Chapter 14 You will stand in the sunshine

Two o'clock in the morning.

City center, Yusen Building.

42nd floor, Lingdu Law Firm.

Second conference room.

Lawyer Zhao and Lawyer Wu were overwhelmed by the new evidence in the intentional homicide case. They had their own opinions and were quarreling red-faced.

Ling Xiao frowned and tapped the table twice with the pen in his hand.

After the conference room fell silent, Ling Xiao raised his eyes, "There were many bruises on the deceased's body. The marks were identified as being caused by the wooden stick held by the client. However, the fatal injury was caused by being hit on the back of the head, causing intracranial hemorrhage and death. And the two bruises on the back of the head were One of the wounds was caused by the client holding a wooden stick, and the other was caused by a rounded sharp weapon with a 90° angle. At present, the forensic doctor cannot determine which wound caused the death."

Lawyer Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, "I also think the breakthrough is here. Although the police found the wooden stick with the client's fingerprints, they did not find another murder weapon. As long as the prosecutor cannot prove that the two wounds were caused by the client, this is intentional. He cannot be convicted of murder."

"Don't take it lightly." Ling Xiao turned to look at Lawyer Wu, "Wu Lu, what do you think?"

Although Lawyer Wu had different opinions from Lawyer Zhao just now, Ling Xiao said so, so he waved his hand and said he had no objection.

Ling Xiao, "Zhao Lu, for information about the 90° sharp weapon, I have to visit the police station more recently."

Lawyer Zhao nodded, "Okay. Don't worry, Ling Lu."

Ling Xiao waved his hand, and everyone started to pack their things and leave.

At this time, only Ling Xiao and Li Shang were left in the conference room.

Li Shang looked at the information carefully, "What kind of blow do you think caused this 90° wound?"

Ling Xiao shook his head, "Make a copy and give it to me."

"Okay, I'll fax it to you." Li Shang helplessly spread his hands, "This client is really troublesome. At first, he denied assaulting someone, and insisted that the police find the murder weapon, the wooden stick, and verify his fingerprints before he would say anything. I think Ah, if he still hides it and the police find the murder weapon with a 90° angle, even if the gods come to defend him, there is nothing he can do."

Lawyers must firmly believe in their clients. Therefore, the biggest headache for lawyers is dishonest clients.

Seeing that Ling Xiao was silent, Li Shang changed his mind and said, "Ling Lu, isn't your brother back? I thought you wouldn't come back."

"He can come back at any time, why should I bother him?" Ling Xiao closed his eyes and rubbed his eyebrows, "No matter whether the case in the office is in my hands or not, there can't be any problems! I must become an Indian and Japanese The group’s chief legal officer!”

"I understand, after all, it has been planned for so long." Li Shang stood up and his tone became more relaxed, "Ling Lu, will you sleep in the office tonight?"

There is a rest room in Lingxiao's office.

He paused, opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The night was dark and there were few stars.

"No, I'll drive the spare car back later. Just ask Lao Zhang to go to my house tomorrow and drive the car back to the company."

Li Shang's heart burned with gossip, "Is it because Shanshan is back? Waiting for you?"

Ling Xiao raised his eyes and said slowly, "Shanshan?"

"Is that called sister-in-law?"

"Shut up, you!"

Li Shang stopped joking and said in a stern tone, "I'm going back. My dear is not asleep yet and is waiting for me."

Ling Xiao clicked his tongue in disgust and leaned back in his chair, "Let's talk about love. Who would be disgusting?"

Li Shang stood at the door of the conference room and gave a meaningful smile, "I'm disgusted with married people like you."

After the conference room door closed, Ling Xiao raised the corners of his mouth in a self-deprecating tone.

Married person?

What kind of married person is he?

Xiao has no conscience. In the past four years, everyone in the family has contacted him, but they have not contacted him.

He even avoided his small group.

She rolls her eyes behind his back every day.

Cowardly and vindictive.

I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to find someone like him if I wasn't bluffing.

Ling Xiao sighed helplessly, closed his eyes, and carefully went through all the information about the case in his head.

It's been four years and the final step is here. No mistakes are allowed.

He must get on the ship of the Indo-Japanese group.

It was almost three o'clock in the morning when Ling Xiao got home, and he thought they should have gone to bed.

When you open the door, you will see bright and dazzling lights, and you can hear the sound of TV series.

Ling Xiao raised his eyebrows and walked inside. The smell of cumin and chili powder mixed with alcohol floated in the air.

In the messy place, two drunkards were sleeping sprawled out!

Ling Xiao's sleepy eyelids were half-lidded, and veins were pulsing. He stepped forward and kicked Ling Yue.

no response.

Ling Xiao closed his eyes and rubbed his eyebrows.

He couldn't help but think: My biological child! biological! biological!

