Xiang Wan said half-jokingly while giving him a glance, “Since we’re whispering, that means we cannot tell you.”

“… Ouch.” Tang Yuanchu held his chest and leaned back on his seat. His eyes were, however, staring at Xie Wanwan.

Still, she did not even lift her head.

“Nonetheless…” Xiang Wan snickered somewhat meaningfully. “Since you both are currently staying under one roof, you can ask her privately yourself, agree?”

That sure sounded ambiguous.

After all, everyone present looked over.

They seemed to have noticed something and showed a smile but didn’t comment about it.

Xie Wanwan was never a shy person, yet at the moment, her heart was racing… Soon enough, she felt chilly instead.

She looked downwards as she drank her liquor quietly.

She drank in her lonesome.

She didn’t offer a toast to anyone or talk to anyone.

Tang Yuanchu coughed in awkwardness. “Everyone! Cough, cough, let’s eat.”

Salimu teased him. “Why are you coughing as well? Did the Boss infect you?”

Tang Yuanchu sent a glare. “Yeah.”

Bai Muchuan then responded, “Why is there so much nonsense talk going around? Just behave yourselves.”

Everyone then silenced there and then. “…”

They couldn’t understand his mentality.

It was dinner, so why do they still need to behave themselves?

When Bai Muchuan spoke, the atmosphere became much more severe and restrained.

Everyone continued to chat, but they didn’t dare to joke around. Xiang Wan glanced at Bai Muchuan as she ruminated about what she should do for Xie Wanwan to open up and cooperate willingly with the police…

At this moment, a burst of phone ringing sounds was heard.

It was not one, but two people’s mobile phones ringing away.

One belonged to Quan Shaoteng, the other was Bai Muchuan.

Quan Shaoteng took a look at his phone and immediately put down his chopsticks, looking all solemn and severe.

“Hello… Say it!

“What?

“Alright, I’ll be right there!”

…

Once he finished talking on the phone, he wanted to talk to Bai Muchuan before the latter spoke ahead of him. “I know!”

“…”

Both of them seem rather serious and grim.

The rest of them stopped eating and looked on with worry.

“What’s up?”

“What happened?”

It was just a meal, right?

Why couldn’t they just have a proper meal together?

Xiang Wan also looked towards Bai Muchuan, and he returned her glance. He seemed a little gloomy, and he looked at Cheng Zheng. “Your sister said she was being followed and hid in the fitting room since she was terrified. She wanted help…”

Cheng Zheng furrowed his eyebrows. “Where is she?”

Bai Muchuan pointed downwards. “First floor, UNIQLO outlet.”

“…” Everyone stayed silent.

This was so awkward!

Why did Cheng Xin come here?

She knew that they were having dinner here, so did she follow them?

This woman was sure thick-skinned.

Cheng Zheng then answered, “I’ll go down and have a look.”

“Little Bai—” Quan Shaoteng didn’t want to wait anymore. He pushed his chair and got up from his seat. “Wang Wei just called, a similar-looking target appeared…”

“Similar?” Bai Muchuan furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

“Correct!” Quan Shaoteng looked at him then everyone at the table. “He should be someone that we’re looking for!”

Ye Lun…

… Appeared?

Xiang Wan was immediately on alert.

As long as they got him, everything would come to light.

“He appeared in a mall near his manager’s house. Wang Wei is keeping a safe distance from him and has continued to follow him. We should get more news soon.” He looked at his watch. “I can’t stay anymore. I have to go and see for myself.”

Bai Muchuan nodded. “Alright. Be careful and keep in contact.”

“Mm!”

Quan Shaoteng and Cheng Zheng left consecutively.

It looked like this friendly dinner gathering wouldn’t end well.

Everyone sat back and continued to chat.

In less than 10 minutes, Cheng Zheng returned with Cheng Xin, who followed behind him, looking meek with her head lowered.

“I came back to get my coat,” explained Cheng Zheng, who stood at the entrance of the private dining room and gestured for Mei Xin to help him get his coat.

Cheng Xin, however, tried to peek inside. “Well… Brother, I haven’t had my dinner.”

To fit in with them, this woman didn’t even want to bother about her losing face anymore.

Cheng Zheng’s face darkened. He was clearly annoyed.

He was about to give her a lecture when Cheng Xin smiled radiantly. “Sister Miao, you’re also here! This is great…”

With that, she walked into the private dining room.

Miao Zichen seemed awkward. “Hi, Cheng Xin! You’re here?”

“Yeah! I’m so glad… to meet all of you.”

Miao Zichen only smiled, unable to say anything more.

They were all colleagues. Under such circumstances, anyone would have felt troubled, but they would invite the ‘uninvited guest’ to sit down and eat with them. However, Xiang Wan did not want to be the same. She felt that her mood was spoiled. When Cheng Xin sat down, she got up from her seat.

“I’m full already. I haven’t finished my work yet, so I need to go now.”

“…” Cheng Xin felt embarrassed; Miao Zichen also felt awkward.

Xiang Wan smiled. “You guys can still continue, I’ll foot the bill first.”

Since she wanted to leave, Bai Muchuan would not continue to stay.

Seeing that, Xie Wanwan finished her last mouthful of liquor and got up as well. She was even more direct than Xiang Wan, for she didn’t even say anything. She simply picked up her handbag and walked out of the private dining room… However, since she drank quite a bit of liquor, her cheeks were suffused in a red hue, and when she walked, her steps were somewhat unsteady.

