Qi Younian's experiences over the years hadn't been for naught; he knew a case like this wasn't for a commoner like him to decide, nor did he dare to make any bold promises or speak candidly. He could only repeatedly utter all sorts of polite platitudes as a stalling tactic.
Although he didn't dare look at Jiang Yifan for fear of letting Zhou Bingyi catch on, he was waiting for Jiang Yifan to speak. If Jiang Yifan remained silent, he would have no choice but to repeat a bunch of redundant phrases with Zhou Bingyi, saying things like: I dare not presume, how could I be connected with your lordship, Elder Master Liang simply wasn't thinking clearly when he did such a thing, and so on.
Jiang Yifan's eyelids were low, listening to Qi Younian and Zhou Bingyi's back-and-forth pleasantries, and he did not speak up to smooth things over for a long while.