216: Chapter 216 Midnight Snack

"This kid is a seasoned player among flowers."

Director Su Mei's smile deepened.

She extended a slender finger painted with dark red polish, slowly drawing circles on the tabletop.

"Boss Lin speaks straight to the point, so I won't beat around the bush either."

"I assume Boss Lin watched the news just now. The situation in Great Xia can be described as turbulent."

"Setting aside ghosts and monsters, those secluded families and ancient sects are coming out in force. On the surface, they're responding to the nation's call to help The Ninth Bureau suppress anomalies."

"But in reality?"

Director Su Mei sighed softly, looking so pitiable that one couldn't help but want to pull her into an embrace and cherish her.

"Those large families have deep foundations and eyes at the top of their heads; they don't care about The Ninth Bureau's rules at all."

"For instance, the Zhuge Family from Lingnan. The moment they arrived in Jiangnan Province yesterday, they forcibly 'borrowed' three of our Ninth Bureau's spiritual energy veins."

"And the Chu Ma Xian from the Northeast. To fight for territory, they actually allowed their spirit immortals to clash in the city center, creating absolute chaos."

"Headquarters sent me to Jiangzhou precisely to stabilize the southern front. But these established factions, relying on their ancestral treasures and secret arts, comply on the surface while defying me in secret—a weak woman parachuted in from above."

As Director Su Mei spoke, she shot a resentful look at Lin Ye.

"I'm a newcomer here in Jiangzhou, unfamiliar with the people and place. Thinking it over, the only local powerhouse who can deter these arrogant secluded sects is you, Boss Lin."

What a play—feigning weakness and retreating to advance, asking for help under the guise of helplessness.

In his heart, Lin Ye gave this new director a 99 out of 100 for her acting performance.

Deducting one point for fear she'd get arrogant.

He picked up the coffee in front of him, took a sip, and put the cup down.

"Sister Su."

Lin Ye's tone carried a hint of intimacy.

"Your abacus calculation is ringing so loud, I can hear it clearly all the way from my second-floor bedroom."

Lin Ye leaned forward slightly, unabashedly meeting Director Su Mei's sultry gaze, the smile on his lips growing thicker.

"Sister Su, The Ninth Bureau really made the most of their resources by transferring you here. You want to use me as the blade to kill the chicken and warn the monkeys, suppressing those arrogant secluded families who just came out into the world."

"It's a clever plan, but while I, Lin Ye, like to meddle in others' business, I don't work as a free thug."

Lin Ye reached out a finger and gently tapped twice on the back of Director Su Mei's fair hand.

"My Funeral Shop believes in harmony brings wealth."

"As long as those orthodox sects don't come to Taiping Old Street to wreck my business, why the hell should I care if they stir up storms or cause mayhem outside?"

Feeling Lin Ye's finger touch her hand, Director Su Mei didn't pull back. Instead, she flipped her palm and lightly traced a line in Lin Ye's palm with her dark-red polished fingernail.

"Oh my, Boss Lin is truly heartless. Is my sincere visit to ask for help not enough to carry weight?"

Director Su Mei slightly pouted her red lips, a touch of resentment surfacing on her mature and charming face.

She intentionally pushed out her impressive bust, the dazzling white exposed by her deep V-neck trembling slightly with her movement, radiating a lethal mature woman's temptation.

"If Boss Lin is willing to step up and help me keep Jiangzhou under control, I will not only offer you the title of Supreme Technical Advisor for The Ninth Bureau's Southern War Zone with both hands, but in the days to come... I myself will be at your beck and call, at your disposal for whatever you wish."

Saying this was practically testing the legal limits of decency.

Deputy Captain Chu Hongyan, standing on the side, blushed furiously and wished she could dig a hole in the ground to hide in.

Feeling the smooth texture in his palm, Lin Ye silently gave Director Su Mei a big thumbs-up in his heart.

He originally wanted to say "Tell me more about 'at your disposal'", but as the words reached his lips, visions of Leng Yue and Frost Star appeared deep in his mind, forcing him to drop it.

"Haha!"

Lin Ye gave a soft laugh, turned his hand to hold Director Su Mei's soft, boneless hand, stealthily rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand before naturally pushing it back.

"Sister Su, hearing you say that makes me feel flattered. Your conditions are indeed quite tempting. However..."

Lin Ye leaned back, interlocking his fingers behind his head, a cynical glimmer in his eyes.

"The water in my yard runs deep, filled with many violent, biting fish. If you really want to jump in, Sister Su, I'm afraid you won't adapt and will be devoured until not even your bones remain."

Just as his words fell,

Thud, a soft sound rang out.

At the top of the second-floor stairs, Leng Yue slowly walked down dressed in a moon-white silk bathrobe.

The aloof, unearthly supreme pressure of the Millennium Drought Demon silently blanketed the entire hall with her every step.

