Zhou Xiaocheng seemed to guess what Lin Xiaoxiao had in mind. "You're thinking of going directly to the culprit, aren't you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't surprised he'd figured it out. It was a risky approach, but straightforward. "If he finds out you're reinvestigating the case and that you have evidence, it might shake him. He's living a comfortable life now—he'll be afraid of anything that might ruin it. Guilty people often slip up when they're nervous."

Xiaocheng frowned. "I've considered that. But if we push too hard, he might become desperate and come after Zhang Wanqing."

He couldn't protect her around the clock. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head. "The real risk isn't to Wanqing—it's to you. You're the one with the evidence. He'll try to get it from you. Besides, Wanqing has been staying with us. I'll make sure she doesn't go out alone. She'll be safe."

After a moment's thought, Xiaocheng agreed. If it helped bring Zhang Baojiang to justice and clear Zhang Wanqing's father's name, it was worth trying.

But Lin Xiaoxiao had another question. "How was Wanqing even allowed to take the university entrance exam?"

Political screening was strict these days. With her father convicted of murder, she shouldn't have been eligible.

Xiaocheng had looked into it. "Originally, she wasn't. She fought for it. What she said to the officials, I don't know—but she got permission."

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed softly. Zhang Wanqing really was something else.

After two days with the Zhou family, Zhang Wanqing finally began to relax. Without her defenses up, she seemed much more easygoing.

Li Yunlan and Zhou Liyun were the type of elders who could carry a conversation all by themselves, so Zhang Wanqing didn't need to say much. With Lin Xiaoxiao and the children around, the house was always lively.

Even with one arm in a sling, Zhang Wanqing learned to help with the children. She'd even sit playfully on the floor, blocking the babies as they crawled.

Watching the two boys—serious-faced and sturdy—she couldn't help but ask, "Do they take after their father? Does he really look exactly like Zhou Xiaocheng?"

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled. "There's a resemblance, but they're not identical. I can tell them apart easily. An'an's father is quieter, more reserved."

"Was it an arranged marriage?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"Not exactly," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "I liked him first."

Zhang Wanqing didn't press further. Romance wasn't something she understood well. She reached out with her good hand to hold Xuan Xuan's tiny fingers as he crawled toward her. The baby giggled, begging silently to be picked up.

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed. "Look, Auntie's arm is hurt—she can't hold you. Come to Mama."

But Xuan Xuan ignored her, beaming at Zhang Wanqing with drooly delight.

Li Yunlan chuckled. "This little one loves pretty girls. Whenever we go out, he only lets young, good-looking women hold him. If someone older or less attractive tries, he hides in my arms."

She scooped him up and tapped his nose. "You like pretty aunties, don't you? You're going to marry a beauty like Aunt Wanqing someday, aren't you?"

Xuan Xuan wriggled happily, still reaching for Zhang Wanqing.

When Zhou Xiaocheng returned home, he found them all like this—laughing, playing, a picture of warmth. He smiled and settled on the sofa, watching.

Li Yunlan, still holding Xuan Xuan, glanced at him and said pointedly, "Look at you—even Xuan Xuan knows to ask a pretty girl for a hug. Isn't that right, Xuan Xuan?"

Xiaocheng froze for a second, then sighed inwardly. He stood and took the baby. "Come on, nephew, let's go outside."

The moment Xuan Xuan realized they were heading out, he forgot all about his pretty aunt and waved his arms excitedly.

Every time Lin Xiaoxiao saw Xiaocheng with the children, her heart ached a little. She sighed and headed to the kitchen to help.

She had assumed Zhang Wanqing's father's case would take much longer to resolve. The evidence was thin, and years had passed.

Besides, the plan she and Xiaocheng had come up with might not even work. What if the murderer had nerves of steel and didn't react at all?

But right after Army Day, as Lin Xiaoxiao and Li Yunlan returned from collecting supplies at the compound's logistics office, Xiaocheng arrived home.

Not seeing Zhang Wanqing, he asked Lin Xiaoxiao, "Where is she?"

Since Zhang Wanqing had been staying with them, Xiaocheng had been careful to give her space—staying elsewhere at night and only stopping by briefly during the day.

Lin Xiaoxiao could tell he was anxious. "She went out with Xiaoling to get something from her place. Do you need her?"

Xiaocheng nodded. "Her father's case is closed. The murderer has been arrested."

Lin Xiaoxiao was stunned. That was fast—barely over a week.

Li Yunlan joined in, surprised. "Really? So soon? He confessed?"

"He admitted everything last night," Xiaocheng said. "Including how he bribed the police back then."

Zhou Liyun came over with a child in her arms. "Good heavens, Xiaocheng, you're amazing! We thought this would take six months at least!"

Xiaocheng shook his head modestly. "It was partly luck. Zhang Baojiang has a son—a local troublemaker who had a crush on Zhang Wanqing. She put him in the hospital. Then two of his friends went to Fragrant Hills to confront her and got beaten up too."

Zhang Baojiang had almost forgotten about the little girl from all those years ago—until his son and the son's friends all came home bruised. He decided to see this girl for himself.

The moment he saw Zhang Wanqing, he was shocked—she looked just like her mother.

Guilt-ridden, he began having nightmares. Then he heard the case was being reopened—with new evidence.

Panicked, he went to find the officer who'd helped him fabricate evidence years before. Zhou Xiaocheng caught them both together.

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes widened. That was the fight she'd been involved in at Fragrant Hills! "They said his father was some kind of neighborhood director?"

Xiaocheng shook his head. "They were lying. But Zhang Baojiang really is head of security at a state-owned enterprise."

Just as he finished speaking, Zhou Xiaoling and Zhang Wanqing walked through the door.