Chapter Seventy-seven: Blind Date

Chapter Two has arrived, and Chapter Three is scheduled for a punctual update at 8:10.

“You pretty boy, don’t you dare slander me! If you keep it up, I’ll knock your teeth out,” Zhang Song said, rolling up his sleeves and glaring, exuding a bit of a street punk’s bravado.

After Wu Yong spoke, everyone’s expression changed in their own way. While Zhang Song erupted in anger, Liu Guihua seemed to have found a kindred spirit and gave Wu Yong an approving glance, nodding vigorously like a pecking chicken as she agreed, “Captain Zhang, what Mr. Wu just said is exactly what I wanted to say.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re going too far. How could our Zhang Wei ever do such a thing?” Zhang Jianguo snapped, his face darkening with rage.

“Everyone, this is the police station. Watch your words and behavior,” Zhang Wenyuan reprimanded sternly. If not for the fact that one side was the victim and the other assisting the investigation, he would have thrown them all out by now.

Zhang Wenyuan’s face was anything but pleasant. Had Wu Yong offered his suggestions in private, he might not have minded. But for Wu Yong to say such things in front of everyone was a public challenge to his investigative abilities, a direct affront to his authority as head of the criminal investigation unit.

“Mr. Wu Yong, what are you doing here? Does this matter have anything to do with you?” Zhang Wei suppressed his anger, narrowed his eyes, took two steps forward, and stared Wu Yong down.

“I’m a good friend of Zhang Qi’s. Naturally, hearing her parents were in trouble, I came to check on them and offer Captain Zhang my personal suggestions,” Wu Yong replied confidently, emboldened by his connections and unafraid.

“Hmph! Captain Zhang is young but already leads the criminal investigation team—his skills are obviously outstanding. He doesn’t need a layman like you to give advice. You’re just meddling in other people’s business,” Zhang Wei retorted coldly.

“How can you insult me? I was just voicing my opinion. I have freedom of speech!” Wu Yong shot back, pointing accusingly at Zhang Wei.

“Freedom of speech or not, I don’t care. But Wu Yong, if you’re chasing after girls, don’t use me as your stepping stone to impress your crush,” Zhang Wei said, having already seen through Wu Yong’s intentions with his mind-reading ability. He knew Wu Yong was only acting this way because he fancied Zhang Qi and wanted to please Liu Guihua.

“Zhang Wei, what nonsense are you spouting?” Zhang Qi’s face flushed as she glared at Zhang Wei and chided him coyly.

“What nonsense? Everyone here knows what’s going on—why pretend otherwise?” Zhang Wei sneered, then turned to Zhang Wenyuan. “Captain Zhang, sorry you had to witness this. If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving.”

“Take care. I have things to attend to at the station, so I won’t see you out,” Zhang Wenyuan said, nodding. He had a favorable impression of Zhang Wei, after all.

With that, the four members of Zhang Wei’s family headed out. As they reached the door, Zhang Jianguo turned back to Zhang Baoguo and said, “Second Brother, if you still see me as your elder, forget about that son-in-law. Our Zhang family can’t afford to reach so high!”

“Big Brother, I…” Zhang Baoguo sighed, torn between his brother and his wife, caught uncomfortably in the middle.

“I’m the one looking for a son-in-law, not you. Why meddle?” Liu Guihua muttered under her breath, pursing her lips.

Wu Yong, hearing her words, was secretly delighted, feeling that his earlier efforts had not been in vain. As long as he could win over his future mother-in-law, offending Zhang Wei was a small price to pay.

“Mom, what are you talking about? I don’t even have a boyfriend, so where would a son-in-law come from?” Zhang Qi tugged at Liu Guihua’s arm, a little embarrassed.

“What do you mean, what am I talking about? He can treat an adopted son like a treasure and buy him a house, but he’s got no right to criticize my choice in a son-in-law,” Liu Guihua retorted stubbornly, her chin raised in defiance.

“Liu Guihua, what nonsense are you spouting in front of outsiders? Get home now!” For the first time, Zhang Baoguo’s brow furrowed in anger, his eyes flashing.

