Chapter 32 Dilemma
Chapter 32
On the living room sofa, Xia Zhiyu was munching on bread while flipping through files. Ren Yu had once again eaten at her house and was now using her laptop and tablet, sitting next to her and working.
Ren Yu suddenly said, "Why don't we go to Guangzhou next door to celebrate the New Year? They say they're going to have some kind of fireworks show there, it sounds quite interesting."
He turned to Xia Zhiyu with a smile, "You've been busy for so long, it's time to relax a bit."
Xia Zhiyu has been very busy lately. The legal aid case is not progressing as smoothly as she had hoped. In a small place like Chuancheng, you can easily find two people who can be traced back four generations to be related, making it very difficult to obtain valid evidence.
Fortunately, Xia Zhiyu's father's matter is not urgent. The plaintiff creditor has a very good attitude and is currently helping them to find Xia Zhiyu's second uncle, which puts Xia Zhiyu at ease for the time being.
Ren Yu has been busy with matters at the Education Bureau lately. He had originally planned to help Xia Zhiyu before returning home, but after his application for a literature reading course for Tibetan students was approved, the Education Bureau suddenly asked him to submit course handouts and PPTs.
He didn't expect the application to be approved so quickly. He didn't even bring his computer back to Chuancheng. He's been borrowing Xia Zhiyu's computer to work lately. Not to mention helping Xia Zhiyu, he sometimes has to trouble Xia Zhiyu to help him look up information.
"It's almost New Year's Eve?" Xia Zhiyu asked in surprise, then reflexively replied, "Didn't we usually celebrate New Year's Eve when it snowed?"
"What, have you gone mad from staying in the north for a few years? In the past few years, we've only had a tiny bit of snow around the Lunar New Year, not even enough to cover the roads. There's no way it would snow in December."
Xia Zhiyu paused in her movements, lowered her eyes, and hesitated for a long time before responding as if waking from a dream, "Oh right, I almost forgot..."
After all, they had been separated for almost half a year.
The reminder label is red and very eye-catching; once you see it, you'll never forget it.
The words reveal how happy Xia Zhiyu was when she wrote this reminder message.
"Actually, snow hasn't been common in the northern part of the city in the last two years."
Xia Zhiyu's voice was very soft, like smoke or mist, disappearing into the damp and cold air of Chuancheng.
As a southerner, Xia Zhiyu has a special longing for snow. In college, it was fine because Haicheng would have heavy snow every year.
However, after starting work, snow was not common in Beicheng. Xia Zhiyu had planned several trips to Northeast China over the years, but they were always delayed by various reasons.
Having finally finished a busy period of work at the beginning of the year, Xia Zhiyu nestled in Jiang Zhiyan's arms that night, grumbling and complaining.
"Once I'm done with this busy period, I definitely want to go to the Ice and Snow World. I haven't seen such thick and beautiful snow in years."
Jiang Zhiyan couldn't understand her obsession with snow. He had grown up in European ski resorts and was used to it.
He put his arm around Xia Zhiyu's shoulder, casually picked up a long, resilient strand of her hair, and twirled it between his fingers, his tone very calm.
"What's so interesting about watching snow? Haven't you had enough of it after four years of college?"
"Of course it's different! Don't you think snow can build a new world? Snow can cover up all the unbearable memories of the past."
Especially on mornings after a snowfall, it feels as if the world has been wiped clean with a single click, a feeling Xia Zhiyu really enjoys.
Jiang Zhiyan raised an eyebrow slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her attitude. He didn't have the delicate sensibilities to appreciate life, nor could he understand why Xia Zhiyu liked snowy days.
As long as the stock price doesn't plummet, every day is the same for him; summers aren't hot, winters aren't cold, and every day of the year is like spring.
He casually replied, "Go if you want. We can go to Sapporo or Hokkaido again. The hot spring hotels there are quite nice."
His tone carried a hint of lingering satisfaction.
Hokkaido hot spring hotel...
A few words can easily evoke some rather intense memories.
As is well known, Hokkaido has private open-air hot springs. When Jiang Zhiyan, who was not usually very interested in tourism, took an unusually proactive approach and asked to book the hotel himself when he first went to Hokkaido.
Since someone was willing to take the initiative, Xia Zhiyu was naturally happy to do so, until she checked into the hotel and saw a pool of hot soup in the open air behind a bamboo fence...
That was the first time in Xia Zhiyu's life that she was dragged back to the hot spring by her ankle.
It was also the first time she had ever known that the grooves formed by the rocks on the shore could be used in this way.
The heat crept up Xia Zhiyu's cheeks, and she bit Jiang Zhiyan's Adam's apple in a fit of anger, "Who wants to go to a hot spring with a pervert like you!"
