“I’ve met a lot of people over the years, and to be honest, I come here every now and then. I’ve stayed here longer than the police. I’ve seen bad guys and I’ve seen loyal guys. I don’t know anything about you, but so many people risked their lives to protect you, you must have something special. As for me, that’s how my life is. My two older kids are already working, and even if I die here, they can still raise their younger siblings, so I’m not afraid of death. I’ll take this gamble. I saved you today, so how about you save the rest of my life?”

"Deal." Qin Xiaoyu sat up, now confident.

Time passed very slowly. The small door had no windows, and the room was dark. They didn't know how to endure the time; they could only distinguish things by the sounds outside the door.

"What do you think they'll do to me?" Qin Xiaoyu couldn't understand. It was one thing to be beaten to death randomly in the cell—the law wouldn't punish everyone, and they wouldn't be able to find out who did it. But now that she was in solitary confinement, how were they going to kill her?

"Qin Xiaoyu, come out." Xiao Wen's voice came from the doorway, and the door opened.

Sister Lian then squeezed out the door.

"Go back! If you don't listen, I'll make you regret it tomorrow."

Sister Lian followed them blindly, ignoring their pleas.

"Qin Xiaoyu, I've already pulled the strings. Go out this door; someone's waiting for you outside. Your brother told you to go out and lay low for a while," Xiao Wen said in a low voice.

"Get out? This is like a prison break!" Qin Xiaoyu was startled.

"He said there's no way to save you, and there'll be even less of a way after your trial and transfer. Go out and hide in the mountains for a while, and we'll talk again when things calm down. Hurry up, someone's waiting for you outside." Xiao Wen was getting a little impatient.

"Did my brother really say that?" Qin Xiaoyu was a little tempted. Now it seemed that going out to avoid the limelight was better than being bullied here.

"You can't go out!" Sister Lian said, grabbing her and quickly walking back, pushing her forcefully into the small dark room, and squeezing her in as well.

"Mind your own business!" Xiao Wen said angrily.

"I'm not leaving. I want to live an upright life. I'm innocent." Qin Xiaoyu suddenly understood Sister Lian's intention and squatted down against the wall.

"You crazy woman!" Xiao Wen reached out to grab Qin Xiaoyu, but was blocked by Sister Lian. Xiao Wen was alone and had no choice but to give up.

"Fine, you've got guts." Xiao Wen slammed the door shut.

“If you go out, you might be shot dead.” Sister Lian was a sensible person.

"I hadn't thought about that. I just don't want to live a life that can't be seen by others. I want to live in the sunlight for my family." Qin Xiaoyu had made up her mind. Even if she couldn't clear her name, she would reform herself in prison and try to get a reduced sentence. There was no hurdle she couldn't overcome. She would just accept her fate.

"Don't worry, I'm here tonight anyway, it won't be easy for her to make a move." Sister Lian sat by the door, and the two fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, there was a sudden commotion of footsteps in the corridor. Sister Lian nervously pressed her ear to the door, but before she could hear clearly, the door suddenly opened, and she stumbled out.

"Qin Xiaoyu, come out!" There were more policewomen this time, five or six in total.

"I'm not leaving." Qin Xiaoyu stubbornly shrank further inside.

"Come out when I tell you to! Someone's here to pick you up!" the policewoman said angrily.

"I don't believe you, don't lie to me!" Qin Xiaoyu was no longer going to fall for it.

But those people started grabbing people without saying a word, and when Sister Lian tried to stop them, she was hit with several batons.

When Qin Xiaoyu was dragged out of the house, it was just before dawn, the darkness before sunrise.

She never imagined that her promising life would end in the early hours of the morning.

Those people didn't stop in the yard, but dragged her all the way to the gate.

Just like when she arrived, doors opened one after another, and finally they stopped in front of a small side door.

"Get out!" The policewoman put Qin Xiaoyu on the ground, opened the side door, and pushed her hard in the back.

Qin Xiaoyu stumbled and rushed out the door. In her mind's eye, there should be a gunshot immediately, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

The iron gate slammed shut with a resounding clang, sending chills down the spine in the lonely night.

There were no gunshots, nothing happened.

She opened her eyes, and a blinding light made her turn her head slightly. She raised her arm to shield her eyes from the light and looked towards the source of the light.

It was a Cherokee with its headlights on.

A man got out of the car and strode over. Before she could speak, he picked her up, quickly walked to the car door, and shoved her into the passenger seat.

"It's you?"

Qin Xiaoyu couldn't believe it; this must be a dream.

"You really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve." A Lei sighed, slammed on the gas, and the car shot off like an arrow.

Qin Xiaoyu's body was violently thrown against the back of the chair. She had already forgotten her fear and only remembered to look back after a long while.

As the sun rose slowly in the east, the walls of the detention center were painted with a golden hue, radiating brilliance.

"Go to the hospital, I need to see Daddy!" Qin Xiaoyu finally realized what was going on.

"You're dressed like that to the hospital?" A Lei glared at her. Qin Xiaoyu then realized that she was wearing a hospital gown, and the smell on her was not pleasant.

It was early morning, and there weren't many cars on the road. Lei's car seemed to have wings, speeding along and quickly arriving at a courtyard.

From the outside, it appeared to be an old house, with tall red walls concealing everything inside, only the swaying of newly sprouted willow branches faintly visible. Qin Xiaoyu had actually passed by this courtyard when she was running around the city, assuming it was a protected ancient building and not paying any attention to it.

The door was a large iron door, and it was automatic, which was quite novel at the time.

A Lei drove the car into the yard, followed the driveway through two yards, and finally stopped in front of a three-story building.

"You're quick." Just then, the door opened, and an old man in a Tang suit walked out, leaning on a cane. Qin Xiaoyu recognized him at a glance. Wasn't this Lei Bingzheng, the one who almost died from holding his pee?

"Grandpa got up so early? Are you afraid I'll cause trouble?" A Lei jumped out of the car, walked around to open Qin Xiaoyu's car door.

Qin Xiaoyu could only tumble down in a sorry state.

"Hello," she said in a voice barely audible.

"No need to greet me, go on up." Lei Bingzheng didn't say much and just waved his hand.

As A Lei led Qin Xiaoyu inside, two young women greeted them. Both were dressed in suit skirts, looking neat and tidy, and were clearly staff members.

"Prepare a bath and some clothes for her, then take her upstairs." After saying this, A Lei slammed his fist on the sofa, crossed his legs, and refused to say another word.

Qin Xiaoyu obediently followed them upstairs. The upstairs decor was a level above the Zhou family's.

The bathroom is a separate, large room, about 30 to 40 square meters, with a huge Baroque-style white porcelain bathtub in the center.

Hot water had already been added, and the bath gel had turned into a thick layer of white foam, emitting a milky fragrance.

Qin Xiaoyu waited for them to leave, closed the door, locked it again, checked it twice, and then quickly took off her clothes and stepped inside.