The more Lin Xiaoxiao thought about it, the more the whole situation felt off. If there was a clear winner in this scandal, it should be Luo Anran.

Otherwise, the divorce would have dragged on forever. But thanks to Geng Aiguo's affair, it was over in a flash.

Something didn't add up. She pulled Zhou Xiaoling aside and lowered her voice. "Don't you think it's strange how quickly they were caught?"

Zhou Xiaoling, munching on an apple, didn't overthink it. "Maybe your aunt-in-law is just a really good detective."

Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head. "That's not what I mean. Think about it—who actually benefits from this?"

Zhou Xiaoling took a bite of apple and looked up, thinking hard. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead. "First, Luo Anran gets a clean divorce. Second, Lin Hongyan might actually marry Geng Aiguo. If your aunt keeps making a scene, Geng Aiguo will have to marry her—or his family becomes a laughingstock."

She stared at Lin Xiaoxiao, wide-eyed. "Sis, you don't think...? You suspect Luo Anran and Lin Hongyan were in on this together?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought it was entirely possible. "It happened way too fast. There has to be more to it."

The more they analyzed it, the more plausible it seemed.

Zhou Xiaoling gasped. "If that's true, then Luo Anran is seriously cunning. How could she do that?"

Lin Xiaoxiao, however, felt that using clever tactics to get a divorce wasn't necessarily wrong—as long as no one else got hurt.

But what if she had other motives?

What if, now that she was single again, she came back for Zhou Xiaocheng?

Clearly, Zhou Xiaoling had the same fear. She gasped again. "No way... She wouldn't actually go after my brother, would she? And would he even refuse? You know how soft-hearted he is."

The thought made her increasingly uncomfortable. "You know what? I don't like Luo Anran one bit anymore."

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled faintly. "Everyone acts in their own interest. If she's fighting for her happiness without harming others, that's one thing. If your brother chooses to be with her, we can only wish them well. But if she hurt someone to get what she wanted... that's going too far."

After all, when it came to matters of the heart, who were they to judge? Only the people involved truly knew.

Zhou Xiaoling finished her apple with fierce bites, clearly upset. "If that's really what happened, I'll never forgive Luo Anran."

All they could do was sigh. They stayed upstairs, lost in thought, until An'an's cries drifted up from below. They hurried down.

They found An'an had crawled to the bottom of the stairs, wailing and pointing upward, demanding to be taken to her mother.

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed and picked up the little girl. "When did you become so clingy? Mom starts school tomorrow. Should I just put you in my pocket and take you to class with me?"

Zhou Liyun could only sigh at the spoiled child. What made it worse was that An'an was unusually strong-willed. Once she decided she wanted something, it was nearly impossible to stop her.

"The moment she knows you're home, she has to find you. When you're out, she's perfectly fine—eating, sleeping, playing outside. But if you're here, she somehow always knows and insists on coming to you."

An'an, as if understanding every word, continued to sob, her long eyelashes wet with tears. She wrung her little hands and repeatedly mumbled "mama."

It was hard to tell if she was actually saying the word or just babbling.

Lin Xiaoxiao used the handkerchief pinned to An'an's clothes to wipe her tears. "Mom's holding you now, see? Your brothers aren't looking for me. They're playing just fine."

She glanced at the floor. Xuanxuan was lying on top of Qianqian's back, contentedly sucking his fingers, while Qianqian—pinned beneath him—grunted and struggled to crawl forward, unable to move.

Zhou Liyun noticed too and quickly scooped up Xuanxuan. "I take my eyes off you for one second, and you're already bullying your brother! Why are you such a little troublemaker?"

Lin Xiaoxiao found it amusing. "Aunt, do you think they'll still fight like this when they grow up?

Maybe they were rivals even before they were born?"

Zhou Liyun held onto Zhouzhou's kicking feet. "I doubt it. They're just being naughty. This one's definitely going to be a handful."

Zhou Xiaoling picked up Qianqian and smiled. "Look how good Qianqian is. He doesn't even cry when he's bullied. He just keeps trying to crawl."

Qianqian had a sweet temperament. He was happy being held, but he was also content to crawl around and play by himself.

Zhou Liyun watched the three children and couldn't help but sigh. "By the time Huai'an returns, all three will be talking."

She immediately regretted her words and hurried to the kitchen with Zhouzhou to find Li Yunlan.

Lin Xiaoxiao pretended not to hear. She'd built up a kind of immunity by now. It still hurt, but as long as Zhou Huai'an returned safely, she was willing to wait however long it took.

Zhou Xiaoling quickly changed the subject. "Sis, your brother still hasn't written since he went south?"

Lin Xiaoxiao's expression sobered. "No. I don't know if things are going well down there. Probably not, since he hasn't written."

It had been so long without a word. None of them could catch a break.

That evening, Zhou Xiaocheng came home from work on time—a rare occurrence lately. He'd been investigating some new case and hadn't been home for days.

He arrived with grim news. "Zhang Baojiang swallowed a razor blade and killed himself in the detention center."

Lin Xiaoxiao was stunned. "What? How could he commit suicide?"

Zhou Xiaocheng shook his head. "We're still investigating. That's what's so strange. At most, he would've gotten seven years. With good behavior, he could've been out in four or five. Why kill himself?"

Lin Xiaoxiao agreed. "Maybe he felt ashamed?"

Zhou Xiaoling snorted dismissively. "Him? Ashamed? He's done far worse things without blinking. Why would he care about shame now?"

To Lin Xiaoxiao, Zhang Baojiang's suicide felt like a bad omen. "Does Zhang Wanqing know? Will this affect Xiao Wan?"

Zhou Xiaocheng shook his head. "I haven't told her yet. Aren't you starting school tomorrow? We can tell her in a couple of days."

Even Li Yunlan thought it was suspicious. "Could someone be behind this? Was Zhang Baojiang protecting someone?"

Suddenly, a case that had seemed straightforward felt deeply complicated. "I hope not. But the most important thing is to make sure Zhang Wanqing is safe."

Zhou Xiaocheng nodded. "I have to go out of town for a couple of days. Keep an eye on things around Zhang Wanqing for me. I'll be back soon."