When the guard found out that Ling Lan was a student of Special Class-A, and a day student at that, he was shocked beyond words. He had been a guard for so many years, but this was the first time he had seen a day student.
From this, it could be seen that the school's so-called freedom to be a day student was just an empty promise. It made sense when he thought about it. With such a competitive system, every student wished they could break their 24 hours into 48 — who would be willing to waste time walking to and from school?
Although the guard was shocked, he didn't say anything, and let Ling Lan out. Of course, Zilong and the others were mercilessly locked inside the school grounds. Who told them to choose to live on campus? Once they chose to live on campus, even if they were children of the special classes, they had no right to take even half a step out of the school gates unless they had to leave at the designated time.
Ling Lan waved goodbye to her friends, and just as she stepped out of the school gates, she saw the Ling family's hover car already waiting for her at the gates.
This time, the Ling family had sent out five hover cars, and the one who had come to pick up Ling Lan was the only one who had not betrayed the Ling family that morning, Ling Yu. Chamberlain Ling Qin, on the other hand, had not come personally because he was dealing with the matter of the traitor.
Ling Lan got into the hover car Ling Yu had arranged for her, and Ling Yu followed suit. He began to report the results of their investigation that day.
It turned out that Ling Hua had chosen to betray the Ling family because he did not want his child to follow in his footsteps and become the next generation of the Ling family's loyalists.
Ling Hua's son, Ling Yi, was one year younger than Ling Lan. When he was born, his physical aptitude had been tested to be just a hair's breadth away from Ling Lan's. In other words, Ling Yi had a very high chance of becoming an ace operator. However, the descendants of the Ling family loyalists were not allowed to enter the Scout Academy to study, and could only accept the Ling family's own home school. This cut off Ling Yi's chances of growth — he would never be able to operate a mecha better than the standard mecha, and his chances of becoming an ace operator were close to zero.
Ling Yi was getting closer and closer to being six years old. Ling Hua felt very uncomfortable and conflicted. However, at this moment, there was a chance for his son to soar into the sky, so Ling Hua was moved.
The other party promised that as long as Ling Lan died, the Ling family would be completely disbanded. The Ling family would become normal citizens, and Ling Yi would be able to enter the Scout Academy openly and have a bright future.
Hearing Ling Yu's report, Ling Lan said regretfully, "He's really stupid."
Ling Yu said blankly, "Yeah, Captain is really stupid. As long as he tells us about this, he can request to regain his freedom."
Ling Yu still remembered one of the rules of the Ling family: Men of sacrifice who had made great contributions could make a request that the Ling family could fulfill. As long as Ling Hua had told Chamberlain Ling Qin about the other party's plan to deal with Ling Lan, Ling Lan and Chamberlain Ling Qin would definitely agree to his request.
Ling Lan and Ling Yu still couldn't understand why Ling Hua had chosen to walk this path until the end, choosing to betray the Ling family rather than use this information to make a great contribution.
However, when Ling Lan returned to the main living room of the Ling family mansion, Ling Qin, who was waiting there, told her what he had found out, including the other reason why Ling Hua had chosen to betray the Ling family.
Ling Qin's expression was very serious. "According to the three loyalists, Ling Qin once proudly said that the other party had promised to give his son six doses of special genetic agent every year until Ling Yi couldn't take it anymore. Of course, he also promised the three loyalists that as long as their descendants were qualified enough, they would also be able to enjoy the same treatment."
"The other party is really generous. Looks like this person who wants to deal with me isn't simple." Ling Lan now understood why Ling Hua had chosen to betray them in the end. Although it looked like it was only six doses of genetic agent, Ling Hua could feel the power of the other party — crushing the Ling family would be a piece of cake.
"Ling Hua was afraid. He thought that the Ling family wouldn't be able to stand up to that person, and he didn't want his child to be buried with the Ling family." Ling Qin, of course, understood Ling Hua's thoughts, and sighed again.