He turned off the TV, packed up the place, and turned on the air conditioner for ventilation.

Ling Xiao looked at the people on the ground and almost broke his back teeth.

He let out a long breath, walked to the sofa, grabbed a wool blanket and put it on Zhu Shan, then squatted down and picked her up through the blanket.

This movement caused another pain in his shoulder blades.

Ling Xiao put Zhu Shan on the bed in the room, but she didn't respond at all.

Ling Xiao shook his head and looked around the room.

After Zhu Shan moved in, this was the first time Ling Xiao entered this room.

Compared with before, the room has more shelves, a small standing cabinet, a small desk, a small chair, and a large standing mirror with a pink frame.

Ling Xiao walked to the window to draw the curtains, only to see a circle of succulents on the balcony. The small flower pots were in strange shapes, and the small succulents were also in strange shapes.

I don’t know when she bought it, but it looks very lively.

Back in the room, Ling Xiao's eyes slid across the bedside table, and a wood-colored photo frame came into view.

He picked it up and found Zhu Shan's family photo. The color of the photo showed how old it was.

Above, Zhu Shan looks like she is five or six years old. She is held in Zhu Xiaowen's arms, smiling silly and sweetly, and her little hand is being held by Xu Nian.

It's a very warm photo.

Ling Xiao rubbed the photo frame with his fingertips, remembering the last time he saw Xu Nian.

He was in his senior year of high school and was in class when he was suddenly called out by his class teacher.

Although Ling Xiao usually has good grades, he also gets into a lot of trouble.

He thought he was going to be lectured again, but the head teacher asked him if he was familiar with Zhu Shan's family.

Ling Xiao didn't know why, but his expression was extremely ugly.

He didn't want to hear anyone talking about Zhu Shan's family affairs.

Because at that time, all the comments were filled with hateful words.

When the class teacher saw that he was silent, he added, "Zhu Shan's mother was in a car accident. It seems to be serious. The hospital has contacted the school, but their class has not returned from winter camp. Do you think you should go to the hospital..."

Ling Xiao didn't finish listening and ran away.

On the way to the hospital by taxi, he felt anxious.

In her head, she could see Zhu Shan crying in confusion because of Zhu Xiaowen's death.

He only hoped that fate would not choose to cut with thin ropes.

Things backfired, Xu Nian's situation was more serious than Ling Xiao imagined.

Even the doctor shook his head mercilessly.

Ling Xiao walked into the ward, and the sound of beating medical equipment could be heard in his ears.

Xu Nian on the hospital bed looked normal, with only a piece of white gauze on his forehead, still looking gentle.

She always knocked on the door gently, and then stood outside the door and asked, Ling Xiao Lingyue, do you want to come to aunt's house for dinner? Auntie made a lot of curry chicken today.

As if he sensed someone coming, Xu Nian opened his eyes slightly on the hospital bed.

The entire whites of her eyes were red.

She looked at Ling Xiao, her lips moved, and only her breath remained, "Shanshan..."

"Shanshan is at the winter camp and will be back on the weekend. Auntie..." Ling Xiao's voice was trembling without even realizing it, "Can you wait a little longer?"

Xu Nian closed his eyes again.

Ling Xiao lowered his eyes, his head in confusion.

His hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Then, he felt his hand being touched. It was Xu Nian trying to pull him.

Ling Xiao gently held Xu Nian's hand with his backhand.

Xu Nian didn't open his eyes, and his breath was weaker than before. Seeing her lips moving, Ling Xiao raised his ears.

He tried very hard, but he couldn't hear a complete and coherent sentence.

Intermittently, I only heard the words "take care of", "worry", "Shanshan", and "mom's birthday".

Then what broke into his ears was a "beep" sound that was a hundred times clearer than Xu Nian's voice.

That is the alarm sound of the instrument, the sound of the end of life.

Stretching throughout the ward.

Zhu Shan didn't see Xu Nian for the last time.

Ling Xiao pieced together Xu Nian's last words.

——Worry about Shanshan and take care of Shanshan.

Well, he agreed.

Ling Xiao's parents rushed back to help handle Xu Nian's funeral.

After the funeral, Zhu Shan's stay became a problem.

She is only 14 years old.

The two families are just neighbors.

Ling Xiao sat on the sofa, lowered his head and played the mobile game seriously, and said calmly, "You can stay at our house."

Ling's mother rubbed her temples and was very troubled, "But Shanshan is young, and your dad and I are not often at home."

Are you afraid that you won't be taken care of properly?

Ling Xiao's tone was casual, "You're not young now, and you and Ling Yue have someone to take care of you. Besides, aren't I at home?"

"You are in your senior year of high school and will take the college entrance examination next year."

Ling Xiao said stinkingly, "With my intelligence, it won't be a problem to take care of five more children."

