After inquiring about the series of incidents in Jingping Town, Mr. Qi got up and left; his next destination was the City Center Official Residence where Qu Muzhi was stationed.
After seeing Mr. Qi off, Nalan Shuo returned to his office, his eyes laced with a complex mixture of regret and worry. "Little Yang, you’re a smart person. Rebuilding the Luming Bureau is an opportunity for you. You should also understand why I asked you to co back and et Special Commissioner Qi."
"You want to recomnd for the position of Director of Luming Bureau," Yang Xiao stated bluntly.
"You’re currently Deputy Director. That position should be yours. If you don’t take it, it will be handed over to Qu Muzhi. In any case, we must keep that position within the hands of our Rongcheng Patrol Division; we can’t let an outsider take advantage of it," Nalan Shuo said, clearly on the sa page as Huang Guozhao from the City Center Official Residence regarding this matter.
"Little Yang, you can’t work under forever. Whether it’s you or Qu Muzhi, the two of you will undoubtedly surpass and Huang Guozhao in the future and move towards the Provincial Office, maybe even the General Bureau. You’re still young, your path is long, and you need to learn how to fight for your opportunities. So things can be given away, but so things absolutely cannot be!" In Nalan Shuo’s eyes, Yang Xiao was the one and only suitable candidate for Director of the Luming Bureau. This was the path he had paved for Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao fully understood Director Nalan’s good intentions. After a mont of hesitation, he stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "Director, I know you think of as a junior to care for, but in this matter, there’s nothing to let go of. I don’t care whether Qu Muzhi gets the position or not; I simply don’t want to take it myself."
"Why?" Nalan Shuo couldn’t understand.
"I have my own ambitions, and besides, the current workload is already intense enough for . In this field, I’m no match for you."
"Lies." Nalan Shuo rcilessly exposed his excuse.
Yang Xiao didn’t argue further. With a sigh from Nalan Shuo, the matter was left unresolved.
In the afternoon, as Yang Xiao was busy with his work, he suddenly received a ssage from Ling Yanyu in Xiang Ma Town.
After Yang Xiao left, Ling Yanyu, following his instructions, donned a mask, took the Resentful Eye, and went to the Peace Hotel to investigate Sui Chengguo’s whereabouts. Now, the Peace Hotel had responded: Sui Chengguo was last seen three days ago in a small border town of the Southern Border Province.
Yang Xiao imdiately pulled up an electronic map to pinpoint the location. He saw that it was near the national border, across a river, with the other side leading to the chaotic Myanmar-Thailand Border, a lawless zone teeming with danger and entwined forces—a hell on earth.
Surely, Brother Sui must have smuggled himself out of the country and fled there, likely as a desperate asure. After all, even the Yiling Academy’s reach wouldn’t extend to that place.
The good news was that Brother Sui was still alive. The bad news was that he had entered the lawless zone of the Myanmar-Thailand Border. From now on, his fate—life or death—would depend entirely on his own luck.
A few more days passed peacefully, and Yang Xiao had fully recovered. The two experts sent from the Provincial Office also received their orders to return.
Before their departure, Yang Xiao treated the two brothers to a al as a farewell gesture and even prepared generous red envelopes for each of them.
Duties were duties, but relationships were relationships. Yang Xiao couldn’t let the two brothers leave empty-handed, especially since they had risked their lives to help him.
In the evening, Nalan Shuo called Yang Xiao over and asked him to tidy up, as there was a banquet later. Chi Zhongheng from the Chamber of Comrce was hosting a celebration to welco Yang Xiao’s safe return and help him recover from the ordeal. Considering Chi’s status and seniority, for him to lower himself to do this was a significant gesture of respect, making it impossible for Yang Xiao to refuse.
However, Yang Xiao was well aware that the real protagonist tonight wasn’t Chi Zhongheng but his younger sister, Mo Daidai, who was using the alias Chi Dan. Lately, Chi Dan had sought out Yang Xiao multiple tis, but he had found various excuses to avoid her. Now, Chi Zhongheng was stepping in himself with this invitation.
At 8 PM, the group t at the usual spot again—the top-floor private room of the Bright Moon Pavilion Hotel, a high-end establishnt owned by the Rongcheng Chamber of Comrce.
