Chapter 172: Exploring the Inside Story

When the owner of the shop heard that Zhong Min wanted to buy his shop, he was very surprised and said that he was planning to resell it, but he had not told anyone yet and had not posted a resale note. He asked Zhong Min how he knew.

Zhong Min honestly didn't know if the owner was selling anything, he just came in to try his luck. Although the shop wasn't crowded and business wasn't particularly brisk, it looked like it had been around for years, and the owner was a very kind person. He figured it was mainly for regular customers, so it must be profitable; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to stay in business for this long.

When the shop owner heard this, he was quite impressed by Zhong Min's honesty. He just said that he could no longer run the store due to health reasons. He had been running the store for many years and only served regular customers. If Zhong Min was willing to buy the store and continue the fabric business, he would be willing to introduce those old customers to her one by one.

Zhong Min naturally didn't buy the store to do this business for the real thing, but seeing that the store owner was so enthusiastic, she agreed to continue doing this old business. Anyway, she had no other plans, so maintaining the status quo was a pretty good choice.

This was a good idea, so things naturally went smoothly. It didn't take long for both parties to agree on the price. The boss was a down-to-earth person and the price he offered was very fair. Zhong Min knew that none of them were familiar with this, so she hired the two shop assistants as well. This made the boss even happier. The two shop assistants had been with him for many years, and now they could continue to have a job and their wages would not be reduced, so he felt relieved.

Zhong Min paid one-third of the deposit on the spot and agreed to come back within three days to pay the remaining money and take over the store. After everything was done, he said goodbye to the owner and left.

After walking out of the store and for a long time, Chu Er finally asked the question in her heart: "Master, why did you suddenly think of buying this place?"

Zhong Min noticed Chu Er's confusion early on, but he didn't explain much. He simply said, "It's nothing. It's just another legitimate identity. It will come in handy in the future."

Since she had told Ning Zhiyuan that she was looking for a suitable storefront to start a small business, she should have taken some corresponding actions. After all, she had to make a living as someone staying in the capital. Moreover, this place might play a significant role in the future, so it was a good idea to be prepared.

Seeing this, Chu'er didn't ask any more questions. Zhong Min always did things for a reason. After hearing that she didn't say that this place had a direct relationship with the intelligence network, she didn't think about it anymore.

The two of them wandered around for a while, and Xiaowu and Xiaoliu didn't show up to give any warnings or reminders. After making sure that there was nothing unusual, Zhong Min went to where Qin Ke lived.

She hadn't seen Qin Ke in a long time, but she knew in her heart that he had always been by her side, watching over her, never far away. This man was a man of his word, and from another perspective, Zhong Min really admired such a man.

She didn't use the contact information specifically for meeting him, but went to see him directly. Firstly, that contact information was only used in extremely urgent situations, which meant she was in big trouble. Secondly, it happened that she was not far from where Qin Ke lived today, so she wanted to try her luck.

I knocked on the door, and it seemed like I was lucky. Qin Ke was there today, but he seemed very surprised when he saw Zhong Min.

"Why are you here?" He was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to his senses, with a smile on his face that was almost as warm as the sun. He was obviously very happy about Zhong Min's sudden visit.

"If it's convenient, let's go inside and talk." Seeing Qin Ke standing there motionless, Zhong Min couldn't help but smile, indicating that this was not a good place to talk.

Hearing this, Qin Ke reacted immediately. He quickly moved aside to let Zhong Min and Chu'er in, then closed the door and followed them in.

Perhaps because someone was living there, the courtyard seemed much more lively this time than the last time. Qin Ke led Zhong Min and Chu Er into the house, which was extremely tidy and free of any unpleasant smells. It was obvious that he lived a very regular life.

"Please sit down. I'll go boil some water." He glanced at the teapot on the table. The water inside had already cooled down. Although it was spring, the weather was still a little cold. It was okay to drink the water by yourself, but he was afraid that giving it to Zhong Min would make her stomach uncomfortable.

"Brother Qin, don't bother with that. Just let Chu'er go." Zhong Min really regarded Qin Ke as a brother, so she had changed her words to call him brother before. The feelings between people are like this. If someone treats you well, she is not a heartless person. She can't do anything else, but she should respect him as a brother in her heart.

