Qiu Tu was no longer a novice in the officialdom.

    After these several months, he had basically come to understand some of the unwritten rules and jargon of the bureaucracy.

    Yan Chen''s remark might seem unproblematic at first glance—after all, he was the Bureau Chief, and both Tang Feifei and Qiu Tu were his subordinates.

    So it was only natural for him to commend them for their meritorious service now.

    But on closer consideration, the focus of his message became clear: "You did not let down ''my'' ''trust'' in you."

    In effect, this was a covert signal that tonight''s operation had been authorized and arranged by Yan Chen.

    Consequently, the lion''s share of the credit would go to Yan Chen.

    After all, it was Yan Chen who had the merit of leadership.

    With just a simple phrase, Yan Chen nearly foiled the plan hatched by Qiu Tu, Tang Feifei, and Liu Xiongyuan to undermine him.

    When the time came to report to the Sanctuary, they would credit everything that occurred tonight to the achievements of Xinjie City Investigation Bureau—that is, to Yan Chen''s leadership.

    And he would no longer face criticism for choosing to advance his rank at such a crucial time at Moonlight Lake.

    Realizing this and understanding the deeper meaning in Yan Chen''s words, Qiu Tu quickly shook his head at Tang Feifei to signal her.

    If Qiu Tu could detect the self-aggrandizing message in Yan Chen''s words, Tang Feifei was certainly able to as well.

    Seeing Qiu Tu''s signal, she first nodded slightly at him, and then with an aloof expression, she said, "Bureau Chief, you flatter us."

    "Confronted with such an unexpected turn of events, we were very panicked tonight."

    "We wanted to seek your guidance at the first moment, but then we remembered you were in seclusion and completely unreachable."

    "Thus, in dealing with the situation, we took over the site without your consent and even falsely used the names of Director Liu, General Ye, and Colonel Wang, claiming they authorized us to control the three major institutions!"

    "Allowing the forces of the three institutions to follow our command!"

    "Here, both Minister Qiu and I need to apologize to the Bureau Chief first."

    "Due to the urgency of the situation, we took some actions that may not have complied with the regulations. Tomorrow, we will personally compose a written self-critique to submit to the Bureau Chief for your review and response."

    Tang Feifei played her tai chi masterfully, setting the tone for tonight''s events as an emergency.

    Because it was an "emergency," there was, in fact, no issue of leadership planning or command.

    Then, she proceeded with self-criticism, admitting that she and Qiu Tu, in order to save Moonlight Lake and capture the elite squad of the United Front, may have conducted themselves in a way that breached regulations, and thus needed to review their actions.

    There were two purposes for this. Sёarch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    One was to minimize the impact by owning up to mistakes right after achieving a success, as well as to prevent Yan Chen from causing them difficulties later on.

    Two was that, by writing this critique, they would actually be reaffirming once again in writing that the credit for this event was entirely due to Tang Feifei and Qiu Tu.

    Yan Chen understood Tang Feifei''s implication.

    He was not a person who liked to confront issues head-on, and his body had not fully recovered since he had abruptly ended his advancement.

    So after remaining silent for two seconds, he spoke with his uniquely deep, husky voice, "Necessity knows no law. I understand."

    "Tonight''s sudden occurrence was unexpected by anyone. It''s understandable that some pre-arranged plans in the Bureau slipped up."

    "You were able to adapt on the fly, handle the situation flexibly, and help the Bureau to check and fill its gaps. You did well."

    "Regarding what comes next, I will have Director Lai take over and manage the negotiations with the military and Eastern City, as well as the matter of the share of Moonlight Lake. I will personally handle it."

    "You have worked hard tonight. Come back early and rest."

    After stating his plans in a low voice, Yan Chen did not wait for Tang Feifei''s reaction and immediately hung up the communication.

    Noticing Yan Chen''s last words, Tang Feifei''s face turned as cold as if it could freeze over.

    Although Yan Chen gave up his "leadership credit," he still played the card of "internal issues."

    Simply put, he separated himself from this oversight, positioning Lin Ting and Tang Feifei as the opposing side.

    The mistake was Lin Ting''s; the achievement was Tang Feifei''s. But whether it was an achievement or a mistake, it was an internal matter of the Bureau and not to be singled out.

    This was virtuous and seemed absolutely fair.

    Moreover, since Yan Chen was the Bureau Chief with the power to have the final say, Tang Feifei had no way to refute.

    Otherwise, it would appear as disunity and would cause an ugly scene in the higher-ups...

    Thus, following the phone call, Tang Feifei''s expression was frosty, and she remained silent.

    Standing beside her, Qiu Tu silently contemplated the spar between the two heavyweights and felt he had learned a great deal.

    Yan Chen was indeed Yan Chen. Just with one phone call, he had resolved the crisis...

    Fortunately, he still had a trump card up his sleeve.

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    Thinking thus, Qiu Tu couldn''t help but look up at the dark sky above.

    In the sky, the bright "Polaris" had vanished, obviously representing Yan Chen, who had failed in his advancement.

    From this viewpoint, the dim star was undoubtedly Larilo.

    The difference in the brightness of their "stars" did not stem from Yan Chen being stronger than Larilo.

    Instead, it was because of... their respective worlds.

    Larilo''s True Body was in the Boundless Heart Sea, separated from the real world by a barrier, which naturally made it appear dimmer; whereas Yan Chen, being in the real world, would appear brighter.

    And at this moment, that dim star was still shining, with the meteor that had shot up into the sky now merging with it.

    "Larilo..."

    Qiu Tu whispered the name to himself and then lowered his head.

    At the same time...

    In the study room of a Garden Villa in the City Center Garden,

    There was the crisp sound of shattering glass!

    A crystal ashtray was smashed hard against Ji Chen''s head by Yan Chen!