Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 184

Just as he inserted his key into the office door, the door suddenly opened by itself.

Zheng Tao looked up blankly, then saw his ex-wife Tan Huimin standing in the doorway, looking at him tenderly, "Ah... sir, you're back?"

Seeing that Zheng Tao wasn't angry about her slip of the tongue, Tan Huimin cutely stuck out her tongue and then said with a smile, "I just brought some documents to your office, but you weren't there, so I cleaned up your office."

Upon hearing Tan Huimin's words, Zheng Tao looked up at his office.

The office, which was a bit messy before I left, is now incredibly tidy and clean.

The floor was not only swept and mopped clean, but all the documents were also neatly arranged on the table.

And that's all.

Perhaps noticing that the food in the lunchbox had gone cold, Tan Huimin went and asked someone to make a new one, which is now sitting on her table, emitting wisps of steam.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Tao suddenly felt his throat become incredibly dry.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but after several attempts, he only managed to utter two words: "Thank you."

Tan Huimin didn't notice her ex-husband's strange behavior. She peeked out and looked around. Seeing that no one had noticed, she quickly pulled Zheng Tao into the office.

Then, as she closed the door, she pushed Zheng Tao toward the desk.

"I know you must have missed dinner again today because you were working overtime."

"So, I had two more dishes made for you. They're still hot, so eat them while they're hot."

After saying that, perhaps fearing that Zheng Tao would blame her, Tan Huimin added somewhat nervously, "I don't think it will take long to eat."

"You need to be well-fed to have the energy to work. Isn't that right?"

Looking at the few dishes in the boxed lunch on the table, Zheng Tao felt even more bitter.

He was silent for two seconds, then finally nodded, and sat down to eat.

During the meal, Tan Huimin sat opposite him, resting her chin on her hand, quietly watching Zheng Tao.

Zheng Tao seemed a little embarrassed by the stare, so he asked while eating with his head down, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Tan Huimin said softly, "I just feel that you have had a very hard time and have worked very hard."

She said, "Over the years, you have suffered so much and done so much. It was not easy for you to finally become the deputy minister."

"And I've never been able to help you. I haven't even been able to take care of you properly, like feeding you or putting you to sleep..."

Sometimes, I even feel like I'm a bit useless...

Upon hearing Tan Huimin's words, Zheng Tao paused slightly with his chopsticks.

As a political creature, he was not moved by his ex-wife's heartwarming confession; all he felt was a consideration of self-interest.

So... he remained silent for a long while, then, as if he had made up his mind, he lowered his head to pick up some food and tentatively asked, "Huimin... do you really think so?"

Tan Huimin nodded slightly, "Yes... I've felt so sorry for you these past two years."

Zheng Tao's movements slowed down even further, as if he were holding two heavy stones instead of chopsticks.

He lowered his head and slowly said, "Then... if you can help me, would you be willing to help me?"

Upon hearing this, Tan Huimin said innocently, "Of course I'm willing. I'm willing to do anything as long as it can help you."

Upon hearing Tan Huimin's words, Zheng Tao slowly raised his head, his eyes becoming incredibly deep and dark. "Then... I hope you can spend these next few days with Qiu Tu."

Tan Huimin: ?

Perhaps because she wasn't very familiar with the Investigation Bureau, Tam Wai-man almost didn't realize who Yau Tu was for a moment.

She searched her memory for a long time before she remembered that Qiu Tu was the deputy director of the action department (section chief level) who had slapped her ex-husband in the face yesterday.

She paused for a second, then asked, "I'm going to be with him? What do you mean?"

Of course, Zheng Tao couldn't be too direct with his ex-wife.

So he could only say, half-truthfully, "As you know, Qiu Tu is my mortal enemy."

“A few days ago, he made me lose face. He made me lose so much face in front of so many detectives from the Investigation Department.”

"And today, he has been promoted to deputy director of the political department."

“I’m really worried that once he gets ahead of me, he’ll turn around and suppress and deal with me.”

