Tang Tang carefully wrote down what Zuo Mu had just said in her diary.
Although she knew that maybe he had just said those words casually to divert her attention, it was impossible not to be touched, especially coming from the person she liked.
However, this secret would probably remain a secret for a long time. After all, Tang Tang could tell that Zuo Mu truly only regarded her as a beloved younger sister.
But she didn't really mind. Who said that loving someone meant you had to be with them?
Anyway, she was happy just being under the same roof as him.
Late at night, the police station was still struggling with Wang Lin's case.
The culprit was extremely cautious and had left almost no useful information. Moreover, Wang Lin's parents had been constantly pressuring the school, which in turn had been pushing the police station for progress.
After so much time, there really wasn't much progress to show.
"Chief Li, in my opinion, this criminal is a psychopath, messing with all of us," said a police officer.
Many officers had been working overtime for days, and both their mental and physical states were in a daze. They had checked all the surveillance cameras, but still hadn't found any suspicious people.
There were no traces to be found. The culprit seemed to know the locations of all the cameras and had managed to avoid them perfectly.
A bad thought crossed someone's mind but was quickly suppressed.
Chief Li looked out at the dark street. Memories from a few years ago suddenly flooded back, and the more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
Naturally, Tang Tang couldn't fall asleep.
Anyone would be excited all night after hearing such touching vows from the person they liked. Unfortunately, the next morning, Zuo Mu dragged Tang Tang out of bed to go to school.
"Brother, ever since you started taking me to and from school, I've had less time to rest!" Tang Tang complained sleepily.
Zuo Mu looked at Tang Tang's obviously sleepy face and flicked her on the forehead. "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy. Who is this all for?"
When Xiao Li arrived, she saw this warm scene and couldn't help but imagine a sweet novel plot. She felt like she had been hit hard.
"Tang Tang!"
When Zuo Mu saw Tang Tang's friend coming, he stopped teasing the little girl. He just quietly accompanied the two kids to school.
Feeling the cold atmosphere after she joined, Xiao Li turned to look at Tang Tang and saw that she was looking at her with a disgusted expression.
After Zuo Mu dropped the two of them off at the school gate, Xiao Li finally let out the words she had been holding back all the way. "Tang Tang, you value your love interest over your friends!"
The accused person admitted it boldly without a blush. "How many times can I see my love interest a day? I'm with you at school all day. Is it so wrong for me to value my love interest outside of school?"
Xiao Li was speechless. She sighed that this girl had really given her whole heart away, while Zuo Mu clearly didn't think in that way.
"You should be more proactive. Otherwise, how will he know he's your love interest? Are you really going to be just brother and sister with him for the rest of your life?"
Tang Tang raised her eyebrows, grabbed Xiao Li's hand, and walked towards the classroom. "It doesn't matter. As long as I'm happy when I'm with him."
After dropping off Tang Tang, Zuo Mu went straight to the police station.
"Chief Li, I'd like to talk to you about something."
The two of them entered the office. Zuo Mu didn't beat around the bush and directly said, "Recently, Tang Tang's phone has been in my hands, and I've been receiving text messages from different unknown numbers. It's not hard to tell from the tone and stance that they're from the same person."
Chief Li nodded. Tang Tang was very important to that person named Shen Tian, so it was very likely that he was the one harassing her.
"However, he's using disposable phone numbers, so the information we can get for your investigation is very limited."
The culprit had obviously anticipated this. He had always been very cautious and left no loopholes.
When Zuo Mu entered the police station just now, he saw the young officers looking exhausted. He knew that this case was extremely difficult, and the police might have reached a bottleneck and couldn't proceed with their next plan.
If it weren't for Tang Tang, he wouldn't be so selfish.
But it was precisely because of Tang Tang that he had to protect her at all costs.
"Chief Li, I respect you very much and admire the hard work you and your officers have put in day and night," Zuo Mu said firmly without any hesitation. "I don't know what your next plan is, but Tang Tang must not be involved. I'm her brother and guardian, and I have the right to say this."
Chief Li looked at the young man in front of him without saying a word, waiting.
"Anyway, don't even think about using Tang Tang as bait to catch the culprit. We'll fully cooperate with you on everything else."
Chief Li calmly took a sip of tea and then looked up at Zuo Mu.
To be honest, he had had such an idea before.
Tang Tang would be a perfect bait. Just from that phone call, he could sense the culprit's strong interest in that girl.
From a case-solving perspective, it would be an excellent method.
However, from a moral perspective, he couldn't convince himself.
Using a minor's life to solve a case was out of the question.
Moreover, she was also a victim in this case and shouldn't be involved any further.
"I promise you. We'll be on the same side when it comes to Tang Tang."
Having achieved his goal, Zuo Mu didn't stay any longer. He simply said goodbye and left.
Wang Lin's parents were still causing trouble and seeking justice at the school. After coming several times, the students were no longer surprised.
"I heard they even went to the principal's office today and almost got into a fight. Fortunately, the principal called the security guards in advance."
The students around were chatting. Gossip about the school always spread the fastest.
No one really cared about the truth. They only knew that the school was in a mess. The usual checks for lateness and hygiene had become a bit more lax, but the school gate was being guarded more strictly.
Tang Tang listened quietly to the students chatting, but Wang Lin's figure kept flashing through her mind.
She sometimes wondered if Wang Lin had been killed because of her. What would have happened if she had gone to the appointment?
Although Zuo Mu had told her many times not to think about these things, her natural imagination wouldn't let her go.
The voice of that person was still deeply engraved in her mind, as was the phone call.