Zuo Mu hung up the phone cleanly and decisively.
The person on the other end of the phone listened to the merciless click of the line being cut off and instantly felt rather speechless.
Oh well, he was used to it. So the person who answered the phone put down the receiver helplessly, looked at the words on the display screen and smiled bitterly. Zuo Mu really hadn't changed at all.
This guy loved a bit of fun, and a plan instantly formed in his mind.
He sent a message to a certain mysterious group chat.
"Zuo Mu is still the same old way."
As soon as this message was sent, it instantly received responses from several people.
"What? What? I heard he was personally protecting a little girl and gloating about it."
"Same here. I thought the little girl would be crying and begging to get rid of him in no time."
"Who would've thought it'd be this long?"
"That little girl is no ordinary person. How does it seem like she's got Zuo Mu wrapped around her little finger?"
"You're overthinking it. Why couldn't it be Zuo Mu who's got the little girl under his thumb?"
...
To some extent, the people in this little group had actually hit the nail on the head.
Far away, completely oblivious to all this after his cold - blooded phone - hanging, Zuo Mu showed signs of exhaustion between his brows. He hadn't slept all night, and his eyes were a bit bloodshot.
Now that the case had developed to this point, he'd finally heard some news of progress.
He relaxed completely. Habitually, he gently massaged his temples with both hands and slumped heavily against the back of the chair.
On the desk and the carpet were scattered materials about the progress of Wang Lin's case, as well as information about related people. Everything was there. Because he'd been so engrossed in reading, the documents were strewn everywhere.
By now, the case was no longer just about Wang Lin. More and more people were involved, including Huang Xiaoli, Tang Tang, and even himself.
Thinking of this, Zuo Mu felt as if the case had been shrouded in a thick fog.
But eventually, the truth would come to light.
A knowing smile played on Zuo Mu's lips. He was going to see whether the righteous would prevail or the evil would triumph.
Time flew by, and soon it was noon. Zuo Mu glanced at his watch, which emitted a charming dim light. It was already late, and it was time to pick up Tang Tang.
Imagining the little girl skipping out of school, he quickly tidied up, hiding his exhaustion. Then he neatly packed away all the messy case - related materials and casually put them into the bookcase.
When Zuo Mu, immaculately dressed, showed up at the school gate on time, Tang Tang wasn't there.
Zuo Mu checked the time. It was exactly 12:30 p.m., the time they'd agreed on. Most of the students in the school had left, but Tang Tang wasn't at the place they'd set.
Watching the number of students dwindle, Zuo Mu's smile stiffened.
A vague sense of unease welled up in his heart.
If anything happened to Tang Tang, he was afraid he'd never forgive himself.
Not knowing where this panic came from, Zuo Mu couldn't control himself and walked towards the campus.
Since high - school students were short on time at noon, the school had specially built several canteens so that students could save time by eating there. Otherwise, some students would spend too much time on the way back and forth.
Had Tang Tang gone to the canteen?
Zuo Mu was in a rather bad mood.
Then something went wrong. Just as he reached the school gate, he was stopped by an old security guard sitting on a chair, basking in the sun.
"Stop! What are you doing?"
Zuo Mu was caught off guard and looked completely confused. He stared at the stern - looking old man, not reacting for a moment and feeling a bit dazed.
"I'm a student's guardian. I want to go in and look for her," he patiently explained, which was quite rare for him.
These old guys might seem unassuming, but they were quite good at causing trouble.
"Guardian?" The round - faced security guard clearly didn't believe him and sized Zuo Mu up.
Looking at Zuo Mu's shiny, obviously expensive clothes and his strikingly handsome face that could be quite intimidating, the old man dispelled his doubts.
He'd been dealing with hooligans on the streets every day, so he could tell that this man in front of him looked like an elite and probably meant no harm.
However, looking at this young - looking guy claiming to be a guardian, he still had his doubts.
"How did you become a guardian? The kids here are at least high - school students," the security guard still insisted on not letting Zuo Mu in.
Zuo Mu felt exhausted and had no desire to explain anymore.
So he wanted to go in, and the security guard wouldn't let him. The two were at a standstill for a while.
Until a clear voice came from behind: "Brother Zuo Mu?"
Hearing Tang Tang's voice, Zuo Mu, who'd been so tense just a moment ago, immediately relaxed. The aura around him visibly lightened up.
He turned around and saw Tang Tang blinking her big eyes, innocently eating an ice - cream cone. He just couldn't get angry.
Seeing that the student in the school uniform, a pretty young girl, really knew this strange man, the security guard mumbled, "Such a young guardian is really rare."
Then he walked into his office.
After watching the old man leave, Tang Tang, still eating her ice - cream, lowered her head and didn't dare to look into Zuo Mu's eyes.
Zuo Mu forced a "kind" smile, trying hard to control the veins popping out on his forehead. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. After calming his emotions several times, he finally asked, "Where did you go?"
Tang Tang kept eating her ice - cream happily with her head down. When Zuo Mu asked, she knew she couldn't avoid it. She looked up straight into Zuo Mu's eyes, looking as innocent as ever. "I didn't go anywhere, brother. I just saw you weren't here, so I went to the little store next door to buy some snacks."
Saying that, she took out a bottle of iced coffee from her schoolbag.
It was obvious that Tang Tang had taken great care of this bottle of coffee. Just taken out of the schoolbag, it was still emitting wisps of white mist. The girl's fair and slender fingers wrapped around the coffee bottle, giving off a bit of coolness in the hot weather.
Not to mention that the brand of the coffee was one that Zuo Mu usually liked to drink.
Zuo Mu: ...
He was completely out of temper. Helplessly, he took the coffee. The coldness still lingered on the bottle. He didn't know whether to laugh or to get angry. He just tapped the girl on the head and deliberately made a fierce face. "Don't ever do this again."
Tang Tang stuck out her tongue, looking utterly innocent. "Okay, okay. I'll promise brother, all right?"
"Get in the car!" Zuo Mu didn't look at Tang Tang anymore and walked straight towards his beloved car.
Tang Tang laughed playfully behind him and quickly followed Zuo Mu's strong and solid back.
After getting in the car, it was a bit hot inside. Zuo Mu casually turned on the air - conditioner. The two sat in silence.
The car soon drove off, leaving a trail of dust behind.
Neither of them noticed that from an unassuming alley, an ordinary car was following closely behind.
The car drove smoothly on the road. Knowing she was in the wrong, Tang Tang took the initiative to break the silence. "Brother, Huang Xiaoli has been excited all day. She's been talking about this case non - stop. It seems like she's more eager to solve the case than the police."
When Tang Tang said this, Zuo Mu's mind instantly flashed back to the misunderstandings and the PKs with Huang Xiaoli that were not for outsiders to know. In fact, it was just Huang Xiaoli's one - sided provocations.
Suddenly, he casually glanced at the rear - view mirror and the corner of his mouth curled up in a sneering smile.