In the office lounge, Chen Mo sat on the sofa while Wang Hai stood nearby, having just finished returning the bug and tracker to their original positions beneath the car.
"That woman," Wang Hai said grimly, "the way she planted the bug and tracker… it was too clean. I couldn't spot her movements at all. Definitely professional. Normal people wouldn't even notice it. I had to use specialized tools to detect them."
"The signal traces back to the Blue Ocean Resort," Chen Mo replied, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Blue Ocean Resort?" Wang Hai frowned.
"I checked their check-in records. Three days ago, a tour group of fifty foreigners arrived. Over the past two days, more have come. The place is nearly full. It's the perfect cover."
Just then, footsteps echoed as Xiao Yu entered the office.
"Chairman, someone is here to see you. They're in the reception room," she said.
Chen Mo exchanged a glance with Wang Hai.
"Did they give a name?"
"No. Just said they have urgent business with you," Xiao Yu replied, brows slightly furrowed. "Could something be wrong?"
"Don't worry. Probably just someone here to talk business," Chen Mo said with a relaxed smile.
Guided by Xiao Yu, Chen Mo and Wang Hai soon arrived at the reception room. The moment they stepped inside, Wang Hai froze mid-step. His eyes widened slightly.
"Hai Ge…"
The woman in casual clothes standing before them gave a strained smile, her voice tinged with mixed emotions.
Wang Hai's expression tightened with pain. He didn't meet her eyes.
Chen Mo caught the awkward air and gave Xiao Yu a subtle nod. She understood immediately and exited, leaving them alone.
"Mr. Chen, I'm Yang Yuanhao," said a young man in black-rimmed glasses who stood beside the woman. "We're from the security bureau. We'd like to ask for your cooperation."
"Go ahead," Chen Mo said calmly, settling onto the sofa.
Yang Yuanhao gave a glance to the woman, signaling her to continue.
She straightened up, drawing a steady breath.
"Mr. Chen, did anything unusual happen to you today?"
Chen Mo glanced at Wang Hai, who gave a slight nod.
"Yes," Chen Mo said. "A woman approached our car this morning and planted a bug and a tracker."
That confirmed their suspicions.
Yang Yuanhao and Tong Yu—her name finally revealed—exchanged meaningful looks.
For weeks, the bureau had been tracking a suspected spy from the island nation hiding out in Binhai. Just yesterday, intel confirmed the spy had met with two accomplices. Surveillance placed them in the vicinity of Marching Ant Company.
"It seems we were right," Tong Yu said seriously. "Someone's targeting you. Please take a look at this photo."
She handed him a picture.
Chen Mo stared at it. Heavy makeup, a wig—but those eyes.
"Yes," he said. "She's the one who tried to hitch a ride this morning. No doubt."
"Thank you," Tong Yu nodded. "We'd like to take the bug and tracker for evidence."
"Wang Hai, go with her," Chen Mo said. "Take the afternoon off—just be back before end of day."
"Understood. Thank you, Chairman."
"Mr. Chen, we'll also need a quick statement," Yang Yuanhao added.
Wang Hai and Tong Yu walked silently toward the underground garage. The air between them was heavy with tension.
"Why are you avoiding me?" Tong Yu finally asked, voice quiet.
"I'm sorry," Wang Hai said, not meeting her eyes. "I… I wronged your sister. I can't wrong you, too."
"But you already have," Tong Yu said, lips trembling. "You promised my sister you'd take care of me. And this—avoiding me—isn't that just running away?"
Wang Hai's face darkened with guilt.
"That… that was an accident. I needed time to think. Time to get my head straight. I still haven't figured it all out."
"Then I'll wait for your answer," Tong Yu said firmly, eyes locked on his.
Wang Hai sighed, offering no reply.
As they reached the car, Tong Yu crouched and carefully collected the bug and tracker, sealing them in a specialized iron container.
"Are you sure you want to remove them?" Wang Hai asked. "The moment they lose signal, the other side will know we're on to them."
"It's necessary," Tong Yu said. "This involves international espionage. We need to act carefully. Without concrete evidence, we can't detain them."
"Still no hard proof?" Wang Hai frowned.
"No. They're cautious. The one we've been tailing for months hasn't left behind any solid leads. But if we spook them now, we might draw them out."
"Bait the snake from the hole, huh?"
"Exactly. And if someone gets hurt... well, I'll be the one to handle it."
"Don't say that."
Wang Hai didn't look at her as they walked back together.
Blue Ocean Resort
Back in the suite, Noda scowled at the laptop screen.
"Connection lost," he muttered. "Both the tracker and bug are offline."
He called immediately.
"Mei Huizi, where are you?"
"Across from Marching Ant Company."
"We've been made. They found the devices."
"Impossible," Mei Huizi replied sharply. "My placement was flawless. There's no way they could've spotted them."
"You better head back. Now."
A short while later, Mei Huizi stood beside Noda, staring at the dead feed on the monitor.
"I don't get it… My technique was clean. Ordinary people wouldn't even realize they'd been tapped."
"Guess they're not ordinary," Noda said with a sneer. "Now thanks to your little stunt, they know we're sniffing around. So what's next?"
"Obviously not kidnapping," Mei Huizi replied coldly. "This is China. We'd be dead before we hit the border."
"Then we steal it. In and out. If we can't copy the data, we take the entire drive. Simple."
He leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
"My task is clear—steal the smart assistant's core software. Once I have that, I'm out. What happens next is your problem."
Mei Huizi exhaled sharply.
Their original plan had been to get close to Chen Mo, seduce him, and use the leverage. A tried-and-true method, often effective with rich, high-profile men.
But Chen Mo had seen right through her—and worse, anticipated her.
Now, if this plan failed, only their final option remained.
A final option they both knew likely meant death.
"Fine," she said. "We plan it."