At this moment, Ling Xiao walked in from outside, saw Xing Zhaozhao, and smiled, "So you really are here."
Xing Zhaozhao turned her head in surprise: "How did you know I was here?"
Ling Xiao walked up to Xing Zhaozhao and said, "I was just about to go back when I heard what Xiao Wu, the gatekeeper, told me at the door."
Looking at Ling Xiao's disheveled appearance and the weariness on his face, Xing Zhaozhao asked, "Did you go into the mountains with them yesterday?"
Ling Xiao nodded: "When I was a kid, I liked to go into the mountains when I had nothing to do, so I know the area quite well. I can help show you the way."
Fu Lan recognized Ling Xiao as one of the people who had saved her, and immediately thanked him, saying, "Thank you for saving me."
Ling Xiao glanced at her, then smiled nonchalantly and said, "It's nothing, it's nothing."
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ling Xiao, her eyes brightening: "So, you know the exact location of where those mountain people are hiding, and the ditch where Xiao Lan accidentally fell?"
"Yes," Ling Xiao nodded, then asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"Could you draw me a map showing me the exact location? I'm a little curious, where are they hiding? I haven't been able to find them at all," Xing Zhaozhao said, her eyes sparkling.
It wasn't a secret, and Ling Xiao nodded in agreement without hesitation: "No problem, I'll draw you a diagram later."
"That will be troublesome," Xing Zhaozhao said with a smile.
"By the way, can Xiaolan leave now?" Xing Zhaozhao asked Ling Xiao again.
"All the necessary statements have been taken, that should be enough. Just go find the investigator to sign them," Ling Xiao said.
"That's good. I'd like to take her to the hospital to have her foot checked," Xing Zhaozhao said.
“I’m also going to the hospital to see Xiaoze, let’s go together.” Ling Xiao said, and personally led Xing Zhaozhao and Fu Lan to find the investigator.
The atmosphere there was extremely tense. Xing Zhaozhao didn't dare to breathe loudly. After coming out, she took a long breath and finally calmed down. She sighed to Ling Xiao, "The atmosphere inside was so tense."
"That's right. It's been a long time since we've encountered such a major case. I heard that the provincial police have come down. Although all the villagers in the mountains have been arrested, there are still many people involved outside. I don't know when the case will be closed." Ling Xiao said with a somewhat solemn expression.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ling Xiao and asked, "Aren't your people involved too? How's the investigation going?"
Her mention of it only made Ling Xiao's expression turn even uglier: "It's not very clear yet. I've already asked Yongde to investigate."
When Xing Zhaozhao heard Ling Xiao mention Ling Yongde, her heart skipped a beat. She hesitated for a moment, then glanced at him and said, "Actually, I think you should be careful even with the people around you and not trust them completely."
Ling Xiao frowned, looking at her with confusion: "What do you mean?"
"..." Xing Zhaozhao didn't know how to explain it to him.
“Master…” A deep voice suddenly came from the side.
Xing Zhaozhao and Ling Xiao both turned to look at them.
It was Ling Yongde who arrived.
"What is it?" Ling Xiao asked.
Ling Yongde glanced at Xing Zhaozhao, his cool gaze making her shiver involuntarily. She had a vague feeling that he had overheard her speaking ill of him in front of Ling Xiao.
Xing Zhaozhao pretended not to care and looked over directly.
Ling Yongde met her eyes, paused for a moment, and then quickly looked away. He walked to Ling Xiao's side, deliberately avoiding Xing Zhaozhao, and whispered something in Ling Xiao's ear.
Ling Xiao's face darkened instantly, and he said coldly, "Hand over the evidence directly to the investigators and fully cooperate with their investigation."
"Yes." Ling Yongde nodded in agreement and went directly to find the investigator.
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ling Xiao and asked curiously, "Did you find out?"
Ling Xiao nodded with a sullen face: "Three more. We've found out that three more people have connections with those mountain people. I just don't understand. I've always treated them well, so why would they do something so unscrupulous?"
Xing Zhaozhao pursed her lips, remaining silent. Were these really the only three problematic? Or were these truly the only three? She had no evidence, and she couldn't say for sure.
