Invincible Young Master in the City
Chapter 791: 787: Xu Xiangli Helps

Chapter 791: Chapter 787: Xu Xiangli Helps

“Not good. Without you here, we almost got bullied to death!” Xu Xiangli said.

Ye Fan, hearing this, became serious and asked, “What happened? Who bullied you?”

“Who else but Chief Zhao?” Xu Xiangli said. “After you left, the Public Security Brigade, the Riot Squad, and the Discipline Inspection were all taken over by Chief Zhao. She’s been so demanding, making life difficult for us.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan understood. It must again be Xu Xiangli jumping to conclusions. He guessed Zhao Lina was probably just stricter in her demands, and Xu Xiangli thought Zhao Lina was out to get them.

Before the New Year, Zhao Lina might have done so to get back at him, but after the New Year, especially since he had become involved with Zhao Lina, it was impossible for her to target him or his subordinates.

However, he didn’t voice his thoughts. Instead, he asked, “How did Chief Zhao make things difficult for you? Tell me, and I will definitely seek justice for you.”

“She, she…” Xu Xiangli opened her mouth to complain but suddenly found herself at a loss for words, realizing that everything she could think of was within the regulations.

Seeing Xu Xiangli struggling to articulate, Ye Fan intentionally spoke in a soothing tone, “Don’t be scared. Take your time, and tell me one thing at a time. I promise to help you get justice.”

Xu Xiangli grimaced, “It’s not that I’m scared, but I just can’t put it into words. She’s too cunning, making us suffer without being able to complain. In short, she’s treating the three departments under your management differently.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.” Ye Fan helplessly spread his hands.

“Leader.” Xu Xiangli cooed a bit despondently.

“It’s alright,” Ye Fan said with a comforting smile. “Now you can’t remember everything clearly, so think it over carefully tomorrow or the day after, write it down in a notebook, and then bring it to me. Don’t worry for now. I’ve just come back and I don’t want to face a frown right away.”

“Yes, leader,” Xu Xiangli momentarily set aside her worries and smiled.

Changing the subject casually, Ye Fan asked, “Why are you here tonight?”

“I’m on duty tonight,” Xu Xiangli smiled. “I didn’t expect to bump into you just as you were coming back. Chief Zhao said you took sick leave. What kind of illness was it? Was it serious? It must have been since you were away for months.”

“It’s completely healed now,” Ye Fan said, avoiding details.

“That’s good,” Xu Xiangli smiled.

Then, feeling that standing in the playground to talk was inconvenient, Ye Fan suggested they move the conversation to the office.

Xu Xiangli naturally agreed.

A few minutes later, Ye Fan entered Xu Xiangli’s office.

His own office hadn’t been used for a long time and probably wasn’t convenient for sitting down for a chat, so they went to Xu Xiangli’s office instead.

After closing the door, they sat on the wooden sofa, and Xu Xiangli started making tea. As she brewed the tea, she talked with Ye Fan about the recent happenings at the police station and shared some gossip, all the while appearing excited.

They talked until about half past ten when Ye Fan stood up and said, “Let’s end our chat here for tonight.”

“Alright,” Xu Xiangli said, still seeming eager for more. “I’ll report more work to you tomorrow.”

She got up to see Ye Fan out of the office.

As Ye Fan walked towards the stairs, she followed as well.

Ye Fan thought she might have something else to do downstairs, but she continued following him even as he headed towards the residential building.

“Are you heading back to the dorm?” Ye Fan stopped and asked.

Wearing a smile, Xu Xiangli said, “Yes. I suppose your room hasn’t been cleaned yet, right? Let me clean it for you. When it comes to cleaning and tidying, we women are more skilled.”

“Hehe, thank you, but there’s no need, I can handle it myself,” Ye Fan said.

However, Xu Xiangli insisted, “It’s okay. I’m free anyway. Being on duty actually involves doing nothing, which is quite boring.”

Xu Xiangli’s duty was a supervisory one; unless something happened, it was generally quite idle. Some less responsible supervisors would just make a round at the office and then head home. In a small county town, if anything did happen, a quick phone call and a ten-minute response would suffice.

“Alright,” Ye Fan wasn’t too persistent; after all, he wasn’t very fond of tidying the room himself—it was too bothersome.

Hence, Ye Fan and Xu Xiangli walked together toward the dormitory building.

As they climbed the stairs, Xu Xiangli caught up half a step and ascended side by side with Ye Fan.

The staircase itself was narrow, and with Ye Fan’s tall stature, the two unavoidably got quite close to each other; Ye Fan could distinctly smell the feminine fragrance from Xu Xiangli, and even during turns, Xu Xiangli’s delicate body would accidentally brush against him.

Finally reaching the fourth floor, they opened the door, and immediately a musty, mildewed air rushed out.

“The room really has gotten moldy,” Ye Fan said, somewhat depressed.

He had left in a rush and hadn’t had time to tidy up the dormitory. Over the months, from the damp spring to the humid, high-temperature summer, it would have been strange had there not been any mildew.

“Xiangli, I really am going to put you to work,” Ye Fan turned to Xu Xiangli and said.

Xu Xiangli smiled sweetly, “No problem. I clean up all the time; I’m skilled at it.”

Entering the dormitory, Ye Fan and Xu Xiangli began to clean the room.

Ye Fan was not good at cleaning, so Xu Xiangli naturally took charge and directed him.

Fortunately, the dormitory was small, and the belongings were simple, Xu Xiangli cleaned up efficiently, and within half an hour, everything was tidy. As for the several bags of trash generated from cleaning, they decided to dispose of them the next day.

After finishing, Xu Xiangli was slightly out of breath and sweating lightly.

“Hard work there, come, sit down, take a break, and have some water,” Ye Fan invited with a smile.

Xu Xiangli nodded and sat down on another sofa.

At that moment, Ye Fan poured a glass of water and handed it to Xu Xiangli.

Xu Xiangli turned slightly towards Ye Fan to take the water and said, “Thank you, Boss.”

“Uh… you’re welcome,” Ye Fan replied awkwardly and turned his face away.

As he handed the glass of water to Xu Xiangli, who had turned to receive it, he unintentionally saw that one of the buttons on Xu Xiangli’s top was undone, clearly revealing what was beneath.

Realizing Ye Fan’s reaction, Xu Xiangli instinctively looked down and immediately understood. She pulled up her neckline, her cheeks turning slightly red as she whispered an apology, “I’m sorry. It was too hot, and I felt a bit stuffy, so…”

“Hehe, it’s okay,” Ye Fan waved his hand, interrupting Xu Xiangli’s apology, “I’ll turn on the air conditioning.”

“Boss, don’t turn on the air conditioning,” Xu Xiangli exclaimed, “This room needs the windows opened to air it out and to dry the floor.”

Hearing this, Ye Fan had no choice but to give up and returned to his seat on the sofa, “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

“Hehe, it’s fine,” Xu Xiangli giggled.

As Xu Xiangli drank her water, Ye Fan found it inappropriate to keep his gaze on her, so he remained silent.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the small living room was somewhat awkward.