Chapter 31 What are you afraid of?
Chapter 31
Jiang Jing's words lingered in Xia Zhiyu's mind for several days. During these days, Xia Zhiyu almost self-tortured herself by peeling back the layers of the past. Only then did she realize that many things she had unintentionally overlooked before seemed bizarre.
Ever since she got together with Jiang Zhiyan, everything seemed to go smoothly. Anything she complained about or that bothered her about would always end up with a satisfactory result a few days later.
Whether in work or life, Xia Zhiyu used to think that this was the result she deserved for her hard work. Sometimes she would even boast about her good luck and hard work in front of Jiang Zhiyan.
Jiang Zhiyan always praised her for being amazing with a smile.
But now, Jiang Jing cruelly removed the curtain that was obstructing her view.
It turns out that her work, her life, and even her relatively good life in recent years were all smooth sailing because of Jiang Zhiyan's protection.
After all, if it were her, Xia Zhiyu would also look down on those so-called hypocrites.
That's ridiculous.
Xia Zhiyu suddenly realized that she had never truly understood Jiang Zhiyan. The five years they had spent together felt like a joke.
Worried and stressed, Xia Zhiyu caught a chill after sweating a bit while eating hot pot that day. She took some cold medicine that she kept at home before going to bed the night before, but her condition worsened when she woke up.
Before, I only had a stuffy nose and a headache, but today even swallowing my saliva has started to hurt.
When Fang Xinle video-called her, Xia Zhiyu had just finished taking her medicine and was nestled in bed with tears still in her eyes and her voice extremely hoarse. This startled Fang Xinle.
Xia Zhiyu was particularly vulnerable when she was sick, especially when she saw her familiar friends. As soon as she saw Fang Xinle, tears welled up in her eyes.
Especially when she was recounting to Fang Xinle what Jiang Jing had said to her, the tip of her nose turned bright red, and tears streamed down her face as she spoke.
Fang Xinle, on the other end of the phone, sounded confused: "Did Jiang Zhiyan's biological mother tell you all this? What was her purpose in saying these things? It's not a good thing."
“I also want to know. I find Jiang Jing very strange, especially since she seems to gloat about Jiang Zhiyan being dumped.”
Even now, Xia Zhiyu still finds it hard to believe that these words actually came from Jiang Zhiyan's mother. If it weren't for the fact that she and Jiang Zhiyan looked exactly alike, she would have suspected that Jiang Zhiyan was adopted.
Xia Zhiyu didn't even want to eat the fruit that Lao Xia had sliced and peeled. She stayed in her room and called Fang Xinle, her delicate chin tucked under the covers, her face pale.
Her voice was heavy, and her eyes seemed to weigh down with a heavy stone, as dusk settled.
"And his mother also told me a lot of bad things about Jiang Zhiyan, including my suitor from college, the one who played Senbonzakura on the erhu."
"Yes, I remember him. He's that idiot Nan Qu who boasted that he'd drop out of school if he couldn't win me over. What happened to him?"
"He didn't just disappear suddenly. The counselor said it was because of some family issues that forced him to drop out. Jiang Jing told me that Jiang Zhiyan was actually behind it, because I had complained at the law firm that the guy kept harassing me at school and even stalking me, which was really scary..."
As she said this, Xia Zhiyu felt a chill run down her spine, and her throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. Suddenly, she couldn't speak. She took several deep breaths before continuing:
"Jiang Zhiyan investigated the man and found that he had a prior record of stalking girls. He helped the girl file a case and fight the lawsuit, and the man went straight to jail and received the maximum sentence."
Fang Xinle asked, puzzled, "Isn't this a good thing? It protects you and helps others seek justice, so what are you afraid of?"
That's true.
Xia Zhiyu pursed her lips, "But Jiang Zhiyan has never told me about this, including when we argued the other day. I thought I knew him very well."
But I've only just realized that the image Jiang Zhiyan presented to me was merely the one he wanted me to know. For example, I only learned today that Jiang Zhiyan sent his own father to prison, and there were many other things before that. The stack of documents Jiang Jing handed me completely changed my understanding of Jiang Zhiyan.
Fang Xinle on the other end of the phone remained silent.
"Isn't there a saying that when you see one cockroach, the house is already infested with cockroaches?"
