Chapter 70: You've changed my good intentions...
Shen Yuan's gaze was fixed on Xie Tang's face.
Upon hearing the word "framed," she not only didn't panic, but instead giggled.
"Framed?" She stroked her disfigured face, her fingertips tracing the brow bone that mimicked Xie Tang's, her eyes filled with a mixture of infatuation and venom. "How could I 'harm' Brother Song? I love him so much, so much that I could become you... become like this!"
She took a sudden step closer, her breath filled with obsessive fervor: "Tell me, isn't this face beautiful? Song-ge saw it... the way he looks at me is finally different! He's no longer ignoring me! He's mistaking me for you, isn't he? He's hugging me, even if it's just a mistake... it's still me!"
Her tone suddenly turned sharp and sarcastic, "But what gives you the right? Aren't you supposed to be high and mighty? Don't you hate the Qin family and your father? Why did you agree to the deal? Why did you marry Brother Song? You stole my place! You ruined my chance to get close to him!"
"So you set him up?" Xie Tang seized on the key point, suppressing his shock.
Shen Yuan shook off her hand, her face twisted with pleasure: "What happened that night? Do you think he's innocent? Alcohol? Drugs? Or... he himself couldn't tell?"
She deliberately drew out her words, "But it's okay, I have evidence, very strong evidence—the video is just an appetizer. Enough to keep him in there for many years. Xie Tang, do you want to save him?"
Xie Tang's heart sank into an icy abyss.
The face before me was etched with madness, and it was no exaggeration or intimidation.
"What do you want?" she asked calmly.
Shen Yuan smiled smugly, a smile that looked incredibly eerie on her face, which resembled Xie Tang's.
“It’s very simple,” she said, enunciating each word clearly, “I want you and him to get a divorce. Sign the papers and get the hell out of here! That way, I might consider… making that ‘evidence’ disappear.”
"Okay." Xie Tang replied almost without hesitation.
What does divorce matter as long as it can clear Chu Song's name?
"You agreed so readily." Shen Yuan snorted, then stroked her cheek with fascination. "This face is so useful... You know what? With it, Song-ge's gaze will linger on me... Even if it's only for a short time, I can feel it! Auntie is right, I should have become you long ago! The position of Mrs. Chu should have been mine!"
A sickly light gleamed in her eyes. "Now, he's mine."
Xie Tang stared at this utterly twisted soul, a deep chill and a sense of powerlessness gripping her.
This world is far more insane, and far... filthy, than she imagined.
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After leaving Shen Yuan's place, Xie Tang returned to the law firm in a daze.
Seeing her pale face, dark circles under her eyes, and a heavy atmosphere surrounding her, Li Zan asked with concern, "Sister, are you alright?"
Xie Tang simply shook his head, slumped into his workstation, staring blankly ahead, his fingertips unconsciously digging into the edge of the table.
Shen Yuan's distorted face and her insane words kept flashing through her mind.
Li Zan silently rummaged through his bag and pulled out a box of chewing gum, handing it over.
Xie Tang took it, mechanically stuffed a few into his mouth, and chewed them vigorously, as if he wanted to chew up and swallow all the resentment and anxiety in his heart.
Just then, Pan Yu rushed in and slammed his briefcase down on his workstation, the loud noise startling Xie Tang out of her daze.
Seeing his face, which was several times more agitated than hers, Xie Tang felt a pang of anxiety, fearing that Xiang Shaoyun had once again used some tricks to deal with him.
"What's wrong, Lawyer Pan?"
Pan Yu sighed heavily, his face a mixture of anger and helplessness. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Zuo Meng... has been released."
Xie Tang was taken aback, instinctively thinking of his recording: "Was it that recording that worked? The theft charge is no longer valid?"
"No!" Pan Yu's voice suddenly rose, filled with suppressed anger, "I didn't submit that recording at all!"
"What is that?"
"Xiang Shaoyun voluntarily withdrew the charges!" Pan Yu said through gritted teeth. "He told the police that he and Zuo Meng were having a fight and he called the police on impulse... The police determined that they were wasting public resources and agreed to withdraw the charges, so they just fined them a little money!"
"Cancel?" Xie Tang was stunned by this sudden turn of events. Before she could even sort out her thoughts, Pan Yu's next words made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
"What's even more infuriating is... Zuo Meng has also decided not to sue!"
Pan Yu kicked the swivel chair he was sitting on, and the chair made a piercing groan. "I asked her why? She said that Xiang Shaoyun had asked her to reconcile... She felt that there was no need to make a fuss anymore!"
"Settle? This case can be settled? We ran around doing all this work, collected a thick stack of evidence, and I even got beaten up by Xiang Shaoyun! In the end, she just casually said 'I'm not suing anymore,' and all our efforts were for nothing!"
He was so angry that his face turned red, but in the end, as if all his strength had been drained, he slumped back down. "Attorney Xie, she is truly the most... most clueless client I have ever encountered in my career."
Xie Tang looked at Pan Yu, who was both angry and dejected.
He was upright and passionate, and never backed down even when threatened, persisting in fulfilling his duties as a lawyer.
At this moment, his sense of defeat felt like a needle pricking Xie Tang's heart.
A strong sense of absurdity and self-blame welled up inside me: "I'm sorry, Pan Yu, it was me... I was too soft-hearted back then and dragged you into this mess."
“It’s none of your business,” Pan Yu waved his hand, with a hint of self-deprecation, “Just consider it… paying for a lesson, seeing the true nature of humanity.”
