Yan Wenli’s expression grew slightly stiff, his gaze deep and sharp as he examined Tang Fei.
He wanted to figure out if this young man was telling the truth or ridiculing him...
Upon further thought, what was the point?
Given their circumstances, hadn’t their role reversal become the biggest humiliation?
"Are you here to laugh at me?" Yan Wenli looked up at Tang Fei and asked.
He allowed himself to calm down again, no longer influenced by his words.
That would be too embarrassing.
"Director, you misunderstand me. From the first day I entered the Monitoring Bureau, I was a soldier under your command."
"I did many things and caused quite a bit of trouble, but with the Director backing me up, I always felt at ease."
"The last time the leader of the Flame-Bathed Legion, Tang Shengyan, wanted to take me away, if it weren’t for the Director stepping in to rescue me at the crucial moment... I would probably have turned into dry bones by now. How could I still be standing in front of you and talking?"
"Director, I don’t know if you believe me, but I, Tang Fei, can swear to the heavens... my respect for you has never changed from beginning to end."
"You have always been the person I respect the most."
Yan Wenli’s mouth twitched.
This kid sure knew how to talk.
Huh, wasn’t he not supposed to be disturbed by emotions? What was he doing?
He quickly composed himself and looked at Tang Fei, "Respect from beginning to end? I’m in prison, and you’re outside, is this your respect?"
"Director, in this matter, you should understand me better than I do myself... With different positions, I had no other choice," Tang Fei explained.
Yan Wenli sighed softly and looked at Tang Fei, "When did you start collaborating with Jing Nian?"
A king is made, a loser conquered; he accepted all fates.
But, regarding Yan Jinnian...
He still harbored deep feelings.
He understood her betrayal, but when the knife truly stabbed in the back, it still made him feel unbearable pain.
She was his adopted daughter, the child he had raised from a young age.
He had invested a lot of effort and emotion, and the feeling of being torn apart was very painful for him.
"Director, do you think it’s still important to discuss this?" Tang Fei spoke, "When I laid her true identity documents in front of her, she had already made her choice."
"Right, is it necessary?" Yan Wenli sighed softly, his face gloomy, "I was too greedy."
To have killed her parents, yet adopted her, what kind of behavior was that?
Was his conscience not yet dead?
In reality, it was just giving himself a reason for redemption and a means of release.
Why should she accept it?
Tang Fei understood Yan Wenli’s feelings; there were too many issues between them that needed discussing, many important matters that required answers, yet he first brought up Yan Jinnian...
At this moment, this must be the person and matter he cared about the most, right?
"It’s not greed..." Tang Fei looked at Yan Wenli, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke the ’truth’ he hoped the other party would hear, "Actually, Yan Jinnian also feels very bad... When the old man asked her to do these things, she hesitated for a long time before agreeing."
Tang Fei wanted to exonerate himself first, all the ’bad deeds’ were done by the old man.
After all, the old man didn’t care; another blame on him was just like a Russian nesting doll, no more or no less.
He still wanted to maintain a ’good’ hierarchical relationship with Yan Wenli.
"When someone brought you over earlier, she didn’t meet you, right? She didn’t dare to, not knowing how to face you..."
"I met her, she was in a very bad mood and didn’t even acknowledge my greeting."
Yan Jinnian indeed felt bad, but whether she had such complex inner emotions... Tang Fei pretended she did.
After all, Tang Fei still needed Yan Wenli for many things.
Yan Jinnian was a good breakthrough.
If he could persuade Yan Wenli to join his side, it would be much easier to control the many officials of the vast Empire.
Who doesn’t have little secrets?
The work of the Monitoring Bureau was to monitor the officials, gather intelligence; they knew these officials like the back of their hand. When they wanted to use you, they acted as if nothing had happened; when they wanted to dispose of you, they’d slam the evidence on your desk with a ’snap.’
That’s also why the Monitoring Bureau was so feared and reviled as ’black dog skin.’
Who wouldn’t be afraid?
Yan Wenli scanned Tang Fei’s face and asked, "Did she really say those things?"
"She didn’t really say anything; you know her character. She doesn’t talk normally, and even less when she’s angry."
Tang Fei could not afford to forcefully put words in Yan Jinnian’s mouth at this time; that would only backfire.
"But from the time we’ve spent together, I understand her... I know, this was the attitude she wanted to express." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI[F]ire.net
Yan Wenli believed it.
He felt slightly comforted; she had her difficulties, she had no choice.
She still cared about her ’adoptive father.’
"Tell me, what are you here for? Since you’re not here to mock me, you certainly aren’t here to visit me either," Yan Wenli put aside the matter of his adopted daughter and looked at Tang Fei.
Tang Fei’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Yan Wenli, his expression sincere and determined, "I would like to ask the Director to take the position of Director of the Monitoring Bureau."