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

"fear death?"

Lu Li took a deep breath, met the old man's sharp gaze, and said, word by word, "Replying to Elder Chen, at that time... I was simply afraid of being blown to pieces."

[Damn! You said it out loud!]

Lu Li's heart was pounding, but his face remained completely still.

Old Chen's thick, white eyebrows shot up on the spot, and his withered, shriveled hand slammed heavily on the edge of the stone table!

The vibration caused the enamel mug and white porcelain teacup on the stone surface to emit a piercing hum, and the tea water rippled rapidly in circles.

The bamboo grove outside the pavilion rustled in the lake breeze.

Yang Ningbing's back straightened instantly, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened.

Su Feiyan remained standing beside the tea tray, her expression showing no sign of panic, but the fingertips hanging by her side gently rubbed the seam of her suit trousers.

Old Chen's withered face was filled with a cold, scrutinizing gaze, and the deep lines at the corners of his eyes looked as if they had been carved by a knife: "In front of this old man, you can't even offer a perfunctory remark about preserving the overall situation and eliminating harm for the people?"

"I don't want to, and there's no need to."

Lu Li met those old eyes that seemed to see right through people, his tone was calm, and there wasn't even a trace of him forcing a smile on his face.

He took half a step forward and casually pointed to his two long legs.

"Mr. Chen, the platform was a full eight meters off the ground at that time."

"Even if I were young and strong, the best outcome of jumping from that height would be comminuted fractures of both lower limbs, and I would spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."

"To put it another way, even if I desperately climb down the maintenance ladder, with a 30-second countdown, after deducting the time for hesitation and reaction, the actual escape window left is no more than 20 seconds."

"Once that high-energy module is detonated, the shock wave and flying metal fragments will have a kill radius of at least 15 meters. Even if you run to the top of the steps, your back will still be torn apart by the blast wave."

Lu Li looked sincere, as if he were giving a quarterly risk assessment report to the company.

"Jumping will cripple me; running will result in serious injury or even death. Either way, it's a dead end. Only by cutting the fuse can I be absolutely certain of walking down the steps unscathed."

"I didn't dismantle it to become some kind of hero or martyr; I just wanted to walk off that broken frame alive."

The pavilion was deathly silent, except for the soft sound of the lake water lapping against the stone base.

Lu Li inwardly scoffed: [What a joke! Risking your life for a noble cause? Do you think my grave isn't green enough already? Living is enough to live a life of leisure; once you're dead, even your urn has to be discounted!]

This extremely straightforward sentiment clearly resonated with the ears of the two women beside him.

A hint of helplessness flashed across Su Feiyan's cold and beautiful face, which was originally holding a teapot. She could only raise her slender index finger and gently press her throbbing temples, using the action of lowering her head to hide the ripples in her eyes.

Yang Ningbing's clear eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses trembled slightly, her knuckles on her knees unconsciously loosened, and a thin blush quietly rose to her ears.

She bit her lip hard to barely suppress the laughter that almost broke out.

However, Lu Li hadn't finished speaking.

Seeing that the old man's face remained cold and indifferent, he added another blow with remarkable ease: "Moreover, the Su Group pays the full and maximum social security contributions for me every month, my basic salary arrives on time, I get meal allowances for overtime work, and I receive allowances for business trips."

"If I really died in the line of duty in a neighboring city, the compensation and pension I would receive based on the standards for work-related injury compensation and survivor's benefits would not even be as much as the wages and pension I would have earned if I had worked steadily for another thirty years."

Lu Li sighed, a look of fatalistic vicissitude on his face: "Dozens of relatives in my rural hometown are still counting on me to go back and invest in pig farming. My life is very valuable, and I will never do a losing business."

Old Chen froze on the stone bench.

The originally sharp and imposing momentum came to a screeching halt in the face of this series of down-to-earth, almost shameless account books.

one second.

Five seconds.

ten seconds.

A full half minute passed, and you could hear a pin drop inside the stone pavilion.

"Pfft—cough cough cough!"

Old Chen choked out a breath, and then a burst of extremely joyful and deafening laughter suddenly erupted from his chest!

"Hahahahaha!"

