Lin Xiaoxiao felt secondhand embarrassment for Zhou Xiaoling. This was a classic case of "talk of the devil"—getting caught in the act.

Zhou Xiaoling suddenly turned away, avoiding looking at Lin Zihao, and tugged at Lin Xiaoxiao's sleeve. "Let's go, sis."

Lin Xiaoxiao reassured her, "Relax, he might not have heard anything. Leaving now would just look suspicious. Let's walk over and say hello like it's no big deal."

Zhou Xiaoling thought it over and reluctantly turned back, following stiffly behind like a nervous little quail as Lin Xiaoxiao greeted Lin Zihao.

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled. "Brother Zihao, here to buy fish too? It looks fresh—perfect for braising."

Zhou Xiaoling shot her a strange look. That was one forced greeting.

Lin Zihao acted as if he hadn't noticed their discomfort and gave a slight nod. "Is Huai'an home?

I was just heading over."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded quickly. "Yes, he is. Please go ahead. We need to pick up a few more things."

Lin Zihao gestured with the fish. "No need to buy more fish, then."

After he left, Zhou Xiaoling let out a heavy sigh and patted her chest. "My palms were sweating the whole time!"

Lin Xiaoxiao clicked her tongue. "And you call this having a crush? You're such a coward."

Zhou Xiaoling pouted. "He's really impressive, of course I get nervous!"

She glanced around. The two troublemakers were gone, and the old lady selling shoe inserts had left too. She felt a little regretful she hadn't been able to teach those punks a lesson.

Lin Xiaoxiao pulled her along to buy some tofu, a pound of mung bean sprouts, and some peanuts. She planned to braise the fish with tofu, make a cold salad with the sprouts, and fry the peanuts.

It might seem simple, but for the times, it was quite a feast.

On the way back, Zhou Xiaoling kept hesitating. "Maybe... I should just wander around a bit and grab lunch at the canteen. I'll come back after Lin Zihao leaves."

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed. "Why are you so timid? You're plenty chatty around your brother. Just treat Lin Zihao the same way! Make some small talk. Feelings grow from conversation, you know."

Zhou Xiaoling shook her head vigorously. "He's nothing like my brother. Forget it, I'm not going."

But Lin Xiaoxiao insisted and dragged her back.

Fortunately, Zhou Huai'an and Lin Zihao were busy playing chess and chatting, paying them no mind.

Zhou Xiaoling stuck close to Lin Xiaoxiao as they washed the fish under the outdoor tap, her eyes darting toward the house every few seconds.

Trying to encourage her, Lin Xiaoxiao said, "If you like him, you should go for it. He's single, and you don't mind that he's been divorced."

Zhou Xiaoling shook her head again. "It wouldn't be proper. A girl should be reserved."

Lin Xiaoxiao found it amusing coming from the usually bold Zhou Xiaoling. "It's good to be reserved, but when you meet someone you really like, you should still try. If it doesn't work out, you can always move on."

Zhou Xiaoling looked at her in surprise, then burst out laughing. "Sis, I really like you!"

While Lin Xiaoxiao cooked outside, Zhou Xiaoling squatted nearby, watching and chiming in constantly: "The color of that braised fish is perfect—it already looks delicious!" "Should you flip it? Will it stick?" "Let me cut the tofu! Should we put it in now?"

Inside, Zhou Huai'an and Lin Zihao could hear Zhou Xiaoling's lively chatter. It wasn't annoying—it felt warm and full of life.

Lin Zihao moved a chess piece. "Zhang Zhongyi killed himself."

Zhou Huai'an nodded. "Xiaoling mentioned it this morning. Guess he was scared."

Lin Zihao shook his head. "His timing helps Zhou Xiaoming. Zhou Xiaoming can pin everything on Zhang Zhongyi now. And as for what happened three years ago... there's still no proof it was Zhou Xiaoming."

Zhou Huai'an frowned. "Zhou Xiaoming won't get a chance to talk his way out. This time, he's going down."

Lin Zihao smiled faintly. "You're as calm as ever. Let's hope Zhou Xiaoming has something useful to say."

Like how he killed Zhou Xiaocheng.

After Lin Xiaoxiao finished making lunch, Zhou Huai'an wrapped up his conversation with Lin Zihao. The meal itself was unusually quiet.

Zhou Huai'an wasn't much of a talker, and Lin Zihao was even quieter. Zhou Xiaoling stayed meek and silent, so Lin Xiaoxiao didn't push conversation either.

Watching Zhou Xiaoling eat so delicately almost made Lin Xiaoxiao laugh.

Thankfully, Lin Zihao left right after eating.

Zhou Xiaoling immediately relaxed. "I was so nervous I didn't even dare eat the fish earlier—didn't want to mess with the bones."

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled. "If you're this nervous just sharing a meal, is it really a crush? You act like a primary school kid seeing her teacher."

Zhou Xiaoling shook her head. "It's different! Weren't you nervous when you first met my brother?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was surprised. "Why would I be nervous?"

Zhou Xiaoling pursed her lips. "He's cold and quiet, just like Lin Zihao. It's intimidating!"

Lin Xiaoxiao had never thought of it that way. "Intimidating? I think he's fine. Whenever I see your brother, I only have one thought..."

She trailed off mysteriously.

Zhou Xiaoling asked dumbly, "What thought?"

Lin Xiaoxiao grinned. I want to sleep with him!

But she didn't dare say it out loud—she didn't want to shock Zhou Xiaoling.

They did the dishes together, still chattering nonstop by the water tap.

Zhou Huai'an found it curious—when had the two of them gotten so close?

After nap time, Lin Xiaoxiao got ready for class. Zhou Xiaoling, with nothing else to do, watched her change. "Can I come with you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought about it. "Probably. But this afternoon's lesson is on intramuscular injections. I need a model—want to volunteer?"

Zhou Xiaoling immediately shook her head. "No thanks! I'll go walk around town and come back when you're done."

Noticing Lin Xiaoxiao putting on her watch, she suddenly said, "Hey, my second brother had a watch just like that. It was issued to him. But I think he gave it to Xiao Ran."

Lin Xiaoxiao paused. "He gave his watch away?"

Then what was the watch An Xiuyu took off Zhou Xiaocheng's hand?

Zhou Xiaoling nodded obliviously. "Yeah, he gave it to Xiao Ran. You don't know her, do you? They grew up together. They were supposed to get married when he came back, but..." She trailed off, then cursed Zhou Xiaoming again.

Lin Xiaoxiao's mind was racing. short on time, she grabbed Zhou Xiaoling. "Come with me to class. I have more questions."

Even though Zhou Huai'an had said not to tell Li Yunlan that Zhou Xiaocheng might still be alive...

Zhou Xiaoling might have important clues she couldn't ignore.