Xing Zhaozhao went out and opened the door, only to find Chen Hao standing alone outside. She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
Chen Hao raised an eyebrow and asked, "If it wasn't me, who did you think it was? Officer Zhang? Do you really want to see him?"
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." No need for that. It's best if we never see each other again.
"Is there something you need?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
"Aren't you going to invite me in for a bit?" Chen Hao asked Xing Zhaozhao with a teasing smile.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She didn't really want to, but since the other party had taken the initiative to ask, she didn't want to make things too awkward.
Xing Zhaozhao hesitated for a moment, then prepared to step aside and invite the person in.
However, before she could make a move, Chen Hao said with a smile, "Never mind, don't force yourself. I'll just say a few words and then leave."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Are you kidding me?!
Xing Zhaozhao looked at Chen Hao, her expression somewhat unpleasant: "What do you want to say?"
"I've come to tell you that the case in Qingxi Town has been closed, so you don't need to worry about it anymore," Chen Hao said.
Xing Zhaozhao's heart skipped a beat, but she pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It's over, what do I have to worry about?"
Chen Hao looked at Xing Zhaozhao and smiled meaningfully: "Really? That's perfect. Brother Zhang was worried that you wouldn't have a definite answer and wouldn't be able to live in peace, so he specially sent me on this trip. After all, his identity is sensitive, so he won't come. But if you ask me, a woman as bold as you can't be small-minded. She wouldn't be worried about such a thing all day long. Now it seems that I was right."
Xing Zhaozhao remained expressionless and said, "Is that all you wanted to say? If there's nothing else, I have other things to do." With that, she turned to close the door and leave.
Chen Hao quickly reached out and blocked the door: "I'm going back to the capital today."
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Fine, I'll go back then. What's it to her?
Chen Hao's eyes flickered, and he said with a smile, "Brother Zhang is broad-minded and doesn't hold grudges. However, I am petty and remember everything clearly, whether it's someone else owing me or I owing someone else."
Is he threatening her?
Xing Zhaozhao's face darkened, and she asked, "What do you want?"
"Don't worry, I'll put the favor on your brother and Gao Mingcheng's shoulders this time, so you don't need to worry about it," Chen Hao said with a smile.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." She was thinking of killing him.
Xing Zhaozhao looked coldly at Chen Hao: "Mingcheng was right about you."
Chen Hao asked curiously, "What did Gao Mingcheng say about me?"
“No, it’s not, a, good, thing.” Xing Zhaozhao said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly.
Chen Hao smiled and said, "Really? Gao Mingcheng said that about me? Thank you for the compliment."
Xing Zhaozhao: "!!" How come I didn't realize this person was so shameless before?
Xing Zhaozhao closed the door expressionlessly.
Chen Hao continued knocking on the door from outside: "No matter what, we're still in-laws. Take the kids to Beijing sometime. Jia Shu and Jia Ping are thinking of them."
Xing Zhaozhao ignored her completely.
The noise outside quickly subsided; the person had probably left.
Although she was seething with anger, Xing Zhaozhao felt relieved knowing that the case was closed, and the anxiety she had been carrying finally subsided.
She ran back into the house laughing: "Xiao Lan, good news..."
In Lingjiazhuang, Qingxi Town, two families are holding funerals today. Ling Xiao took Ling Yongde to pay their respects, but they were driven away and had incense ash thrown all over their heads and faces.
An elderly woman dressed in all white with gray hair raised her cane and struck Ling Xiao, cursing in pain, "Our Tiancheng has been with you for so many years, don't you know what kind of person he is? He would never do such a heinous thing. And you, you just watched him get shot without even helping him, how dare you even come to see him?"
Ling Xiao didn't dodge, nor did he even flinch; he took the blow head-on.
Ling Yongde quickly stepped forward to stop the old lady, trying to explain: "No, Seventh Aunt, it's not that Grandpa doesn't want to help, it's just that the police have solid evidence, so even if Grandpa wanted to help, he couldn't."
The old woman's eyes were bloodshot, almost bulging out of their sockets. She raised her cane, ready to strike again: "If you dare come to me again and say you have conclusive evidence, I'll slap your mouth shut."
Ling Yongde quickly protected Ling Xiao and left.
Seeing that Ling Xiao's head and face were covered in incense ash, Ling Yongde went to a nearby house to borrow a towel to wipe it off.
Seeing Ling Xiao standing there alone, a little boy dressed in the same white clothes ran over and tugged at Ling Xiao's sleeve: "Uncle Ling..."
Ling Xiao looked down and saw it was Tiancheng's little nephew. His expression softened, and he asked, "What's wrong, Xiaobao?"
“My uncle and Uncle Jianhua are really innocent. One day, when my uncle and Uncle Jianhua were drinking together, I overheard them talking about how Uncle Leshan and Uncle Xingcai seemed to be doing something shady, and they said they were going to find evidence to tell you.” After Xiaobao finished speaking, he saw that Ling Yongde was coming back, so he quickly ran away.
Ling Yongde brought back a damp towel and handed it to Ling Xiao. He glanced at the direction Xiao Bao had run off in, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked, "Isn't that Tianming's Xiao Bao? What's he doing here all of a sudden?"
Ling Xiao took the towel and wiped his face, saying, "Oh, the little guy was worried that his great-grandmother had hurt me, so he came over to ask."
Hidden beneath the towel, a strange light flickered in Ling Xiao's eyes. He remembered that Leshan and Xingcai, whom Xiao Bao had mentioned, had always worked under Ling Yongde.
She couldn't help but recall Xing Zhaozhao's warning to him to be careful of his subordinates, and her heart skipped a beat. Had he truly been blinded by a single leaf?
After wiping the incense ash off his head and face, Ling Xiao handed the towel back to Ling Yongde: "I'm going to Jianhua's house to take a look."
Ling Yongde responded with an "Oh," and was about to continue following when Ling Xiao stopped him.
"I can go by myself, you don't need to come with me and get scolded." After saying that, Ling Xiao quickly walked away without waiting for Ling Yongde to say anything.
Ling Yongde watched Ling Xiao's departing figure, his face darkened, and he turned and left.
They hadn't gone far when they saw Ling Ze coming towards them. Ling Yongde's eyes flashed, and he immediately went to meet him: "Where are you going, Xiao Ze?"
"Uncle Yongde," Ling Ze called out, then asked, "Do you know where my dad went, Uncle Yongde?"
“Your dad said he had something to do and just left. What happened?” Ling Yongde asked.
Ling Ze pouted and said, "My dad is too much. He promised to go boating and fishing with me on the Qingxi River today, but he broke his promise again."
"How about I go with you?" Ling Yongde asked.
"No need, you're not my dad, I can go by myself." Ling Ze said angrily, then turned and left.
Ling Yongde watched Ling Ze's departing figure, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
As dusk fell, Ling Xiao investigated the village alone and, sure enough, found something amiss. The problem had always been with Leshan and Xingcai, not Tiancheng and Jianhua, who had been executed this time. The village was xenophobic, and the police hadn't gotten anything out of them. He refused to believe that Ling Yongde himself wouldn't find anything.
Ling Xiao walked home with a gloomy expression.
"Master." Ling Yongde suddenly came over in a hurry.
Ling Xiao's heart tightened for no apparent reason, and he asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh no, sir! Someone saw Xiao Ze rowing his boat to Qingxi River to fish again, but now there's no one on the river, and Xiao Ze hasn't come home yet..." Ling Yongde said anxiously.
"What?" Ling Xiao's expression changed in shock, and he immediately ran towards the Qingxi River.
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