Zhao Youlin narrowed her eyes slightly. She said in a deep voice, “That’s right. I hope you can help me check if I have any past grudges with this Ms. Lu, or if this Ms. Lu has any past grudges with Ms. Zhao, the officer?”
Qin Huai was silent for a moment and suddenly said, “Ms. Zhao, may I ask why the sudden interest?”
Zhao Youlin’s eyes turned cold, and she said lightly, “Mister Qin, I don’t think this is something that you need to know within the scope of your work.”
The person on the other side of the phone was embarrassed and was about to explain himself, but she heard Zhao Youlin laugh softly and say, “However, it’s actually nothing if you really want to know. It’s just that recently, I’ve often met this Ms. Lu and she seems to bear an unexpectedly overwhelming amount of hostility toward me, which makes me a little annoyed.”
Qin Huai was not a fool. He quickly understood the deeper meaning behind Zhao Youlin’s words. His eyes turned cold as he said in a deep voice, “I’ll try my best to investigate this matter.”
“Also,” Zhao Youlin was not surprised that Qin Huai would agree. What really worried her was what she was going to say next.
“I also want you to help me investigate someone.”
“That… Lu Xiangtian?”
“Yes.” Zhao Youlin thought about it and decided to communicate with Qin Huai first. “I heard that this Lu Xiangtian is a big shot both in the dark, and in public. He doesn’t seem to be an ordinary figure.”
Qin Huai gasped when he heard that. “He’s… a person from the underworld?”
“Yes.” Zhao Youlin pursed her lips. “If you want to back out now, it’s still not too late.”
Qin Huai didn’t speak for a long time, and Zhao Youlin didn’t rush him. She just held the phone and waited for a while.
“May I ask one more question? Why would you suddenly want to investigate someone this powerful and dangerous? Does this Mr. Lu… have anything to do with you?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Nothing at all?” Qin Huai obviously didn’t believe Zhao Youlin’s words. Why would she suddenly take such a big risk? No matter how he looked at it, it was a little unusual!
“I have nothing to do with him. It’s just that I accidentally found out that this man is actually Lu Shu’s father. It’s just a little strange.”
“Lu Shu and Lu Xiangtian… are they father and daughter? But isn’t Lu Shu a police officer? Didn’t you just say that Mr. Lu is…” Qin Huai suddenly thought of something and his expression changed slightly.
Zhao Youlin saw that there was suddenly no sound on the other end of the phone and knew that Qin Huai had already sensed her intentions. She took a deep breath and said, “You find it strange too, right? What’s even stranger is that I heard that Lu Shu wasn’t by Mister Lu’s side since she was young. Instead, Mister Lu found her a few years ago.”
As soon as Zhao Youlin said this, Qin Huai on the other end of the phone finally couldn’t help but gasp. “So, this Mister Lu and Miss Lu were separated for many years?”
“Yes, I always found it strange, so I want to ask Mister Qin to help investigate it.”
Qin Huai was silent for a moment and then replied with an extremely firm tone, “Don’t worry, Ms. Zhao. I will try my best to investigate this. I won’t let you wait for too long.”
Zhao Youlin could hear the determination in Qin Huai’s tone, and her heart trembled slightly. She could not help but remind him, “Mister Qin, I’m not going to set you upon this task at all costs. I only hope you do as much as you can. If anything happens, I hope you know when to pull out. Safety is the most important thing.”
Qin Huai seemed to be stunned for a moment before he laughed softly, “I’ve been in this business for so many years, but this is the first time I’ve heard a customer tell someone like me to pay attention to my safety. Are you worried about me?”
Zhao Youlin smiled. “I thought we’ve worked together a few times and could barely be considered as closer acquaintances. Those words just now were indeed inappropriate for a customer, but I still feel that it’s quite appropriate for a friend. Besides, you now know how serious this matter is. If you get caught up in it, I’ll feel guilty on one hand, and on the other hand, of course, I’m worried that your exposure will implicate me.”
It had to be said that although Zhao Youlin’s words were not pleasant to hear, they had a certain effect.
After Qin Huai heard that him getting caught could also implicate Zhao Youlin, he truly began to waver.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Zhao. Based on what you said, I’ll definitely be very careful. I definitely won’t drag this back to you.”
Zhao Youlin responded. Then, she thought of another matter. “By the way, I also want to ask you to check if there is… a woman, her age… she’s in her forties.”
“An old friend in her forties?”
“Yes, you can also check. Even if you can’t find it, it doesn’t matter.”
“What other plans does Ms. Zhao have?”
“You’re overthinking it. I’m just a little curious.”
Qin Huai could hear the perfunctory tone in Zhao Youlin’s words. He knew that this was most definitely a private matter. She really didn’t want to talk about it, so he didn’t ask any further. He nodded and agreed.
After the two of them discussed further, they hung up the phone. Zhao Youlin took one last look at the roses that she had tossed into the trash can, and she couldn’t help but look thoughtful.
What Zhao Youlin did not expect was that after only a few days, she would not see the flowers again, but the owner of the flowers.
That afternoon, Zhao Youlin could not be bothered to rush back and forth to go home for lunch, so she took Xiao Li out for a buffet. If she had known that she would meet such an acquaintance at the buffet, she would have definitely driven home for lunch!
Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.
“Ms. Zhao, long time no see.”
Zhao Youlin’s face stiffened as she looked at the man in front of her, who was smiling gently. She said dryly, “Long time no see, Officer Li.”
That’s right, the person standing in front of her at this time was Li Yan, Officer Li, whom Zhao Youlin had not seen for a long time.
“Ms. Zhao, are you also here for lunch? I thought someone like Ms. Zhao wouldn’t…”
“Wouldn’t what?” After being caught off guard at first, Zhao Youlin quickly regained her composure and looked at the person in front of her with a faint smile, “You think that people like me should sit in high-class restaurants or cafes and enjoy food that isn’t necessarily delicious, low in quantity, and expensive, and shouldn’t appear in such places?”
Li Yan was stunned for a moment, realizing that his slip of the tongue had caused the person in front of him to misunderstand. He scratched his face in embarrassment. “I… I didn’t mean that. I just am a little surprised to meet you in a place like this. Did you find a seat? Why don’t we sit together?”
