What are you doing, Mr. President? I'm just an extra!

At 8:50 a.m., in front of the Linhai First Sanatorium.

The two black vehicles came to a stop almost simultaneously—on the left was a Hongqi sedan with a special pass from the city government, and on the right was a bulletproof Maybach with a sleek, hard-edged design from the Su Group.

The rear doors popped open simultaneously.

Yang Ningbing stepped into a pair of black flat leather shoes, her dark gray suit was neatly ironed, her long hair was tied into a tight bun at the back of her head, and her brows carried the sharpness honed from a sleepless night.

On the other side, Su Feiyan pushed open the door and came out.

The seven-centimeter red-soled high heels made a steady, crisp sound as they stepped on the bluestone slabs.

She took off her sunglasses and casually handed them to Lao Zhou. Her extremely tailored, dark black suit accentuated her cold and imposing aura.

Lu Li was caught between the two, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

But his expression remained unchanged, and he even slightly raised the corners of his mouth, like a well-behaved junior being taken by his parents to meet relatives.

She's gone mad, she's really gone mad.

Other sons-in-law, when meeting their elders, might at most bring two cases of Moutai liquor and tremble at the door; but I have the city's top official standing on my left, and my creditor's wife standing on my right, ready to deduct my social security and housing fund contributions at any time!

[God-level micro-expression control] Instantly welded his facial muscles shut, Lu Li hung his hands at his sides, his breathing was steady, and he even took a half step forward.

This is turning the old leader's retirement home into a deathmatch arena!

Su Feiyan took a half step forward first, raised her hand to straighten Lu Li's collar, and her slender fingertips slid from the bow tie to his Adam's apple, pressing it very lightly.

"Stand up straight. Didn't the Su family teach you to walk with your head down?"

Before she finished speaking, Yang Ningbing had already stepped forward and stood side by side with Su Feiyan, her gaze sweeping over the hand that was still resting on Lu Li's Adam's apple.

"Old Chen prefers quiet, so listen more and talk less later."

Yang Ningbing spoke in a businesslike tone, paused, and then added, "Don't bring in any of your street-smart slickness."

Su Feiyan's lips curled into a mocking smile: "Slick and cunning? Mayor Yang, are you teaching the Su family how to behave?"

Two invisible pressures collided, leaving Lu Li caught in the middle, his back stiff.

He swallowed hard, immediately straightened his back and said, "Understood, I will follow your instructions."

Liu Qingyu, carrying the encrypted folder, quickly stepped forward and showed her identification to the guard at the door.

The gate rises, and you pass through the winding and tranquil covered walkway.

There was no noise of carriages or horses in the courtyard, only the rustling of bamboo leaves in the morning breeze.

As you walk to the end of the covered walkway, the view suddenly opens up.

A vast, shimmering lake lies before you, with an octagonal, double-eaved, ancient stone pavilion built in its center.

In the center of the pavilion sits a blue stone chessboard, its surface marked with signs of weathering.

A thin old man sat with his back to the corridor, wearing an old coarse cloth shirt that was washed to a pale color and had the collar slightly rolled up.

On the right corner of the stone table sat a large enamel tea mug. Two pieces of white porcelain had been chipped off the edge of the mug, revealing the gray-black iron body underneath. The steaming coarse tea emitted a bitter fragrance.

The old man held a black piece alone, staring at the unfinished game for a long time without making a move.

The footsteps stopped three steps outside the pavilion.

Yang Ningbing took a small step forward, abandoning her usual commanding presence, and said respectfully, "Teacher, the person has been brought."

Old Chen didn't turn around immediately. He tapped his withered fingers lightly twice on the stone table before slowly turning around.

It was a face etched with the marks of time, its temples streaked with white as frost, and its eyelids drooping slightly.

However, the moment those seemingly cloudy old eyes lifted and their gaze pierced straight into Lu Li, Lu Li felt a terrifying pressure from the battlefield and the accumulated power of a superior over decades descend upon him!

My breath hitched involuntarily.

Chen Laochong and Yang Ningbing waved their hands casually: "Sit down, we're all family, no need to stand up straight."

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Feiyan stepped gracefully into the pavilion.

Instead of vying for a spot on the stone bench, she walked straight to the stone table and steadily lifted the slightly heavy bronze kettle.

Boiling water poured into the empty white porcelain teacup, creating layers of tea foam.

Su Feiyan held the teacup with both hands and, with the courtesy due to a junior member of the business community, steadily pushed the tea to the old man's side.

"Su Feiyan has come to visit without warning, disturbing Old Master Chen's peace and quiet."

His voice was clear and composed, and his naturally powerful aura was in no way diminished by the elderly man's illustrious status.

Old Chen glanced down at the steaming tea, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

"The eldest daughter of the Su family has a much stronger hand than your old man did back then."

The old man neither drank the tea nor accepted the polite gesture.

Snapped!

A sudden, sharp crack shattered the tranquility of the lake!

