340: It was just a small favor.

"What about me?"

Zhong Huai kept a straight face, trying to reclaim his dual dignity as a Fangs operative and a College Entrance Examination Examiner.

"Do I look like someone who's easy to talk to?"

He took a step forward, standing in front of Lin Yao, deliberately creating a sense of pressure.

"When I evaluated Lin Yu, I was absolutely impartial. The difficulty was what it should have been, the test was what it should have been. I didn't lower the requirements at all just because we'd met before."

He spoke these words with righteous indignation and resonant force.

Even Wen Yan, standing beside him, subconsciously nodded in agreement.

However, Lin Yao only tilted her head and blinked her large, bright eyes.

She curled her lip.

"Who'd believe that~"

That long, drawn-out tone was filled with the unique perkiness of a young girl and... pure disbelief.

"Didn't you come out today to help us block the Black Armor, standing on our side?"

The Little Girl said, clasping her small hands behind her back with mock seriousness, pacing twice in front of Zhong Huai like an adult.

Then, she lowered her body, leaning in close to Zhong Huai, and deliberately spoke in a tone she thought was quiet but was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I get—"

"I get—"

"I get—"

"It's all to 'avoid suspicion,' right?"

"..."

The seriousness on Zhong Huai's face cracked.

His entire being felt as if a bolt of heavenly lightning had struck him precisely from the crown of his head to his heels, leaving him charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

Avoid suspicion?

But... but... from this Little Girl's perspective... back in the hall, he really had stood up at the most critical moment, braving the pressure from everyone.

Then, he had identified himself, using the name of Fangs to forcibly halt the Black Armor Guard's actions.

Finally, he had led the two of them out of that awkward situation completely unscathed.

Looking at this sequence of events... it really did seem like he had a deep relationship with Lin Yu... viewed that way, his previous reply indeed sounded like he was trying to avoid suspicion.

Damn it!

This Little Girl is surprisingly smart.

Zhong Huai opened his mouth to retort, but found that his logical processor had completely fried at that moment.

He couldn't find a single word to refute this seemingly absurd yet perfectly self-consistent conclusion.

Wen Yan couldn't bear to watch his colleague standing there petrified, his worldview shattered.

He felt it was necessary to step up and use logic and facts to defend the professionalism of Fangs.

He cleared his throat and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

"Miss Lin Yao, you might have misunderstood."

"The reason we stepped in was because..."

Before Wen Yan could finish, he was interrupted by a giggling Lin Yao.

"Because you're partners of justice, helping those in need when you see injustice, right?"

The Little Girl beat him to the punch and even gave him a thumbs-up.

This... in a broad sense, didn't seem wrong. The duty of Fangs was indeed to maintain world order and justice.

But... Wen Yan opened his mouth, wanting to explain that they were here because of a top-secret mission codenamed "Divine Revelation," to observe and evaluate the two new Mythic Rank Professionals in Linzhou City, to— "Cough!"

A deliberate, heavy cough interrupted the words about to slip out.

Zhong Huai placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

That pressure carried a clear warning.

Wen Yan instantly shut his mouth.

He looked at Zhong Huai's face, which had returned to a lazy smile, and finally realized with a start.

The Confidentiality Regulations.

He had almost leaked the mission details right in front of the targets.

A cold sweat quietly slid down his back.

Lin Yao watched the two of them "exchanging glances" in front of her, curled her lip in boredom, and latched back onto Lin Yu's arm.

"Brother, they're so weird."

"That's enough." Lin Yu pushed his sister's head away from him and finally spoke.

He took a step forward and looked Zhong Huai in the eye.

"Regardless, thank you for today."

His thanks were calm, without any unnecessary pleasantries.

Zhong Huai waved his hand with a nonchalant "it was nothing" look.

Lin Yu didn't mind his attitude and continued, "However, I'm still curious."

His gaze swept between Zhong Huai and Wen Yan.

"Why are you here? And..."

He paused, making his question more direct.

"In that situation, knowing nothing, you immediately took our side."

This question made the atmosphere in the passage become subtle once again.

Lin Yao also perked up her ears, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

Exactly!

Although she never doubted her brother's charm, these two had appeared too coincidentally and taken a side too resolutely.

There was definitely something behind this!

Wen Yan's body subconsciously tensed; he was already prepared with a standard set of remarks that followed Confidentiality Regulations while demonstrating Fangs' professionalism.

However, Zhong Huai beat him to it again.

Zhong Huai lazily stretched and yawned. That half-asleep look made it seem as if the man who had just dominated the hall with the name of "Fangs" wasn't him.

"Us?"

He pointed to himself, then to Wen Yan beside him.

"We're here on official business."

This answer was perfunctory to the extreme.

Lin Yao's eyes nearly rolled to the ceiling.

Zhong Huai ignored her completely and continued in that business-like tone, "As for the specifics, they can't be disclosed to the public. After all, that's the nature of the missions our Fangs Special Operations Team carries out, right?"

He spread his hands and gave Lin Yu and Lin Yao a "you know how it is" smile.

"I hope you two can understand."

These words were perfectly airtight.

It explained their presence and used Confidentiality Regulations to shut down all follow-up questions.

Wen Yan listened from the side, nodding inwardly.

As expected of Senior Zhong Huai. These words were more than a level higher than the standard remarks he had prepared.

However, Zhong Huai wasn't finished.

His tone shifted, and his gaze landed on Lin Yu, his laziness now tinged with an imperceptible trace of seriousness.

"As for the matter with you siblings..."

He scratched his head, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"To be honest, I really don't know exactly what happened. But..."

Zhong Huai grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"I believe in you as a person. It was just a small favor, don't take it to heart."

These words carried more weight than all the previous explanations.

It represented a kind of trust.

An unreserved trust from a formal member of "Fangs," from his College Entrance Examination Examiner.

Lin Yu was silent for two seconds.

Then, he spoke again.

"Thank you."

This thank you was much more sincere than the last.

Since the other party didn't want to say, he wouldn't press further.