Wu Xian felt terribly wronged.
He really, truly, terribly wronged.
Back then, he had brought generous gifts and a hundred and twenty thousand parts sincerity to pay Yan An a personal visit. To show off his ambitions, he had talked at length about the situation in Xin Country and Geng Country. And when it came to that, the key figure impossible to avoid was Zheng Qiao.
That bastard Zheng Qiao had more dark history than Wu Xian had hairs on his head. If he didn't step on him and draw a clear line between them, how could he show that he was a pure and noble gentleman, utterly unlike Zheng Qiao? It was the most basic move, and Wu Xian was no exception.
Zheng Qiao was such a fine book of mistakes. As long as you avoided his blunders, you generally wouldn't go too far wrong.
So Wu Xian talked at length.
When he got worked up, his spirits soared. He felt he'd performed several percentage points better than usual. But then—the smile Yan An had worn at first gradually vanished. He didn't do anything discourteous, but his tightly pressed lips betrayed his displeasure. Wu Xian had no idea why, and thought his performance had failed to touch Yan An's heart. He felt a little disappointed.
Still, one failure didn't make him give up.
Two months later, he paid another visit.
This time, he did all his homework. He even had someone write and polish an exceptionally impressive "self-introduction" for him, revising it over and over. He memorized every word, every pause, every inflection. It was sure to highlight his talents, family background, reputation, and resources—to make anyone who heard it recognize him as a good employer, a good lord! He set off with his head held high and his