Above the Galaxy
Chapter 557 - 344: Fight for Succession!_2

Chapter 557: Chapter 344: Fight for Succession!_2

He knew that when the King issued such an approval, it meant that Tang Fei was expected to investigate thoroughly.

Blood would be shed, lives would be lost.

But no matter which side suffered casualties, in the end, those handling the case would not be let off easily.

Tang Fei was the vice director of the fifth division at the Monitoring Bureau, his deputy, one of his right-hand men.

If Tang Fei got into trouble, could he possibly escape unscathed?

In all fairness, at that time he had only noticed Tang Fei’s close relationship with the Princess and hoped to indirectly cling to her through embracing his coattails...

By flattering the Princess’s lover, wasn’t it essentially the same as flattering the Princess herself?

How did he end up attracting disaster?

Tang Fei handed over the folder he was carrying and said, "This is the case file, we’ve already organized it. I’ve just delivered a copy to the Dean, and now it’s your turn to take a look... You’ll need to sign it as well."

"Alright," Zhong Jiayuan said through clenched teeth.

"I won’t disturb you any longer then. You’re busy," Tang Fei said with a smile as he took his leave.

Once Tang Fei had left, Zhong Jiayuan’s body collapsed weakly into the chair.

He didn’t want to sign, he didn’t even want to open that folder.

Is this a case that someone of his minor status should be involved in?

----

Reminiscing about Jiangnan.

Tang Fei quietly waited in the quaint private room, occasionally replying to Phoenix’s messages.

Phoenix seemed to be in a somewhat bad mood, and although she tried to hide it, Tang Fei could still feel it clearly.

He had sent the restaurant’s address to Yan Jinnian, and he believed she would definitely come.

Which woman wouldn’t be interested in the ultimate treasure?

Sure enough, there was a gentle knock on the door outside the room.

Quickly, the door was pushed open, and Yan Jinnian, dressed in the black uniform of the Monitoring Bureau, walked in under the guidance of a welcome lady dressed in a red cheongsam.

It seemed she had come directly after work, without even going home to change clothes.

"Director Yan has arrived, please have a seat," Tang Fei stood up to greet her, proactively helping to pull out the chair, and said, "I haven’t delayed any of your matters, have I?"

"Speak quickly if you have something to say," Yan Jinnian didn’t sit down, her gaze cold as she stared at Tang Fei, poised to leave after he finished speaking.

"Please, take a seat first," Tang Fei chuckled and said, "Since you’re here, you must try a few signature dishes of this restaurant. It wasn’t easy to reserve this private room, so we can’t let it go to waste."

After hesitating for a moment, Yan Jinnian finally sat down on the chair that Tang Fei had pulled out for her.

"This restaurant serves authentic Jiangnan cuisine, and it’s said their skills are quite remarkable. Especially their West Lake Vinegar Fish—it’ll give you a taste of the ancient West Lake before the Blue Star’s great cataclysm. You should try it; it won’t disappoint you."

"Get to the point," Yan Jinnian urged.

She didn’t enjoy listening to idle talk.

For someone like Tang Fei, who barely counted as a friend, every word beyond work was superfluous.

"Director Yan is really keeping people at a thousand miles distance," Tang Fei shrugged, a wry smile on his face.

He sat down beside Yan Jinnian, tilting his head to appraise her profile.

Her figure was tall and slender, her bust ample; her features were three-dimensional and exquisite, with a look that somewhat resembled a mix of Phoenix and an Ossian.

Coupled with her distinctive aloof expression that seemed dismissive towards everyone, it served to ignite the conquest desire within any man.

Of course, Tang Fei was an exception.

He enjoyed being conquered.

Yan Jinnian disliked the way Tang Fei gazed at her; she found it impolite and stood up to leave.

"Director Yan, do you live alone at home?" Tang Fei asked suddenly.

Yan Jinnian froze for a second, her eyes turning even colder as if Tang Fei’s question had touched upon her taboo.

"I’m an orphan."

"Oh, an orphan," Tang Fei nodded and asked, "Do you know who your parents are?"

"I don’t remember," Yan Jinnian shook her head, "From the time I could remember, I was in the orphanage."

"And how did you end up in the Monitoring Bureau after that?"

"When I was seven, I was adopted by the Dean. It’s under his mentorship... that I have become who I am today," Yan Jinnian did not hide this information since it was publicly known.

