Lingling had no idea he was thinking the wrong thing. Right now, she felt an immense sense of trust and security towards him. And being close to him gave her a very comfortable feeling, which made her very attached.
On the other side, You Haoguo said he wanted to talk to Xu Caihou, and Xu Caihou nervously led him into the study.
Lu Chen, of course, knew what You Haoguo wanted to talk to Xu Caihou about.
They only talked for about seven or eight minutes before the two came out. The way Xu Caihou looked at Lu Chen was completely different. It was even more respectful and obsequious than You Haoguo's. He understood; this was someone he absolutely couldn't afford to offend!
As soon as Xu Caihou came out, he went to Lu Chen's side, repeatedly apologizing. He said he didn't know how to educate his child, which led to this situation. He was willing to apologize and hoped Lu Chen wouldn't take offense.
As for kicking the door and beating his son, that was completely untrue. Lu Chen said calmly, "You really need to discipline him properly in the future, Instructor Xu. You know your son isn't the son of the American president. There are many people in this world he can't afford to offend. I'm just giving him a heads-up."
"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Xu Caihou adopted a posture of attentive listening and humbly accepting advice.
Lu Chen and You Haoguo exchanged a smile.
Then, Xu Caihou loudly called out his wife and child.
That pervert's injuries weren't serious. In fact, Lu Chen had shown mercy; otherwise, with his martial arts skills alone, he could have kicked him to death.
However, this pervert was quite good at pretending. He walked weakly and coughed incessantly, his whole body leaning against his mother. His eyes were filled with resentment.
Ali, supporting her son, burst out complaining, "Director You, you absolutely can't side with this guy! Look how badly he beat my son! My son! I can't even bear to slap him, he's my precious son, you..."
"Enough! Shut up!" Xu Caihou yelled angrily.
Ali was taken aback at first, then her face showed disbelief. This Xu Caihou actually yelled at her like that? That brat was too arrogant, breaking in and beating our son, and I complained to the director, and you're telling me to shut up?
In fact, Ali wasn't entirely stupid. She could tell, of course, that You Haoguo had some connection with that arrogant kid; otherwise, he wouldn't have suddenly appeared here and clearly sided with him.
But even if they had a connection, shouldn't they at least show some consideration for our old Xu?
This kid was too arrogant! So, Ali decided to strike first, hoping that You Haoguo would side with her out of consideration for her. But she never expected her husband to angrily tell her to shut up!
Of course, she couldn't believe that Lu Chen wasn't just connected to You Haoguo, but was someone he even had to curry favor with.
This kind of person was beyond the control of a shrew like her, the wife of a police station instructor!
"Xu Caihou, what are you yelling about! What are you yelling at me for! He's the one who ruined our family like this, and he even beat our son! Look at Mingming, he's been beaten so weak, I wonder if there will be any lasting effects..."
She was crying and sniffling.
That perverted kid named Mingming also yelled, "Dad, what's wrong with you? Are you senile? Didn't you see that? That bastard destroyed our home, and he kicked and stomped on me! If I die, you won't have a son anymore! Don't you consider me your son anymore? You even cursed my mother... all for that bastard and that little bitch?"
This kid was really arrogant.
*Smack!* Instantly, the pervert's face twisted to one side. Then, unable to withstand the force, he collapsed to the ground, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.
It was Lu Chen who had forcefully slapped him.
Calling him a bastard was one thing, but calling Lingling a little bitch was unacceptable to Lu Chen.
"I'm teaching you a lesson on behalf of your father!" he said coldly.
Ali, seeing her son being hit, suddenly screamed and lunged at Lu Chen. Her ten fingers, with sharp nails, were about to scratch his face.
Lu Chen easily dodged, then slapped her across the face again, making her stagger.
"I'm teaching you a lesson on behalf of your husband!" His tone became even more sinister.
Ali immediately burst into loud wailing, "I don't want to live anymore! The murderer beat us, and the police aren't doing anything! This world is lawless, we can't live like this! Son, even your dad won't help us, let's jump off a building together, boohoo..."
Xu Caihou, seeing his son and wife being beaten in front of him, how could he not be angry? But all he could do was roar at his wife and son:
"That's enough! Stop making a scene! Do you know who you've messed with? If you keep crying like this, do you really want me to lose my job? If I lose my job, I'm nothing! You might as well just jump off a building to avoid being humiliated!"
He shouted until his face was red and his neck was thick, his voice even trembling with sobs.
Instantly, Ali and the perverted ghost Mingming stopped crying, their eyes wide, looking completely bewildered.
