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Once she was in the car and the door was immediately locked from the inside, Lina looked at Edward in shock and asked, "You're lying to me?"
“No,” Edward said calmly, looking at Lina. “I’ll just be going back a little later.”
Knowing exactly what he was up to, Lina pouted. "Actually, you don't need to worry so much," she said, sounding a little down. "I do like him because I'm curious about him. The more curious I am, the stranger and more interesting I find him," Lina said. "But that doesn't mean he likes me."
"You're right, I'm just a good-for-nothing rich kid living off my family's wealth."
Edward raised an eyebrow; it seemed she had encountered a cunning individual.
"You'd better not say anything too offensive," Lina warned. "You know, he's not interested in me at all, so don't make it sound like we're the ones who are presumptuous."
Edward nodded. "No, I just want to thank him for taking care of you, if he can come back." Edward took out his phone. "Looks like he really can come back."
“I told you he wasn’t a drug dealer!” Lina exclaimed triumphantly. “You can’t just look down on people like that…”
“At least I can’t believe the innocence of someone whose own brother is a drug dealer, especially given how close the brothers are,” Edward said with a smile.
Lina's face fell. "Just because his brother is a jerk doesn't mean he is. He's a really good person."
Edward's forehead veins bulged as he forced a smile. "Drive carefully, Lao Wang," he gestured to the driver to quickly roll up the windows. If he could say one more word to Lina, he would be able to resist breaking the law in front of everyone.
Lina clung to the car window in frustration, watching the shabby little apartment recede further and further away from her.
"Uncle Wang, is my uncle really angry?"
Old Wang shook his head helplessly, finally remembering something important.
"Not that angry?" Lina was a little happy to see him shake his head.
“I’ve never seen you so angry before,” Old Wang said with a smile. “Very, very angry.”
"..." Lina lay down in the car in despair.
“I’m just a little angry, it’s their fault for spying on me,” Lina said, now starting to get scared. “It’s not my fault.”
Old Wang maintained his smile and did not offer any further comments.
"It's clearly their fault, I didn't do anything, right?" Lina gripped the back of her chair and leaned over to ask Old Wang in front of her.
"..."
"Say something, Uncle Wang!" Lina cried out anxiously.
"Miss, the gentleman might listen to the recording in the car," Old Wang said with a smile.
"..."
"I told you he was a control freak! Who could stand this?" Lina covered her face in despair.
*
Daryl was released again, completely bewildered. Aside from being stared at with strange looks by the police, all he received was a thank you for cooperating with the investigation.
And Moore has really messed up now; his words have come true.
The police officer tactfully told him that it would take at least three years.
It's not necessarily life imprisonment. After all, the luckiest thing about this old guy is that he wasn't caught on the spot, so the amount he handled can't be determined. But once the amount is confirmed, it's not enough to put him in life imprisonment.
When Daryl knocked on the door, he nervously pulled out the roses from his bag. They were already a little wilted, thanks to the rough treatment they had received from those guys.
There wasn't time to change it now, so Daryl was a little annoyed and could only irritably pull it down a bit.
Daryl was somewhat surprised when the door opened, but he quickly realized what was happening.
So everything that happened in the afternoon was foreshadowed; her family arrived.
“Daryl Dixon.” Edward didn’t ignore the tattered red rose in his hand, and his smile deepened. Indeed, his methods were clever. Was this how he kept Lena strung along?
He was much smarter than those young lads at rejecting her while giving her a glimmer of hope.
Daryl pursed his lips and looked into the room, but he didn't see her.
“She’s already home. I hope you can forgive my haste and inconvenience. After all, her impulsive running away from home scared all of us. Her uncle even flew over from abroad overnight, just waiting to see her before he could feel at ease.” Edward gestured for Daryl to come inside and sit down.
Daryl was a little flustered. He was always quite perceptive, so he certainly didn't think that the person in front of him was actually welcoming.
