Roses in Flames

Hearing the man say "You're beautiful," Ye Yuntang's heart skipped a beat.

She barely dared to look him in the eye, hurriedly took a step forward, stood in the line, straightened her back, and deliberately kept her distance from him.

As soon as she stood still, she felt an undeniable gaze fall upon her.

It was neither too light nor too heavy, yet it tightened her heart.

She raised her eyes and looked across at the other side, only to meet Su Qingran's probing gaze.

After glancing at her, Su Qingran turned her gaze back to Xiao Lin.

Ye Yuntang pondered for a moment.

Could it be that Su Qingran has figured something out?

Forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart, Ye Yuntang did not show it on her face.

Not long after, Old Master Xiao arrived.

He was dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, looking energetic and exuding an aura of authority that commanded respect without needing to be angry.

Director Zheng and Director Shao immediately stepped forward and respectfully greeted them.

Qin Feng, as the receptionist, also went to greet them. His beaming face made Cheng Lei and Song Che frown involuntarily.

Cheng Lei lowered his voice and said to Song Che, "Look, he's found another chance to show off."

Song Che nodded silently. "That's right. If he really gets involved with the old chief's background, who knows how he'll find ways to make things difficult for our boss in the team."

As the two spoke, they subconsciously glanced at Xiao Lin, who was standing at the front of the group.

Xiao Lin stood tall and straight, as upright as a pine tree, without a trace of envy or sycophancy. His deep eyes were calm and unwavering, and his expression was composed and serene, as if he were looking not at a dignified old leader, but at an ordinary old man.

"Our leader has such a strong mentality. If the old commander walked up to me, I would bow at a 90-degree angle and my legs would tremble."

"Otherwise, how could he be our boss?"

Grandpa Xiao greeted everyone one by one, but when his gaze fell on Xiao Lin, it was only a fleeting glance.

If Ye Yuntang hadn't known about the relationship between Xiao Lin and Old Master Xiao, she really wouldn't have been able to tell that they were grandfather and grandson.

After greeting him, Director Zheng, Director Shao, and Qin Feng led Old Master Xiao toward the office building.

After touring the area, the group finally sat down in the reception room to talk.

Old Master Xiao inquired about the daily work, and after a few questions, he changed the subject, "Why wasn't Captain Xiao invited in?"

Director Zheng was taken aback, and quickly said, "Xiao Lin is quite capable, but he is too stubborn and inflexible. He doesn't get along well with his colleagues, and he is not as good at interpersonal skills as Qin Feng, so he is prone to making mistakes."

After saying that, Director Zheng looked at Qin Feng and said approvingly, "Qin Feng is thoughtful in his work and treats people properly. He is a good prospect."

Old Master Xiao sat in the main seat, his face showing no emotion whatsoever. He listened calmly, neither nodding nor commenting, his demeanor dignified and profound, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts.

Director Shao, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "Qin Feng is indeed good at handling things. As soon as he arrived, he bribed Xiao Lin's team members to find out the core secrets of the case and sow discord within the team."

Old Master Xiao's brows furrowed, and he looked at Director Shao, "What's going on?"

Director Zheng kept giving Director Shao meaningful glances, signaling him not to say anything inappropriate.

Director Shao, seemingly oblivious to Director Zheng's glare, recounted how Qin Feng had bribed Cheng Lei during the campus case.

The more Old Master Xiao listened, the darker his expression became.

Qin Feng broke out in a cold sweat.

Director Zheng quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Old Chief, Qin Feng is young and a bit hasty in his actions, but he's not a bad person. He just wants to do his job well. We were able to pull some strings in the neighboring city, allowing us to solve the case quickly, thanks to his efforts. I heard it was he who contacted you before you agreed to intervene..."

Grandpa Xiao remained expressionless, only slightly raising his eyes before speaking in a calm yet unquestionable tone, "He didn't call me. I don't know this Deputy Captain Qin."

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng's face drained of all color, and he froze on the spot, somewhat at a loss.

