You're just a locksmith! What are you doing catching swindlers at the start?

A group of swordsmen's fathers said: Read this book!

The natural curve of her lips curved slightly.

"mom,"

She said her gaze was still fixed on Lin Zhou's profile.

"I have nothing to add."

Su Wan's mother looked at Su Wan for a long time.

Then he took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of the tablecloth, and put them back on.

She spoke, her tone exactly the same as when she asked "What do you like about Wanwan?" earlier.

But there was something extra in his voice—not relief, but acceptance.

"Wanwan has never liked talking to people since she was little."

"She was fifteen when her father passed away. She cried all day, but she didn't cry anymore the next day."

She closed her glasses and placed them on the table, looking at Lin Zhou.

"When she talked about you, her voice was happy, and I knew it. I, as her mother, had introduced her to so many men before—doctors, lawyers, businessmen—but she didn't like any of them."

She paused for a moment.

"But you are not."

Lin Zhou looked at his mother, who was quietly wiping the smudged lipstick from the corner of her eye with a tissue.

Then he turned to look at Su Wan, who was drinking tea with her head down, holding the teacup very high, almost obscuring her entire face.

Only a small mole on her earlobe was visible, faintly visible under the light.

He knew Su Wan was waiting for him to say something, so he spoke.

"Auntie, I've only known Su Wan for a few days, and although we haven't spent much time together, I really like her."

Su Wan moved her teacup away from her lips.

Her tears slid down her cheeks without her noticing, falling into the teacup and creating a tiny ripple on the surface of the water.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then pulled the sleeve back up and looked up at her mother. "Mom, do you have any more questions?"

Su Wan's mother looked at her daughter, whose short hair was a little messy, the cuffs of her dark gray sweatshirt were damp, and her eyes were red as she sat there.

She said, "No, that's all."

He paused for a moment and then added a sentence.

"If you two are free tonight, let's go out for dinner alone. It'll be on me."

Su Wan's mother put her glasses back on, picked up her chopsticks, and took a piece of chopped chili fish head.

The atmosphere in the private room relaxed, and the topics of engagement and having grandchildren were temporarily set aside, replaced by more relaxed casual conversation.

Lin Zhou's mother twirled her chopsticks on the table, then picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in Su Wan's bowl.

"Wanwan, you're always so busy with work, eat more. Look how thin you've gotten."

Su Wan looked at the glistening braised pork in the bowl and smiled slightly.

She lowered her head, picked up the meat, and took a bite. The meat was a perfect mix of lean and fatty pieces, and the flavors of soy sauce and rock sugar melted on her tongue.

She chewed and swallowed before speaking, "Thank you, Auntie."

"I'm glad you like it."

Lin Zhou's mother's eyes lit up, and she reached for another piece of pork rib with her chopsticks.

"Lin Zhou isn't a good cook, but his dad is. My husband taught him how to make braised pork."

Lin Zhou's father, holding a teacup, nodded slightly when he heard his name called.

"It's alright. It's just that there's too much soy sauce."

"Uncle is being modest."

Su Wan picked up her teacup and raised it towards Lin Zhou's father.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhou's father put down his teacup and nodded to Su Wan.

He was probably thinking that the way this girl spoke was very pleasant.

Lin Zhou sat down next to Su Wan and picked up his teacup.

He knew that Su Wan was helping him make connections.

He put down his teacup and decided to do something too.

"Officer Su doesn't usually eat breakfast. This morning she just had an Americano at Starbucks. If my mom hadn't called her to lunch, she would probably have been eating a boxed lunch in the office."

"That won't do!"

Lin Zhou's mother immediately turned her gaze to Su Wan, her face full of parental concern.

"Wanwan, you must eat breakfast. Lin Zhou didn't eat breakfast before either, but I called him every morning to urge him to eat. You have to eat breakfast from now on too."

Su Wan lowered her head, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

She gave Lin Zhou a very subtle expression, which, when translated, meant—you're finished.

Lin Zhou returned her a more subtle look, which could be interpreted as—you're now under my mother's watchful eye, don't even think about running away.

Su Wan's mother sat opposite them, watching the two of them look at each other for a moment and then look away, and pushed up her glasses.

She was a teacher before retiring, and her thirty years of teaching experience gave her an almost occupational sensitivity to the subtle actions of young people.

But she didn't point it out; she simply picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in her own bowl.

"Lin Zhou,"

Su Wan's mother spoke up, "Wanwan said you're fast at picking locks, but just how fast are you? How long does it take you to open a regular security door?"

"Check the lock. Class C locks take three seconds, Class B two seconds, and Class A one second. Combination locks require removing the panel, which takes a little longer, about ten seconds. Car locks also vary by model, but they should also take around three seconds."

Lin Zhou spoke these words in the same calm tone he used when reporting to the bureau chief in the evidence room.

Su Wan's mother's eyes widened, her hand holding the teacup hanging in mid-air.

"What if the lock breaks? How quickly do you fix it?"

She leaned forward, clearly intrigued by Lin Zhou's professional skills.

"Changing the lock cylinder takes two minutes. The safe takes a little longer, as it requires disassembling the outer casing, which takes about five minutes. This morning in the evidence room, we opened a German-imported one, which was quite special and took three minutes."

Su Wan's mother put down her teacup. Looking at Lin Zhou's serious profile, she suddenly remembered something.

"Wanwan, didn't you say you were there too? How come you're there?"

Su Wan paused for a moment, holding her teacup.

She recalled that morning in the evidence room, Lin Zhou squatted in front of the safe, using a wire as a stethoscope, closing his eyes to feel the vibration inside the lock cylinder, and opened that German safe in three minutes.

She leaned against the door frame, watching his expression as he turned back to look for her after unlocking the door.

"I was there. Zhou and I were both there. After he finished, he talked to the bureau chief about the fee. He initially quoted 1,000, and Zhou spat out his tea on the spot."

"and then?"

"Then the bureau chief said 50,000. He then said he would be specially appointed as the city bureau's technical consultant."

Su Wan put down her teacup. "I was right at the door when I heard him refuse once. He only agreed after the director said he didn't have to work regular hours."

Su Wan's mother fell silent.

She pushed up her glasses and looked at Lin Zhou.

She began to understand why Su Wan's ears were red when she covered her face earlier. It wasn't because she was shy, but because this young man who unlocked the door was more worthy of that blushing reaction than anyone she had ever met.

She picked up her teacup. "Xiao Lin, your lock-picking skills are really impressive; you're quick at it. If you ever need anything in the future, please help Wanwan out."

"Yes, Auntie."

Lin Zhou picked up his teacup and tilted it towards Su Wan.

"If any locks in your house break in the future, I'll take care of it and provide a lifetime free warranty."

He spoke casually, but when Su Wan's mother heard the word "lifetime," her hand holding the teacup paused slightly. She then put down the teacup and looked at Lin Zhou through her gold-rimmed glasses.

"lifelong?"

She repeated the word, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.