Chapter 160: Extra Chapter Six: My Lover Remains the Same

Cheng Sangluo wore a sour face and remained silent, probably still upset that Ji Nanxing had disrupted today's date.

Reluctantly, she parked the car in the criminal investigation center, turned off the engine, and remained in her seat, refusing to budge. She turned her head and looked at Lin Jin with a pitiful pout: "Why is she in such a hurry? Lin Sheng has already been caught. What's the difference between taking a statement today and tomorrow? You're injured, can't you at least get one more day to rest!"

Lin Jin leaned lazily against the car window, not changing her posture the whole way, staring intently at her lover, her gaze repeatedly tracing his handsome features.

Hearing the puppy's plaintive words, she couldn't help but reach out and pinch its ears, coaxing it gently, "Didn't Captain Ji explain it very clearly? He came here not only to take a statement, but mainly to help you sort out the materials for overturning the case. Why are you still so angry?"

“In the past, I would definitely have prioritized overturning the case, but times have changed. No matter how important the matter is, it has to take a backseat to my wife.” Cheng Sangluo puffed out her nostrils and spoke with righteous indignation, but then deflated instantly: “Sigh... really, I had planned a wonderful day, and you’ve ruined it all!”

Seeing the puppy drooping its head listlessly, Lin Jin pinched its cheek and asked curiously, "Oh? A wonderful day? I'm curious to know how wonderful it was~"

Cheng Sangluo leaned closer and kissed his wife's pearl earring with fascination, explaining in a mumbled voice, "Didn't we agree to go shopping? I was thinking that there's nothing in the refrigerator at home, so I thought I'd take you to the supermarket."

I've really reflected on my actions and learned from my bad attitude towards you last time. This time, I'll take the initiative to put you in the stroller and let you do whatever you want. I'll buy you whatever you want, and I definitely won't stop you or be stingy. In fact, I'll buy lots and lots of snacks so we can snuggle on the sofa, watch a movie, and eat at the same time.

Oh right, I also want to buy more beer, both to celebrate the happy new beginnings of our lives and to have a candid session, just like in the movies where we just talk the talk without getting angry, and the main point is to answer every question.

I want to clear up all the knots in our hearts, so I'm asking you, do you dare to play?

Of course, the main purpose of drinking is...

Cheng Sangluo got more and more excited as he talked, even snuggling into Lin Jin's arms. In the end, he didn't forget to draw out his words and wink excitedly at his wife, biting his lip. Two rosy blushes instantly rose on his cheeks, and he was very shy.

"You little pervert, I knew you were thinking about that kind of thing all the time." Lin Jin complained irritably. Although grocery shopping was an ordinary thing, the thought of sitting in the shopping cart and ordering someone around made her look forward to it, not to mention the little game of confession.

She poked Cheng Sangluo's forehead and teased, "With your alcohol tolerance, you think you can act up after drinking? You'll probably be passed out before the confession even starts."

"How do you know I can't hold my liquor? What if I have an exceptional performance today? You can't judge a book by its cover!" Cheng Sangluo wrinkled her nose in protest, then pouted and begged for a kiss: "So, are you satisfied with my arrangements? Please rate my service. Three kisses for a perfect score, two kisses for average, and one kiss for a bad review."

People can get really stubborn and argumentative at the slightest provocation.

Lin Jin cupped her face in his hands and deliberately gave her only a kiss, saying, "Bad review."

"Huh!?" Cheng Sangluo was dumbfounded. These were all the brilliant dating ideas she had racked her brains to come up with, and they were getting a bad review? She whined with a long face, "Why is it a bad review!?"

"Because..." Lin Jin couldn't think of a reason for a moment, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she said, "A date without flowers is like rice without Lao Gan Ma (oh, it even rhymes a bit), do you know what that means?"

The puppy tilted its head, puzzled: "What does that mean?"

"Almost there." Lin Jin's wordplay skills were top-notch; a few words were enough to confuse Cheng Sangluo.

Seeing that she was about to open the door and get out of the car, Cheng Sangluo quickly grabbed her arm, "Wait!"

"What are you trying to do now?" Lin Jin turned around helplessly, tapped her lover's nose, and patiently scolded, "Every second you delay, our date will be delayed by a second. Can't you hurry up and get the important matter over with?"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Cheng Sangluo pulled a tissue out of the box and mysteriously showed it off: "This is a tissue, right?"

Seeing her posture, Lin Jin thought she was about to perform a magic trick, so she patiently nodded in agreement: "Hmm, and then?"

