Chapter 110: Unreasonable

Mu Qingqing sat straight behind her desk, hands clasped on the surface, her knuckles slightly white from the tension.

Before her, the communication terminal projected three virtual light screens, surrounding her in the center.

On the main screen directly in front was the background of the Chief’s Office in Nest City One.

Lan Lan had already changed back into her everyday dark uniform, her face expressionless, only those calm eyes looking through the screen, making it impossible to guess her thoughts.

On the left screen should have been the other four Eradication Division Chiefs, but now one of them was blacked out.

The other three had varied expressions—some scrutinizing, some with implicit sympathy.

On the right screen was a woman with a stern face, one who clearly looked difficult to deal with.

She wore a crisp black uniform, her shoulder insignia different from the Eradication Division’s, representing the Discipline Review and Internal Inspection Group.

Yan Sumin, the current Group Leader of the Discipline Group.

Back in the election for the Eradication Division Chief, she had been a strong competitor against Lan Lan, but didn’t win, and instead later took over as the Discipline Group Leader.

Since then, the relationship between the Discipline Group and the Eradication Division had been quite delicate, even friction-filled.

The meeting had been going on for a while, and the atmosphere had been tense up to now.

“Chief Lan Lan, I reiterate: the victory of the counteroffensive operation and Acting Section Chief Mu Qingqing’s violation of multiple disciplinary regulations in this incident are two separate matters. They must be handled separately.”

“Merit is merit, fault is fault. That is an organizational principle and an iron rule distilled from countless past lessons. We cannot overlook major procedural flaws just because we achieved a strategic victory—that would set an extremely dangerous precedent.”

Lan Lan’s gaze shifted from Mu Qingqing’s slightly pale face to Yan Sumin.

“Group Leader Yan, I am not denying that there are procedural issues. We are still conducting a comprehensive battle damage assessment and process review. Some details still need further verification.”

“Verification?”

Yan Sumin interrupted unceremoniously, a hint of sarcasm curling at her lips.

“What else needs verification? Almost everyone saw that Lin Mowei, who was under suspension review, illegally used the Biological Armor that should have been sealed without any authorization, intervening in frontline combat. And Mu Qingqing, as the temporary field commander, not only failed to stop it or report it as required, but actively cooperated, even tacitly transferring command authority. The facts are clear, the evidence is conclusive. What else is there to verify?”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the several Eradication Division Chiefs on the left screen.

“Chiefs, what do you think? If every special operation can excuse violations with ’emergency circumstances’ and ‘acceptable results,’ then what seriousness is left in our hard-built regulations? Where is the bottom line of discipline?”

The chiefs exchanged glances but remained silent.

This was not an occasion for them to intervene easily. On one side was the bond of camaraderie with the Chief and the practical situation on the battlefield; on the other was Yan Sumin, who held the power of oversight and was known for her iron-faced approach.

Moreover, the two had never seen eye to eye. Better not say something that would bring fire upon themselves—more words meant more mistakes.

Lan Lan also fell silent, as if pondering how to refute.

Seeing that Lan Lan was not speaking and the other chiefs were silent, Yan Sumin thought her words had hit the mark, rendering the usually strong-willed Chief speechless.

“Given the above, on behalf of the Discipline Review Group, I make a preliminary recommendation: demote Mu Qingqing, transfer her from her current core position, and give her a major demerit as a warning to others. As for Lin Mowei, since she was already under suspension, her actions are more serious in nature. I recommend…”

At that moment, the office door was lightly knocked, then pushed open without permission.

Qin Wuyue walked in, still in her relaxed manner, with Lin Mowei following behind her.

Mu Qingqing’s eyes widened in surprise, and she instinctively started to stand.

Yan Sumin’s words came to an abrupt halt, her brows furrowed as she looked at the intruders.

When she saw that the newcomer was Qin Wuyue, a slight crack appeared in her stern expression.

Qin Wuyue acted as if she didn’t notice the serious meeting in progress, walked straight to Mu Qingqing’s desk, and swept her gaze over the three light screens.

Finally, her eyes landed on Yan Sumin’s face, a playful smile appearing.

“Oh, a meeting? Quite lively.”

She gently patted Mu Qingqing’s shoulder, signaling her to sit down, then leaned casually against the desk and looked at Yan Sumin’s screen.

“I just heard something about how to handle this operation’s heroes? If you ask me, no matter what happened in the middle, Mu Qingqing and Lin Mowei’s contributions are among the top, aren’t they? Offsetting merits against faults might not follow regulations, but it’s obvious that the merits far outweigh the faults. How about we just let it go? Saves everyone the effort.”

“Doctor… Doctor Qin?” Yan Sumin’s face instantly turned extremely ugly, her voice stiff with unnaturalness.

She had never expected Qin Wuyue to appear here, much less intervene so directly and forcefully.

“This is an internal disciplinary meeting! Even… even you cannot arbitrarily interfere with the organization’s normal procedures!”

She tried to refuse sternly, to reiterate the seriousness of discipline, but as the words reached her lips, faced with Qin Wuyue’s seemingly smiling yet unfathomable eyes, those righteous words seemed stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

An invisible pressure spread through the screen.

She knew the various unspoken rumors about this “Doctor Qin.”

