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

"Are you going to die, Zhongliang? Didn't I tell you to rest more? Why did you go home so soon? How's the injury on your arm?"

That night, having already used up his Eye of Insight's uses, Zhou Hongyi was weakened by the skill's side effects and was swaying unsteadily. He had no choice but to temporarily cancel his operation at the Paramount that evening, leaving Ah Gui and Fu Sheng to keep watch outside while he took a rickshaw home to rest early.

Seeing him like this, Zhou Pan'er felt both heartache and anger. Just as she was about to pinch Zhou Hongyi's ear, she saw him rest his head on her shoulder and say coquettishly, "Sister~ I'm so sleepy~ I want to sleep~~"

"Look at you, if you're not feeling well, come back and rest early. What important thing do you have to do? I'll have Wang Ma make you some fish porridge to nourish you. Go upstairs and go to sleep now. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Thank you, sister. Having you is like having a treasure for your child~~ I'm going upstairs to take a nap." Zhou Hongyi straightened up from Zhou Pan'er's shoulder and was about to go upstairs when he was called back.

"Zhongliang, the girl I visited at the hospital the other day, although she's a courtesan, I thought she was quite beautiful and had a good temperament. Most importantly, the way she looked at you was filled with admiration and even worship. If she were to enter our Zhou family, she would definitely be able to take good care of you. However, her background... How about this, let her enter the family first, but she must be given the status of a concubine, what do you think?"

Zhou Hongyi staggered, almost twisting his ankle, and turned around with a wry smile, "Sister, why did you suddenly bring this up? You're talking about Manyu, right? We're just friends, you know? There's nothing between us, you're overthinking it."

"You're overthinking it?" Zhou Pan'er raised an eyebrow, revealing a knowing smile. "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? What kind of woman haven't I seen? It's not hard to guess from the way she looks at you that even if you don't have feelings for her, she probably wants to devour you whole."

"It's not that exaggerated, sis. I only wrote two songs for her."

"Silly little brother, you're nowhere near as good as your sister in this regard. But to be honest, that girl is really pretty. You said her name is Manyu? Could she be Manyu, the popular singer at the Paramount Ballroom?"

"It's her, sis. Don't overthink it. You're not old yet, why are you like Mom? Yes, Manyu is very beautiful and charming, but she's not my type, let alone marrying her. That's so impolite. Even if I get married in the future, I'll only marry one wife. Okay, I'm really tired. I'm going upstairs to sleep. Wake me up when dinner is ready."

After finishing his sentence, Zhou Hongyi didn't give Zhou Pan'er a chance to speak. He fled back to his bedroom and fell asleep immediately.

Zhou Pan'er pondered his words, as if she understood something else: "Not your type, not your type, yet you still flirted with her, you brat, you were just playing around with her all along. Humph! She must have been corrupted by your brother-in-law, just wait until I get home tonight and I'll teach him a lesson."

Ding Mocun, who was on the phone at number 76, suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and continued, "Mr. Shimazu, do you mean... that guy surnamed Su is pushing his luck and wants more, which is why he revealed the list of underground liaisons for the Shanghai Red Party?"

"Yes, Mr. Ding. What I mean is, just agree to his requests. The more greedy a person is, the easier they are to control. Whether they'll actually keep their word is another matter. I've recently had my agents protect him closely, and I'm trying to fulfill his every wish. I heard he even asked for a judge position in the Miss Rose beauty pageant. Appearing in public like that is quite dangerous, especially given the recent shooting at the Paramount Ballroom; it's easy for someone with ulterior motives to exploit it."

"Don't worry, Mr. Shimazu, I will persuade him to give up this identity. There are plenty of opportunities to play with dancers; just pick whichever one you like and bring her out. There's no need to put yourself in danger."

As soon as Ding Mocun finished speaking, Colonel Shimazu on the other end of the phone said, "Ding-kun, this time I've decided to go along with him. If someone wants to use this opportunity to deal with him, why don't we cast our nets beforehand and wait for them to come to us?"

"What the colonel means is..."

[That's right. This beauty pageant will not only be held, but it will be a grand affair. Magazines and newspapers should publicize it as much as possible. I will also send some people to participate in the pageant myself to spread the news and let the underground members of the Red Party and the Kuomintang assassins still hiding in the area receive this message. If they dare to come, it will be the best opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop.]

Ding Mocun squinted and nodded on the other end of the phone, saying, "I understand what Colonel Shimazu means. This move is indeed brilliant and can be called a well-intentioned scheme. As long as the news is released, even if they know there is an ambush, they will still take the risk. At that time, as long as we can capture a few more people, we will not need to focus all our energy on him."

That's what I think too.

Shimazu and Ding Mocun talked for a while longer, then the former chuckled and said, "By the way, there's one more thing I need to tell you in advance. Sasuke-kun, your brother-in-law Zhou Zhongliang, acted exceptionally bravely in the last incident and proved his loyalty to the Imperial Army. Mr. Hasegawa's work is very important, so we've decided to let Sasuke-kun join the Chamber of Commerce preparatory group as a director. As his brother-in-law, you shouldn't be reluctant to let him go."

Ding Mocun was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed heartily and said, "Colonel Shimazu wants to promote his student, how dare I stand in his way? However, Zhongliang is indeed capable, and his loyalty to the Imperial Army is evident to all. Since Mr. Hasegawa also appreciates him, I think this is a good thing."

A Japanese soldier and a traitor were actually discussing Zhou Hongyi's loyalty to the Imperial Army on the phone, and expressing their satisfaction.

Their conversation caused Zhou Hongyi, who was still asleep, to sneeze three times in a row, thinking he was about to catch a cold.

After a while, Zhou Pan'er had Wang Ma cook fish porridge, and then she carefully knocked on Zhou Hongyi's door.

"Zhongliang, I've made you some fish porridge. Get up and eat some, then go back to sleep."

In fact, Zhou Hongyi had just been woken up by a sneeze. He washed his face with cold water, opened the door, and went out.

"I wonder who's been talking about me behind my back? I sneezed so much." Zhou Hongyi rubbed his nose and muttered.

"You absolutely mustn't catch a cold. If it really gets too cold, I'll ask Aunt Wang to make you some more ginger soup," Zhou Pan'er said worriedly.

Zhou Hongyi raised his hands and said, "Sister, there's fish porridge and ginger soup. I can't stomach that much. It's okay, my nose is just itchy."

As the two were talking, the sound of a car engine and a dog barking came from outside the door.

“Your brother-in-law is back too, Aunt Wang, go and get another bowl of fish porridge.”

Zhou Pan'er grabbed a shawl, ran downstairs in small steps, opened the door, and saw Ding Mocun walk into the courtyard.

"Honey, you're back? It's like you two planned this day. I wish you could come home this early every day."

Ding Mocun took off his coat and handed it to Zhou Pan'er, smiling as he said, "A man should be focused on his career. If he comes home so early every day, it only means one thing: he's a complete failure."

"Alright, alright, you two are the most successful, okay? Did everything go smoothly today?" Zhou Pan'er hung up the clothes and walked into the house one after the other with Ding Mocun.

The notorious traitor happened to see Zhou Hongyi, who put down his fish porridge, stood up, opened his arms, and shouted, "Brother-in-law, come here quickly, let me give you a loving hug."