Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

At the front gate, Uncle Yan Bugui was still sitting on his small stool, diligently observing everyone coming and going in the dim light from the courtyard. His small eyes gleamed as if he were calculating the profit on each person.

Seeing Li Zhenhua push the cart in, he immediately put on his signature calculating smile.

"Hey, Zhenhua's back? You're really late today!"

This chaotic, calculating, competitive, and mundane world, filled with the mundane details of daily life, including arguments, tears, and shouts, was like a basin of warm, even scalding, foot-washing water, abruptly pulling Li Zhenhua back from that unapproachable, imposing, and almost suffocating world.

The fireworks in the world touch the hearts of mortals.

Li Zhenhua took a deep breath of the familiar and down-to-earth air, and his face finally regained that somewhat cynical and self-assured smile.

He stopped and nodded to Yan Bugui in a relaxed tone.

"Uncle, you're still not resting? Something came up at the factory, that's why I'm late."

"Hey, let's serve the people and stand firm at our post until the very end!"

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards Li Zhenhua's handlebars and the back seat, seemingly searching for any "unexpected surprises," while uttering eloquent words.

"It's understandable that you young people are busy with your careers, but you also need to take care of your health!"

"Thank you for your concern, Uncle. You should get some rest too."

Li Zhenhua smiled and replied, then pushed the cart through the moon gate without saying anything more.

As he passed the Intermediate People's Court, he caught a glimpse of Sha Zhu leaning against his own doorframe, a cigarette between his fingers, his brows furrowed, looking worriedly in the direction of the Jia family's house, clearly feeling sorry for Qin Huairu.

Upon hearing Li Zhenhua's footsteps, Sha Zhu turned his head warily, his eyes filled with his usual hostility and a hint of barely perceptible jealousy.

Li Zhenhua pretended not to see it and pushed the car straight back to the backyard.

He opened his own door, pushed the bicycle inside, and bolted the door shut, blocking out the noise from the yard.

The room was silent except for the sound of his own breathing. He leaned against the door and let out another long sigh.

The ups and downs I experienced today were more than those of the past month.

From the excitement of successfully solving the case, to the trepidation of facing high-level power struggles, and then to the fear of being shocked by Lin Taotao's background...

At this moment, returning to this little world of my own, though simple, brings me immense peace of mind.

Meanwhile, deep within that heavily guarded and silent compound, inside a two-story building.

The restaurant was brightly lit, and the food was simple yet exquisite.

Lin Taotao sat at the dining table, eating her meal in small bites, but her mind was still replaying the hot pot she had just eaten, and the dumbfounded look on Li Zhenhua's face when he found out she was staying there. A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

Sitting in the main seat was Lin's father, a middle-aged man with an imposing presence and prominent epaulets. He ate his meal silently, his gaze occasionally sweeping over his daughter, taking in every subtle change in her expression.

He put down his chopsticks, picked up the towel next to him to wipe his hands, and spoke casually.

"Peach."

"Hmm? Dad, what's wrong?"

Lin Taotao snapped out of her daze and looked at her father.

"Who was that kid who brought you back just now?"

Lin's father spoke in a calm tone, revealing neither joy nor anger, but the question itself was unprecedented for him.

Upon hearing this, Lin's mother, who was bringing over the soup, immediately stopped in her tracks, her face instantly breaking into a delighted smile. She quickly put down the soup bowl, moved closer to her daughter, and spoke with excitement and curiosity.

"Oh my! Really, Tao Tao? A boy brought you home? Tell Mom, whose son is he? How old is he? What does he do for a living? Oh my goodness, this is like the sun rising in the west! I've introduced you to so many promising young men, but you either chased them away in no time or shut them up with just a few words. I almost thought you were destined to live with guns for the rest of your life! Have you finally come to your senses?"

Lin's mother's rapid-fire questions, coupled with her undisguised teasing, made Lin Taotao's face turn bright red, like a ripe tomato.

She stomped her foot in embarrassment and annoyance, and called out reproachfully.

"Mom! What nonsense are you talking about!"

She quickly turned to her father and explained in a somewhat urgent tone.

"Dad, don't listen to Mom's wild guesses! He's just a regular friend! He's a colleague from a unit our police station collaborates with, the head of the security department at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. We worked on a case together today, and we had dinner together tonight. It got dark, and he saw I was alone, so he just gave me a ride home. That's all!"

After listening, Mr. Lin's deep gaze lingered on his daughter's blushing face for two seconds, unable to discern whether she believed him or not. He simply gave a faint "hmm" and didn't ask any more questions. He picked up his chopsticks again and continued eating.

It was as if I had just asked, "How's the weather today?"

Lin's mother, however, was an experienced woman and would never believe the explanation of "ordinary friend".

She knows her daughter's personality best. If there's nothing special about her, she'd rather not have someone take her home than talk to a man.

Seeing her embarrassed and flustered expression, he became even more certain.

She didn't point it out, but smiled and put a piece of food on her daughter's plate.

"Okay, okay, colleague. Eat up, eat more. You've been working hard on the case, you've lost weight."

But this topic is clearly not over yet.

After the meal, Lin's father went straight to the study on the second floor.

After quickly clearing away the dishes, Lin's mother smiled and knocked on Lin Taotao's door.

"Tao Tao, Mom wants to talk to you."

Lin's mother walked into the room, closed the door behind her, and sat down on her daughter's bedside with a loving yet gossipy smile on her face.

"Tell Mom the truth, what's that Section Chief Li like? You look different than usual."

Lin Taotao was sitting at her desk pretending to read when her mother asked her that question. She couldn't concentrate on her book anymore and turned around helplessly.

"Mom! It really is just work-related! He's... capable enough, just a bit of a chatterbox, and his fighting skills... are passable too."

She subconsciously touched the chest where Li Zhenhua had kicked her earlier, and it still seemed to hurt a little. Her tone unconsciously carried a hint of defiance.

"Oh? Your skills are passable? If you say they're passable, then they're not so simple."

Lin's mother's eyes lit up even more.

"Tell Mom quickly, how exactly did you manage to be so poor? How did you manage to pull off such a feat?"

Just as Lin's mother was having a private chat with her daughter, Lin's father was already sitting behind his large desk in the study on the second floor.

A bespectacled, capable-looking secretary was already waiting quietly to the side. As soon as the leader sat down, she silently and gently placed a thin folder on the table.

"Sir, this is the basic information about Li Zhenhua."

The secretary said in a low voice.

Mr. Lin nodded, waved his hand, and the secretary quietly withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.

Only Lin's father remained in the study.