I truly appreciate your trust in me.

"Are you trying to kill yourself, Zhongliang? Didn't I tell you to get more rest? Why did you come home? How is your arm injury?"

That evening, because he had exhausted his uses of the Eye of Insight, the side effects left Zhou Hongyi weak and unsteady on his feet. He had no choice but to temporarily call off that night's operation at the Paramount, leaving A-Gui and Fusheng to watch the entrance while he took a rickshaw home early to rest.

Seeing him in this state, Zhou Pan'er felt a mixture of heartache and anger. Just as she reached out to pinch Zhou Hongyi's ear, the latter slumped his head against her shoulder and whined coquettishly, "Sis~ I'm so sleepy~ I want to go to sleep~~"

"Just look at you! If you're not feeling well, you should come home early to rest. What on earth was so important that you had to do it yourself? I'll have Mother Wang brew some fish fillet congee for you to build your strength back up. Go on upstairs to bed now, and I'll call you when it's ready."

"Thanks, Sis. Having an elder sister makes you feel like a treasure~~ I'm heading up to sleep for a bit." Zhou Hongyi straightened up from Zhou Pan'er's shoulder and was about to head upstairs when she called out to him again.

"Zhongliang, that young lady who came to the hospital to see you the other day—although she's a woman of the demimonde, I think her looks and bearing are quite good. Most importantly, the way she looks at you is full of affection mixed with a bit of adoration. If she were to marry into our Zhou family, she'd surely be able to take good care of you for your sister. It's just her background... How about this? We can let her enter the family first, but as a concubine. What do you think?"

Zhou Hongyi staggered, nearly turning his ankle. He turned back and smiled wryly, "Sis, why are you suddenly bringing this up? You're talking about Manyu, right? We're just friends—friends, understand? There's nothing romantic between us. You're overthinking it."

"Overthinking?" Zhou Pan'er raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "Do you take your sister for a three-year-old? What kind of women haven't I seen? From the way she looks at you, it's not hard to guess that even if you have no designs on her, she'd probably love to swallow you whole."

"It's not that dramatic, Sis. I just helped her write a couple of songs, that's all."

"You silly boy, you're far behind your sister when it comes to these things. But honestly, that girl seems really nice. You said her name is Manyu—she wouldn't happen to be Manyu, the popular singer at the Paramount, would she?"

"That's her. Sis, stop letting your imagination run wild. You aren't even old yet, why are you acting just like Mom? Yes, Manyu is very pretty and knows how to charm people, but she's not my type, to say nothing of marriage or wedding bells—how impolite would that be? Even if I settle down in the future, I will only ever take one wife. Alright, I'm truly exhausted and going upstairs to sleep. Call me when dinner is ready."

Without giving Zhou Pan'er a chance to reply, Zhou Hongyi practically bolted to his bedroom and fell straight into bed.

Pondering his words, Zhou Pan'er seemed to read a different meaning into them. "Not your type, not your type, yet you still flirt with her. You brat, you were just playing around with her all along. Hmph! You must have been corrupted by your brother-in-law. Let's see how I deal with him when he comes home tonight."

At that very moment, Ding Mocun, currently making a phone call at No. 76, sneezed out of nowhere. He rubbed his nose and continued, "Shimazu-san, do you mean... that man surnamed Su is pushing his luck and only asking for more because he wants the roster of the Shanghai underground Communist underground contacts?"

[Yes, Ding-kun. My meaning is that we should simply agree to him. The more greedy and insatiable a person is, the easier they are for us to control. As for whether we will actually fulfill our promises to him when the time comes, that is another matter entirely. I have recently assigned my agents to protect him closely, and we should satisfy whatever he wishes to do. I heard he has also requested to be a judge for the Miss Rose beauty pageant. Showing his face in such public places is quite dangerous, especially since the Paramount shooting just occurred; it's inevitable that people with ulterior motives might try to exploit it.]

