The coolest time of day is what? Some might say early morning, others late night, and both have their reasons. But if you ask when it's hottest, everyone would undoubtedly answer noon. It's simple: at noon, the sun shines directly on the ground, and the atmosphere reflects and refracts less solar radiation.
Lunch, one of the three daily meals, is usually eaten around this time. Shen Feng was handling official business in his office, while Chu Chaoyan sat beside him. Everyone else kept their distance, not daring to disturb the City Lord and Deputy City Lord's private time.
Shen Feng glanced at his watch, realizing it was already noon and time to eat. Working in the middle of the day could lead to brain shutdown; it was a time for sleep.
"Chaoyan, let's go home for lunch. There's a glider on the roof of the City Lord's Mansion. I can take you home in a few minutes, and we can enjoy a ride!" Shen Feng said to Chu Chaoyan.
Just as Chu Chaoyan was about to agree, the door was pushed open. Chang Jianyi entered with a food container, her expression grim. She placed the container on the table and said, "No need to go home. I've brought the food for you. Eat!"
Seeing Chang Jianyi's displeased expression, Chu Chaoyan thought she was jealous and couldn't help but say, "Shouldn't you be resting at home? We can handle things here, so you don't need to come. Besides, Feng slept in your room last night. What more do you want?"
Chu Chaoyan misunderstood, believing Chang Jianyi's displeasure was directed at her.
Chang Jianyi, however, said calmly, "This has nothing to do with you. I just encountered something troublesome this morning. Shen Feng asked me to look at someone's inner self. I saw it with my own eyes and found that some people's inner selves are even worse!"
Hearing this, Chu Chaoyan was completely bewildered, not understanding anything. What inner self?
Shen Feng's heart skipped a beat. He thought, "Did that little girl not pass the test? But that shouldn't be the case. The person Chang Haojie likes shouldn't be too bad, right?"
The reason Shen Feng had persuaded Chang Jianyi to accept Chang Haojie's choice was that one shouldn't judge based on background. If everyone judged based on background, many would be unqualified. True selection of a sister-in-law should be based on good character and inner beauty!
But now, Chang Jianyi said she saw a terrible inner self, which implied that the other party's conditions were not met.
"A writer once said, I can't remember who, that there are two things in the world one cannot look at directly: the sun and the human heart. The sun is bright and will blind you, while the human heart, is it light or dark? Who can say for sure?" Chang Jianyi remarked.
At this moment, Chu Chaoyan's extensive knowledge shone through. After a moment's thought, she immediately said, "I know who said that. It was Keigo Higashino, in 'The Devotion of Suspect X'. What happened? What darkness did you see?"
Chang Jianyi didn't hide anything. She closed the door casually, sat in a nearby chair, and began to recount what she had seen and heard that morning. When she spoke of the temptations Hua Jingran faced, she directly stated, "If she could have refused that proposal on the spot, I would have thought she was a good child, someone who could be cultivated. But she hesitated for a moment and then agreed. I can't stand that!"
Shen Feng hadn't expected his casual remark to backfire. Now, Chang Jianyi disliked Hua Jingran even more. When Chang Haojie returned to Yuzhou, it would be difficult for them to explain this situation.
To make amends for his mistake, Shen Feng quickly advised, "You don't need to be so agitated. You know, a person's inner self is hard to discern in just one day. Besides their inner self, we can also consider other aspects!"
"No, what you said last night was correct!" Chang Jianyi changed her tune. She said seriously, "A person's background isn't important, nor is whether they achieve great things. What matters is whether they have excellent character. She used Xiao Jie without hesitation for her own benefit. This isn't ignorance; it's simply a lack of character. In short, I will never agree to such a girl who prioritizes profit over loyalty as my sister-in-law!"
Shen Feng shrugged and asked, "How important is it? It's just meeting someone. It's a simple matter, and meeting others doesn't take much time. There's no need to care so much!"
"Hmph, have you forgotten your high school knowledge? 'Disasters often accumulate from small beginnings, and wisdom and courage are often trapped by indulgence.' This time, you're just asked to meet someone. What about next time? What if you betray us next time? Once you make a deal, there will be a second time! You can't underestimate this! To put it plainly, Hua Jingran has already betrayed us. Such a girl is not worth cultivating. Even if we have to find someone else, I won't agree to Hua Jingran!" Chang Jianyi was furious and stated her attitude clearly, leaving Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan helpless.
However, Shen Feng couldn't make any further excuses for this matter, as Chang Jianyi had caught her red-handed. No matter what, it was inexcusable.
"Let's eat first. By the way, where is that little girl? The one who influenced Hua Jingran. Could it be that she heard about your whereabouts and deliberately staged this scene?" Shen Feng quickly interjected, not wanting Chang Jianyi to dwell on the matter.
Speaking of Yu Zhiling, Chang Jianyi slowly said, "Whether this was someone's design is hard to say. Anyway, the girl who was caught didn't cry or make a fuss. She kept her mouth shut tightly and wouldn't answer anything. We couldn't get any information. I had Xixi use her ability, but it also failed. Other than knowing her identity, we know nothing else. It seems she lives in the east of the city."
Chang Jianyi felt a sense of disappointment. After all, Hua Jingran was already twelve years old, and she could be influenced by a girl younger than herself. Her capabilities were truly poor. Moreover, her poor academic performance suggested that her future abilities might not be great either.