Leng Yue ignored Director Su Mei and walked straight to Lin Ye's side.

"Husband, where did this vixen come from so early in the morning? The stench of flirtatiousness was so strong I couldn't sleep peacefully upstairs."

The moment she spoke, Director Su Mei's smile stiffened slightly.

Although she was a high-ranking official of The Ninth Bureau and an transcendent who had seen much of the world,

in the face of the Drought Demon aura casually oozing from Leng Yue, she still felt a shudder originating from the depths of her soul.

That feeling was like being targeted by a sleeping prehistoric behemoth.

"This must be Madam Lin. Truly peerless in elegance and beauty."

Director Su Mei quickly composed herself, stood up, gracefully smoothed the hem of her pencil skirt, and smiled generously.

She knew that today's probing could only go this far.

This man named Lin Ye was impervious to both soft and hard approaches, and the foundation surrounding him was fathomlessly deep—definitely not someone who could be manipulated by a simple honey trap.

"Boss Lin, since you prefer peace and quiet, I won't disturb you any longer."

Director Su Mei took out a solid black metal business card from her black Chanel bag and gently set it down in front of Lin Ye.

"This is my private line. Those secluded families are arrogant and proud; they will surely cause quite a stir in Jiangzhou during this period."

"If they lack judgment and offend you, Boss Lin, The Ninth Bureau promises never to interfere in any of your 'self-defense counterattacks'. In fact... The Ninth Bureau can even handle cleaning up the mess for you."

Director Su Mei's words laid all her cards on the table and gave Lin Ye ample respect.

"Take care, Director Su. I won't see you out."

"Next time you come to discuss business, remember to zip up your dress higher. Early winter mornings easily catch a cold."

Lin Ye pinched the business card between his fingers and gave it a wave.

Director Su Mei rolled her eyes at him with flirtatious charm, leaving behind a string of silvery giggles as she led the blushing Deputy Captain Chu Hongyan out of the Funeral Shop, swaying alluringly in her high heels.

Watching the bulletproof Hongqi sedan drive away from the old street,

Ayugu hopped down from her chair, slurping the last bite of rice noodles while snidely mocking:

"Tsk tsk tsk, Boss, was your soul snatched away by that big butt in black stockings? When you held her little hand just now, your smile was so lecherous."

"What does a little girl like you know? That's high-EQ polite dealing. Besides, am I, your boss, the kind of person who gets easily seduced by beauty?"

Lin Ye took a sip of coffee without changing his expression, but out of the corner of his eye, he carefully glanced at Leng Yue beside him.

Leng Yue looked at him with a half-smile, reaching out to pinch the soft flesh at his waist neither too hard nor too softly.

"I naturally trust Husband's self-control. However, Director Su is right—with those secluded families, dormant for a century, emerging one after another, Great Xia is likely heading into eventful, turbulent times."

Lin Ye patted the back of Leng Yue's hand, pulled her into his arms, his gaze gradually deepening.

"Let them cause a fuss. As long as they know the rules, Jiangzhou City can accommodate them. But if they want to put on airs in Taiping Old Street..."

Lin Ye sneered, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

"I'll teach them what it means by 'times have changed'."

...

The night deepened.

After the hustle and bustle of the day, Jiangzhou City finally donned a quiet veil.

Yet beneath this calm, undertones brought by the emergence of the secluded sects quietly surged in every corner.

Lins Funeral Shop, second floor.

In the dead of night.

Lin Ye, dressed in a black silk bathrobe, sat alone in the small living room outside his bedroom, flipping through the tattered handbook left behind by his grandfather.

Leng Yue had gone down to the nine nether purgatory tower in the basement tonight to refine her Drought Demon core.

Just as Lin Ye was engrossed in reading,

a soft creak echoed.

The door to the small living room was pushed open a crack.

A small head with silver-blue twin tails poked inside.

"Not asleep yet?"

Frost Star walked in barefoot, tiptoeing.

She was clearly dressed up thoughtfully tonight, wearing only a thin, oversized white boyfriend-style shirt.

The hem of the shirt barely covered the roots of her thighs, exposing two straight, slender legs to the air without reservation.

Freshly bathed, she exuded a faint fragrance of body wash mixed with her unique icy nether fragrance, intensely enticing.

"Not sleeping in the middle of the night, what kind of mischief are you up to now?"

Lin Ye set down the handbook, leaned back on the sofa, amusedly looking at this stunning beauty creeping over like a cat.

Frost Star didn't speak; instead, she obediently walked up to Lin Ye.

Her heterochromatic eyes shimmered with watery charm in the dim light.

"Sister went into secluded cultivation tonight, so nobody's watching me."

Frost Star bit her rosy lips.

A sickly flush of red climbed onto her cheeks.

"..."

"..."