At the police station, Grandma Jing asked Xing Zhaozhao about the details of the incident. When she heard that Ling Ze had not actually drowned in the Qingxi River, she was not even happy before she learned that her son had been adopted by Ling Yongde, suffered from depression due to his torment, and died young. She almost went crazy and wanted to rush into the interrogation room and tear Ling Yongde apart. In the end, Ling Shuang held her back and cried for a long time before she finally calmed down.
When Xing Zhaozhao and the others finished giving their statements and were about to leave, they happened to run into the police bringing Zeng Shou and Li Xiang back. They stayed a little longer and listened to a bit of the interrogation process.
Perhaps it was because they were getting older and had become more aware of the situation, but when the police asked them about what happened back then, the two of them confessed everything without hesitation. After all, they were accomplices and were both quite old, so hopefully they could be treated leniently.
Xing Zhaozhao didn't know how the judge would sentence the two of them, but Ling Yongde was probably a done deal. Even if he didn't die, he would probably be in jail for the rest of his life and never get out.
After leaving the police station, Xing Zhaozhao went to Lingjiazhuang with Ling Shuang and Old Madam Jing to pay respects to Ling Xiao and Ling Ze, who were buried on the mountain.
Afterwards, Ling Shuang and Gao Han stayed behind to discuss the relocation of the grave with Grandma Jing. It was said that they needed to find someone to choose an auspicious day before they could start construction. Xing Zhaozhao didn't get involved and went back to Lanyuan Town with Gao Mingcheng and the others.
Gao Lianzhou was interested in staying to see how the grave was moved, but Gao Han handed him over to Ying Rongrong to take back. He still had to go to school, so he wasn't given any chance to skip class.
Although Gao Lianzhou felt a little disappointed, she didn't insist. She happily ran to squeeze into a car with Xing Zhaozhao and Gao Mingcheng, saying that she hadn't seen her fairy sister for a long time and wanted to get close to her older sister Xing Zhaozhao. However, she didn't succeed and was dragged by Gao Hongfei to ride in a car with his grandmother.
Sitting in the car, Xing Zhaozhao looked at the two old men on either side of her, her brow twitched, and she asked, "Don't you feel cramped?"
"I think it's fine," Gao Mingcheng said.
“I think it’s fine too,” Gao Hongfei added.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..." Yes, you all sit very comfortably, but she's the one sandwiched in the middle.
Xing Zhaozhao patted Gao Hongfei: "Go sit in the front."
Gao Hongfei was unhappy and looked aggrieved: "Mom, you're not fair. You're biased. Last time you secretly met with Dad without inviting me, and I didn't say anything. This time I just wanted to sit together for a while, so what?"
Hearing his son's tearful complaint, fearing that Xing Zhaozhao would soften her heart, Gao Mingcheng, without waiting for her to say anything, preemptively said with a stern face, "You already said I'm your father. Isn't it your duty to respect your elders?"
Gao Hongfei retorted, "I'm your son. As an elder, isn't it only right that I take care of the younger generation?"
The two glared at each other, their expressions tense, neither willing to back down.
The atmosphere inside the car suddenly became tense.
The driver in the driver's seat fell silent, a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead. He sat there stiffly, afraid to move, silently repeating to himself, "I don't know anything, I didn't hear anything." He was filled with regret; he should have known he should have driven the extended Rolls-Royce, which would have been much more spacious.
Xing Zhaozhao's face darkened. Not wanting to indulge these two, she opened the car door on Gao Mingcheng's side and climbed off him.
"What's wrong, Zhao Zhao?" Gao Mingcheng asked, puzzled. He then tried to get out of the car, but Xing Zhao Zhao slammed the door shut behind him.
“Since you two insist on arguing, why don’t you have a good talk?” Xing Zhaozhao said, then looked at the driver and said, “Drive.”
The driver wanted to cry: "..." He was afraid, what should he do?
Xing Zhaozhao's eyes widened: "Drive."
"Yes." The driver responded subconsciously, stepped on the gas, and drove off.
