France, Paris.

Inside an ordinary apartment.

Ah Jiao stood by the window, looking out onto the street for quite a while before she turned to the unmasking Lao Hei and asked, "We weren't exposed, right?"

Lao Hei shook his head, "I don't think so. I circled around two blocks before coming back."

Ah Jiao sat down on the sofa, "How did it go?"

"I contacted an intelligence broker in the black market. They hadn't heard that person's name but promised to gather information quickly and told me to pick it up tomorrow," Lao Hei replied as he peeled off a fake moustache from the corner of his mouth.

Ah Jiao nodded, softly saying, "Alright, let's give it a shot. If this way doesn't work, we'll have to change direction and start with the Gwen Clan."

Ah Jie scratched his head, "This job isn't easy; our yellow skin makes us too conspicuous. Wherever we go, we draw attention."

Upon hearing that, Ah Jiao furrowed her brows slightly, "Even if it's difficult, we have to do it. That's why we must be even more careful, we absolutely mustn't..."

Before she could finish, a sudden screeching of brakes sounded from the street outside.

Soon after, there were several crisp sounds of car doors opening and closing.

The vigilant Lao Hei jumped up from the sofa and quickly went to the window. Peering through the curtain's gap, he saw two cars parked across the street, with several burly men crossing the road and heading toward their apartment.

Seeing this, Lao Hei got nervous and quickly turned to the two on the sofa, saying, "Damn! Looks like they're coming for us!"

Ah Jiao and the others quickly came to the window. Upon seeing the situation outside, she made a swift decision, "To the next unit!"

The three of them didn't dare to linger. Within less than half a minute, they packed up anything that could expose their identities and swiftly left the room, shutting the door behind them.

This building had six floors, with seven or eight rooms on each floor. Besides their current apartment, Ah Jiao had specifically instructed Lao Hei last night to find a vagrant on the street and use his identity to rent the adjacent room as a temporary escape point.

Ah Jiao quickly unlocked the door to the adjacent room, and the three of them entered one after another, closing the door promptly.

A minute later, heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor, followed by a "bang" as the door to the adjacent room was forcefully kicked open.

With her ear to the wall, Ah Jiao listened intently to the noise coming from the next room.

After entering, the strangers rummaged around, speaking in unintelligible French.

Approximately five minutes later, footsteps echoed once more in the corridor as those guys finally left.

Ah Jiao, not daring to be careless, continued listening for a while longer. Once she confirmed the absence of any sound from the adjacent room, the three of them sighed in relief.

"How did they find us here? I took special care to take a long detour on my way back..." Lao Hei's face was notably grim.

"The person our boss wants us to investigate must be powerful," Ah Jiao, who seemed unsurprised, said, "The problem is most likely with that intelligence broker. He probably sold you out."

"Damn it!" Lao Hei clenched his fist, anger rising.

Ah Jie sneaked toward the window, discretely checking the street outside, "They've left."

Listening to the engines humming outside, Ah Jiao frowned, "Don't go out now. Once it's dark, we'll leave through the fire escape and find another place."

"They might have left someone watching outside, and surely have already talked to the hotel owner."

...

Meanwhile, inside the mall.

Qi Yun was dining with Zhao Qing and his daughter in a restaurant. He had just taken the menu from the waiter when he noticed Dong Anyun jogging to the restaurant entrance.

He was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting to encounter her there.

Dong Anyun also spotted him and walked straight towards them.

"Mr. Qi, what a coincidence," Dong Anyun approached and, after discreetly glancing at Zhao Qing a few times, greeted them with a smile.

"Haha, Miss Dong is here for a meal too?" Qi Yun responded with a light laugh. Though she represented Zhao Weilin in competition against him, such matters were business-related and his demeanor remained courteous.

"Yes," Dong Anyun nodded, her gaze shifting to Zhao Qing, "Who might this be?"

"Oh, this is my wife, Zhao Qing, and my daughter, Nuannuan," Qi Yun introduced them, albeit still a bit puzzled.

Dong Anyun praised with a smile, "Mr. Qi, you're quite fortunate. Ms. Zhao is truly beautiful, and Nuannuan is very cute."

Zhao Qing, observing the newcomer, politely responded, "Miss Dong is very beautiful too."

The little girl was not involved in the adults' conversation, focusing instead on her ice cream.

"Haha, mind if I join you for a meal?" Dong Anyun suddenly made a request that surprised Qi Yun.

Logically speaking, they weren't particularly familiar with each other, their relationship primarily business-related and even laced with competition. Such a boundary-less request was indeed unexpected.

Qi Yun displayed a look of surprise, then with a forced smile replied, "Wouldn't that be inconvenient? Perhaps if there's another opportunity, I could treat Miss Dong to a meal instead." He attempted a courteous refusal.

Unexpectedly, Dong Anyun didn't retreat, instead adopting a pitiful demeanor, turning to Zhao Qing, saying, "I'm here on a business trip alone, and I'll be heading back to Shanghai tomorrow. I've been afraid of loneliness since I was a child..." Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes seemed to well with tears.

Qi Yun frowned, watching her, unable to comprehend what the woman was trying to do. Despite her sharp and assertive demeanor during their morning meeting, her current contrast made him doubt this act.

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