Chen Gu was speculating about what Mei Lixue was up to when suddenly a black shadow flashed before him, giving him a start.
Qing Ruyan put on a meek expression, as if to say, "Oh, I’m so sorry for startling you," and "I really am terribly sorry," then asked, "Are you alright?"
She’s 100 percent doing this on purpose, Chen Gu thought, glaring at her in annoyance. "What do you want?"
Qing Ruyan flashed a "seductive" look and crooked her finger at him. "Come to my office. Let’s talk slowly..."
Chen Gu rolled his eyes. She definitely wants to talk about the mission, he thought. But why is this woman’s acting straight out of a cheesy drama?
What Chen Gu didn’t know was that the moment he entered Qing Ruyan’s office, several senior female colleagues from the Internal Affairs Department saw it. Soon, various rumors started circulating within the branch.
Those shameless vixens who had been drooling over Chen Gu suddenly extinguished their unrealistic ideas.
She’s the exclusive prize of a bigwig from the General Bureau! You little bitches think you can get your hands on her? I’d chop off your paws!
There was also one person left heartbroken—Silver Eagle climbed to the roof of the branch building by himself and drank all night.
Once inside the office, Qing Ruyan returned to her normal state and tossed a file to Chen Gu. "Here’s the President. She’s indeed a senior executive."
In just a single day, Qing Ruyan had thoroughly investigated this freelancer. Her real name was Molly Green, CEO of a medium-sized trading company in the urban district, and also one of its founders and shareholders.
From her background, Qing Ruyan deduced that during her college years, Molly Green must have traveled to the ruins of an ancient alien civilization. There, upon unknowingly interacting with something, she awakened as a Psychological Spy.
The probability of naturally awakening to an Old Profession was relatively high, while it was much lower for New Professions. Even for natural awakenings, retrospective analysis showed they actually met many stringent conditions, similar to obtaining a profession through a Profession Generator.
Thanks to her abilities as a Psychological Spy, Molly Green’s company consistently secured incredible orders, allowing it to progressively grow and strengthen.
However, Molly needed to continuously grow stronger. Therefore, she repeatedly faked ’loss-making’ ventures to siphon funds for her cultivation. Otherwise, her company would have long since expanded into a planet-wide corporation.
"This is a photo of Molly Green." Qing Ruyan sent a holographic image. Chen Gu glanced at it, and after a moment of recollection, confirmed it was the body he had seen.
He nodded. "That’s right."
Qing Ruyan smiled faintly. "Wait for me a moment."
She walked into a small private resting room to the side—as an ’imperial envoy’ from the General Bureau, her privileges were naturally high, including a resting room in her office.
She wasn’t long. When she came out, Chen Gu was momentarily dazed, feeling as if the corpse he had seen in the basement had come back to life!
Chen Gu felt his skin crawl and abruptly snapped out of this "feeling."
Then he suddenly realized: The Mind Belief skill has taken effect!
He gave Qing Ruyan a deep look. This woman actually possesses abilities similar to a Psychological Spy! She nearly tricked me without me even realizing it!
Chen Gu inwardly curled his lip. She can clearly imitate the President’s abilities perfectly, yet last time she seriously discussed with me how Big Gold Teeth, Cowboy Rabbit, and the others couldn’t possibly know the President’s profession... What a liar!
Qing Ruyan had changed into a dark brown professional suit, paired with a high-necked white blouse, and an expensive jeweled brooch adorned her left lapel.
She had changed her hairstyle to a more formal, ear-length bob, put on a pair of black-rimmed glasses, and wore black pointed high heels.
Her entire demeanor underwent a drastic change; she was the very image of a capable career woman.
Noticing that Chen Gu had only been "entranced" for a brief moment, Qing Ruyan felt a hint of disappointment. Then, she smiled, tilted her head, and spread her hands. "Well? What do you think?"
Chen Gu praised sincerely, "Even someone who has met the President would be fooled by you."
Qing Ruyan flicked her fingers, and two flight tickets flew out. "We’re leaving immediately. We’ll head to Wangxingjiao City in advance to conduct a preliminary investigation. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat."
She quickly stepped into the role of "President," even her manner of speaking becoming more formal.
Chen Gu didn’t have much luggage to pack. He simply notified the young women in the Internal Affairs Department to request a day off for him tomorrow and then left with Qing Ruyan.
Intra-planetary travel was very convenient these days. An hour later, they landed in Wangxingjiao City.
This was the city closest to the Yingudusi Devil’s Pit. It was much smaller in scale than Wuzhaoyin City, with a population of only about five million. In this era, it truly was a "small place."
Qing Ruyan had already arranged everything. She had booked another hotel near their designated meeting hotel.
The two rested for a night. The next morning, Qing Ruyan tossed a set of clothes to Chen Gu. "Change into these. You’re my assistant now. You can’t keep wearing a high school uniform, can you?"
Chen Gu changed into the clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. The attire was also business-like, the fabric exquisite, clearly an expensive brand. Wearing it, he looked much more mature, no longer like a high school student.
Chen Gu went downstairs to meet Qing Ruyan in the hotel lobby. She seemed to be in a good mood. "Big Sis is taking you for breakfast."
At a dim sum restaurant, while Chen Gu was eating heartily without any regard for his image, Qing Ruyan gestured with her hand. An inconspicuous middle-aged man sitting not far away came over and sat at their table.
Then, he passed various materials to Qing Ruyan. "After receiving the mission, my people have been keeping an eye on that hotel, and I’ve also conducted many covert investigations."
"Details of all suspicious individuals entering and exiting the hotel during this period are in these files."
"Based on my experience, there are two individuals who warrant special attention." As he spoke, he projected minimized images of two photos onto the tabletop in front of them.
One was a middle-aged man with a beard and sunglasses; the other, a young girl.
When Chen Gu saw the girl, he almost cried out in surprise. It’s Liu Shichan!
"The bearded one—his companions call him Leder. Although he’s staying at that hotel, he frequently travels between the hotel and a local factory."
"I’ve already sent you the factory’s information. I’m only responsible for providing intelligence; you’ll have to make your own judgments on other matters."
"I haven’t been able to ascertain the girl’s identity. The people around her all call her ’Miss.’ The hotel rooms were reserved and paid for through her account."
After saying his piece, the man tapped the table, rose, and left.
Qing Ruyan said, "A local information broker. His fee is thirty thousand Starshield, which we’ll have to split."
Chen Gu approved of this expense. Qing Ruyan was indeed experienced, and her safety precautions were very thorough.
Chen Gu pointed at Liu Shichan’s photo. "I know her."
Qing Ruyan was surprised. "Who is she?"
After Chen Gu told her, Qing Ruyan quickly performed a search on the interstellar network. "Ah, the young mistress of Liu Industries."
She smiled, glancing at Chen Gu from the corner of her eye. "Fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged, and the primary heir to an industrial group. Aren’t you drooling?"
Chen Gu, his words not matching his thoughts, said awkwardly, "I’m not the kind of person you think I am."