Ling Nuan drove away from her grandmother's place. On her way home, she called Sister Li.
"Is the person still keeping watch?" Ling Nuan asked.
Sister Li replied, "No. Miss Ling, I just contacted A Qian. He managed to take some photos. Should I send them to you on WeChat?"
Ling Nuan wasn't overly surprised.
A Qian was the male bodyguard secretly protecting her grandmother. There was no way he could have missed someone following them.
It was only to be expected that there would be photos.
"Okay," Ling Nuan replied.
Sister Li was probably busy sending the photos while saying worriedly, "Miss Ling, the person might be after you. You should be careful."
After hanging up on Sister Li, while waiting for the traffic light to turn green, Ling Nuan opened Sister Li's chat window.
Sister Li had already sent the photos.
There were three in total.
They were all of the same person, of medium build, wearing a hat and a mask that covered his face completely. He was holding a camera.
In two of the photos, he was hiding around her grandmother's place, taking pictures with the camera. In the other one, the man was opening the car door.
Ling Nuan didn't recognize this man, so she couldn't tell who he was. However, when he opened the door and got into the car, A Qian managed to capture the license plate number clearly.
Ling Nuan's eyes fell on her rearview mirror.
The car in the photo was now closely following her.
Ling Nuan's fingertips tapped gently on the steering wheel. Then, she suddenly flashed a smile.
Get things done on the day they happen.
When the red light turned green, Ling Nuan stepped on the accelerator. When she stopped at the next red light, she took a photo of the car in the rearview mirror and then dialed a number.
"Hello, I'd like to report a crime."
Ling Nuan went home as usual.
After parking the car in the garage, she walked upstairs as she normally did. Before she even reached her door, she received a notification.
"Miss Ling, we've caught the person. Could you please come to the police station with us?" the police officer called back.
When the man was caught, he looked rather confused.
"I'm just a photography enthusiast. I didn't do anything illegal. Really," the man tried to defend himself.
But the police confiscated his camera and checked the photos inside. Most of them were of Ling Nuan.
"Photography enthusiast?" the police officer sneered. "Come with us."
The man's identity was quickly discovered.
Ling Nuan learned the general situation from the police.
"He's a private detective. He took the job two days ago and has been keeping an eye on you since you returned to the country. We've deleted all the photos in the camera, and we'll give him a warning. If you'd like to file a lawsuit, we can provide you with some legal assistance."
"As for the employer, he doesn't know much. He said the employer's surname is Meng."
Ling Nuan was a bit surprised. "Surname Meng?"
She thought it was Huo Xiao. She didn't expect it to be someone with the surname Meng.
Meng... The Meng Family?
After leaving the police station, Ling Nuan had a lot on her mind. Finally, she told Huo Linsheng about it.
Huo Linsheng replied quickly, "Leave it to me. I'll handle it."
...
Huo Linsheng wasted no time.
The next day, Ling Nuan was called into Huo Linsheng's office.
"It's someone from the Meng Family in Shanghai," Huo Linsheng said as he handed a document to Ling Nuan.
Ling Nuan wasn't surprised.
"Why did they spy on me?" Ling Nuan looked at Huo Linsheng and asked.
Huo Linsheng paused for a moment and explained, "My family once considered a marriage alliance with the Meng Family. Although nothing came of it, the Meng Family might be keeping an eye on my dating life."
Ling Nuan wasn't surprised.
Apart from this reason, there didn't seem to be any other reason for the Meng Family to spy on her.
However, did the Meng Family's actions mean that they were quite enthusiastic about the marriage alliance with the Huo Family? Ling Nuan couldn't help but think of Meng Shuluo, and her mood suddenly turned sour.
She even secretly glared at Huo Linsheng.
The meaning was clear, written all over her face.
She was saying, "You said you had nothing to do with Meng Shuluo. Is this nothing?"
Huo Linsheng touched his nose guiltily and said, "The Meng Family has no biological daughter. Meng Shuluo is just an adopted daughter. So, my grandfather doesn't really want a marriage alliance with the Meng Family. He just mentioned it casually and didn't mean it."
Ling Nuan said, "You didn't take it seriously, but it seems the Meng Family did."
Hearing this, Huo Linsheng didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed and asked her, "Upset?"
"Of course I'm upset," she said, then added, "Is it strange for me to be unhappy when I'm inexplicably followed by a private detective?"
Huo Linsheng pulled her and sat her on his lap.
"This is probably just the Meng Family's wishful thinking. Not only do I and my grandfather have no such intention, but Meng Shuluo herself has no intention of leaving Shanghai," Huo Linsheng explained.
Ling Nuan looked at him in surprise.
"The situation in the Meng Family is quite complicated," Huo Linsheng said.
Ling Nuan didn't say a word but kept looking at him, not even blinking. It was obvious that she wanted him to continue.
Seeing that Ling Nuan cared, Huo Linsheng felt quite pleased. He briefly introduced the situation. "The Meng Family is still under the control of the old master. Meng Shuluo's father is the second son and isn't in the old master's favor. The old master seems to be training his youngest daughter. However, the old master really likes Meng Shuluo."
Ling Nuan wasn't stupid. She immediately understood.
Meng Shuluo's father, the second son, needed Meng Shuluo to curry favor with the old master to gain more power.
If Meng Shuluo married into a family in Beijing, it would be a powerful alliance. But the Huo Family is based in Beijing and has nothing to do with Shanghai. The second son definitely didn't want Meng Shuluo to marry away.
However... What about the eldest son of the Meng Family?
"Feeling better now?" Huo Linsheng pinched Ling Nuan's nose and asked.
Ling Nuan waved his hand away. "What do I have to worry about? I don't care about these things."
"You don't care. Well, it's me who insisted on telling you," Huo Linsheng replied.
Ling Nuan: "..."
Ling Nuan struggled to get up and push Huo Linsheng away. But Huo Linsheng didn't let her. As they were pushing and shoving, Huo Linsheng's phone rang.
The caller ID showed: Meng Shuluo.
Speak of the devil.
Huo Linsheng glanced at Ling Nuan.
Ling Nuan avoided his gaze and said, "Why are you looking at me? It's your phone. Answer it."
Huo Linsheng answered the phone but put it on speaker.
Meng Shuluo's voice came through quickly. "Huo Linsheng, are you busy now?"
"Not really. What's up?" Huo Linsheng asked.
Meng Shuluo sighed softly. "I'm here to apologize. I don't know why my family did this... Anyway, I'm really sorry. Could you please convey my apology to your girlfriend? The apology gift is on its way. I hope we didn't cause you too much trouble."
Huo Linsheng didn't reply immediately. Instead, he looked at Ling Nuan.
Meng Shuluo sounded quite sincere. Since the other party had no ill intentions, Ling Nuan wouldn't blame an innocent person.
She pouted, indicating that she didn't mind anymore.
"It's okay. I've already explained it to her. Thank you for the gift," Huo Linsheng replied.
Meng Shuluo sighed with relief. "That's good. I won't bother you anymore."
The phone call was short and concise.
But after hanging up, Meng Shuluo's face darkened. Her hand tightened around the phone. Finally, she couldn't hold back and threw the phone out.
"Useless!"