As he walked towards the crowd, his gaze inadvertently swept over Chi Dan. Seeing the affection-filled eyes of Chi Dan tightened Yang Xiao’s heart, and he cursed inwardly, realizing that this woman was about to stir up trouble—Mo Daidai’s sister was certainly no simple character.
When Qu Muzhi took the stage, his expression was still that frosty facade. Seemingly uncomfortable with such occasions, he spoke chanically for a few sentences and then stepped down.
Next was Fu Qingzhu, and as Yang Xiao’s good brother, it was apparent he had taken extra care with his appearance today. His attire and accessories were ticulously chosen, and paired with his warm, spring-like smile, he easily won the favor of the audience.
As Fu Qingzhu stepped down from the stage, his gaze swept over Yang Xiao, and the two of them stealthily acknowledged each other. Yang Xiao felt Fu Qingzhu’s goodwill and reminded himself to be careful.
Soon, all five candidates had spoken, and it was Chi Dan’s turn. Watching the woman’s back, Yang Xiao’s heart leapt to his throat. Mo Daidai was an unconventional player, and it seed his sister was even crazier than her brother.
It had to be acknowledged that Chi Dan, standing on the stage, was radiantly beautiful. Her light makeup and the red dress endowed her with a splendid, yet unvulgar, beauty. What truly shocked Yang Xiao, though, was that Chi Dan, under the watchful eyes of thousands, looked unabashedly down at him and playfully winked.
"Seniors present here today, the position of Commissioner of Rong City Action Bureau holds great significance. Our Chamber of Comrce believes we should be unorthodox in selecting talent, not constrained by faction or background. Looking at Rongcheng’s younger generation, no one is more suited for this position than Yang Xiao..."
Chi Dan’s emotional speech recounted one by one the achievents Yang Xiao had made in recent tis. From ti to ti, the audience burst into exclamations of surprise, but the man of the hour, Yang Xiao, sat in the front row with a frozen smile and a buzzing head.
This minute and a half felt as long as half a century for Yang Xiao, and he hadn’t snapped back to reality even after the voting results were tallied.
He had won, and won handsoly at that, securing a good 51 votes, with another 4 abstentions. The Apostles Union received the remaining 17 votes, and the Chamber of Comrce’s board showed not a single vote—they had all voted for Yang Xiao.
After the results were announced, applause thundered throughout the hall. Besides mbers from the Patrol Defense Office, those from the Chamber of Comrce and the Apostles Union also ca up to congratulate Yang Xiao, leaving him sowhat overwheld until Nalan Shuo supported him with a hand, leaning close to whisper, "You won. Snap out of it, don’t disgrace our Patrol Defense Office!"
"Commissioner Yang, congratulations!"
"Commissioner Yang, you’re bound for great things, the sky’s the limit for you!"
One by one, familiar and unfamiliar faces rushed to offer their congratulations; every face seed sincere, yet Yang Xiao could sense another face hidden beneath—that one etched with resentnt, jealousy, and contempt.
It wasn’t until soone wrapped an arm around him, a soft and warm limb glowing with an irritating shade of red.
"Brother Yang Xiao." Yang Xiao’s pupils suddenly focused sharp; Chi Dan had sohow made her way to his side and was now latching onto his arm, leading him outside with her intimate deanor reminiscent of a couple deep in love. She looked up at him, her eyes rippling with tenderness, her voice enough to make one’s bones tingle, and Chi Dan said with a sweet smile, "Brother Yang Xiao, I’ve booked a hotel. Tonight, we’ll all celebrate for you!"
"A handso man and a beautiful woman, truly a pair made in heaven!" ca a vexing exclamation from so old-tir behind them.
Similar comnts ca one after another. As they exited the hotel’s lobby, Chi Dan finally let go of his arm reluctantly and bid farewell to Yang Xiao. Now back to his senses, Yang Xiao awkwardly played along; after all, he had to maintain the act, or else things would only be more chaotic.
On the car ride back, Nalan Shuo waved the driver off and took the wheel himself to drive Yang Xiao. Sitting in the passenger seat, mories flashed through Yang Xiao’s mind. He suspected that this was a trap set by Mo Daidai, yet he couldn’t quite see through it.
