Let them offer their loyalty!

He entered the courtyard of the civilian residence, and Liu Fuping stopped in her tracks.

She pulled Qiu Tu aside and whispered, "Qiu Tu, it was crowded in the office building earlier, and I couldn't explain it properly. Now, let me first explain the situation to you, and then you can make your own decision."

With that, Liu Fuping pointed inside the house and continued in a low voice, "Inside is Commissioner Jiang's confidential secretary."

"She was sent by Commissioner Jiang and would like to have a chat with you."

"Commissioner Jiang?" Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu slightly raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Commissioner Jiang, whose name was Jiang Zhenpeng, was the first commissioner of the Xinjie City Municipal Committee and one of the Three Giants of Xinjie City.

Or to put it more bluntly, he was the theoretical highest decision-maker of Xinjie City.

However... it was unclear whether he had other plans or if the City Hall was simply too weak, but in any case... his presence had not been strongly felt in Xinjie City that year.

He was far less influential than General Ye, who had bloodily purged the city's underground gangs, and Yan Chen, who had forcefully suppressed various powers in Xinjie City.

In fact, even after the military and the Investigation Bureau collectively arrested so many officials from the City Hall last week, all he did was protest verbally, further giving off the impression of someone impotent and blustering, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

And now... he was prepared to meet with him?

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu couldn't help but ask softly, "Why does he want to see me? And... why would he contact you?"

Liu Fuping explained seriously in a low voice, "Commissioner Jiang's confidential secretary is actually our liaison in Xinjie City..."

That single statement nearly fried Qiu Tu's CPU.

He quickly said, "Hold on a second. Let me sort this out."

Qiu Tu looked at Liu Fuping and then at the house.

Liu Fuping was a covert agent planted by the Eastern City Investigation Bureau, and Commissioner Jiang's confidential secretary was their contact person in Xinjie City…

So... does this mean Commissioner Jiang actually had a secret collaboration with Director Liu from the Eastern City Investigation Bureau?

And while Liu Fuping seemed to be a scout for the Eastern City Investigation Bureau, she was actually... also working for the Xinjie City Hall?!

In an instant, Qiu Tu felt that many things were explained.

No wonder Liu Fuping and her group of spies from Eastern City could remain hidden in Xinjie City.

No wonder Qiu Tu found it strange before: Eastern City and Xinjie City were two different cities, and even if Liu Fuping caught Yan Chen red-handed, it would be difficult for Director Liu from Eastern City to make a move.

Now, it seems like a cunning collaboration between the two big shots.

Director Liu was the face, while Commissioner Jiang stayed in the background.

Thus, even if Liu Fuping and her group were exposed, with the hostile relationship between Director Liu and Yan Chen as a cover, Commissioner Jiang could continue successfully hiding behind the scenes.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu's skin crawled.

Indeed... there wasn't a single simple character among these old foxes.

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu felt that it might not be a bad idea to make contact with the other party after all?

With that thought, he nodded to Liu Fuping, "Alright. I'll meet with her."

Seeing that Qiu Tu had agreed to meet with Commissioner Jiang's confidential secretary after only hearing the first sentence, Liu Fuping was momentarily dumbfounded.

She blinked in surprise and said, "Is that enough?"

Qiu Tu smiled and nodded, then headed toward the inside of the house.

Seeing this, Liu Fuping quickly followed.

Once inside, Qiu Tu saw a tall woman with a seductive air.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, with bold makeup, black eyeliner that extended upward, and under thick, curled lashes, a pair of eyes shone with proud luster.

The dark red lipstick and bright violet eyeshadow made her seem both enchanting and dangerous.

'This woman is not to be trifled with...'

With just one glance, Qiu Tu made an initial assessment of Commissioner Jiang's confidential secretary.

And at that moment, while Qiu Tu was sizing up the woman before him, the confidential secretary was also sizing up Qiu Tu.

After a moment, she extended her delicate hand first with a smiling corner of her mouth, "Hello Chief Qiu, I am Commissioner Jiang's confidential secretary, Tao Yaoyao."

Qiu Tu also extended his hand, grasping Tao Yaoyao's, "Hello, Secretary Tao."

At that moment, Liu Fuping had just entered the room.

