vision.
Before long, they arrived at the private room, and Cao Dabiao's group stepped inside.
After looking over the room's decor with satisfaction, Cao Dabiao pulled a one-hundred-denomination copper coin from his chest pocket and held it out to the hostess.
The hostess's eyes lit up. Just as she eagerly reached out to take it, Cao Dabiao caught sight of the denomination out of the corner of his eye. He hastily snatched it back, pulled out a ten-denomination copper coin instead, and handed that to her.
The smile vanished from the hostess's face. Accepting it tepidly, she gave Cao Dabiao a stiff curtsy and swayed out of the room.
Once she had sashayed out of sight, Cao Dabiao and his two subordinates dropped their swagger.
The two lackeys leaned in close to Cao Dabiao and whispered, "Brother Biao, what are we doing here?"
With no outsiders around, Cao Dabiao abandoned his careless posture. He gestured toward the open doorway.
One subordinate stepped over and deftly shut the door. Only then did Cao Dabiao speak in a hushed tone. "We're here on an assignment."
He checked his watch and murmured, "At eight o'clock, two groups will be meeting in the room next door.
"Our objective is to wiretap them and take photographs of both parties."
With that, he signaled to the two men. Catching on immediately, they pulled small devices from inside their coats.
Cao Dabiao slung an arm around each of their shoulders and laid out the plan in a whisper. "In a bit, Lao Liu, you go to the restroom. On your way back, deliberately walk into the wrong room and plant the listening device next door.
"Lao Qi, go smoke in the hallway. Once you see the targets enter their room, find a chance to snap some pictures with the camera.
"If you don't find an opening, memorize their faces down to the last detail so we can piece together a composite sketch when we get back."
The two subordinates nodded to accept their orders.
Once the orders were given, however, Xiao Liu—sitting right beside Cao Dabiao—suddenly realized something. Curiously, he asked, "Then what are you going to do, Brother Biao?"
Cao Dabiao smacked him on the head and snapped in annoyance, "Are you stupid?! I'll be handling the hardest task of all—ordering the food!"
With that, he grumbled under his breath, "Last night I got called back halfway through dinner and starved for half the night. Since we're on official duty today, I'm going to make up for it!
"Qiu Tu's expensing it anyway. Might as well squeeze him for every cent."
Xiao Liu clutched his head, looking enlightened.
Beside them, Xiao Qi chimed in curiously, "By the way, Brother Biao, are we really going to follow Qiu Tu from now on?"
At Xiao Qi's question, Cao Dabiao's expression shifted through several emotions—he was reminded of a small episode from that afternoon.
Earlier today, while he was merrily counting his silver dollars, an unfamiliar call had suddenly come through on his communicator.
The person on the other end claimed to be one of Qiu Tu's men, stating that under Qiu Tu's orders, they were preparing to join the Political Department and needed Cao Dabiao to provide a recommendation.
Upon hearing this introduction, Cao Dabiao's first reaction was to suspect a scammer.
But immediately after, he realized something: Xinjie City was newly established, and communicators were reserved exclusively for government personnel and prominent figures of immense wealth and power.
A scammer wouldn't have access to a communicator.
Furthermore, not only did the caller know his private number, but they also accurately named him and his department. It really didn't look like fraud.
Utterly baffled, he had gone to confirm the matter with Qiu Tu.
Even hours later, that scene was still fresh in Cao Dabiao's memory.
When he found Qiu Tu, the man was seated behind a desk, copying a document.
After listening to Cao Dabiao's report, Qiu Tu hadn't even looked up, replying with complete nonchalance, "They're my men. I plan on having them join the Political Department. Help me out by giving them a recommendation."
Back then, Cao Dabiao's face had contorted through a kaleidoscope of expressions.
He had wanted to argue, to ask things like, *They're your men, so why don't you recommend them yourself?* or *Why the hell do I have to be the recommender?*
Yet he had just taken Qiu Tu's money the previous night, and he had been working under him all this time, completely in his grip. Reason and circumstance left him no room to refuse.
In the end, he had no choice but to swallow his pride, plaster on a servile smile, and get the job done.
Yet the more Cao Dabiao thought about it afterward, the more uneasy he felt.
He felt as though Qiu Tu had dragged him onto a pirate ship.
The issue wasn't whether the task was done, but how it was done! Qiu Tu had acted first and informed him later, forcing his hand!
If he didn't refuse this time, would Qiu Tu keep doing the same thing, forcing him to do other favors down the line?
One or two favors wouldn't hurt, but if this kept happening, wouldn't he be reduced to Qiu Tu's total vassal?
Once Cao Dabiao realized all this, a cold sweat broke out across his back.
He wanted to get off the ship and stop playing Qiu Tu's game, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.
After all, he had just done Qiu Tu a favor today without seeing any reward for it. If they had a falling out now, not only would his effort be wasted, but he would also face Qiu Tu's wrath—and might even have to return those eighty silver dollars!
How could he accept that?
Humans were creatures of self-consolation. After weighing it back and forth, Cao Dabiao ultimately decided to wait and see.
He thought to himself: *Maybe Qiu Tu won't pull this kind of stunt again in the future? Maybe Qiu Tu can offer me even greater benefits...?*
And so, faced with his subordinate's question, his answer remained deliberately noncommittal. "Yeah... we'll stick with Qiu Tu for now. If things don't work out, we'll talk then..."
Meanwhile, as Cao Dabiao conducted his surveillance at the Zhizhen Grand Hotel...
Qiu Tu arrived alone at the Milan Hotel.
Chapter 34