Chapter 245: Chapter 245 Mutation
Ling Zhenghui finally sat back down in his chair. He didn’t answer Ling Haijun’s question, but instead spoke with a deep meaning, “It seems that the situation inside is quite complicated. The Yang Family’s people are actually involved with the descendants of the Ling Family, and they’re even boyfriend and girlfriend. This is really getting interesting.”

“Dad, what exactly is going on?” Ling Haijun, whose curiosity was piqued, couldn’t help but become anxious, “Dad, please tell me more about this.”

“I don’t clearly understand what’s going on either,” Ling Zhenghui sighed before saying seriously, “This matter, you must not discuss it with anyone, understand?”

“Why?”

“This matter is out of the ordinary,” Ling Zhenghui’s expression grew even more solemn, “This kid’s situation is of great importance. If you blabber about it and bring trouble to our family, both you and I are finished. I need to find an opportunity to ask your grandfather and your great-grandfather. If they know about this, then we must say even less, and should not provoke this kid; if they don’t, then we need to let them know.”

“Dad, what’s really going on?” Ling Haijun was even more confused, “Is this kid really that important?”

“It concerns the grudges and favors between the Ling and Yang families,” Ling Zhenghui didn’t plan to reveal more but warned Ling Haijun even more sternly, “No matter how he treats you, you must not cause trouble for him. In the future, try to stay away from him as much as possible. If you provoke him, you will not only infuriate Ling Ruonan but also anger the old masters, and in the end, the negative consequences will fall on us, father and son. Do you remember that?”

“Dad, I remember,” Ling Haijun could only agree in a muffled voice.

However, he was also relieved that his conflict with Luo Ziling had not escalated; otherwise, things would have indeed been troublesome.

Ling Haijun knew that although his father Ling Zhenghui had always been dissatisfied with Ling Ruonan, he only dared to whisper his grievances in private, never daring to show them publicly. In terms of status within the Ling Family, Ling Zhenghui was far inferior to Ling Ruonan, not even on the same level.

As the grandson from the outside family, Luo Ziling was also much higher in status than him, who was just a grandchild from a collateral branch.

But remembering the few times he was “bullied” by Luo Ziling and his men beaten up by Luo Ziling, with no way to seek justice, he couldn’t help but feel very depressed.

“Remember what dad just said,” Ling Zhenghui once again solemnly reminded Ling Haijun before finally leaving the room.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing that her husband’s face was a bit off, Li Lanying curiously stepped forward and asked, “What happened?”

“It’s nothing.” Ling Zhenghui, knowing that his wife was prone to gossip and couldn’t keep things to herself, didn’t dare to tell her.

Li Lanying knew something had happened, but since her husband wouldn’t say, she didn’t bother to ask.

After Yang Qingyin got into the car, she smiled at Luo Ziling and said, “Your uncle and your cousin must be talking about something related to you now.”

“My uncle?” Luo Ziling didn’t react at first.

The term uncle felt too foreign to him.

Not just uncle—father and mother were also extremely foreign terms for him, as he had never called anyone by these titles.

“The one next to Ling Haijun is his father Ling Zhenghui, who is your mother’s cousin, naturally making him your uncle, though the relationship is just a bit distant,” Yang Qingyin sighed softly when speaking of Ling Ruonan.

Luo Ziling thought for a moment and then nodded, “That’s true. Then that Ling Haijun who almost got into a fight should also be considered my cousin.”

“If I’m not mistaken, Ling Zhenghui definitely recognized you,” Yang Qingyin smiled helplessly, “Shall we go have a chat with them later?”

Luo Ziling shook his head, “I haven’t even met my own parents yet, so it’s better not to meet other people for now. If it’s not convenient for my mother to see me, then it’s even less convenient for others to do so.”

“To come here and run into so many people I know,” Yang Qingyin shook her head and gave a wry smile. “Who knows, maybe in the coming days, I’ll run into even more acquaintances.”

“Don’t feel like playing here anymore?”

“We’ll see how I feel after playing today,” Yang Qingyin said to Luo Ziling with an embarrassed smile.

Luo Ziling didn’t say anything more.

Because of the light rain, their time at Willow Gully wasn’t as enjoyable as they had hoped. Furthermore, with the National Day holiday underway, the Willow Gully Scenic Area was crowded, and the couple didn’t experience the warmth and romance they had anticipated.

However, Luo Ziling’s enthusiastic and cheerful disposition still charmed Yang Qingyin, and she had no regrets.

“Senior, your clothes are a bit wet, aren’t you cold?” asked Luo Ziling with concern as they were leaving the Willow Gully Scenic Area.

The rain had been falling all morning, and even though they were using umbrellas, and Luo Ziling had given Yang Qingyin his windbreaker to wear, they were still somewhat wet. Yang Qingyin’s shoes, in particular, were a complete mess.

Seeing Yang Qingyin in this state, Luo Ziling felt a bit embarrassed.

“It’s fine,” Yang Qingyin said with a smile, shaking her head. “You’re wetter than I am, be careful not to catch a cold!”

“I actually hope I get sick during this trip, so that senior will be by my side to take care of me,” said Luo Ziling with a proud smile. “Having a beautiful woman take care of you, I’d be the happiest man alive.”

“Humph, I certainly don’t want to take care of you,” Yang Qingyin retorted with a charming huff. “It’s your own fault for being like a big, dumb ox.”

“I’m the big, dumb ox?” Luo Ziling couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

“Yes, you’re so silly,” Yang Qingyin said, and with a giggle, she ran off.

During that morning’s outing, they didn’t take many photos because the rainy weather made it inconvenient, which was disappointing for both Yang Qingyin and Luo Ziling.

They decided that in the afternoon, they would abandon their umbrellas and, despite the risk of getting wet, take more photos to preserve more memories of the trip.

But after eating lunch, things took an unexpected turn.

As they were preparing to stroll to another scenic spot, Yang Qingyin received a call from her father, Yang Yunlin.

“Come home immediately, there’s something important I need to talk to you about,” Yang Yunlin ordered in an emotionless tone over the phone. “Come back now, so you can be home in time for dinner. I will be waiting for you at home.”

“Dad, what happened?” Yang Qingyin, who was always doted on by her father Yang Yunlin, felt uneasy because he would usually speak to her in an endearing tone. Today’s call was out of the ordinary, and it made Yang Qingyin apprehensive.

“We’ll talk when you get back,” Yang Yunlin didn’t explain anything over the phone, but said solemnly, “Come back now, for dinner at home.”

Yang Qingyin was silent for quite a while before she replied, “Okay, I’ll come back in a bit.”

After a brief pause on the other end, Yang Yunlin added softly, “If possible, bring the classmate you’re with.”

That last sentence from Yang Yunlin made Yang Qingyin’s heart suddenly sink to the bottom.