Free Web NovelChapter 314: Chapter 314: The Mother-in-Law’s Appraisal
"Okay, take it just to be safe," Su Li nodded.
"I’ll walk you home every day from now on," Yu Zhengqing blurted out, looking at the fruit knife with a conflicted expression.
Su Li watched Yu Zhengqing’s expression from the side and stifled a laugh.
’Looks like Yu Zhengqing is already starting to have feelings for Sister Ling Zhen.’
’Hehe, it’s just as fate decreed.’
Yu Zhengqing noticed Su Li stifling a laugh. Following her gaze, he saw she was looking at him, and his face instantly turned bright red.
If he had found it a bit strange when Su Li risked her life to save him before, seeing her fight so desperately to save Ling Zhen this time put his mind at ease.
’Su Li is such a loyal friend!’
Seeing Yu Zhengqing’s red face, Su Li couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Su Li, what are you laughing at?" Ling Zhen asked, looking over with curiosity.
"It’s nothing," Su Li said, quickly shaking her head. Once Ling Zhen looked away, she made a fist at Yu Zhengqing and silently mouthed, "Go for it!"
Yu Zhengqing’s face was beet-red, but he gave a firm nod.
Little Tang Mo, who had been observing all this from the side, shook his head. He decided he would settle accounts with Su Li when they got back home.
’Settle what accounts?’
’The account of her running off so impulsively to save Ling Zhen, of course!’
’Mom doesn’t listen at all, and she completely disregards her own safety!’
Mr. Ling and Mrs. Ling came out of the kitchen and sat down to chat. After just a couple of sentences, their questions turned to Yu Zhengqing.
"Yu, how old are you?"
"Where is your family from?"
"And what are your plans for the future?"
...
Although they were trying to be restrained, they couldn’t avoid what felt like an interrogation for a potential son-in-law, digging into his entire family background.
Yu Zhengqing looked completely tense, answering every question thrown at him.
Su Li watched on, her face alight with excitement.
Only Ling Zhen was completely baffled.
"Mom, Dad, what are you doing? Why are you asking so many questions? You’re going to annoy Zhengqing."
"I’m not annoyed, not at all," Yu Zhengqing quickly clarified.
"This is so weird," Ling Zhen muttered, completely failing to understand what was going on.
After a moment’s thought, she called the police station to ask if they had caught the bald man.
The police replied that they hadn’t caught him yet; he was still on the run. They reassured Ling Zhen that they would apprehend him as soon as possible.
Everyone heard Ling Zhen’s phone call, and their expressions immediately grew serious.
Hearing that the man was still at large, their faces darkened.
Ling Zhen returned to the group, let out a breath, and looked up at everyone.
"The police said news of the case has spread, and the local residents are terrified." She paused. "I want to do a follow-up report on this and help the police with the manhunt."
The color drained from Mr. and Mrs. Ling’s faces. "Absolutely not!" they said without a second thought. "Are you trying to scare us to death? What if that criminal comes after you again?"
Ling Zhen said helplessly, "Mom, Dad, he’s already targeted me. Rather than passively waiting and worrying, it’s better to go on the offensive. A proactive approach is the best and safest way."
"Besides, we don’t know if there will be other victims. One person is already dead. If another one dies..."
Mr. and Mrs. Ling shook their heads frantically. "But it’s too dangerous."
Yu Zhengqing, on the side, nodded just as frantically. "She’s right, it’s too dangerous. You can’t take that risk. Let me do it instead."
As Ling Zhen had mentioned before, Yu Zhengqing wasn’t scheduled to officially graduate until July, but because of his report on the dengue fever outbreak, he had been hired by the TV station early.
He had just finished his internship and was now a rookie reporter, so doing a follow-up story would be a good opportunity for him.
"I’m a man, I’ll be safer."
Ling Zhen rolled her eyes. "Safer how? The man is a murderer. You think he won’t kill you just because you’re a man?"
