CHAPTER 285: CHAPTER 282: HOME INVASION

"Wanwan, since you’re here, why not come to the house for lunch?" Gong Dewang said, "I’ve prepared a feast, just waiting for you."

Lin Wanwan wasn’t sure what Gong Dewang was planning, so she refused, and he didn’t insist.

The ceremony lasted the entire morning, with the Gong family members, village chief Wu nearby, and many curious villagers watching.

Returning from the cemetery, Lin Wanwan couldn’t help but say, "Village Chief Wu, I really appreciate your effort today, especially persuading the Gong family. Thank you."

Village Chief Wu shook his head quickly: "It wasn’t me who persuaded them; they’re family, after all. There’s no way they’d truly make things difficult. Coming for the burial is a must."

Lin Wanwan was skeptical but said nothing more.

After all, they didn’t cause trouble and cooperated with the entire ceremony, allowing everything to conclude smoothly, so Lin Wanwan was satisfied.

Since they were so accommodating, Lin Wanwan decided she could compromise a bit on the Hai City rent.

After handling her parents’ burial, Lin Wanwan felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her heart. Now, she could visit her parents’ graves during Qingming and New Year’s Eve.

Upon returning to Village Chief Wu’s courtyard to drive, his family insisted on giving her Maotai liquor, and she eventually accepted it.

Things went smoothly, thanks in large part to Village Chief Wu and his wife. Lin Wanwan didn’t mind the gesture of a few bottles; once given, she couldn’t refuse.

The return trip was again assisted by the same female driver who came at dawn.

Noticing her tired appearance as if she hadn’t rested, Lin Wanwan asked concernedly, "Did you get any rest?"

The driver said quickly, "I did, I did. I caught some sleep on a chair beneath the Red Star Macalline nearby."

Lin Wanwan said no more, knowing that she booked a provincial driver via the app, with costs based on time and distance. The trip here was fifteen hundred yuan, and returning in the afternoon would be cheaper.

After getting into the car, the driver told Lin Wanwan, "Actually, if you’re just looking for a companion driver, you don’t need to book an expensive driver. There are specific companion drivers you can select, saving you seven or eight hundred for cross-province trips like this."

Lin Wanwan replied, "I didn’t know about that service."

The driver, being forthright, suggested, "We’re not on the road yet. Why not change the option?"

So Lin Wanwan opened her phone and adjusted her order with the driver’s help, reducing the estimated cost by four hundred yuan—a significant difference.

Upon arriving in Yongcheng, Lin Wanwan gave the saved four hundred yuan as a tip to the driver, a gesture of appreciation for her honesty.

During the previous trip, the driver received a video call from an intelligent speaker, revealing she was a single mom with a sick child to care for—no wonder she worked so hard.

Life isn’t easy, especially during these years of economic difficulty. Four thousand businesses close daily, and many second-tier cities see plunging real estate prices.

Everyone works hard to survive. People in their thirties have both elderly parents and children, so they must persevere.

Pulling into the courtyard, Lin Wanwan had been busy for fifteen hours straight; considering her trip from Great Tang, she’d been awake for over twenty-five hours.

Yet she felt elated, perhaps relieved from her burdens.

After parking the car and entering her house, Lin Wanwan sensed something was off; someone seemed inside. The Great Tang long-necked vase on the middle shoe cabinet shelf in the entrance had been moved.

It was still not yet four in the afternoon, and the sun remained high—who could be so audacious to commit a crime in broad daylight?

Lin Wanwan didn’t change shoes, quietly taking a long-handled umbrella from the entrance cabinet. She searched the first floor first, finding no traces.

Then she slowly ascended the stairs, pushing open her bedroom door—empty. Moving to the nearby empty master bedroom, she met a surprise—the instant a screwdriver pressed against her neck, the intruder moved incredibly fast.

"Stay calm! Drop the umbrella!" It was a middle-aged man with a hat and mask, revealing a bald head beneath.

"Okay."

In that moment of dropping the umbrella, Lin Wanwan swiftly grabbed the man’s hand with the screwdriver and his upper right arm, then kicked and flipped him over her shoulder.

Quickly stepping forward, Lin Wanwan delivered a swift kick, rolling him half a turn and locking his hands behind his back—the whole process smooth and efficient.

The bald middle-aged man was stunned. He felt like colliding with a wall, and his strength drained away completely.

Once restrained, he had no escape; the one holding him didn’t seem like a delicate girl but an immensely powerful machine.

Even under police hands, he could struggle slightly, yet now he felt bound by iron.

"Let me go! Don’t call the police, or I’ll kill you!" The bald man even shouted threats in desperation.

Lin Wanwan acted fiercely, pulling his arms and breaking them from behind. He let out an agonized howl.

"Kill me? You? Ha!" Lin Wanwan straightened up, stepping on his back, coldly demanding, "Why are you in my home? When did you target me? How did you get in? Speak honestly!"

The man panted but stayed silent, realizing he’d met his match.

Indeed, without skills, a girl wouldn’t dare venture into the gamble wood industry!

As in the saying, the hunter is eventually pecked by the eagle. Who’d have thought he’d fall to an independent girl’s hands, typical of easy targets.

Seeing him quiet, Lin Wanwan shifted her foot on his broken arm, prompting him to sweat and beg, "I’ll talk, I’ll talk... talk! Don’t step!"

"Speak!"

"I was just released in February, working with villagers transporting. They mentioned Yellow Flower Pear Wood here—very valuable. Short on cash, I came to check. Observed you living alone, often returning at night, empty during the day, so... came."

"How did you get in?"

"On an electric bike, pretended as delivery, entered the community, used pliers to cut wire mesh, opened the window, climbed in. Hadn’t taken anything when I heard your car enter."

"Miss, don’t call the police. I’m not asking for compensation; let’s leave it like this."

Lin Wanwan sneered, "Leave it like this?"

She decisively called the police, but as she prepared to dial, the bald man stirred again, "A mutual understanding—drop this, or once I’m out... mm!"

Lin Wanwan didn’t let him complete his threat, silencing him with a firm step.