At that moment, she also finally realized why Lan Lan had only calmly stated “needs verification” earlier, and why the other chiefs had remained silent.

Had Lan Lan known from the start that Qin Wuyue would come? Or was this all planned?

Yan Sumin looked at Lan Lan on the main screen, her eyes almost shooting fire. “Lan Lan… you… you did this on purpose?”

Lan Lan’s expression didn’t change. She even tilted her head slightly, showing just the right amount of puzzlement.

“On purpose? Group Leader Yan, I don’t understand what you mean. I agreed with your view from the beginning—procedural issues do need to be taken seriously. Otherwise, why would we have called this meeting?”

“As for Doctor Qin, why she appeared in Huanxing Town and why she cares about this matter, I have no knowledge.” Her tone was sincere, almost flawless.

“You!” Yan Sumin’s chest heaved violently, her face alternating between pale and red.

Lan Lan’s words completely exonerated herself while putting Yan Sumin on the spot.

Could she openly accuse Lan Lan of colluding with Qin Wuyue? Did she have evidence? Even if she did, what could she do to Qin Wuyue? And what could she do to Lan Lan, who was clearly playing Tai Chi?

Frustration and helplessness surged in her heart, almost suffocating her.

She knew that today, this matter could not proceed as she had planned.

Continuing to press would only bring humiliation.

In the end, Yan Sumin said nothing more.

She shot a fierce glare at Lan Lan, who appeared composed on the screen, then cast a wary glance at the smiling Qin Wuyue beside her, and shut down her own communication.

On the left screen, the three Eradication Division Chiefs, seeing this, gave brief salutes and disconnected one by one.

Only then did Mu Qingqing truly relax, her tense shoulders slumping.

She looked at Qin Wuyue and Lin Mowei, her eyes filled with gratitude and lingering fear. “Doctor Qin, Chief, thank you. I… I really didn’t expect…”

Lin Mowei walked over to her, patted her shoulder, and said gently, “Alright, how could I not take care of you? You did well.”

Qin Wuyue waved at Lan Lan on the screen, her tone casual. “Alright, no more excitement. Go do your thing. I’ll handle things here with Mowei.”

Lan Lan gave Qin Wuyue a deep look, her eyes somewhat complex.

“Submit the follow-up report according to procedure.” But even after saying that, she didn’t close the communication.

Lin Mowei knew the Chief had something to say to the teacher, so she put an arm around the still bewildered Mu Qingqing.

“Come on, Qingqing, let’s go next door.”

Inside the resort, in a shop selling various souvenirs and crafts.

“How about this? It feels like it would match Sister Lin’s temperament!” Xia Yanran picked up a delicately designed silver necklace, its pendant a small, hollow star pattern shaped like a feather, flowing with a fine luster under the light.

She held it up to Lin Yu like a treasure, her eyes sparkling.

Lin Yu’s gaze lingered on the necklace for a moment. It was indeed beautiful, fitting his sister’s style of neatness with a touch of softness.

‘However… In the previous life, for his sister’s birthday, he seemed to have given a necklace too. The specific design was blurry, but he remembered that when his sister received the gift, her smile was still gentle, yet there seemed to be a trace of disappointment in her eyes. Or maybe she just didn’t dislike it, but the joy didn’t reach her heart. Later, he didn’t seem to see his sister wear that necklace. Was it because the design didn’t suit her taste? Or did his sister simply not like necklaces? He wasn’t sure. But since he had an impression that she might not have liked it, he didn’t want to take the risk again.’

“The necklace is nice,” Lin Yu said cautiously. “But… I want to look at something else.”

“Huh? I think it’s great.” Xia Yanran was a bit puzzled, but didn’t insist. She followed Lin Yu enthusiastically as he browsed the store.

Her eyes wandered among various exquisite hairpins, bracelets, and brooches, occasionally offering suggestions, like a happy little bird.

Lin Yu looked carefully, taking a long time to decide.

Until his eyes fell on a tray in the corner of the counter.

It was a pair of earrings.

The design was very simple: two smooth, polished pearls with warm luster. Not large, but round and full, colored in a very light cherry blossom pink—soft and noble.

Almost at first sight, Lin Yu felt these earrings should belong to his sister.

The warmth of the pearls resembled her unique tenderness toward him, and the simple design matched her capable personality.

Xia Yanran also leaned in. “Earrings? They seem nice too, but Sister Lin doesn’t usually wear ear accessories, does she?”

“She does sometimes,” Lin Yu recalled that at home, his sister sometimes wore very small earrings, almost invisible, but she did have them. “I think these suit her better.”

Xia Yanran watched Lin Yu’s profile as he studied the earrings, a rare look of seriousness on his face.

A subtle emotion passed through her heart, but was quickly replaced by an even stronger anticipation—as long as Sister Lin is happy, whatever they give is fine.

Besides, this was a gift she and Lin Yu had chosen together for Sister Lin.

Thinking of that, she cheered up again.

“Alright, since you think so, then these it is!”

In the end, they settled on the pearl earrings.

Leaving the gift shop, the sunlight was just right.

Lin Yu looked down at the shopping bag in his hand. ‘He hoped his sister would like them. This time, he should be able to see real joy in her eyes, right?’