"Director, there’s a trap within this." Yang Xiao suddenly said.
Nalan Shuo was surprisingly composed, a faint smile even played upon his face, "A trap indeed—it’s you that the girl is trying to ensnare."
"Why are you also making a fuss over nothing?" The thought of Mo Daidai and Chi Dan made Yang Xiao shudder—before Tong Han left, he specifically warned him not to get involved with Mo Daidai again, as he was a businessman, not a friend.
"Consider this, what do you have that’s worth their sacrificing the position of a commissioner of the Joint Action Bureau to plot against you?" Nalan Shuo retorted, not letting Yang Xiao speak, he continued, "I know you want to talk about your Resentful Eyes. True, your Resentful Eyes are not bad, but if they wanted to take away your treasures, why bother with such troubles and risking the face of the Rongcheng Chamber of Comrce? They could simply use the girl’s connections to transfer two experts from the General Chamber of Comrce to either kidnap or kill you directly, isn’t that more convenient?"
"Then what do you an?" Yang Xiao asked in a low voice.
"Simple, heroes cannot overco the allure of a beautiful woman; a burst of passion for the love of a fair lady. She is the hero, and you are the beauty."
"You saved her life, she likes you, yet you’ve been cold to her previous advances. This ti, using the Rongcheng Chamber of Comrce as a stake is a huge favor to you, and you can no longer pretend to be deaf or mute; it forces you to respond."
Nalan Shuo spoke leisurely, sounding completely like a veteran of amorous affairs, breaking down and explaining the situation to Yang Xiao.
"She said she wanted to celebrate my achievent tonight, even booked a hotel." Yang Xiao suddenly rembered.
"You must go," Nalan Shuo’s tone suddenly turned stern, "Not going will not only snub that woman’s face but also slap the face of Rongcheng Chamber of Comrce. They’ve bet so much to play this ga with you, if you take the benefits and run, not only will the Chamber of Comrce not let you off, but other powers in Rongcheng won’t either. Your reputation as a commissioner will be ruined, and it’ll also cause criticism towards our Patrol Defense Office for harboring a despicable person without integrity."
"An open conspiracy..." Yang Xiao finally understood, he looked at Nalan Shuo sowhat annoyed, "You’d seen it all along; you once said, I’m due for a major opportunity!"
"Conspiracies are easy to break, open conspiracies are the deadliest, clearly visible yet unbreakable for you. Even if I told you in advance, what could you do? Unless you drop out of the candidacy, have you considered that this might also be part of the greater open conspiracy?"
"If you don’t run for the position, it becos the Chamber’s. They can’t lose and after this, our Patrol Defense Office will owe them a huge favor, which ans we’ll have to make concessions on certain future matters," Nalan Shuo spoke bluntly of the consequences.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yang Xiao slowly exhaled, "What should we do next? To outsiders, it seems like the Patrol Defense Office and the Chamber of Comrce are collaborating. The Apostles Union might also beco a problem, thinking they’ve been played by our two factions."
"Don’t worry, these guys aren’t that foolish. The Chamber’s petty tricks can’t fool them, but certainly, the current balance among the three parties is bound to change." Nalan Shuo drove back to the Patrol Defense Office and entered the underground parking garage.
After parking the car, Nalan Shuo did not get out, and neither did Yang Xiao. The car fell into a brief quiet.
"Little Yang," Nalan Shuo slowly began, "you must go tonight. Once there, play it by ear. I don’t need to spell out so things; you understand. The girl has a deep background, and being with her will greatly benefit your future advancent. Even if one day you can no longer stay at the Patrol Defense Office, the Chamber of Comrce will welco you, and you’ll still have a great life ahead of you."
"I won’t force you, but this is undoubtedly an opportunity for you. With the support of both the Patrol Defense Office and the Chamber of Comrce, you’ll be able to securely hold your commissioner position. You’re still young, and this is just the beginning for you. Your opportunity is excellent, you should firmly grasp it in your hands."
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