His laughter was deep and resonant, like a great bell, causing the aroma of tea throughout the pavilion to surge and ripple.

Old Chen laughed so hard he almost fell over, and a few cloudy tears even welled up in the corners of his eyes from the laughter. His withered hands slapped his thighs repeatedly.

"Fine! So you're afraid of being blown to pieces! And you think workers' compensation isn't worth it!"

The old man pointed at Lu Li, shaking his head repeatedly, his wrinkles smoothing out: "This old man has lived in this sanatorium for seven or eight years, and has met high-ranking officials from all over the province and city, as well as business tycoons."

"Those young people standing in front of me, every single one of them spouting lofty ideals and patriotic fervor, practically wanting the word 'pillar of the nation' etched on their foreheads for me to see!"

Old Chen wiped his eyes, stopped laughing, and his expression revealed a rare solemnity and emotion: "I've seen too many clever people who talk big, but you're the first person in thirty years to dare to openly admit to my old face that you're afraid of death and want to save your life!"

The old man withdrew his hand, exhaled a long breath, and gazed at the shimmering lake with a hint of reminiscence and melancholy in his eyes.

"Back then on the battlefield, many hot-blooded young men were blinded by grand pronouncements and charged forward recklessly, losing their lives without even knowing where the enemy's bunkers were."

"Being realistic, respecting objective laws, knowing you only have one life, and knowing fear—this isn't cowardice, it's profound clarity!"

Old Chen turned around, and his gaze toward Lu Li no longer held any of the sharp probing; instead, it held an undisguised appreciation: "You're afraid of death, which means you have principles and know how to respect others."

"A person who is careful with his own life and unwilling to die for empty fame will not push those around him to fill the hole for the sake of empty fame in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Chen actually took the initiative to extend his withered hand and lift the heavy bronze kettle.

Boiling water was poured into a small white porcelain cup, and the old man personally pushed half a cup of slightly green bitter tea in front of Lu Li.

"Try it, this bitter tea sent from the south. The first bite is bitter, but the aftertaste is sweet."

Lu Li took the teacup with both hands and took a small sip respectfully.

The tea soup was extremely bitter, but after sliding down the throat, a refreshing, slightly sweet taste did emerge.

Setting down his teacup, Old Chen slowly shifted his gaze to Yang Ningbing beside him, his expression slightly solemn: "Ningbing."

Yang Ningbing immediately curtsied and bowed her head: "Teacher."

"Being decisive and efficient is a good thing, but being too rigid can lead to failure."

The old man's voice was calm, yet every word carried the wisdom of a lifetime: "Some problems cannot be completely eradicated by a single official document or a single iron-fisted investigation. Don't be too hasty in your actions; learn from this young man's pragmatism. Only by keeping your feet on the ground can you walk steadily."

Yang Ningbing's expression hardened, and she respectfully replied, "This student has taken note."

Old Chen's gaze finally landed on Su Feiyan, who exuded a composed aura, and a mysterious smile appeared on his lips: "Su family's eldest daughter, your eye for men is even more shrewd than your eye for business."

Su Feiyan smiled slightly, neither modest nor timid: "Elder Chen, you flatter me. The Su family is simply making the best use of resources."

"Business can be profitable, but one must not forget one's roots."

The old man waved his hand and said earnestly, "As long as we preserve this sense of community, the Su family will not fall."

As the sky rose higher, the lake surface rippled with layers of shimmering gold.

As the meeting drew to a close, Old Chen slowly stood up, leaning on the stone table.

Lu Li subconsciously took a small step forward, not deliberately helping the old man, but simply standing guard to the side to ensure that the old man's center of gravity was stable when he got up.

Old Chen gave him an approving look, then suddenly reached into the hidden pocket on the chest of the old cloth shirt.

Yang Ningbing's pupils suddenly contracted, and she subconsciously sat up straight.

That is……

Old Chen slowly pulled out a palm-sized, worn-out sandalwood card from his hidden pocket.

The card has no fancy designs, only a number neatly imprinted on it: 07.

Su Feiyan's phoenix eyes flickered slightly as her gaze fell on the wooden card, recognizing its weight. Her lips instantly tightened into a line.