During the banquet, the atmosphere was lively. Midway through, Chi Zhongheng used catching up as an excuse to pull Nalan Shuo aside, leaving Yang Xiao and Chi Dan with plenty of private ti.
"Brother Yang Xiao, I heard you got hurt. I was so worried! Are you okay? Were your injuries serious?" Chi Dan leaned in, her eyes filled with concern.
"It’s nothing serious, just superficial wounds." Yang Xiao smiled calmly, raising his glass. "Thank you for your concern."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Xiao intended to make his escape. Who knew when this frightening woman might enchant him once again? The mory of those bewitching violet eyes had left an indelible impression on him.
Seeing that Yang Xiao wanted to slip away, Chi Dan imdiately clung to him, insisting on driving him ho. Yang Xiao excused himself, saying he had had too much to drink and wanted to take a walk to clear his head. Unexpectedly, Chi Dan claid she too had had a bit too much and was feeling the effects of the alcohol, so she also wanted to take a walk.
In short, she wasn’t letting him go. Though Yang Xiao felt exasperated, he had no choice but to agree, keeping in mind Nalan Shuo’s earlier warning.
The Bright Moon Pavilion Hotel boasted an excellent location; behind the hotel lay an artificial lake, a scenic spot where couples often ca to take pictures in the evening.
By now, the night was deep, and there were few people near the lake. Chi Dan clung to Yang Xiao’s arm, and the two of them strolled under the streetlights like a couple, enjoying the cool evening breeze.
Before coming, Yang Xiao had tidied himself up, wearing an impeccably tailored double-breasted coat. His delicate face bore a polite yet distant smile. Chi Dan, on the other hand, was dressed adorably and nestled close to him with her exquisite makeup. With their striking appearances, they turned heads even among the occasional passersby.
However, if one listened closely, they would find the pair talking past each other. Chi Dan tried steering the conversation toward romance and poetry, while Yang Xiao veered it toward state governance and world affairs.
Just as Yang Xiao was passionately explaining geopolitical dynamics to Chi Dan, he suddenly felt a venomous gaze stab into him like a sharp blade.
The gaze ca swiftly and viciously, filled with malice, and it pierced straight through him.
Following this dreadful sensation, Yang Xiao looked toward the source and spotted a figure standing under the shadow of a rock formation not far ahead.
Due to the poor lighting, he could only make out a vague silhouette. But Yang Xiao’s instincts told him this was a woman.
"It’s happening again..." Yang Xiao’s heart raced. He had just sent off his two bodyguards, and now the trouble ca knocking.
Yet her presence here, allowing herself to be noticed, clearly ant she wasn’t here to kill. She seed more intent on delivering a ssage.
Quickly disentangling himself from Chi Dan, Yang Xiao circled around and ensured Chi Dan was gone before heading toward the rock formation.
He kept his guard up, slipping a mirror from his bag and concealing it on himself—just in case sothing went wrong, he’d have a way out.
Near the rock formation, Yang Xiao indeed encountered the woman again. She was wrapped tightly in clothing and hid in the shadows, wearing a mask and a baseball cap whose brim was pulled low, exposing only her dimly glinting eyes.
Those eyes gave Yang Xiao an unnerving feeling, as though he had done sothing terribly wrong.
But before he could get closer, the figure stepped out of the shadows. Upon seeing her, Yang Xiao was struck by a sense of familiarity. She wasn’t the Dark Army Master Lin, nor the woman causing trouble in Jingping Town.
Only when the woman removed her cap and mask, letting her hair cascade down, did Yang Xiao finally recognize that familiar face.
"It’s you!!" Yang Xiao gasped in shock. He had never expected the woman to be Tong Han.
Tong Han smiled faintly, glancing in the direction where Chi Dan had disappeared. "Sorry, did I co at the wrong ti and interrupt your romantic mont?"
"Don’t joke around. How could it be you? When did you co back?" Yang Xiao, after using the Ghost Lantern to confirm her identity, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned and complained, "Why didn’t you inform earlier? Did you finish your studies?"
"I heard Rongcheng was in chaos, so I thought I’d co back and check. Turns out I was overthinking; you’re doing just fine," Tong Han replied with her usual serene smile.
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