The country entrusted me to buy an aircraft carrier, Hou Liangping, do you dare to investigate?

Hou Liangping was about to say something when Su Fei pressed a finger to his lips.

"Don't say anything, just feel it." Sophie leaned down and pressed her red lips to Hou Liangping's lips...

Hou Liangping felt as if he had been run over by a truck, his head throbbing with pain. Waves of nausea from the hangover washed over him, causing him to gag a few times. He propped himself up with his heavy head and sat up, finding himself lying on a hotel bed, his clothes disheveled.

"Damn it..." He rubbed his temples, trying to recall what had happened last night. Sophie's alluring face and her fiery body flashed through his mind like scenes from a movie.

"Damn!" He suddenly remembered his indulgence last night, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He clearly remembered that he only wanted to get some information about Huang Feipeng from Sophie, how did it end up like this...?

Just then, his phone on the bedside table started vibrating, and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. He suppressed his unease and answered the call.

"Director Hou, did you sleep well last night?" Sophie's voice carried a hint of mockery, like a feather gently tickling his ear, yet it sent chills down his spine.

"What...what do you want to do?" Hou Liangping tried to keep his voice calm, but his hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

"Isn't Director Hou well aware of what I'm planning to do?" Sophie chuckled. "I've taken some very interesting photos, and I'm sure you'll find them fascinating."

Hou Liangping felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He understood that Sophie was threatening him, and he had no room to resist.

"What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth, knowing he had no way out.

“It’s simple, help me deal with Huang Feipeng.” Sophie’s voice was cold and resolute. “I will ruin his reputation, I will make him pay the price!”

Hou Liangping fell silent, his heart filled with conflict and struggle. He knew Sophie was a dangerous woman, and cooperating with her was tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin. However, if he didn't agree to Sophie's demands, once those photos were exposed, his career and family would be ruined.

"What, even my Director Hou is hesitant?" Sophie's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "Haven't you always wanted to bring down Huang Feipeng? Now the opportunity is right in front of you, what are you waiting for?"

"Why should I believe you?" Hou Liangping forced himself to calm down. "We're not related, why are you helping me?"

“Because we have a common enemy.” Sophie’s voice suddenly turned low. “If Huang Feipeng doesn’t die, none of us will be alright.”

"Who exactly are you?" Hou Liangping keenly caught the information in Su Fei's words. He vaguely sensed that Su Fei's identity was not simple.

“Who I am is not important. What matters is that I know who you are and what you are thinking.” Sophie’s voice seemed to possess a certain magic, piercing through Hou Liangping’s psychological defenses. “You want revenge, you want to prove yourself, you want to be a hero, right?”

“I can make all of this happen for you, but you have to do as I say.” Sophie’s voice was full of temptation. “I will give you everything you need: money, intelligence, and even… power.”

Hou Liangping's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone. He knew he had reached a crossroads in his life. One side was an abyss, the other a path strewn with thorns; whichever path he chose, he would pay a heavy price.

"I..." He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

“Don’t rush, my Director Hou,” Sophie said, as if she could read his mind. “I can give you time to think it over, but you’d better hurry, because time waits for no one.”

"Beep...beep..." A busy tone came from the other end of the phone. Hou Liangping put down his phone helplessly, feeling like prey trapped in a spider web, only able to watch helplessly as he walked step by step into the abyss.

He walked to the window, looking at the bustling streets outside. The prosperity and hustle and bustle of the capital city contrasted sharply with his current state of mind. He suddenly remembered the oath he had taken when he joined the anti-corruption bureau, his former ideals and ambitions, but now, all of that seemed so distant and unattainable.

"Huang Feipeng..." he gritted his teeth as he muttered the name, his eyes filled with hatred and anger. "You just wait, I will personally send you to prison!"

As night fell, the neon lights of Handong flickered with a mesmerizing glow, like alluring fairies. Hou Liangping sat alone in his office, thick smoke swirling around him, as if threatening to devour him. Sophie's words echoed incessantly in his ears like the tongue of a venomous snake.

The photos, those damned photos! Hou Liangping stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, as if it were Sophie's face. He had considered a fight to the death, but the thought of Zhong Xiaoai's disappointed eyes filled him with helplessness. He knew Zhong Xiaoai too well; that woman, seemingly strong and domineering, actually valued her dignity above all else. If those photos were made public, she would leave him without hesitation, and might even hate him for the rest of her life.

"Damn it!" Hou Liangping roared, slamming his fist on the table. The intense pain brought him back to his senses. He couldn't just sit and wait to die; he had to find Sophie's weakness, he had to turn the tide!

Just then, there was a soft knock on the office door. Hou Liangping looked up alertly and asked in a deep voice, "Who is it?"

"It's me." A seductive voice came from outside the door, tinged with a hint of teasing and mockery. "My dear Director Hou, still working overtime so late?"

Hou Liangping's heart sank; he knew who it was. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and said coldly, "Come in."

Sophie pushed open the door and entered. Today, she was wearing a black low-cut evening gown that perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure. She swayed her serpentine waist and gracefully walked up to Hou Liangping, handing him a glass of red wine. Her red lips parted slightly: "Would you like a glass? This is an '82 Lafite, it's very expensive."

Hou Liangping didn't take the wine glass. He looked coldly at Su Fei and said, word by word, "What exactly do you want?"

Sophie chuckled softly and gracefully sat down in the chair opposite Hou Liangping, her long legs crossed, making her appear even more alluring. "My dear Director Hou, why are you so nervous? I'm just here to discuss a collaboration with you."

"Cooperation?" Hou Liangping sneered. "Do you think there's any possibility of cooperation between us?"

“Of course,” Sophie said confidently. “I know what you want, and I know how you can get it.”