The balcony was deathly quiet. Zuo Mu and Tang Tang stared into each other's eyes for a long while. Zuo Mu was the first to sense that the atmosphere was getting a bit awkward. He turned his head away and coughed softly.
Tang Tang jolted as if awakened from a dream, her face flushing bright red.
The air was still tinged with the faint scent of tobacco. At this moment, Zuo Mu seemed...
Tang Tang couldn't quite put it into words. Usually, he was always so meticulous in public, but now, a rare trace of exhaustion softened his features.
Combined with the subtle base notes of the Darjeeling tea perfume on Zuo Mu, Tang Tang suddenly felt that the air on the balcony had grown thin, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Alright," Zuo Mu stood up, breaking the silence first. "Since you've made your decision, remember, if anything happens, contact me immediately."
"Ah," Tang Tang lowered her head in a flurry, terrified that he might notice her awkwardness.
Zuo Mu was completely preoccupied with the safety of the two girls, so he overlooked the shyness of the young girl in front of him.
If he had noticed, he would surely have known what it meant.
Maybe he just pretended not to see.
Tang Tang was still a high - school student, and Zuo Mu was, in a way, her guardian. He had always understood this truth.
In the living room, Huang Xiaoli was sitting on the sofa, fixated on the recipient of the text message. But she also thought they had been out there for too long, so she couldn't sit still. Clutching her phone, she craned her neck to peek. Only when she saw that they were both okay did she heave a sigh of relief.
Wait!
Why did the usually smart Tang Tang look so shy?
What was going on?
And Zuo Mu?
Wasn't he supposed to be the cold and elite doctor?
What was with that doting look on his face?
What was with the palpable pink aura between this middle - aged man and this young girl?
The two people in question didn't notice Huang Xiaoli's horrified expression. They were still lost in their own emotions.
Huang Xiaoli felt she couldn't bear to look. She even thought she was a bit of an outsider here.
So she spun around 180 degrees on the spot and slumped back onto her sofa.
Hugging her beloved Minnie doll, she sobbed, "Sure enough, only my little Minnie will always be mine."
When Tang Tang finally managed to open the balcony door, unable to stand the fluttering feeling inside, Zuo Mu seemed to snap out of it. As if nothing had happened, they walked side by side back into the living room.
But Zuo Mu, feeling Tang Tang's proximity, didn't act as casually as usual. Instead, he secretly kept a few centimeters of distance.
Tang Tang's attention was all on Huang Xiaoli, who was muttering to the Minnie doll on the sofa.
What was wrong with this drama queen?
Tang Tang rubbed her temples and sat down next to her friend. "What's wrong with you this time, Missy?"
"Humph!" Huang Xiaoli cast a forlorn look at the two of them, pinching Minnie's ear so hard that the doll's face was distorted. She pretended to shake her head and sighed, "Alas, some people are so oblivious. Oh well, at least I have Minnie."
...
This was so random!
Tang Tang felt like she was being subtly mocked, but she had no proof.
She cast a pleading look at Zuo Mu. Maybe Tang Tang herself didn't realize that whenever something happened, Zuo Mu was the first person she thought of.
Zuo Mu rather enjoyed this look. As an adult, how could he not understand what this mischievous Huang Xiaoli was implying?
"Huang Xiaoli is just worried about the progress of the case, right?" Zuo Mu showed an extremely "amiable" smile.
How scary! He was so sinister!
Huang Xiaoli wailed inwardly. She had thought Zuo Mu was such a nice guy before, but she never knew he was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.
She still needed Zuo Mu's help, so she had to choke back her tears and nod in agreement. "Yes, I'm just really worried about this case."
Bah, I was just forced to discover this secret romance and then threatened by the male lead himself.
Looking at this situation, it seemed that Tang Tang still had no idea.
Thinking of this, Huang Xiaoli looked at the well - dressed Zuo Mu with a hint of glee. She silently said in her heart, "You're in for a tough time in the future."
Due to some inside knowledge, she knew her friend's personality well. Tang Tang was so detached from worldly desires that she might as well become a nun. Hehe, Brother Zuo Mu, you've got a long way to go.
Huang Xiaoli snickered.
Zuo Mu shivered.
Tang Tang looked at her like she was crazy.
"Ahem..." Huang Xiaoli cleared her throat. Deciding not to push her luck, she put on a serious expression. "Tang Tang, have you and Big Brother Zuo come up with anything?"
After what had just happened, she didn't dare to call him "Brother" anymore.
Who knew if Tang Tang would get jealous later on.
Zuo Mu sat back in his previous seat, looking much more relaxed.
"It depends on my outside help."
"Outside help?"
"What outside help?"
Tang Tang and Huang Xiaoli were both puzzled. They stared at Zuo Mu with their big, curious eyes.
Rarely, under such clear and innocent gazes, Zuo Mu, who was usually good at changing the subject, couldn't come up with any witty remarks. He moved aside a bit, motioning for Tang Tang to sit down.
Tang Tang sat down beside him.
So, Huang Xiaoli was alone on the long, empty sofa, while Tang Tang and Zuo Mu squeezed onto the small single - person sofa.
What was going on? Didn't her house have a place for him to sit?
Huang Xiaoli was in a state of turmoil when she noticed this detail.
Then Zuo Mu's steady voice caught Huang Xiaoli's attention.
"The outside help consists of some technician friends. I'll give them this message and ask them to find out the IP address of the sender's phone when the message was sent. Then it should be easy to track them down."
Was it really that amazing?
The two high - school kids were both shocked and excited at the same time.
Because this meant there would be new progress in Wang Lin's case.
"Great!" Huang Xiaoli was so excited that she almost jumped off the sofa. "I hope we can catch this pervert soon. Such a murderer really deserves to die."
"Brother, where did you find this outside help?" Tang Tang's attention had shifted.
"Um..." Zuo Mu rarely stammered. He looked embarrassed, as if it was hard to explain.
"Looks like it's inconvenient for brother to say," Tang Tang pouted. "Oh well, I won't force you. Brother is sometimes so mysterious and sometimes so straightforward. I just hope brother won't lie to me."
These soft words left Zuo Mu both amused and helpless. He patted her head gently and said tenderly, "I can't tell you now because of the rules. We have a confidentiality agreement until the case is solved. It's a matter of professional ethics."
At first, Tang Tang was still feeling a bit sad about this, but after hearing this, she thought it was okay. She had a long way to go in life. One day, she would make Zuo Mu tell her everything, instead of keeping things hidden like this.
Telling them about the outside help was already the most information Zuo Mu could disclose within his ability.