For Nangong, who had always been known for his composure, to utter such words, one could easily infer the extent of his resentment toward these civil servants.
However, the moment Xiao Yifei heard these words, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes.
"Professor Nangong, did Liu Shengchuan and his team say something to the department?"
He turned around and spoke to Nangong earnestly.
If that was indeed the case, Xiao Yifei was even more prepared to teach Liu Shengchuan and his team a solid lesson at the research institute later!
But unexpectedly, upon hearing Xiao Yifei’s question, Nangong shook his head instead.
"If it really were related to Liu Shengchuan and his group, I wouldn’t be so angry, after all, these people from Japan are inherently disgusting."
He turned his head and said furiously to Xiao Yifei, "But this time, it has nothing to do with those people from Japan, not a dime. It’s our own Huaxia civil servants. Before the people from Japan had said anything, they were the ones who grew impatient seeing our results not coming out in time!"
"They issued us a death order that if we cannot resolve this matter soon, the department will shut down our research institute directly!"
As Nangong spoke about this, his eyes turned blood-red.
When Xiao Yifei heard Nangong speak about this, he suddenly narrowed his eyes sharply.
"Tell me, can they even be considered genuine Huaxia civil servants? It’s utterly embarrassing!"
At this moment, as the two reached the staircase of the laboratory building, the anger in Nangong’s heart caused him to hammer the handrail furiously with a heavy fist.
Seeing Nangong this furious, one could only imagine how inflamed his heart was right now.
"Even if they are not civil servants, at the very least, they should be Huaxia people, right? Since when have they not only allowed the Japanese to trample over us, but they’ve even helped them to bully our own people!"
As he spoke, he was so agitated that he was gasping for breath; clearly, the meeting this morning had left old man utterly furious.
Seeing Nangong’s current state, Xiao Yifei couldn’t help but squint his eyes slightly. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Nangong’s shoulder, channeling energy.
And the previously breathless Nangong suddenly felt a warm flow from his shoulder, which eased some of his pain almost instantly.
He turned his head in surprise and looked at Xiao Yifei.
However, soon Nangong turned his head back, the glimmer in his eyes dimming. Even the miraculous occurrence failed to interest Nangong anymore, a testament to how disheartened he was from the morning’s events.
Nangong sighed deeply and shook his head, "They called it a meeting, but what I see, this morning was just an outright criticism against me."
Now, Nangong looked utterly deflated, sometimes that’s how it is—enemies and rivals, no matter how formidable, were not feared; however, the blows from one’s own people could deeply wound Nangong.
"We all are Huaxia people, you tell me, what are these civil servants really thinking? I even laid out the situation for them, clearly told them that the Japanese this time came coveting our scientific research results, but do you know what the people in the department said to me?"
Nangong could only give a bitter smile as he said, "They say that Japan’s medical facilities are streets ahead of ours, that they aren’t here to covet our achievements but to help us."
"The day we start looking down on ourselves is the day we’re truly done for."
He said with a heavy sigh.
Upon hearing Nangong’s words, Xiao Yifei, who was originally squinting his eyes, couldn’t help but flash a fierce glint in them, knowing that given Nangong’s personality, he surely wasn’t speaking recklessly.
The words Nangong spoke filled Xiao Yifei’s heart with anger; had it not been for Nangong himself saying it, Xiao Yifei might not have believed that their own Huaxians could do such a thing.
Suddenly, while listening to Nangong’s words, Xiao Yifei couldn’t help but think back to when they first went to receive the Japanese delegation and encountered those government officials. Xiao Yifei slightly furrowed his brows.
Nangong sighed again, surpassing the number of times he had sighed in the past month during just this short conversation with Xiao Yifei.
"However, not all officials in the department are like that; there are quite a few who, at the very least, will speak up for me. But there’s nothing we can do; the officials who actually make the decisions aren’t on our side."
He lifted his head and squinted toward the entrance of the laboratory.
"Professor Nangong, don’t worry. As long as I’m here, we have nothing to fear," Xiao Yifei reassured.
Although Xiao Yifei was also filled with anger upon hearing Nangong’s words, the sight of the elderly man in front of him deepened his compassion. Xiao Yifei knew how much effort it had taken to establish this research institute and Nangong had invested all his energy into it.
Even more, he had helped Huaxia accomplish many things because of this lab, but despite Nangong’s numerous contributions, in front of the Japanese, their efforts seemed insignificant. Even the department head had claimed that if they didn’t produce results soon, they would shut down the lab—words that deeply saddened Nangong.
"Hahaha, tell me, aren’t the Japanese like their grandfathers?"
Nangong shook his head with a bitter smile and said with regret to Xiao Yifei, "We Huaxians have become so powerful, yet why do some people, especially government officials, still look down on themselves?"
Actually, what truly dismayed Nangong wasn’t just the words spoken by the officials, but more so the attitude they displayed.
"We just managed to get Liu Sheng to settle down, and now our own people are starting to cause trouble again, saying so much nonsense," Nangong lamented, filled with helplessness.
However, upon hearing Nangong’s words, Xiao Yifei’s eyes flashed with an ever-increasing icy light, and a mysterious glow appeared on his face.
"Professor Nangong, don’t worry about it," he turned his head and said to Nangong with a faint smile, "With me here, do you still worry about any mess?"
"I believe in you, and I even think that our project this time will easily resolve, and those from the Japanese delegation are no match for you!"
Nangong turned his head toward Xiao Yifei and continued, "I believe all of this, but I just don’t know if we can handle our own people when we face them."
Although Nangong didn’t explicitly state it, Xiao Yifei still understood what he meant. He understood why Nangong was so worried; simply put, like Nangong had just said, the officials in the department, with the power in their hands, could easily decide the fate of the research institute.