"Young Master Lan, what do you plan to do with Ling Hua's wife and child?" Ling Qin asked carefully. No family would accept the orphan of a traitor — many families would choose to get rid of them at the first opportunity.
Ling Lan was just about to answer when she heard a commotion at the door, followed by the cry of a child. "Young Master Lan, Young Master Lan, please, see me."
Sitting on the sofa, Ling Lan raised an eyebrow and looked up at Ling Qin. Awkwardness flashed across Ling Qin's face — it looked like he knew who the child outside was.
Ling Lan didn't ask. She stood up and walked straight to the door, Ling Qin and Ling Yu following closely behind.
As soon as Ling Lan reached the door, she saw a little thing just a little smaller than her struggling desperately in the hands of a guard, shouting loudly for Young Master Lan. Seeing her come out, the little thing's eyes were wild with joy.
"Who are you? Why do you want to see me? "Ling Lan asked coldly.
"You're Young Master Lan?" Hearing Ling Lan's question, the little thing struggled even more fiercely.
Ling Yu, who was standing behind Ling Lan, threw a look at the guard holding the child at the door. The guard immediately released his grip and retreated to one side.
"I'm Ling Yi, and my father is Ling Hua." The little thing straightened, composed himself, and began to introduce himself.
Ling Lan nodded silently. No wonder Ling Hua was willing to go down the path of betrayal for his son's sake. The child was indeed very smart, able to control his emotions and grasp the opportunity.
"They told me that my father is dead … My father is so strong, how could he die?" Ling Yi's face still held some hope, hoping that Ling Lan would tell him that none of this was real.
Ling Lan sighed silently. Ling Hua had wronged her, but he hadn't wronged Ling Yi. Her thoughts turned, and she replied, "No matter how strong a person is, they can't resist the enemy's schemes. Ling Yi, your father is really dead."
"Who killed my father?" Ling Yi's eyes were grey.
"I don't know, but we suspect that it might have been one of the higher-ups in the military, and my father might have also died under the enemy's schemes," Ling Lan said regretfully and sorrowfully.
Ling Lan decisively pushed the blame for Ling Hua's death onto the enemy who wanted her dead. She was looking forward to Ling Yi finding the other party after he grew up. At the end of the day, although Ling Hua had died by her hands, wasn't it because the other party had bribed him?
Of course, Ling Lan's words caused a flash of surprise to pass through Ling Qin and Ling Yu's eyes, but their expressions quickly relaxed, as if they were very satisfied with Ling Lan's explanation.
Having received the answer he wanted, Ling Yi's eyes burned with hatred. "Young Master Lan, I will definitely become strong. When that time comes, I hope that Young Master Lan will give me the chance to kill my enemy with my own hands."
Ling Yi's words made Ling Qin and Ling Yu tremble involuntarily, a chill running through their hearts. Wouldn't this be taming a tiger and inviting calamity?
Only Ling Lan remained calm. She nodded and said, "Alright, I promise you. There's one more thing I want to tell you. When your father died, he asked for your freedom, and I agreed … "
Ling Yi interrupted Ling Lan and said, "I don't want to leave the Ling family."
"Why?" Ling Lan was curious.
"I want to inherit my father's position. I want to become Young Master Lan's most trusted loyalist." Ling Yi's face was resolute. He had been taught to be loyal to the Ling family and to be loyal to the head of the family since he was young, so the thought of leaving the Ling family had never crossed Ling Yi's mind.
This answer made Ling Lan fall silent.
Ling Hua, you betrayed yourself, betrayed the Ling family, but your son doesn't want to leave the Ling family at all. Isn't this ironic?
"I really want to promise you, but unfortunately, I promised your father first. One cannot go back on one's word …" Ling Lan said regretfully.
Ling Lan's words made Ling Yi burst into tears. After all, he was only a five-year-old child. Faced with an unknown future, even the smartest and strongest child could not resist the fear in his heart. He returned to his child identity and cried bitterly.
"Ling Yi, if you want to inherit your father's position, you cannot cry anymore." Ling Lan comforted him with red eyes. "Your father wants you to enter the Scout Academy, enter the military academy, and finally become a professional soldier. You cannot disappoint your father."
