Let them offer their loyalty!

Hearing the words of the beautiful assistant before him, Qiu Tu was once again certain that Liu Fuping must have done her job well.

He guessed that last night, Liu Fuping might have used some means to hint to Tang Feifei about her own predicament and the issues with the "Yin Caimei case".

And this had successfully piqued Tang Feifei's curiosity.

He surmised that after learning of this information last night, Tang Feifei probably had someone conduct a cursory investigation into the case.

The power of a Deputy Director of the Investigation Bureau in the Planning Area was not to be underestimated; many issues that were extremely difficult for Qiu Tu to investigate appeared transparent before her.

Therefore, in just one night, she must have found some fishy parts in the case and confirmed that the intelligence Liu Fuping told her was true.

Hence, she took the initiative this morning to send an assistant to intercept him on his way, wanting to collaborate with him, or rather... to recruit him.

After running through the events in his mind, Qiu Tu also roughly had a plan.

He smiled and said to Tang Feifei's beautiful assistant, "Thank you for Director Tang's generous offer. But 'a servant does not serve two masters', and I must respectfully decline."

Having said that, Qiu Tu didn't even close the car window before he stepped on the gas and left the place.

Watching Qiu Tu's departure without a hint of face-saving for her, the intercepting assistant was full of surprise.

As one of the four highest-ranking officials in the Investigation Bureau, who in Xinjie City would dare to offend Tang Feifei?

Even Yan Chen, although she was suppressing Tang Feifei behind the scenes, still had to give Tang Feifei some face publicly to avoid being seen by the Sanctuary as tyrannical and overbearing.

So, as Tang Feifei's assistant, the female assistant was long used to everyone welcoming Tang Feifei with a smile and being at her beck and call.

But... Director Tang personally invited Qiu Tu, and he just drove away?

This truly shocked the assistant.

She watched incredulously as Qiu Tu drove off into the distance, then picked up her communicator and dialed Tang Feifei.

The phone connected, and Tang Feifei's distinctive low female voice came from the handset, "Is the matter settled?"

Hearing Tang Feifei's somewhat authoritative voice, the assistant swallowed hard and then cautiously said, "Director... Qiu Tu has declined."

"Declined?" Tang Feifei sought confirmation, then suddenly laughed.

The assistant thought that Tang Feifei was laughing out of extreme anger, so she hurriedly showed her loyalty, "Director, I think that Qiu Tu is just asking for a slap in the face!"

"You personally invited him, and yet he dared to decline, as if he didn't take you seriously at all."

"If you ask me, we should investigate him, see if there are any faults to be found, and directly bring him down!"

"Enough," Tang Feifei cut the assistant off and then said coolly, "Stop using your pig brain to guess at what I'm thinking."

Tang Feifei might indeed be in a good mood because she rarely explained in a softer voice, "Actually, after receiving that intelligence last night, I felt something was odd: everything seemed a bit too coincidental."

"However, upon inspecting the case, there really were fishy parts. I didn't want to let go of such an opportunity lightly."

"Thus, today I had you invite him. In truth, the invitation was fake, the probing was real."

"You need to understand who he is."

"The confidant of Yan Chen, a key member of Secretary Bai's faction, a subordinate valued by Jia Shu."

"Even though he seems to have had some conflicts with Secretary Bai recently and the case he took on also encountered problems, his ability to become a section chief and progress to his current position relied entirely on the support of these three people."

"So, how could he possibly betray them just because a high-ranking official came looking for him?"

"Therefore, if he had really accepted my invitation, that would have suggested that this matter might very well be a trap."

"As for his refusal of me now, on the contrary, it's a good thing."

After hearing Tang Feifei's words, the assistant suddenly understood.

She quickly flattered Tang Feifei, "Director, how wise! How thorough you are in your considerations!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After the flattery, she lowered her voice and probed, "But, Director, now that we've proven it's not a trap, Qiu Tu has left. How do we continue to make contact with him?"

Tang Feifei said coolly, "No trouble at all. Although he declined you, he's still aware that I extended an olive branch to him."

"So, with his intelligence, once he returns to the Bureau, he will surely inquire about me and weigh the pros and cons cautiously."

"As long as there is something fishy with that case, and it's likely he can't handle it, he definitely won't let go of this lifeline I've offered."

"So, let's give him some time, contact him again tonight or tomorrow."

"Don't worry, the fish will bite eventually!"

After speaking, Tang Feifei said in her distinctive low female voice, "Alright, come back now. Don't embarrass yourself out there."

"Yes," the assistant quickly responded.

...

Meanwhile, Qiu Tu, who was driving towards the Investigation Bureau, was also organizing a "fishing plan".

Only... unlike Tang Feifei who was fishing for the case, he was fishing for Tang Feifei.

Just as Tang Feifei had analyzed, Qiu Tu knew her first invitation was definitely a test.

As a confidant of Yan Chen and Jia Shu, he could not accept.

This was not only inconsistent with his persona, but also not conducive to his own fishing for Tang Feifei....

Although Tang Feifei was the Deputy Director of the Investigation Bureau, she was also a woman.

As long as she was a woman, Qiu Tu could use the "Emotional Fraud Manual" from his previous life, which recorded "12 types of women, 36 corresponding strategies, and 108 ways to enhance affection".

According to Qiu Tu's analysis, Tang Feifei most likely fell into one of the 12 types of women in the "Emotional Fraud Manual" — either an Action-Oriented Person or a Rational Planner.

Both types of women have one thing in common: they are particularly enterprising, ambitious, and they can very easily become strong, independent women.

The difference is that an "Action-Oriented Person" needs to be more confident and strong, full of enthusiasm for work and career.

