Bragging

"Old man, I think there must be some misunderstanding regarding Mr. Su Yuan. I'll have them release him right away."

Xiao Lie smiled faintly as he explained to Su Zhentian.

"Damn it, couldn't you have said that sooner?"

Seeing that Xiao Lie had agreed, Su Zhentian's tone softened considerably.

"Heh heh, right, Old Master, you can't fob me off with ten old-model Second Generation Machines. I want the new models."

Xiao Lie reminded him, still somewhat uneasy.

"Hmph, do you think I'm that kind of person? I'll absolutely give you all new models."

Su Zhentian replied irritably.

"Of course I trust you, Old Master Su Zhentian. I'm just worried that your people might not handle it properly."

"All right, enough talk. Hurry up and release my stupid son."

"Very well. I'll hang up for now. When I have the time, I'll visit Starlight City and pay you a proper visit so we can catch up."

Xiao Lie hung up after saying this.

The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression. He then picked up the phone and sent Ye Wei a message, telling him to come over immediately.

Not long afterward, Ye Wei hurried into the office.

"Lord Xiao."

"Is everything ready?"

"Rest assured, everything is ready!"

Ye Wei gave his solemn assurance.

"Then release him."

Xiao Lie spoke to Ye Wei in an indifferent tone.

"Huh? Release him?"

Ye Wei was stunned, staring at Xiao Lie in shock.

"What? Was I not clear enough, or have my words stopped carrying weight?"

"No, Lord Xiao. It's just that if we release Su Yuan, what are we going to do about the Federation?"

"What do you mean, what are we going to do? Whoever made the mistake will take responsibility. The Chilami larva outbreak originated from the dump, but let me ask you something: how did the Chilami larva appear in the dump for no reason? Go investigate who was responsible for patrolling and guarding the area outside the dump."

Xiao Lie spoke to Ye Wei in a deep voice.

"Huh? We're going after our own people?"

Ye Wei was completely dumbfounded.

"Regardless of who made the mistake, everyone is to be treated equally and handled according to official procedure. Understood?"

Xiao Lie tapped the desk and spoke sternly.

"Yes. I'll take care of it right away."

Ye Wei swallowed with difficulty and hurried out of the office.

At that moment, several of Ye Wei's subordinates gathered around him outside the office. Seeing that his expression was poor, they hurriedly asked him what had happened.

"Lord Ye Wei, what's going on?"

Ye Wei took a deep breath and spoke to one of his lean, capable subordinates with a troubled expression.

"Fei Wan, go release Su Yuan immediately. Then send people to arrest all the security officers responsible for the H3 area outside the dump in the lower district!"

"No way. We have to release Su Yuan and arrest our own people?"

Fei Wan was dumbfounded when he heard this.

"What choice do I have? Who told him to have such powerful connections backing him? Hurry up and do it!"

Ye Wei spoke irritably.

"Yes, yes."

Fei Wan and the others did not dare say anything more.

--

It was late at night.

In his room, Su Ming was gritting his teeth as he did push-ups, his entire face flushed red.

"Eleven, twelve..."

Su Ming collapsed onto the floor after the fifteenth push-up and gasped for breath.

This body was far too weak.

Still, he was quite satisfied with the result. He could now do fifteen in a row. When he had first started, he could not even manage three.

Su Ming was confident that he could definitely become stronger if he was given a little more time.

Just then, he heard a commotion downstairs. It sounded as if Zhao Ning had returned, so he got up and left the room.

The living room was brightly lit.

Su Yuan entered with Zhao Ning, looking utterly exhausted.

"I usually tell you to take your work more seriously, but you never listen. Now look at the huge mess you've gotten yourself into."

Zhao Ning complained to Su Yuan.

"Wife, it's not like I wanted this to happen. I was just terribly unlucky."

Su Yuan explained with a bitter expression.

At that moment, Su Ming came down the spiral staircase. Seeing that Su Yuan had returned, he immediately greeted them.

"Father, Mother, you're back."

"Son, are you all right?"

When Su Yuan saw Su Ming, his previously gloomy face instantly blossomed into a smile.

"I'm fine. But are you all right, Father?"

"Ah, as expected of my precious son. You've learned to care about your father. But you don't have to worry. Who am I? How could anything happen to me? What could they possibly do to me? I got out easily."

Su Yuan bragged in front of Su Ming with a triumphant expression.

Zhao Ning sighed softly beside them. She had spent the entire day visiting the investigation department and waiting. The old man had called in many favors, but none of it had worked—they simply refused to release Su Yuan. After learning about it, Su Yuan had nearly been scared to death. He had not been nearly as calm as he claimed.

However, Zhao Ning did not expose him. She also hoped that Su Yuan could maintain a lofty image in front of Su Ming.

Hearing Su Yuan say that everything was fine, Su Ming's worried heart finally relaxed, and he replied with a smile.

"As expected of my father."

"Of course."

After hearing his son praise him, Su Yuan became even more carried away.

However, Su Yuan's phone suddenly rang. He subconsciously pulled it out, but when he saw the number displayed on the screen, the smile on his face instantly froze.

He swallowed and said to Su Ming,

"Son, I need to take this call."

Su Yuan answered the phone and spoke in an obsequious voice.

"Hello?"

"Damn it, were you kicked in the head by a donkey? What else can you do? How did I end up with such a stupid son?"

"Mm, ah, mm..."

Su Yuan's legs began to tremble slightly as he carried the phone aside. To avoid losing face in front of Su Ming, he forced himself to act as if nothing was wrong while responding.

Unfortunately, although he had not turned on the speaker, the old man's roaring voice was so loud that he did not need one. Su Ming and the others could hear every word clearly. It was as if the entire house was about to be torn apart!

Su Ming listened to the roaring and felt rather awkward.

Zhao Ning smiled and said to Su Ming,

"Don't worry, dear. He's only being scolded. Your father can take it."

"All right. Mother, there's something I want to tell you."

Su Ming thought for a moment. Since everything at home was fine now, he could devote himself fully to preparing for the City Exam.

"Go ahead, my precious son."

Zhao Ning replied gently.

"The City Exam is approaching, and the school has been closed because of the Chilami attack. So I'll have to go to Teacher Tang Yan's house every day for extra lessons."

Su Ming told Zhao Ning about the tutoring arrangements.

Hearing that Su Ming would be attending extra lessons, Zhao Ning was both relieved and worried about his safety. She said to him,

"Son, it's fine for you to attend extra lessons, but won't it be unsafe? How about I hire you a bodyguard?"

"No need. When I went out today, I saw patrol guards everywhere on the streets. It should still be quite safe."

Su Ming shook his head and refused.

"All right."

Seeing that Su Ming had made up his mind, Zhao Ning did not press the matter.