139: Chapter 139 Severing Ties

Aunt put on a show of concern, but she was actually trying to fish for information from the police in a disgusting manner.

Wang Hui didn't spare Aunt a single glance; she only stared at the duty officer, her palms drenched in sweat.

Wu Qingshan had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Lin Ning coming around the corner of the hallway.

"Mom, Jingjing, Xiao Ning is out."

Everyone turned their heads in unison.

They happened to see Bureau Chief Bai stepping aside to lead the way for Lin Ning, smiling as he said something.

The lobby fell silent for a moment.

Bureau Chief Bai—which of the locals who grew up here didn't know him? Even if they didn't know him personally, they had heard of him!

When had the famous 'Black-Faced' Yama ever been so 'kind and approachable'?

The relatives looked at each other, their eyes filled with question marks.

Wang Hui and Lin Jing didn't think that much. They only saw that Lin Ning was fine—he could walk, he could smile—and the hearts that had been hanging in their throats all night finally settled back into their chests.

Lin Ning saw them too.

He didn't want Bureau Chief Bai to strike up a conversation with his family—it was useless and would only make people start plotting.

He took a few quick steps forward to meet them, cutting off Bureau Chief Bai's remark of "let's keep in touch" behind him.

"No need to see me out, Bureau Chief Bai."

"Alright." Bureau Chief Bai nodded, understanding the situation.

He was just about to offer another polite word.

"Lin Ning!"

Lin Ning's whole body stiffened—such was the deterrent power of his own mother calling his full name.

He couldn't worry about Bureau Chief Bai anymore and hurried toward Wang Hui.

Bureau Chief Bai stood where he was, watching Lin Ning get grabbed by the arm and inspected from head to toe by his mother, and for once, he was stunned for a couple of seconds.

—So, he's afraid of his mom too.

He chuckled, put his hands behind his back, and walked away.

Wang Hao was currently hugging the wall, trying to slip out.

He had just been scrutinized from head to toe several times by Captain He with a look reserved for trash, before finally being granted the single word: "Scram."

He didn't understand.

Didn't they say it was a sure thing? Lin Ning really did hit people; even if he wasn't sentenced to prison, shouldn't he at least be detained for a few days? Why...

He walked out with his neck hunched, only to run straight into his mother and a bunch of relatives.

Then he saw Lin Ning.

Lin Ning saw him too.

More accurately, it was as if Lin Ning had radar; he suddenly turned his head, looked through the crowd, and pinned his gaze accurately on Wang Hao's face.

Wang Hao's legs went weak, and he hid behind his father.

Lin Ning retracted his gaze and said to Wang Hui, "Wang Hao found three thugs to block me at the entrance of the residential area. I went to the police station to cooperate with the investigation, and it's all fine now."

Wang Hui's eyebrows shot up instantly. "That little brat..."

Lin Ning pulled her arm. "Let's talk at home. Don't make a scene here."

He didn't want to be a spectacle for others.

From the moment Bureau Chief Bai appeared, the eyes of the entire lobby had been drifting toward him. If he stood here any longer, he, Lin Ning, would be the talk of the whole town tomorrow.

He pulled Wang Hui and Lin Jing and walked out.

Wu Qingshan silently followed behind.

There was no conversation along the way, only the angry strides of Lin Ning's family looking like they were ready for a fight, and the gossip-hungry gazes of the relatives flying all over the place behind them.

At the entrance of the residential area, Lin Ning stopped.

He turned around.

Aunt was clutching Wang Hao's sleeve, incessantly comforting him with, "It's okay, don't be afraid."

The Eldest Uncle kept a dark face and said nothing, acting as a bystander just like every other time.

Lin Ning sneered.

"Still 'okay'? Do you want to guess if those three thugs will rat him out?"

Aunt was stunned, and Wang Hao's face turned pale instantly.

Lin Ning lowered his head to light a cigarette, took a puff, and then looked up to exhale a long cloud of smoke toward them.

"Uncle, Aunt."

