Lin Xiaoxiao didn't need Zhou Huai'an to answer—his silence told her everything. Furious, she pinched his arm. "How could you be so reckless? What if you'd been permanently disabled? If you ended up in a wheelchair, I wouldn't want you anymore!"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Was Zhou Xiaoming really worth risking his life over?

She pinched him several more times for good measure.

Even through his fleece sweater, it still hurt.

Zhou Huai'an frowned but didn't argue. When she finally stopped, he explained quietly, "Getting injured wasn't part of the plan. I only volunteered to deliver documents."

Given his previous injuries, he could have easily refused the assignment.

Lin Xiaoxiao grumbled, "It was still dangerous! How could you know what he might try? What if he used something extreme—like throwing explosives at the car?"

The thought of all the unpredictable factors made her shudder. "What would I have done if something happened to you? Would I be a widow now?"

Zhou Huai'an felt a headache coming on. "It won't happen. I had everything under control."

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. "It was still too risky. Now can we finally tell them that Zhou Xiaocheng is still alive?"

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "Not yet."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't understand. With Zhou Xiaoming caught, what were they waiting for? Wouldn't it be better to let the Zhou family lead the search?

But if Zhou Huai'an said wait, then they would wait.

Without Zhou Xiaoming causing trouble and with Wang Fenglan's family out of the picture, she and Zhou Huai'an could finally live a peaceful life, right?

The thought lifted her spirits.

The next morning, as Lin Xiaoxiao was getting ready for class, Li Yunlan and Zhou Xiaoling returned. They planned to make some food for Zhou Xiaohong.

Li Yunlan took Lin Xiaoxiao aside. "I'm taking Xiaohong back to Beijing in a couple of days. She's not doing well, and there are more people at home to help look after her."

Lin Xiaoxiao thought that was wise, but she worried about Li Yunlan's health. Could she handle such a long journey?

"It's a long trip—are you sure you're up for it? And once you're back, don't rush to return. Huai'an and I aren't going anywhere."

She really hoped Li Yunlan would take the time to get a proper medical checkup. It was no small matter.

Li Yunlan nodded repeatedly. "I'll be fine. Once Xiaohong is better, I'll come back. I'm sorry to leave you alone to take care of Huai'an."

If anything, Lin Xiaoxiao felt it was Zhou Huai'an who took care of her more often. "It's no trouble at all."

Li Yunlan urged her to go to class while she went to buy groceries.

As Lin Xiaoxiao was leaving, Zhou Xiaoling hurried after her. "Sister-in-law, wait!"

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at her curiously. "What is it? Do you want me to ask about Lin Zihao?"

Zhou Xiaoling blushed and glared playfully. "Oh, stop! Never mind. Just go to class. I'm heading back to my unit soon anyway. I'll visit when I can."

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled as Zhou Xiaoling scampered away like a little rabbit. If Lin Zihao was single, maybe she could help play matchmaker.

Zhou Huai'an's friends were surely good people, and Zhou Xiaoling had a lovely personality.

They might make a good couple.

Over the next two days, Zhou Huai'an was very busy. Lin Zihao picked him up early each morning and didn't bring him back until evening.

They were assisting with the investigation into Zhou Xiaoming's case and dealing with the Zhang Zhongyi matter.

Since it involved confidential work, Lin Xiaoxiao didn't ask for details.

Once Zhou Xiaohong was stable enough to travel, Li Yunlan bought train tickets to take her back to Beijing. Throughout it all, Li Yunlan never once asked to see Zhou Xiaoming.

She was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself if she saw that monster.

Lin Xiaoxiao saw them off at the train station. The once bright and pretty young woman now looked pale and wilted, like a flower without water. It was a pitiful sight.

But Lin Xiaoxiao had little sympathy. She'd brought this on herself. Her tone was sharp as she said to Zhou Xiaohong, "Don't spend the whole trip feeling sorry for yourself. Take care of your mother. What happened is no one's fault but your own, and now you're making things harder for everyone else."

Zhou Xiaohong glanced at her but didn't respond.

If Li Yunlan hadn't been there, Lin Xiaoxiao would have said much worse. Once they were on the train, she finally relaxed.

When she returned home, she was surprised to find Zhou Huai'an there already, tidying up the lunch dishes with the help of his crutches.

She quickly took the bowls from him. "Let me do that. When did you get back? Your mother and sister just left."

Zhou Huai'an looked at her. "Thank you. You've been working very hard lately."

Lin Xiaoxiao was puzzled. "What for? I haven't done much. You should focus on recovering. Once my training is over, we can go home."

She had already mailed off the manuscript she'd been working on in her spare time. She should receive the payment soon.

The thought excited her. She hadn't even gotten the money yet, but she already had plans for it.

As she wiped the table, she suddenly thought of Lin Zihao. "Does Lin Zihao have a girlfriend?"

Zhou Huai'an looked puzzled. "Why do you ask?"

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't very well say your sister has a crush on him, so she just smiled. "Just curious. At his age, he's probably already married."

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "No, he's divorced. He's single now."

Lin Xiaoxiao was surprised. She hadn't expected that. "Does he have children? Why did they divorce?"

If he didn't have children, that would be one thing—but she didn't want Zhou Xiaoling to become a stepmother.

Zhou Huai'an shook his head again. "No children. I don't know why they divorced."

He and Lin Zihao came from different backgrounds, but they'd been through life-and-death situations together. They were brothers in arms, but they rarely discussed each other's personal lives.

He knew Lin Zihao was from Shanghai, from a good family, and had been briefly married. His wife had initiated the divorce, but the reasons were unknown.

Lin Xiaoxiao hadn't realized how traditional her thinking had become after such a short time here. The idea of Lin Zihao being divorced suddenly felt like a mark against him.

She couldn't help feeling he wasn't good enough for Zhou Xiaoling.

Noticing her expression, Zhou Huai'an thought for a moment. "Are you trying to matchmake him with Xiaoling? They wouldn't be a good match."

Lin Xiaoxiao was amazed. This wooden man had actually figured it out. "Why not? Xiaoling has a great personality, and Lin Zihao seems nice."

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "Lin Zihao is a good brother, but he wouldn't make a good husband."

He knew he wasn't exactly romantic himself—and Lin Zihao was much the same.

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. "You're pretty perceptive. Do you think you're husband material?"

Zhou Huai'an fell silent, realizing he'd walked right into that one. He slowly turned away on his crutches.

Watching his awkward retreat, Lin Xiaoxiao burst out laughing. "It's fine. You can always learn. I'm sure you'll make a perfectly good husband someday."