Chapter 231: Chapter 221: Don’t forget there’s a woman waiting for you at home!
Xiao Lin was amused, just as he said earlier, isn’t this what you police should be doing? Seeing Wu Shuang’s disgruntled face, Xiao Lin casually said, "Am I your boss?"
"Uh... no!" Wu Shuang replied helplessly.
"Then, am I your colleague?" Xiao Lin stared at Wu Shuang and asked.
"No, neither!" Wu Shuang answered weakly. By this point, Wu Shuang already realized that she might have been too unreasonable just now. Why was that? What exactly was she thinking just now?
"Then I’ll ask one last question, aren’t these things supposed to be done by you police?" Xiao Lin asked with a slight smile.
"...Yes!" Wu Shuang replied with difficulty.
"Then, for things I’m not supposed to do, I initiated them for you, and I have enough strength to handle the follow-up. Does that still count as starting strong but finishing weak? Are you saying that you police are the weak link?" Xiao Lin chuckled, showing a trace of disdain on his face.
This expression made Wu Shuang very angry, but every word Xiao Lin said was true, not a single falsehood, each word striking her heart. Besides, Wu Shuang knew she had been unreasonable before, but seeing Xiao Lin’s slightly disdainful expression still made her furious, with no outlet to vent.
Seeing Wu Shuang’s face turning slightly red, Xiao Lin knew he couldn’t say anything more and wasn’t surprised that this beautiful police officer was picking a fight with him. After several encounters with this beautiful officer, especially in the beginning, which were far from pleasant, he didn’t think in other directions.
"Alright, since there’s nothing else, you can go on with your business. Thanks to your help these times, I’ll invite you out for coffee sometime!" Xiao Lin wasn’t exactly oblivious to social niceties, after all, Wu Shuang had helped him a couple of times, working with her was enjoyable, with no worries. Treating her to coffee was only proper.
Wu Shuang didn’t know how to respond to Xiao Lin, she simply glared at him. Xiao Lin smiled, turned around, and walked toward the woods. Watching Xiao Lin’s departing figure, the anger Wu Shuang had tamped down flared again, but with nowhere to vent, she muttered bitterly to Xiao Lin’s back, "Next time, it won’t be that easy!" What she meant by that, only she probably knew.
Xiao Lin didn’t have the time to ponder Wu Shuang’s feelings or why she acted strangely tonight. He vaguely guessed, but thought it unlikely. Was he flattering himself too much? Considering how she always seemed displeased with him, how could she possibly like him? Thus, Xiao Lin forced himself to suppress the thought.
After leaving the special police unit, Xiao Lin called Xia Xue, confirming that she and Liang Feng were safely waiting halfway up the mountain. In fact, Liang Feng had just knocked out two fleeing members of the Poison Dragon Gang.
Beside a secluded pavilion halfway up the mountain, a blue Jaguar was quietly parked in a small grove not far away, standing still.
Inside the car were naturally Xia Xue and Liang Feng. Xia Xue didn’t accompany Xiao Lin to the hospital today, instead picking up her car from maintenance. The car was an ordinary vehicle for getting around, Xia Xue wasn’t very demanding in this regard, as long as she had something to drive. Otherwise, even though she had a fight with her family before, getting a Lamborghini wouldn’t have been an issue, but Xia Xue didn’t want to draw attention at the hospital.
"Why isn’t he here yet? Xiao Feng, do you think something happened to Xiao Lin?" Seeing no sign of Xiao Lin on the path by the pavilion, Xia Xue asked worriedly. After all, Xiao Lin said earlier he’d be able to meet them in at most fifteen minutes, yet twenty-five had passed by without him.
Moreover, in this environment, they didn’t dare to call or text him, afraid of disturbing him at a critical moment, which would do more harm than good.
Liang Feng was also nervous, knowing Brother Lin was very capable, able to escape unscathed from that situation earlier, and had called them afterwards. But with no sign of him for so long, it was worrisome.
Seeing Xia Xue more anxious than herself, Liang Feng, being trained in martial arts and a master at that, naturally had a steadier mind than Xia Xue. She reassured in a calm voice, "Sister Xue, don’t worry, Brother Lin will be fine. He was alright in that awful situation earlier, and it’s just a matter of coming down the mountain to find us. Besides, the mountain is big, Brother Lin isn’t familiar with it. He might’ve been delayed looking for us, just wait a bit more, he’ll surely show up!"
Hearing Liang Feng’s reassurance, Xia Xue thought it over and nodded, "You’re right, so should we call to ask now?"
"Let’s wait a bit more, give it another five minutes. If Brother Lin hasn’t appeared or contacted us in five minutes, then we’ll call!" Liang Feng replied after a moment’s hesitation.