Shen Feng and Chu Chaoyan ate while comforting Chang Jianyi. Chang Jianyi didn't respond, still sitting in her chair, sulking. She couldn't understand why her brother liked such a woman. Was it really just a matter of novelty?
After eating, Shen Feng felt he had some time left and said directly, "I'll go see that little girl who was captured. Where is she?"
At this moment, Shen Feng suddenly wanted to know the little girl's true identity. If someone was deliberately targeting Hua Jingran, it would explain things and perhaps ease Chang Jianyi's anger. Moreover, for a little girl to persuade a girl older than herself was itself a remarkable achievement.
Chang Jianyi said indifferently, "She's being held in a solitary room in the prison. She's too young, and no matter what we ask her, she won't say anything. We don't know her true purpose, so it's difficult to sentence her. Therefore, we can only keep her locked up. If all else fails, we'll have to let her go!"
Everything requires legitimacy. The ultimate purpose of this little girl seemed to be simply meeting Shen Feng. With such a simple objective, Chang Jianyi couldn't kill her directly. If she did, it would be an act of utter tyranny.
Shen Feng, having learned the little girl's location, immediately headed to the prison. At this time, Zhang Xixi was interrogating a prisoner. All she needed to do was use her ability while asking questions, and then she could determine truthfulness by the faint brainwaves of the other person's brain.
There are many types of lie detectors in the world. Some detect heart rate, some detect blood flow, some detect body temperature, and some detect brainwaves. When a person lies, their brainwaves change drastically, and the machine immediately reacts upon detecting these changes. This is the principle of a lie detector.
However, all these lie detectors are inferior to Zhang Xixi's ability. After all, even if the other person doesn't answer, their brain will naturally react, allowing Zhang Xixi to determine if they are lying.
Shen Feng first found Yu Zhiling. Yu Zhiling was curled up in a corner of the prison room, alone. Outside the room, various sounds could be heard.
Most of the people imprisoned were those who had betrayed Shen Feng and defected to the Heavenly Dragon Bureau. Upon seeing Shen Feng appear, these individuals shouted, "City Lord, we were wrong! Please spare us, we dare not do it again!"
Shen Feng ignored these pleas and said to the prison guard beside him, "Open the door and bring out the little girl inside!"
Yu Zhiling was curled up into a ball, like a sleeping kitten. Cats usually curl into a ball when sleeping to reduce their surface area for heat loss and conserve body temperature. This is essentially to reduce heat dissipation and defend against surrounding attacks.
"Eh, it's an acquaintance?" Shen Feng recognized Yu Zhiling as soon as she was brought out. Wasn't this the little girl who had helped him find a doctor back then? He hadn't expected the person caught to be her!
"Greetings, City Lord!" Yu Zhiling said respectfully, her clear voice echoing in the prison.
Yu Zhiling recognized Shen Feng because she often saw his photos in the newspaper. Now that he was in front of her, she realized she had successfully met the City Lord.
"Come with me. Tell me everything you need to say!" Shen Feng then said to Yu Zhiling.
Shen Feng remembered his previous words: if she encountered any trouble, she could seek him out. However, he had forgotten that ordinary people couldn't easily meet him. Thus, Shen Feng guessed that Yu Zhiling asked Hua Jingran for help precisely to seek his assistance.
However, Shen Feng forgot one thing: when he met Yu Zhiling before, he was wearing a mask. Yu Zhiling didn't know that he was the masked man she had met.
Shen Feng led Yu Zhiling out of the prison and then asked, "I heard you wanted to see me. Why?"
Yu Zhiling quickly replied, "It's not me who wants to see you, it's my brother. Because you arrested my father, my brother wants to persuade you to release him!"
"Your father? Oh... I remember now. It's that guy in the east of the city who has many subordinates and dared to hoard meat, right? I heard someone reported him for illegally collecting protection fees. I didn't expect him to be your father!" Shen Feng finally recalled at this moment.
Shen Feng also remembered Yu Muhe, whom he had seen outside the city, returning with several carts of mutated beasts. He sent the surplus meat to the city for sale, keeping the edible portions for himself. In time, the meat industry could also be monopolized.
"City Lord, can you release my father?" Yu Zhiling immediately asked, hoping Shen Feng would agree to her request.
"No, there are national laws, and families have family rules. I must abide by family rules, as must others. We'll discuss it after the trial. For your sake, I will ask Zhang Xixi to lighten the punishment!" Shen Feng said with a smile.
Yu Zhiling was still not giving up. If her father couldn't return safely, she and her brother would still be in danger. Thinking of this, she quickly said, "My brother has always admired you and wishes to see you. Can you accompany me to see my brother?"
"Is this your request?" Shen Feng asked.
"Yes, it's my request!" Yu Zhiling replied.
"Then let's go!" Shen Feng was indifferent. After all, he owed this little girl a favor. If it was just about meeting her brother, it was no big deal. He could consider it repaying the past favor.
ps: Thank you for your support. If you have any suggestions, please leave them on Zongheng. I cannot see comments from other websites and thus cannot receive your feedback. If you've come this far, you're truly a fan. Please leave a recommendation or two. Thank you!