Dragon Hermit

The thread was made by a person, whose username was just a bunch of numbers, and it was obvious that it was a sockpuppet. None would challenge the great Xie family with their real name.

Xia Yan leaned against the corridor’s wall and read the whole thread in silence.

The thread exposed many of the Xie family’s shady and dirty deals, and most sources for those info were nothing more than ‘I heard…’ or ‘according to reliable sources…’, but they had still put clear evidence for some of the content.

As for the story about Xia Weiguo’s fall from a high altitude, it didn’t have any proof, and they just stated that they heard about it. But, they had described it in detail and everything was clear and reasonable. It would be difficult to make up such a story!

There were several key people in this affair and the story’s protagonist was the deputy manager of the Xie family’s estate, Xie Zheng.

“If this thread is trustworthy, then Xie Zhen deserves to die.” The thread was clear and reasonable, but Xia Yan still wouldn’t trust it completely because they didn’t put on any proof.

Dong Quan had said that he found this thread inadvertently, but he was backed by the Liu family and the Liu family’s old master had just been targeted by a vicious plot, and Xie family was obviously one of Chengdu City’s families that could defy the Liu family, and Xia Yan didn’t want to end up used and exploited by them.

“Xia Yan, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you come back after so long?” The private room’s door got opened and Yao Ting took a look outside. Upon seeing Xia Yan’s expression, she couldn’t help but question him out of concern.

“I’m going back.” Xia Yan’s face muscles relaxed and he laughed and went back to the room.

“Lil Yan, what’s wrong?” Yao Shigu was old and experienced. He noticed that Xia Yan wore a fake smile and he questioned him out of concern.

“It’s nothing.” Xia Yan didn’t want to spoil their celebration and he just raised the wine cup with a smile. “Martial Uncle, Miss Min, Miss Ting, happy Mid-Autumn Festival to you!

“Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!” They all toasted each other.

“Miss Min, Miss Ting, I wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.” Xia Yan took two fans from his backpack and gifted them to Yao Min and Yao Ting, and they were both delighted by this gift.

As a matter of fact, Xia Yan’s gifts were quite inconsiderate, as none would send people fans on Mid-Autumn Festival. As the word ‘fan’ was close to ‘separation’, and it wasn’t appropriate to gift someone a fan. However, Yao Min and Yao Ting didn’t care about it, and they treasured those fans even though they were worthless in comparison to the precious sculptures carved by Xia Yan.

After everyone ate to their fill, Yao Min hurried up to Sheng Hospital for her shift, while Xia Yan started getting ready to leave. In the evening, he would dine with Fang Xiangdong’s family, and he still had to buy gifts for them.

…

“Fang Xiangdong? Chengdu City’s mayor?” Yao Shigu was startled and he couldn’t help but question him.

“That’s right. Fifteen years ago, my master saved Mayor Fang’s life,” Xia Yan nodded and replied.

“Huh?” Yao Shigu nodded and said, “Mayor Fang is a pretty good official and he has done a lot for Chengdu City.”

After Xia Yan bade farewell to Yao Shigu and Yao Ting, he wore his backpack and went to a supermarket. Thereafter, he bought three ordinary gifts, two bottles of wine and a box of mooncakes. He didn’t put his mind into it and those gifts weren’t on par with the ones he had given the Yao family or the Jade Ornament he prepared for Liu Xue’er.

He put a clear dividing line between his close and distant acquaintances and he wouldn’t treat Fang Xiangdong especially just because he was the mayor. It wasn’t like he was seeking a favor from Fang Xiangdong.

It had been half a month since the last time Xia Yan met Fang Xiangdong, and the mayor had never mentioned the engagement set up between him and Han Yidao in the past, yet this time, he invited Xia Yan to celebrate Mid-Autumn-Festival with them and he had still talked about Fang Le’er’s mother in the phone call. It was obvious that he was observing and testing Xia Yan!

[If you want us to recognize the arranged engagement, then you must first show us your outstanding traits].

This was Xia Yan’s guess about their intentions, and that was why he would avoid showing off any outstanding side of him in front of the mayor’s wife. He wasn’t interested in Fang Le’er and he didn’t want the Fang family to take a liking to him.

