novelhk Chapter 181 The Eyes Beside Yan Shuo
Chapter 181 The Eyes Beside Yan Shuo
As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her eyes held a hint of unease and trepidation as she cautiously asked, "You don't think I'm a bad woman, do you? You think I'm deliberately clinging to you, after your status and money?"
Yan Shuo quickly shook his head, explaining urgently, "No, no, Sister Su Ling, don't overthink it. I've never thought of it that way. You're beautiful, capable, and kind-hearted. You're the most outstanding woman I've ever met, really. I just... I just don't dare to bother you. I've always treated you like my own sister and never thought of anything else. I'm afraid of letting you down and holding you back."
Seeing his flustered explanation, Su Ling's expectation faded little by little, leaving only deep disappointment. Her lips moved, but she couldn't speak for a long time. Finally, she just gently bit her lower lip and said softly, "I understand... I just told you what was on my mind. I didn't mean anything else. You don't need to feel pressured. In the future, I will still help you manage the Shanghai station as before and won't mention this matter again."
Looking at her dejected expression, Yan Shuo felt a strange sense of guilt. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say. He could only look at her in silence, and the atmosphere in the office instantly became awkward and heavy.
After a moment of silence, Yan Shuo slowly raised his hand, rubbed his temples, and said in a deep voice, his usual casual tone replaced by a more serious one, "I am neither a saint nor a paragon of virtue. Since you dare to ask, I dare to accept you. But let me make this clear from the start: I cannot give you a formal title. In front of outsiders, we will still be superior and subordinate, but in private, I will treat you well and will not wrong you."
Su Ling suddenly raised her head, the disappointment in her eyes instantly replaced by surprise. Her eyes were slightly red, but without the slightest hesitation, her tone was firm yet choked with emotion: "I'm willing! I don't want anything, as long as I can be by your side and help you, that's enough."
Seeing the light in her eyes, Yan Shuo felt much less guilty. He nodded gently, his tone softening slightly, and waved his hand, "Alright, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about the money plate. You rushed over just now because of this, right?"
Su Ling took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement, quickly switched to official mode, and her face regained its usual competence. She said in a deep voice, "Uh, yes, Qianpan sent back a group of people, more than 50 in total, and also escorted a batch of local specialties to Shanghai for sale. They all went through the secret channels we had previously established, and there were no problems."
She paused, then continued her report, her tone becoming increasingly serious: "In addition, Qianpan has sent another important message: he has successfully taken control of Zhou Tianba's pistol squad and special agent team. The deputy commander of Zhou Tianba's main force, the 1st Regiment, has been replaced by our people; the battalion commander of the 2nd Battalion has also been successfully won over and is now secretly on our side."
"We've replaced the two original captains of the pistol team and the special operations team," Su Ling added. "Our people took the opportunity to kill them, and our own people who were originally assigned to the deputy captain positions have now taken their place. In other words, we now have complete control over these two teams."
Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, his tone tinged with doubt: "Where is Zhou Tianba himself? We didn't kill him?"
"Not yet." Su Ling shook her head, her tone serious. "In addition, we have found out the identity of the so-called Mr. Wei who is by Zhou Tianba's side. He is not an ordinary agent at all, but a traitor planted by the Mei Agency next to Zhou Tianba. His name is Wei Ding."
"Wei Ding?" Yan Shuo scoffed, his tone full of disdain. "What a terrible name. It doesn't sound like a good person at all."
"Yes, it's Wei Ding." Su Ling continued, her expression unchanged. "This man is not to be underestimated. He is quite capable and has already won over several puppet army groups and river brigades. His power is growing day by day. If we don't deal with him as soon as possible, he may become a hidden danger for us in the future."
Yan Shuo's eyes turned cold, his tone ruthless and without the slightest hesitation: "Oh, a person like this is a waste of food to keep alive. You arrange for him to be arrested and interrogated thoroughly. Find out all the forces he has recruited and his collusion with the Mei Agency. After the interrogation, burn the body. If he's not easy to arrest, don't bother. Just kill him to avoid any complications."
"Okay! I'll arrange for someone to take care of it right away." Su Ling bowed and quickly made a note of the matter.
Yan Shuo nodded slightly and then asked, "Did Qian Pan say he needed any more help? After all, he's controlling two teams and has to escort local specialties, so there's bound to be some trouble."
"Yes, mainly they want money," Su Ling said. "He sent word that the battalion commanders he had previously won over, as well as the deputy captains who were replaced, are all asking him for benefits and military pay. They're quite greedy."
"Want money?" Yan Shuo frowned, his tone laced with sarcasm and dissatisfaction. "Can a bunch of people who only care about money fight? Keeping them around might just lead to them turning against us later."
After a moment's thought, Su Ling calmly analyzed, "I think if it's not a lot of money, we can give it to them first. The most important thing right now is to completely control Zhou Tianba's team, stabilize them first, and then gradually eliminate these money-grubbing, incompetent bastards once the team is organized. This way, we can also avoid internal strife."
Yan Shuo was silent for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons, and finally nodded: "Hmm, okay, we'll do it your way. Go and arrange the allocation of funds, but remember, don't spoil them too much. Just give them enough money to keep them in check. Also, keep an eye on their movements and find an opportunity to replace these people with our own people who we can trust and who are capable."
"Yes! I understand, I will arrange it as soon as possible," Su Ling replied.
"Is there anything else?" Yan Shuo leaned back in his chair, his tone regaining its usual composure as he asked.
"There's one more thing. The Director sent someone to ask why you drove Ye Han away." Su Ling's tone became more serious. "It seems the Director cares a lot about this."
Yan Shuo's eyes darkened, his tone turning cold: "What? Is Ye Han his spy planted beside me? Specifically to keep an eye on me?"
"It's highly likely." Su Ling nodded. "As the director of the Supervision Office, Ye Han has always interfered in everything and tested you at every turn. He might be someone sent by the Director to monitor the movements of the Shanghai station and keep you in check."
"Hmph, spying on me? He doesn't even have the ability." Yan Shuo sneered, his tone ruthless. "Go and tell the Director that Ye Han's whereabouts at the Shanghai station were being watched by the enemy, and his identity has been exposed. Continuing to stay at the Shanghai station will only bring us trouble. I've already dealt with him. Don't waste any more words with him. Just make up this ridiculous reason, and then find an opportunity to kill Ye Han outright, eliminating any future trouble."