Lan Qingyi wore a gentle smile, her eyes curving into crescents, but the smile didn't reach her eyes at all; deep inside, there was undisguised hostility.
Cheng Muyun was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his epaulets gleaming coldly under the lights. He exuded a majestic and solemn aura, his outstanding presence so overwhelming that people dared not look him in the eye.
He extended his palm, his voice booming like a bell, carrying an undeniable power: "Secretary Lan, I have long admired your name."
Lan Qingyi reached out and shook hands with him. The moment their fingertips touched, it felt as if an invisible current ran through them. He was still smiling, but his tone carried a hint of probing: "Seeing is believing. Young Marshal Cheng is indeed as rumored, young and promising."
"Secretary Lan is joking," Cheng Muyun withdrew his hand, his tone calm but sharp. "My abilities are nowhere near yours."
Lan Qingyi sat down on a chair nearby, and an orderly immediately served him a cup of hot tea.
Cheng Muyun sat down beside him, his hands neatly placed on his knees, his back straight, his posture impeccable, and his eyes calmly looking at Lan Qingyi, as if patiently waiting for a performance whose ending he already knew.
Lan Qingyi, however, did not play by the rules. He picked up the cup of scalding hot tea, slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid, and blew on it again and again. Even though the tea had long since cooled down to a drinkable temperature, he hesitated to start a conversation, as if he really was just there to enjoy tea and chat.
Cheng Muyun had plenty of patience to wait it out with him, a leisurely and relaxed expression on his face. His fingertips even tapped his knees lightly, the rhythm neither hurried nor slow, showing no sign of impatience.
After drinking half a cup of hot tea, Lan Qingyi seemed to feel a little hot from the steam. He put down the teacup and forced a smile: "I've heard that people from Dongzhou like to drink hot tea, but after trying it today, I'm really not used to it."
Cheng Muyun's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, his tone neither warm nor cold: "Secretary Lan seems to have forgotten that the people of Dongzhou neither like to drink tea nor are they good at brewing it. They have no knowledge of these refined matters. Even the best Longjing tea will mostly be ruined in our hands."
This statement, ostensibly a humble remark, actually blocked Lan Qingyi's excuse to use tea to delay the time.
Lan Qingyi's lips curled into a slight smile. He knew perfectly well that Cheng Muyun was no longer willing to beat around the bush with him.
"Not at all," Lan Qingyi picked up her teacup and took another sip, pretending to savor the taste. "This tea is of excellent quality; its rich aroma can't be masked no matter how it's brewed."
Cheng Muyun raised his eyes, looked Lan Qingyi up and down, and said in a somewhat direct tone: "Secretary Lan, you didn't come all the way from Nanjing just to have a cup of tea with me, did you?"
Lan Qingyi raised an eyebrow, her tone light and casual: "Why not?"
These words left Cheng Muyun speechless. He really hadn't expected Lan Qingyi to be so shameless as to say that. He then smiled and instructed the orderly next to him, "Of course, bring Secretary Lan a few more cups of tea."
Lan Qingyi quickly waved his hand, his smile fading slightly: "No need, I didn't come here for tea, I have important business to discuss with Young Marshal Cheng."
Cheng Muyun's smile deepened. Here it comes; he was finally getting to the point. "Oh? What matter has troubled Secretary Lan to make this trip in person?"
Lan Qingyi's gaze swept over Cheng Muyun imperceptibly, from his crisp military uniform to his calm eyes, and she instantly understood—at this moment, the two of them were simply pretending not to know what was going on.
"Recently, there's been a lot of commotion in Xinhai City—a conflict between the Dongzhou Army and the Japanese, resulting in the accidental injury of many civilians." Lan Qingyi put down his teacup, his tone finally taking on a serious tone.
Cheng Muyun raised his hand to support his chin, his fingertips gently stroking his jawline, looking relaxed as if he were talking about trivial gossip: "I thought it was something important, but it turns out it's just this."
He paused, then added casually, "It's just a small matter."
"A trivial matter?" Lan Qingyi exclaimed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she raised her voice in feigned surprise, "Young Marshal Cheng actually thinks this is a trivial matter?"
Cheng Muyun raised an eyebrow, crossed his legs, leaned slightly forward, and glanced at Lan Qingyi out of the corner of his eye, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalant sarcasm: "Yeah, it's a small matter. The Japanese have always liked to cause trouble. This time they just didn't know their limits and accidentally hurt some unrelated people. What's the big deal?"
Lan Qingyi's fingers tightened suddenly, her knuckles turning white from the force, as she gripped the armrest of the chair beneath her tightly.
He sat bolt upright, his voice stern and serious: "Young Marshal Cheng! The Dongzhou Army and the Japanese opened fire in public at the dock, injuring more than a dozen innocent civilians, including women and children! How can you say this is a trivial matter? In your eyes, don't those civilians' lives matter?"
"What?" Cheng Muyun turned his shoulder to face Lan Qingyi directly, his eyes suddenly sharpening. "Secretary Lan, are you trying to seek justice for those people? If so, you've come to the wrong person. It was clearly the Japanese who drew their guns and provoked us first. The Dongzhou Army was just following orders to suppress them. Are you just going to stand by and watch them run wild on our territory?"
As if he had caught something incriminating, Lan Qingyi pressed on sharply, "Ordered to suppress? Young Marshal Cheng seems to have forgotten that the Dongzhou Army has already openly broken away from the government and even refused to accept the military pay issued by Nanjing. I'd like to ask, whose orders are you on now?"
They've arrived.
Cheng Muyun sneered inwardly. As expected, Lan Qingyi had come looking for trouble. After going through all this trouble, she was finally going to speak frankly.
He casually hooked his toes, and the gleaming leather shoes clearly reflected Lan Qingyi's slightly excited expression.
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