After thinking about it, Father Ling said, "Let's stay at our house first. You see, no relatives or friends came to pay their respects at the funeral. They are all avoiding it at this time. Where can I send it?"

"When did I say I was going to send it away?" Ling's mother patted Ling's father on the shoulder, "I don't worry about sending it anywhere."

Ling Xiao stood up and turned slightly sideways, "Isn't that right? Just live here."

The matter was settled.

When Ling Xiao returned to the room, the mobile game on his phone had already "GameOver".

He threw the phone casually on the table.

Take care of your sister?

How hard can it be?

Didn't he always look after his younger sister?

Just taking care of it, how could it make him feel like he owns it?

Ling Xiao's thoughts returned and his eyes turned to the drunk Zhu Shan's face.

Her hair was messy, her entire face was white and pink due to the alcohol, and her round cheeks were still stained with barbecue seasonings.

Ling Xiao put the photo frame back in place and took out a wet tissue to wipe her face.

Zhu Shan's eyelashes trembled twice at the cool touch, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Ling Xiao paused, then saw her eyes filled with mist.

Zhu Shan curled her lips, and with a crying tone at the end, she called out with extreme grievance, "Ling Yue~"

Ling Xiao frowned in displeasure.

Zhu Shan slowly sat up, grabbed Ling Xiao's arm, moved her face closer, and asked, "Ling Yue, why do you look more and more like Ling Xiao as you grow?"

Her tone was full of drunken and comical disappointment.

The corners of Ling Xiao's mouth twitched unconsciously.

He took out his hand, put his index finger on Zhu Shan's forehead, pushed her down on the bed, and said in a rude tone, "Cherish the time now, and I will settle the score with you two tomorrow morning."

He stood up and was about to leave when his wrist was grabbed by a pair of fiery little hands.

Ling Xiao turned his head and met Zhu Shan's tearful eyes.

He took a deep breath and said, "Say."

Zhu Shan's eyes trembled, and her round little face was full of vulnerability and sadness, "I'm not as optimistic as you say, nor as brave as you say. I don't even dare to make friends."

Her big eyes were watery, tears slowly slipped out, and even her eyelashes were wet.

Ling Xiao frowned, watching the tears slide down her cheeks into her neck, and then disappeared.

But the tear stains on her cheeks were still there.

Ling Xiao sat down again, opened his thin lips and asked, "Why?"

"I'm afraid..." Zhu Shan dug her fingers into the back of Ling Xiao's hand and lowered her head, "I'm afraid they will know about my father."

Ling Xiao paused for a few seconds, raised his hand to hold her face, grabbed his sleeves to wipe away her tears, and finally wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.

In a comforting tone, "I won't be friends with you if I know about your father. It doesn't matter if you don't make friends like this. What are you afraid of?"

Zhu Shan closed her eyes, and tears fell from the end of her eyes, falling on Ling Xiao's fingers that had not yet been withdrawn.

piping hot.

Ling Xiao's fingers trembled and he said softly, "Don't be afraid."

Zhu Shan shook her head and sniffed, "I'm afraid...I'm afraid of hearing unpleasant words from my friends."

Don't dare to make friends.

It's not that I'm afraid of not being able to make true friends.

But she was afraid that after treating the other person as a friend, she would hear criticism about her father from their mouths.

This is her vulnerability.

In fact, she didn't have to be afraid at all.

There was no conviction for her father's case back then. After all these years, in an era where information changes rapidly, how could anyone still mention it?

It's just that she can't forget it.

I can’t forget the feeling of being shunned by relatives, ostracized by classmates, and isolated by good friends.

Those wounds were deeply imprinted on her heart.

It has not been cured by time.

So she sealed herself up.

Ling Xiao knew that to untie this knot, he really needed the truth from back then.

Zhu Shan's big eyes flashed, "Ling Yue, I only have you as a friend. If you become Ling Xiao, I will have no friends."

Ling Xiao, who was wiping Zhu Shan's tears, pointed his finger.

He raised his eyes, his eyes met hers firmly, his palms slid across her cheeks, and with warmth, he wiped away all the tears.

He pushed her down again, pulled the corner of the quilt over her chest, stuffed the violent bear beside her into her arms, and said softly, "Soon, you will stand in the sun and do what you want."

Zhu Shan subconsciously pinched the violent bear's ears and rubbed them with her fingertips.

Her eyelashes trembled, and when she looked at Ling Xiao, she was a little confused and a little cute.

The corners of Ling Xiao's mouth raised slightly, and the sharp eyebrows softened, "Now, sleep well."

Zhu Shan looked at him for two seconds, said "yes" obediently, and then closed her eyes.

Ling Xiao took the blanket and turned off the light before leaving the room.

He walked to the living room and fixed his eyes on Ling Yue.

Without a moment's thought, he threw the blanket roughly on him, clapped his hands, and went back to the room.