Why did the system take my request to take photos with a cosplayer seriously?

"Yes, my mom is being released from prison today."

Lin Man handed over the pre-arranged paperwork.

The staff took it and examined it carefully.

"Hold on."

"Okay, thanks!"

Lin Man was still taking deep breaths when Ding Heng placed his hand on the back of her hand.

"Don't be so tense."

Lin Man didn't speak, but gripped Ding Heng's hand tightly.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.

Unhurried and steady, with a smooth pace.

Lin Man raised her head.

Lin Zemei, who is over fifty years old, is not tall, rather thin, and has short hair. He has taken off his prison uniform and put on an ordinary down jacket.

His face was covered with deep wrinkles, his lips were chapped and peeling, his cheekbones were prominent, and his eye sockets were sunken.

But those eyes... were exactly the same as Lin Man's.

Even though time and imprisonment have worn away most of its brilliance, its underlying spirit remains.

The woman stopped in front of Lin Man.

The mother and daughter looked at each other. Neither of them spoke.

"mom."

Lin Man spoke first, her voice trembling.

Lin Zemei gently placed her hand on Lin Man's head, chuckled softly, and did not make any overly enthusiastic gestures.

Lin Man then introduced, "Mom, this is my boss, Ding Heng."

Ding Heng greeted her politely, "Hello, Auntie."

Lin Zemei's gaze swept across Ding Heng's face, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

During her last two years in prison, Duan Biao visited her many times and mentioned Ding Heng more than once.

Lin Zemei was naturally aware of his relationship with her daughter.

To be honest, Lin Zemei was very unhappy.

Logically speaking, she had already provided her daughter with a safe haven and a solid financial foundation, so why did she end up working as another man's "mistress"?

Lin Zemei couldn't understand it, but she still smiled faintly.

"Hey... thank you for coming with Xiaoman to pick me up, let's go!"

Lin Man did not return to the city center. Instead, she drove into a newly built residential area in the suburbs and stopped at the entrance of the apartment building.

"Mom, we've arrived."

Lin Zemei got out of the car and looked up at the residential building.

"This house..."

"It's currently rented."

Lin Man took out a suitcase from the back of the car, which contained a change of clothes and daily necessities that she had prepared in advance for her mother.

"It's not too far from the city center, about a 30-40 minute drive. The neighborhood and property management are quite good. You can stay here for now, and if you don't like it, I'll arrange a bigger house for you later!"

Lin Zemei didn't say anything and followed her daughter into the building.

The elevator went up to the fourth floor, and Lin Man took out her keys to open the door.

It's a typical three-bedroom, one-living room apartment, fully furnished with all necessary furniture and appliances, and the overall space is clean and bright.

"This is the master bedroom."

Lin Man pushed open the door and stepped aside to let her mother go in first: "Mom, see if there's anything else we need, I'll buy it later."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Lin Zemei asked curiously, "Who picked out this house in this location?"

Lin Man intended to answer honestly, but Ding Heng spoke first.

"I found this place for Xiaoman. Auntie, you've just moved out, you need a quiet place to adjust. This place is far from the city center, at least it's peaceful!"

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Lin Zemei thanked her repeatedly.

Lin Man lowered her head in remorse.

It wasn't that the house was good or bad, but rather that the location was too far away, indirectly sending a certain signal to Lin Zemei.

We don't want to have too much contact with you!

When Lin Man was choosing a house, she was worried that with so many girls around Ding Heng, it would be inconvenient for her mother to visit if she lived too close.

Therefore, we want Lin Zemei to live further away for the time being, and we will make further plans after she has settled in.

Unexpectedly, Ding Heng would take the blame for her today.

"Oh, right."

Lin Zemei then asked, "Where are Duan Biao and the others?"

Lin Man said, "They originally wanted to come and pick you up, Mom, but I felt it wasn't appropriate, so I asked them to wait a few days."

"That's true... It's weird that I saw them as soon as I came out."

Lin Zemei continued to agree without raising any objections, as if her prison years had completely worn down her edges.

As the saying goes, "Speak of the devil and he appears," Lin Zemei was just about to sit down and rest when she suddenly heard someone shouting downstairs.

"Sister Lin!"

Duan Biao was not the only one.

Ding Heng went to the window and looked down; there were five or six middle-aged men.

Lin Man quickly went downstairs and stood in front of the building entrance.

She said politely, "Uncle Duan, my mother just came out and needs time to adjust. You should go back first and come see her again in a few days."

Duan Biao didn't move: "Xiao Man, we just want to see Sister Lin. We'll just take a look and leave without disturbing her."

"Uncle Duan..."

"Xiao Man."

Duan Biao interrupted Lin Man, emphasizing, "Is it that you don't want us to see each other, or does Sister Lin herself not want to see each other?"

Lin Man bit her lower lip and remained silent, when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

"Xiaoman, let me do it."

Lin Zemei walked slowly out of the building, her face expressionless.

In an instant, Duan Biao, a burly man, had red eyes.

"Sister Lin..."

He took a step forward, then stopped.

Lin Zemei and Duan Biao looked at each other calmly, seemingly both helpless and amused.

"Why make such a fuss? Are you trying to send me back to jail?"

"I……"

Duan Biao was speechless after Lin Zemei said something.

Lin Zemei shifted her gaze from his face to the group of people behind him.

One, two, three...

She recognized every face. Just as she was about to say a few words of advice, Ding Heng suddenly stepped forward.

He shouted, "Uncle Duan! Now is not the time. Auntie is still adjusting to everything. You should go back first, lest the community security guards come looking for you!"

The polite words, however, left no room for negotiation, which made Duan Biao very unhappy!

But when he met Lin Zemei's eyes again, all his displeasure was swallowed back down.

"Row……"

Duan Biao lowered his head and took half a step back.

"Sister, you should rest well. We'll come another day."

He turned around and waved to the people behind him.

"Walk."

The group exchanged glances and reluctantly followed in his footsteps.

Lin Zemei hadn't moved for a long time.

Even after spending so many years in prison, she could still understand that Ding Heng was just trying to intimidate her.

Tell her that now that she's out of prison, she shouldn't even think about being a boss anymore!

Lin Man stood behind her mother, not daring to breathe.

She had anticipated that her mother might have conflicts with Ding Heng after her release from prison, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

"Let's go back."

Lin Zemei turned and walked into the building; she was just a smiling, kind middle-aged woman.

Lin Man followed.

As the elevator ascends, the numbers on it jump one by one.

Lin Zemei leaned against the elevator wall and closed her eyes slightly.