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

The three chatted casually and lightly, and Zhou Hongyi had essentially secured his position as a judge. The preliminary selection for Miss Rose would be held two days later at the Great World amusement park.

"Mr. Gu, your restaurant is called Grand World, and your dance hall is also called Grand World. You don't happen to have shares in those places, do you?"

Zhou Hongyi had learned from books or television that the Great World in Shanghai was a property of the Green Gang. Could it be that Gu Tianbo also had connections with the Green Gang?

Gu Tianbo chuckled and said, "Of course there are. Otherwise, why would my teahouse be called the Great World? Hehehe. Not only that, Boss Qiao also has a considerable number of shares in the Great World Ballroom. Of course, neither of us are the largest shareholders. The largest shareholder is Mr. Huang from the Green Gang. I'm sure Young Master Zhou has heard of his name."

Zhou Hongyi chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself, "It's Huang Jinrong! Of course I know such a famous person."

"Of course, Mr. Huang is a household name in Shanghai. Who doesn't know him? Since the preliminary selection is held at the Grand World, then I'll leave my sister Elizabeth in your care, Mr. Gu and Mr. Qiao."

The three of them laughed and joked for a while. Zhou Hongyi could tell from the tags above their heads that these two guys had something else on their minds and wanted to get information out of him, but they held back and didn't ask. They kept changing the subject, showing great patience.

Finally, Gu Tianbo couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up the teapot and poured Zhou Hongyi a cup of tea, then casually asked, "By the way, I heard that Director Ding of No. 76 is Mr. Zhou's brother-in-law. With this connection, why did you choose to become a policeman at the police station, a dangerous job that pays so little? I believe your brother-in-law should be able to find you a more suitable position."

Zhou Hongyi took a sip and said with a smile, "Yes, my brother-in-law initially wanted me to work in a bank, but I refused. To be honest, Boss Gu, I graduated from West Point. If I were to work in an office at a bank, wouldn't that suffocate me? I can only put my skills to good use in the police station. A real man is born between heaven and earth and should make a name for himself."

"Yes, yes, yes, Young Master Zhou is absolutely right. A man, especially one as young as Young Master Zhou, should naturally make a name for himself in the world. What's so great about working in a bank?"

Boss Qiao seemed to agree wholeheartedly and spoke up for Zhou Hongyi from the side.

Gu Tianbo smiled slightly, his mind seemingly racing as he considered what to ask next. His reactions were all on full display for Zhou Hongyi, who found it quite amusing.

Boss Gu really took after his surname; why is he so hesitant? Can't he just be direct? Fine, I'll just walk right into your line of fire.

Zhou Hongyi cleared his throat and organized his thoughts before saying, "It was late that day, and there were some things I wanted to ask Boss Gu, but I didn't have the chance to say them. Today, I would like to take this opportunity to ask Boss Gu, and of course Boss Qiao, for some advice on business."

"To be honest, my mentor, Colonel Shimazu of the Special Higher Police, invited me to join the preparatory group for the Sakura Trading Company as a director. I've never handled such a large business before, and I'm afraid of letting my mentor down. I'd like to learn from Boss Gu and exchange some experience."

When Zhou Hongyi brought up the topic, he saw the words "surprised" and "delighted" appear above the heads of Gu Tianbo and Boss Qiao. Gu Tianbo even had a comment: "This idiot is so cooperative. He told me before I even asked him."

Zhou Hongyi rolled his eyes inwardly. He was clearly cooperating out of kindness, so why did the other party see him as a fool? Oh well, so be it. As long as it saves time, everyone is quite busy after all.

"I see. Young Master Zhou, what kind of business is this Sakura Trading Company, and what kind of business do they do?"

Gu Tianbo pretended to offer advice and share his experience with Zhou Hongyi, but in reality, he wanted to extract more information from him.

Zhou Hongyi played along, thinking to himself, "Perfect for keeping this idiot company."

"I don't know the specifics either. I have to go to my teacher's place this afternoon because my official appointment has been issued. I believe I will know my specific job then. But it will probably involve some artwork, luxury goods, medicine, and so on."

Zhou Hongyi noticed that every time he mentioned an item, Gu Tianbo and Boss Qiao's eyes would light up. He thought to himself: You two are both big shots, can't you be a little more composed? Don't be so obvious about it.

When Gu Tianbo pretended to share some of his business acumen with Zhou Hongyi, it was nothing more than the same old stuff: clear pricing, genuine products, honest dealings with everyone, etc. Zhou Hongyi was getting sleepy listening to him.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the teahouse private room. Gu Tianbo and Boss Qiao both shut up at the same time. The former said in a deep voice, somewhat displeased, "Come in."

The waiter who had just greeted Zhou Hongyi downstairs peeked out sheepishly and whispered, "Boss, it was one of Boss Qiao's men who said he had something urgent to discuss with him."

"Oh, let him in."

Gu Tianbo spoke, and a tall, thin man slipped in from outside the door. He glanced at Zhou Hongyi out of the corner of his eye, then quickly walked to Qiao Si's side, bent down, and whispered something in his ear.

However, Zhou Hongyi didn't pay much attention to this person at first, assuming he was just a bodyguard or thug for Qiao Si. But when the person posted a certain keyword, he saw something different.

"This guy...he's really good at hiding his identity. He's actually a spy for the Mei Agency! When did he infiltrate Qiao Si's inner circle?"

Zhou Hongyi remained outwardly calm, took a sip of tea with a smile, and even whispered a few words with Gu Tianbo about his business experience.

Qiao Si's expression changed after hearing his confidant's whisper. He immediately said to Gu Tianbo and Zhou Hongyi apologetically, "I'm really sorry, there's been a problem with the shipment at my dock. Gentlemen, I can only stay here for today. I'll arrange a special meal for you two at the Huizhong Hotel another day to apologize."

Gu Tianbo could tell that he was indeed in a hurry, so he stood up and said, "Mr. Qiao, you're too kind. We're all family. I'll keep Mr. Zhou company here. You can go ahead and do your work."

Boss Qiao said goodbye again and hurriedly left with his trusted aides. Zhou Hongyi's gaze followed the man's retreating figure, and he memorized the man's real name.

"The spy of the Mei Agency, Hai Mei Liulang... He's hidden himself so well that even the Special Higher Police didn't know he existed. This guy's real goal is to integrate all the gangster forces in Shanghai. The Japanese have quite the ambition."

Zhou Hongyi sneered inwardly, deciding to find a way to exploit this spy's identity, or perhaps find an opportunity to sabotage him. Killing him would be ideal; if not, he'd find a way to have someone else kill him, just like he'd dug out Major Yoshida during his first interrogation of prisoners in the dungeon.