"That's great, Ling Zhenfei, you agreed! So, when do you plan to meet him?"

Seeing Ling Zhenfei nod, Zhuo Yue was overjoyed. Her excited expression looked as if she urgently wanted to meet the mysterious owner of Xi Shan Farm right now.

"This... Zhuo Yue, I think we should meet another day, we still have a lot on our plates right now..."

Ling Zhenfei, at a loss for words, hesitantly answered, then gestured with his lips toward Xie Lina, who was quietly eating her meal.

"Oh, okay then, I'll follow your plan!" Realizing the situation, Zhuo Yue finally relaxed and started eating her meal with peace of mind.

Zhuo Yue might have been reassured, but Ling Zhenfei noticed Xie Lina's reaction was consistently pessimistic. Despite Ling Zhenfei and Zhuo Yue's playful banter, she just sat there, eating silently, her expression somber.

"Miss Xie, don't worry, it's very safe here; those bad guys won't find this place."

Seeing her so visibly distressed, Ling Zhenfei knew what she was worried about and tried to comfort her with kind words.

"Yes, I know. Actually... even if they catch me... it doesn't matter..."

Xie Lina nodded lightly and then added something that left both Ling Zhenfei and Zhuo Yue baffled.

What did she mean by it wouldn't matter if they caught her? Had Xie Lina been scared into confusion?

Ling Zhenfei and Zhuo Yue exchanged a look, both seeing the incomprehension in each other's eyes.

However, despite their curiosity, Xie Lina was visibly upset, and they knew better than to press her for answers immediately. Instead, they set their questions aside for the time being.

After dinner, seeing it was getting late, Ling Zhenfei got up to leave.

While sending him out, Zhuo Yue quietly and gravely asked Ling Zhenfei, "Ling Zhenfei, how do you plan to handle her situation? Sister Han Lian told me the Chen family is quite powerful, and this place isn't very safe. Are you really not considering handing her over to the police?"

Ling Zhenfei, ever so astute, had actually already considered what Zhuo Yue mentioned.

Although he still couldn't understand why Xie Lina was adamant about not going to the safest place, which was the police station, and moreover, from Xie Anna's recent remarks about letting them catch her as it didn't matter, he sensed a significant level of despair.

Even though Ling Zhenfei anticipated the situation was not as straightforward as it appeared and might even have deeper implications, he was fully committed to seeing it through, having already involved himself.

"Don't worry, Zhuo Yue, I will handle this well," he said, noticing the worry in Zhuo Yue's eyes and allowing a soft smile to appear on his face.

Gently patting her shoulder, Ling Zhenfei softly added, "These few days, just stay at home and keep her company. As for the vegetables from Xi Shan Farm you wanted, I'll have them delivered to you daily."

"Yes, don't worry, Ling Zhenfei, I will definitely take good care of Xie Lina," Zhuo Yue replied with a determined smile, watching as Ling Zhenfei descended the staircase.

Ling Zhenfei reached the bottom of the stairs and took out his phone to call Han Lian.

Although he had promised Xie Lina not to hand her over to the police, it didn't mean he couldn't let Han Lian know about saving her.

On the contrary, as the head of the detective team at the City Bureau, Han Lian's involvement would likely make his investigation much smoother. Moreover, Xie Lina's reaction was utterly perplexing to him, and he needed the police's assistance to unearth the truth.

"Hello, Han Lian, where are you now? Yulin Road's Island Coffee House, I have something to discuss with you!"

As soon as Han Lian's call connected, Ling Zhenfei spoke only one sentence before immediately hanging up the phone, striding out of the residential complex, and getting into a taxi.

Just as the taxi carrying Ling Zhenfei disappeared into the dark night, five dark figures emerged from a car parked across from the residential complex and quietly made their way to the floor where Zhuo Yue lived...

Not long after Ling Zhenfei had entered Zhuo Yue's residence with Xie Lina, that car had already parked on the opposite side of the complex.

The people in the car were two uncles and nephews of the Chen family, along with three burly men.

The middle-aged man was the second of the Chen family's second generation, named Chen Wusi. The young man was the leading figure of the third generation of the Chen family, Chen Xuanliang.

They had been tracking the positioning device hidden on Xie Lina and had arrived here. Since Ling Zhenfei was present before, they hadn't dared to make a move, but now, seeing that Ling Zhenfei had left, they went upstairs without any hesitation, planning to take the opportunity to capture Xie Lina.

After Zhuo Yue saw Ling Zhenfei off and closed the door, she saw Xie Lina putting away the dishes in the kitchen and getting ready to wash them. She hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Oh, Miss Xie, you are a guest. How can we let you wash the dishes? Let me do it!"

"No, let me do it. There aren't many dishes, I'll be done in a moment."

Xie Lina insisted on finishing the dishes, then said to Zhuo Yue, "Sister Zhuo Yue, you don't need to be polite with me, just call me by my name from now on."

"Hmm, Sister Lina. Let's go to the living room to chat!"

Seeing that Xie Lina seemed to be in a better mood, Zhuo Yue couldn't help but feel moved and wanted to talk to her. If she could understand the knot in her heart, she could help her more effectively.

Zhuo Yue was a journalist, quite skilled at conversing and empathizing. She was confident that she could connect with Xie Lina and become good friends with her.

"Hmm, okay."

Xie Lina smiled and took the initiative to hold Zhuo Yue's hand. The two girls then walked together to the living room, chatting while watching TV.

Zhuo Yue had studied some psychology and although she had many questions she wanted to ask Xie Lina, she knew that now was not the time to ask them. She even avoided bringing up topics related to her questions.

Thus, she could only diversify her conversation by discussing other less important topics.

Although Xie Lina didn't seem like a talkative person, Zhuo Yue was very skilled at guiding the conversation and deliberately acted as a listener, listening to Xie Lina tell stories from her past.

It turned out that Xie Lina was a girl with a hard life; she had been living with her mother since her parents divorced during her childhood.

Her mother was in poor health and bedridden for many years, forcing Xie Lina to take on the burden of the family. She started working right after finishing junior high school. Later, she was deceived by the person she trusted most and ended up in a human trafficking ring...

Listening intently to Xie Lina's narrative, Zhuo Yue felt deeply moved. Seeing that her mood was relatively stable, Zhuo Yue was about to pose the questions puzzling her heart when she suddenly heard a knocking on the door.

Who could it be at this time?

Zhuo Yue and Xie Lina exchanged glances, both instinctively thinking that it might be Ling Zhenfei returning.

"Who is it?"

Although Zhuo Yue guessed that it might be Ling Zhenfei outside, she still called out loudly, walking toward the door in the process.

However, there was no response from outside the door.

Feeling puzzled, Zhuo Yue approached the peephole, looked through, and saw a man wearing the residential complex's security uniform standing outside. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "May I ask what you need?"

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