The storm is coming, burn your boats

The streets were deserted and silent late at night, only the occasional taxi piercing the darkness. I walked quickly under the shadow of the sycamore tree, clutching the document bag containing the evidence. The wind rustled through the treetops, creating a rustling sound like countless whispers.

When I reached the corner, Shen Que's car was already waiting at the designated spot. The window was down, and his expression looked particularly solemn under the streetlight: "Hurry up and get in."

As the car drove into the night, my fingers, which were fastening my seatbelt, were still shaking slightly.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

I nodded and handed him the briefcase. "It's worse than we imagined. Gu Yanshen orchestrated my father's bankruptcy."

Shen Que slammed on the brakes, stopping the car at a red light. He quickly flipped through the documents, his expression growing increasingly gloomy. "This is a criminal offense."

"That's not all." I clicked on the recording on my phone, and Gu Yanshen's voice echoed in the car: "...your father is too trusting..."

The recording ended, and a brief silence fell in the car. The traffic light turned from red to green, and Chen Que restarted the car, his eyes determined: "This time, he must pay the price."

When we returned to Shen Que's apartment, Attorney Li had been waiting for us. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, she meticulously studied each document under a desk lamp. Outside, the city lights shone like a galaxy, and in this little world, we were ready to stir up a storm.

"This evidence is enough to file a case." Lawyer Li finally raised his head, his eyes flashing sharply behind his glasses. "But Gu Yanshen won't sit still and wait for death."

As if to confirm her words, my backup phone suddenly rang. The nursing home's number popped up on the screen.

"Ms. Mo," the nurse's anxious voice came from the other end of the line, "Your mother is having trouble breathing and is being treated!"

My blood instantly ran cold: "What's going on?"

"I don't know. He was fine during dinner..."

I hung up the phone and looked at Lawyer Li: "He's about to take action."

Shen Li stood up immediately: "I'll take you to the sanatorium."

"No," Lawyer Li stopped him. "This is obviously a trap."

Suddenly, we heard a sharp brake sound outside the window. We looked out the window at the same time and saw three black cars parked at the entrance of the community. A dozen men in black quickly got out and began to search every household.

"He found this place." Chen Que pulled me up and said, "Go through the back door."

The three of us hurried down the fire escape. The back alleys of the old neighborhood were cluttered with debris. We navigated the night, our footsteps echoing through the narrow passages. The sound of dogs barking in the distance only added to the tension.

At the alley entrance, we split into two groups. Lawyer Li took the original evidence to visit her friend at the Procuratorate, while Shen Que and I rushed to the sanatorium.

"Be careful." Attorney Li shook my hand tightly as we parted. "Remember, the more critical the moment, the calmer you need to be."

On the way to the nursing home, I sent Zhou Ling an encrypted message: "Save my mother. I owe you a favor."

Five minutes later, he replied: "Try your best."

The entrance to the sanatorium was unusually quiet; even the usual security guards were nowhere to be seen. Shen Que and I exchanged glances, both sensing a dangerous atmosphere.

"I'll go in first," Shen Que said. "If I don't come out in ten minutes, you leave immediately and go find Lawyer Li."

I pulled him and said, "Let's go together."

We crept in quietly, following the shadows of the corner. Mother's ward was on the fifth floor, and the elevator indicated it was heading down. We took the stairs, taking each step carefully.

The moment I pushed open the security door, I was stunned.

Gu Yanshen was standing at the end of the corridor, his back to us, looking at his mother through the observation window of the ward. He was wearing an expensive suit and his hair was neatly combed, as if he was attending a business meeting.

"Are you here?" He didn't turn around, but accurately pointed out our location.

The lights in the corridor suddenly brightened, and the doors of the wards on both sides opened at the same time, and more than a dozen bodyguards in black suits walked out.

"Let my mother go," I said.

Gu Yanshen turned slowly, his face showing a coldness I had never seen before: "Okay. Use the evidence you have in exchange."

"Do you think I'll still believe you?"

"You have to believe it." He gestured, and a doctor wheeled medical equipment into the ward. "Your mother needs emergency surgery now. The hospital will only proceed with it if I sign."

I looked into the ward and saw my mother, wearing an oxygen mask and looking pale. The numbers on the monitor were indeed not optimistic.

Shen Que suddenly said: "We have called the police."

Gu Yanshen chuckled. "What crime? Business dispute? Romantic entanglement?" He took a step forward. "By the time the police arrive, your mother might have already..."

He didn't finish his words, but the threat was clear.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms. At that moment, I thought of my father, the injustices I'd suffered over the past three years, and the days I was under surveillance.

"Okay, I'll give you evidence."

Shen Que looked at me in shock: "Little Fish!"

I winked at him and slowly walked towards Gu Yanshen. Stopping three steps away from him, I took out a USB drive from my bag.

"They're all here," I said. "The originals."

Gu Yanshen reached out to take it, but I suddenly pulled my hand back: "Let me make sure my mother is safe first."

He raised an eyebrow, signaling the doctor to pause. I hurried into the room and took my mother's hand. Her fingers were cold, but she was still conscious. When she saw me, her eyes widened slightly.

"Mom," I whispered, "Just hold on a little longer. It'll be over soon."

At this moment, the sound of sirens suddenly came from outside the window, getting louder and louder as they got closer.

Gu Yanshen's expression finally changed: "Did you call the police?"

"No," I looked him in the eye, "it's Zhou Ling."

The door of the ward was pushed open, and Zhou Ling walked in with two policemen. He didn't dare to look Gu Yanshen in the eye and whispered, "Mr. Gu, I'm sorry. But I can't do these things for you anymore."

Gu Yanshen's expression shifted from shock to anger, and finally to a terrifying calm. "Very good. You're all fine."

The police officer stepped forward and said, "Mr. Gu Yanshen, we have received a report accusing you of fraud, illegal surveillance, coercion, and other crimes. Please cooperate with the investigation."

Just as the police were about to handcuff him, Gu Yanshen suddenly laughed, and the laughter was particularly harsh in the quiet ward.

"You think you can win like this?" He looked at me and said, "Don't forget, your mother's life is in my hands."

Suddenly, the monitor sounded a shrill alarm and my mother's heartbeat dropped sharply. Doctors rushed in and began to rescue her, and the ward suddenly became chaotic.

In the chaos, Gu Yanshen was taken away by the police. Before leaving, he looked back at me, and that look made me shudder - that was not the look of a loser, but the look of a hunter.

The rescue lasted for an hour. When the doctor finally announced that my mother was out of danger, I collapsed on a bench in the corridor, covered in cold sweat.

Chen Que sat beside me and silently handed me a bottle of water. Zhou Ling stood not far away, with a complicated expression.

"Thank you." I said to Zhou Ling.

He shook his head: "I just did what I had to do." After a pause, he added, "But you have to be careful, Mr. Gu...Gu Yanshen won't give up like this."

Outside the window, the sky had begun to brighten, and the dawn light shone through the window onto the floor of the corridor.

The storm has just begun, but at least we have won the first battle.

And I know that from now on, I will never back down again.

Because sometimes, only by burning your boats can you survive.

Either be reborn in the storm or die in tenderness