Chương 58: His dad said, "He takes after me!"

At this moment, Su Wan's mother stepped forward, adjusted her glasses, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Wanwan has a good eye for people. Xiaolin fell in love with her at first sight the first time he came to Wanwan's house for a blind date."

Su Wan stood to the side, covering her face.

It was exactly the same pose Lin Zhou had when he covered his face in front of the parents in the private room.

This time, the ear that peeked out from between her fingers was not only red, but also burning hot.

Lin Zhou's lips twitched slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Auntie—Dad, Mom, let's go home for dinner."

The live chat erupted in celebration after the female reporter left.

"His dad said, 'He takes after me!!' His mom said, 'He takes after me!!' Su Wan's mom said, 'His good judgment also comes from me!!' The three parents were vying for credit during an interview in Jiangcheng!! This video is going to be turned into a meme!!"

"When the lock-picking king said 'failure is not an option,' his tone was very casual, but he was telling the truth."

"He said he didn't come here on purpose, he just happened to be eating across the street with his girlfriend and both sets of parents!! He admitted it!! He finally admitted that Officer Su is his girlfriend!!"

"Su Wan just covered her face!! The way she covered her face was exactly the same as what the 'Three-Second King' did in the private room!!"

The loudspeakers in the mall were still playing that old pop song.

Lin Zhou helped the security guard re-seal the cold storage door, dusted off his hands, and turned around to see Su Wan standing at the end of the corridor waiting for him.

He wore a dark gray hoodie with the hood up over his back and held a phone in his hand.

The tool bag swayed back and forth on his shoulder.

Sunlight streamed through the glass dome onto his face, casting a pale brown hue on his pupils.

Su Wan greeted him and put her phone back in her pocket.

"You'll definitely gain more followers tonight after your interview in Jiangcheng."

After Su Wan finished speaking, she turned her head to look at the sunlight outside the glass dome, and the small mole on her ear was faintly visible in the afternoon light.

"Let's go back, Mom and Dad are still waiting in the private room."

Inside a private room at a Hunan cuisine restaurant.

The food on the table was almost gone.

All that was left of the chopped chili fish head was red oil and a few sprigs of cilantro. The plate of braised pork was quietly moved to Su Wan's front three times by Lin Zhou's mother.

The last time Su Wan discovered it, she smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Auntie, I really can't eat anymore."

Lin Zhou's father slowly sipped his tea; this was his fourth cup of tea that evening.

Su Wan's mother took off her glasses, wiped the lenses with the corner of the tablecloth, put them back on, and glanced at Lin Zhou.

Then he turned to Lin Zhou's mother and said, "I think that's enough for today. Let the children be on their own for a while. They're too uncomfortable with us here."

The piece of sweet and sour pork rib that Lin Zhou's mother had just picked up was suspended in mid-air.

She paused for a moment, then put down her chopsticks and scanned Su Wan and Lin Zhou back and forth with the keen eyes typical of an elderly person.

"Yes, yes, let's go. The child is uncomfortable sitting here. He must be tired from coming all the way from our hometown this morning. We need to find a place to rest."

She grabbed Lin Zhou's father's sleeve and pulled him outside. His father hadn't even put down his teacup yet, and it almost spilled.

Su Wan's mother stood at the door of the private room and turned around to look at Lin Zhou.

She remained silent for a moment, and did not say anything more such as "Are you fast at unlocking?"

He simply handed over the paper bag he had been carrying.

The paper bag belonged to the tea shop on the first floor of the mall, and it contained a box of Tieguanyin tea.

"Xiaolin, Wanwan's father passed away early, and I've been raising her alone all these years. She's never liked talking to people since she was little. I've introduced her to many people, but she didn't like any of them. But today, I can tell she's quite happy."

She placed the paper bag in Lin Zhou's hand. The handle of the bag was a little wrinkled, probably because she had been clutching it in the private room.

"The tea is for your dad. The gift for you is to see Wanwan more often in the future. She's busy with work and sometimes forgets to eat. You're quick at picking locks, but if she gets stuck on a case, you don't need to pick the lock; just give her a call."

Lin Zhou took the paper bag and touched Su Wan's mother's hand with his fingers.

Her hands were very cold; retired teachers often have cold hands and feet in winter.

He remembered Su Wan saying that she was fifteen when her father passed away, and she cried all day, but didn't cry anymore the next day.

She spoke in the same flat tone as Su Wan's mother was when she handed her the tea.

He nodded.

"Auntie, I will."

Su Wan stood to the side.

She didn't say anything, but just watched her mother and Lin Zhou standing at the door of the private room.

Then she reached out and plucked a strand of hair that was stuck to the collar of her mother's camel coat.

"Mom, be careful on the road. Send me a message when you get home."

Su Wan's mother patted Su Wan's hand, then turned and followed Lin Zhou's parents toward the elevator.

Lin Zhou's mother took a few steps and then turned back and called out again.

"Lin Zhou, take good care of Wanwan! It's cold outside at night, don't let her stand in the wind, and remember to buy her a hot milk tea or something!"

Lin Zhou stood at the door of the private room, watching his parents and Su Wan's mother walk into the elevator side by side.

His father was still holding that enamel mug—no, his own teacup—the tea in it had gone cold, but he still took a sip.

Before the elevator doors closed, he saw his mother nudge his father with her elbow, probably saying, "Did I do a good job just now?"

His father nodded, holding his teacup.

The elevator doors closed, and the corridor fell silent.

The old pop song playing on the mall's loudspeaker has finally been changed to an even older one.

The prelude is a saxophone piece with a very long melody.

Lin Zhou turned to look at Su Wan, who was sitting by the table, using her chopsticks to pick up the last piece of sweet and sour pork ribs from the plate. She puffed out one cheek, chewed, and swallowed.

Then she looked up.

"The tea my mom gave you is the kind of tea my dad used to love. She doesn't give away tea easily."

Lin Zhou looked down at the paper bag in his hand.

The tea shop's logo wasn't printed quite straight, and the paper bag's handle had been creased from Su Wan's mother's grip.

He placed the paper bag on the table and took out the box of Tieguanyin tea inside. The box was dark green with gold lettering on the lid.

He looked at it for a long time, then put the tea leaves back into the bag.

"I know, she entrusted you to me."

Su Wan put down her chopsticks.

Stand up and walk to the door of the private room.

Outside the glass door was an empty corridor, and sunlight streamed down from the glass dome, falling on the shoulders of her dark gray sweatshirt.

She suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Zhou, saying, "Come downstairs with me to buy a cup of milk tea."

Lin Zhou slung his tool bag over his shoulder.

"Okay."

At this moment, the conference room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment, several miles away, is brightly lit.

The large screen against the wall, which is always lit up, has now switched to a live online broadcast interface.

On the screen, Lin Zhou is holding the lid of his father's enamel mug, facing the reporter's camera and saying, "I'm not a hero."

The image froze for a moment, and someone whistled in the conference room.

Old Zhou sat in the far corner of the conference table, holding an enamel mug, the tea in the mug steaming.

He unscrewed the lid and bent down to blow on the tea leaves on the surface of the tea.

A slight curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.