The CEO is domineering, the devil Boss is addicted to pampering

Chapter 1403 Yunrui's Sincere Concern: How Could Assistant Zhou...

"Assistant Zhou? You mean Shen Chengyu's special assistant with the gold-rimmed glasses and gloomy demeanor?" Brother Tai jumped up in surprise. "How is that possible? He's always following Shen Chengyu around, obeying his every word. How could he be an undercover agent?"

Qi Ruixiang remained silent, his brows furrowed tightly as images from Black Rock Village flashed through his mind: Assistant Zhou's ruthlessness during Gu Yunxi's interrogation, his absolute obedience to Shen Chengyu, and even his decisive action against that girl...

Upon closer reflection, a subtle flaw emerges – every time he looked at Gu Yunxi, there seemed to be a hint of complexity in his eyes; when Shen Chengyu ordered him to torture Gu Yunxi, although he carried it out, he always left room for maneuver at the last moment and did not truly kill her.

“It’s him, and that makes sense.” Qi Ruixiang muttered to himself, his eyes gradually shifting from astonishment to understanding.

To remain by the side of someone as suspicious and ruthless as Shen Chengyu for so long and hold such an important position, one must either be as ruthless as him or be an undercover agent with superb acting skills and extreme patience.

Assistant Zhou's behavior clearly indicated the latter. After a moment of surprise, all the doubts connected, and everything became logical.

As agreed, the meeting place was set at a secluded teahouse on the outskirts of Chiang Mai. Qi Ruixiang went alone, and when he opened the door, he saw a familiar figure sitting in the corner by the window—it was Assistant Zhou.

He wasn't wearing his gold-rimmed glasses today; he had changed into an ordinary cotton shirt, and his hair was casually combed. He looked less sinister than he had in Black Rock Village, and more refined and tired.

Qi Ruixiang paused, a hint of wariness remaining in his eyes, and slowly walked over.

Hearing footsteps, Assistant Zhou looked up and calmly met his gaze. There was no surprise or extra expression on his face. He simply raised his hand slightly to indicate that he should sit down: "Mr. Qi, please sit down."

Qi Ruixiang sat down opposite him, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the dagger in his pocket, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the person in front of him.

The assistant Zhou in front of him was completely different from the obedient confidant of Shen Chengyu in his memory. At this moment, he had deep eyes, a calm temperament, and a kind of composure that came from being in a high position for a long time, but also a trace of vicissitudes that was not easily detected.

"I didn't expect the informant to be you." Qi Ruixiang spoke first, his voice carrying a hint of probing.

Assistant Zhou picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip with elegant movements, and said in a calm tone, "I didn't expect Old Yang to send you to see me. What's your relationship with him?"

"How long have you been lurking around Shen Chengyu?" Qi Ruixiang did not answer the other party's question, but instead chose to ask in return. Although he tried to avoid the question for a moment, the vigilance in his eyes did not diminish at all.

“I asked the question first, and if you don’t answer, it’s hard for me to trust you!” Assistant Zhou raised an eyebrow, clearly having taken in Qi Ruixiang’s evasiveness.

In fact, he had noticed him from the moment he and Taige first stepped into the village, and it was at the moment he appeared that the commotion that everyone had been longing for occurred in the village!

"I don't have much time left, and I need to solve this problem as quickly as possible. So before you figure out my relationship with Lao Yang, tell me how long you've been undercover and how familiar you are with this place?"

“Eight years.” Assistant Zhou’s voice carried a hint of barely perceptible emotion. “I’ve been by Shen Chengyu’s side ever since he first established himself in the Golden Triangle.”

"Eight years?" Qi Ruixiang's mind was in turmoil. What could he possibly do if a well-trained undercover agent couldn't take down someone even after eight years?

Assistant Zhou put down his teacup, his expression turning serious: "Shen Chengyu's influence is far greater than you imagine. You know that investigations require evidence, and for our line of work, clues are extremely valuable..."

He paused, then continued, "Miss Gu is a chemical genius, her nominal uncle has a background in mercenaries, and her brother is a genius hacker. Do you know how lucrative this is for Shen Chengyu? Why do you think the Gu family's projects keep running into problems?"

Qi Ruixiang fell silent. The greatest skill of the man surnamed Shen was that he could completely infiltrate and dismantle you when you were off guard, and then take advantage of you completely!

Project Nightingale and corporate espionage are all bullshit.

He simply wanted to turn everyone in the Gu family into dogs of his dark empire...

"I have to take Gu Yunxi with me. If she gets even a little bit involved... her whole life will be ruined!" Qi Ruixiang cut to the chase, his eyes filled with urgency.

"Are you kidding me? You think you can just take the people from the village away like that? Besides, even if I help you take them away, what will you give me in return?"

Assistant Zhou's tone became serious.

"I can help you, but you can't get in my way, understand? This rule can't be changed even if Old Yang comes in person."

Qi Ruixiang clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. He could imagine the suffering Gu Yunxi had endured in Black Rock Village, and his guilt and anxiety grew stronger.

Assistant Zhou watched Qi Ruixiang quietly, pondering his relationship with Gu Yunxi and Yang Bin, until the person opposite him asked another question, which pulled him back to reality.

"How is the defense of Black Rock Village now?" Qi Ruixiang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

“It’s even more secure than when you left last time.” Assistant Zhou took out a folded map from his bag and placed it on the table. “This is the latest defense distribution map of Black Rock Village. Shen Chengyu has added two checkpoints at the entrance of the village and deployed snipers on the surrounding mountains. The number of guards in the main laboratory and the underground prison has also doubled, and they are all his most trusted elite squads.”

He pointed to a red dot on the map: "Miss Gu is being held in the underground cell of the main laboratory. It's the most heavily guarded place, with three layers of guards, a combination lock, and fingerprint recognition. However, I have a way to get you in."

Qi Ruixiang looked at the map, then at Assistant Zhou. The wariness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of trust.

He knew that Assistant Zhou was their only hope, so all he had to do was help him find the key to bringing down Shen Chengyu.

"What do you need us to do?" Qi Ruixiang asked, his tone firm.

"Three days later, taking advantage of Shen Chengyu's victory celebration banquet, I will take you to infiltrate Black Rock Village and rescue Miss Gu. At the same time, Lao Yang will lead the police force to launch a surprise attack on Black Rock Village, completely destroy Shen Chengyu's stronghold, and arrest Shen Chengyu and his core subordinates."

"A victory celebration banquet?" Qi Ruixiang frowned.

“Yes.” Assistant Zhou nodded. “Thanks to Miss Gu, he plans to hold a victory banquet and invite several armed leaders from the Golden Triangle to attend and show off their achievements. At that time, the guards in the village will be more relaxed, and most of their attention will be focused on the victory banquet, which will be the best time for us to rescue people.”

Qi Ruixiang nodded, having already made up his mind: "Okay, let's do it your way. We'll take action in three days."

Looking at his determined eyes, Assistant Zhou smiled with satisfaction: "It's a pleasure working with you, Mr. Qi. I hope things go smoothly for both of us."

"It's a pleasure to work with you." Qi Ruixiang extended his hand and shook hands with Assistant Zhou. Assistant Zhou's hand was cold, but strong, conveying a firm belief.

As I left the teahouse, the sun was already setting, and the golden afterglow bathed the streets of Chiang Mai, bringing a touch of warmth.