Chapter 28 Chapter 28 The Final Reversal
The next day, Meiqingyuan.
It happened to be the weekend and another major case was solved. Comrade Xiao Ji turned off the alarm and took a nap. He was not awakened until 11:30 in the morning by the fragrance wafting in from the crack of the door.
She got up, changed her clothes, and walked out of the bedroom in her slippers. She saw Old Ji and Ms. Lian busy in the kitchen. The sound of bells clanging and crackling, and the sounds of water, chopping vegetables and frying mixed into a unique symphony.
Ji Yinhe closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring like a puppy. Two seconds later, he exclaimed, "Mom! Why do I smell the aroma of crispy pigeon, braised duck with basil, black pepper beef tenderloin, braised fish with skin removed, and fried egg, shrimp, and loofah soup... This is a Manchu-Han banquet. Are we having guests for lunch?"
"No!" Lian Qiao poked her head out of the kitchen with a smile. "Your dad and I think you've been working too hard lately, so we made a few more dishes to help you replenish your energy!"
Ji Yinhe curled the corner of his mouth, ran into the kitchen in slippers, and snuggled into his mother's arms like a little bird, twisting and turning.
"Mom is so nice, she is the best to me!"
Old Ji, still holding a spatula in one hand, hit Little Ji on the head without mercy.
Ji Yinhe rubbed his head to the other side with a look of enlightenment, "Oh, Dad is good too, Dad is the best to me!"
"Don't come over here! I haven't brushed my teeth yet! Can you be more polite?" Comrade Ji Jianguo said disdainfully, "I knocked on you to remind you that you're an adult, so you shouldn't be around other people outside. Once the door is closed, you cling to my wife and act like a spoiled child!"
"Oh, it's because I'm the only fruit of your love, your forever precious daughter!" Ji Yinhe made a face at her father and skipped to the bathroom to wash up.
Ten minutes later, the family of three sat at the dining table, enjoying Chef Lian's superb cooking while listening to Officer Ji talk about the Lijing Nightclub case.
"...In the final analysis, it was Yu Yexiang's child swap that caused all this trouble." Ji Yinhe gnawed on a pigeon leg and shook his head, "Otherwise, Su Yiyun wouldn't have lost his balance... Human traffickers are truly wicked!"
Lian Qiao and Ji Jianguo echoed their daughter's words and exchanged knowing glances.
Su Yue is a heroine with a halo on her head, not the weak and incompetent naive girl as Ji Yinhe said.
According to the plot of the original book, if Lian Qiao had not stopped Su Yiyun from reporting Su He, Su Yue would have escaped from Jiangtan when her family was broken up, gone abroad to study, and fallen in love with the male protagonist of the original book after marriage. After returning to China, she would have wiped out Su Yiyun and Yu Yexiang's human trafficking group in one fell swoop and avenged her parents.
And there was nothing wrong with Su Yue's hand at all. In fact, she only pretended to have a fracture in order to win the pity of her biological parents and lower Su Yiyun's status in their hearts, so that she could not pick up the brush again.
In order to realize her dream of studying painting abroad, she practiced secretly without the knowledge of her family and received an admission letter long before graduating from university.
Now that the plot has changed, we can only rely on Ji Yinhe to find out what the original heroine is up to.
Ji Jianguo, who was in perfect sync with his wife, put down his chopsticks and said, "It's better to break up with that scumbag. I remember some time ago, my daughter was planning to study abroad, but she suddenly got engaged... I was chatting with your mom and she said that being in love ruins one's future!"
Ji Yinhe was stunned holding the soup bowl, "...some time ago?"
"Yes, on the day you reported to the Municipal Bureau, a newly opened study abroad agency came to the Street Office to distribute flyers. They even introduced the outstanding student Su Yue who had applied for the Royal Academy of Art's oil painting program!"
Lian Qiao immediately chimed in, "Wow, this school sounds impressive. It must be hard to get into, right?"
"Of course! I asked about it, and the teacher at the institution said that I need to prepare at least six months in advance, and that painting takes more than ten years to learn, so I can't waste a single day!"
Ji Yinhe was stunned when he heard this——
What is going on?
Su Yue has always been able to hold a paintbrush, and has been preparing to study abroad for a long time?
Do Su Hechuman and Ding Tongguang know about this?
Suddenly, something Tang Ci mentioned after the interrogation last night popped up in her mind:
"Su Yiyun said she didn't let Tong An rape Su Yue. Maybe it was just a coincidence."
Ji Yinhe took a deep breath, and a strange thought emerged in his mind:
...Could it be that Su Yue had already known about her fiancé's dirty deeds, and just used Su Yiyun's hand to leave the scumbag and go far away?
