Chương 41: Lin Zhou: "Your mother?"

He looked up and met her gaze.

The two looked at each other for about a second, then looked away at the same time.

The screen was flooded with comments.

"Chief: Don't drink too much on your next blind date." Su Wan's ears turned red. The chief knows everything.

"The bureau chief even knew she was drunk yesterday. When he was reviewing the statement, he probably glanced at Lao Zhou's driving log from last night. Then he deduced it. The bureau chief is truly a master of details."

Old Zhou walked over carrying an enamel mug.

He looked at Lin Zhou, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"You little rascal, you charge 50, 000 yuan for picking a lock, that's more than my monthly salary."

There was no sourness in his tone when he said this.

It was more of a simple, heartfelt sentiment: "This is the first time I've seen something like this in my forty-plus years of life."

The tea in the enamel mug had gone completely cold.

The tea leaves sank to the bottom of the cup, like a rotten specimen.

He took a sip of herbal tea.

Looking at Lin Zhou.

This young man went to the police station five times in three days, and each time it was related to a lock, but none of them were actually about a lock.

It's the thing behind the door.

He is now a specially appointed technical consultant for the Municipal Bureau.

No fixed office hours; you only need to come in for special circumstances.

"Oh, right."

Lin Zhou spoke.

"Who's going to take me home this time? It's not good for me to be at the police station every day. I'm not here to work."

Old Zhou was holding his enamel mug, ready to take another sip of her cold tea.

Upon hearing this, the rim of the cup stopped at his lips.

He looked down at his enamel mug, then at Lin Zhou.

"You're always like this—" He probably swallowed back his angry words.

Put the enamel mug on the table.

The bottom of the cup hit the table with a dull thud.

"Walk."

Then he walked towards the door.

The cuffs of the gray sweater swayed gently in the morning light.

Lin Zhou slung his tool bag over his shoulder and followed.

Su Wan stood at the door, looking at the two people.

One of them strode ahead, carrying an enamel mug.

Lin Zhou and Lao Zhou had just reached the corner of the corridor when their phones vibrated again.

When I took it out, it was still his mother.

He hesitated for half a second before answering.

"mom--"

"Don't call me Mom! Tell me first, what's going on between you and that girl? Your Aunt Wang said she didn't say a word when she came back!"

"Did you go or not? Did you see her? Is she ugly or what? Give me a straight answer! I've known your Aunt Wang for decades, how am I supposed to answer her like this?"

Lin Zhou moved his phone a little further away.

Old Zhou stood beside him, holding an enamel mug, his gaze fixed straight ahead, his steps steady, his face expressionless.

But judging from his slowed pace, he was listening.

Lin Zhou wanted to end things quickly.

"I went. I met them. They weren't interested in me. It didn't work out."

"It's over?!"

His mother's voice rose again.

"Why is your hair yellow? Did you wash it? Were you on your phone while you were talking to people?"

"Mom, that girl's standards are too high. We're not good enough for her. That's all. I'm hanging up now."

"You dare hang up! You stay right there and don't move! Who said they didn't like you? What do you mean by 'too high standards'?"

Just as Lin Zhou was trying to find a way to brush the matter off, his phone was suddenly taken away from his hand by a hand that reached out from the side.

He turned his head, and Su Wan had followed him without him noticing.

She stood next to him, holding his phone in one hand and her own bag in the other.

She held the phone to her ear. Cola Novel Reading Feast: A vast collection of books, an ultimate reading experience.

"Hello, Auntie, I'm Su Wan."

Lin Zhou's hand was still hanging in mid-air.

He watched Su Wan speak into his phone, her posture as steady as when she was giving her statement in the interrogation room.

She even smiled.

"Yes, I'm here today... Yes, Aunt Wang is my mom. Auntie, don't listen to his nonsense, he's not late, he arrived quite early. We chatted all morning, it was quite enjoyable. Yes, he was wearing a blue down jacket, it looked really nice."

"My hair... it's okay, it's just that I didn't have time to comb it this morning, so a tuft is sticking up, but I think it's quite cute."

Lin Zhou stood still.

Old Zhou stopped holding his enamel mug, which hovered awkwardly in front of his chest. Su Wan continued talking on the phone.

"No, no, he didn't bully me. He's very nice. Yes, he's incredibly fast at picking locks; I've seen that with my own eyes."

After finishing the call, I looked up and saw that Lin Zhou was still holding his phone.

His mouth was slightly open, and his face was blank.

He took the phone.

"Mom. Okay. I understand. Good. We'll talk about it later."

It's over.

He put his phone back in his pocket.

Su Wan stood there watching him.

There was no unnatural expression on her face.

Only the corners of his mouth curved slightly, not in a smile, but in a knowing "it's all settled" manner.

She turned around and walked towards Lao Zhou's car.

"Let's go, Brother Zhou."

Old Zhou removed the enamel cup from his lips.

He had been drinking that completely cold tea the whole time during the phone call, and the rim of the cup had been resting on his lips ever since Su Wan said "the lock was opened very quickly."

He glanced at Lin Zhou, then at Su Wan, but didn't ask, "What are you two putting on?"

Instead, he picked up his enamel mug, opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat.

Su Wan opened the back door and got in.

She sat up straight, her bag on her lap, and glanced at Lin Zhou through the rearview mirror.

He looked away, opened the car door, and got into the passenger seat.

Old Zhou started the car and put the enamel mug into the cup holder.

He held the steering wheel with one hand and drove the car out of the municipal bureau compound.

"Where to?"

"My home."

Lin Zhou said.

It paused for a moment.

"Seriously, where are you from? Xiao Su knows, but I don't."

Old Zhou turned the steering wheel and joked.

Lin Zhou leaned back in his seat. He glanced back at Su Wan, who was typing on her phone, head down, seemingly texting someone. He turned back to look at the sunlight streaming through the windshield.

As they approached the residential area, Su Wan suddenly spoke. She put her phone back in her bag, leaned forward slightly, and rested her hand on the back of the front seat.

"I need to explain about the phone call."

Lin Zhou turned his head.

"I've spoken to my mom for you. That way, no one will pressure me to go on blind dates anymore."

Su Wan's voice was flat, as if she were stating the facts of a case.

"My mom will call in a bit. I'll tell her you're a locksmith, a nice guy, just a bit quiet. She'll definitely ask you a bunch of questions. Can you answer it for me?"

Lin Zhou leaned back in his seat and looked at her.

The morning light shone in through the rear window and fell on the collar of her dark gray sweatshirt.

The mole on her ear was half-covered by her hair.

"Okay," he said.

Su Wan nodded, stepped back, and leaned back in her seat.

The car turned into the residential area where Lin Zhou lived, and Lao Zhou turned the steering wheel to the left and parked downstairs.

Lin Zhou had just gotten out of the passenger seat when Su Wan's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, then looked up at Lin Zhou.