Ever since she discovered that Jiang Zhiyan never held back, Xia Zhiyu bit him with extra force, sometimes even rubbing a piece of soft meat against him with her teeth like a puppy gnawing on a bone.
This will be the case too.
Jiang Zhiyan frowned slightly as Xia Zhiyu was bitten, pinching the back of her neck, his tone carrying a faint warning, "Still causing trouble? If you keep causing trouble, I'll really book another ticket to Hokkaido."
...
The phone rang abruptly, jolting Xia Zhiyu awake from her reverie.
"Xia, the supermarket owner you asked me to keep an eye on is open today. When are you coming over?"
Xia Zhiyu raised her voice, "I'll be right there. Thank you for your help these past few days!"
The legal aid case lacked crucial evidence from that day. When Xia Zhiyu went to investigate the site last time, she discovered that the small supermarket's security cameras could track people, and the cameras were pointed directly at the young couple's house.
According to a neighbor who declined to testify, the couple fought all the way from inside the house to outside the house on the day the wife stabbed her husband. Xia Zhiyu felt that the security camera should have recorded something, but unfortunately, the supermarket owner had gone back to his hometown for a funeral a few days ago, so even if she was extremely anxious, it was no use.
Fearing that things might change if she delayed, Xia Zhiyu quickly said a few words to Ren Yu and left. She didn't forget to buy some fruit downstairs. She knew better than to ask someone for a favor empty-handed.
The supermarket owner was unloading goods at the entrance when Xia Zhiyu explained her purpose. The owner's eyebrows furrowed like two centipedes, and the oily folds on his face could trap flies.
He abruptly asked, "You're a lawyer? Which school did you graduate from?"
Although she didn't know what her school had to do with the case, Xia Zhiyu patiently answered, "Yes, I am a lawyer. This is my practicing certificate. I graduated with a master's degree from Beicheng University and have been working for two years."
He then presented a court-issued permit for investigation and evidence collection.
The boss didn't even look at the documents, only glanced at Xia Zhiyu's professional certificate, and then looked her up and down a few times. With his slanted eyes and triangular eyebrows, he muttered something to himself and told Xia Zhiyu to wait until he finished unloading the goods.
Since she was asking for a favor and the other party had no obligation to help, she naturally had to prioritize doing her own job well. Xia Zhiyu agreed politely.
The boss didn't look like a talkative person, but the opposite was true. During the unloading, he kept chatting with Xia Zhiyu about everything under the sun, as if he wanted to ask her about her ancestors for eighteen generations.
As for lawyers, Xia Zhiyu may not be good at much else, but she's quite skilled at making up stories. Eight out of ten of her sentences are lies, but they can all stand up to scrutiny. When she mentioned that she was a local, the boss's eyes lit up immediately, like a hyena seeing a bone.
But the evidence the boss had would determine whether the not-guilty plea would succeed, so Xia Zhiyu had no choice but to bite the bullet and try to please him.
As darkness fell, the sun set quickly in winter. When we arrived, it was still bright, but only a short time later, the streetlights on both sides of the street came on.
The muddy streets of the urban village were full of potholes. Xia Zhiyu, wearing four-centimeter high heels, waited for a long time as if she were standing on a stake, until her heels ached from the bumps.
The dim streetlights illuminated the supermarket's dilapidated sign, weathered by wind and sun, making it appear utterly run-down.
After unloading a truckload of bottled water and drinks, another truckload of snacks arrived. Xia Zhiyu was a little anxious and asked the owner how much longer it would take. The owner glanced at her but didn't answer this time. Instead, he handed her a bottle of water, his tone gentle.
"Are you thirsty? Have some water and rest for a while. The video you wanted is hard to find. Wait a little longer, I'll find it for you as soon as I'm done."
After saying that, he took out a bottle of water and handed it to Xia Zhiyu.
His attitude didn't seem like he didn't want to talk at all, but it also seemed like he was trying to manipulate her.
Xia Zhiyu thought she understood. She took out a red envelope she had prepared in advance from her bag and stuffed it into the shopkeeper's pocket with a smile.
The boss's eyebrows twitched, and he grinned, his breath carrying the stench of fermented tobacco and alcohol. "How could I ask for money for helping people? Look at you, kid, what kind of person do you take me for?"
As the two were shoving each other, two more people suddenly appeared. The older one seemed to have some intellectual disability; he was over 1.8 meters tall and had yellow snot running down his nose. When he saw Xia Zhiyu, he started chuckling, his smile lewd and obscene.
"Big sister, beautiful big sister."
Seeing Xia Zhiyu looking at him, he smiled and started to take off his pants.
A weathered woman who looked like his mother quickly stopped them and led the fool into the supermarket.
The owner explained, "My eldest son suffered brain damage from a fever when he was young, and he's been like this ever since."