She glanced at Su Li. "I’m the one who knows the situation best. It would be better for me to cover the story."
Su Li nodded firmly. "I support you."
’In her past life, even after everything that happened to her, Ling Zhen still covered the story to help the police with the manhunt, and she succeeded in getting him caught. In this life, I believe in her just the same.’
’Ling Zhen has a unique, intuitive talent for investigating and solving cases.’
’In her past life, the bald man was only caught because of Ling Zhen. Afterward, because of her ordeal and her involvement in this capture, she was assigned to the legal affairs channel.’
’And once she started, Ling Zhen stayed there for half her life.’
’She faced countless dangers after that, but she also managed to overcome them every single time.’
’When Su Li died in her previous life, Ling Zhen was still working hard on the legal affairs channel.’
’By that point, no one talked about Ling Zhen’s past anymore. Men and women alike would give a thumbs-up whenever her name was mentioned.’
’Because of Ling Zhen, countless women who had suffered similar ordeals were able to emerge from their trauma, start new lives, and find happiness.’
’That was the power of Ling Zhen.’
Su Li smiled apologetically at Mr. and Mrs. Ling. "I think Sister Ling Zhen is right. Instead of living in fear on the defensive, it’s better to take the initiative. If Sister Ling Zhen is in the public eye, she’ll constantly be in the spotlight, which would actually make her safer."
’That was another lesson learned from her past life.’
Ling Zhen nodded firmly and said to her parents in earnest, "Mom, Dad, I know you’re worried about me, but I really want to do my part to help catch him. I don’t want anyone else to have to experience the same terror I did."
She bit her lip. "Because Su Li saved me, and because I didn’t want to worry you, I never told you... but I was so, so scared. More scared than I’ve ever been in my life..."
’That fear was buried deep in her heart. Perhaps it would only begin to fade once the man was caught.’
Seeing Ling Zhen’s tears, Mr. and Mrs. Ling could no longer hold back and pulled her into an embrace. "Don’t be afraid. Mom and Dad... we support you."
They knew their own daughter. No matter how much they worried, they couldn’t stop her.
Yu Zhengqing clenched his fists at his side, his jaw tight. "Uncle, Auntie, please rest assured, I will definitely protect Sister Zhenzhen!"
And so, the matter was settled. Ling Zhen would rest for one day. If the man still hadn’t been caught, she would return to the TV station the next day to carry out her plan.
After the decision was made, just as Mr. Ling had predicted, their close friends and relatives started to arrive.
And among them were quite a few promising young bachelors.
Some were friends of friends or relatives of relatives, while others were old acquaintances. All of them had their eyes on Ling Zhen.
"A three-legged toad might be hard to find, but two-legged men are a dime a dozen! And these are all good men, men who’ve had their eye on Ling Zhen for ages. Take your pick!"
This was the method their friends and relatives had come up with to comfort the Ling Family and Ling Zhen.
If the Lu Family didn’t want her, there was a whole line of men who did—men who were ten times better than Lu Zhijie!
"Just say the word, and we’ll have someone at your door to propose tonight!"
"Why wait for tonight? I’ll propose on my son’s behalf right now!"
Everyone showed up, direct and to the point. Some were just there to show their support for the Ling Family, while others were genuinely sincere.
What was supposed to be the bride’s homecoming visit had turned into a matchmaking free-for-all. The scene was incredibly lively.
The Ling Family didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but they were so moved that their eyes reddened with tears.
"I’ll never forget the loyalty you’ve all shown today. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life! My heart is full today, so no one’s going home sober!"
Everyone ate and drank in high spirits, and once again, no one went home sober.
And just like that, the incident was put behind them.
The next day, Ling Zhen put her plan into action.
Ling Zhen’s plan didn’t go smoothly at first. It wasn’t until the third day, when the body of another murdered woman was discovered, that the case blew up. With panic spreading far and wide, Ling Zhen’s plan was finally green-lit.
This time, she had everyone’s support.