Xia Zhiyu gave a wry smile. "I feel like I used to be a bird with its mouth and nose covered."
“There’s no need to be so pessimistic,” Fang Xinle carefully chose her words. “I think Jiang Zhiyan might be trying to protect you. After all, it’s better not to know some things, like the erhu man. In essence, it’s not good for you except to add to your troubles.”
"But I don't want this kind of protection."
Her headache was getting worse. Perhaps people are more vulnerable when they have a cold. Xia Zhiyu suddenly choked up. "I've been with him for five years. He never told me anything from beginning to end. Even when he came to win me back a few days ago, Jiang Zhiyan still couldn't be honest with me."
"I actually had to find out about my boyfriend of five years from other people."
Xia Zhiyu sniffed, a sour feeling rushing to her head. "I can't quite accept this. I feel like I was ridiculous before. All my efforts and struggles have been erased by Jiang Zhiyan. My hard work and dedication have turned into a self-righteous feeling of being moved."
"What am I? A canary kept in the dark? How ridiculous."
A mixture of sorrow and anger fermented in her heart.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about these sad things anymore," Fang Xinle quickly changed the subject. "What did you message me about last night? I was working overtime until after 2 a.m. yesterday and didn't see the message. I thought you were probably asleep, so I didn't reply."
“Wait, speaking of Lele,” Xia Zhiyu’s eyes lit up, her tone quickening, “I remember your company participated in the corporate social responsibility project in Chuancheng last year, the one about the anti-domestic violence campaign!”
"right."
Did you leave your contact information with the Women's Federation here?
"It should have been kept, but I'm not sure if the person in charge at the Women's Federation was an employee. Please wait a moment while I look for it."
Fang Xinle scrolled through the chat history in the WeChat search bar for a while, "Yang Yafen? Is this her?"
The name sounds familiar.
Xia Zhiyu sat up abruptly and opened the case files she had copied at the procuratorate a couple of days ago.
Fang Xinle suddenly chimed in, "But why do you need the Women's Federation's contact information when you're providing legal aid?"
“This is a good starting point for a not guilty plea, and I think it’s quite promising.”
The specific details of the case involve the privacy of the parties involved, so Xia Zhiyu couldn't say too much, but only briefly mentioned it.
Fang Xinle was taken aback. "You're going to plead not guilty in a legal aid case?"
Even a layperson like her knows that it is very difficult to make a not guilty plea in China, let alone a legal aid case. Isn't this just a thankless task?
Generally speaking, most lawyers don't pay much attention to legal aid cases, since they only get a subsidy of three thousand yuan for working on a case.
Sometimes, even the round-trip travel expenses cannot be covered. Therefore, most lawyers' attitude towards legal aid cases is to meet with the client once, then go to the prosecutor's office to review the case file, and finally appear in court to persuade the client to plead guilty and accept punishment.
“If we can get a not guilty plea, we definitely will,” Xia Zhiyu said lightly, the rustling sound of turning the case files clear. “Legal aid cases are still cases, after all. My month is their lifetime.”
"If I can do it, why not try?"
The familiar phrases slipped out, and Xia Zhiyu's fingers, which were flipping through the case file, suddenly stopped.
-
Jiang Zhiyan told her these words, and whenever Xia Zhiyu felt fear and wanted to back down, these words would reflexively appear in her mind.
At the time, Xia Zhiyu was still an intern. During the first six months of her internship, she followed up on cases in teams in different fields. She handled a domestic violence case in which the wife accidentally caused her husband's spleen to rupture while trying to avoid the situation.
The lawyer in charge of the case believes the defense should be based on excessive self-defense.
Xia Zhiyu didn't think so. She felt that she should defend herself according to the law of legitimate self-defense, but most of the lawyers in the team agreed that it should be considered excessive self-defense. Xia Zhiyu chickened out and only dared to nag about it to Jiang Zhiyan after returning home.
Jiang Zhiyan asked her at the time, "Can you find the crucial evidence?"
"Of course, I've seen similar cases before. As long as the defense's approach is sound, I think the prosecution will approve it."
"Don't worry about what others think," Jiang Zhiyan stopped her before she could finish speaking. "Don't care what most people think. If you think it's right, then go in the right direction. Don't be swayed by others."