He irritably pushed the pile of files about Zuo Meng's case on the corner of the table to the back, out of sight, out of mind. "Forget it, she doesn't want to clear her name or seek justice. Who can stop her? Let her be."
A heavy silence filled the office.
Xie Tang sat there, as if bound by invisible shackles, his mind churning—Zuo Meng's choice, Pan Yu's sacrifices, Shen Yuan's threat, Chu Song's predicament…
A mix of emotions welled up, leaving a bitter taste that was hard to describe.
It wasn't until the sky outside the window had completely darkened that she numbly got up to pack her things, as if her soul had been ripped away.
Li Zan noticed that she was in very poor condition and offered, "Sister, I'll drive you home."
Xie Tang did not refuse; at this moment, she did need some support.
The two had just arrived at the law firm building when they unexpectedly bumped into Zuo Meng and Hao Ruoxiang.
Hao Ruoxiang seemed completely unaware of the unexpected turn of events. Upon seeing Xie Tang, she immediately greeted her warmly, grasped her hand tightly, and repeatedly expressed her gratitude: "Attorney Xie, thank you so much! Thank you so much! Zuo Meng told me everything, and it's all thanks to your help..."
The sincere "thank you"s sounded particularly jarring at that moment.
Xie Tang barely maintained her politeness, her gaze passing over Hao Ruoxiang and landing on Zuo Meng behind her.
Zuo Meng lowered her head, her eyes darting away, not daring to meet Xie Tang's gaze at all.
Hao Ruoxiang handed over a heavy bamboo basket: "Attorney Xie, you said you like the zongzi I make. We're going back to our hometown, so I made extra for you before we left. Here, have a taste!"
Xie Tang glanced at Li Zan beside her.
Li Zan understood and immediately stepped forward to take the basket, then took the opportunity to lead Hao Ruoxiang, who still wanted to speak, aside for a chat.
When only the two of them remained, Zuo Meng finally mustered the courage to raise her head, her voice tinged with shame: "Attorney Xie, I've already spoken with Attorney Pan. Besides the basic fees, I'll pay you an extra fee to compensate for your hard work these past few months..."
“Give it to Attorney Pan,” Xie Tang interrupted her, her voice devoid of emotion, only revealing deep exhaustion. “He worked tirelessly on your case, even getting beaten up for no reason. He may not have done anything remarkable, but he certainly put in a lot of effort.”
"I'm sorry..." Zuo Meng lowered her head even further, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
"Why apologize?" Xie Tang looked up at the top of her head, his tone calm but distant. "It's your freedom not to sue Xiang Shaoyun. It's also your freedom to choose to settle and take the money. No one else has the right to interfere."
She paused, then finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in her mind, "You were the one who was determined to make Xiang Shaoyun pay the price back then, and you persisted for so long, so why now of all times? Why the sudden desire to reconcile?"
Zuo Meng raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice choked with sobs: "Dou Xiao... Dou Xiao came to see me. He said... you can't fight city hall, so I shouldn't fight Xiang Shaoyun anymore, I can't win... He gave me some money, enough for my mother and me to live a peaceful life back in our hometown, and told me to leave this place and forget everything that happened here..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, filled with helplessness.
Xie Tang's gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts as she looked directly into Zuo Meng's eyes: "Forget? Tell me, can you really forget?"
Zuo Meng's body trembled, and she quickly turned her face away to avoid that sharp gaze, as if she had used up her last bit of strength: "Whether I can forget it or not... this matter ends here."
Her tone revealed a resigned despair.
"You've turned my kindness into a joke!" Xie Tang didn't say anything more, but just gave her a deep look. His eyes were complex and unfathomable, containing disappointment, pity, helplessness, and a hint of understanding.
Then she turned around, without hesitation, and walked straight to Li Zan's car.
The moment she opened the car door and sat inside, she felt an excruciating exhaustion.
She didn't know if, after going through all this, she would still have the strength to step into such a complicated vortex again out of momentary pity or sympathy.
Perhaps, she will never be able to carry the inextinguishable flame of justice like Pan Yu.
She was a little tired.
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Old Master Chu eventually learned about Chu Song's affair and was furious.
The already delicate relationship between the Chu and Xiang families was completely shattered by this incident, turning them into bitter enemies.
On the day Chu Song was released on bail, Xie Tang and Chu Li went to pick him up together.
Back at the Chu residence, Aunt Yu was already prepared, using water boiled with pomelo leaves to welcome them and wash away any bad luck in front of the courtyard gate.
Chu Li sat with Chu Song in the living room for a while, offered a few words of comfort, and then left first.
Chu Song went upstairs and took a nice hot shower, washing away the gloom of the detention center.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I saw Xie Tang sitting on the bay window, hugging her knees and gazing absently at the deep night outside.
A thought flickered in his mind, and he walked over.
Xie Tang looked up at the sound and met his deep eyes.
Even though it had only been a few days, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
Although he looked slightly thinner, his eyes were bright and his spirits were good. That familiar, reassuring look seemed to have returned.
A surge of bitterness and grievance welled up in her heart, and she couldn't help but rush over, hugging his waist tightly, burying her face in his warm chest, greedily inhaling his familiar scent.
Chu Song caught her steadily, his broad hand patting her back gently with a soothing tone. He then sat down beside her and asked in a low voice, "What are you thinking about?"
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