"Rest assured, Shimazu-san, I will persuade him to give up this role. There are plenty of opportunities for him to play with dance hostesses; he only needs to pick whichever one catches his eye and have her brought out. There's no need to put himself in such peril."

Just as Ding Mocun finished speaking, Colonel Shimazu on the other end of the line said, [Ding-kun, this time I have decided to go along with his wishes. If someone with ulterior motives wants to use this opportunity to target him, why don't we cast our fishing net in advance and wait by the stump for the rabbit?]

"You mean, Colonel..."

[Precisely. This beauty pageant must not only be held, but held on a grand scale. Let the magazines and newspapers publicize it as much as possible, and I will also send some of my own people to participate in the pageant personally. Spread this news so that the underground Communist agents and Nationalist assassins still hiding in the city all receive the information. As long as they dare to show up, it will be the best opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop.]

Squinting, Ding Mocun nodded on his end of the line. "I understand Colonel Shimazu's intent. This move is indeed brilliant—it can be considered an open conspiracy. Once the news is released, even if they know there's an ambush, they will still take the risk. At that time, as long as we can capture a few more operatives, we won't need to focus all our energy on him."

[That is what I was thinking as well.]

After Shimazu and Ding Mocun chatted for a while longer, the former chuckled and said, [By the way, there is one more matter I should notify you of in advance. Sasuke-kun, your brother-in-law Zhou Zhongliang, behaved exceptionally heroically during the last incident and proved his loyalty to the Imperial Army. Mr. Hasegawa's work is of the utmost importance, and we have decided to let Sasuke-kun join the chamber of commerce preparatory committee as a board member. As his brother-in-law, you mustn't be reluctant to let him go.]

Ding Mocun was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then laughed heartily. "Since Colonel Shimazu wishes to promote his own student, how could I dare to obstruct it? Besides, Zhongliang is indeed capable, and his loyalty to the Imperial Army is plain for all to see. Since Mr. Hasegawa also appreciates him, I consider this a very good thing."

A Japanese imperialist and a Chinese traitor were actually discussing Zhou Hongyi's loyalty to the Imperial Army over the phone and expressing their deep satisfaction.

Their conversation caused Zhou Hongyi, deep in his slumber, to sneeze three times in a row, making him think he was catching a cold.

After a short while, Zhou Pan'er had Mother Wang finish simmering the fish fillet congee, then cautiously knocked on Zhou Hongyi's bedroom door.

"Zhongliang, the fish fillet congee is ready. Get up and eat a little, then you can go back to sleep."

Actually, Zhou Hongyi had already been woken up by the sneezes. After splashing some cold water on his face, he opened the door and walked out.

"I wonder who is badmouthing me behind my back? I've been sneezing up a storm," Zhou Hongyi muttered, rubbing his nose.

"Make sure you don't catch a cold. If worst comes to worst, I'll have Mother Wang brew you some ginger soup," Zhou Pan'er said worriedly.

Lifting his hands, Zhou Hongyi replied, "Sis, first fish fillet congee and now ginger soup? My stomach can't hold all that liquid. It's fine, my nose was just ticklish."

As the two of them were talking, the sound of a car engine and barking dogs drifted in from outside.

"Your brother-in-law is back. Mother Wang, dish out another bowl of fish fillet congee!"

Retrieving a shawl, Zhou Pan'er trotted with quick steps down the stairs and opened the door to see Ding Mocun walking into the courtyard.

"Darling, you're back? You two acted as if you'd planned it together today. It would be wonderful if you could come home this early every day."

Taking off his coat and handing it to Zhou Pan'er, Ding Mocun smiled. "A man, you see, is in his prime working years. If he came home this early every day, it would only prove one thing: that he is a complete failure."

"Alright, alright, so the two of you are the most successful, is that it? Did everything go smoothly today?" Having hung up the coat, Zhou Pan'er walked into the house side-by-side with Ding Mocun.

The prominent traitor happened to spot Zhou Hongyi, who had just set down his fish fillet congee, stood up, and opened his arms wide while shouting, "Brother-in-law, come here! Let me give you a loving hug."