Chapter 28: Ah, Yes, Yes, Yes

Chen Ziang was not entirely certain whether the upper echelons were aware of the mysterious entity, but he suspected their knowledge was limited.

It was precisely for this reason that he felt a surge of uncontrollable anger toward Aoki Iwata’s actions.

That bastard... all the efforts the Sixth Countermeasure Section operatives had made over the years to protect the public were nearly undone by this man!

Xia Zili had been waiting in front of the television for quite some time. Seeing that the commercials showed no sign of ending, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are they not going to broadcast it?”

Chen Ziang shook his head.

He lowered his gaze to operate his phone, instinctively opening the group chat, hoping to find a reliable colleague to discuss the matter with.

How serious was the current situation? To put it in perspective, if the city of Jibei were a small community of a few thousand residents, then Nishikawa Mihue’s previous actions were akin to releasing a large number of venomous snakes into the neighborhood.

Though these snakes invaded homes and slithered through corridors and streets, the vast majority of residents were unaware of their presence, provided they didn’t step outside or witness the snakes firsthand. Furthermore, media censorship prevented them from inquiring with neighbors, so they remained oblivious to the chaos unfolding.

Iwata Aoki’s approach, however, was like standing in the center of the community with a megaphone shouting: “Residents, do you know what really happened back then?”

Just the thought of it infuriated Chen Ziang.

After searching through the group chat for a suitable person to discuss the issue with, his eyes finally settled on two names: Xia Qingyu and Tsukimiya Suzuna.

Emotionally, he would have chosen Suzuna without hesitation—she was closer to him, spoke more pleasantly, and there was no risk of being mistaken for an ape.

But rationally, Xia Qingyu, despite her abrasive personality and unpleasant manner of speech, was undeniably effective at resolving problems—as evidenced by her performance in Nishikawa Mihue’s divine realm incident.

Chen Ziang was no longer a child; after a moment’s hesitation, he decided to reach out to both.

He sent a message to Xia Qingyu and dialed Tsukimiya Suzuna’s number—perfect!

The call went unanswered, likely because Suzuna was busy. However, Xia Qingyu replied to his message promptly.

[Message from Xia Qingyu]: “Just a meddlesome clown, ignore him.”

Chen Ziang stared at the screen, waiting for further elaboration, but none came. He quickly sent another message:

[Message]: “But he openly discussed the Nishikawa Mihue incident on live television. Now almost all of Takamagahara knows about it!”

[Reply from Xia Qingyu]: “Doesn’t matter.”

What do you mean it doesn’t matter?!

Chen Ziang’s anger surged. He decided to call directly.

The moment the call connected, he spoke rapidly.

“Iwata Aoki publicly challenged the handling of the Nishikawa Mihue case during the live broadcast. The priority is to maintain our original stance without alteration. However, the number of people stirred up this time is overwhelming. If we rigidly adhere to past statements, the public won’t buy it.”

“So?” Xia Qingyu asked coldly.

“What do we do?” Chen Ziang pressed.

“Do nothing,” Xia Qingyu replied flatly.

This was like talking to an ape!

Chen Ziang gritted his teeth, ready to press further, when Xia Zili, standing beside him, quietly typed a message and flashed her phone screen at him:

“Don’t open the topic for discussion. Make her answer yes or no.”

“Qingyu,” Chen Ziang bit out, “If public pressure becomes too intense, will the higher-ups be forced to disclose the ghoul matter to the public?”

“No,” Xia Qingyu answered.

Chen Ziang felt somewhat relieved and continued.

“Will this incident impact our future work?”

“No.”

Chen Ziang exhaled deeply.

“Alright, sorry to bother you. Goodbye.”

He hung up and looked at Xia Zili in disbelief.

“How did you manage that? I’ve never had such smooth communication with her before.”

“Heh,” Xia Zili stuck out her tongue playfully, a sly smile on her lips, “After all, I’m her sister.”

“When Sister’s mood is irritable, she doesn’t like to talk too much, so we have to simplify questions and make her respond with just ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to communicate effectively.”

“I see,” Chen Ziang suddenly understood.

Thinking it over, Xia Zili was indeed a great help. The reason he found Xia Qingyu so difficult to deal with was partly because she was his superior and not someone he could easily offend, but also because he simply couldn’t comprehend her harsh temperament and eccentric mindset.

Now, with General Zili at his side, the troublesome Qingyu was nothing to fear!

“By the way,” Xia Zili’s expression turned complex, “if Sister is in a bad mood, she usually won’t even answer calls from ordinary people. You must have a good relationship with her, right?”

“A good relationship?” Chen Ziang chuckled, “Yeah, I’m the most pampered ape in her zoo. Whenever she’s in a foul mood, she amuses herself by scolding me.”

Xia Zili didn’t quite know what to say since Sister never scolded her; she had only heard her scold others on the phone.

“Well…” she said cautiously, “Sister never does anything without purpose. Although her words aren’t always pleasant, she doesn’t scold just to vent or for fun. Of course, scolding isn’t right... what I mean is, she must value you quite a lot, because Sister ignores those she considers worthless.”

“Something like that,” Chen Ziang replied, not wanting to dwell further and changing the subject.

“By the way, what are your plans for tonight?”

“Plans…” Xia Zili pondered, “I’ll stay here with you until 10 pm, then take a taxi home. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Chen Ziang nodded, “as long as it’s fine on your end.”

“No problem,” Xia Zili smiled. “Jixiang thinks I’m shooting a photo shoot tonight, and the photo shoot team believes I pushed my schedule to next week, so it should be fine.”

Chen Ziang: ………

This blonde half-elf looked innocent and naive, but secretly she was cunning, probably inheriting her sister’s mischievous genes.

Thinking this, Chen Ziang grew more determined in his resolve to “learn from the enemy’s strengths to overcome the enemy.”

He tentatively asked, “You’re doing this... won’t your sister find out?”

“No,” Xia Zili waved her hand. “Sister usually only pays attention to things she deems important. She won’t care about trivial matters.”

“What counts as trivial?” Chen Ziang asked carefully, making sure to note everything.

“Well, if I’m organizing a concert or releasing a new album, those are critical. But things like recording in the studio, giving interviews, or doing photo shoots—they’re just icing on the cake. Even if something goes wrong with those, Sister won’t care. Only Jixiang will keep nagging.”

“No wonder she hates meetings and writing weekly reports,” Chen Ziang mused.

He pressed on, “And if she gets angry and scolds you, how do you handle it?”

“Don’t pay attention,” Xia Zili comforted. “Sister has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although she’s relentless verbally, she doesn’t harbor ill feelings.”

“But the insults can be harsh, and it’s embarrassing. What can I do to express displeasure subtly without offending her?”

“Well, I understand,” Xia Zili pondered. “Maybe try to humor her.”

“Humor her? How?”

“No matter what she says, just say ‘yes, yes, yes’?”

(End of Chapter)