“How am I spouting nonsense? Is he really a Zhang by blood?” Liu Guihua shot back, undaunted. She had never been afraid of her husband and would never back down just because she’d said something wrong.

“Mom, Dad, both of you, enough! Let’s just go home,” Zhang Qi said calmly, taking Liu Guihua’s arm and pulling Zhang Baoguo along.

Wu Yong’s eyes lit up at these words, and only after watching the three leave did he snap back to reality. He approached Zhang Wenyuan and said, “Captain Zhang, please put extra effort into this case. As long as it’s solved, I’ll make sure my uncle puts in a big commendation for you.”

“Rest assured, Mr. Wu, I’ll handle the case with care,” Zhang Wenyuan replied impassively.

As Wu Yong left the police station, Zhang Wenyuan’s expression darkened. He sneered, “Meddler! Your uncle’s only a deputy chief in charge of logistics—has less real power than I do! What commendation could he possibly give me?”

Zhang Wei’s family left the police station and soon forgot their earlier disputes. After all, aside from Liu Guihua’s unreasonable antics, they hadn’t suffered any losses—in fact, they’d cleared the debt on their new home. Both Zhang Jianguo and Li Huilan breathed a sigh of relief, and were even more delighted to see their son’s growing abilities.

Zhang Song suggested they go out to a restaurant to celebrate—though truth be told, it was mostly because he was craving good food. At first, Li Huilan objected, but with both Zhang Wei and Zhang Jianguo in favor, she couldn’t bear to spoil the mood and reluctantly agreed.

At the restaurant, Zhang Wei insisted on ordering eight dishes, one soup, and a bottle of Maotai, each dish a house specialty. For his family, who lived simply, this was quite a luxury. Zhang Song, naturally, supported the idea wholeheartedly, while Zhang Wei’s parents couldn’t help but feel a little pained at the extravagance.

The so-called “signature dishes” were the most distinctive, refined, and delicious items on the menu—and, of course, the most expensive, each costing three to five times the price of a regular dish. By the end of the meal, the bill topped a thousand yuan.

Zhang Wei hadn’t ordered such an expensive meal for the sake of showing off. He simply wanted to let his parents know that he was now financially secure, so they wouldn’t have to be so frugal in the future, hoping to gradually change their spending habits.

In the Zhang household, there was no rule about eating in silence; they much preferred chatting over dinner. Having been away for months, Zhang Wei naturally became the main topic, especially regarding his marriage prospects.

“Dawei, I heard you broke up with your girlfriend?” Li Huilan put down her chopsticks, took a sip of tea, and watched Zhang Wei’s expression closely.

Zhang Wei was caught off guard by the question and shot a sideways glare at Zhang Song; he knew full well that Li Huilan’s “heard” must have come from him.

“It’s nothing. Society is so restless nowadays, and some girls are too flighty. Meet enough people and you’ll find the right one—preferably a local, someone we know well,” Li Huilan said, glancing at her husband. “Don’t you agree, Old Zhang?”

“Mom, if you have something to say, just say it—don’t drag Dad into this,” Zhang Wei replied, seeing through her indirect hints, and smiled.

“Well, your Aunt Han has someone she’d like to introduce to you. Since you’re back, you might as well meet her,” Li Huilan continued.

“Aunt Han? Her son, Fatty Yang, is still single himself! What kind of match can she introduce me to? Can it really be any good?” Zhang Wei rolled his eyes.

“Your Aunt Han would have introduced her to her own son if she could, but the girl isn’t interested in Yang Guang, so now she’s suggesting you,” Li Huilan coaxed. “You should know her—she’s the daughter of a former colleague of mine, Tan Jingya. Do you remember her?”

“Tan Jingya! Of course I do! Wasn’t she the campus beauty at my brother’s school? Prettier than a movie star!” Zhang Song exclaimed, swallowing his food, gulping down tea, and waving his arm excitedly.

“Pipe down! This has nothing to do with you—stop making a fuss,” Zhang Wei scolded his brother on the surface, but inside, his heart was on fire.

Zhang Wei not only knew Tan Jingya, she had been the secret crush of his high school years. Though he’d never confessed, every morning during exercises, he would purposely keep an eye out for her graceful figure.