When they arrived at the hospital, Ling Xiao's fierce aura subsided slightly. He was going to see his son and didn't want to frighten him.
Xing Zhaozhao took Fu Lan directly to see a doctor.
The doctor touched Fu Lan's ankle: "It's nothing, just a sprain." After saying that, he casually applied a plaster to reduce swelling and pain and that was it.
Xing Zhaozhao was helping Fu Lan out of the doctor's office when a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the corridor next to them. Xing Zhaozhao's clothes were then tugged by a small hand.
Xing Zhaozhao looked down in surprise, only to find Ling Ze's flushed face: "Xiao Ze? What brings you here?"
Ling Ze looked at her expectantly and asked, "Are you leaving?"
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and patted his head: "Yes, I'm going home."
"Please don't leave, okay? I won't object to you becoming my stepmother," Ling Ze said.
Xing Zhaozhao: "??!!" Is this a question of whether you oppose it or not?
On the side, Fu Lan, Fu Hong, and Gao Qingshan looked at Xing Zhaozhao and Ling Ze with astonishment, not quite understanding what was going on. Grandma Fu's eyes flickered, and no one knew what she was up to, but it certainly wasn't a good idea; she just looked annoying.
Ling Xiao followed closely behind, and upon hearing his son's words, he stumbled and almost fell.
"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting now?" he growled, grabbing Ling Ze's clothes and pulling him back to his side.
Ling Ze glared at his father: "I'm helping you steal a wife, don't be ungrateful."
"..." Ling Xiao took two deep breaths and barely managed to hold back from pulling down his pants and spanking him in front of so many people.
He looked at Xing Zhaozhao, extremely embarrassed, and said, "Sorry, this brat often does whatever comes to mind, don't take it to heart."
"It's nothing." Xing Zhaozhao smiled nonchalantly, then looked at Ling Ze seriously and said, "I'm sorry, no."
Ling Ze looked dejected, but still asked again, unwilling to give up, "Is there really not even the slightest possibility?"
"Yes, there's absolutely no possibility whatsoever." Xing Zhaozhao said firmly, completely extinguishing his hopes.
Ling Ze hung his head, looking utterly dejected.
Suddenly, he remembered something, looked up sharply at Xing Zhaozhao, his eyes sparkling, and asked, "Do you have a daughter?"
Xing Zhaozhao was taken aback, wondering what he was up to this time, and nodded: "Yes, I have a daughter."
"How about I become your son-in-law? I'm even willing to be your adopted son-in-law," Ling Ze said.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." This little brat is already eyeing her daughter?
Ling Xiao: "..."
Ling Xiao felt incredibly embarrassed, and his temples throbbed.
"I'm sorry." He apologized to Xing Zhaozhao, then picked up Ling Ze and turned to walk to a corner not far away.
A moment later, the sound of a slap making intimate contact with thick buttocks could be heard from there.
After a while, Ling Xiao finally brought Ling Ze back.
With tears welling up in his eyes, Ling Ze apologized to Xing Zhaozhao: "I'm sorry."
Looking at the little guy's pitiful appearance, Xing Zhaozhao couldn't help but pat his head: "Be a good boy and listen to Daddy. Don't go to the water alone in the future. If you fall in again, you may not be so lucky to meet someone to save you."
Ling Ze sniffed and nodded obediently, agreeing, "I understand."
It was rare to see his son so well-behaved, so Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow in surprise, then looked at Xing Zhaozhao and asked, "Are you going back?"
Xing Zhaozhao nodded: "We should go back now, otherwise the little girl at home will cause a huge fuss again."
"Have a safe journey," Ling Xiao said, handing the completed map to Xing Zhaozhao. "The map you asked for earlier."
"Thank you." Xing Zhaozhao took it, examined it carefully, and then put it away cautiously.
Ling Xiao, along with Ling Ze, escorted Xing Zhaozhao and the others all the way to the hospital.
Ling Ze watched Xing Zhaozhao leave on the tractor, his eyes flashing as if he was plotting something.
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