Then, Ling Lan patted his head and continued, "However, I didn't say that I'm chasing you away. You're still a member of the Ling family. It's just that you're free in name. When you grow up, you can leave or return to the Ling family as you wish."
Ling Lan's words reignited Ling Yi's hope. He wiped away his tears and said, "Yes, I will work hard, Young Master Lan. I will definitely come back." These words were said resolutely and decisively.
Then, with a serious expression, he said to Ling Yu, who was standing behind Ling Lan, "Uncle Yu, I will leave Young Master Lan to you for now. When I become stronger, I will come back to take over your position." After that, he bowed to Ling Lan and left the Ling family's main residence.
Ling Yu's face was full of worry. "Young Master Lan, isn't this arrangement too risky?" If Ling Yi knew the truth, he might very well turn against them.
Ling Lan's lips curled into a smile. "Isn't it very interesting? Whether or not Ling Yi will be used by me in the end, he will still be a good chess piece. "
Ling Lan's words made Ling Yu not dare to say anything else. Right now, he also could not understand what Ling Lan's true thoughts were.
Ling Qin's expression was dark and uncertain, but in the end, he did not say anything.
Ling Lan turned around and said to Ling Qin with a fierce expression, "Grandpa Chamberlain, clean up those traitors and those captives."
Ling Qin's heart skipped a beat, and he abruptly turned to Ling Lan.
Ling Lan asked, "Other than the three of us, who else knows about Ling Hua's betrayal?"
Ling Yu quickly shook his head. Because they were afraid that there were other traitors in the Ling family, those three traitors were personally interrogated by him and Ling Qin, so no one else knew the details.
Ling Qin's words also proved this point. After Ling Yu had left, he had interrogated them alone, which was why he had found out the key reason behind Ling Hua's betrayal.
"That's good. After dealing with those people, as long as the three of us don't reveal anything, I believe Ling Yi won't know the truth." Ling Lan's words made Ling Qin and Ling Yu break out in cold sweat. Was this Ling Lan's warning in disguise?
"What if the person who bribed Ling Hua comes out and tells Ling Yi?" Ling Qin was still worried — Ling Yi was obviously a ticking time bomb.
"Perhaps we can instill in Ling Yi the idea that everything is a scheme of the other party … Moreover, I'm just afraid that he won't come out. If he does, we can follow the clues and find out who is really after our Ling family." Ling Lan's expression was cunning.
Ling Qin's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea." If Ling Yi really managed to lure out the venomous snake behind the scenes, it would be worth the risk.
Just like that, the three of them communicated for a while, and then Ling Qin and Ling Yu both went back to deal with their own matters. Meanwhile, Ling Lan was still sitting alone on the sofa in the living room. After confirming that they had left, she sighed softly. "If you want to save Ling Yi, do you really need to make things so complicated?"
On the surface, Ling Qin and Ling Yu looked like they wanted to eliminate the source of the problem, but in reality, their actions were all to keep Ling Yi alive. If not for that, how could a mere Ling Yi appear at the doorstep of the Ling family's main residence?
The loyalists protecting the Ling family in secret should have received the order to let Ling Yi out at the doorstep of the main residence, right? Both Ling Qin and Ling Yu had a part in this order … When Ling Lan saw Ling Yi, she understood this point.
Although Ling Lan had no intention of taking Ling Yi's life in the first place, this kind of deliberate arrangement still made her unhappy.
The Ling family's rules were very humane, which was a good thing, but it was not suitable for subordinates. When the master was weak and the servants were strong, things like this would happen without the master's permission. Although they had no ill intentions and had not affected her in any way at the moment, if she allowed them to continue like this, perhaps one day they would become a huge problem for her.
Perhaps she had to think of a way to change things, or else she really wouldn't be able to continue trusting the Ling family. This was undoubtedly a very sad thing. Whether it was for Ling Lan or for Ling Qin and the others.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
