Chapter 576 - 575: Attracting Attention (5)

"It’s about the article in the newspaper. Everyone has been talking about it these past two days," a good-natured old lady nearby answered. "Ma’am, do you know someone named Su Li?"

"Yes, but it’s definitely not her," Mrs. Tang replied with absolute certainty.

Liao Jin raised an eyebrow at that. Mrs. Tang’s attitude was quite thought-provoking; her intuition told her this had to be the same Su Li that Mrs. Tang knew.

She glanced at Mrs. Tang and was just about to speak when she heard the old lady’s voice.

"Huanzhu is back. Doctor Liao, look."

Liao Jin forgot what she was about to say and quickly looked over. Sure enough, she saw Lin Huanzhu walking in with her head down.

"Oh, isn’t that her son? The one named Yuanxiao."

Mrs. Tang didn’t need anyone to point him out; she saw him too.

Seeing Lin Huanzhu and Tang Yuanxiao enter one after the other, Mrs. Tang nearly ground her teeth to dust.

’I told Tangyuan ages ago not to hang around that female jinx! Why is he being so disobedient and hanging out with her again?!’

’And this early in the morning, too!’

Mrs. Tang let out a cold snort, her gaze toward Lin Huanzhu filled with nothing but disgust.

’I used to be so afraid of her, but now it seems she’s nothing special after all. The moment she sees my son, she just clings right to him!’

Lin Huanzhu and Tang Yuanxiao came in one after the other, their brows furrowed.

It was almost December, and the statute of limitations on the case was about to expire. Lin Huanzhu had been in agony lately, and whenever Tang Yuanxiao had a spare moment, he would help her with the investigation.

When a potential suspect emerged, Lin Huanzhu and Tang Yuanxiao had stayed out all night, tailing and surveilling them until they finally returned at dawn.

Since it was the weekend, Tang Yuanxiao decided to stop by and see his mother before heading off, so they had returned together.

"Thank you so much," Lin Huanzhu said again, the complex gratitude in her heart truly beyond words.

If before she had only considered Tang Yuanxiao an acquaintance, after all this time, her feelings weren’t so simple anymore.

’Looking at Tang Yuanxiao’s cold, hard face, who would have thought he had such a pure heart?’

Tang Yuanxiao didn’t know what Lin Huanzhu was thinking. He shook his head. "You’re thanking me again. I told you not to be so formal. Wait until we’ve actually caught the person to thank me."

Tang Yuanxiao’s feelings toward Lin Huanzhu had also changed. Before, he just saw her as a good person and a dedicated police officer he was acquainted with. She had helped him so much, so he naturally wanted to help her in return.

But lately, watching Lin Huanzhu push herself to the limit, seeing a young woman like her shouldering the heavy burden of such a deep and bloody vendetta, he truly saw her struggles.

The world only saw her strength, but not the scars and pain behind it.

He couldn’t bear to see a young woman like her carrying such a heavy burden. He figured if they didn’t catch her enemy before the end of the year, she would never find peace and would live out her life in torment.

Tang Yuanxiao couldn’t stand it, so he was doing everything in his power to help her.

Lin Huanzhu looked into Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes and nodded. "I’ll head back first, then."

Just as she was about to say goodbye to Tang Yuanxiao, she heard someone call her name.

"Huanzhu."

"Tangyuan!"

The voice calling for Tang Yuanxiao also rang out, but unlike Liao Jin’s simple shout, Mrs. Tang’s tone was far from pleasant. She sounded as if someone owed her a huge debt.

The two heard the voices and looked over. Seeing that everyone was there, they walked over.

"Auntie," Lin Huanzhu said to Liao Jin, then smiled and greeted the others. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, good morning." The onlookers watched the pair arrive together, a glint of gossip in their eyes. Tang Yuanxiao seemed like a fine young man, full of integrity, and they were more familiar with Lin Huanzhu, who was a good kid. It would be wonderful if they got together.

While everyone else watched with beaming smiles, Mrs. Tang’s face was dark.

"Mom," Tang Yuanxiao said. Just as he was about to say more, his mother cut in.

"Why did you come at this time? And with... her?"

Her tone was accusatory.

"I don’t have class today, so I came to see you before heading back. I ran into Xiao Lin at the entrance."

Tang Yuanxiao’s brow furrowed slightly as he explained patiently.

’His mother was always imagining the worst and spouting nonsense, so Tang Yuanxiao hadn’t told her what he was really up to.’

Mrs. Tang hmphed, and although she was suspicious, she didn’t ask any more questions.

Lin Huanzhu had already noticed the unconcealed disapproval in Mrs. Tang’s eyes. She sighed to herself and pretended not to see it.

"So, are you all discussing current events again?" she asked with a cheerful smile.

"We are, we are!" The old man she’d addressed nodded vigorously, happy for a chance to chat with the young folks.

"We were just talking about this domestic abuse case..." As the old man spoke, Lin Huanzhu picked up the newspaper to take a look.

She glanced at it and let out a small "Oh!" "Intern reporter Su Li... this must be the Su Li I know. She’s amazing."

As she spoke, Lin Huanzhu looked at Tang Yuanxiao and handed him the newspaper. "Take a look at this."

Hearing Su Li’s name, Tang Yuanxiao’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes lit up and he immediately took the paper.

When he saw Su Li’s name on the newspaper, he was filled first with disbelief, then with pride.

"It’s her. It’s Su Li."

’He knew Su Li was remarkable, but he never imagined she was *this* remarkable.’

Tang Yuanxiao knew Su Li was interning, but he never expected that before even graduating, Su Li would have an article published in the newspaper.

"Su Li is so amazing," Lin Huanzhu couldn’t help but exclaim.

She normally read the paper, but she’d been too busy chasing down the culprit these past few days to read it carefully. She never expected such a pleasant surprise.

"Yeah," Tang Yuanxiao said with emotion, unable to stop himself from gently tracing Su Li’s name with his finger.

Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu were genuinely happy for Su Li, but as Mrs. Tang watched them and listened to their praise, she nearly choked on her own anger.

Unfortunately for her, no one noticed her face turning purple with rage. Everyone’s attention was captivated by the conversation between Tang Yuanxiao and Lin Huanzhu.

"You know this intern reporter?"

The old man asked curiously.

"We do," Lin Huanzhu nodded. "She goes to Huaguo Communication University. She’s interning at the newspaper."

"Excellent, excellent. So you know her," the old man said, nodding repeatedly. "This young woman has a bright future. The report is very insightful, and I hear it’s already garnered significant attention."

As Tang Yuanxiao listened, he felt a mix of pride and heartache.

The pride came from hearing Su Li praised, but the heartache came from the fact that her accomplishments had nothing to do with him anymore.

’If he and Su Li were still married, he could proudly tell everyone that Su Li was his wife.’

’But alas...’

Just as Tang Yuanxiao was lost in thought, he heard the old man ask, "How do you know her? What’s your relationship?"

It was no wonder the old man was curious; the three of them seemed completely unrelated.

Tang Yuanxiao’s face froze. Seeing his expression, Lin Huanzhu laughed it off. "We just met by chance. We’re friends."

"Oh." The old man nodded, then suddenly looked at Mrs. Tang. "The Su Li you mentioned knowing earlier, ma’am, is it her?"

Mrs. Tang was already furious, and hearing this, she nearly hyperventilated.

She felt like she was going to die from sheer rage. But for some reason, something Tang Yuanxiao had once told her inexplicably surfaced in her mind.

"You’ll find out just how exceptional Su Li is one day."

At the time, she had scoffed at those words. But now... for some reason, she remembered them.