Let them offer their loyalty!

Cao Dabiao was already frantic with Qiu Tu's "disappearance", and when he heard Song Qing's gossipy inquiry, he almost couldn't keep it together.

However, he was always slippery: there were only two women in the investigation team. Almost anyone who wasn't blind could see the relationship between Qiu Tu and Liu Fuping. So who could say for sure whether Song Qing was sister-in-law reserve.

So, although Cao Dabiao was irritated, he still picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said to Song Qing in a soothing tone, "Investigator Song, we mustn't casually talk about things without evidence."

"That could cause trouble for the superiors."

"Many rumors start like that."

Hearing Cao Dabiao's gentle criticism, Song Qing stuck out her tongue and then said, "Let's not talk about the superiors' romantic debts, let's talk about Sister Liu instead."

As she said this, she looked around, then cutely poked Cao Dabiao and whispered secretively, "Sister Liu didn't come to work yesterday. She's not here today either."

"And by coincidence, the superior isn't here today either."

"You think... they couldn't have eloped, could they?"

"Pfft!" Cao Dabiao nearly spouted his water.

He hurriedly stood up, then whispered anxiously, "Ma'am, you really mustn't speculate wildly here."

"Everyone is already feeling unsettled. You'll further shake morale."

Song Qing wasn't a girl who lacked a sense of reason. She was just really bored.

Thinking back to their Interrogation Section's team of four: Qiu Tu, herself, Liu Fuping, Wang Xi, with cases being taken and people leaving, only she was left behind.

The other investigators in the team were mostly burly men from the Action Division, and she really had no one to chat with, which was why she came to gossip.

Now, seeing Cao Dabiao looking so nervous, she knew she shouldn't make wild guesses at this juncture.

As a result, she could only go back to her own desk, boredly picked up the communicator, and started playing Tetris.

Meanwhile, at the same time as Song Qing was chatting with Cao Dabiao, Tan Huimin was sitting on a chair, quietly observing everyone in the office.

The state of the 8.19 investigation team's members was clearly different from those under her husband Zheng Tao.

Her husband's investigators were busy to death every day, barely having a moment to rest, and even then, her husband would make them work overtime.

So... even though everyone was busy and working at full capacity, they all seemed very repressed, with weariness written all over their faces and not a hint of a smile.

But the members of the 8.19 investigation team were different.

It might be because the case was over, or maybe because Qiu Tu treated them very leniently. There were sincere smiles on their faces.
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Whether they were working or just chatting, you could clearly see they all had very close relationships.

This discovery made Tan Huimin more curious about this investigation team, about Qiu Tu.

What kind of person could stand out from the high-intensity work at the Investigation Bureau, not only making his subordinates live comfortably but also climbing several ranks within a short period of time...?

And at that moment, while she was pondering this, suddenly, someone pushed open the door of the office from outside. Ding Xiaoliu ran in excitedly and shouted, "The chief is back at the Bureau, he's back!"

Hearing Ding Xiaoliu's words, the office erupted into excitement.

Cao Dabiao, the one with the highest position, quickly stood up and asked, "Did you tell the chief about the Organizational Department wanting to talk to him?"

Ding Xiaoliu quickly nodded, "I did, I did."

"The chief said he'll go there right now."

Hearing Ding Xiaoliu, Cao Dabiao, who had been nervous all day, finally relaxed.

And all the people in the office were jubilant.

After all... after having been around Qiu Tu for so long, everyone knew that Qiu Tu was never someone who only cared about his own advancement and wealth.

After Qiu Tu got promoted, he would definitely not forget them.

And as for the Deputy Minister of the Political Department... that could be said to be a position of power ranking in the top 15, or even top 10, of the entire Investigation Bureau.

To put it inappropriately, if Qiu Tu rose to grace, they could all ascend to heaven on his coattails...

And of course, all of this was observed by Tan Huimin.

As she watched everyone's exuberant cheer, she felt incredibly alienated...

She had been with the Investigation Bureau for a long time and witnessed quite a few promotions of superiors or colleagues.

To be honest, she had never seen such genuinely happy reactions before—most were just happy on the surface, while secretly being sarcastic or displeased.

'These people... seem to really like and admire Qiu Tu?'

Making a mental note, Tan Huimin became even more curious about what kind of person Qiu Tu was.

She felt that even if she couldn't get any useful information from Qiu Tu, as long as she could understand why his subordinates were so loyal and teach it to her own husband, a few days of discomfort would be worth it...

Thinking this, she couldn't help but look towards the door, anticipating her meeting with Qiu Tu...

...

Meanwhile. While Tan Huimin was concocting her plan to learn from others, Qiu Tu had also arrived at the Investigation Bureau's Organizational Department.

The one who received Qiu Tu was the Investigation Bureau's Organizational Department Minister, one of the nine high-ranking officials of the Bureau, Shi Youxin.

Shi Youxin was a man in his forties with thinning hair.

Qiu Tu had once heard Tang Feifei mention that Shi Youxin was an old colleague of Yan Chen back at the military academy.

After Yan Chen rose to prominence, Shi Youxin resigned and went to work under him, having been one of Yan Chen's key confidants ever since.

He was known for his slickness, as slippery as non-stick rice cakes, and usually hung out with the Deputy Director of Administration from the same Eighth Sanctuary Officer School, Yu Zhengyi.

The two of them, having teamed up, although not powerful, still held a certain amount of sway within Yan Chen's faction.

Facing Qiu Tu, Shi Youxin fully embodied an old slickster.

He was neither overly warm nor unfriendly. Instead, he dealt with Qiu Tu in a manner that was both by-the-book and subtly accommodating.

"Yan Chen ah... I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."

Hearing Shi Youxin's words, Qiu Tu smiled humbly and replied, "That means I have a fate with Minister Shi."