Tang Yuanchu also followed along without a word…

Mei Xin looked around the room and decided to leave as well.

“Well… I also have something to do. I’ll get going now.”

Ding Yifan looked at everyone and got up as well. “Please enjoy your meal!”

How would anyone enjoy a dinner like this?

Cheng Xin sat at her spot. Her face was as red as a tomato due to embarrassment.

This was a noticeable reaction that they didn’t want her there.

How can they do this to me! She thought.

She blurted in anger, “Hey, what does this mean?”

Everyone was slightly taken aback.

Xiang Wan replied, “Enjoy your meal.”

Hmph! Xie Wanwan snorted and was already a distance away. Xiang Wan quickly caught up with her to say goodbye. Only Ding Yifan and Salimu stayed behind for a while more and kept smiling at Cheng Xin. “You can go ahead to order dinner. We’re here early, so we finished our dinner. There’s still work to do at the office, so we have to go now… You need not hurry, just take your time.”

“…”

Those who wanted to leave left the room.

Cheng Zheng was still standing at the entrance.

When everyone was out of sight, he asked in a cold tone. “So, are you happy now?”

Cheng Xin’s stunned expression finally changed. She pouted and threw her little tantrum. “I’m not lying. Someone was really following me earlier for a long time. I was so scared that I quickly walked to UNIQLO, took a dress and hid in the changing room before I could call for help…”

“Why didn’t you call me instead?” Cheng Zheng questioned, “Why did you call Bai Muchuan?”

Cheng Xin pouted. “You’re from the Forensics Team. Besides, if you meet bad people, will you be able to fight them off?…”

“…” Her words could infuriate someone to death.

Cheng Zheng wished he could just leave like this.

However, he couldn’t. She was his younger cousin, after all.

“Cheng Xin, let me warn you. If you play such tricks again, I won’t bother with you anymore—”

“You’ve already warned me.” Cheng Xin raised her volume in a distressed tone. “I’ve also said that I didn’t play any games or tricks. I didn’t know that you’re having dinner here. I happen to come here to shop, and coincidentally, I noticed that I was being followed!”

Hmph! “You better behave yourself!”

Nobody would believe her words.

As for Cheng Zheng… Of course, he wouldn’t believe it.

“Let’s go!” He draped his coat over his shoulders, got his bag, and wanted to leave.

Cheng Xin felt that she had suffered injustice. “Brother…”

Miao Zichen couldn’t stand watching that. “Brother Cheng, why don’t we find another place for Cheng Xin to eat something first? You should calm down as well…”

That rubbed him the wrong way since Cheng Zheng’s initially calm expression changed suddenly to that of frustration.

He was a polite man and took good care of Miao Zichen at work. He even had the intention of taking their relationship to the next step. This girl was good to him, and he thought that she had met all of the requirements that he had most initially wanted in a life partner which Cheng Zheng had mentioned to Xiang Wan before—find someone suitable so he need not spend too much time on, he didn’t want to waste his time, and he need not bother if he loved his future spouse.

Initially, he had already convinced himself to do just that.

He had thought that he could live like that.

Get a wife, have a kid, and live just like the ordinary folks…

He had compromised.

He compromised to himself and everyone.

He gave up his feelings that would not have an outcome.

He gave her up.

At this moment, when Miao Zichen stepped in to put in a good word for Cheng Xin, he actually felt a little irritated.

Why couldn’t she have some character?

When something was right, it was right. When something was wrong, then it was wrong.

Why couldn’t she have her own stance and opinion?

“Let’s go…”

Although there was anger inside him, his tone actually softened.

This was because his heart had become sad and dreary.

She was not her and would never be her.

No matter how good she was, she wasn’t her. No matter how Cheng Zheng saw her, she wouldn’t be as good as the one inside his heart…

Miao Zichen liked him.

Cheng Zheng had mustered everything inside of him, but he realized that he just didn’t feel the same for her.

He remarked, “I shouldn’t have come tonight.”

…

While on the way back, Xiang Wan was distraught.

There wasn’t any news from Quan Shaoteng, and there was no progress over at Xie Wanwan’s end.

Both she and Bai Muchuan were anxious, but they couldn’t push too hard.

Xie Wanwan’s character was the type where she would go to the extreme when pushed too hard…

She deliberated and mulled over the issue. Finally, she decided to put her hopes on Tang Yuanchu.

That was when she sent him a message.

“What a woman wanted as happiness is simply someone who could keep her company, protect her, and treasure her. Even if it was in good or bad times, he would give her warmth. A woman didn’t want much and didn’t expect much. She only hopes that, although she might have a lot of unbearable points, you could still treat her wholeheartedly. If you love her, you need to tolerate and accept her everything… when you feel that your heart almost couldn’t tolerate it anymore, then you still have to endure and accept her one more time.”

Sending…

Duu! Message sent.

She was actually feeling contradictory.

She felt that her message sounded cliche and might be hard to understand.

She thought her hint might not be clear enough and feared that Tang Yuanchu wouldn’t get it. However, she had no idea how she should break that news to him…

“What are you doing?” Bai Muchuan looked in her direction. “Who are you messaging?”

“A guy!” Xiang Wan showed a half-smile. Hmph! Bai Muchuan basically ignored her reply but asked her a question instead. “Why do you think that Ye Lun suddenly shows himself?”

…