The family of three shuddered in unison.

"This is the last time I will use these titles."

"If we meet on the road in the future, just act like we don't know each other. It'll save you the discomfort, and it'll save me the disgust."

Aunt's expression changed drastically. "Xiao Ning, what are you saying! There must be a misunderstanding. Your cousin is an honest person, how could he..."

"Honest?"

Lin Ning laughed, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"An honest person could think of finding thugs to block me, waiting for me to fight back, and then having an acquaintance in the police force frame it as a mutual brawl to give me a criminal record?"

He paused.

"And picking today of all days. The day of my family's housewarming party."

"Even an enemy wouldn't go much further than this."

He looked at the head that had completely shrunk behind Aunt's back. His voice wasn't high, but it was clearly audible in the empty entrance. "Wang Hao, am I right?"

Wang Hao didn't dare utter a sound.

Aunt's lips trembled as she tried to say something. "No..."

"Shut up!" Lin Ning barked, questioning her: "Did I ever ask you to borrow money when I was in debt?"

Aunt opened her mouth.

"You ran to my sister's house and told my three-year-old niece that I was going to be arrested."

Aunt's face turned completely white.

Lin Ning looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"At your age, scaring a child in diapers—what was the point?"

The other relatives looked at the Eldest Uncle's family with disdain; they hadn't expected this family to be so low.

Aunt stood there, her face flushing and paling by turns, while the father and son lowered their heads and tried their best to shrink behind her.

Lin Ning stubbed out the cigarette and flicked it into the nearby trash can.

"Fine, I've said my piece. I'm leaving."

He turned around.

After taking two steps, he stopped again and looked back with a malicious smile. "Oh, right. Bureau Chief Bai said he would personally interrogate those three thugs."

Wang Hui never looked back from beginning to end.

The housewarming banquet still went ahead.

However, the atmosphere was incredibly eerie.

The relatives were restless, not even daring to reach out their chopsticks too much. They were too curious—on what basis was Bureau Chief Bai so polite to Lin Ning? This question rolled around in their throats dozens of times until someone finally couldn't hold it in and asked.

Lin Ning buried his head in his rice. "He's an elder of a friend, we're not close. He was just being polite."

The person who asked curled their lip slightly and exchanged glances with the others—

Do you believe that?

I don't!

I don't either!

But no one pressed the issue further.

Lin Ning couldn't care less about what others thought; anyway, he ate quite well.

After the party ended.

The living room fell quiet.

Wang Hui sat on the sofa. She didn't turn on the TV, nor did she go to wash the dishes; she just sat there.

Lin Ning sat down beside her and spoke softly, "Mom, they never treated us like family. It’s a losing game if we're the only ones feeling bad."

Wang Hui patted him, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "It's better this way. When things happen, they're worse than strangers at kicking someone while they're down. You're right, we're better off without such relatives."

Seeing Wang Hui speak up, Lin Ning felt much more relaxed. He leaned his head on his mother's shoulder like he had no bones and asked curiously.

"How come our family's relatives are all so lousy? Look at how great Hao Hong's uncles are."

In the past, Lin Ning just ate and played foolishly. He didn't participate in family interactions, and he thought the eating and drinking were fine.

It wasn't until his father's incident last time that he noticed something was wrong. One could say they lacked superficial warmth because they were afraid his family would cling to them, but this time, when someone intentionally caused trouble, he didn't see any other relatives stand up to say a word of justice.

Lin Ning didn't want to overthink other people's motives; he was just curious.

Wang Hui felt a tightness in her chest. "Your Aunt—back then, your grandfather split the money and houses equally between me and your Eldest Uncle. Plus, Wang Hao has always been a notch below you, so she feels our family owes hers. She's sick!"

"As for the others, the relationships faded once the elders passed away." Saying this, Wang Hui rolled her eyes hard. "Your father deserves the most credit! You have no idea how much of a nuisance he was..."

While the mother and son were talking.

In the town, the gossip had already grown wings.