He felt guilty.
Zhuang Zijin hesitated. In the past she would not hesitate and would have said yes instantly.
Now that she had promised Lin Xinyan that she was not going to pressure her nor try to matchmake He Ruize and her, Zhuang Zijin did not dare to say yes to him that easily.
“I need to ask Yan about this.” Zhuang Zijin reached out for the phone, but He Ruize covered the phone with his hand. “It’s just a lunch; you won’t need to ask her. My car is just downstairs.”
Zhuang Zijin still did not answer him. She was afraid that Lin Xinyan would not be happy if she decided for her.
Lin Xinyan was the one supporting the family. It was difficult for her, so she did not want her daughter to be unhappy.
“Let’s go. I’m not a predator. We’ve known each other for so long, are you not going to trust me?” He Ruize stood up.
Zhuang Zijin looked at the clock. It was just ten in the morning; it was not time for lunch yet. “Isn’t it a little early for lunch now?”
“The restaurant I booked is far. By the time we reach, it’ll be noon. It won’t be too early.” He Ruize tried his best to convince Zhuang Zijin.
It would not be too good if she were to reject He Ruize again. So, she nodded and said, “Sit on the couch and wait for a while. I’ll get the children ready.”
She undid her apron and went into the bedroom.
Lin Xichen was sitting by the bay window and his sister was in his arms. He was teaching her how to draw with the tablet.
Lin Xinyan had returned the tablet and smartwatch to him, so he could call his teacher and play games again.
Zhuang Zijin carried Lin Ruixi. She was still wearing house clothes, so she had to change.
Lin Xichen was leaning against a soft pillow. On his leg was the tablet and his fingers swiped across the screen. He asked lazily, “Grandma, are you changing for her because you’re going out?”
“Yes, you— Uncle said he’s bringing us out for lunch.” Zhuang Zijin had thought about her son when she said uncle.
Lin Xichen sat straight up, blinked, and looked at Zhuang Zijin. “Grandma, what did you just say?”
Zhuang Zijin patiently repeated her words.
Lin Xichen put down his tablet, slid down the bay window, and quietly opened the door to look out. He Ruize was there sitting on the couch; his head was wrapped in bandages.
He thought about the video he saw on Zong Jinghao’s phone. He thought about the look on his face as he chased after mommy.
He had never seen his mommy in so much panic and looking so helpless.
Lin Xichen clenched his small hands. “A wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s worse than the heartless man.”
He looked like a good person on the outside, yet he had secretly hurt his mommy.
“What are you talking about?” Zhuang Zijin turned to look at Lin Xichen who was mumbling to himself by the door. “Do you want to change your clothes?”
“No.” Lin Xichen said coldly. What lunch?
Hah!
He would not want to go for lunch.
Who knew if this wolf in sheep’s clothing was going to kidnap them to threaten mommy.
Lin Xichen shivered at the thought.
“I want to pee.” Lin Xichen ran to the bathroom. He closed the door and locked it.
What should he do?
How could he stop Zhuang Zijin from going with He Ruize without He Ruize realizing something was going on?
Lin Xichen sat on the toilet bowl with a frustrated look on his face. Suddenly, he remembered that he had Zong Jinghao’s number. And so, he dialed the number.
Wanyue.
In Zong Jinghao’s office, there was a man with an unfamiliar face.
This man was Zong Jinghao’s friend.
He was the one who organized the gathering and invited Zong Jinghao at KS Private Club the last time.
However, Zong Jinghao had met with Lin Xinyan who was nearly raped. So Zong Jinghao had not gone for the gathering.
He remembered it.
The moment Su Zhan entered the room, he mocked, “Tsk tsk. As someone who go ditched, I’m surprised you have a need for me. What a rare sight.”
When he had gotten the call, he thought he had misheard him.
Zong Jinghao did not bother with his words. “The things and people are there.”
In the case of a lawsuit, the lawyer had to know the entire course of the incident.
He had to determine whether the evidence was useful.
Su Zhan’s lips turned downwards. “That’s too much of you. The best lawyers in the firm were lured away by you to work for your company’s legal affairs. Now you want me, the boss, to work on your lawsuit?”
Hm?
It was now that Su Zhan realized that the person on the couch wearing a suit was not a man but a woman.
He leaned his body and walked towards the couch. He stared Lin Xinyan. “Is this your ex-wife?”
When Zong Jinghao and Lin Xinyan had married, he was studying abroad.
Later, Lin Xinyan had left.
So he had never seen her.
He had only heard from Guan Jing that Zong Jinghao’s ex-wife of a month’s marriage was back.
“I didn’t have the chance last time, so I have to see how you look like this time.” The one who made Zong Jinghao turned back for her.
One of the seven wonders of the world.
Su Zhan moved towards Lin Xinyan before he was suddenly dragged by his back collar. “Be serious.”
“Hey, don’t be like that. People cross the bridge when they come to it, but for you, you burn the bridge before you cross it. Do you still want my help?” Su Zhan took a few steps back from Zong Jinghao’s pull.
Lin Xinyan touched her hair to cover her embarrassment from being watched.
On a side, Yu Doudou was watching with wide eyes. Oh my god, Wanyue Group’s CEO was Lin Xinyan’s ex-husband?
“Jinghao, you can’t be like that. Let me tell you, a person can’t be too—”
“I heard your grandma is looking for you. Why don’t I tell her that you’re with me right now? Zong Jinghao let go of his collar and said with an indifferent tone.
Su Zhan was speechless.
A threat.
Explicitly. An explicit threat.
“Hm?”
“I’ll go. I’ll go, okay?” Su Zhan wanted to smack himself. Why was he friends with this person?
Su Zhan shouted at Yu Doudou, “Hey, what’s your name?”
“Yu Doudou.” Yu Doudou gave a tensed smile.
“Ha—Hahaha…”
Su Zhan started laughing. “You’re a man, why is your name Doudou?”
It was Yu Doudou’s turn to be speechless.
What could he do about it? It was the name given to him by his parents.
“Come, come, tell me everything.” Su Zhan was an extrovert and he had a lively personality.
He was the polar opposite of Zong Jinghao.
How did these two become friends?
Yu Doudou furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
After Su Zhan had left, there was quietness in the office.
No one spoke.
“That was your friend?” Lin Xinyan broke the silence.
“Yes.”
“He’s a lawyer?” Lin Xinyan did not think that he looked like a lawyer.
The lawyers she had seen were rigorous and unsmiling. They were all serious people.
Su Zhan was even livelier than the average person.
A person like that was a lawyer?
“How did you two become friends?” Lin Xinyan was curious.
Zong Jinghao walked over and was just about to talk to her when his phone on the office table rang.
“Let me pick up a call.” He walked to the front of the table and picked the ringing phone. On the screen was the naughty boy’s name.
He had just seen this boy a total of three times. And yet he had given him two “surprises”.
He had a deep impression of him.
And he deliberately saved his name as such on his contacts list.
His pupils contracted to the center. He picked up his phone but his gaze was on Lin Xinyan.
“Hello?”
“It’s me. The bad guy is at my house. He’s saying that he wants to bring us out for lunch but I think he’s thinking of kidnapping us to threaten my mommy.”