"Therefore, I need a trustworthy person to infiltrate his circle, gain his trust, monitor his every move, and report to me at any time."

Upon hearing Zheng Tao's words, Tan Huimin paused for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "But... I'm your secretary, and also your ex-wife. How can I go to his side? How could he possibly trust me?"

Upon hearing Tan Huimin's question, Zheng Tao finally seemed to have made up his mind.

He took a deep breath and then slowly said, "It's simple. Because... I made a bet with him and lost you to him."

"So, you can go to his side anytime you want."

Upon hearing Zheng Tao's words, Tan Huimin frowned on her beautiful oval face, staring at her ex-husband in disbelief...

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Chapter 215 Liu Fuping's Identity Revealed (10,000 words, please subscribe!)

Perhaps worried that she had misheard, Tan Huimin frowned and asked again to confirm, "What...what did you say?"

"You lost me to Qiu Tu?"

Perhaps because he had already stated the most crucial point, Zheng Tao was no longer afraid. So he simply threw down his chopsticks and, in a fit of despair, said, "Yes. I lost you to Qiu Tu."

He said, "Let's make a bet. We'll bet on whether he's the new deputy minister of the political department."

“I bet it isn’t. The wager is that you go and spend two days with him.”

"As it turned out, I lost the bet."

Hearing Zheng Tao's utterly unbearable words, Tan Huimin's face turned red with anger, and her heavy chest heaved violently.

She glared at Zheng Tao, her beautiful face filled with disappointment. "Zheng Tao! How could you do such a thing!"

"I am a person! Not some plaything! How could you use me as a betting stake!"

Seeing Tan Huimin angry, Zheng Tao didn't feel any heartache; on the contrary, he became even more agitated.

He interrupted Tan Huimin impatiently, then said in a deep voice with a gloomy face, "First of all, it wasn't me who used you as a bet; it was Qiu Tu who brought it up."

"Secondly, our relationship wasn't public at the agency, so he didn't know you were my ex-wife. He just said he needed to borrow my secretary for two days."

"At a time like this, could I just refuse and say you're not suitable to be a bet? Wouldn't that expose our relationship?"

"at last...."

At this point, Zheng Tao paused for a moment, then told a lie, saying, "In this bet, we will never lose."

“When he proposed the bet, I had already thought it through. If he loses, he will pay the price. Not only will I be able to regain the face I lost yesterday, but I can also stop his upward momentum.”

"If he wins..."

At this point, Zheng Tao gave his ex-wife a deep look. "When the time comes, I'll take the opportunity to send you there. You can infiltrate his inner circle, gain his trust, collect evidence of his crimes, and then turn against him when the time is right."

"Wouldn't that solve our problem once and for all?"

Upon hearing Zheng Tao's words, Tan Huimin couldn't help but show a thoughtful expression.

She pondered for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Are you sure... you just want me to go and gather information?"

Seeing that Tan Huimin's attitude had softened somewhat, Zheng Tao quickly put his arm around Tan Huimin's shoulder and reassured her, "Of course."

"I don't have any weird quirks."

He whispered to his ex-wife, "If you can find out anything after you go there, that would be best. But don't worry if you can't. I just want to plant a spy next to him so he can be useful when it matters."

"So, don't put too much pressure on yourself, and make sure to protect yourself. Don't let that bastard take advantage of you."

"The rest is up to you. If all else fails, be sweet-talking and try to coax him. Anyway, as long as you stay by his side, you'll definitely be a great help to me in the future..."

Hearing Zheng Tao's words, Tan Huimin's attitude softened again. She had begun to seriously consider the plan.

After a moment's thought, Tan Huimin asked softly, "But... can Qiu Tu keep me here? Why should he trust me?"

Having already received guidance from that high-ranking official, Zheng Tao confidently stated, "Of course he might keep you. The reason is simple."

"Qiu Tu is a very sensitive and suspicious person. He is easily suspicious of everything around him."

