Chapter 60

When Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang descended the mountain, there were already quite a few police cars parked at the foot of the mountain. However, under the instructions of Wu Wenxiang and Zhao Zhiwei, the police officers did not conduct any checks on Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang. Subsequently, these late-arriving police officers began to climb the mountain to search for the criminals under Andrew Sheng's command and the corrupt elements within their police system.

Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang did not participate in the aftermath. They knew it was time to arrange for Zhou Lingling to return home and reunite with her family. Zhou Lingling did not expect Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang to come to her place late at night. At first, she was a bit nervous, thinking that bad people had come. But when she saw Tao Ruoxiang and Qin Lang, she completely relaxed.

Hearing that Tao Ruoxiang and Qin Lang were going to send her home, she said happily, "Teacher Tao... are you serious? Can I really go home?"

Tao Ruoxiang nodded firmly, "Yes, you can go home! We are here to take you home!"

"But the snakes outside—"

"The snakes outside have been driven away by me," Qin Lang said with a smile. "And the scoundrels like Andrew Sheng have been dealt with by Teacher Tao and me."

"Teacher Tao, you are so amazing!" Zhou Lingling said excitedly.

"It's mainly due to Qin Lang's efforts," Tao Ruoxiang said. She really didn't dare to take credit for this. Although she had collected evidence of Andrew Sheng's crimes, her trust in the corrupt police officer Lu Jun almost led to a complete failure, putting both her and Qin Lang at risk. Thinking about this, Tao Ruoxiang felt somewhat embarrassed and began to doubt her investigative abilities. She thought that not becoming a detective might have been the right choice.

"Teacher Tao, your efforts cannot be overlooked," Qin Lang said with a smile. "Fortunately, everything is almost resolved, and Zhou Lingling can go home. I think your parents will be very happy to see you."

"Um." Zhou Lingling nodded firmly. At this moment, there was no place more familiar and warm to her than her family.

Zhou Lingling went out of the house with Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang, and indeed, there were no snakes around. The snakes that had surrounded the house seemed to have suddenly disappeared.

But Zhou Lingling didn't have the heart to care about these things. Her mind was completely focused on going home.

On the road, Qin Lang planned to find a police car to send Zhou Lingling home. However, he was unexpectedly rejected by the police, who said they were handling a major case and had no time to deal with them.

Qin Lang was furious and had to call Chen Jinyong. Chen Jinyong had just gone to bed with his wife when he received Qin Lang's call, which made him very angry. However, he knew that Mayor Wu treated this young man with respect, so he didn't dare to be angry with Qin Lang. After listening to Qin Lang's explanation, Chen Jinyong was even more furious and called the police captain in charge of the operation.

The captain was on the mountain dealing with the scene. Seeing the bodies that had been bitten by snakes and insects, some of which were almost dead or completely devoured, left him in a very bad mood. He had to clean up all the mess and even catch a few snakes as evidence, which would keep him busy all night. After receiving Chen Jinyong's call, the captain was even more furious. He picked up the walkie-talkie and scolded the young police officer who had caused trouble, ending with, "Damn it! After you finish sending the person, get back up the mountain to catch snakes!"

After being scolded, the young police officer realized that Qin Lang was not someone to be trifled with. His attitude towards Qin Lang changed 180 degrees, and he obediently drove Zhou Lingling to her building.

Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang accompanied Zhou Lingling upstairs to her home. Zhou Lingling was originally very excited, but when she reached the door, she hesitated about whether to ring the doorbell.

At this moment, Zhou Lingling was extremely anxious and uncertain, as she didn't know how to face her parents. How could she explain her experiences and the things she had done to her parents?

"Don't worry, Lingling. They are your parents, and you will always be their daughter," Tao Ruoxiang gently patted Zhou Lingling's back to comfort her. These words sounded ordinary, but Zhou Lingling understood their meaning—parental love is the most selfless and inclusive. No matter what Zhou Lingling had done, they would forgive her, and she was just a victim.

Zhou Lingling nodded and finally mustered the courage to press the doorbell.

After a moment, the door finally opened. A middle-aged woman with messy hair and a haggard face opened the door. The moment she saw Zhou Lingling, her dull eyes suddenly brightened, and she grabbed Zhou Lingling's hand, "Daughter! My daughter! You're finally back! Are you here to see Mom? Oh, God, you finally heard my prayers and brought my daughter back to see me..."

"Mom—what are you saying! I'm not dead! I'm not dead!" Zhou Lingling heard the implications in her mother's words.

"What! You—yes, your hand is warm! You're not dead! You're fine! Was it all just a hallucination before? Yes, it must have been a hallucination! This is real now, you're real! My daughter! I've missed you so much!" Zhou's mother was overjoyed and cried.

"Aijiao, who are you talking to—?" Zhou's father came out at this moment. When he saw Zhou Lingling, he suddenly froze, the cigarette in his hand falling to the ground. Then he stepped forward and hugged Zhou Lingling, "Daughter—your spirit has returned home! Don't go, if you have to go, take us with you..."

Tears streamed down Zhou's father's face as he hugged Zhou Lingling.

Men do not shed tears easily, but only when they are truly heartbroken.

Qin Lang finally understood the meaning of these words and was moved by the love Zhou Lingling's parents had for their daughter.

After the three of them hugged and cried for a while, Zhou Lingling wiped away her tears and said to her parents, "Thanks to Teacher Tao and classmate Qin Lang, they saved me and punished the bad people."

"Teacher Tao, classmate Qin Lang, thank you so much, really, thank you so much!" Zhou's father quickly expressed his gratitude. Since their daughter's "suicide," the couple had lost all motivation for life, feeling that they had lost everything. They lived in pain and regret, thinking that their busy work life had led them to neglect their daughter, causing the tragedy.

Now that their daughter suddenly appeared before them, the couple was overjoyed beyond words.

Qin Lang and Tao Ruoxiang said a few words to Zhou Lingling's parents and then left, as it was already late at night, and Zhou Lingling had many things to discuss with her parents. They didn't feel it was appropriate to stay.

After going downstairs, the young police officer was still waiting in the car. "Sending the Buddha to the West," since he knew that the young master in front of him was not to be trifled with, the young police officer naturally tried his best to meet his demands. Besides, he would have to go back and catch snakes, which he was afraid of. The thought of it made him shudder, and he felt it was better to be a chauffeur.

"Qin Lang, where are you going now?" Tao Ruoxiang asked.

"Seeing Zhou Lingling reunite with her parents like that, I also want to go home," Qin Lang said.

"Yes, I also want to go home," Tao Ruoxiang was still immersed in the emotions of Zhou Lingling's family reunion.

"Then come home with me," Qin Lang said with a double meaning.

"Boy, are you asking for death—daring to take advantage of your teacher!" Tao Ruoxiang, being very smart, naturally understood the implications of Qin Lang's words.

The young police officer started the police car and shook his head, thinking to himself, "The world is really going downhill. These days, teachers and students are even flirting... Oh, when I was in high school, I also liked my English teacher, but alas, she already has a child now."