Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Chief, Ma Yuelun has confessed,” said police officer Xiaozhang.
“Let’s go, I’ll go have a look,” said Pan Zhenghui as he stood up and walked to the door before giving her another thumbs up.
An Xiaoning gave a smile as she suddenly felt like this was what she was meant to do. Isn’t it great to be able to save a young teenager?
——
“Auntie, I went to visit Qingyan yesterday,” Lin Mingxi said over the phone.
“How did it go?” asked Mrs. Jin.
“He said blatantly that he doesn’t like me. I don’t think I should force it. I guess I’ll forget about him,” Lin Mingxi answered, sounding a little disappointed.
However, Mrs. Jin had already expected these to happen.
“Um, Mingxi, I actually like you a lot. Qingyan is still unable to let go of the past, that’s why he’s reacting like this. Just give him some time, alright?”
“Auntie, he’s already made things so clear. He’s only going to detest me more if I keep trying to cling onto him. Actually, I’d also like to give it a little more push lest I have any regrets. But there’s no way for me to get close to him, and I don’t know where to start either,” Lin Mingxi said hesitantly, seemingly caught in a dilemma.
“Mingxi, how about you come over for dinner tonight? I’ll get Qingyan to come by too, and you two may interact with each other. How does that sound?”
“Will he turn around and leave as soon as he sees me?”
“He wouldn’t.”
“Alright then.”
Lin Mingxi hung up the phone, beaming with joy at the thought of having dinner with him.
She quickly picked out a beautiful set of clothes from her closet before taking a shower and putting on some exquisite makeup. She was determined to seize the opportunity tonight. Otherwise, it’d be even more difficult for her to see him again in the future.
Mrs. Jin was rather pessimistic, however.
Glowering at her daughter-in-law, old Mrs. Jin chided, “Is there really a point in trying so hard to set them up?”
“Mother, I haven’t told you this, but I went to the hospital the other day for a health checkup, and one of the doctors there is the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Wang, my mahjong playmate. She secretly told me that Xiaoning went for an abortion surgery at the hospital recently, due to a natural miscarriage. Qingyan was there as well. It’s said that Xiaoning will never be able to conceive again,” said Mrs. Jin as she sat down beside her mother-in-law.
“What do you mean?” asked old Mrs. Jin.
“What else could that mean? I reckon Qingyan has gotten back together with Xiaoning. What’s going to happen to our family in the future, should their feelings for each other grow even deeper? Wouldn’t Qingyan be the end of our bloodline if he doesn’t have a child in the future?”
“Is that true?” old Mrs. Jin questioned.
“Of course it’s true. The hospital has been banned from leaking the news. The doctor took a great risk to inform me about it. I obviously didn’t let Qingyan know I was aware of this matter, though. Don’t tell him either, Mother. I asked Mingxi over this evening for a reason.”
“What is it?”
Mrs. Jin leaned in closer and whispered into her ear.
A frown creased old Mrs. Jin’s forehead upon hearing her words. “How daring of you, aren’t you afraid Qingyan would…”
“Mother, I do feel a little guilty towards Xiaoning, but we can’t change the fact that she can no longer conceive. Given how much Qingyan is in love with her, he definitely wouldn’t look for another woman now. Do you really wish to see our family business end up in an outsider’s hands? I’m just looking at the bigger picture,” Mrs. Jin said softly.
“Why did things turn out this way…” old Mrs. Jin lamented with a long sigh.
“Mother, I’ve already planned how to execute this matter. You don’t have to worry about it.”
——
After tallying the information they retrieved, the team of four did not get up into the police car straight away, but instead proceeded to arrest the murderer in An Xiaoning’s car.
Along the journey, An Xiaoning said, “I really don’t get some of the silly scenes in television dramas. For example, why do the police in dramas have to turn on the siren on the police car when they’re going about arresting the criminals? Wouldn’t the criminals be alerted of their presence then?”
Ma Jianguo guffawed in amusement upon hearing her remark. “That’s what makes viewers want to watch the dramas, isn’t it?”
“I still think there’s more to this murderer than meets the eye. You three be careful later.” An Xiaoning warned Ma Jianguo especially, “You especially, you’re not trained in self-defense skills, so be extra careful and don’t get hurt.”
“Team Leader, are you discriminating against your elderly colleague now that you have mastered some martial arts?” he sneered.
“I’m not discriminating against you, I’m just showing you some concern.”
“Team Leader, you’ve struck a sour note within Officer Ma. He’s naturally oversensitive, I reckon he’s already taken it to heart,” Zu Dong jested.
Ma Jianguo gave him a playful slap and retorted, “What are you saying? Do I seem like such a petty person? Quit sowing discord between us.”
“Okay, that’s enough, all of you be quiet and let me concentrate on driving in peace.”
They soon arrived at the address on his household register. Pretending to be a friend of the murder suspect, Zu Dong asked the suspect’s parents about the location at which their son was currently residing.
After which, the team of four then proceeded to the given address.
It was a building of apartments.
An Xiaoning put on her mask while Zu Dong was dressed in plainclothes. The two then pretended to be a couple interested in renting an apartment.
Ma Jianguo kept watch by the entrance while Gong Le pretended to be a resident of the building and stayed close to An Xiaoning and Zu Dong.
“Auntie, our workplaces are nearby and we’d like to rent an apartment which comes with a backyard. Do you know if there are any of those available for rent nearby?”
The elderly lady appearing to be in her late sixties answered with a grin, “You’ve come to right person. I know of an apartment that comes with a backyard in my residential building. It’s up for rent, but no one has rented it yet, even after a long time.”
“Why is that so?”
“Well, firstly, it’s a very old and small apartment with just two bedrooms and a hall. Secondly, there is barely any sunlight, although there’s a small backyard. I’ll take you guys there to have a look if you’re interested.”
An Xiaoning pretended to give it some thought before answering, “From what you’ve described, I don’t think it’s the kind that matches what we’re looking for.”
“That’s why no one has rented it yet up ’til now. But you guys may ask around, this entire area is made up of several residential buildings. There are many empty rooms available for rent,” said the elderly lady.
“Sure, thank you, Auntie.”Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
An Xiaoning and Zu Dong then walked away side by side. In order to look convincing as a couple, An Xiaoning took the initiative to hold Zu Dong’s hand, catching him by surprise and causing him to blush as red as a tomato.
An Xiaoning turned around to see that the elderly lady was still staring at them. She smiled at her warmly before turning back to face the front. They were getting closer and closer to their target.
“Wait up!” the elderly lady stopped them in their tracks.
Pointing at a man riding on a scooter, the elderly lady said, “I remember now, he has an empty room up for rent. You may ask him about it. Yiliang, wait a minute!”
Liu Yiliang stopped his scooter and asked, “You’re interested in renting a room?”
“Yes, I just suddenly recalled that you have an empty room in your house. Are you willing to rent it to this couple over here?”
“Sure, come with me, you two,” said Liu Yiliang as he got down to push his scooter.
An Xiaoning and Zu Dong exchanged glances before following him, hand-in-hand.
They arrived at the stairwell of an apartment building where Liu Yiliang parked his scooter. “Follow me.” Liu Yiliang led the way in while holding his keys in his hands.
“Alright,” An Xiaoning agreed.
