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

Hou Liangping had an undisguised smug look on his face. "Thanks to you, we've cracked several major cases recently, and the higher-ups are very satisfied with my work." He raised his glass and lightly clinked it with Sophie's. "Come on, this is a toast to you. Thank you for the intelligence you provided; it was a great help to me."

Sophie's lips curled into a sly smile. "We're friends, aren't we? It's only natural for friends to help each other out."

“Yes, friend…” Hou Liangping murmured to himself, his eyes gazing dreamily at Sophie before him, a strange stirring rising in his heart. During this time, Sophie had not only provided him with a wealth of intelligence but also given him much emotional support, offering him a sliver of solace during his setbacks in his career.

He couldn't help but reach out and grasp Sophie's hand. "Sophie, thank you, thank you so much..."

Sophie let him hold her hand, a barely perceptible glint of smugness flashing in her eyes. "Everything you want, I'll get for you..."

Looking into Su Fei's captivating eyes, Hou Liangping's heart raced and his breath quickened. He lowered his head, wanting to kiss those alluring red lips...

Hou Liangping's hand hovered in mid-air, but ultimately didn't fall. Sophie's eyes were deep and unfathomable, a playful smile playing on her lips, as if she had already seen through his thoughts. The melodious piano music continued in the restaurant, but it couldn't mask the ambiguous atmosphere between the two.

"Director Hou, what are you hesitating about?" Sophie gently withdrew her hand, picked up her wine glass, took a small sip, and her eyes sparkled with allure. "Could it be that you have absolutely no interest in my proposal?"

Hou Liangping took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Su Fei was right; he was no longer the spirited director of the Handong Anti-Corruption Bureau he once was. Now, he had been demoted back to the capital, with only a small investigation unit under his command. To think he could bring down Huang Feipeng was nothing short of a pipe dream.

"Sophie, you know I've always kept my personal and professional life separate," Hou Liangping said, trying to sound calm, but his voice trembled slightly, though he himself didn't realize it.

"Oh? Is that so?" Sophie covered her mouth and chuckled. "But I heard that when you were in Handong, Director Hou, you were known as a 'workaholic,' and you didn't even go home to investigate cases."

Sophie's words were like a sharp thorn, piercing Hou Liangping's heart. Yes, back then, he was full of enthusiasm, wholeheartedly wanting to rid the people of evil, but what was the result? All he got in return was his wife's cold sarcasm, his father-in-law's utter disappointment, and Huang Feipeng's relentless pressure.

"Sophie, what exactly do you want to say?" Hou Liangping's tone was tinged with impatience.

“I just feel that with Director Hou’s abilities, he shouldn’t stop here.” Sophie put down her wine glass, leaned forward slightly, and her alluring fragrance wafted into Hou Liangping’s nostrils. “You deserve more, you should have more, shouldn’t you?”

Hou Liangping didn't speak, but stared intently into Su Fei's eyes, as if trying to see through the secrets in her heart. Su Fei didn't flinch, letting him scrutinize her, a mysterious smile always playing on her lips.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Handong, Zhong Zhengguo had just received a call from Hou Liangping.

"Dad, I have irrefutable evidence of Huang Feipeng's illegal and disorderly conduct!" Hou Liangping's voice was filled with barely concealed excitement. "This time, I will definitely bring him to justice!"

Zhong Zhengguo's hand holding the phone trembled slightly. Since the last incident, the Zhong family had been severely weakened, and he hadn't heard such encouraging news in a long time.

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhong Zhengguo said "good" three times in a row. "Liangping, you did a great job! I'll transfer you back to the capital right away, and then we'll..."

"Dad, I don't want to go back to the capital for the time being," Hou Liangping interrupted him.

Zhong Zhengguo was taken aback. "Why?"

"I...I need a little more time." Hou Liangping's voice was somewhat low.

Zhong Zhengguo remained silent for a moment. He knew what Hou Liangping was worried about. Ever since that incident, his relationship with Zhong Xiaoai had plummeted to a freezing point. Even though the Zhong family later intervened to protect Hou Liangping's position, the rift between the two only deepened.

“Liangping, I know what you’re thinking.” Zhong Zhengguo’s tone was gentle. “But you have to believe that Xiao Ai is just having a temporary moment of irritability. Once she calms down, she will understand your predicament.”

"Dad, I don't want to talk about these things right now." Hou Liangping's voice sounded tired. "I'll go back to the capital to see you after I've dealt with things here."

After hanging up the phone, Hou Liangping took a deep breath. Zhong Xiaoai's resentful face appeared in his mind, and he felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

"Director Hou, what's wrong?" Sophie's voice brought Hou Liangping back to reality.

"It's nothing." Hou Liangping shook his head, clearing his mind of those troubling thoughts. When he looked at Su Fei again, his eyes had hardened. "You're right, I deserve more!"

Sophie smiled victoriously; she knew her plan had succeeded.

A few days later, Hou Liangping boarded a flight to the capital. However, this time, Zhong Xiaoai was no longer by his side; only Su Fei's deep eyes remained, always with him...

The news spread like wildfire through the capital, quickly reaching Huang Feipeng's ears. At that moment, he was sitting upright in his study, a research report on a new type of fighter jet engine on the mahogany desk in front of him.

"Hou Liangping is coming back?" He put down the documents in his hand, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "It seems this show is about to officially begin."

Standing beside him were Chang Long, the underground emperor of the capital, and the other members of the Five Tigers of the capital: Wang Hu, a man of exceptional skill; Sun Bao, a financial tycoon; Li Ying, a master hacker; and Chen Xiong, a media mogul. This group was Huang Feipeng's sharpest blade and his strongest shield.

"Brother Peng, should I go and meet him, and give him a taste of his own medicine?" Chang Long rubbed his hands together, eager to try. He had long disliked Hou Liangping, and if Huang Feipeng hadn't been keeping him in check, he would have sent someone to teach Hou Liangping a lesson long ago.

"No rush." ​​Huang Feipeng waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Our Director Hou is no pushover. The fact that he dared to come back means he must have some trump card up his sleeve. We can't act rashly."

“Brother Peng is right. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.” Sun Bao pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with shrewdness. “I’ve already sent people to investigate and see what trump card this Director Hou brought back this time.”