Chapter 109: Trust the Organization
West of Chang'an City, Hanyao Detention Center.
The tall grey walls stood tall, blocking out the sunlight and noise from outside. The air was filled with a cold smell mixed with disinfectant and rust, silently expressing the solemnity and depression of this place.
Shen Yuchuan accompanied Shen Lingning and, led by a serious-looking public security officer, passed through a series of heavy iron gates.
With each door I passed, the world behind me seemed farther away, and only the clear echo of my feet on the concrete floor struck the silence.
"She's emotionally unstable, and her demands are rather abrupt. But since she claims to be involved in other clues, the organization hopes you can cooperate and listen to what she has to say."
The public security comrade explained in a low voice, his tone official but with a barely perceptible hint of apology.
After all, it is not a pleasant experience for a meritorious military family member or an excellent factory director to meet such a terrible old friend.
Shen Lingning looked calm and nodded slightly: "I understand, it's my duty to cooperate with the investigation."
She wore no makeup today, her long black hair was tied into a neat high ponytail, and she was wearing a black cotton-brocade double-layer trench coat that was tailored to her perfectly.
The windbreaker was simple and elegant in style, and the crisp lapels made her neck look even more slender and her skin whiter than snow. In this dim and depressing environment, she looked like a proud and independent white magnolia, cool and eye-catching.
The meeting room was small and cramped, with only a table and two chairs.
Faint light filtered through the iron window, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.
The door was opened from the outside and a figure was brought in.
The Chen Manli with fashionable big wavy hair, Lenin suit and arrogant eyes has disappeared.
Instead, there was a woman with uneven short hair, wearing a bulky gray prison uniform, and with cloudy and distracted eyes.
She had handcuffs on her hands and walked with a slightly hunched back, as if all her energy had been drained away.
However, when she raised her eyelids and saw Shen Lingning, who was sitting opposite her, radiant and indifferent, her dead eyes seemed to be thrown into red-hot charcoal fire in an instant, erupting with terrifying resentment and jealousy!
"Chen! Ling! Ning!"
She almost roared and rushed over, but the police officer next to her held her shoulders firmly and forced her to sit on the chair.
The handcuffs hit the wooden table, making a harsh sound.
Her gaze was like a poisoned knife, madly scraping across Shen Lingning's meticulous bun, smooth forehead, and exquisitely fitted windbreaker. Every detail seemed to intensify her madness.
"Why?! Ah?! Tell me why!"
Chen Manli slammed the table, her voice piercingly cracking: "Why can you sit here so peacefully? Dressed like a fool! Why can Zhou Weiguo get promoted and become rich?!
Why did that old man Zhao help you so much? You should be trampled into the mud!
You should marry an old bachelor from the mountains! You'll spend your whole life bearing children and working like a slave! You'll grow old and ugly! You'll wallow in the mud like a pig! Why should you be able to crawl out?!
Why do you get all the good luck?! I don’t accept it! I don’t accept it!!”
She screamed, spitting everywhere, like a madman.
The intense hatred distorted her face, making her look particularly terrifying.
Shen Lingning listened quietly, without any ripples on his face, not even a flicker in his eyes.
She just looked at him, her eyes cold and calm, as if she was watching a clumsy and noisy farce that had nothing to do with her.
That extreme calmness and indifference is more lethal than any angry counterattack.
When Shen Yuchuan behind her heard Chen Manli say that Shen Lingning should marry an old bachelor, a fierce look flashed in his eyes. He wanted to take a step forward, but was gently held down by Shen Lingning with one hand.
When Chen Manli was breathless and paused for a moment, Shen Lingning slowly spoke, his voice as steady as the surface of an icy lake, without a trace of warmth:
"If you're trying so hard to get to see me, it's just to vent your meaningless jealousy and resentment, which is like a mad dog barking at the sun.
"Well, I think we have nothing to talk about. Your misfortune is always the result of your own choices. What does it have to do with me?"
She made a move to get up.
"No! You can't leave!"
Chen Manli screamed suddenly, leaning forward, her wrists red from being tightened by the handcuffs: "You can't leave! Shen Lingning! Save me! Help me! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!"
Her tone suddenly changed, from extreme resentment to begging for mercy in an instant, tears mixed with snot streaming down her face... looking utterly miserable: "Ling Ning, Sister Ling Ning! We grew up together!
We jumped rope together and stole sugar from my kitchen together... Please help me for the sake of our past friendship!
Go tell the leaders, tell the police! I'm not the main culprit!
My dad forced me to do this!
I'm being used! Save me, I don't want to stay here! I don't want to die! "
She cried so hard that her whole body was shaking and her speech was incoherent, trying to use the pale and powerless "childhood memories" to carry out moral kidnapping.
Shen Lingning's eyes were still cold, even with a hint of clear mockery: "Feelings? Chen Manli, it started from when you and your father joined forces to frame my father and forced him into a desperate situation;
From the time you repeatedly spread rumors and slandered me behind my back; from the time you were so malicious as to want to destroy my Fubao... Between us, the only debt left is yours to the Shen family."
"As for saving you?"
Shen Lingning stood up and looked down at the woman slumped in the chair, crying without any image, with the hem of his windbreaker drawing a neat arc.
"The law will give you a fair trial. And the 'other clues' you mentioned..."
She paused, her tone firm, "I believe the organization has its own means to investigate. This is not a bargaining chip for you to use to blackmail me."
After saying this, she no longer looked at the woman who had completely collapsed and was crying loudly. She turned around and walked towards the door resolutely.
The sunlight shone in from the slowly opening iron gate, casting a golden halo around her.
The desperate cries and curses behind her seemed to come from another distant and filthy world, and could no longer touch her in the slightest.
Shen Yuchuan immediately took a step forward and protected her.
Comrade Public Security sighed, closed the heavy door, and completely locked all the darkness and madness inside.
Shen Lingning took a deep breath of the cool air outside, squinted his eyes slightly, and adjusted to the bright light.
"Ling Ning?"
Shen Yuchuan was a little worried.
"fine."
Shen Lingning shook his head, his gaze already looking further into the distance, clear and firm: "Let's go, there are still many important things to do. Unimportant people and things are not worth wasting your energy on."
Her back was as straight as a pine tree, her steps were steady and powerful, she walked step by step away from the high wall that symbolized her past suffering and present victory, and walked towards the broader world that belonged to her.
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