Seeing that the two had already introduced themselves to each other, she opened her mouth and suddenly felt a bit superfluous.

So when she saw that they were ready to start talking, she thought for a moment and simply volunteered to leave the room and stand guard outside.

Inside the room.

Qiu Tu looked at the enchanting woman before him and took the initiative to ask, "I don't know why Secretary Tao is looking for me, what is the matter?"

Tao Yaoyao, with a smile brimming in her eyes, uttered two words, "Recruitment."

"Recruitment?" Qiu Tu's eyes were unreadable, betraying no clear attitude, "It seems Commissioner Jiang has taken notice of me?"

Tao Yaoyao said with a smile, "Chief Qiu is now a person of great influence in Xinjie City."

"The newly emerged Cataclysmic, the mastermind behind the destruction of the Qin Family, the brilliant detective who unearthed evidence of illegal activities by 33 mid-to-senior level officials, not to mention the talent who has defeated the United Front several times....."

"Even if Commissioner Jiang wanted to ignore me, it'd be hard, right?"

Listening to Tao Yaoyao's flattering words, Qiu Tu smiled.

Pleasant things, anyone could say them.

If they really wanted to recruit, they still had to offer enough benefits...

Thinking this, Qiu Tu bluntly asked, "So, what price is Commissioner Jiang willing to pay for such a talent, expert, and leading figure like me?"

Seeing that Qiu Tu was indeed interested, the smile in Tao Yaoyao's eyes deepened, but she didn't state a price directly, instead she said with a laugh, "Commissioner Jiang treasures all talents immensely."

"As long as it's not an outrageous demand, Commissioner Jiang will accept it. So.... Chief Qiu, you might mention your own terms, and I will take them back for Commissioner Jiang to consider."

Listening to those vague words, Qiu Tu shook his head slightly to himself.

It seemed that Tao Yaoyao's visit was likely just a preliminary probe of his attitude. Once they were certain he really wanted to defect, then Commissioner Jiang would likely make an appearance...

With that thought, Qiu Tu's mind turned rapidly, and he came up with a plan...

He said with a smile, "For me to name my price, always seems too mercenary."

"How about this, Secretary Tao. Tonight, I will send Commissioner Jiang a big gift."

"If Commissioner Jiang likes it, he can then contact me with his sincerity."

Having said this, Qiu Tu didn't even wait for Tao Yaoyao's reply, but directly turned and left the room.

The two's probing, from the moment Qiu Tu entered the room, lasted only about a minute.
Find adventures at empire

So when Liu Fuping saw Qiu Tu come out so quickly, she was a bit stunned, "That was fast?"

But seeing that Qiu Tu didn't look back and continued walking, she turned to glance inside the room, then quickly followed him.

After leaving the civilian residence with Qiu Tu, Liu Fuping quickened her pace to catch up to him and asked in a soft voice, "What happened? Did the talks fall apart?"

Qiu Tu glanced at her and shook his head slightly, "No. It's just... she clearly came only to confirm my attitude, rather than to really negotiate."

"So it was enough to clarify my stance, no need for a detailed chat."

After speaking, Qiu Tu looked at Liu Fuping and inquired, "Did you tell Commissioner Jiang the news that I was at odds with Yan Chen and Jia Shu?"

Liu Fuping's face was filled with embarrassment, "Previously... I did report on your information."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu did not hold Liu Fuping accountable. After all, a few days ago, their relationship was not that close, and they each had their own agendas. So, reporting his information and situation was a very normal thing to do.

But now...

With that thought, Qiu Tu glanced at the Loyalty rating of 95 points Liu Fuping had, pondered for a moment, stopped walking, looked into her eyes, and said, "Let's forget about the past."

"But Sister Liu… from now on, can you not report my information to Commissioner Jiang or Director Liu any more?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Liu Fuping was clearly stunned.

As it was said earlier, people are not machines, nor are they the cold NPCs in a game.

Even with high Loyalty, Liu Fuping might not realize Qiu Tu's current standing in her heart until faced with a crucial decision.

------

Still 3 chapters of 10,000 words, haha. Old rules, third chapter around 8 PM. The Monthly Ticket for the new book is about to drop out of the top ten, ask for Monthly Tickets! Please!