"Given the current tense relationship between him and the department, he might not be able to trust the secretary they assigned to him."

"On the contrary, someone like you, who won the secretary on his own whim, is the one he would find more reliable."

"So, as long as you behave well and be considerate in front of him these two days, he will definitely not want to let you go."

"When the time comes, I'll have someone block his choice of a new secretary. He'll definitely be attracted to you and will try every means to keep you."

Hearing Zheng Tao's words, Tan Huimin gave him a complicated look.

Although Zheng Tao's words sounded very nice, Tan Huimin's woman's intuition still made her feel a little uneasy.

However, she still wanted to win Zheng Tao back, and since Zheng Tao had already said so much, she had no choice but to accept.

So she could only sigh, look down at her heavy chest, nod slightly, and say, "Okay... I'll give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tao visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out and grasped Tan Huimin's hand, saying softly, "Thank you for your hard work, Huimin."

Tan Huimin remained expressionless. "Hmm..."

......

at the same time.

Qiu Tu was unaware that a conspiracy was closing in on him.

At that moment, he was at Liu Fuping's house, drinking, eating, and chatting with Liu Fuping.

Perhaps because Jia Shu and Jia Wei are both dead, and Director Liu's son has finally gotten his revenge, Liu Fuping is noticeably very excited and happy tonight.

She rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head, held a glass of red wine, and said to Qiu Tu with a slight buzz, "Qiu Tu, do you know? The grudge against Brother Kai has been weighing on my and the director's hearts for many years."

"For so many years, I have dreamed of Kai lying in a pool of blood every night."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes. "And now, I have finally avenged him."

"I can finally put my mind at ease."

At this point, Qiu Tu had already learned Liu Fuping's true identity from her: Liu Kai, the son of Director Liu..., was her fiancée.

According to Liu Fuping, her parents and Director Liu were old acquaintances; years ago, both families fled to Cuishan City together. Director Liu became an agent through a selection process, while her family started a small business.

Because they visited each other frequently and were of similar age, she and Liu Xiongyuan's son, Liu Kai, gradually developed feelings for each other. Both families noticed this and thought it would be good to strengthen their kinship through marriage.

So, they got engaged and prepared to get married on a chosen date.

As a result, while they were waiting to get married, Yan Chen and Jia Shu brought down students from the Eighth Shelter [Officer's School] to participate in practical activities. Liu Kai... was also brutally tortured and killed by the Jia brothers, Jia Wei and Jia Shu.

And so, Liu Fuping became a "widow" before even getting married...

This is also the origin of her status as a "widow"... (Chapter 54)

After Liu Kai's death, Liu Fuping was devastated and almost couldn't recover. It was only because Jia Wei wasn't sentenced to death that she had the will to live—she wanted to avenge Liu Kai!

Over the years, she had been working with Director Liu to track down Jia Wei's whereabouts. Director Liu investigated through official channels, while she investigated through her parents' business connections.

But they were never able to find any trace of Jia Wei.

Until two or three years ago, Director Liu heard that Yan Chen would be transferred from the shelter to become the Director of the Investigation Department in the New Territories.

So he began training a group of spies to be deployed to the New Territories to deal with Yan Chen, and he wanted to follow the line between Yan Chen and Jia Shu to see if he could find Jia Wei.

Liu Fuping found out about this.

She volunteered to come to the New Territories to participate in an undercover mission.

At first, Director Liu and Liu Fuping's parents disagreed, but they couldn't persuade her otherwise.

So, after more than a year of training, Liu Fuping, using the alias "Liu Fuping," arrived in the New Territories...

"Liu" refers to Liu Kai's willow, while "floating duckweed" is used to express her years of wandering and... the capriciousness of fate.

People may experience various changes and uncertainties in life; no one knows whether tomorrow or an accident will come first...

Just like a rootless duckweed.

After recalling Liu Fuping's background, Qiu Tu felt a sense of respect for the woman in front of him.