When Chongzong took off his shoes and walked through the corridor into the living room, Manranyama Canglian was sitting elegantly on the sofa, holding a stack of documents and reading.
After leaving Manranyama's house, Manranyama Canglian didn't have much disposable wealth, so she could only afford to live in an ordinary apartment.
But in this ordinary apartment, despite the simple decoration and inexpensive furniture, when Manranyama Canglian sat among them, they all seemed to shine.
That's the influence of her personal style.
Seeing Chongzong come in, Manranyama Canglian put down the files in her hand and gave a faint smile.
"Good evening, classmate Chongzong. Please have a seat."
"Well, good evening, Manranyama...Canglian."
Chongzong nodded slightly and sat down on the sofa opposite Manranyama Canglian.
He didn't occupy the entire sofa, but only one-third, sitting upright.
Chongzong's posture, as seen by Van standing behind them, silently earned his approval for Chongzong's character.
"So, classmate Chongzong, what brings you here so late?"
Manranyama Canglian looked at Chongzong and said.
—We've come this far, there's no need to play dumb.
He thought the other party would be straightforward, but he didn't expect such a smoke bomb. Chongzong suppressed his annoyance and didn't show it.
But Chongzong still sighed and looked directly at Manranyama Canglian.
"Yeah, it's late, so let's get straight to the point."
As soon as Chongzong spoke, Manranyama Canglian couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Although she immediately cleared her throat to stop herself from laughing, the previously tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.
"...Did I say something funny?"
"No, not at all."
"I apologize for my rudeness just now."
While saying so, Manranyama Canglian covered the smile at the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
"I just...didn't expect Classmate Chongzong to be so direct."
"Is being direct a bad thing?"
Chongzong frowned, unable to understand what kind of act Manranyama Canglian was playing.
"No, it's great."
"I also like efficient communication like this."
Manranyama Canglian regained her calm expression and leaned forward.
"Firstly, I would like to know how you found out and how much you know."
Perhaps she wasn't expecting Chongzong to ask this question, but the previously confident Manranyama Canglian actually hesitated for a moment.
Then, realizing her own slip-up, she coughed awkwardly, "Ahem."
"I'm truly sorry, I didn't expect this, I neglected to explain it first, Chongzong."
Manranyama Canglian picked up a cup and took a sip of water, indicating that it would be a lengthy narration.
"...Here's what happened."
"Actually, even before you decided to do this, I had already started arranging to find evidence against Bai Yaxin."
"The previous time we went to the factory was also part of it."
"Of course, that attempt failed, and in the end, we gained nothing but alerted the enemy. It was a painful lesson."
"But I didn't give up after that."
"In fact, those eight shrines have been on my list for a long time."
"Thus, there has always been my informant nearby, surveilling the area."
"Afterwards, when I found you sneaking around there, it wasn't difficult to guess your purpose, right?"
"So, things may be different from what you speculated. I wasn't actively monitoring your movements, but rather, you intruded into my plans."
"Is it clear now, classmate Chongzong?"
After saying these words, Manranyama Sohori calmly glanced at Chongzong, who, having been convinced by what was said, felt guilty for his somewhat aggressive attitude just now.