"Beep, beep——" the pager on the bedside table suddenly rang.
"Huh? Who called me on the weekend?" Ji Yinhe put his thoughts aside, wiped his mouth and ran into the bedroom.
Lu Zheng's number was clearly visible on the screen. If I remembered correctly, he had a final report to write today and was working overtime.
Ji Yinhe quickly slipped back to the living room, picked up the phone and called the office.
"...Ji Yinhe." Lu Zheng quickly picked up the phone, his tone serious, "Chen Honglang came to the Municipal Bureau this morning to hand over Bai Mei's diary."
"What's wrong?" Ji Yinhe frowned, "What's written in Baimei's diary?"
"It's not the contents of the diary." Lu Zheng said solemnly, "It's the handwriting... It's different from the suicide note Su Yiyun forged and the note Su Yue gave you."
A trace of surprise flashed across Ji Yinhe's face.
"...Bai Mei has never met Su Yue! Everything that happened in Lijing that night——"
"Yes." Lu Zheng said succinctly, "Team Leader Tang just contacted the Su family. The servant said Su Yue went out for a trip to relax, but the taxi driver said she went to the airport... Of all the people in Team One, you're the closest to the airport."
"Understood!" Ji Yinhe answered loudly, "I'll be there now!"
*
Jiangtan Airport was rebuilt and expanded years ago to 4D standards. Its dark green glass curtain wall and cement-gray walls create a breathtakingly large terminal. Ji Yinhe ran past several sets of benches before finally spotting Su Yue, sitting elegantly among the other passengers. A large drawing board and painting box lay on the floor beside her.
She stood up from her chair, not surprised at all, "Officer Ji, I guessed it would be you."
Ji Yinhe leaned forward slightly, supporting himself on his knees and panting, "Where are Uncle Su and Aunt Chu?"
"I went to see Su Yiyun." Su Yue's smile was still calm and beautiful. "Even though they went through all that, they raised her as their own daughter for so many years. Their feelings for her... are deeper than for me."
"Okay." Ji Yinhe recovered and sat down next to her.
"Officer Xiao Ji has something to say to me?"
"..." Ji Yinhe exhaled and said, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. So you are the oriole."
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
Although Su Yue said this, she raised her head slightly, with an expression of "I want to see how much you know".
"There's one thing I've found very strange from the beginning to the end. How could you, a well-off young lady, go to a nightclub alone? And you even hid the fact that you were molested, something so serious, from your parents."
"Being molested... is it serious?" Su Yue sneered.
“…” Ji Yinhe held his breath lightly.
There was a lot of noise around, and Su Yueyu spoke softly:
"Do you know what life was like before I was eight? ... Yu Yexiang never raised me for a single day. She sold me to a farmer—nominally as their daughter, but in reality as a child bride for their son with cerebral palsy. My family had no money, so by the age of five I had learned to stand on a stool, make a fire, cook, wash clothes, and mop the floor. I was often beaten for all sorts of trivial things... But being beaten wasn't bad. The cerebral palsy guy would touch me, drool over me, and strip off my clothes, praising me as his 'good child'—"
She was lost in memories of the past and shuddered violently.
"I thought this desperate life would last a lifetime, but I didn't expect my adoptive father to die in an accident soon after. My adoptive mother didn't want to take care of the remaining mess and took all the money and left home. In fact, I wanted to leave, but I was too young at the time. Everyone in the village bullied me, and I couldn't walk far. I could only survive by picking up garbage. I was almost starving to death... Suddenly one day, a military vehicle broke into the house, someone drew a tube of my blood, and also found the small blanket and clothes I was sold in. The next day, Su He showed up and told me that he was my biological father and asked me to ride in the car with him home——"
"Officer Xiao Ji, do you know what I thought when I first stepped into my real home?" A large, crystal-clear tear rolled down her cheek. "I was so scared... I was afraid I was already dead. Such a wonderful place, it should be heaven!"
Ji Yinhe lowered his eyes and sighed.
Su Yue's smile deepened a little. "So, Officer Ji, with all those tragic experiences, what did that night at Lijing mean to you? ...I just don't want to call the police. Is that wrong?"
"Yes, your past was very tragic, no one can deny it, and these experiences can cause psychological trauma to people, so it's understandable that you don't want to call the police." Ji Yinhe said sincerely and sympathetically, then changed the subject, "But you probably didn't expect that we found Bai Mei's diary at Chen Honglang's house."
Su Yue narrowed her eyes. "Bai Mei died in a few hours. She probably didn't have time to write about saving me."