After saying that, he patted the dust off his hands and said, "Forget it, forget it. We can't unload all of this in a short time. You've had a hard time, young lady. Let me find the surveillance video for you first. Come in with me."
The surveillance video was on the cash register at the supermarket entrance. The space was small, not enough for two people to fit in. The owner told Xia Zhiyu to sit on a stool, have a drink of water and rest for a while, while he searched slowly.
The woman who had just gone into the room came out again and started chatting with Xia Zhiyu, but she only said some random and useless things. Her eyes kept glancing at the water bottle in Xia Zhiyu's hand, urging her to drink water.
He had a malicious look on his face.
It was pitch black outside, the streetlights were dim, there wasn't a soul in sight on the streets, and everything was quiet; even the cicadas' chirping was barely audible.
Xia Zhiyu was startled, and a sense of wariness arose spontaneously. She hurriedly stood up and said, "Why don't you copy all the videos from that day for me? I'll go back and find them myself. My mom is getting anxious waiting for me, so I have to go back quickly."
"What's the rush? Uncle will drive you home later," the supermarket owner with his triangular eyes gave her a cold look. "Have some water and rest. We're all family here, what's the big deal?"
That chilling gaze reminded Xia Zhiyu of the criminals she had seen in court, all with the same fierce and cold demeanor.
She could always ask the court or prosecutor's office for evidence. She was her parents' only child, and she couldn't let herself be ruined here. Xia Zhiyu gritted her teeth, and the image of that idiot pulling at his pants as soon as he saw her flashed through her mind again.
Xia Zhiyu turned around, kicked over the stack of plastic boxes next to her, and ran away. The couple who owned the shop cursed a couple of times in their dialect and quickly chased after her. Xia Zhiyu was wearing high heels and naturally couldn't outrun people who did manual labor all year round. She was caught by the woman around the corner.
The boss was a few steps behind, but the woman grabbed Xia Zhiyu's hair like an eagle's claw. Xia Zhiyu tilted her head back, turned around, and slapped her across the face. People can often unleash tremendous power when they are afraid. The slap knocked the woman's head to the side.
Taking advantage of the woman's pain and moment of letting go, Xia Zhiyu took out a stun gun for self-defense and immediately pressed it against her waist and abdomen.
Its enormous size made it pounce like a mountain of flesh.
Taking advantage of her small stature, Xia Zhiyu darted away, pulled off her shoes, and swung her high heel at his eyes. She then used the stun gun to its maximum setting and pressed it against the boss's lower back.
Another one got electrocuted.
Xia Zhiyu turned around, picked up her shoes, and ran away.
Her stun gun wasn't very powerful; it could only have a temporary effect. Once they recovered, she would be the one to suffer.
Fortunately, the police station was just a left turn at the village exit. When Xia Zhiyu saw the police station, tears welled up in her eyes, and her legs went weak so much that she could barely stand, as if she had just escaped death.
However, this incident was indeed no different from escaping death.
The police went to the boss and his wife based on her account. Xia Zhiyu thought the matter was settled, so she immediately called her parents back, explained what had happened, and asked them to come pick her up.
Xia Zhiyu was so scared that she didn't even dare to take her own car.
She grew up in a relatively normal environment, studying and working in big cities. She had never witnessed such a case happening to her online before. It took her a long time to calm down, and her voice was still trembling.
To everyone's surprise, when the police returned and looked at Xia Zhiyu, their expression changed. They said, "That couple accused you of trying to steal their surveillance footage. After failing to do so, they stole the red envelopes they had given to their relatives' children. When they tried to get the money back, they were electrocuted instead. His wife is still unconscious; she must have had health problems from the electric shock."
"The person is currently undergoing examinations at the hospital. You cannot leave for the time being. Let's give a statement first."
Xia Zhiyu gasped in anger, almost fainting. How could they turn the tables and frame her?
But apart from that supermarket, there are no other surveillance cameras in the village. The supermarket's cameras weren't even turned on today. The owner said that his store wouldn't officially open until tomorrow, so why would he turn on the cameras today for nothing?
The situation reached a stalemate, with both sides having their own version of events. The boss's wife was still in the hospital undergoing examinations, sometimes wailing that she couldn't hold her urine, and sometimes complaining of back and leg pain.
Xia Zhiyu couldn't even find the surveillance footage she wanted. The boss now looked at her like she was an enemy, clamoring to have Xia Zhiyu sentenced to prison.
They also said that she, a lawyer, deliberately harmed someone, causing his wife to be lying in the hospital with her life hanging in the balance. They said she had wasted her education.
He broke down in tears as he spoke, his acting was superb.
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Author's Note: The ranking has changed, but my readership isn't increasing at all. It's so discouraging that I'm shivering. I had no choice but to change the title, hoping it will have some effect.
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