After discarding the iron mud in his hand, Ying Chen left with his hands behind his back, his steps unhurried.
Left in the conference room, Director Ming and the others stared at the iron mud still flowing on the ground, speechless for a long time.
"Wait for me!"
It was only then that Du Jin'ao's granddaughter remembered that, strictly speaking, she was on Ying Chen's side.
Ying Chen had left, and if she stayed, would she have to face the Wind Concealment Bureau's reckoning?
So, she scrambled to her feet and, as if fleeing, chased after Ying Chen.
"Director Ming, is this matter just going to be dropped?"
A long time after Ying Chen had left, a staff member of the Wind Concealment Bureau asked.
Director Ming cast a deep look at him and retorted, "If we don't drop it, what do you want to do?"
The man stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a single word of answer.
Finally, Director Ming gathered everyone and set the tone for the incident: "Today's events are to be classified as S-level confidential within the Hong Kong Branch of the Wind Concealment Bureau! No one is to mention it to outsiders! Violators will be severely punished!"
"As for Xiao Ya's death, half of the reason is her own doing. Without my authorization and approval, she rashly went to provoke a Grandmaster of martial arts. Although the江湖 rumor that a Grandmaster cannot be insulted has no binding force in our Wind Concealment Bureau, we cannot completely disregard it."
"The other half of the reason, naturally, falls on Ying Chen."
"If Ying Chen wins the battle on Jiulong Mountain, this matter can be resolved with a minimum of fuss, and Ying Chen can, in effect, become an ace up our sleeve to deter the local forces in Hong Kong."
"If Ying Chen cannot win, then he will have to bear the responsibility for Xiao Ya's death."
"Do any of you have any opinions on this proposed resolution?"
The members of the Hong Kong Branch of the Wind Concealment Bureau shook their heads in unison.
Joke, even if they had opinions, they wouldn't dare to voice them!
When the leader personally designed a plan, it was already generous enough not to applaud enthusiastically, let alone oppose it. Did they really think every leader in this world was like Li Shimin and every employee could be like Wei Zheng?
Moreover, Director Ming's proposed resolution was indeed watertight.
Director Ming had, without making a sound, used a borrowed knife to kill Xiao Ya, who had defied orders, and had completely shifted the blame, ensuring that not a speck of responsibility would stick to him.
Perhaps this was the art of leadership!
A burst of warm applause erupted.
It was accompanied by a cascade of flattering remarks.
Director Ming proudly raised his head.
What was called the demeanor of a great general?
This was it!
Facing a collapsing Mount Tai with a calm expression, effortlessly resolving a crisis, and transforming a disaster into a blessing!
He even admired himself!
Outside.
Ying Chen glanced back in the direction of the Wind Concealment Bureau, as if sensing Director Ming's smugness.
However, Ying Chen paid it no mind.
Judging by actions, not thoughts, it didn't matter what Director Ming thought in his heart; but if Director Ming dared to make any move to betray Ying Chen, Ying Chen would not hesitate to snap his head off.
"Hey, don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
After walking for a while, Du Jin'ao's granddaughter couldn't hold back and asked.
Ying Chen glanced at her indifferently, "No."
"Nothing? You dragged me into such a mess, almost costing me my life. Don't you feel any guilt towards me?"
Ying Chen continued, "No."
"..." Du Jin'ao's granddaughter was furious.
"Shameless! Morally corrupt! How can there be someone like you? You step on someone's foot, and at least you say sorry, yet you almost killed me, and you don't even offer an apology?"
Ying Chen stopped and looked at Du Jin'ao's granddaughter solemnly.
Du Jin'ao's granddaughter's face changed, terrified that Ying Chen was enraged and intended to silence her.
However, to her surprise, Ying Chen opened his mouth and still uttered two words, "No."
Du Jin'ao's granddaughter was completely defeated.
She clutched her hair, looking utterly distraught.
After a long while, she said petulantly, "Then from now on, we'll go our separate ways, and never cross paths again! I haven't met you, you don't know me, and if we meet in the future, we'll pretend not to know each other!"
After saying that, Du Jin'ao's granddaughter made a gesture as if to turn and leave.
But to her surprise, Ying Chen nodded very seriously, "Alright."
Then, he turned and walked back in the direction he came from.
"..." Du Jin'ao's granddaughter felt ten thousand mythical creatures stampeding through her heart.
How could there be such a man in the world?
Was his heart made of cement?
No, not cement, but molten iron!
Just as Ying Chen was about to disappear from Du Jin'ao's granddaughter's sight, she suddenly shouted loudly at him, "Hey, even if you don't feel guilty towards me and don't want to apologize, don't you even want to know my name?"
Having spoken, Du Jin'ao's granddaughter seemed to have anticipated Ying Chen's answer.
She preemptively provided it herself, "No! I know you definitely don't want to!"
"But I don't care if you want to or not, my name is Du Jintong!"
"Remember that!"
Ying Chen, far away, showed no reaction at all. It was unclear whether he had heard or not, but he simply disappeared from Du Jintong's line of sight.
Du Jintong was left standing alone, looking at her reflection in the glass with a sense of existential doubt.
Her features were exquisite, her figure slender.
She had curves where she should have them, and was voluptuous where she should be.
Most importantly, her skin was as white as snow, smooth and delicate like satin. Even without her looks and figure, this skin alone was enough to drive any man mad.
But why did Ying Chen have no reaction to her?
Could it be…
A thought suddenly exploded in Du Jintong's mind.
Is Ying Chen... *that*?
"Yikes..." Du Jintong couldn't help but feel a chill and quickly rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the goosebumps.
Then, she headed in the direction of her home.
But for some reason, Ying Chen's shadow inexplicably appeared before her eyes.
Even after concluding that Ying Chen was *that* kind of person, she couldn't suppress this impulse.
.........
Hu Sansheng's Residence.
As soon as Ying Chen arrived home, he saw a guest who had been waiting for a long time.
It was Liao Yifan.
Liao Yifan held a box in his hands, and even while sitting on the sofa, he kept the box within reach.
It was as if the contents were something extremely precious that had to be kept constantly in his hands.
"Mr. Ying, you're finally back!"
Seeing Ying Chen return, Liao Yifan was overjoyed.
He worried that if he held it for another hour, his hands would be ruined!
"Is there something?" Ying Chen looked at Liao Yifan in surprise and asked.
Liao Yifan didn't answer but directly opened the box.
The next second, a treasure light, intertwined with gold and green, shone in the living room, magnificent and dazzling.
The box contained the gold-threaded jade garment!
"The first thing I did after successfully taking over the Jiade Li Auction House was to have this item retrieved from the auction house's warehouse and delivered to you!"
"This item not only represents billions in value but also represents my loyalty to you!"
After speaking, Liao Yifan respectfully handed the gold-threaded jade garment to Ying Chen.
Ying Chen showed a smile of admiration.
It was not only admiration for Liao Yifan's ability to gain control of the Jiade Li Auction House in such a short time but also for Liao Yifan's action.
If Liao Yifan hadn't brought it, Ying Chen would have truly forgotten about the gold-threaded jade garment!