"Brother Yusheng, what’s wrong?"
"Miss, Zhao Jinbao wants to meet you," Zhang Yuksheng said in a lowered voice.
"Zhao Jinbao? Who?" An Yiqing blinked, unable to recall knowing this person.
"Ahem! Miss, Zhao Jinbao is Zhao Lingling’s father, and the Deputy Director of Xuandu Police Headquarters," Zhang Yuksheng explained, having already learned the details from Zhao Jinbao himself. At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel helpless about An Yiqing’s obliviousness. It seemed that she hadn’t taken that foolish woman seriously enough to even consider investigating her.
"Oh! So it’s him!" An Yiqing suddenly realized, vaguely understanding Zhao Jinbao’s intentions but still deliberately asked, "Deputy Director Zhao is here to...?"
"Ahem! To apologize with a plea for forgiveness!" Zhang Yuksheng held back a laugh as he glanced at Zhao Jinbao who had overheard the conversation and coughed lightly to cover it up. Miss An was on the phone, and he had deliberately spoken softly, knowing she would understand him.
"To apologize with a plea for forgiveness? No need!" An Yiqing said with a cool smile, her tone laden with meaning, "Just handle everything according to the law. There’s no need to feel guilty about things one hasn’t done."
Hearing this, Zhao Jinbao, eavesdropping beside Zhang Yuksheng, couldn’t help the cold sweat from layering on his face. He understood the implication behind An Yiqing’s words and became even more anxious.
"An, Miss An..." Zhao Jinbao nervously approached the cell phone in Zhang Yuksheng’s hand and cautiously said, "Miss An, please give me a chance. Leng Leng is young and impulsive, truly too ignorant. I beg you to consider the heartbreaking concern of a parent and give us another chance."
An Yiqing, holding the phone, grew colder as she listened to Zhao Jinbao’s words. Heartbreaking concern of a parent? Tang Zhishan only demoted Zhao Lingling without any actual punishment. If anyone should be pitied, it certainly wasn’t Zhao Lingling. It seemed that Zhao Jinbao was more worried about losing his own position!
"Brother Yusheng, tell Chief Zhao that Yuyuanzhai is a small place that cannot accommodate such a large ’Buddha’. Please ask him to return," An Yiqing said and then hung up the phone. She always had some resistance towards such parents. They utterly spoiled their children without principles while growing up and then pushed all the blame onto them when trouble arose. Perhaps because she was an orphan herself, An Yiqing couldn’t stand parents who harmed their children this way.
"Tutu, they’re just incorrigible," Gu Yelin said, as if he could see what the girl was upset about. He gently patted her back and affectionately pinched her nose.
"Hmm, I’m not angry." Seeing the man’s concerned look, An Yiqing’s anger dissipated. It was alright, those things had nothing to do with her; she had Ah Lin.
Master, master, don’t be angry, Xiao Hei hug! ~Woof!~
Looking into Xiao Hei’s round amber eyes and his wagging little tail, then at Gu Yelin who was like a loyal dog, An Yiqing couldn’t help but laugh tenderly, her eyes brimming with happiness.
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuksheng silently applauded An Yiqing in his heart, then faced Zhao Jinbao with a troubled expression and said, "Chief Zhao, I’m really sorry. The young lady is fuming right now, what do you think...?"
"No worries! Not at all!" Zhao Jinbao said hastily, waving his hand, "This matter is Leng Leng’s fault, and we’re the ones in the wrong from the start. Miss An has every right to be angry. As long as she can forgive us, anything will do. Manager Zhang, could you please give me some advice on how to appease Miss An?"
Zhang Yuksheng secretly despised Zhao Jinbao, thinking that although Zhao Lingling was at fault, the real problem lay with her parents, Zhao Jinbao and Wang Lan. Yet, at this moment, the couple didn’t mention their own fault at all, pushing all the blame onto the foolishness of their young daughter—a truly incorrigible family!
Zhang Yuksheng looked at Zhao Jinbao who was smiling obsequiously before him, and an idea struck him. He feigned hesitance, as if there was something he struggled to say.