After about twenty minutes, Wuyue came to report that Wu Ningjing had brought Li Xiaoqing.
Luo Ziling stood up, smiled at Ling Ruonan, and said, "Mom, I’ll go greet them!"
Ling Ruonan nodded and continued sitting on the sofa.
When Luo Ziling followed Wuyue out of the living room, he saw Wu Ningjing leading Li Xiaoqing into the courtyard.
"Mrs. Wu, my mom is waiting for you inside, please go in," Luo Ziling said politely to Wu Ningjing, and after inviting her in, he said to Li Xiaoqing, "Let’s not bother them with adult conversations and find another place to sit."
There was a kind look on Luo Ziling’s face when he said this, but it filled Li Xiaoqing with a cold fear from deep inside.
He didn’t dare to be alone with Luo Ziling, so he instinctively moved closer to Wu Ningjing, hoping for his mother’s protection.
Wu Ningjing also hesitated, knowing full well that Luo Ziling’s intentions for wanting to be alone with Li Xiaoqing might be less than pure.
Moreover, she hoped that Li Xiaoqing would apologize in front of Ling Ruonan to gain her forgiveness.
Therefore, Wu Ningjing hesitated after Luo Ziling made such a request.
"Mrs. Wu, my mom wants to talk to you alone!" Wu Ningjing’s hesitance annoyed Luo Ziling, so he reminded her again, "You should go in quickly!"
"Alright then!" Wu Ningjing finally agreed, nodding, "I’ll talk to your mom alone first."
Then she instructed Li Xiaoqing, "Xiaoqing, you stay outside and talk with Ziling first. Ziling has always been steady in his actions; you should learn from him and ask humbly."
Luo Ziling understood the hidden meaning in Wu Ningjing’s words but just smiled and didn’t say much more.
After Wu Ningjing followed Wuyue into the living room, Luo Ziling made a gesture to Li Xiaoqing, indicating him to proceed, and then said with a brilliant smile, "Let’s sit somewhere else. Don’t worry, I promise I won’t cripple you."
These words from Luo Ziling made Li Xiaoqing shiver, almost prompting him to flee. Luo Ziling didn’t give him the chance to escape and directly pulled him into a nearby cabin used by the security personnel.
When Luo Ziling brought Li Xiaoqing into the small cabin, several security personnel were inside.
As soon as they saw Li Xiaoqing, their eyes immediately focused on him.
Their gaze made Li Xiaoqing shiver once more.
Luo Ziling ordered them all out, leaving only Wuyue to come in with them.
After Wuyue led Wu Ningjing into the living room, he quickly came out.
"I guess you just had a quarrel with your mom, and you won. Your mom gave in, right?" Luo Ziling sat down in a chair but didn’t offer a seat to Li Xiaoqing. He looked at Li Xiaoqing with a playful but disdainful gaze, "You think the issue is over, and your mom won’t hold it against you anymore? If you truly think so, you’re gravely mistaken. You conned others out of several millions and nearly caused my cousin’s death; handing you over to the judicial authorities would be enough to put you behind bars for life. Do you think a mere penalty drink will resolve this? Dream on."
"What... what do you want to do?" Li Xiaoqing trembled as he spoke to Luo Ziling, "I’m telling you... don’t do anything stupid, or else... I’ll..."
"Or else what?" Luo Ziling gazed at Li Xiaoqing with disdain, "If I tell you with just a little trick, I could ruin your life’s happiness—the kind with a gender twist, making it so you’d never have the chance to be a man again. Others wouldn’t notice, and even doctors couldn’t diagnose or treat it. Do you think you could accept that?"
"Ah..." Li Xiaoqing gasped and instinctively stepped back two steps, "You... don’t do anything crazy!"
"What could you do if I did? Let me tell you, I can save you, safely get you out from my grandfather’s control to avoid severe punishment, or I can torment you to the point of wishing for life over death." Luo Ziling flashed a cruel smile, "I want you to understand that mistakes come with consequences. In this world, besides your mom, no one will show you mercy."
"You... don’t do anything crazy!" Li Xiaoqing felt like crying.
Though Luo Ziling hadn’t done anything yet, he felt a piercing coldness.
"Actually, I don’t need to do anything to you. Today, you’ve offended several people who want you dead," Luo Ziling chuckled, "I believe, without protection, you’ll surely encounter trouble now and then, perhaps even worse than Ling Haijun, and might end up in a funeral home."
As Luo Ziling spoke, he stood up, "Suddenly, I’ve lost interest in talking to you. You’re nothing to me. What I’ve done is already honoring your mom and Luo Yuqing. What you owe us, we’ll demand in full; what you owe others, we won’t shield you from. I hope after others come to collect, you’ll still be alive to face our retribution. Remember what I just said. You can tell your mom, and I’d say the same in front of her. Understand?"
After speaking, Luo Ziling stopped paying attention to Li Xiaoqing and walked out of the cabin.
Li Xiaoqing couldn’t react immediately and didn’t chase after him.
Luo Ziling signaled Wuyue to watch over Li Xiaoqing as he returned to the living room.
To his surprise, Ling Ruonan and Wu Ningjing weren’t speaking; they were both silent.
"Mrs. Wu, I want to know, if those people want to retaliate against Li Xiaoqing, how will you protect him?" After stepping into the living room, Luo Ziling asked Wu Ningjing directly without preamble, "If I’m not mistaken, you’re planning to overlook his mistakes and want us to let it slide because of you and Yuqing. But I’ll tell you upfront, it won’t be that easy. Those who suffered today definitely want Li Xiaoqing’s head, and you can’t protect him. He hasn’t learned his lesson at all, thinking it has all passed. Making such serious mistakes, if he isn’t taught a lesson, even if he narrowly escapes today’s troubles, he’ll encounter bigger ones later. Moreover, we also have to account for the harm he caused us. I just told him that we won’t dismiss today’s incident lightly."
Seeing Wu Ningjing’s face turn pale, Luo Ziling added, "Actually, I have a suggestion: let him stay by my side and work, just like Ling Haijun. Ling Haijun was once my adversary, constantly scheming against me until he fell into my hands. After enduring much hardship, he eventually agreed to work with me. I can offer Li Xiaoqing this opportunity, but the condition is you don’t interfere with the matter. How I discipline him is none of your concern. I will try my best to reform him and protect him during the process."
Ling Ruonan was surprised at the long speech Luo Ziling made after entering, but she also felt relieved.
Because Luo Ziling articulated things she found inconvenient to say herself.
Wu Ningjing, of course, was shocked too. She couldn’t believe Luo Ziling spoke so bluntly.