A chill ran down their spines. This seemingly young person, how could he have such a powerful background? How could she possibly cause her always-powerful husband and father to lose their jobs?
The two looked at Lu Chen, and the look in his eyes sent chills down their spines.
Lu Chen said calmly, "It's late, and there's nothing more to make a fuss about. I'll lay it all out. Instructor Xu, my sister said she hopes your family can move out; she doesn't want to see thugs anymore. I think that might be a bit much, so it's best if you move. If not, find your son a different room and make him behave."
He paused, his tone turning chilling: "If there's a next time, I won't act like this."
Then, he looked at You Haoguo, saying with a hint of gratitude, "Director You, I'm sorry to trouble you to come so late. Let's find some time to have a drink together, and invite Captain Zhong too. He's been promoted to captain of the city's criminal investigation team and has told me several times that he wants to treat me to drinks. I haven't had time yet, but when we have time, we'll drink him out of house and home!"
You Haoguo laughed heartily, "Of course! We'll definitely drink him out of house and home, hahaha!"
As for Xu Caihou, not only him, but also his wife and son, were all terrified. The city's criminal investigation team captain had invited this young man for drinks several times, but he was always busy.
This was no joke. This young man must be someone important!
After a few more polite words, Lu Chen ignored Xu Caihou and his family and left with Lingling.
Downstairs, Lu Chen said softly, "Lingling, don't worry, that bastard won't dare bully you anymore. It's alright. And if anyone dares to mess with you again, just tell me, and I'll take care of it!"
As he spoke, he gently pinched Lingling's firm, delicate nose.
He was, of course, filled with boundless pride. What's the most exciting thing for a man in the world? It's being a hero and rescuing a beautiful woman. Even if the beautiful woman he rescued was a bit young.
Lingling softly hummed in agreement. Her tone was somewhat aloof, but besides clutching the tattered doll, her hands tightened their grip on Lu Chen's arms, her chest thrusting forward slightly.
Instantly, Lu Chen couldn't help but shudder slightly, inwardly marveling at her firmness and bouncy figure. This girl looked rather thin, but her figure was surprisingly full…
Suddenly, he mentally slapped himself. But even the hardest slap couldn't overcome his natural reaction. He then said somewhat awkwardly, "Lingling, you… let go of my arm, okay?"
Lingling hummed in agreement and loosened her grip slightly.
It was only slightly loosened; it wasn't really letting go!
Lu Chen sighed, wanting to say more, but then he thought, since he was going to take her home soon anyway, it would all be over quickly. Oh well, let her hug him if she wants; it's kind of pitiful.
Lu Chen understood Lingling's feelings.
She had been deeply hurt before. But when she was hurt, no one came to her rescue, and the trauma left a deep shadow in her heart, making her so withdrawn and eccentric.
This time, however, someone appeared to help her after being bullied, and helped her so thoroughly, teaching the bully a terrible lesson. This undoubtedly created a strong sense of dependence on the person who helped her.
Moreover, the energy of Lu Chen's naturally emanating healing powers was silently flowing into Lingling's body, seemingly adjusting her mind and body, making her feel very comfortable, and naturally, she was even more reluctant to let go.
When Lu Chen took Lingling to her building, the phone rang.
It was You Haoguo calling. The gist of the call was that Xu Caihou would be moving out; after tonight's events, no matter what, they couldn't stay there any longer. Therefore, they would be moving out soon. They didn't have other places to stay besides this one.
Furthermore, Xu Caihou offered to pay Lingling 200,000 yuan as compensation to express his apology, hoping Lu Chen would not pursue the matter further. Lu Chen could provide an account number, and he would transfer the money there.
Lu Chen thought for a moment and agreed. He would provide the account number to You Haoguo the next day for him to pass on.
He quickly decided that the 200,000 yuan could be given to Xue Cui and Tian Sijing to take care of Lingling. This mother and daughter were very kind and good to Lingling; previously, due to financial constraints, they couldn't help Lingling much.
Now, with this 200,000 yuan, things would be easier.
Actually, Lu Chen knew that even without it, Xue Cui and Tian Sijing would take good care of Lingling. This was because of his previous instructions and because he had given 500,000 yuan.
Therefore, this 200,000 yuan was icing on the cake.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Chen said to Lingling, "They'll be moving out tomorrow, all settled!"
He gave an OK sign.
A smile appeared on Lingling's lips. She slowly extended a hand, also giving an OK sign, and gradually moved closer, letting her fair fingers touch Lu Chen's.