While a "Rational Planner" tends to be more composed and independent, leaning towards rationality rather than emotion in their actions.

But no matter which of these two types, both can be dealt with by using the "36 Strategies," specifically the technique of "To Catch and Release Deliberately."

To put it simply and directly, such powerful women who hold authority and are career-driven are unlikely to be interested in ordinary men.

Therefore, it's necessary to provoke their competitive spirit and desire to conquer, making them feel like there's a chance, yet they find themselves unable to control the situation each time.

This consistent let-down, the frustration of repeated hunting failures, and the ongoing pursuit of success will gradually cause them to lose control, until they eventually fall completely into the emotional trap.

Though the purpose of that booklet was to deceive women's emotions, Qiu Tu felt it would have the same effect when used in business matters.

Thus, his strategy for Tang Feifei was "To Catch and Release Deliberately."

He would cooperate with Tang Feifei, but he couldn't let her control the pace. He would give her a taste of success, but after each sweet taste, he would withdraw.

Stir up her competitive spirit, her desire to conquer, give her the thrill of the chase, and let her slowly sink into this whirlwind of storms...

This was Qiu Tu's plan!

With that in mind, Qiu Tu slowly drove to the Investigation Bureau.

Parking the car and sitting inside, Qiu Tu continued to contemplate:

Regarding the Cataclysmic Potion, the Mandragora Love Drug, he received that morning: in order to better execute his plan, Qiu Tu was prepared to use it on Tang Feifei, but... not yet.

Because... there's a very high chance that Tang Feifei is a Cataclysmic.

Using a Cataclysmic Potion in front of a Cataclysmic whose identity is important yet unclear, Qi Tu was unsure if some unpredictable accidents might occur.

So, he had to test it twice in advance.

As for the targets of the experiment, he had already chosen them long ago...

The first target was right at the Investigation Bureau...

Thinking this way, Qiu Tu didn't delay.

He got out of the car, locked it, and then went straight to the Special Service Department...

The Special Service Department was on the first floor of the Investigation Bureau.

The reason it's on such a low floor is not because it's undervalued, but rather because they've established seven or eight training fields behind the Bureau building, which makes the first floor more convenient for their training.

Arriving at the Special Service Department, Qiu Tu pretended to be looking for someone while secretly searching for his target.

After wandering around for more than half an hour and almost catching the attention of the Special Service Detectives, Qiu Tu finally found his target—Tian Xiaotian.

Yes, after obtaining the Mandragora Love Drug, Qiu Tu's first reaction was not to use it on Tang Feifei, but on Tian Xiaotian.

After all... no one said that Cataclysmic Potions couldn't be used on the same sex...

As for why he used the potion on Tian Xiaotian.

The reason is simple: Compared to the shrewd Tang Feifei, Tian Xiaotian, who could get into fights with the fool Ah-Tai, was easier to deal with and thus a suitable test subject.

Moreover, Tian Xiaotian is the son of Vice President Tian, and on the surface, Qiu Tu is a "confidant" of Yan Chen and Jia Shu, naturally providing a foundation for building a good relationship.

Plus, considering Yin Caimei is Tian Xiaotian's stepmother and Vice President Tian is a key suspect, choosing Tian Xiaotian as the test subject might yield valuable information.

The only thing Qiu Tu didn't expect was... he was already at his desk waiting, and Tian Xiaotian was still late, making him wait in vain for half an hour.

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu stood not far away, observing his first target.

Tian Xiaotian's appearance almost fit Qiu Tu's stereotype of a rich merchant's son: chubby, round, weighing probably about 200 pounds.

From this weight, it's clear that the father-son relationship is good. After all, in times of material scarcity, one could not grow so plump without a strong bond.

There truly wasn't a hint of lack of love on him.

And yet, arriving half an hour late for work, Tian Xiaotian still brought a bunch of snacks: all luxury items from the Sanctuary. In Xinjie City, a pack could be traded for a bag of rice.

Being late for half an hour didn't rush Tian Xiaotian; he waddled to the Special Service Department, punched in, and then wobbled his chubby body towards the training field.

Qiu Tu followed him, then stealthily took out the "Mandragora Love Drug," dropping a drop and rubbing it on his own neck.

The moment the "Mandragora Love Drug" touched his neck, Qiu Tu distinctly felt as though a mysterious power came from the void, enveloping him.

But when he tried to calmly perceive it, he found that the fluctuation had disappeared, as if it were just an illusion.

Since the effect only lasted for 30 minutes, Qiu Tu didn't delay any further. He jogged along an alternate path to get ahead to the intersection, then walked toward Tian Xiaotian's direction.

Seeing Tian Xiaotian from afar, Qiu Tu suddenly became possessed by an acting god and began to curse quietly, "Damn it, what a piece of crap! A Third-Level Detective trying to act tough with me! Who the hell do you think you are!"

"And who's that Ah-Tai? So damn... I think it'd be better to call him too stupid!"

While cursing Ah-Tai, Qiu Tu's performance was tinged with a bit of the disappointment from this morning's "Loyalty Game," making it exceptionally realistic.

This immediately caught Tian Xiaotian's attention.

Especially after hearing the keyword "Ah-Tai," Tian Xiaotian's ears perked up.

He stopped Qiu Tu and asked boldly, "Bro, you got a problem with Ah-Tai too?"

For a First Level Detective to behave like this toward a Deputy Staff was extremely rude.

But Qiu Tu pretended not to notice and went along with it, "Yeah? I've got a problem with Ah-Tai!"

"What about it? Are you close with him?"

At this point, the skilled actor Qiu Tu's eyes even reddened as if he had seen an enemy, glaring at Tian Xiaotian.