"This is a little trick I learned in prison. Watch closely." Cheng Sangluo couldn't find anything to cover himself with, so he turned around to block his wife's view. His movements didn't look very skillful.

She crumpled the tissue into a thin strip, carefully pinched it between her rough fingers, then turned back and presented it to her wife: "Ta-da~ A peerless white rose for the best love in the world~"

Lin Jin looked at the paper rose held in front of her. Its crooked shape was full of awkwardness, but it also contained Cheng Sangluo's earnest desire to make her happy.

Actually, when she heard the puppy mention the word "prison," she felt inexplicably uncomfortable, so when she stared at the rose, she pretended not to care, "Hmph, how childish are you?"

"Huh? You don't like it?!" Cheng Sangluo thought her skills weren't good enough, so she reluctantly took back the paper roses, grinning foolishly as she tried to smooth things over: "Then I'll go find a florist later and buy you the freshest roses. My wife has to have what everyone else has; it has to decorate your dream tonight~"

Lin Jin felt sorry for Cheng Sangluo for ignoring her own feelings in order to please her. She sighed and gently released the discomfort she had been holding in. Then she brought her red lips to the paper rose and whispered a few times, letting the lipstick on her lips stain the flower.

She raised her head again, taking away the fleeting pleasure Cheng Sangluo had given her, and pretended to sniff it as if she had truly received a beautiful, dewy flower.

Of course, she didn't hold back: "Who gives white roses on a date? Isn't that unlucky? Look how nice they are now, they're so beautifully red, I love them!"

Cheng Sangluo stared blankly at her lover's satisfied expression, then a deep sense of guilt welled up in her heart, and she slumped her head in dejection. "It's all my fault for not thinking things through. The flowers should have been delivered to you a long time ago. They're late because I wasn't attentive enough or romantic enough. I'm not a good lover. I'm sorry."

Lin Jin shook his head wistfully, then casually touched her lips with his fingertip. "Don't apologize so often in the future, but you can say 'I love you' all the time."

You know, I used to get so angry at your stubbornness, and I always wanted to bully you a bit more so that I could make you apologize.

But now, I actually hope you can cherish these three words, because it means you haven't done anything to wrong me.

I see how hard you try to make me happy. Isn't that more meaningful than flowers?

Flowers may bloom and fade, but I hope we can all love each other as always.

"My love remains the same..." Cheng Sangluo murmured, these four words stuck in her throat, the discomfort coming on fiercely.

She was upset because she felt sorry for Lin Jin. If one's faith is not strong enough, how many people can wait so consistently?

But her lover always liked to downplay those hardships, even summarizing the seven years of waiting alone in just a few words. How could she not feel sad?

"Lin Jin..." Cheng Sangluo opened his arms, wanting to embrace his wife, whose eyes were filled with smiles.

However, a figure suddenly appeared outside the car window. The distinctive police uniform exuded an indifferent aura that kept strangers at bay, and the sound of knocking on the car window was cold and rhythmic, instantly shattering the increasingly emotional atmosphere.

Cheng Sangluo felt like she'd been caught red-handed. Now she didn't know whether to hug him or not, and could only stare blankly at the cold face that suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"Ahem..." Lin Jin coughed lightly, tidied the hair behind her ear, and gave Cheng Sangluo a look of obvious embarrassment. Then she rolled down the car window and greeted him politely, "Captain Ji, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Ji Nanxing maintained a slight bow, her face remaining expressionless, making it impossible to discern her thoughts at that moment.

She slowly raised her eyes to look at Cheng Sangluo. Although her tone was calm, it was enough to deliver a blow, "Go home and do all that kissing and hugging. This is a criminal investigation center. You should be more careful in public. I saw you two here ten minutes ago. You've been lovey-dovey the whole time. Did I have to get out of the car to ask you to come? Hurry up and get out of the car and get down to business."

After saying that, the man turned and left without waiting for the two of them.

Cheng Sangluo's eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time she had ever seen this usually taciturn person speak so fluently at once. However, his attitude was so rude that it made her even angrier than before.

"Oh dear, I have such a short temper, I can't stand it!" She glared at her husband, practically ready to roll up her sleeves and start a fight, then turned to her wife and complained, "Look at her, acting all high and mighty, is Gu Shinian blind? How could she fall for someone like that?!"

"Say less!" Lin Jin's reaction was surprisingly calm as she ordered, "Come and help me up."

Cheng Sangluo jogged around the front of the car. If this place weren't too serious and unsuitable for a princess carry, she would never have let her wife walk on her own.

Once inside the captain's office, Cheng Sangluo sat casually in the reception chair, glancing at Ji Nanxing who was preparing tea, and urged, "Oh, aren't you thirsty? Hurry up and take the statement; we're in a rush to go shopping."

