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

Qingxia chuckled and waved her hand, saying, "Little girl, you're too kind! Let me tell you, Mr. Zhou said he's created an 'ice queen' persona for you. 'Persona' is a fresh term, but it's very apt. From now on, just listen to Mr. Zhou, and I'll teach you some tips on how to interact with people, how to seduce men while chatting and dancing without letting them take advantage of you, how to maintain distance without seeming aloof, how to be alluring without being vulgar, and how to be icy without being cold. Don't underestimate these skills; there's still a lot to learn!"

Qingxia started talking about her professional knowledge, launching into a long, rambling monologue that made the blind man want to disappear into the ground. After all, she was his mother, and now she was discussing how to seduce men with another girl—it was truly embarrassing.

The blind man's mother was a social anomaly. Even though Zhou Hongyi wanted Xiao Bei to maintain a cool and mysterious persona, she struggled to keep up the act in front of Qingxia. Luckily, these were all her own people; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to maintain her persona before even getting started.

The next morning, the antique shop opened for business amidst the cries of a baby.

The blind man and his mother lived in a suite in the shop with their child, while Xiao Bei had a room to himself.

Early in the morning, there were few pedestrians around the shop. The blind man took the initiative to clean the shop, but since Ah Gui had cleaned it spotless every day, there was really nothing to clean.

After washing up, Beckham immediately put on his mask and sat in the store like a statue, waiting for customers to arrive.

In fact, Zhou Hongyi had already arrived at the street corner opposite "onepiece" and was surveying the surrounding area from a distance.

He got up very early today, wanting to observe how to promote Beckham first, at least to create a buzz in the upper-class social circles near the concession.

However, the shops on the edge of the concession were not as bustling as those in the city center, and the population density was relatively low. After looking around for a long time, not a single customer passed by outside, let alone went in.

Zhou Hongyi stroked his chin and thought for a moment. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a boy wearing a blue coarse cloth jacket skipping and jumping out from the street corner. He waved to him from a distance.

"Sir, would you like to buy a newspaper?" the boy asked expectantly.

"Yes, I want to buy a newspaper, or rather, I want to subscribe to a newspaper. Starting today, you will send a copy of the day's newspaper to that antique shop every day, and I will pay you double the price, but there is only one small request."

The newsboy's eyes lit up, and a smile bloomed on his slightly flushed face.

"Really? Sir, what are your requirements?"

"I just hope that while you're selling newspapers, you can also help promote our shop's girls. I'm sure the entertainment section is very hot right now, especially the news about the Miss Rose beauty pageant."

"Is the girl in the antique shop the strange woman with the mask?"

Zhou Hongyi was surprised. The newsboy seemed to have noticed Xiao Bei. She had just come to the store yesterday. The kid was quite clever.

"Yes, that's right. Especially the wealthy ladies and foreigners in the neighborhood, you can tell them that our antique shop has produced an ice queen, with stunning looks and a noble air. Legend has it that she is a princess from a small, fallen kingdom who was forced to wear a mask. She is participating in the Miss Rose pageant to raise money for her journey back to her homeland."

As a time traveler, Zhou Hongyi knew that if he wanted to be remembered in the talent show, he had to fabricate a bizarre and tragic backstory for himself. To create a story, he simply gave Xiao Bei the background of a princess who had fled from a fallen kingdom. That was enough of a gimmick; as long as the persona was established, his fame would quickly spread among the high-income people in the vicinity.

After Zhou Hongyi finished speaking, he didn't even ask how much the newspaper cost. Instead, he popped a Yuan Shikai silver dollar out of his pocket, which flew in a beautiful parabola and landed in the newspaper boy's hand.

"Silver dollars? My goodness... Thank you so much, sir! You are so generous, may God be with you! My name is Xi Ya Zi, and I will definitely do my best to help you spread the word. I just don't know what this lady's name is?"

Zhou Hongyi had already thought of a name for Beckham and said with a smile, "Elizabeth, that's her name. Young man, I'm counting on you."

“Elizabeth…what a beautiful name. Sir, rest assured, I will make you satisfied!”

The newsboy carefully put the silver dollar Zhou Hongyi had given him away close to his body, then, carrying a bag of newspapers, skipped and hopped to the door of "One Piece," tossed a newspaper inside, and shouted, "Good morning, Miss Elizabeth! You are as beautiful as ever today!"

Zhou Hongyi watched from behind, quite satisfied with the kid's quick wit. These youngsters were adept at survival; if there were similar tasks, assigning them to them would be the right thing to do.

Xiao Bei sat upright, following the posture taught by her blind mother, making herself look both dignified and alluring.

"Oh dear~~ Our Miss Elizabeth has the air of elegance and poise, but your figure... no, I have to have a word with Young Master Zhou. She absolutely must be served the best food and wine. How can she be so thin? You're too skinny~~~"

The blind woman's words made Xiao Bei blush, but fortunately she was wearing a mask so no one could see her embarrassment.

"Sister Qingxia, I... I don't have a big appetite."

"Even if you don't have a big appetite, you still need to eat. Listen to your sister, you can't go wrong."

Meanwhile, the newsboy named Xi Ya Zi felt that his ancestors' graves must have been emitting auspicious smoke today. He had met a generous gentleman early in the morning who gave him a silver dollar to buy out his newspapers. And all he had to do was promote the girls in the shop while selling the newspapers. It couldn't be simpler.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! The Miss Rose beauty pageant is in full swing! All the ballrooms have sent their best girls, all aiming for the crown! Breaking news! Breaking news! Miss Elizabeth from the antique shop is the most noble, the most aloof, and the most charming princess I've ever seen! If she were to participate in the Miss Rose pageant, she would surely win first place! Breaking news! Breaking news! Please vote for Miss Elizabeth!"

Even from a distance, Zhou Hongyi could hear the young newsboy enthusiastically promoting Xiao Bei. Some of the slogans he shouted during his promotion even sounded quite familiar to Zhou Hongyi. It has to be said that this young newsboy was quite capable.

"Hey, have you heard? A new girl has joined an antique shop in the concession. She wears a mask even in broad daylight. It's really creepy."

"What do you know? I've heard that when foreign courts hold balls, both men and women have to wear masks, and only nobles are qualified to wear them."

"Aristocrats? Foreigners? Really?"

“Why would I lie to you? My husband often does business with foreigners, he knows it best. Besides, I’ve heard that the girl’s identity is unusual. She’s supposedly a princess from a small country who has fallen on hard times. I heard she’s going to participate in the Miss Rose pageant, hoping to win the prize money to help her father restore his kingdom.”

"Really? This is getting more and more outrageous."

"Why don't you go and see for yourself at that antique shop? That noble air is something that ordinary people can't possibly possess. Poor people can't fake that kind of air."

Within two days, the hottest topic of conversation among the upper-class people and wealthy ladies in the surrounding blocks was a mysterious masked girl who had recently arrived at the antique shop.

The various legends surrounding her became increasingly outrageous. At first, newsboys and children had to spread the word, but later the story spread like wildfire, with all sorts of rumors circulating, and even Zhou Hongyi couldn't control it.