Tang Fei should also be aware, but what made her curious was...

Why he was asking these questions?

"Do you want to know about your birthright?" Tang Fei asked with a beaming smile.

Yan Jinnian’s eyes sharpened, her expression wary as she stared at Tang Fei.

She had tried to find her birth parents before, but came up empty on all accounts.

Even in the Empire’s largest genetic database, there was no trace of their genetic information...

It was as if they had never existed in this world.

How could Tang Fei possibly know her origins? Did he know who her birth parents were?

And why would he care about these things?

They were neither relatives nor friends; they barely exchanged a few words...

Why would he want to help her find her parents?

What was he really after?

Mind swirling with countless questions, she was overwhelmed by confusion and chaos.

"Don’t be nervous," Tang Fei said soothingly with a chuckle, "I bear no malice towards you. I just happened to stumble upon some matters related to Director Yan while investigating a case, so I thought to have a talk with you."

As he spoke, Tang Fei pulled out a document envelope from his briefcase.

He handed the envelope to Yan Jinnian, saying, "If you’re curious about your own past, you might want to take a look at the contents."

Yan Jinnian did not reach out to take it.

Tang Fei squinted and smiled, asking, "What’s wrong? Scared?"

"What do I have to be afraid of?" Yan Jinnian snorted coldly, snatching the envelope from Tang Fei’s hands.

Without hesitation, she swiftly untied the string and began to read the documents inside.

Her complexion changed as she read.

From pale to blue, from blue to purple.

And finally, she turned deathly pale.

She looked up at Tang Fei and demanded, "Where did you get these documents from?"

"I can’t tell you that," Tang Fei replied, shaking his head gently with a smile, "As you know, everyone has their secrets."

After a pause, he added, "If you don’t trust it, you can verify it yourself. With your current network, that should be easy to do, right?"

"I believe it," said Yan Jinnian gravely, "I’ve searched for many years and have found no traces of them. I always suspected that their information had been deliberately erased."

"These documents just prove my suspicions true, because their identities... they were indeed manually deleted... as if they never existed in this world."

"How could this have happened if they were just ordinary people?"

"Director Yan is a smart person," Tang Fei spoke with a smile, "I enjoy dealing with smart people."

Yan Jinnian stared intently at Tang Fei and asked sternly, "What about you? What are you really trying to do?"

"I want to become friends with Director Yan, to be an insider."

"Why? What do I have that you need?"

"The Black Cavalry of the Monitoring Bureau."

"..."

------

Endless Sea.

Lu Yunhang entered the Pavilion of the Whispering Tides, where Zhong Tianyi had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Lu Yunhang enter, Zhong Tianyi stepped forward to greet him warmly, "Dean Lu, it’s been a while, how have you been?"

"With guilt upon my shoulders, how well can I be?" Lu Yunhang shook hands with Zhong Tianyi, his tone self-mocking.

After Tang Fei entered the Monitoring Bureau, the Lu Family was the first to feel the blade.

Although Gongsun Wuyu took all the blame onto himself, Lu Yunhang was punished as well. After being detained for a period, he was bailed out under the Lu Family’s custody awaiting trial.

But he was stripped of his position as the head of the Mechanical Design Institute of the Empire.

Along with it, his future was taken too.

Branded and tarnished, even if he were reinstated, he would struggle to make a difference.

Because political enemies could attack him at any time using his tarnished reputation.

"Dean Lu has been wronged," Zhong Tianyi said sincerely, "The Lu Family is a pillar of the nation. Without the selfless contribution of the Lu Clan, the technology of the Empire would not have reached its current state."

"It is a pity and a shame that the Lu Family has been tainted and Dean Lu has been stripped of his position over some unfounded charges."

Lu Yunhang didn’t respond, but instead looked at Zhong Tianyi with a puzzled expression and asked, "I’m just curious, Your Highness, with so many things to attend to, what brings you to see me, a person of leisure, all of a sudden?"

"How could Dean Lu be a person of leisure? A pearl covered in dust merely awaits the destined one to polish it," replied Zhong Tianyi.

Lu Yunhang looked at Zhong Tianyi and asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

"Do you think I could be that destined one?" he inquired.

Lu Yunhang’s heart pounded furiously as he pressed, "Does Your Highness intend to vie for the throne?"