That evening, Shen Lang went to Lin Dantong's family compound at the X City Public Security Bureau as invited. Following the address Lin Dantong had given him, he arrived at her door and knocked.

"You're here!" Lin Dantong's sweet voice came from inside the door.

After opening the door, Lin Dantong appeared in Shen Lang's line of sight, wearing an apron.

Looking at Lin Dantong's outfit, Shen Lang said sarcastically, "Oh, Officer Lin is now a division-level cadre, why are you still cooking yourself?"

Lin Dantong covered her mouth and giggled, "Stop being so cheeky, come in quickly."

After entering, Lin Dantong poured Shen Lang a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Young Master Shen's presence at my humble abode is truly an honor! However, as the deputy director, I am rather poor, and the tea is the kind that ordinary people drink. I hope Young Master Shen will not take offense."

Shen Lang took the teacup and laughed, "Hey, aren't we just ordinary people? It doesn't matter what we drink."

"Come on, sit down and wait a bit. I still have two dishes to cook, they'll be ready soon." Lin Dantong glanced at Shen Lang with her beautiful eyes, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Shen Lang turned around and looked around the room. It was a standard 90-square-meter apartment, befitting Lin Dantong's position as a section chief. He then looked at the furnishings and noticed that the furniture was all new, indicating that they had just moved in recently.

After reading it, Shen Lang actually felt a bit of admiration for Lin Dantong.

He already knew about Lin Dantong's family background. Her parents were both second-rank officials in the capital. Logically speaking, Lin Dantong at this age should have been enjoying the benefits of her parents' upbringing and living the life of a young lady. However, he did not expect her life to be so simple and without any excess.

Twenty minutes later, a sumptuous dinner was placed on the table by Lin Dantong.

"Young Master Shen, the food is ready. Please wash your hands and eat," Lin Dantong said to Shen Lang, untying her apron.

"good."

Shen Lang got up and went to the kitchen, washed his hands, then sat down at the dining table. Looking at the table full of food, he jokingly teased, "Officer Lin, your cooking is pretty good."

"That's right." Lin Dantong tilted her head slightly and said with a proud expression, "My ancestors were royal chefs. My cooking skills are passed down from my ancestors. In the past, only princes and nobles could afford to eat this."

"Then I'll have to try it!" Shen Lang said, picking up his chopsticks and taking a piece of braised eggplant. After tasting it, he nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, only a little worse than my wife's cooking."

Lin Dantong rolled her eyes speechlessly and said weakly, "Don't compare me to Miss Yu, I can't afford to be. The whole capital knows that Miss Yu is a well-bred lady who can handle both formal and domestic duties, while I'm just an ordinary person."

Shen Lang shook his head and said, "Officer Lin is too modest. You're not some nobody. As far as I know, your father is a powerful official at the vice-ministerial level in the Ministry of Public Security, and your mother is a powerful leader at the vice-ministerial level in the Ministry of Commerce. If you were just a nobody, then there would be no such thing as a rich young lady in this world."

Lin Dantong said, "No matter how high my parents' rank is, it has nothing to do with me. Since I chose to come to X City, I never thought about relying on my parents to climb the social ladder. Not everyone likes to live off family connections. I prefer to rely on my own efforts, and my parents are very supportive of me!"

"That's ambitious." Shen Lang gave Lin Dantong a thumbs up, expressing his approval of her thoughts and actions.

"Oh dear, let's eat." Lin Dantong picked up a piece of fish and put it in Shen Lang's bowl.

During the meal, Lin Dantong took out a bottle of Shaoxing rice wine from the bedroom and said to Shen Lang, "Would you mind having some?"

Shen Lang smiled and said, "Of course I don't mind."

Lin Dantong then poured a glass of wine for each of them, and raised her glass to Shen Lang, saying, "Shen Lang, thank you for your help in my career. This glass is for you."

Shen Lang raised his glass and clinked it against Lin Dantong's, then drank it all in one gulp.

He then poured himself a glass of wine and said to Lin Dantong, "I should also thank you. If it weren't for your rescue, I might have already met my demise at the hands of the tiger. This glass is for you."

After drinking, Lin Dantong looked at Shen Lang with a slightly flushed face and said, "Shen Lang, there's a question that's been bothering me for a long time. Can you answer me honestly?"

Shen Lang paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Ask away."

Lin Dantong suddenly fixed her gaze on Shen Lang's eyes and asked, "Do you have anything to do with the Zhao family's massacre? What is your relationship with Lin Chen, who specifically asked me to turn himself in? What was the cause of his death? Although all the evidence points out that you have nothing to do with it, I still feel that this matter is related to you, which has kept me tossing and turning at night for the past few days."

Shen Lang asked with a smile, "Why do you think it has anything to do with me?"

"Perhaps it's the police's intuition," Lin Dantong said.

"Do you really want to know the truth?"

Lin Dantong nodded: "I want to."

Shen Lang pondered for a moment, then told Lin Dantong the truth: "It has something to do with me. I sent people to wipe out the Zhao family, and I also orchestrated Lin Chen's death."

"Just as I thought." Lin Dantong sighed as if relieved, a look of relief on her face.

She then looked at Shen Lang and asked, "Why did you do this? Is it just because the young master of the Zhao family spoke rudely to you and your woman?"

Shen Lang poured himself a glass of wine, drank it, and said, "That's part of the reason."

"Are there any other reasons?" Lin Dantong asked, puzzled.

"Hmm." Shen Lang nodded and said bluntly, "Bingyan's Canglang Group has risen rapidly in S Province, and many companies have their eyes on her lucrative business, so Canglang Group needs to establish its authority. It just so happens that the Zhao family took the lead at this time, so I used them as a scapegoat."

"Is Canglang Group really that important to you?" Lin Dantong asked. "With the Zhang family of Guosheng Group acting as your money-printing machine, why do you still hold Canglang Group in such high regard? I don't think you're a money-loving person."

Shen Lang smiled and asked in return, "Then what kind of person do you think I am?"

Lin Dantong shook her head and said, "You're too mysterious. I can't see through you. But I think you're definitely not a money-loving person."

Shen Lang feigned regret and said, "Oh dear, you actually saw through me. It seems I'll have to act a bit more money-loving in the future. Pretending to be aloof isn't my persona."

Lin Dantong wasn't amused by Shen Lang's words. Instead, she looked at him with a serious expression and asked, "Can you answer my question? I really want to know the reason behind this."