"Okay!" Xia Xue nodded, but was worried again inside.
Five minutes passed, as Xia Xue was tensely about to dial Xiao Lin’s number, a figure suddenly emerged from the path behind the pavilion. Liang Feng quickly stopped Xia Xue, "Sister Xue, no need to call!"
Xia Xue hadn’t spotted Xiao Lin yet, she shouted, "What do you mean? Could it be..." Before Xia Xue could finish, Liang Feng had opened the car door, got out, waved ahead, and quietly called out, "Brother Lin, over here!"
Xiao Lin is incredibly perceptive; the moment Liang Feng opened the car door, he already knew the two women were definitely hiding in the grove. Hearing Liang Feng’s voice, he quickly ran towards the grove.
Xia Xue didn’t say anything further; seeing Xiao Lin return safely, the great weight in her heart completely lifted.
"Brother Lin, if you hadn’t appeared, Sister Xue would have scolded me!" After Xiao Lin got into the back seat, Liang Feng turned her head and jokingly said to him.
"You little punk, asking for trouble huh!" Seeing Xiao Lin return safely, Xia Xue’s whole body and mind relaxed, joking around with Liang Feng didn’t matter anymore, especially since what Liang Feng just said seemed to be true.
Xiao Lin, however, wasn’t in the mood for jokes. For him, North Mountain was just the beginning; even bigger scenes were coming up soon.
"Xiaoxue, head directly back to school!" Xiao Lin said solemnly, then closed his eyes, his mind racing, thinking about what to do next.
Xia Xue and Liang Feng heard his tone seemed not so relaxed, so they dared not disturb him, and the car fell into a silent gloom with no conversation.
Xia Xue was also seeing this side of Xiao Lin for the first time, so serious, even somewhat profound, the atmosphere in the car was quite oppressive.
It was already past midnight, the road had far fewer vehicles, Xia Xue drove the car to Yan University in just over twenty minutes, parking in front of the teachers’ building.
"Xiaoxue, you go ahead and rest, Liang Feng and I still have some things to do!" After parking the car, Xiao Lin opened his eyes and said in a deep tone.
"Can’t those things wait until tomorrow?" Xia Xue suddenly asked.
Xiao Lin paused for a moment, then spoke in an undeniable tone: "Go rest!"
It was the first time Xia Xue saw such a serious expression and unfriendly tone from Xiao Lin, making him seem almost like a different person. Seeing his determined gaze, she suddenly softened: "Be careful, don’t forget there’s a woman waiting for you at home!"
Though Xia Xue didn’t know what Xiao Lin was going to do next, she knew it was dangerous, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent her back first before going to handle it. It was likely related to the Poison Dragon Gang’s affairs tonight.
Upon hearing Xia Xue’s words, the originally stern and profound look in Xiao Lin’s eyes revealed a trace of warmth, his voice softened quite a bit, "Mm, I know."
Xia Xue got out of the car, Xiao Lin moved to the driver’s seat, bid her farewell, then started the engine, quickly driving towards the gate outside Yan University.
"Brother Lin, where are we going?" Liang Feng felt a bit uneasy, seeing Xiao Lin’s expression made her inexplicably fearful.
"Taking you to see the road you want to walk!" Xiao Lin replied with just this sentence, then said no more.
Liang Feng looked at Xiao Lin, his expression still harsh, making her more puzzled about the meaning of his words. No matter how much she asked, Xiao Lin wouldn’t say.
About twenty minutes later, the car ascended a mountain, a mountain Liang Feng had never visited before. Judging by the location, it must be West Mountain. Unlike North Mountain, West Mountain was only a third of its height, but those who lived here were either wealthy or distinguished, known as the alternate government quarters of the city, where notable figures lived, and ordinary people couldn’t easily come here.
Liang Feng knew that even if she asked Xiao Lin now, he wouldn’t say anything. Still, she felt a bit anxious inside, wondering what the difference was between coming here and looking at the road he mentioned.
The car stopped in front of a villa at the mountain top. After getting out, Xiao Lin just told Liang Feng, "Wait in the car!" Liang Feng responded without asking why.
At the gate, Xiao Lin was greeted not by Secretary Luo but by the housekeeper, who respectfully led him inside, saying, "Master is waiting for you in the study on the second floor!"
Xiao Lin nodded, following the housekeeper directly to the second floor. Hua Muyun was sitting behind the office desk in the study, with a cup of tea and a pile of documents in front of him. Seeing Xiao Lin arrive, he smiled and said, "What’s the matter this late at night?" Though Hua Muyun appeared relaxed, internally he was far less so. He knew that Xiao Lin wouldn’t disturb him at such a late hour unless it was urgent, so he got straight to the point in asking. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian () to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)