“Thank you so much for taking care of her during this time. She has repeatedly emphasized to us not to offend you in the slightest,” Edward shook his head slightly. “How could we? Not everyone is so lucky to meet such a ‘kind person.’ We are grateful to you.” Edward picked up a box. “I heard that your first meeting caused you quite a bit of trouble because of Lina’s prank. This is her uncle’s apology to you, no matter what.”
Daryl knew without even thinking what was inside: a box of money.
Edward opened the suitcase, which was full of US dollars.
“Lina has always been mischievous, and to be honest, her uncle’s way of handling things is also inappropriate, always so rough,” Edward pushed the box toward Daryl. “Of course, I believe it will be more useful to you as well.”
Daryl pursed his lips and clenched the flower in his hand. He had learned her name, but not in the way he had expected.
"Please forgive my bluntness," Edward said, seemingly a little embarrassed. "I'm getting on in years, and sometimes I just speak my mind."
Daryl glanced at him; he looked to be only about thirty years old. Getting old? He's good at making excuses.
“Please allow me to express our sincere gratitude again. If this can help your brother get through this difficult time, I think Lina will be very happy.” Edward glanced at his watch. “I have to catch a flight, so I won’t chat with you any longer. Lina is a bit of a rascal, her thoughts change every day. Fortunately, she’s young, and being playful isn’t a bad thing. She’s seen everything, so she knows what’s right for her.”
“I won’t bother you any longer,” Edward smiled and turned to leave.
Daryl stared blankly at the money on the table; this family really did share the same ways.
Daryl chuckled mockingly, closed the box, and casually tossed the flowers in his hand onto the table. The lilies in the vase were wilted, but the person who had been paying attention to them was no longer there.
Just as he said, Daryl needed the money, and he wanted to have the backbone to refuse it, but reality is so ridiculous that no matter how firmly he refused the money, those people wouldn't respect him for it.
Moore needs this money.
He fell headfirst into it after a little calculation. There's one thing they really said: these rich guys are all very cunning.
The game was over. Daryl took one last look at the roses on the table, then silently lay down on the sofa.
This is the norm; we should have gotten used to it by now.
*
Contrary to Lina's expectations, her uncle did not get angry when he saw her. Instead, he checked her over and over to make sure she was not missing any limbs or had bruises on her face. He then apologized to her with remorse, saying that he shouldn't have given her the phone that was being monitored. He explained that he was just too worried about Lina and had made a mistake. He promised Lina that it would never happen again.
He didn't mention a word about Lina running away from home.
Lina was completely bewildered. She was prepared to be scolded, even to angrily leave the family, but... this was not how things were supposed to go.
Lina listened to her uncle's concernful inquiries in a daze, and then, under his persuasion, she inexplicably agreed to go to university. Then she hurriedly rushed to catch her flight.
...
Before Lina could even process it, everything was already settled.
Anne shook her head helplessly at the absent-minded Lina. Before she returned, Ed had already talked to her uncle and found that Lina, being the only silly child, was the easiest to coax.
That's why they were worried about her.
"Are you tired? Go upstairs and take a shower, get some sleep, we can talk about everything else after you've woken up." Annie gently pulled Lina upstairs.
Lina looked at Annie blankly. "Something feels off about me."
"..." Something's not right, silly girl, Annie smiled.
Before Lina could say anything more, Annie pushed her into the room, "How about I put some rose essential oil in there for you?"
“No,” Lina pursed her lips, a little annoyed. “Lavender, please.”
“Okay,” Annie raised an eyebrow, “Want a midnight snack after your shower?”
"Eat," she thought, realizing she hadn't eaten dinner and was starting to feel hungry.
"Have a piece of candy first, and don't soak it for too long," Annie instructed.
"Okay," Lina said, snuggling up to Annie and taking her clothes into the bathroom.
Edward returned home late at night. A small lamp was lit on the sofa in the living room, and Anne was sitting there reading a book.
“The light is too dim, don’t read like that,” Edward complained gently. “Be careful of your eyes.” He went over and kissed Annie’s forehead.
“I just wanted to wait for you to come back,” Anne closed her book and hugged Edward’s neck. “Have you seen him? How was it?”
