when Tang Feifei was rushing toward Xinjie City,
Qiu Tu was still working hard at the Investigation Bureau...
Yes, he was genuinely working hard.
It wasn't that he had changed, no longer adhering to a nine-to-five schedule, absolutely refusing to work overtime. Rather... he had mysteriously come to understand the "pain" of a middle-aged man.
—"Going home" was more terrifying than going to work.
Thus, he'd rather do some overtime at the office or sit in his car for half an hour, an hour below the office building, than go home early.
He had his reasons for this...
For some unknown reason, Ali, Xue'er, and Yanyan got the wrong idea since the first day they met Qiu Tu when he tentatively mentioned moving in with them.
They started asking Qiu Tu intermittently when he would move in.
But... Qiu Tu was definitely a gentleman!
He mentioned it that day only to test those three girls, not because he was really planning anything with them.
Hmm... Qiu Tu was convinced that this was the case.
So, he had resisted quite a bit before he finally moved some of his belongings into Yan Chen's garden villa.
However... living together with three girls, Qiu Tu finally understood what torment meant.
Xue'er... clearly held a bias against him. Every day when she saw him, she just gave him a cold look and remained silent.
Whereas Yanyan, who should have been a simple, sentimental girl, somehow made Qiu Tu feel a bit strange when interacting with her.
And the most terrifying was Ai Li.
Possibly to accomplish a mission, or maybe for some weird hobby, she had actually filled the guest room where Qiu Tu stayed with surveillance and bugging devices.
And... she barely concealed it.
When Qiu Tu first moved in, he was shocked.
Was the intelligence work in Dongye State always this sloppy?
Otherwise, they might as well install a camera directly above his head!
That would be even more convenient!
So, in that "home," Qiu Tu couldn't stay a minute longer and directly fled overnight.
As a result, these three girls seemed to cling onto him. Even though he had run away, the next day, and the day after, they still chased him to the Investigation Bureau, asking when Qiu Tu would come home.
What could Qiu Tu do?
Of course, he used overtime as an excuse to stay at the Investigation Bureau.
Of course... all of the above was just gossip circulated within the Investigation Bureau.
The real situation... clearly involved more conspiratorial actions...
Qiu Tu indeed had initially moved into Yan Chen's villa and began living with the three women; he really did run back the next day and was busy with work thereafter.
But... there were reasons for that.
Xinjie City Investigation Bureau, 12th floor, Office of the Deputy Director.
Qiu Tu sat behind his desk, reviewing Ai Li's family information, while looking up at Guan Xiao and Shen Lingshuang standing before him.
"So... Ai Li isn't actually from the Eighth Sanctuary?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao nodded earnestly.
She said seriously, "Director, that's correct."
"Ai Li's parents were in middle management at The Sixth Sanctuary, their positions roughly between a Bureau Chief and a Deputy Speaker."
"During the establishment of the Eighth Sanctuary, the third, sixth, and seventh Sanctuaries all provided considerable support."
"The largest support came from The Sixth Sanctuary. They sent elites to help establish a complete talent system and training institution at the Eighth Sanctuary, which is the 'Eighth Sanctuary Military Academy.'"
"Ai Li's parents were two of the team leaders from The Sixth Sanctuary."
"It was with their help that the 'Officer Academy' was successfully built and had its initial seeds of faculty."
"But just as the 'Officer Academy' was thriving and training more and more talent,"
"while on a mission outside, Ai Li's parents suddenly encountered an accident and both died, leaving only Ai Li behind."
"Both the 'Sanctuary' and 'Officer Academy' had contacted The Sixth Sanctuary to see if Ai Li had other family members."
"However... The Sixth Sanctuary responded that they hadn't found any other family members of Ai Li."
"So, although The Sixth Sanctuary was willing to take Ai Li back under the name of a child of merit, the Eighth Sanctuary declined their offer, choosing to keep Ai Li and raise her..."
After listening to Guan Xiao's explanation, Qiu Tu stroked his chin, deep in thought...
After a moment, he raised his head, curiously asking, "Do you think the deaths of Ai Li's parents were normal?"
"Could there be some sort of conspiracy involved?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao hesitated then said, "Director. Getting Ai Li's information was my limit."
"My family connections didn't get me the files of Ai Li's parents' case... So, I can't judge if there might be a problem."
"But..." said Guan Xiao, shifting her tone, then continued, "This case has been long past. If there was a problem, shouldn't it have been clarified by now?"
Qiu Tu, hearing this, didn't retort but just nodded slightly.
Perhaps as someone used to conspiracies, he viewed everything as suspicious.
Thus, hearing about the deaths of Ai Li's parents, his first reaction was that something was off.
But now wasn't the time to delve deeply into this topic, so Qiu Tu didn't dwell on it but moved on to the next topic.
He inquired, "So... the reason Ai Li could attain such a position at her age is because of her family's influence?"