Ji Nanxing glanced at her silently, then continued to slowly pour water and brew tea, managing to calm the other person down.

She actually only prepared a cup of hot tea, which she presented directly to Lin Jin before sitting down in the chair.

Cheng Sangluo clicked her tongue, pulled her chair close to Lin Jin, and waited quietly for Ji Nanxing to begin.

Ji Nanxing laid out the case review materials he had prepared earlier, skipping Cheng Sangluo. It seemed that talking to Lin Jin was more logical and efficient. "Let me first talk about the situation of Lin Sheng and Ruan Jinxian. They are currently in the detention center. Because it is still in the investigation stage, relatives and friends cannot meet with them for the time being, except for lawyers."

What's most surprising is Lin Sheng's attitude. He confessed to everything, from selling arms to framing Cheng Sangluo to murdering Xu Songheng, and even kidnapping you in retaliation. He didn't even struggle.

Of course, thanks to your preparations over the years, coupled with the evidence left behind by Xu Songheng, his crimes are undeniable. It all depends on how the prosecution and the court sentence him.

I will soon submit the evidence to the prosecution for indictment, and I hope that both of you will appear in court to testify at that time.

Ji Nanxing took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, then turned to Cheng Sangluo and continued to explain, "Because there is a case within a case, I will also submit the new evidence for your appeal. Please find a lawyer as soon as possible to prepare the materials for the appeal. Thank you for your support and help with the case. You have worked hard for the past six months."

Cheng Sangluo was speechless. He had just been released from prison this summer and always felt that the matter of overturning the verdict was incredibly far away. How could it have become so imminent in the blink of an eye?

Such feelings can be somewhat disorienting.

She frowned slightly, her eyes filled with a dreamlike, otherworldly gaze as she looked at Ji Nanxing. Her voice trembled as she asked incredulously, "You...you mean...I won't have to bear the stigma of being a labor camp inmate anymore soon?"

Ji Nanxing couldn't give a definite answer, but explained truthfully: "Correcting wrongful convictions is very troublesome, after all, it involves whether there was a misjudgment by the public security, procuratorate and judiciary, so the retrial will be very rigorous."

Whether your act of violence in self-defense during the rescue was excessive will be reassessed based on the circumstances at the time. Whether the case can be overturned is no longer something I can control. All I can do is submit all the evidence fairly and impartially. The rest is up to your lawyer and the prosecution and the court to judge.

However, you must believe that fairness and justice will never smear any good person.

Lin Jin put down the disposable cup, placed her warm palm on the back of Cheng Sangluo's hand and gradually tightened her grip, "I will arrange the best legal team to represent you in court, and I will definitely be able to clear your name of the false charges, believe me."

Cheng Sangluo realized that the road to overturning the verdict would be more difficult than she had imagined, but she never gave up and knew that Lin Jin would always stand behind her. Despite her disappointed expression, she still gave a determined smile.

Lin Jin looked at Ji Nanxing, puzzled, "What about Ruan Jinxian? How is she?"

“Compared to Lin Sheng’s cooperation, Ruan Jinxian’s situation is far from ideal. She now only admits to protecting Lin Sheng’s crimes and vehemently denies persecuting your mother. After all, it’s an old case from decades ago, and it’s extremely difficult to reopen it when there are no witnesses left. So be prepared and don’t be too fixated on the outcome.” Ji Nanxing softened his tone as much as possible, being mindful that Lin Jin might get stuck on the issue.

"After all, life is full of choices, I understand." Lin Jin sighed calmly, her detached attitude was truly unexpected.

"The mother and son have committed numerous evils. Lin Sheng has a criminal record and has committed multiple crimes. We can all predict his fate. I hope Ruan Jinxian can live a good and healthy life, serve a few years in prison, and then come out. Everything she once had no longer belongs to her. She has lost her husband and her son. How can this not be considered a family ruined?"

After saying that, Lin Jin lowered her eyes to look at her lover's tightly clasped hands. She not only easily accepted the fact, but also understood a principle—she had already gotten everything she wanted. Cheng Sangluo, whom she had loved for a long time, the Lin Group that originally belonged to her, and the evil mother and son who were haunting her had received their due punishment. If she was still not satisfied, it would be too greedy, which would not be good.

Making peace with the past self who endured countless hardships is, in the blink of an eye.

"Captain Ji, thank you for helping me make the final move." She looked up at Ji Nanxing, a radiant smile playing on her lips in the sunlight streaming through the window: "I'm very satisfied with this result."

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