Lan Jin had been planning to find a quiet, secluded place.
But it seemed Meng Ying didn't share the same idea. Just as Lan Jin was about to speak, Mother Ren suddenly came charging toward them from not far away.
Mother Ren's posture and expression were downright terrifying.
At first, Lan Jin assumed Mother Ren was coming for her and instinctively stepped aside several times, trying to avoid her.
But it turned out that while Mother Ren was indeed here for her, she wasn't the main target. As soon as she spotted Meng Ying—the one she hated even more than her former daughter-in-law—she didn't hesitate. She made a beeline straight for Meng Ying.
Meng Ying, ever the cunning one, noticed the incoming storm and quickly tried to sidestep out of the way. But the direction she moved in? Exactly the same one Lan Jin had taken. Clearly, she was trying to use Lan Jin as a human shield.
Like Lan Jin would let that happen.
The moment she saw Meng Ying coming her way, Lan Jin grabbed Meng Ying's collar and flung her to the ground without mercy.
Lan Jin was strong. That single throw slammed Meng Ying hard onto the ground, leaving her dazed and unable to get back up.
Mother Ren wasted no time. As soon as she arrived, she leapt onto Meng Ying and started clawing, punching, and kicking with wild, almost animalistic rage.
The way Mother Ren looked now—it wasn't just her movements that were crazed. Her hair was a mess, her clothes disheveled, and she had even lost one of her shoes. Lan Jin had never seen her like this before. With how far gone she seemed, it was clear that this situation had stomped all over one of Mother Ren's bottom lines.
But Lan Jin was speechless. "If you want to cause a scene, go ahead. Just… why do you have to do it in my place? It's not like this spot is some legendary blessed ground everyone needs to visit."
Still, now that they were here, it wasn't all bad. Knowing where she lived might come in handy. After all, Father Ren and Mother Ren were hardly saints. If it came to it… handling all of them at once wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Meanwhile, Mother Ren was still pummeling Meng Ying with relentless force. The commotion quickly drew a crowd. This kind of spectacle wasn't something people got to see every day.
A moment later, Father Ren arrived, slightly out of breath. Clearly not as fast or fierce as his wife, he stood catching his breath before stepping in. Then he rushed forward and tried to pull Mother Ren off Meng Ying.
But Father Ren had always been weak, and today was no exception. With barely any strength left in him, and still suffering from that head injury he'd gotten earlier, he failed miserably. Not only could he not separate the two women, he got scratched up by Mother Ren in the process.
Frustrated, he turned to Lan Jin, who was calmly watching the chaos unfold. He yelled, "Lan Jin! Help me out! What are you doing just standing there? If something happens, you'll be responsible!"
Lan Jin rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn't get stuck.
Responsible? Responsible for what?
She scoffed. "Excuse me, former Father-in-law, why should I listen to you? And let's be honest, that woman your wife is beating up? She's the homewrecker who seduced your son. Looks to me like your wife is standing up for me. Why would I stop her? Frankly, I hope she beats her to death."
Mother Ren might have been caught up in the fight, but she heard every word Lan Jin said. That mocking tone made it perfectly clear: Lan Jin had already figured out the truth behind everything.
But with so many people watching, there was no point in trying to deny anything. As for the one lying on the ground… whatever. Let her suffer a little longer. That part didn't matter right now.
It was at that moment that Ling Jiang spoke up. "Shouldn't we call the police? Someone's going to get seriously hurt."
Lan Jin didn't care either way. It wasn't her fault, after all.
"Go ahead. Not like I'm stopping you."
Ling Jiang turned and made the call. She thought it might take a while for the officers to arrive, but surprisingly, it was only a few minutes before they showed up.
By then, Mother Ren still hadn't run out of energy. Her fists were still flying when the police arrived.
What caught Lan Jin off guard was who stepped out of the patrol car.
She blinked, then offered a dry smile. "Officer Shi. Hello again."
Officer Shi was the team leader who had been involved in multiple incidents with them before. After countless inquiries and follow-up visits, Lan Jin and Officer Shi were more than just familiar with each other.
Officer Shi's expression twitched when he saw her. Irritated but resigned, he said, "Don't tell me this is another mess involving you."
"It is related, yes. But it's definitely not my fault this time. And anyway, isn't this a bit beneath your station? Why'd they send you over for something so minor?"
Before Lan Jin could finish her sentence, Ling Jiang had already walked over and stood beside Officer Shi.
"You two know each other?"
Lan Jin glanced back and forth between them, then raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Wait a minute… Don't tell me you two are—"
Ling Jiang chuckled. "This is my partner. Our station's pretty close to here, and since I have family access, I got here faster."
"Well, what a coincidence."
"Isn't it, though?"
Officer Shi let out a helpless sigh. He gave Lan Jin a look, then glanced at the people lying on the ground.
"Alright. What happened this time?"
Lan Jin sighed too, glancing at the mess before her.
"It's a long story. All ancient history, really."
From her tone alone, it was easy to guess the nature of the situation. Complicated, messy, and full of drama. Officer Shi gave a wry smile.
"Let's talk about it at the station. Everyone involved needs to come with us."
That wasn't a problem. Lan Jin didn't really mind going.
The only issue was the water and the people she couldn't leave behind. Even if no one else knew, she was certain that both Qiao Qiao and Nana were in her space. But if she was gone too long, Qiao Qiao would get scared.
Lan Jin quickly asked, "Can I come a bit later? My kid and dog are still at home. I didn't bring them out earlier because I said I'd be right back. Who knows how long it'll take to finish giving statements. Can I go get them first?"
Special situations called for special handling. Since it involved a child, Officer Shi didn't press the matter.
"I'll assign someone to go with you. We'll leave one car behind. We'll go ahead, and you two can follow later."
He assigned someone to accompany Lan Jin. She originally wanted to ask Huang Jinghe to help carry water, but Officer Shi interrupted her.
"They're both involved in this. They need to come too. Ling Jiang can handle the bucket. There's a faucet at the station. You can fill it up there before heading back."
Officer Shi took the cart from Huang Jinghe, and Ling Jiang followed him to the station. Huang Jinghe accompanied Lan Jin back home to pick up Qiao Qiao and Nana.
As they arrived at her place, Lan Jin used her mind to quietly release Qiao Qiao and Nana just before unlocking the door. The moment it opened, the little one and the dog rushed straight into her arms.
Moments like these required quick thinking. One wrong move and the cover could be blown.
But Lan Jin had already run through this kind of scenario with Qiao Qiao many times. As soon as Qiao Qiao noticed someone else behind her, she clung to Lan Jin's leg and said smartly,
"Mama, you gone so long! Qiao Qiao miss Mama lots!"