On the other side.
Shen Lu found the main group at this time. Seeing everyone looking at her with confused eyes, they asked her about the result.
Shen Lu explained.
"The item was still in its original place, so it was found very quickly."
"It's good that you found it." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued to move forward.
Gu Youcai quietly said thank you to Shen Lu.
Thanking her for not exposing Fan Cuiying's matter in front of everyone.
Shen Lu shook her head. She was by no means a saint; she just didn't want to embarrass Gu Big Brother, who was protecting her.
Matters as sensitive as being a spy, without official notification from the organization, no one would dare to spread the word.
Everyone descended the mountain and walked towards the family courtyard.
At the entrance of the family courtyard, Li Mei was sitting in the courtyard with the two little ones, looking out.
"Aunt Li, can I call my dad?" Gu Xingyu asked.
Li Mei felt a pang of sadness. Gu Xiao was the only one in this world who would protect the two children.
However, he was currently on an emergency mission and absolutely could not be distracted by trivial matters. If there were any losses in the mission, they could not afford the responsibility.
As the Director of the family courtyard's management committee, Li Mei had this level of ideological awareness.
There was very little Li Mei could do now; she could only comfort the two little ones.
"Xiao Yu, your dad is on a mission right now and is very busy, so we can't disturb him. You can tell Auntie anything you're feeling wronged about, and Auntie will back you and your older brother up."
Li Mei looked into the two little ones' clear, innocent eyes and made a promise.
After thinking for a long time, Gu Xingyu finally spoke.
"Did that woman do something bad again?"
Li Mei was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that the woman Gu Xingyu was referring to was Shen Lu. The child was speaking the truth, and for a moment, she didn't know how to refute him.
She recalled the scene that morning when Shen Lu brought the two children to deliver wontons to her.
She rarely saw Shen Lu smile, but that gentle Shen Lu was only trying to make everyone lower their guard so they could escape more easily.
She couldn't bear to tell the children the cruel truth.
Li Mei's silence made the children realize that what those people had said earlier was true.
Gu Xingyu's little face fell. He knew that these past two days had been a dream.
Now the dream had ended.
After hesitating for a long time, Gu Xingyu cautiously spoke.
"Aunt Li, can you not catch that bad woman? She didn't mean to. It was all because my brother and I didn't behave well and made her unhappy."
Li Mei's heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly by a large hand.
The hardship the two children had endured over the years was evident to their neighbors.
Even so, Gu Xingyu was still speaking up for Shen Lu, and Gu Xingze was also looking at her expectantly, pleading for Shen Lu.
Li Mei couldn't help but sigh. Had Shen Lu saved the world in her previous life to have such good children?
Seeing his brother's dejected look, Gu Xingyu pretended to be relaxed and comforted Gu Xingze.
"Brother, don't worry. I will definitely find someone better than that bad woman to be our mother."
"Xiao Yu, you can't talk nonsense," Li Mei said, admonishing him.
Scolded, Gu Xingyu lowered his head. He didn't want to, but...
Li Mei stroked Gu Xingze's head and comforted him, "Xiao Ze, don't worry. Your mother just encountered some trouble and will be back soon."
She could only use this well-intentioned lie to comfort the two little ones.
Gu Xingze nodded.
Just then, the gate rang, and everyone's eyes turned towards the entrance.
Gu Xingze's eyes were filled with hope.
To their surprise, the figure that appeared before them was not Shen Lu.
Wen Xin'er naturally walked into Shen Lu's small courtyard as if it were her own home.
She spoke in a soft voice, showing a smile she thought was full of friendliness.
The two little ones' visible disappointment.
Li Mei was also a little surprised to see who had arrived.
"Comrade Wen, why are you here?"
Wen Xin'er, completely oblivious to their emotions, directly crouched down to comfort the two little ones.
"Your mother might not be coming back. I'm here to see if there's anything that needs to be done."
She had thought about this on the way.
By reporting Shen Lu's contributions to the country and taking care of the two children, she would be seen as a kind and pure goddess by the people in the courtyard.
She would definitely receive everyone's praise.
Li Mei, who had just been comforting Gu Xingze by saying his mother would be back soon: "..."
The smile on Li Mei's face disappeared. "Comrade Wen, when speaking in front of the children, you should be mindful of your words."
Li Mei's stern expression and imposing aura made Wen Xin'er falter.
Wen Xin'er nodded awkwardly.
"Are you hungry? Shall I cook for you?"
Li Mei was about to refuse on behalf of the twins when a clear voice from outside the door spoke first.
"I didn't realize Comrade Wen liked cooking for other people's children so much."
Wen Xin'er froze and looked towards the entrance.
Shen Lu?
Shouldn't she be in jail? How was she standing here unharmed? And the people beside her didn't look like they had just returned from catching a cheating spouse.
Wen Xin'er's intuition told her that something must have changed.
"I was just worried about the two children..."
"With Sister Li watching over the two children, what are you worried about? Don't you trust Sister Li?"
Shen Lu directly questioned Wen Xin'er, and instantly, Wen Xin'er felt everyone around her looking at her with doubt and suspicion.
After all, Li Mei was recognized throughout the family courtyard as kind and reliable.
Wen Xin'er bit her lip, a forced smile on her face. Without time to inquire about what had happened, she left in a hurry after saying, "Excuse me."
Gu Xingyu, who had been hiding behind the door at some point, couldn't help but look at Shen Lu.
Gu Xingze jumped down from the steps and ran to Shen Lu, looking up at her with a worried expression at the bandage on her neck.
Shen Lu gently stroked Gu Xingze's head. "Don't worry, Mom is fine. I just got a scratch while subduing a bad guy."
Hearing about subduing a bad guy, Gu Xingyu, who was hiding not far away, his big eyes lit up.
Was Mom as brave as Dad?
So Mom wasn't abandoning them; she was fighting bad guys.
As Shen Lu squatted down to comfort Gu Xingze, she noticed that the little fellow was covered in dirt, and his knee was scraped and bleeding.
"Xiao Ze, how did your knee get injured?"
Shen Lu knew that due to his psychological issues, he wouldn't speak.
So she went to Gu Xingyu, squatted down, and asked.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered that Gu Xingyu's palms were also scraped.
"What happened?"
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