Chapter 99: Justice Over Family

“I just met someone at the Hongyun Restaurant who claimed to be your sister.

 She brought a few people with her and said they were going to arrest us. She said you arranged it.

 I wanted to ask if you know anything about this.” Lu Qingyun’s voice was neither loud nor soft but carried a commanding authority.

The pressure in his words was like a mountain crushing an egg, weighing heavily on Zhong Zheng’s heart.

 He broke out in a cold sweat and trembled uncontrollably. If he hadn’t been sitting on the chair, he would have collapsed on the floor.

“I… I know… I didn’t know it was you…”

Lu Qingyun’s voice instantly turned cold and ruthless.

The chill in it seemed to pierce through the phone and penetrate Zhong Zheng’s marrow,

“You are the mayor of this city, and you actually condone your family’s recklessness.

 I will report this to the higher-ups. That’s all.”

Listening to the busy tone on the other end of the phone, Zhong Zheng felt like he had fallen into an inescapable ice cave.

 His whole body was cold, and despair and fear enveloped him.

He wasn’t afraid of Lu Qingyun investigating his financial issues because he was sure he was clean in that regard.

But he had indeed spoiled his family, especially Zhong Li.

 Because she had raised him when he was young, she was not only a sister to him but also like a mother.

 He had always been grateful to her, so whenever she asked for something, he would try his best to satisfy her. He never imagined that she would provoke Lu Qingyun.

This was something even he couldn’t suppress, and he would be implicated as a result.

Lu Qingyun arrived at the guesthouse. Ling Yao and Ling Xuemei and her husband just came out of the room.

“Did you handle everything?” Ling Yao smiled at Lu Qingyun.

Lu Qingyun nodded, “I’ll take you back to school.” He had just checked on Zhong Zheng.

 He was a good mayor. He had done a lot for Yuncheng since taking office.

 However, his sister had been abusing his name and doing a lot of bad things. So, Zhong Zheng couldn’t escape responsibility for this.

But he would give Zhong Zheng a chance. It depended on whether he could choose justice over family.

In the afternoon, the tense atmosphere of the exam returned.

After Ling Yao entered the examination hall, Lu Qingyun, wanting Ling Xuemei and Ji Yanting to wait comfortably in the car, asked Xiao Liu to drive the car to the shade.

He also specially bought cold drinks and soda from the shop across the street for Ling Xuemei and Ji Yanting.

They were his future in-laws, and he had the opportunity to impress them, so he naturally wanted to make a good impression.

“Xiao Lu is a good kid!” Ling Xuemei looked at Lu Qingyun standing outside the car, full of praise.

Ji Yanting snorted disdainfully, “He’s not up to any good.”

Ling Yao sat in the examination hall and wrote furiously. She finished the exam paper in no time.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. Seeing that there was still time, she checked the exam paper again.

When the time to hand in the papers arrived, Ling Yao didn’t hesitate. She quickly handed in her paper and walked out of the school.

She saw Lu Qingyun waiting at the school gate from afar. A sweet feeling filled her heart, and she couldn’t help but quicken her pace.

As soon as Lu Qingyun saw Ling Yao, he quickly walked over and handed her the ice cream,

 “Have some ice cream to cool down.” He had bought the ice cream at the right time, so it hadn’t melted at all.

“Okay.” Ling Yao took the ice cream and took a bite. The heat instantly disappeared. Ice cream and summer were a perfect match.

“Where are my parents?” Ling Yao didn’t see Ling Xuemei and Ji Yanting and asked curiously.

“It’s too hot. I asked them to wait for us in the car. It’s at the small park across the street.”

 There was no shade here, so he had Xiao Liu drive the car to the small park across the street.

“Let’s go find them.”

Lu Qingyun nodded slightly and walked slowly towards the small park side by side with Ling Yao.

Ling Yao noticed the sweat beads on Lu Qingyun’s forehead. She subconsciously handed him the ice cream and said softly,

“Take a bite to cool down.” Her gaze was pure and natural. She didn’t realize anything was wrong with this action.

“Okay!” Lu Qingyun’s Adam’s apple rolled involuntarily. He lowered his head slightly and took a bite of the ice cream,

 “It’s sweet!” His gaze involuntarily fell on Ling Yao’s rosy lips.

 A hint of tenderness and longing flashed in his eyes. He wanted to taste her lips. They must be sweeter than ice cream.

Ling Yao realized what she had just done. Her heart pounded like a deer. She lowered her eyelids.

Her shy expression was as beautiful and charming as a spring peach, “Let’s go.” She ran ahead as if escaping.

Looking at Ling Yao’s retreating figure, Lu Qingyun couldn’t help but smile. He took long strides and followed her.

Zhong Li was called home by Zhong Zheng.

At that moment, Zhong Zheng was holding a stack of documents in his hand, his face very grim.

“Azheng, Sister knows she was wrong. Sister really didn’t know that person’s identity.” After learning Lu Qingyun’s identity, Zhong Li had been uneasy all afternoon.

Zhong Zheng threw the documents in front of Zhong Li. He looked at her with disappointment,

 “Give me an explanation.” It turned out that his sister had been hiding so many bad things from him.

He had been kept in the dark. He thought his sister was just a little spoiled, a little willful, and had a bad temper. He never imagined that she was so vicious.

Zhong Li picked up the documents and flipped through them. The more she looked, the uglier her face became,

“Azheng, I was wrong. I won’t do that again. Forgive me this time.”

Zhong Zheng closed his eyes and turned around. After a long time, he slowly said, “It’s too late.”

This time, he had to punish Zhong Li severely. He had to give an explanation to both the victims and Lu Qingyun.

Lu Qingyun sent Ling Yao and her parents home. After dinner, at Ling Xuemei’s insistence, Lu Qingyun stayed at Ling Yao’s house for the night.

At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. A few stars twinkled faintly in the night sky, as if telling endless stories.

A few fireflies danced in the grass, like tiny stars, emitting a faint and charming light.

Ling Yao was sitting in her room reading a book when the window was gently knocked on.

She put down her book and curiously walked to the window, opening it.

Lu Qingyun was standing outside the window. He held a glass bottle in his hand. The bottle shimmered with light in the darkness, like a dazzling pearl.

“This is for you.” Lu Qingyun handed the bottle to Ling Yao.

Ling Yao only then realized that the bottle was filled with fireflies. She happily took the bottle,

“Thank you! I like it.” She had always had a special fondness for fireflies since she was a child.

Their dancing figures in the night sky always brought her endless beauty and peace.

“I’m glad you like it. Go to sleep early. Good night!” Lu Qingyun wanted to stay with Ling Yao for a while longer, but thinking that she had to take the exam tomorrow, he suppressed his desire.

“Good night!” Ling Yao closed the window, looked at the bottle filled with fireflies, and a sweet smile spread across her lips.

Lu Qingyun stood by Ling Yao’s window for a while before turning back to his room.

That night, they both slept soundly. They both had sweet dreams, and they both appeared in each other’s dreams.