Jiang Zhiyan looked down into her eyes, his dark pupils seeming to possess a magical power. "And since you can do it, why not try?"
Jiang Zhiyan's support helped Xia Zhiyu through countless difficult nights. Xia Zhiyu gradually began to learn to seize opportunities and express herself to the outside world. The shy girl who was in school became a sharp-tongued and unyielding person in court.
But what's the point of all this?
Xia Zhiyu lowered her eyelashes as if mocking herself.
They still ended up with a complete mess.
The memories were fleeting, like shooting stars. Xia Zhiyu unconsciously scribbled a few lines on the manuscript paper with the pen in her hand, and Fang Xinle called her several times but she didn't hear him.
Fang Xinle asked, "Is this Yang Yafen? I even found her WeChat official account, and I've sent you her photos and bio. Take a look."
Xia Zhiyu seemed to snap out of a daze and said, "It should be. Let me confirm."
As she spoke, she forced herself to focus on the case file, trying her best not to think about Jiang Zhiyan.
Xia Zhiyu recently read through this stack of documents several times, and soon found a police report receipt that the police had submitted to the procuratorate.
“Yes! It’s her,” Xia Zhiyu’s voice rose, her pupils shining brightly. “Lele, if you have her phone number, send it to me as well.”
Fang Xinle readily agreed, "I've sent you my WeChat, email, and phone number."
"Sister Le, you're like my own father! I'll treat you to dinner next time!"
The two chatted for a couple more minutes, laughing and joking, before hanging up.
Peace returned to the house.
The yellowed blue and white striped manuscript paper had the words "love letter" at the top. Outside the window, the wind howled and the leaves rustled. With a ripping sound, the crumpled paper fell into the trash can.
...
North City.
With a "ding," the video call ended. Fang Xinle glanced at Jiang Zhiyan, who was sitting next to her with an increasingly cold and sullen expression, and sighed deeply.
"Why don't you first... uh, talk to your mother first? I feel like Yu Yu has become a weapon she uses to attack you."
Jiang Zhiyan remained silent for a long while before speaking in a slightly hoarse voice, "I will. Thank you for your help today."
"If you really think it's too much trouble for me, then don't make me do this kind of thing."
Fang Xinle said with a sense of sympathy, "I always feel sorry for Yu Yu."
She was at work when Jiang Zhiyan suddenly came over and asked her if Xia Zhiyu had told her anything about his mother recently. Only then did Fang Xinle realize that she had forgotten to reply to Xia Zhiyu's message after seeing it last night.
After all, it's best not to offend such big capital, and Fang Xinle felt that helping to find out some information wasn't too much to ask, since Jiang Zhiyan was asking what his mother had done.
"I'm sorry," Jiang Zhiyan said calmly, even after hearing the news about his mother. His long eyelashes trembled slightly, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
The cold light fell on his brows and eyes, revealing a deep and indifferent aura. Even the way he lowered his head and nodded slightly made him appear exceptionally noble and aloof.
I don't know how Yu Yu could bear to say goodbye to this top-tier human appearance.
Fang Xinle clicked his tongue inwardly, but ultimately said nothing more.
Jiang Zhiyan nodded politely to her, then got up and left Fang Xinle's office.
The main reason was that Jiang Zhiyan looked too disheveled. Recalling what Xia Zhiyu had just said, Fang Xinle felt that Jiang Zhiyan was also quite pitiful. How could someone be so miserable as to be betrayed by their own mother?
Now, not only is the possibility of Xia Zhiyu forgiving him extremely slim, but even he himself probably can't convince himself that his previous actions were truly for Xia Zhiyu's good.
Go downstairs, back to the old house, and you'll see Jiang Jingshi walking gracefully down the mahogany stairs.
Jiang Zhiyan's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, his eyes cold. "I underestimated you. I didn't think you were that vicious."
Jiang Jing's lips curled up, her expression a mixture of resentment and glee.
"When you sent your dad to prison, you should have known you wouldn't get away with it. If I can't have love, you can't have it either. I heard Xia Zhiyu has a new boyfriend. Don't you feel pathetic and ridiculous? Like a lapdog."
Jiang Zhiyan slightly raised his chin, and Jiang Jing's beautiful eyes, which were almost identical to his, were filled with visible hatred.
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