Xing Zhaozhao turned around and got into a car with Ying Rongrong and Gao Lianzhou.
Gao Lianzhou was sulking after being dragged out by her grandfather. Seeing that they had left first, Xing Zhaozhao stayed behind and rode in the same car with them. She asked in surprise, "Huh? Fairy sister, why didn't you go with great-grandfather and the others?"
“It’s too noisy. Let them both calm down,” Xing Zhaozhao said.
Gao Lianzhou laughed heartily: "Serves you right."
Noticing the disapproving looks from Xing Zhaozhao and Ying Rongrong, he immediately straightened his face and said solemnly, "Of course, Fairy Sister did a good job."
Xing Zhaozhao smiled, and when she looked up, she accidentally met Ying Rongrong's gaze.
Ying Rongrong was unsure how to face Xing Zhaozhao, and feeling somewhat uncomfortable, she quickly looked away and at the driver in front of her, saying, "Let's drive."
Compared to the tense atmosphere in Gao Mingcheng and Gao Hongfei's car, Xing Zhaozhao and Ying Rongrong seemed a bit awkward. Fortunately, Gao Lianzhou was there, constantly chattering away, which eased the tension considerably.
Seeing that the atmosphere was pleasant, Xing Zhaozhao looked at Ying Rongrong and asked, "Rongrong has retired?"
Ying Rongrong's smile froze for a moment. Hearing someone younger than her call her "Rongrong" still made her feel a little uncomfortable.
However, Ying Rongrong nodded and replied, "Mm."
"What did you do before you retired?" Xing Zhaozhao asked.
“She works as an accountant in a government agency,” Ying Rongrong said.
"Can you read the contract?" Xing Zhaozhao blinked, looking at Ying Rongrong expectantly, and asked. Originally, she had planned to ask Gao Mingcheng or Gao Hongfei, but they were in another car and couldn't help, so she had no choice but to ask Ying Rongrong, who was readily available, and would try again if that didn't work.
"Contract? What contract?" Ying Rongrong asked.
Xing Zhaozhao immediately took out the contract drafted by Factory Director Xu and handed it to Ying Rongrong: "This is it. Can you take a look and see if there are any problems?"
Ying Rongrong casually flipped through the pages, then looked at Xing Zhaozhao in surprise: "You're planning to collaborate with the old textile factory to produce clothes?"
Xing Zhaozhao nodded: "I'll be responsible for the drawings, and they'll be responsible for production and sales."
Ying Rongrong glanced at the profit-sharing ratio and said in surprise, "They actually gave you 40%, and they'll raise it by another 5 percentage points if you exceed that. It seems the old textile factory is very optimistic about the prospects of your cooperation."
Xing Zhaozhao said proudly, "Of course."
Ying Rongrong explained all the terms to her in words she could understand, and finally concluded: "You can sign it."
Xing Zhaozhao glanced out the car window; they had already returned to Lanyuan Town. She then said, "Since there's no problem with the contract, why don't you come with me to the textile factory now and sign it?"
Ying Rongrong: "..." I just asked her to help me look at the contract.
Seeing that Ying Rongrong didn't say anything, Xing Zhaozhao asked, "What's wrong? Do you have something else to do?"
Ying Rongrong shook her head: "No, not at all."
“Let’s go together then.” Xing Zhaozhao made the decision immediately, looking at the driver in front of her, “To the old textile factory, you know the place, right?”
The driver paused for a moment, then quickly nodded: "I know." The intersection was just ahead, so he turned the steering wheel and changed direction.
Ying Rongrong: "..." She hadn't even said anything yet... Oh well, let's leave it at that...
In the car ahead, Gao Mingcheng and Gao Hongfei's driver glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed that the car that had been following behind had suddenly turned around. He quickly reminded them, "General, Chairman, the car behind us suddenly turned around for some reason and stopped following."
"What?" Gao Mingcheng and Gao Hongfei were both startled and turned to look behind them. Sure enough, the car that had been following them was gone.
"Turn around and follow them," Gao Mingcheng ordered.
Driver: "..." It's a one-way street, I can't turn around.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com