Edward rolled his eyes. "Not good at all! I even suspect that Lena might," Edward lowered his voice, "have an Oedipus complex? Is she lacking fatherly love? Am I not doing a good enough job?"
Anne paused for a moment, then asked, "How old is he?"
“Thirty, but looks like he’s forty,” Edward said, scoffing.
“Darling, not everyone can be like you, looking like you’re thirty at fifty,” Anne raised an eyebrow. “After all, this is a family talent, and it’s not even a racial talent anymore.”
“That’s true,” Edward said smugly, touching his face. “I can only make a living with this face.”
Anne's eyebrow twitched, and she reached out to pinch Edward's waist. "Let's get down to business,"
“Hiss—” Edward sat up straight. “Lina said that guy doesn’t like her, making it seem like she has a one-sided crush. I thought he was at least handsome, right? It’s common for guys to use their looks to fool young girls. But what happened? He opened the door with a bunch of red roses, all scruffy and unshaven. My God, I thought I was seeing your dad.”
Annie glared at Edward, who awkwardly touched the tip of his nose. "Well, I can't help it, you know I have face blindness."
Annie shook her head helplessly. "And then?"
"No, here's the important part: Lina said she wasn't interested in him, but in reality, she used every means to seduce an eighteen-year-old girl..."
Edward heard footsteps on the stairs. He paused for a moment, then ran over. He only heard the sound of the door closing.
"How much of what I just said do you think she heard? Was I being too harsh?" Edward turned to look at Anne in alarm.
Anne sighed and looked at him helplessly. "Ed, I really want to see him in person. Lina may not be that smart, but she's good at judging people. She has her own way of doing things. I don't believe that the person she likes would really be a worthless person."
“…Then you have a bias towards her,” Edward said. “She’s the dumbest in the family, without a doubt.”
"As for the person she likes? Maybe he has his merits, but not everyone is interested in digging deeper," Edward said seriously. "I don't deny that they might be happy together, but it won't last. If Lena is willing to spend money to support him, I don't mind. The question is, how long can they last?"
Anne frowned.
"..." Edward didn't want to see Anne's sorrow. He chuckled and moved closer to Anne, "After all, not everyone can live off a woman as openly as I can."
Anne looked at Edward helplessly and pinched his cheek. "I just think this is Lena's business. You should let her decide for herself. You're interfering too much in her life."
“What if she knew a decent person?” Edward said, not pleased. “Her brother is a drug dealer, and her father is an alcoholic scoundrel. I know there are examples of bad bamboo producing good shoots, but there’s also the saying that like begets like, and like rats digging holes.”
“But…” Anne wanted to argue, but Edward cut her off. “Don’t give me your nonsense. All I know is that no matter how independent he is, he grew up under the same family and had a close relationship with his brother. He’s the kind of person who can’t support his family or buy a house even at thirty, and who only makes his wife and children suffer.”
Faced with this situation, Annie knew that saying anything would be useless. "I'll go check on Lina."
Edward nodded. "I didn't humiliate him, not in any way, and I ended the conversation very politely," Edward emphasized.
If he really didn't, he wouldn't have emphasized it. Anne, who knew perfectly well, was too lazy to expose Edward and simply smiled and nodded.
Speechless at the two stupid men, Annie went upstairs and knocked on the door.
"I don't want to talk to you, not for the next few days. Leave me alone!" Lina shouted from inside the house.
“Okay,” Anne said helplessly, “I’m always here if you want to talk to me, okay?”
“Thank you, Annie,” Lina said.
Anne sighed. It was the first time Lena had liked someone, at the wrong time and in the wrong place, but at least it deserved a proper ending.
As the noise at the door faded away, Lina opened the window and lowered the knotted rope she had tied, which just reached downstairs.
She wanted to give her first love an ending, even if it wasn't perfect; it was her choice.
Of course she expects perfection, as everyone does, but she also accepts reality. They always think she's incredibly foolish and that she can't accept reality.
What a joke! After surviving her near-death experience, her only motto in life is to enjoy life to the fullest.
Just a man.
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