Director Shao almost couldn't help but laugh again.

When Director Zheng saw that Director Shao was suppressing a laugh again, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashed in his eyes.

What exactly is Shao Wenbin trying to suppress that makes him laugh?

Seeing Director Zheng's gaze and expression, Director Shao coughed lightly and then asked, feigning confusion, "Sir, since it wasn't Qin Feng who contacted you, why did you step in?"

Old Master Xiao naturally understood what Director Shao meant. He said in a deep and authoritative voice, "It was Xiao Xiao who called me."

His second grandson, after graduating from police academy, went into the grassroots level on his own, without relying on family connections, and worked his way up to where he is today.

He may not be smooth or know how to be evasive, but he has a bottom line and principles. He is straightforward, thorough in handling cases, and upright in his conduct.

His personality does make him prone to offending people, and sometimes when solving cases, he is also affected by powerful figures or those with complex relationships.

But it doesn't matter, as long as his direction is right and what he's doing is correct.

His grandfather and the Xiao family were his strongest backers.

Grandpa Xiao turned to look at Director Zheng and said, "A person who gets things done may not say nice things or engage in formalities, but he handled the case and took responsibility. A person who truly gets things done should not be neglected, much less have his credit stolen."

Director Zheng's face turned pale, and a chill ran down his spine.

Old Master Xiao didn't mention Xiao Lin's name at all, but every word he said was a veiled criticism of his unfair use of people and his tolerance of scheming.

Xiao Lin also has the surname Xiao. Could he have some connection with the old chief?

After he took office at the bureau, he heard that Xiao Lin's file was classified as a special confidential file, but he never went to access it.

All he knew was that Xiao Lin came from an ordinary family, with only an elderly, deaf and mute grandmother, and that he was a lonely young man who had worked his way up from the bottom.

Faced with Old Master Xiao's sharp and cold gaze, Director Zheng dared not utter a word of rebuttal and nodded repeatedly, "You're right, I didn't see it clearly."

Director Shao's lips twitched, and he could barely contain his smile.

After asking Director Zheng and Qin Feng to leave, Old Master Xiao left only Director Shao behind.

Once only the two of them were left in the room, the atmosphere immediately eased a bit.

Grandpa Xiao leaned back in his chair, sighed softly, and asked, "That brat, is he always being harassed at the station? He's never mentioned it to me, and every time I ask him, he says it's fine."

Director Shao smiled and said, "It's not exactly making things difficult for him openly. It's just that, as you know, he's too stubborn and straightforward. He doesn't know how to build relationships and doesn't like to mingle in circles. Inevitably, some people don't like him and try to trip him up behind his back. But with me here keeping an eye on things, there won't be any major problems."

Grandpa Xiao nodded slightly. "That's just his bad temper. He'll never learn those superficial things in his entire life."

Director Shao, "But don't worry, he never cares about these things. He focuses all his attention on the case. His ability to solve cases and his character are beyond reproach."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Xiao's expression softened somewhat. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "He has a girlfriend, did you know?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Director Shao's eyes. "I don't know, I've never heard him mention it. A while ago, the company organized a social event, and he didn't seem interested at all. I thought he was too focused on his work to think about that. But it's a good thing he has a girlfriend."

Grandpa Xiao nodded, his tone becoming even more serious. "Keep an eye on him for me, without disturbing him. Find out which girl he's dating. Her family background, character, and social standing must all be impeccable. Don't let his age fool you; he's still a novice when it comes to love."

Director Shao nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

……

Grandpa Xiao inspected Yecheng for three days.

Ever since Qin Feng was exposed and lost face that day, Director Shao arranged for Xiao Lin to receive him.

After personally seeing Old Master Xiao and his entourage off in Ye City, Xiao Lin finally had a little free time.

Remembering his first date with Ye Yuntang that he had arranged for the weekend, he quickly took out his phone to call her.

As a result, the call couldn't get through.

Back at work, I received some news.