"Indeed." Ji Yinhe nodded, "But you forgot the handwriting——"
She pulled the note out of her pocket and handed it back to the person who had written it. "Ms. Su, this handwriting is very different from the handwriting in Bai Mei's diary."
"..."Su Yue's face suddenly turned pale!
"After Su Yiyun gave her confession, my colleagues and I couldn't figure out how Bai Mei, who had worked at Lijing for six months and had never discovered Yu Yexiang's business, could suddenly find the basement where children were held captive..." Ji Yinhe stared into her eyes, "Because—you told her!"
Su Yue met her gaze without any fear, "How do you prove it?"
"As an oil painting student who was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art, you have solid professional knowledge. The nightclub building was specially designed with a hidden door leading to the basement. It's impossible for you not to see that there was a problem with the structure. That night, you came to Lijing without telling anyone, but there was no locking or molestation incident. You simply placed a half-drugted bottle of drink in the corner of the private room, then selected the dancer who seemed to have the biggest conflict with Yu Yexiang and instigated her to explore the secrets of the basement."
Su Yue blinked slowly, "Same question...how do you prove it?"
"I have no evidence." Ji Yinhe smiled, "I bet you are not as cold-blooded as Su Yiyun."
The waiting hall was bustling with people, but this corner was eerily quiet. The two of them just looked at each other without saying a word.
"Forget it, I'm leaving anyway..."
After a long pause, Su Yue finally spoke. "Yes, you're right. I discovered Ding Tongguang's innocence a long time ago, and I also guessed that Su Yiyun and her mother were still involved in the human trafficking business... I originally wanted to use that bottle of drink on Yu Yexiang, but I didn't expect to discover the basement as soon as I entered the nightclub. Bai Mei was in a bad mood after the argument, so I suggested she go to the basement... But Officer Ji, Bai Mei has her legs. It was her own choice to go there. You should be able to find out from the waiters that I was indeed only seen near the private room that night."
Ji Yinhe lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment.
Su Yue was right. She had chosen herself very cleanly. The person who really killed Bai Mei was Su Yiyun in the final analysis.
"You can choose to tell me directly, or tell Tang Ci through Miss Tan." Ji Yinhe sighed, "Why do you have to go through so much trouble and ask our Municipal Bureau to investigate?"
"...Because there's no one in this world I can trust anymore. If your city bureau doesn't find anything and instead alerts the enemy, Su Yiyun will definitely suspect me. Will I still be able to defend myself then?"
Su Yue raised her head and looked at the planes gliding across the sky in an orderly manner, and the corners of her lips twitched.
"Officer Xiao Ji, I'm not a bird waiting for the mantis to catch the cicada. I'm just Zhu, whose fate was snatched away by the evil purple... If I don't fight back, I will completely lose the color of my life."
Ji Yinhe remained silent.
"drop--"
The electronic sign above the boarding gate issued a shrill buzzing sound, "Attention passengers bound for Hong Kong..."
"I should go." Su Yue took a deep breath and stood up suddenly.
She glanced towards the security checkpoint, but Su He and Chu Man were nowhere to be seen.
The slender figure straightened up, picked up the drawing box and drawing board, walked towards the jet bridge behind the boarding gate, and disappeared into the depths of the layers of glass.
The engine vortex spun, the air flow vibrated, and the plane left a long tail on the tarmac and headed straight for the end of the horizon.
A moment later——
Ji Jianguo and Lian Qiao, who were walking in the central park, looked up and saw a huge silver-gray machine flying over the rows of streets, and a sense of emotion arose in their hearts.
In front of the small western-style building, Su He and Chu Man got out of the car and saw Ding Tongguang kneeling at the door, crying and shouting, "Yue'er is gone!" They ran to the empty room on the second floor in disbelief.
In the dimly lit detention center, Su Yiyu, wearing prison uniform and with her makeup uncovered, looked out the window with despair and calmness - a plane passed slowly by, white clouds cut through the azure sky, and the slightly cool air of early autumn was filled with an extremely fresh scent, smelling like the freedom that was out of reach for her in this life.
Ji Yinhe stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the waiting hall for a long time before slowly turning around with tired steps.
A handsome man with long legs was standing there quietly looking at her, attracting many tourists to turn around.
This time, Lu Zheng didn't put his hands in his pockets. Instead, he held a cream cone in one hand and raised his eyebrows at her.
"Want to eat?"
"eat!"
Ji Yinhe was munching on an ice cream cone as she walked out of the airport with him side by side. Suddenly, an inexplicable smile appeared in her eyes.
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