Yang Ningbing's heart was in turmoil—that was no ordinary visitor card, but the highest-level inspection-free pass issued by the Provincial Bureau of Veteran Cadres. The number of juniors in the entire Jiangnan Province who could obtain such a thing could be counted on one hand!

Without saying a word, the old man solemnly pressed the wooden card into Lu Li's palm.

"Every Tuesday afternoon, the old man would play blind chess with a few old comrades in the tea room in the west courtyard of the provincial cadre retirement home."

Old Chen patted Lu Li's shoulder, his palm warm and strong, "If you ever suffer any injustice in Jianghai or a neighboring city, or if you don't want to work for this girl anymore, bring this sign in and have a couple of cups of rough tea with me."

"Thank you, Mr. Chen."

Lu Li accepted the wooden card and bowed respectfully.

As I stepped out of the sanatorium, a gentle autumn breeze swept down a few green and yellow ginkgo leaves.

Yang Ningbing walked diagonally ahead of Lu Li, her steps much lighter than when she arrived.

As she passed the corner of the driveway, she suddenly stopped and turned around.

Behind the gold-rimmed glasses, the clear eyes that were usually shrouded in a cold, businesslike demeanor were now incredibly clear and gentle, as if they had been thoroughly washed by hot spring water.

She watched Lu Li quietly, her gaze moving from his slightly open collar to his calm and composed face.

The hardened defenses built up by identity, status, and the system silently cracked open at this moment.

"Just now..." Yang Ningbing's lips parted slightly, her voice lacking its usual cool and capable tone, instead revealing a rare gentleness, "Well said."

Lu Li scratched his head and chuckled dryly, "Mayor Yang, please excuse my lack of ambition; I'm just talking nonsense."

Yang Ningbing shook her head, a faint smile even curving her lips.

The favorability rating silently increased significantly in that instant.

Without saying anything more, she led Liu Qingyu toward the city government's Hongqi sedan.

Su Feiyan walked to Lu Li's side in her high heels, raised her hand and wrapped it around his arm in an extremely domineering manner. She glanced coldly at the back of the Hongqi sedan, then turned her head and whispered, "You've taken advantage of everything, even tricked Old Chen out of his trump card. Let's see how you explain this to me when we get back to Jianghai."

"Back at the hotel, Mr. Li is already urging us to start the signing ceremony."

Two black cars started their engines one after the other and slowly drove out of the sanatorium's tree-lined road.

Lu Li leaned back in the back seat and let out a long breath.

[Finally got through... Wait, Bai Xiaolu is still at the hotel, what if she gets into trouble again...]

The idea had barely formed when the convoy turned onto the elevated highway leading to the city center.

Sizzle—Sizzle!

A sharp, piercing electrical shriek suddenly erupted from the walkie-talkie of the city government police car leading the way!

Immediately afterwards, a dull, terrifying metallic clanging sound and a piercing screeching of brakes poured into the back row through the intercom!

"Calling! Calling command center! Hilton... third floor... Boom—!"

With a deafening crash that nearly ripped eardrums, the other end of the walkie-talkie was completely engulfed by a cloud of dust and alarms!

Crunch!

Old Zhou slammed on the brakes, stomping the bulletproof Maybach's tires leaving two thick, black scorch marks on the ground!

The Hongqi sedan in front also braked suddenly and blocked the road.

The car door was suddenly pushed open. Liu Qingyu didn't even care that she had lost one of her high heels while running. Her face was ashen, and she stumbled and fell to the back window of the Maybach, clutching the encrypted walkie-talkie!

"Mayor Yang! Feiyan!"

Liu Qingyu's voice completely changed, her eyes filled with terror: "Something's happened on the top floor of the Hilton Hotel!"

"The engineering department manager, Mr. Li, and the security personnel who remained in the kitchen were all drugged and rendered unconscious by an unknown substance!"

"That Miss Bai Xiaolu from the Supreme Palace of Forgetfulness... it seems she couldn't find food and was ambushed..."

Liu Qingyu swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she held up three fingers, almost crying as she cried out:

"She carried that massive black sledgehammer... and smashed through the core load-bearing pillar of the hotel's third floor with a single blow!"