Qin Ke had already gotten used to Zhong Min's new way of addressing him, and seeing Chu Er had already taken the initiative to leave as Zhong Min had instructed, he didn't insist. Instead, he nodded and sat down across from Zhong Min. He knew that she must have come here specifically to discuss something important with him, and sending Chu Er away meant that the matter was relatively private, so he naturally didn't compete with Chu Er for anything like boiling water.

"Is there something important you want to talk to me about today?" Qin Ke said after Chu Er left, "Just tell me what you want to talk about. I'm listening carefully."

Zhong Min was very impressed by Qin Ke's sincerity. She nodded and asked without delay, "Brother Qin, do you know Ning Zhiyuan?"

"Are you talking about Ning Zhiyuan, the Prime Minister?" Qin Ke immediately realized that Zhong Min's situation today was not simple, so he quickly said, "I know this person. I have met him a few times, but we have never had any substantial interactions. We only met occasionally during some missions in the past. Why did you mention him suddenly? Did something happen?"

Zhong Min hesitated for a moment, then continued, "It's like this. Today, Chu'er and I were having dinner outside, and unexpectedly, we ran into Ning Zhiyuan in the restaurant. He asked someone to ask me to come upstairs for a gathering, but I said I had a friend and just chatted with him for a few minutes before leaving. He told me not to find time to visit me, and for safety reasons, I naturally didn't tell him where I was living. He then asked me to go to Prime Minister Ning's residence within ten days to reminisce about the past, and said that if I didn't go, he would find a way to find my place."

"Ning Zhiyuan is a very strange person. He had been to Muzhou before, and when he first saw me at Prince Mu's mansion, he acted very differently, as if he had known me before. So I want to ask you, did I already meet him when I was in the secret organization? Or is there some other special reason?" Zhong Min said frankly, "As you know, I am now in charge of the intelligence network in the capital. If Ning Zhiyuan were to gain control of Prince Mu's restored intelligence network in the capital, the consequences would naturally be disastrous. Therefore, there are some things I cannot leave even the slightest loophole."

After hearing what Zhong Min said, Qin Ke didn't rush to speak. Instead, he seemed to be recalling something. After a moment, he said, "Logically speaking, you shouldn't have known Ning Zhiyuan before, and you shouldn't have met him before. And it's even more impossible for him to have known you before. Although secret agents are not allowed to mention secret missions to anyone else, you used to secretly tell me about some solo missions, and I never heard you mention Ning Zhiyuan."

Besides killing people, court secret agents were also tasked with protecting important figures on important occasions. However, Qin Ke had never heard Zhong Min mention Ning Zhiyuan, so it was logical that he would have no chance of coming into contact with her. However, judging by what Zhong Min had just said, Ning Zhiyuan clearly had a keen interest in her and showed some special regard for her when they first met.

"Maybe he doesn't have any other intentions, he just has a good impression of you." Qin Ke analyzed objectively.

Zhong Min couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard this. "Brother Qin, do you really think I'm a peerless beauty who can make fish sink to the bottom of their chests and geese fall to the ground, or the moon hide in shame on flowers? Ning Zhiyuan is a man who has seen all kinds of women. How could he be attracted to me, a simple servant in Prince Mu's mansion, on our first meeting?"

Qin Ke couldn't help but laugh at Zhong Min's words. Zhong Min's words made sense, but it seemed this girl underestimated herself quite a bit. Honestly, while she wasn't a stunning beauty, she possessed a unique aura that was quite appealing. Compared to her former quiet demeanor, she now exuded absolute confidence and determination.

Ning Zhiyuan had seen many beautiful women of all kinds, but he had definitely rarely seen someone like Zhong Min, or even never seen one before.

"At least, Ning Zhiyuan hasn't done anything to endanger your safety for the time being. Given his character, even if he's unsure of your true purpose for coming to the capital, he certainly won't believe you came here without a purpose." Qin Ke continued objectively, "Ning Zhiyuan is different from ordinary ministers. He's a man of extraordinary mind and strong tactics. But this time, he didn't force you to say anything you didn't want to say. The ten-day agreement gave you enough time to prepare, which at least shows that he is quite tolerant of you."

"So what? Anyway, I think his purpose is not simple. There must be something else I don't know about." Zhong Min frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "It seems that I can only wait until I see him next time to find out the truth. After all..."

"Wait!" Qin Ke suddenly interrupted Zhong Min, as if he had suddenly thought of something. He looked at Zhong Min and said, "I suddenly thought of something."