Chapter 3420 — Homeward Bound

Without the hypnotist, even if Ying Zhijia woke now, he would be no different from a man in a vegetative state.

"What? My brother isn't dead? Then where is he?" Ying Ziyu grew agitated the moment she heard the news. "Brother Wei Zhao, you're a miracle doctor, aren't you? You can even cure Xiao Xi's mother's terminal cancer. You must have a way to cure my brother too, right?"

"This... that's right!" Wei Zhao knew he was deceiving Ying Ziyu, but it was the only way. "Except that right now I'm missing a crucial medicinal ingredient. It can only be obtained in a rather dangerous place..."

"Rather dangerous?" Ying Ziyu was slightly taken aback, and worry crept in. On one side was her brother; on the other, the person she loved. She wanted her brother to wake, but she did not want Wei Zhao to risk himself for it. "Then... if it's too dangerous, shouldn't we think of another way?"

Wei Zhao saw what was on her mind and silently lamented how deeply she cared for him. "If I went now, it would certainly be dangerous, because my strength isn't sufficient yet. But after some time, once my strength has grown, going there will be a piece of cake! You'll just have to wait a little."

"Mm-hmm, waiting a little is no problem at all, as long as you all stay safe!" Ying Ziyu said hurriedly. "Brother Wei Zhao, you must go only after you've grown stronger, and absolutely don't take any risks!"

"I understand. This isn't just about being responsible to myself; I have to be responsible to the pangolin too. Otherwise, if I went without enough strength and not only got myself killed but failed to obtain the ingredient, that would be a loss with no gain, wouldn't it?" Wei Zhao shook his head with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, that's good..." Ying Ziyu breathed a sigh of relief, no longer as pessimistic as before. Her brother still had hope, after all, and she trusted Wei Zhao completely—if Wei Zhao said there was a way, then there certainly was a way.

At that thought, Ying Ziyu returned to her former liveliness. "Brother Wei Zhao, where is my brother? Can I see him?"

"Of course. He's in the car!" Wei Zhao pointed to the Grand Cherokee not far behind him and said.

Ying Ziyu hurried over.

Yu Dake got out of the car and helped Ying Ziyu open the trunk door, revealing Ying Zhijia lying inside.

"Brother..." Ying Ziyu blurted out, but only after she spoke did she remember that her brother could not hear her now. Looking at his pale face, her heart ached, and yet she felt a measure of relief too—if not for Brother Wei Zhao's help, whether she would ever see her brother again in this life was hard to say.

"Ziyu, you don't need to be too sad. What I've promised you, I will certainly do," Wei Zhao said solemnly, patting Ying Ziyu on the shoulder.

"Mm. Then what you said just now—that once I'm a bit older, I can be with you—you'll do that too, right?" Ying Ziyu suddenly asked.

"Huh?!" Wei Zhao had not expected Ying Ziyu to ask that, and he was instantly embarrassed. He had only said it to brush her off, and now it had been raised to the level of a promise he must keep, leaving him in a bit of a bind. Fortunately, Wei Zhao was not the sort to fuss over things; after a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "As long as you're willing, you'll be my little sister for life."

"Adopted little sister, you mean!" Ying Ziyu blinked.

Wei Zhao did not know whether to laugh or cry. "All right, since I'm back so rarely, let me treat you to a meal!"

"Sure! But I want to eat what Brother Wei Zhao cooks. Your cooking is better than any restaurant's!" Ying Ziyu did not seem particularly sorrowful at this moment—clearly she trusted Wei Zhao completely.

"Then let's go buy groceries right now!" Wei Zhao nodded readily, then took Ying Ziyu to the Land Rover behind them. He had Yu Dake return to the villa in Donghai City first; with Ying Zhijia kept in Donghai City, it would be easier for Wei Zhao to look after him.

Ying Ziyu still lived in her old house. After Chen Xi left, she was all alone there, and Wei Zhao truly felt some sympathy for her. He did not know how she had been getting by since Chen Xi's departure during this time, yet Ying Ziyu had stubbornly never called Wei Zhao to complain.

After cooking her a meal, Wei Zhao ate with her and then took his leave, encouraging her to study hard.

……………………

Qiu Lingshan brought Little Innocence and the hypnotist back to the Mystery Investigation Bureau. Feng Tianlong had not expected Qiu Lingshan to be so formidable—on her very first field assignment, she had won a great victory and brought the criminal suspects back in custody!

What was more, judging by the confessions of the two, many major and important cases had involved them. Qiu Lingshan could be said to have earned great merit!

"Shanshan, you've done well!" Feng Tianlong looked at the report Qiu Lingshan had submitted and smiled broadly. "I heard that back when you were at the police bureau, you cracked several major and important cases in succession. Now it seems transferring you to the Mystery Investigation Bureau was indeed a wise decision. Even I was a bit troubled, unsure how to make a move, but the moment you took action, the suspects were brought to justice! And the hidden Tang family has actually submitted to our Mystery Investigation Bureau—that was simply unimaginable before. Since when could our Mystery Investigation Bureau ever command the hidden families?"

"Director Feng... I..." Qiu Lingshan blushed at the praise. After a moment's hesitation, she still told the truth. "Actually, it's all thanks to Wei Zhao. If not for Wei Zhao, I couldn't have captured these two so smoothly, and the hidden Tang family wouldn't have come over to our side so easily either."

"Oh? Wei Zhao?" Feng Tianlong was slightly startled, then nodded. He knew something of the relationship between Qiu Lingshan and Wei Zhao, but he did not want to interfere. His daughter was not Wei Zhao's official girlfriend either; Gu Mengyao and Tang Zhi had not interfered, so what business did he have to? So he nodded with a smile. "Wei Zhao counts as an outside member of our Mystery Investigation Bureau. He came up through our ranks, so having his help is part of our Bureau's strength."

"Yes, and Wei Zhao also said that he will bring the other hidden families to report to the Mystery Investigation Bureau one by one, to be placed under the Bureau's unified dispatch and management," Qiu Lingshan said.

"Very good, Shanshan. Although this is Wei Zhao's help, Wei Zhao is no outsider to you or me—he can be trusted absolutely. I can even see it already: our Mystery Investigation Bureau will rise to glory starting with us!" Feng Tianlong said joyfully and excitedly. "All right, Shanshan, this matter is concluded. According to our Bureau's rules, you may take some leave before returning to work. Starting today, you should get some rest!"

"All right!" Even without the leave, Qiu Lingshan would have asked for it herself, because a call had just come from home saying her sister had returned—which made her heart race with longing to be home.