"It seems that in the future, we need to interact more often."

Hearing Qiu Tu's smooth, flattering response, Shi Youxin "haha" laughed twice before replying, "Indeed, we should interact more."

"I've been wanting to have more conversations with you, but there just hasn't been the chance."

"Once this busy period is over, we must definitely exchange more."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu also smiled and said, "No problem. When the time comes, we can go to Emerald Fort to watch horse races, sing, and have fun with facial cleansers together."

Indeed, nothing closes the gap between two men faster than chatting about borderline topics. As soon as Youxin heard this, he could scarcely contain his smile, repeatedly saying, "Good, good, that's great."

After speaking, he picked up his thermos and took a sip.

The thermos was filled with half a cup of goji berries, turning the water deep red.

Qiu Tu: .....

Qiu Tu felt that the image of Shi Youxin in his heart became much more vivid: Here was a man dedicated to his life's strength...

Just after they exchanged a few casual words, Shi Youxin coughed lightly and started talking about the main topic.

His expression gradually turned serious as he looked at Qiu Tu and said, "Chief Qiu, the reason I called you here is to inform you about an important personnel arrangement."

Upon hearing Shi Youxin's words, Qiu Tu sat up straight and responded respectfully, "Please tell me."

Shi Youxin said, "After discussion by the Investigation Bureau's senior meeting and approval by the Municipal Committee, we have decided to relieve you of your position as Deputy Division Chief of the Action Division in the Political Department, and to appoint you as Vice Minister of the Political Department."

Even though he had known the outcome since yesterday, Qiu Tu's heart still couldn't help but pound when he heard Shi Youxin announce it!

He nodded solemnly and then said, "I definitely will not let the leaders down and will assist in managing the Political Department well."

Hearing Qiu Tu's response, Shi Youxin nodded slightly before taking out documents and materials for Qiu Tu to fill out.

Initially, Qiu Tu thought he had to fill out his archives, but when he received the documents, he realized they were all related to confirming his benefits.

Like... an exclusive sedan, an exclusive villa, a small resting room on the 12th floor, and so on.

The Organizational Department would start making preparations once Qiu Tu filled them out.

Qiu Tu filled out the forms hastily and then handed them back to Shi Youxin.

Shi Youxin skimmed through them briefly and then chuckled, saying, "Minister Qiu leads quite a simple life."

On the forms, Qiu Tu had actually not written much, just putting down the word "Whatever" for some mandatory options.

After all, he didn't really pursue materialistic living that much.

After completing the forms, Shi Youxin handed over the official appointment documents, credentials, and epaulets to Qiu Tu.

Afterward, Qiu Tu took off his epaulets in front of him: changing from one bar and two stars to one bar and three stars.

According to military ranks, Qiu Tu was now a Major, on par with Qin Shuman.

And having received the appointment documents, credentials, and epaulets, Qiu Tu felt as if his body was undergoing some changes in the mysterious depths.

But since Shi Youxin was still by his side, he temporarily couldn't perceive or examine the changes.

After handing over the documents, credentials, and epaulets, Shi Youxin also followed protocol and led Qiu Tu to the Political Department to meet the other two vice ministers.

The other two vice ministers were named Cai and Zhang.

Both were veterans of the Political Department and were confidants of Yan Chen and Jia Shu.

According to Tang Feifei, both had also graduated from the Eighth Sanctuary Officer School and were deemed pure and loyal successors of Yan Chen's lineage.

Deputy Minister Cai was Qiu Tu's "previous superior" and mainly in charge of the Action Division, making him one of the most powerful in the Political Department.

Vice Minister Zhang, Qiu Tu's "previous superior" too, was responsible for espionage and counter-espionage work.

The other tasks such as interrogation, intelligence, and supervision were directly managed by Jia Shu himself.

The portion of work Qiu Tu had his eye on was part of the remnants of what Jia Shu was responsible for...

Hence, faced with two vice ministers who might become his superiors, Qiu Tu adopted a very humble posture, openly expressing his desire to learn from them.

In comparison, the two senior vice ministers offered Qiu Tu a somewhat ambiguous reception.

Perhaps influenced by Yan Chen and Jia Shu, they were somewhat distant and unaffectionate toward Qiu Tu.

But when Qiu Tu took the initiative and offered to take responsibility for the "Intelligence" business, they did not object but remarked that they would discuss it in a meeting later.

After meeting with his two colleagues, Shi Youxin returned to the Organizational Department. He then arranged for a young lady from the department to continue the procedural matters with Qiu Tu.

Next, guided by the young lady, Qiu Tu visited his new private office on the 9th floor and the small resting room on the 12th floor.

As a deputy division chief, although Qiu Tu couldn't enjoy the type of 200 to 300 square-meter office and resting suites that Yan Chen and Tang Feifei had, his treatment was still not inferior.

His office on the 9th floor was a small suite totaling over 100 square meters, with a secretary's office at the very front, the office itself in the middle, followed by a bedroom further inside.

It was convenient for Qiu Tu to rest directly in the office if he was tired from work.

The small resting room on the 12th floor was even more extravagant, being a three-bedroom layout with a living room. The outer hall could be used for receiving guests, while the three bedrooms could be tailored into a home theater, a gym, and so on.

Honestly, having lived two lifetimes, Qiu Tu was enjoying such over-the-top perks for the first time.

At that moment, all he wanted to say was... indeed there is a reason why so many people pursue promotions and wealth!

After finishing showing Qiu Tu around the office and resting room, the young lady saluted and left.

As she put it, she was going to continue selecting an exclusive villa and car for Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu didn't try to keep her, not because the young lady wasn't attractive, but because he was eager to examine the changes in his own body after the upgrade!

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