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

Upon hearing this news, Zhou Hongyi's mind instantly conjured up another assassination plan, but he quickly stopped himself with his reason. Just as he had said before, the current structure of Shanghai's small-town life and the intelligence personnel was perfect and suitable for him. No matter which link in the personnel was changed, his plan could not be implemented as smoothly as it was now. After all, this entire setup was his backing, and he was the least likely to be suspected.

"Eee-ee~~Ya-ya-ya~~~"

"Move the lights over there a bit more to the side, and arrange the tables over here more closely so that more people can sit."

"Be careful, be careful! Tonight's guests are all VIPs. Be on your best! Don't neglect any of them. If you offend any of them, you'll be in big trouble!"

Inside the Grand World Ballroom, many staff members were busily working in an orderly manner. When Zhou Hongyi walked in, everyone who saw him had a strange expression.

Although Gu Tianbo had already explained things to him, they all became more wary of this young master Zhou when they saw him again. Nobody wanted to deal with someone with such a bad drinking habit.

"Young Master Zhou, you've arrived."

As the host of the Great World, Qiao Si couldn't avoid it and had no choice but to greet him.

"Oh, Mr. Qiao, don't be so polite. Just call me Hongyi or Zhongliang. I'll call you Fourth Master Qiao or Fourth Brother, hahaha~~~ We don't need to be so formal."

Qiao Si didn't say it aloud, but he thought to himself: We're not that close. Good grief, judging from the way you acted last night, you almost wrecked my place too. It's best if we stay away from you. Apart from business dealings, we shouldn't see each other anymore.

While inwardly complaining, Qiao Si outwardly tried to appease the little tyrant and led him to the newly decorated judges' table.

Zhou Hongyi noticed that the judges' panel had changed somewhat compared to last night. They were now separated into a private area, with railings erected in front of them and a row of thugs standing guard. This was probably to prevent him from getting into conflicts with others during the judging process; Boss Qiao was certainly going to great lengths.

Zhou Hongyi chuckled inwardly, but showed no outward sign of anything amiss, joining in the inspection of the preparations for the evening's competition. A short while later, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a group of young men, surrounded by a throng of men in black, ascending to the VIP rooms on the second floor.

Zhou Hongyi snorted coldly and gave Chen Gong a wink. The latter nodded slightly, and the brothers from the General's Command were scattered throughout the dance hall. Some others were stationed at various transportation hubs on the outskirts of the Grand World, disguised as rickshaw pullers or roadside vendors. Their role was to cover and assist the evacuation, or to hinder the enemy's pursuit if problems arose during the operation.

Having made these preparations in the shadows, Zhou Hongyi sat on the judges' panel, fiddling with his lighter. A little while later, Gu Tianbo sat down next to him, chatting casually. After a while, the other judges also took their seats.

"Hehehe, hello Mr. Pete, we meet again. I'm really looking forward to tonight's final night. I wonder which contestant Mr. Pete favors the most?"

Upon hearing Zhou Hongyi's question, the traitor Pete Lee dared not be negligent. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Who else could it be? It's Princess Elizabeth, of course. I heard she said that if she wins the championship tonight, she will take off her mask in front of everyone and give everyone an explanation. I must say, Mr. Zhou's method of winning votes is brilliant!"

"Hehehe, you flatter me. Our Princess Elizabeth relies on her own temperament and natural beauty. As for other publicity methods, they are just supplementary and not worth mentioning. Tonight, Miss Manyu will be her biggest competitor. In my opinion, the two are evenly matched."

Zhou Hongyi was talking to Pete Lee when he heard a slightly mournful voice behind him.

"Really? Young Master Zhou, in your heart, can Manyu compare to that masked princess?"

He turned his head and looked at Manyu, who was wearing a red cheongsam with a dark floral pattern, which accentuated her tall and graceful figure, making her look absolutely perfect. But the look in her eyes as she looked at Zhou Hongyi at this moment was truly beyond words; the word "resentment" could not describe it.

"Manyu, you're here so early today? Hehe, of course. In my heart, it's no surprise that either of you will win. It's like you're both my flesh and blood."

"Really? So, in Young Master Zhou's eyes, is Manyu the palm or the back of your hand? Which is more important to you, the palm or the back of your hand?"

Manyu's words were undoubtedly a public attack. Zhou Hongyi secretly thought he couldn't afford to offend her, while Gu Tianbo next to him had the expression of a bystander, just waiting to see what would happen next.

Zhou Hongyi coughed lightly and chuckled, "Manyu, you're a contestant tonight, and I'm a judge. It's best for us to avoid too much contact before the competition starts, to prevent gossip. If you win tonight, it wouldn't be good if people said there was something fishy going on. But I'm still looking forward to your performance. We can talk tomorrow. Just enjoy the stage tonight."

Manyu gave Zhou Hongyi a resentful look, then smiled and said, "The judge is right. Tonight is the final night. If people see us being so intimate, they will definitely gossip. Alright, Manyu will go backstage to change now. Gentlemen, please look forward to Manyu's performance tonight. See you later."

After Manyu left, Gu Tianbo, being very gossipy, came over and nudged Zhou Hongyi with his elbow: "There's something going on. It seems Miss Manyu has a crush on you, but you're completely focused on Princess Elizabeth. Young man, being so popular with beauties, I'm truly envious."

Zhou Hongyi smiled wryly and waved his hand, saying, "Boss Gu, my brother Gu, please stop making fun of me. More people means more trouble. Hey, I admire my brother-in-law in this respect. He can still maintain a harmonious family with so many wives. He's one of a kind."

"That's right. Who is Director Ding? He's no ordinary person. We're just ordinary people, so naturally we can't compare."

The group chatted and laughed, and time passed quickly. Although there had been a bloody conflict at the amusement park yesterday, even more guests were coming in tonight than yesterday.

No one was worried about anything else happening, because all the gang thugs and security guards outside the door tonight had been replaced with low-level soldiers. It was said that some important figures from those gangs were also coming to watch, so no one would dare to cause trouble.

While all the guests were seated, waiting to enjoy the performance of Shanghai's top beauties, several beautiful women backstage at the Grand World were also engaged in fierce competition and verbal sparring.

These women, who are usually treated as top performers in their own cabaret, are now all pointing their fingers at Elizabeth, who is still wearing a mask.

"Hey~ Look, it's the final night, and the princess still can't bear to take off her mask."

"Exactly! What are you pretending for? You think you can catch those grown men's hearts with just a mask? Sure, you'll always crave what you can't have, but you have to show them some real substance. How long can you keep them hanging like this? Tonight is the final night, let's see if I don't pull out all the stops!"

"That's right. There were quite a few guests at the finals, including foreign compradors from the concessions, high-ranking officials and major generals, and many big businessmen. Their vision is not comparable to that of ordinary people, and you can't fool these people with gimmicks."

The girls and their maidservants exchanged barbs, each one aimed at Elizabeth sitting in the corner.

Just then, Manyu walked in and said in a cold voice, "The competition is about to begin. If I were you, I would shut my foul mouths and focus on the performance later. Don't forget how sharp-eyed Mr. Zhou is as the referee. He will magnify any small flaw you think you have. Aren't you afraid of being retaliated against by him later? I believe you all witnessed his audacity and methods last night."