Old Chen slammed the entire handful of black chess pieces he was holding in his palm onto the very center of the bluestone chessboard!

The black jade chess pieces scattered and flew everywhere, hitting the stone surface with a series of loud clattering sounds.

The old man raised his chin, and a fierce glint, like that of a hawk, surged in his cloudy eyes. His gaze, sharp as a knife, cut into Lu Li's face inch by inch.

"Yesterday afternoon, at the Linshi Cultural and Art Center."

Old Chen's voice was hoarse and rough, yet it carried the heavy weight of metal striking stone.

"Eight meters high, high-explosive module, long-range pulse interference, thirty-second countdown determines life or death."

The air inside the pavilion seemed to freeze in an instant, as if even the breeze on the lake had stopped for a moment.

"Ningbing briefed us last night, saying that you remained calm in the face of danger, cut off the fuse and eliminated the root of the problem, and were a brave person who disregarded your personal safety."

The old man paused, his gaze shifting to Su Feiyan, his tone calm yet each word sharp as a knife:

"The Su family girl sent three endorsement letters to the Lin City Safety Supervision Bureau overnight, praising you as a risk control genius who can calculate everything perfectly and dance on the tip of a needle."

Old Chen leaned forward slightly, his withered arms bracing against the edge of the stone table, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Li's pupils:

"The hat is worn high enough, and the folded paper is handed out beautifully enough."

"I've lived most of my life and seen plenty of clever people who put on an act in public."

"Today I'm going to ask you a truthful question to your face—"

The old man's voice suddenly deepened, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky:

"When the countdown reaches its final three seconds, what's on your mind—the bright future and righteous cause, or the favor and prospects these two girls will bring you?!"

boom!

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire pavilion in the middle of the lake fell into a deathly silence.

Yang Ningbing unconsciously clasped her hands together on her knees, her fingertips gripping the fabric of her suit, creating several deep creases in the otherwise smooth garment.

Su Feiyan lowered her phoenix eyes slightly, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow on her fair face. Her fingertips, holding the teapot, hovered in mid-air for two seconds.

This is a question that directly challenges the soul.

Answering with grand principles is empty and hypocritical. In front of the old marshal who came out of the hail of bullets, any high-sounding words will be seen through instantly and labeled as flattery.

Answering with personal feelings shows a narrow-mindedness, which is tantamount to admitting on the spot that he is nothing more than a power-hungry gigolo who uses the opportunity to climb the social ladder and plays both sides between two powerful women.

No matter how you answer, it will be wrong.

The weight of the entire arena pressed down on Lu Li's spine.

A wisp of white steam rose from the enamel mug as the lake breeze blew it away.

Any young person just starting out, under such scrutiny that could determine their future, would have been drenched in cold sweat, either stammering and trying to justify themselves, or rushing to spout grand pronouncements to win the approval of their superiors.

However, Lu Li simply stood quietly in front of the chessboard.

He didn't even glance at the two powerful women beside him; his gaze remained fixed on the chaotic black and white chessboard.

The body's Qi and blood are like still water in a deep abyss.

[God-level micro-expression control] Instantly welds every inch of the muscles between the eyebrows to the most natural and relaxed state.

The "Iron Will" even erected a high wall deep within the soul, completely neutralizing the old man's overwhelming spiritual pressure.

Lu Li smirked inwardly and rolled his eyes silently.

[What the hell is this about upholding justice? What the hell is this about winning favor!]

[If I had known there was a bomb with a 30-second countdown hidden in the shadows, I would have smashed the toolbox in Mr. Li's face first, then scrambled down the eight-meter-high crane boom and slid away!]

[If it weren't for the system locking down the mission and that wrong green wire causing everyone to be cremated on the spot, who would be so foolish as to gamble their lives for seconds?]

[My future? I'm dead! Am I supposed to get a performance bonus from the King of Hell?!]

The inner voice raged wildly in the void, carrying with it an extremely clear-headed instinct for fear of death.

Su Feiyan's fingers, which had been resting on the teapot, quietly loosened, and the cold smile on her lips almost slipped away.

Yang Ningbing loosened her grip on her knees slightly, and her previously taut shoulder line drooped almost imperceptibly.

Meanwhile, Old Chen, sitting across the stone table, kept his sharp eyes fixed on Lu Li's face like iron clamps, waiting for the answer that would reveal his ambition or hypocrisy.

Half a second later.

Lu Li took half a step forward.

He neither puffed out his chest and raised his head in a righteous and awe-inspiring manner, nor did he deliberately bow to show weakness; he simply hung his hands at his sides with utmost decorum.

Meeting the old man's sharp gaze, which seemed to pierce through his skin, Lu Li's face showed a very real, even slightly fearful, bitter expression.

His expression was calm, his tone sincere and unwavering, and he uttered eight words clearly:

"Reporting to my former boss, at that time, I..."

"I'm just afraid of being blown to pieces."