I’m Really Scared
Chapter 64: Are You Polite?

Xia Lei's cold sweat dripped down, and his heart sank further.

"Since Shen Dinghua can silently change what I want to say, she can naturally change my actions as well..."

Upon realizing this, he dismissed the idea of acting now.

With "Screen" maintaining the barrier, if he could eliminate such an extremely dangerous Esper, he would do so even at the cost of aggravating his old injuries or being killed due to provoking her. That didn't matter.

But without the barrier and other measures, he would end up endangering everyone in the building.

This was a price he couldn't afford to pay.

While his consciousness was under control, Xia Lei felt like an isolated island cut off from the world.

With one-sided information flow blocked, Xia Lei couldn't even pass on a warning or inform others that "Shen Dinghua is a dangerous Esper."

Not to mention whether he could reverse his thoughts and actions in the moment of attack, he might end up committing suicide instead. Even if he could act, others would likely perceive it as senseless murder...

There was no way to break this situation!

Xia Lei took a deep breath, realizing that for now, the distortion of his words was limited to minor changes, like going for spicy hot pot instead of fried chicken.

This indicated that Shen Dinghua still had reservations...

But even so, Xia Lei felt his reputation, built over half his life, teetering on the edge, about to plunge into the abyss of forced bribes and petty gains.

Looking at Shen Dinghua's unchanged smile, Xia Lei sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn't do anything about her today.

In the future... who knows if he would have another chance?

He remained silent for a moment, seeing the faint, barely noticeable irony and anger in Li Zhiying's expression. He quickly waved his hand, saying, "Just a joke, Chief Li, no need to take it seriously. I meant to ask if I could buy some."

He had the logistics team put the tea cans down, awkwardly explaining, "To be honest, this is just a business trip, and time is tight. We need to return to headquarters soon, so there's no time to shop around. But I've long admired Hangzhou's Longjing tea, and since you have some here, I couldn't help but get excited and spoke too hastily."

Xia Lei's words were sincere, his demeanor earnest, making him quite convincing given his usual bearing.

Li Zhiying's expression softened, although she was still puzzled by Officer Xia's abrupt demand for tea leaves, his demeanor almost resembling a robbery.

But since he had explained, she couldn't refuse to give him an out.

Li Zhiying replied gently, "No need to buy, just consider it a keepsake."

Xia Lei breathed a sigh of relief. It was clear that as long as his words didn't involve Shen Dinghua, they remained unchanged.

He shook his head and had the logistics team put the tea back, chuckling, "In that case, how could I take it for free? I can see you value this tea, so I won't take it from you."

"…"

Li Zhiying was confused, first forcefully demanding tea, then declining it…

Is this Officer Xia schizophrenic? Even in her extensive experience in the media industry, encountering many diverse personalities, she hadn't seen someone so bipolar.

But since he insisted he didn't want it, and the tea was already returned, Li Zhiying couldn't force it on him. Before leaving, she asked, "Do you need anything else?"

"No, nothing more."

Xia Lei, half-smiling, said, "We'll leave after a brief chat."

As usual, Li Zhiying seemed to ignore Shen Dinghua and left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Now, the office was left with only the Special Security Group members, Guan Shan, and Shen Dinghua.

Xia Lei looked at Guan Shan, adjusting his attitude, made a gesture inviting him to sit, and warmly said, "Please, have a seat."

His demeanor was incredibly courteous.

And he didn't avoid Xiao Shen, which meant it wasn't something confidential...

Guan Shan, previously speculating that the Special Security Group might be a secret organization dealing with supernatural events, now thought it might not be as secretive as he had imagined.

Guan Shan raised an eyebrow, sat down with Shen Dinghua, and said, "Just tell me directly, what do you need my help with? Let me be clear, I'm just an ordinary reporter. If you want me to solve some major case, you've got the wrong person."

Xia Lei's mouth twitched. A "normal reporter" who emerged unscathed from molten iron at two thousand degrees, even tearing apart an Esper? Those who died by your hand would rise from their graves to ask, "Are you polite?"

But even more egregious, after Guan Shan spoke, Shen Dinghua nodded vigorously like a pecking chick, earnestly tightening her little face, nervously adding, "Yes, yes, Xiao Shan is just a reporter. Solving the case last time was a fluke, and those people had knives, it was very dangerous."

Shen Dinghua, worried, continued, "If the police ask for help again and Xiao Shan gets targeted and hurt by criminals, what then?"

What could be more dangerous than you two?

Guan Shan should be well aware of where the remaining few juveniles, exposed by Tian Bin, went after disappearing. The police might not know, but Guan Shan would.

Considering Guan Shan might be hiding and resisting to protect Xiao Shen from the Special Security Group, it made perfect sense... Xia Lei had never felt this helpless in his life.

"Can't you two be more straightforward!"

Xia Lei wished to say but couldn't.

However, Shen Dinghua's statement was clear enough, indicating she didn't want Guan Shan involved with the Special Security Group or entangled with them too much.

Yet… every time it was Guan Shan who "happened to pass by" and "just killed them all."

Understood, Xia Lei thought flexibly, realizing they didn't want proactive engagement, preferring a passive approach, like Jiang Taigong's fishing, waiting for Guan Shan to "take the bait" when he wanted to help.

Xia Lei, feeling bitter, thought, "This has a domineering sense of 'What I give you is yours. What I don't give, you can't take.'"

What could he do?

If he said no now, he might end up talking about going to a toilet-less fast-food restaurant to eat ten meals and then actually doing it.

Xia Lei, with a friendly smile, took out a form and a contract, saying, "No worries. This time, we're just asking if you're interested in a special auxiliary position. Our Special Security Group isn't like regular law enforcement; we won't have you solving cases."

Guan Shan, puzzled, asked, "Then why give me this position?"

He tentatively guessed, "Is it because... of that night on the bus?"

Some setting where encountering supernatural events makes you part of the circle.

Xia Lei, after some thought, replied, "In a way, yes."

The bus incident confirmed Guan Shan was at least C-level and on their side.

Guan Shan, scratching his chin, read through the form, "I see... Do I have any obligations?"

Xia Lei glanced at Shen Dinghua, then shook his head and smiled, "None, just need to check in at our Hangzhou branch periodically. There's even a welfare subsidy."

Guan Shan's eyes lit up, "Subsidy? How much?"

Xia Lei thought for a moment, then said, "For your current level, it's twenty thousand a month."

Guan Shan was stunned, nearly dropping his pen, "How much?!"