Gao Mingcheng and Xing Zhaoming pulled Xing Zhaozhao aside.
Gao Mingcheng looked at Xing Zhaozhao and asked seriously, "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"
Xing Zhaozhao hugged Xiao Hongling tightly in her arms and tried to argue, "No, he was just bluffing you. I told you everything I needed to say."
Little Hongling had finished the watermelon slice in her hand. She sucked the juice from her fingers and looked at her parents with her big, bright eyes.
Gao Mingcheng raised an eyebrow slightly: "We've said what we should say, so what about what we shouldn't say?"
Xing Zhaozhao pursed her lips and remained silent.
Xing Zhaoming frowned and looked at Xing Zhaozhao: "When I went to the Chen family, Jia Shu and Jia Ping mentioned that Chen Hao came to Lanyuan because something happened to someone in the old family. You and Chen Hao are involved, could it be related to that matter as well?"
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes flashed. She'd been right.
"What exactly happened?" Gao Mingcheng asked again.
Xing Zhaozhao hesitated for a moment, then used Xiao Hongling as a shield: "That matter... is inconvenient to talk about, the child is still here."
Xing Zhaoming dismissed it, saying, "Little Hongling is so young, how could she know so much?"
Xing Zhaozhao retorted, "Our little Hongling may be young, but she's very clever, isn't she, little Hongling?"
Little Red Lotus responded with an "Mmm" and nodded.
Gao Mingcheng: "..."
Xing Zhaoming: "..."
Gao Mingcheng decisively took Xiao Hongling away and sent her to play with her brothers.
"Can you tell me now?" Gao Mingcheng looked at Xing Zhaozhao firmly, no longer allowing her to fool him.
With her shield gone, Xing Zhaozhao helplessly pursed her lips and had no choice but to confess honestly: "I... killed someone."
Gao Mingcheng and Xing Zhaoming's expressions changed drastically at the same time: "??!!" This was indeed something a child shouldn't have heard.
Gao Mingcheng's heart tightened, and he almost couldn't catch his breath. He grabbed Xing Zhaozhao's hand tightly in a panic: "What happened? Who... did you kill?"
"Chen Dachuan." Xing Zhaozhao took a deep breath and told them what had happened.
When Gao Mingcheng heard that his two sons had been captured by Chen Dachuan and used to threaten Xing Zhaozhao into submission, his heart clenched, and his eyes burned with fierce anger. It was only because Chen Dachuan was already gone that he could stand here. From being alive to dying, it would probably only take the blink of an eye.
Xing Zhaoming's complexion didn't improve much either.
"How did Chen Hao find out?" Gao Mingcheng asked, his voice slightly hoarse.
“He happened to be tracking Chen Dachuan with the police from the province and ended up here,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Xing Zhaoming's heart skipped a beat: "He found the body."
Xing Zhaozhao shook her head: "I disposed of the body in the deep mountains, but I left in a hurry and probably left some traces that allowed them to find it."
Gao Mingcheng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Did they threaten you?"
Xing Zhaozhao continued to shake her head: "They left without saying anything."
Gao Mingcheng and Xing Zhaoming exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief. They had helped cover it up; they would remember this favor.
Seeing that Xing Zhaoming seemed genuinely intending to repay Chen Hao's favor, Xing Zhaozhao reluctantly pulled him back, saying, "Brother, if you really intend to get a divorce, then just do it. There's no need to change your mind just to repay this favor for me. Even if he still has the evidence from back then to use against me, I should repay this favor myself, not you."
Xing Zhaoming smiled and patted Xing Zhaozhao's head: "But why does he insist on using this favor to repay it? It's alright, if we don't want to divorce, then we don't have to. We can stay married, but some feelings are just gone. If forcing it will make her happy, then let her have her wish. Favors are hard to repay. Since Chen Hao is willing to waste them here, it's fine. It'll save us from having to come looking for help again next time we encounter something difficult to help, which would be terrible."
After Xing Zhaoming finished speaking, he went back to find Chen Hao and said, "Deal."
"That's great!" Chen Wei was overjoyed and rushed over to hug Xing Zhaoming's arm.
Xing Zhaoming did not dodge, but the warmth on his face was no longer there.
Chen Wei, however, turned a blind eye to this. As long as they didn't get divorced, it was fine.
Seeing that Chen Hao had Xing Zhaozhao and the others under his thumb with just one sentence, Chen Wei felt confident again. She forgot all about her previous promise to change and stopped pretending, since she already knew everything anyway.
She found fault with Xing Zhaozhao in every way, from people to things, and kept urging Xing Zhaoming to leave as soon as possible.
Everyone knows what kind of person she is, and no one expects her to change. Whether it's Xing Zhaozhao or Xing Zhaoming, they both have an "I don't care" attitude. Since they can't leave each other anyway, they might as well just make do.
Xing Zhaoming originally planned to stay with Xing Zhaozhao for a few more days, but because of Chen Wei's sudden arrival, he packed his things the next day, took his two children and Chen Wei and left to return to the army, so as not to stay any longer and make his sister and brother-in-law's life uncomfortable.
Chen Hao saw Xing Zhaoming and Chen Wei off at the train station. Looking at the family of four, apart from Chen Wei who was smiling brightly, not to mention Xing Zhaoming, even the two children looked at their mother with a hint of unfamiliarity in their eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if such a precious favor had been wasted.
The house returned to its usual tranquility.
Although there was nothing more to help with at the archaeological excavation site in the mountains, Xing Zhaozhao would still occasionally go with Gao Mingcheng and the children to visit Professor Yang. On their way back, they would take a stroll in the mountains and collect some rare wild mountain products.
Early that morning, Xing Zhaozhao carried a basket of freshly picked wild strawberries on her back, preparing to go to the gate to see the children, especially since she had promised Xia Xiaoyue that she would go to see her. Recently, her family had been very busy. First, they encountered an expedition to the mountains to excavate an ancient tomb and needed to help. Then Xing Zhaoming came over. Now that she finally had some free time, she decided to hurry over and make a trip.
As usual, Gao Mingcheng held Xiao Hongling and watched Xing Zhaozhao leave.
This wasn't the first time he'd watched Xing Zhaozhao go to another world. He should have gotten used to it by now, but for some reason, his heart suddenly started pounding wildly, making him feel uneasy and surprised.
"Zhao Zhao." He frowned and subconsciously called out to her.
"Huh?" Xing Zhaozhao turned to look at him in surprise.
Gao Mingcheng looked at her and remained silent for a moment: "Come back soon."
Xing Zhaozhao smiled and nodded in agreement: "I understand, I'll be back before dinner."
Gao Mingcheng watched her disappear into the wall, then picked up Xiao Hongling and turned to leave the cellar, never imagining that this seemingly ordinary parting would almost become a final farewell.
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