Back in Centrolis, Toph had been waiting at the entrance of the Thompsons for quite some time. He was about to lose his patience when he suddenly caught sight of a fair and petite figure.He immediately perked up and quickly got out of the car, blocking the girl's path.The girl was caught off guard and visibly startled by him.Toph was taken aback for a moment, finding her frightened appearance quite cute. She had fair and rosy cheeks, a pair of beautiful, clear eyes, and shoulder-length hair, accentuating her pure and smart vibe.Her appearance was not stunning but rather pleasing to the eyes. However, her lips appeared slightly pale, giving the impression of poor nutrition.Toph couldn't help but show off his social skills. He waved his hand casually, crossed his arms at his waist, and tossed his hair, revealing a mischievous smile. "Hey, Pammy!"The girl stared at him blankly, instinctively crossing her arms in front of her chest and showing some wariness toward him."What's
Zuko fell silent for a moment.If that girl was truly Pammy, despite being away from home for many years and being unfamiliar with everything, she shouldn't be so fearful of the outside world, especially since she was found and had her parents' love. Her reaction should not be as intense, or at least that's what Toph thought.However, according to Toph, Pammy seemed to be cautious everywhere, more like she was afraid of being discovered by someone."Hello, Zuko? Are you listening?" Toph called out."Yes, I'm here," Zuko replied in a deep voice.He locked the rolling shutter door of the shop and stood at the entrance, continuing the phone call.He ran his hand through his hair. "Toph, I think we might still have to rely on you about this."On the other end of the line, Toph let out a cry of despair.Zuko stifled a laugh and pretended to be serious as he said, "Think about it. You've already made so many attempts. Maybe if you just try one more time, you'll succeed. If I go back,
"Hmm." Zuko nodded after a moment. "You're right..."For some reason, Lina's face flashed across his mind at that moment. He recalled sitting together with the Jenners for meals. Jesse, Melissa, and Dave looked like a family because Dave's appearance combined the characteristics of his parents, but Lina was different.It was often said that daughters resembled their fathers more, but this law seemed ineffective in Jesse and Lina's case."Hey, bro?" Toph did not hear Zuko's voice for a while and grew concerned. "What are you doing over there?""Oh, nothing," replied Zuko. "I'm almost home. Let's end here. You should rest too.""Well, I'm already awake. Let's chat for a while more!" Toph lazily suggested, "You live alone in a big villa, and there's no one else around. How about we have a video call?""I don't want to chat with you!" Zuko emphasized. "I don't live in a villa, and... people at home are asleep. I don't want to wake them up!""What?" Toph suddenly became fully awake.
Zuko's expression changed as he tried hard to hold back his laughter.He thought he should have recorded that just now and let his father listen to it!Which family man was in such a miserable state aside from Zephyr?"Zeke!" Melissa smiled and looked at Zuko. "What would you like to have for lunch? I'll make it for you!""Oh, no need." Zuko quickly got up. "Auntie, you take good care of Mr. Jenner. I'll go to the supermarket."After saying that, he hurriedly walked out of the house and did not hear Melissa calling out from behind, "Lina doesn't have classes in the afternoon. I'll let her come to the store too and work with you!"The sound of her voice grew distant, and Zuko had no idea what she was shouting. She probably wanted to keep him for lunch!Zuko chuckled and quickened his pace.There were not many customers in the small supermarket in the afternoon, and he had a rare moment of leisure. When someone suddenly entered, he sat bored behind the cash register, flipping thr
Mary was delighted and spoke more, seeing that Zuko was interested."Let me tell you secretly... Actually, we all suspect that Lina's parents kidnapped her!""What?" Zuko was somewhat shocked, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Mrs. Nash, you can't make baseless accusations! I know best what kind of people my parents-in-law are!""You, child, I knew you'd take your mother-in-law's side!" Mary pouted. "But I see that you're an honest child and don't want you to be deceived by them! Those two, they may look honest, but who knows what they're really like? Only time will reveal their true nature!"Besides, I'm not making baseless accusations. Just 20 years ago, they didn't have a child yet. They went to the big hospital in Centrolis for medical help, and when they came back after several months, they were carrying this girl!"Hah!" Mary became more excited as she spoke. "They insisted that they were already pregnant before going to Centrolis, but they didn't notice it, and she was born
Zuko was stunned, and a chill ran down his spine.Lina approached slowly, her smile growing, but her eyes were ice-cold. "Oh, Zeke, such a talented person wasted in our small shop!"The corners of Zuko's lips twitched. "What... are you saying?""I'm saying…" Lina fixed her gaze on his face. "Someone has an only daughter in their family, and all the family assets will belong to the daughter in the future! Heh! What a great deal! Isn't it?""Well..."Facing Lina, who only reached his chest, Zuko did not even dare to move, standing there obediently like an elementary school student being scolded.However, he felt like laughing seeing Lina, who was full of jealousy. She was jealous, but what he felt was sweetness.Zuko could not help but curl his lips, but his smile annoyed Lina.She bit her lip, tightly gripping the lunchbox in her hand until her knuckles turned white.When she returned home after her lunch break, she heard that he was alone in the shop. Worried that he would not
That evening, after Zuko finished his work and returned home, Lina was still sitting on the couch with the TV on, but her mind was not on the television at all. She watched as the man entered the house, changed into slippers as usual, and took the empty food container into the kitchen, washing it leisurely.He acted as if nothing had happened! He had even eaten up all the chicken and noodles!Lina bit her lip and waited for him to come and coax her.After a while, the sound of running water stopped in the kitchen, and Zuko dried his hands and walked out. He actually sat down beside her.Lina was slightly appeased, and her lips were about to curl up when the man suddenly blurted out, "Are you still angry?"Lina thought that he was not completely clueless. She responded with a muffled hum and turned away to avoid looking at him.Zuko cleared his throat, and a hint of gentleness appeared on his cold face, though he still maintained a serious expression. "Um... let's talk about it?"
"What? Couldn't find anything?" Fred was shocked.The Grist Group's surveillance system was considered top-notch in the industry, using various means to monitor employees, and it had become an open secret throughout the entire group.In the face of this invasion of privacy and violation of human rights, most employees dared not speak up and chose to endure silently.Yet, these methods seemed to have no effect on Zeke?Fred regained his composure and continued to ask, "What's the reason… that nothing can be found?"The subordinate answered, "We first checked Zeke's date of employment, and based on that date, we retrieved all the surveillance records, but we found nothing... It's as if this person had never been to the Grist Group!"And his truck... We've checked it too. The tracking system on the truck has been malfunctioning all along, and besides that truck, he hasn't driven any other vehicle, so..."Fred could not stand to listen any longer and snarled, "Useless bunch of trash