Deliberately Approaching
Chapter 168 The Target Is Not Tangtang

Chapter 168: Chapter 168 The Target Is Not Tangtang

"Rest assured, I guarantee to complete the task!"

Leng Lingxiao’s loud voice carried from behind, tinged with a hint of laughter, while Tang Xiaowan’s brows were tightly knotted, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

It looked like Grandma was right—Mei Garden definitely needed some rules.

Otherwise, who even knew who the master was!

Thinking this, she reached into her pocket only to realize she hadn’t had her phone on her for nearly half the day.

Immediately, she started to run quickly.

At that moment, the small pond presented a different scene.

Densely packed leaves floated on the water’s surface as four men sat in large wooden tubs, using their hands as paddles and gently rowing.

They picked up the water caltrops, detached the nuts, and then put the hulls back into the water.

The process repeated, the harvest continued.

With Tang Xiaowan not there, Leng Lingxiao actually became much more reserved, not bickering with Li Zishen, just standing there blankly, watching the water caltrops being harvested, occasionally showing a faint smile.

This was very puzzling to Li Zishen.

He had intended to ask, but for some reason, he had inexplicably dismissed the thought.

"Mr. Leng, Mr. Li, come and try them fresh, they taste great!" one of the men said with a chuckle.

The water caltrops were casually placed in a bamboo basket.

Although Li Zishen had ordered some to be picked last time to take back for his mother, Madam Lai, he hadn’t come to see for himself, so he had no idea that harvesting water caltrops could be such a scene.

"Why not... take a break?"

"Sure, but Mr. Li should be careful, they have spikes and the pricks can be quite painful."

"Thanks for the reminder!"

Leng Lingxiao: "..."

Boring, posturing!

Did he think Tangtang was so easily deceived? That picking a few water caltrops would move her, make her fall in love with him, marry him, throw herself into his arms?

What a joke, as if that could happen!

Just as Leng Lingxiao was full of mockery, Li Zishen had already rolled up his shirt sleeves.

Getting serious now?

Accordingly, Leng Lingxiao strode forward quickly to face Li Zishen directly.

"Is there something?"

"Mr. Li, there’s something I almost forgot to mention." Leng Lingxiao lifted his chin slightly, his gaze sweeping over Li Zishen’s hands as he loosened his tie.

"Please speak, Mr. Leng."

"Remember this, Tangtang never owed you a damn thing, it’s you who deliberately approached her, taking advantage of her vulnerability of not having a mother, luring her away from Mei Garden, even skipping classes to go to Country Y, do you think you always deserve..."

"I didn’t." Li Zishen interjected.

"Whether or not you did, you know best in your heart. Poor Tangtang... She trusted you time and again, thinking you could help her..."

Before he could finish, Leng Lingxiao’s eyes suddenly reddened, and his nose felt sour.

He despised Li Zishen!

"I have indeed been searching, but how do you know this? Did Xiao Wan tell you?"

At these words, Li Zishen’s gaze had turned dull, the tie that he had loosened was tightened again, straightened out.

But as his hands dropped, they involuntarily clenched into fists.

Veins protruded, knuckles cracked crisply.

Leng Lingxiao naturally noticed this scene. Far from feeling any fear, he instead took another step closer to Li Zishen.

"If you can’t find it, you can’t find it. Why do you keep giving Tangtang false hope? Do you know how much she looked forward to those days... Every day she hoped Grandma would leave the house so she could run out to meet you? You think she likes you, but you’re wrong, she just wanted to see her mother sooner."

"I’m sincere towards Xiao Wan, and she is too," Li Zishen replied, with a stone-cold certainty.

"Really?" Leng Lingxiao gave a devilish smile, "Tangtang is too young to deal with your twisted games. Please stay away from her in the future."

"What do you mean? Make yourself clear!"

"If you truly care for her, stop disturbing her. Stay as far away as possible."

"Why?" Li Zishen let out a cold laugh.

"Have you ever felt despair? That kind of helplessness as you watch... Forget it, you wouldn’t understand."

At that moment, Li Zishen seemed to hear Tang Xiaowan’s moans of pain once again, and the sound of bloody glass shards falling onto the surgical tray.

His face, once full of terror, was now void of any color.

Li Zishen clenched his teeth and coldly looked towards the direction of the study: "I will not leave Xiao Wan. I will get to the bottom of this night attack, and those who made her suffer will pay back double."

"That won’t happen again."

"How would you know?"

"The attacker never intended to kill Tangtang. She wasn’t the target."

"Do you know something? Tell me, who was behind the attack? Speak, who is that person, and what do they really want?"

Li Zishen, at that moment, seemed almost crazed as he stared intently at Leng Lingxiao.

His voice was not loud but carried an intense ferocity.

A month had passed since the night attack, but there had been no substantial progress. This had deeply frustrated Li Zishen.

"I don’t know. I am inferring this based on Tangtang’s memories."

"A guess? Do you know Xiao Wan often sleepwalks, curls up in the closet, her face streaked with tears? But the next day she wakes up and remembers nothing. I can’t imagine the terror she must have experienced that night."

After hearing this, Leng Lingxiao lifted his head: "Have you ever considered that the person’s target might be you, and Tangtang was just..."

His words choked off halfway.

"Impossible. I, Li Zishen, am upright in all my dealings; I have no enemies, nor could I."

"Is that so? You’re that confident?"

Suddenly, the phone rang—Li Zishen’s.

He pulled it out, glanced at it without answering, and then turned to Leng Lingxiao: "Something has come up; I must excuse myself."

"Of course, please feel free."

Li Zishen left expressionlessly, but at the turn, his eyes reddened.

Leng Lingxiao’s words had struck a nerve.

Despite Li Zishen’s denial, the truth was that every time Tang Xiaowan encountered a crisis, it somehow related to him.

It was the case before her memory loss, and it remained so now.

The Chinese Medicine Pills during the night attack, being covertly photographed at the shopping center and ending up on hot search, being poisoned at Bie Yuan, or the threatening photographs from the previous day, even the school rumors—all pointed back to him.

Could my business dealings have really endangered Xiao Wan, burdened her, caused her to be hurt?

Who could the enemy be?

His mind first raced to foreign shores, reviewing every transnational company belonging to him before moving on to family enterprises.

No, that’s not right; Leng Lingxiao must be bluffing, trying to take Xiao Wan away from my side.

I can’t fall for his manipulation.

It wasn’t until Li Zishen had walked far that he suddenly remembered the earlier call, and he immediately called back.

"What’s happened?"

On the other end was Bai Long, his voice very low.

"Brother Shen, there’s been an incident at Jinyuan Academy."

Li Zishen’s heart gave a sharp jolt, the words recently spoken by Leng Lingxiao echoing in his mind, each one seemingly hinting at something.

He turned slowly and looked towards the small pond.