Sea God Pavilion Meeting

Yan Shaozhe's office had a three-seater sofa with soft leather and a broad backrest. It was quite comfortable to lie on.

Xue Lingyun sprawled across it, one leg draped over the armrest and the other resting on the edge of the coffee table, as relaxed as if he were in his own home.

He stared at the ceiling, though no one knew what he was thinking about.

Yan Shaozhe sat behind his office desk with a document in hand, his gaze moving over its contents. The room was very quiet, broken only by the occasional rustle of turning pages.

"How did the assessment a few days ago feel?" Yan Shaozhe asked casually without looking up.

Xue Lingyun shifted positions and made himself more comfortable. "It was alright."

Yan Shaozhe looked up at him. "Alright?"

Xue Lingyun drawled lazily, "The fighting didn't last as long as the waiting."

Yan Shaozhe froze for a moment, then shook his head with a helpless smile at the corner of his mouth.

If anyone else had said that, he might have thought they were bragging. But coming from this kid, he believed it.

A faint chewing sound came from nearby.

Ma Xiaotao sat on another sofa, with several food boxes set before her. They contained all sorts of dishes—stir-fried pork, twice-cooked pork, braised ribs, and several skewers of grilled meat.

She ate unhurriedly, picking up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and placing it in her mouth, chewing slowly and carefully. Her movements were exceptionally elegant, completely unlike her usual carefree manner.

Xue Lingyun had made all these dishes yesterday.

Since he had promised Ma Xiaotao that she could sample his cooking, he had set aside a separate portion of every dish after it came out of the kitchen, packed them into food boxes,