After Hao Yu finished his business with the merchant association, he returned directly to his office, bringing a lot of food with him.
From almost a hundred people yesterday, Hao Yu only took in five people. Two of them were scholars, which should be enough to become the brain of the division. The other two were pretty normal in terms of background and knowledge, but they looked far more earnest than the rest, so Hao Yu took them in to handle most of the operation.
The last person was none other than the daughter of the previous administrator. There was an argument between him and Old Si due to her, but she was actually one of his most important pieces in this city.
"Sir!" The one who greeted him was her. She politely bowed her head while alerting the others with her voice. That action alone was enough to pique Hao Yu's interest.
"Sir, you are back."
"How was your discussion with the merchant association?"
"The problem has been solved. Anyway, are you guys hungry? I've brought some food with me from that Star Tavern." Hao Yu raised the baggage he carried.
"What? That famous Star Tavern!"
"We get to eat something from there? I thought I would never get the chance to eat something from there. It's too expensive."
"Come on. Grab some plates and take a break." Hao Yu chuckled and put down the food on the table.
While they were busy preparing, Hao Yu glanced at Ren Yexiang and said, "Follow me for a bit."
Ren Yexiang was confused since it was the first time she worked. Nonetheless, she followed Hao Yu to his personal office.
Hao Yu nonchalantly sat down on his chair while saying, "You should know that I only took you in because Old Si recommended you, right?"
"!!!" Ren Yexiang never thought Hao Yu would talk about this. However, she noticed the food that they got earlier and the fact that he discussed matters with the merchant association.
'He must be one of those people… To think that the person Old Si recommended was actually a corrupt official. During that talk, he must have received a bribe. And the reason why he talked about this is…' Ren Yexiang gritted her teeth while starting to unbutton her clothes. "I know. You want this, right? Let's get this over with."
Hao Yu was quite surprised by her action. It was decisive and bold. Obviously, Hao Yu was testing Ren Yexiang to see her judgment. The clues he left were truly like that of a corrupt official, and the conclusion she reached was spot on.
If she wasn't bold enough, she wouldn't even start unbuttoning her clothes. Instead, she would storm out of the room and leave, never having anything to do again with the government. Yet, she actually stayed so that she could remain in the government.
While she looked like she cared for the city, Old Si mentioned that she had never worked or taken any interest in her father's work. In other words, the reason she wished to stay was to exact her revenge.
Hao Yu was just trying to figure out to what extent she dared to go. And he was pleased with this reaction.
"Interesting." Hao Yu smirked.
"Why are you smiling? To you, I must only look like a weak rabbit that you can prey on anytime." Ren Yexiang gritted her teeth, feeling ashamed.
"Ren Yexiang. Follow me to the slums in the afternoon." Hao Yu shook his head. If he stopped her and just gave her some clothes to cover herself, she would think that Hao Yu had another thought about her. So, it was better to maintain the leader and subordinate relationship even if it was a bit too cold.
"The slums?!" Ren Yexiang froze in confusion. She didn't know why Hao Yu suggested it, but the other party had actually stood up again, ready to leave the room as if he didn't have any interest in whatever she was thinking.
"The Magistrate has ordered me to fix some problems in the slum, so I'm going to check the condition. I've heard that while Old Si was sheltering you, you had to live in the slum. I need your experience and opinion if I were to fix their problems. That's all."
"Eh?" Ren Yexiang opened her mouth, but the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat. Now that she had realized that Hao Yu had never planned to do all those things in her head, the embarrassment started to surface. "I… I…"
Hao Yu shrugged his shoulders and said, "The food is going to be cold. I only drank there, so I'm joining the others."
Ren Yexiang was left alone in the room with all that embarrassment. She hurriedly dressed up, making sure that no one had a wrong thought about what happened inside.
The moment she rushed outside, she actually found Old Si standing outside the room.
"Old Si!" Ren Yuxiang froze again.
"Miss…" Old Si looked troubled but still continued, "I think it's fine to trust Sir Hao Yu a bit more. You have grown old enough to make your own decision, so you can observe him first. But I think he is trustworthy."
"You have such high praise for him, Old Si?"
"In terms of his background, I don't have much information. It's just… he is personally invited by the magistrate to solve the problems of the Dragon City. And according to what I've found, the magistrate has gathered a lot of people and numerous resources to start many projects at once. It could be said the magistrate is planning a revolution."
"Revolution?"
"Yeah. I don't know much, but I think the idea comes from that person. And if the revolution is completed, I believe the Dragon City will reach its golden age. So, I can vouch for his ability. As for his identity and character, I don't know anything."
Ren Yexiang looked down, falling into deep thought. It seemed that she had misjudged him. Even though the clue was related to a bribe, she didn't know the exact details.
That was why Old Si suggested observing him first before deciding what she wanted to do.
After a while, Ren Yexiang's face turned solemn as if she had resolved herself. "Thank you, Old Si."
"It's nothing, Miss."