Ruan Xingyao looked at Nai Yansong in surprise.
She had thought that a high-ranking leader like him would begin a meeting with the usual formal and flowery pleasantries, but to her surprise, Nai Yansong went straight to the point, blunt and direct.
However, after thinking for a moment, Ruan Xingyao could somewhat understand his intention.
This meeting today was, essentially, held because of her.
And after observing and testing her for some time, these leaders had probably already gained a clear understanding of her personality and temper—so there was no need to waste time on unnecessary formalities.
With that thought, whether her guess was right or not, Ruan Xingyao met Nai Yansong’s gaze head-on, neither humble nor arrogant.
She asked, “Leader, do you want me to tell the truth or a lie?”
Her eyes were clear, her thoughts written plainly across her face—openly telling everyone that she could say what they wanted to hear, but she wouldn’t take responsibility for the outcome.
In this conference room sat people that ordinary citizens could only see on television or in the news.
At that moment, these seasoned veterans—men who normally weighed every word carefully—each had their own reactions to facing such a straightforward young woman.
Nai Yansong looked at her gently and said, “Comrade Xiao Ruan, do you want to tell the truth, or a lie?”
Ruan Xingyao said, “Leader, I’m a pretty direct person, so I’ll tell the truth.”
Nai Yansong smiled. “Alright, then let’s hear it.”
Ruan Xingyao didn’t hold back.
She cleared her throat and said, “Leader, I feel wronged—very wronged!”
Her voice rose without her realizing it, emotion welling up as she puffed up with indignation, her eyes glistening with moisture, as though she’d suffered a great injustice.
Ruan Xingyao was naturally beautiful and still young; at that moment, her expression made even these usually unshakable leaders—men who remained composed even if Mount Tai collapsed—momentarily taken aback.
After all, at their level, it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to them so honestly.
She said, “I believe that if you trust someone, you should use them fully; if you don’t, then don’t use them at all. I’ve never hidden my abilities from the leaders, and I understand that you want to test me. But everything has its limits, doesn’t it? Testing me again and again—and expecting me not to have any emotions about it—doesn’t that mean you’ve stopped seeing me as a person?”
Those words were sharp—especially for people long accustomed to being flattered and deferred to.
Some of the more short-tempered leaders immediately darkened in expression.
Ruan Xingyao saw it but acted as though she hadn’t.
Since she had already spoken, there was no reason to take it back.
Not only would she continue speaking—she would make sure to express all her grievances clearly and completely.
Of course, most importantly, she intended to use this opportunity to fight for the greatest benefit for herself.
From that moment on, public matters would stay public and private matters private.
As long as the government paid her fairly, she could serve the country with her abilities without mixing in any personal emotions.
Ruan Xingyao understood this better than anyone: if she wanted to live safely in this world, keep streaming, earn money, and pay off her debts, the most important condition was that she must never show any disloyalty.
So she continued, “I don’t know if the leaders have recruited other special individuals like me, but for now, I should still be quite rare. Yet despite knowing I could be of great use, the leaders remain so guarded and secretive toward me—not to mention the endless tests…”
She paused for a moment.
Then she fixed her eyes directly on Nai Yansong.
“To be exact,” she said, “you treat me like a sharp, convenient blade—whoever you want to cut, you just point me in that direction. Efficient and useful, isn’t that right, Leader?”
She wasn’t a fool.
In the Beast-Taming Sect, she might have been a useless little junior sister.
But here, she possessed not only her unique special ability, but also the knowledge and experience that belonged to the original Ruan Xingyao.
Her livestream had been connected to major criminal cases so many times—at first it might have seemed like coincidence, but after it happened again and again, did they really think she hadn’t realized someone was pulling the strings?
Nai Yansong had been in a high position for many years and rarely experienced any strong emotional fluctuations.
But at this very moment, faced with Ruan Xingyao’s sharp questioning, he couldn’t help but feel a faint pang of guilt.
It wasn’t much—but he genuinely regretted having treated a young girl so unfairly.
Still, despite the turmoil inside, Nai Yansong’s expression remained calm and steady.
He said, “Comrade Xiao Ruan is very clever and very sincere. I believe such a comrade can understand that every department has its own rules and procedures.”
At those words, Ruan Xingyao instantly deflated like a pricked balloon.
She had come in full of emotion, ready to voice her grievances and fight for her own interests—
But in the end…
She stared at Nai Yansong for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
She said, “Of course. I’m a good citizen, and within my chest beats a fiery red heart. This is simply what I should do.”
Chen Yu looked at the side of Ruan Xingyao’s face.
Hearing her speak such seemingly sincere words, his heart suddenly ached uncontrollably.
Under the conference table, his hand clenched tightly into a fist, restraining the urge to reach out and hold Ruan Xingyao’s wrist.
He couldn’t do that.
Ruan Xingyao would never allow it.
And his superiors would definitely never allow it.
Ruan Xingyao was unaware of the thousand emotions swirling inside Chen Yu.
She only smiled more brightly, looking pure and harmless.
She said, “Leader, from now on I’ll devote myself wholeheartedly and do my utmost to serve well.”
Then she bowed deeply to Nai Yansong.
More than ten seconds later, Ruan Xingyao straightened up again, still wearing her radiant, dazzling smile.
“However, Leader,” she said cheerfully, “if you want a horse to run, you’ve got to let it eat grass. And if you want it to run well—then it has to eat good grass, right?”
The brighter Ruan Xingyao’s smile was, the more openly it revealed her calculations.
Nai Yansong said, “Go ahead then—what kind of grass do you want?”
By now, Ruan Xingyao could take that kind of unfriendly remark with perfect calm.
She started counting on her fingers.
“First of all, I believe the leader knows my situation very well. So you should understand that I really need a place to live where my brother and I can be safe. After all, I’ve got quite a few enemies.”
“Second, I’ve only paid off less than one percent of my family’s debt. I need money—a lot of money. So, I hope the leader can give me more bonuses.”
“Lastly, I promise I’ll faithfully and earnestly complete every task assigned to me by the leader—but I demand to be treated with equal respect.”
“That’s all,” Ruan Xingyao said.
— The end of the Chapter–
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