Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

Maggie Cheung's rendition of "Rose, Rose, I Love You" is a gentle and upbeat song. Her naturally gifted voice makes for a perfect performance.

After the song ended, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and Zhou Hongyi also clapped his hands lightly a few times.

"Wow~~ You sang so well, no wonder you're Miss Maggie Cheung~~!"

"I imagine that tomorrow, Ms. Maggie Cheung's song 'Rose, Rose, I Love You' will resonate throughout the streets and alleys."

"That's right. Does Ms. Maggie Cheung release any albums? I definitely want to buy one and listen to it every night when I get home."

"Listening to records is nowhere near as enjoyable as hearing Maggie Cheung sing live! Brother Qiesheng, you must support Ms. Cheung more often!"

The gentlemen were talking when suddenly a waiter brought a large bouquet of roses to the front of the table and announced loudly, "Mr. Shimazu presents Miss Manyu with nine hundred and ninety-nine roses~~~"

"Wow~~~!"

"What? Shimazu didn't come, but Hana did."

Upon seeing the 999 roses, the women present exclaimed in envy, while the men engaged in heated discussions.

"Mr. Shimazu is indeed very fond of Miss Manyu. He has been sending her 999 roses every day for a week. However, today only the flowers arrived, but she did not."

"Miss Manyu is not so easy to win over. If sending flowers every day could win her heart, wouldn't all the girls in the Paramount Ballroom be taken by us?"

"Yes, you're right."

Zhou Hongyi took a thoughtful sip of his drink. At that moment, Manyu finished her performance and handed the stage over to the other girls, then gracefully walked over to Zhou Hongyi's side.

"Young Master Zhou, how was my new song? Did you enjoy it?"

Zhou Hongyi smiled politely, gently raised his glass, and said, "It sounds good, of course, but..."

"Just what?"

Zhou Hongyi laughed it off and said, "Well, let's not talk about it. I'm just an outsider. It's easy for you guys to laugh at an outsider commenting on an expert."

He only said half of what he meant, which undoubtedly made Manyu even more curious. She snapped her fingers towards the bar, ordered two more drinks, and placed one of them in front of Zhou Hongyi.

"This drink is on me, Mr. Zhou. Please feel free to speak your mind. Sometimes, music isn't something that everyone who knows it can truly understand. Perhaps your opinion is very important to me."

Zhou Hongyi had originally planned to use the airport to get closer to Manyu. After hearing her sing, he came up with an idea and is now using conversational skills to get her to steer the conversation in the direction he wants.

"Well... since Miss Manyu wants to hear it, then I'll make a fool of myself. To be honest, the song I just sang was only above average in my opinion. Although its melody was light, cheerful, and uplifting, with a strong sense of rhythm and infectiousness, and could quickly grab the listener's attention and make them want to hum along, the overall musical style was still relatively simple. It lacked richness in the use and innovation of musical elements. Looking at the major dance halls in Shanghai today, it was not bad, but it was definitely not outstanding."

Zhou Hongyi was rambling on and on, while Manyu tilted her head and listened carefully.

“Young Master Zhou is right, that’s what’s troubling me too. You should know that there are many entertainment venues in Shanghai these days, and the competition is fierce. Although we seem to have a lot of customers, most of them are regulars, and most of them bring their own female companions. They come here mainly to socialize and discuss business, but they don’t spend much, which is quite frustrating…”

Zhou Hongyi put down his wine glass and said, "Actually, I also have some knowledge of music. If Miss Manyu is interested, I can tailor-make two new songs for you later, as well as a dance. I've noticed that our dance hall is mostly filled with middle-aged men, lacking freshness and vitality. After all, young people are the main consumers. They are willing to spend money and are generous. Moreover, young people are the best walking promoters. As long as we are fresh, avant-garde, and interesting enough, we don't need to say much; they will help us promote ourselves."

Zhou Hongyi used "we" here, which inadvertently linked himself with Manyu and the Paramount Ballroom as a group.

Manyu seemed to be thinking about something, and after a while she smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Young Master Zhou has such great talent. Then Manyu will thank you in advance. It's a deal, Young Master Zhou, you have to write two songs for me."

Zhou Hongyi chuckled and immediately agreed, thinking to himself that it was just two songs. He used to be known as the "Chinese Little Music Library," and he could just pick a few to leave these old-fashioned bumpkins speechless.

As the two were talking, a waiter suddenly walked up to Manyu's ear and whispered, "Mr. Ruoshui has arrived."

Zhou Hongyi heard it too, but he pretended not to hear it and turned his head to watch the other dancers' performance on stage.

Manyu asked the waiter to leave first, and said apologetically with a smile, "Young Master Zhou, a friend of mine has come over, please excuse me for a moment. Pete, bring this gentleman another drink, it's on me."

Before leaving, Manyu instructed the bartender to bring Zhou Hongyi another drink, but at that moment, the latter activated his [Eye of Insight] and looked in the direction Manyu had left.

Meanwhile, Manyu swayed her hips and greeted the regular customers as she arrived at the booth area on the edge.

"Mr. Ruoshui is here! You're late today!"

As she spoke, she sat down on the sofa in an exaggerated posture, like a dead snake, quickly crossing her legs to the side and giving the man opposite her a flirtatious wink.

The man opposite slowly removed his top hat, pushed up his glasses, and said softly, "I wonder whose son that young man was talking to Miss Manyu at the bar just now?"

"Oh dear~~~~ Is Mr. Ruoshui jealous? That's Young Master Zhou, a good friend of one of my sisters. It's his first time at the Paramount, but judging from his clothes and demeanor, he seems to be a well-educated young man from a wealthy family. Don't worry~~~ I came over as soon as Mr. Ruoshui called me~"

Just as Manyu was talking with that Mr. Ruoshui, Zhou Hongyi activated the [Eye of Insight]. All sorts of entries popped up from the guests and dancers in the pool, and the intense information bombardment almost knocked him unconscious.

"Holy crap... what kind of people are these? This guy's female companion is his stepmother, and that guy's female companion is actually a man dressed as a woman? Rich people really know how to have fun..."

Zhou Hongyi closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. When he opened them again, he tried to filter out the useless junk information and looked through the crowd, landing on Manyu's booth.

Although he couldn't see Mr. Ruoshui with his back to him, he could clearly see the words above the other person's head.

"Bodhi...you rascal, when did you change your name?"

Although he didn't meet Shimazu from the Special Higher Police or the bearded man from the Military Intelligence Bureau tonight, he did manage to meet Bodhi, a former underground liaison for the Red Party at the Florence Café.