Chapter 677: 677 momentarily didn’t dodge in time The bartender directly escorted Jing Yizhou into Sun Ling’s car, and Sun Ling wasted no time in driving away. A beautiful woman taking a drunk man home would conjure up racy images in most people’s minds, but when Sun Ling reached her house, she didn’t get out of the car. Instead, she asked Jing Yizhou through the rearview mirror, “Can you get out and book a hotel?” Jing Yizhou was lying slanted across the back seat and didn’t move. “If you’re sober enough, just go back, Yizhou.” Sun Ling rarely spoke to Jing Yizhou in that tone, let alone addressed him so formally by his name. “I feel the respect and protection you’ve offered, but right now, I really don’t want to touch on anything that involves romantic feelings, because it’s unfair to both you and me. You’ve seen just how much of a scumbag my father is. Consequently, I’m facing a great deal of unknown fears. I don’t have the energy right now to break the last shred of security I have. It might take me a long time to heal from the shadows that scumbag has cast over me.” “Everything’s good about you. You’re more than a hundred times better than that scumbag Gu Zheng. Precisely because of that, I’m not willing to selfishly pull you in to fill the voids of my vulnerability and hurt. I don’t want to be someone who can only stand behind others every time I face difficulties.” ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 “So, if you really consider me a friend, please maintain that boundary and stop giving me any hope.” After speaking, Sun Ling didn’t wait for Jing Yizhou to respond. She left the car keys on the driver’s seat and then stepped out of the car. At this moment, Sun Ling was riddled with wounds and utterly exhausted. Unable to garner the confidence to touch upon a relationship again, she thought she didn’t have the right to drag down a good man. After Sun Ling left, Jing Yizhou sat up straight in the dim light. His sister had not only chased away that fly, Gu Zheng, but also stopped him at the door. However, this was an inevitable growing pain on his sister’s path of growth. Thus, for a moment, Jing Yizhou wasn’t sure whether he felt more relieved or regretful. Forget it, his own wayward heart wasn’t suited for Sun Ling in any case, and besides, did he really want to stay in Yancheng forever? Thinking this, Jing Yizhou sighed. Perhaps, there was one last thing he could do for his sister. The next morning at Jinlan No.1 Courtyard, an unexpected visitor arrived and stopped Yan Shixiu’s car. Yan Shixiu got out of the car, looking puzzled at the other person until they revealed their purpose. This was the first time Jing Yizhou faced Yan Shixiu’s excellence head-on. The husband of An Lan, the chairman of Shuangshi, looked extremely refined. But behind those glasses lay ruthless tactics and sharp judgment. Jing Yizhou did not doubt Yan Shixiu’s capabilities in the slightest. After Jing Yizhou stated his purpose, Yan Shixiu asked Xun Yinghua to show the guest the way. Jing, who couldn’t help being cheeky in all sorts of situations, laughed at Xun Yinghua, “Your boss Yan seems to trust me a lot.” Xun Yinghua also smiled and said, “Mr. Jing, you’ll understand why our boss trusts you once you’ve met our madam.” Was that to imply that he posed no threat to Yan Shixiu? Shi Lan hadn’t had a detailed discussion with Dr. Sun about the young friend by her side, so it indeed came as a surprise to her that he could find Jinlan No.1 Courtyard. Jing Yizhou was also surprised because the twenty-two-year-old woman in front of him exuded an aura every bit as formidable as Yan Shixiu’s, no wonder Yan Shixiu’s assistant had made that remark. “Are you here for Sun Ling?” In the following two to three days, Sun Ling experienced what it was like to have real peace and quiet. Without Gu Zheng’s harassment, without any news from Jing Yizhou, she had adjusted her work mindset and was planning to dive into Peak’s latest training program for newcomers. Two days later, Sun Ling received a text message from Jing Yizhou. “I’ve washed your car and parked it at Peak. The keys are with the receptionist. Sister, it’s time to say goodbye for real. My flight today is heading overseas.” After reading the message, Sun Ling couldn’t quite identify the mix of feelings within her. She typed a long reply, but in the end, it was reduced to a simple “Wish you a smooth journey.” Jing Yizhou shook his head while waiting at the airport, “Heartless and ungrateful woman, can’t you type a few more words?” Soon after, an announcement came from the boarding gate, calling travelers headed to Thailand to prepare for boarding… One good deed a day, the journey continues. During her lunch break, Sun Ling went to the front desk to collect her car keys. There, the two receptionists couldn’t help but tease her, “Before it was always two, now there’s not even one.” “Are you receptionists or matchmakers?” Sun Ling asked half-jokingly, half-despairingly. “That jerk from before, it’s fine that he’s gone, but how could you let Jing go too? Such an outstanding young man, letting him slip away is simply a crime against nature.” “I’m not that desperate to get married,” Sun Ling, not wanting to talk more about her private life, replied. “Sister Ling, when you truly feel lonely, you’ll understand the value of a ‘puppy’.” Sun Ling just smiled, took her car keys, and walked away. Now she was clear about what she wanted and what she should do. As for everything else, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with them just yet. The next day, a call came from Shi Lan’s mother. The brothers from the Shi Family were to hand over custody that afternoon, so the lawyer arranged for Shi Lan to meet them in the morning, though the visitation would be brief, only ten minutes. Shi Lan got up early to get ready and planned to meet directly with her mother, but just before leaving, Yan Shixiu stopped her to ask. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” “What’s there to accompany for?” Shi Lan countered, “It’s just putting an end to the past.” Yan Shixiu kissed her on the forehead and then said, “You deal with your stuff, leave some things to me. I’ll never forget the suffocation I felt when I got the call from the Thailand police, nor can I forget the despair when I saw your body. Since things have been clarified, they owe you, they owe me, and they have to pay it back. If they can’t, then let their descendants pay it back for generations!” After hearing Yan Shixiu’s words, Shi Lan realized that it wasn’t just her that needed closure. “I heard that Shi Yihui’s two sons have been making a big fuss at the Shi Family home, leading the charge to create trouble at the Shi corporation, it seems they’re not willing to let things go easily.” “The sons of a murderer only need to kowtow and apologize, they don’t have the right to speak!” said Yan Shixiu. Since Yan Shixiu was also concerned about this matter, Shi Lan didn’t need to stop him. She could conveniently clear any obstacles for her mother in taking control of the Shi Family. At nine o’clock in the morning, Shi Lan and her mother met outside the police station. Her mother’s complexion was off, with a bruise on her cheekbone. “What happened to your face? Did those two bastards from Shi Yihui lay their hands on you?” “I just didn’t dodge in time,” her mother answered nonchalantly, “But there are cameras at home, everything that should be recorded has been recorded, and the injury report is out as well. If those two dogs want to make trouble, let them.”