“If it’s just wine, then it’s fine, but the box had just five mooncakes, yet they are selling it for 398¥. That’s 80¥ for every piece, and this is an outright scam!” The mooncake box was quite exquisite, but it had only five mooncakes. This wasn’t much different from theft. Upon buying it, Xia Yan felt like his billets were crying.

80¥, this was enough to pay off his food expenses in the cafeteria for a whole week.

After Xia Yan bought the gifts, he took a taxi to the address mentioned by Fang Xiangdong.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped upon the district’s entrance, which was guarded by an armed policeman. Xia Yan paid for the taxi and got down with his backpack. He carried the bottles of wine and mooncakes and was about to enter the district, but he got stopped by someone upon passing by the guard post.

“I’m here to see Mayor Fang,” Xia Yan said.

“May I ask why are you seeking Mayor Fang?” The guard asked

“Mayor Fang invited me for dinner,” Xia Yan explained, but the guard still wore a skeptical look. He added, “Why don’t I give a call to Mayor Fang and ask him to confirm it.”

Upon taking out his phone, Xia Yan got quite frustrated. He just had a phone call during lunch a while ago, yet it was now out of charge . At this moment, he finally recalled that he forgot to recharge his phone the previous day.

“This is… My phone is out of charge, why don’t you give a call to Mayor Fang and ask him?” Xia Yan said. He couldn’t help but curse this apple phone inwardly.

“Honk! Honk!” A car horn’s sound echoed out and a black car drove over and the guard quickly opened the door. After that said car went in halfways, it stopped and the front passenger seat’s windows got opened. A young girl looked outside and sized up Xia Yan with a sneer plastered on her face.

Xia Yan couldn’t help but stroke his face. [Is there anything dirty on my face?]

[Huh? That’s right, why does this girl look so familiar?]

Xia Yan suddenly noticed something and he observed the girl carefully. This was none other than Fang Le’er, but she looked quite different from their last meeting in the karaoke. She didn’t put on makeup and she didn’t wear revealing clothes. She wore an ordinary student’s outfit and she didn’t put on an ounce of makeup. She looked like a pure school beauty!

“I almost fell for your act,” Xia Yan blurted out. Fang Le’er had gone back home in Mid-Autumn Festival to have lunch with her family, and she would obviously act all innocent and nice in front of Fang Xiangdong.

[She looked quite pretty without her horrendous makeup!] Xia Yan thought inwardly.

Currently, his eye for women turned more refined due to Qi Ziyu, Liu Xue’er, the Liu family’s sisters, and An Xiaoru, and the assessment ‘quite pretty’ meant that she was already on par with those beauties.

“What did you say?” Xia Yan’s voice was quite soft, but Fang Le’er still heard him. She immediately furrowed her brows and questioned him.

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Xia Yan said.

“Mister Li, who is he? Why is he blocking the road?” Fang Le’er stopped paying heed to Xia Yan and questioned the guard.

“Miss Fang, it’s good that you came over. He said that Mayor Fang invited him for lunch, do you know him?” Mister Li solicited Fang Le’er’s opinion.

“I don’t know him,” Fang Le’er said. “How could my father invite such a person for lunch?”

[Sure enough!] Xia Yan wasn’t surprised by this. This little girl seized this chance to take revenge against him for molesting her chest in the karaoke.

“Mister Li, nowadays, there are many wicked people out there. Don’t let in any suspicious person, “Fang Le’er said and closed the windows. She entered the district without paying heed to Xia Yan.

“Miss Fang doesn’t know you, please leave, or I will take appropriate measures.” Mister Li put his hand on his gun. He was now pretty sure that Xia Yan either came to send a gift to the mayor and seek a favor from him or file a complaint against him, and he couldn’t let him either way.

Xia Yan turned around and left. In any case, he had already come over. So, even if Fang Xiangdong questioned him later, he wasn’t the one to blame.

As for Mrs. and Ms. Fang’s trial and test? Xia Yan didn’t care about it because he wasn’t in love with Fang Le’er.