Chapter 913: Chapter 656: Yiling Academy Sheng Family
Upon hearing that it was a descendant of the current Dean of Yiling Academy, a bad premonition suddenly rose in Yang Xiao’s heart. Previously, he had heard from Elder Sui that Elder Pu had conspired with a young master from the Yiling Academy, doing numerous unconscionable deeds on his behalf. Elder Sui’s current predicament was entirely caused by this person. Attacking the dog to offend the master, could it be that this guy had come?
Under Nalan Shuo’s guidance, the two arrived at the conference room of the government building. At the moment, someone was already waiting in the conference room. Upon seeing Nalan Shuo and Yang Xiao appear, a young man dressed in a suit, looking refreshed and handsome, quickly stood up from his seat and hurried towards them, nodded and greeted Nalan Shuo with a smile, then turned his gaze to Yang Xiao.
"This must be Captain Yang, I’ve long admired you. I am Sheng Youjun, representing Yiling Academy to apologize to Captain Yang." The young man took the initiative to reach out with both hands and firmly grasped Yang Xiao’s right hand, his sincere smile made it impossible to pick out any flaws in his demeanor.
"Little Yang, this is Young Master Sheng from the Sheng Family, currently in charge of some of the Academy’s external liaison work. He’s come specifically to visit you as the plenipotentiary envoy of the Yiling Academy. Both of you are young talents of the new generation and should have much to discuss," Nalan Shuo introduced with a smile.
"Young Master Sheng is too polite. I am Yang Xiao, the leader of the investigative team under Director Nalan of the Lin’an Patrol Bureau." Yang Xiao shook hands a bit more firmly with the young master of the Sheng Family, eyes meeting as he emphasized his own identity, his expression neither sad nor happy; today he was the protagonist.
There was no need to be too enthusiastic in this situation, as he was the injured party, and he represented not just himself but also the face of the Patrol Defense Office. He was well aware of how to measure and handle the situation.
After sitting down and exchanging a few pleasantries that were neither painful nor itchy, Nalan Shuo excused himself on the pretense of official business, leaving ample space for the two of them.
As expected, not long after Nalan Shuo left, the young master of the Sheng Family called over a middle-aged attendant standing by, took a silver briefcase from the attendant’s hands, stood up, and with both hands, gently placed the briefcase on the table in front of Yang Xiao and politely said, "Captain Yang, the misinterpretation that happened before was due to Yiling Academy’s failure to manage our subordinates, which led to such a serious misunderstanding. The Dean specifically instructed me to personally come and apologize to Captain Yang. This is a small token of our sincerity; please do not refuse it!"
There’s an old saying: don’t hit a smiling face. Whether it was the young master’s manners or his words, everything was impeccable, and considering the attitude given from above - that both sides should reconcile without conflict - Yang Xiao graciously accepted the gift without any objections.
As the Young Master of Yiling Academy, his status was only higher than that of Yang Xiao, the investigative team leader of the Patrol Defense Office. For him to lower himself to such an extent was already very difficult, and Yang Xiao could see at a glance that this person was not to be underestimated, probably one who smiles in your face but is ruthless in his heart, and one who would likely make his death an ugly affair if he ever became a target of his.
Seeing Yang Xiao accept the gift, the young master’s smile widened. He stood up to pour tea for both Yang Xiao and himself. Lifting the teacup with both hands, he maintained his smiling face and said, "Captain Yang is magnanimous, I admire you. Today, please allow me to replace wine with tea, and on behalf of Elder Pu and others, offer you my sincerest apologies!"
After finishing his words, without waiting for Yang Xiao’s reaction, the young master drank his cup of tea, then held the empty cup while looking at Yang Xiao with a sincere face.
This move effectively cornered Yang Xiao; drinking it would mean agreeing to the resolution of the matter and forgiving Elder Pu and the others, making the next step to let go of the issue. Not drinking would be problematic as well – the gift was accepted, and the higher-ups had set the tone beforehand. Holding onto the issue would be difficult to justify, both emotionally and rationally; he wouldn’t have the upper hand.
But Yang Xiao wasn’t troubled by this. Having followed Director Nalan for so long, while he might not have learned much else, he had become quite adept in interpersonal maneuvering. Yang Xiao lifted the teacup, hesitated for a moment as if in sorrow, then put the teacup back in its original place, his face full of difficulty.
The young master raised his eyebrows at this act, but his face maintained a warm smile. He couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Yang, why the sigh?"
"Mr. Sheng, to be frank, this situation is a bit troublesome. I personally don’t mind, but your people stormed into our Patrol Bureau, injuring nine of my brothers. Now, their families are blocking my way every day demanding justice, a whole bunch of them crying and making a scene. This... it’s difficult for me to handle," Yang Xiao sighed again, his acting appropriate enough to put any young idol or tycoon’s performance to shame.
It was unexpected for the young master to encounter someone as tricky as Yang Xiao, causing some distress to show on his face, but he maintained his smile and asked, "Is that so? Then, Brother Yang, what do you think should be done?"
"Well, I don’t particularly care, but what I hear from these families is that they want the ringleader shot, to serve as a strict warning to others, otherwise, it won’t appease the anger of the people," Yang Xiao’s tone suddenly hardened.
Upon hearing this, the young master’s eyebrows furrowed, and he took a deep breath, laughing, "Brother Yang must be joking. I don’t think it’s a crime worthy of that. But rest assured, the Academy has already made a decision on this matter. After the people are taken back, they will certainly be severely punished, to relieve Brother Yang of this anger."
"No, no, no, as I’ve said, I don’t really mind, but how do I explain this to my colleagues below? They’re all family men who work hard in wind and rain for a living, relying on one person to feed the whole family. Now, they’re injured, their work is delayed, and they don’t even get a proper explanation. Do you think that’s fair, Young Master Sheng?"
