Wang Xiaoling finally finished recounting Cao Jinbo's crimes over the years. As a law-abiding and normal person, I couldn't help but feel shocked. What kind of desire could drive someone to become so depraved?
If I were An'an, I would not hesitate to choose to protect myself, because like Wang Xiaoling, I also hate him to the bone; I only think that An'an's protection of Cao Jinbo is absurd and abnormal.
This is a lack of a sense of justice, this is emotion brutalizing reason, this is womanly compassion!
I turned my gaze to An'an again. She seemed absent-minded, which proved that she was still in the vortex of self-struggle and could not find a way out.
She is a very stubborn person!
Finally, she met my gaze and said, “I know Cao Jinbo is extremely wicked, but none of you are me, so you can’t possibly understand my true feelings… Michael, you should put yourself in my shoes. If you were the one committing evil right now, even if you were extremely wicked, Sisi probably wouldn’t have the heart to harm you, right?… There are feelings between people. Cao Jinbo was really good to me. To me, I am an independent world, so I only perceive him within this self-contained world. You may think I am a selfish person, but in my world, he is a good person. This is something I have personally experienced, it is a fact… And what you have told me is just hearsay… Even if it were true, I wouldn’t have such a direct feeling about it.”
Wang Xiaoling and I exchanged a glance, and we both saw the disappointment of having failed at the last moment in each other's eyes... Especially me, An'an is my friend, and I genuinely wanted to help her and didn't want her to be implicated by Cao Jinbo.
I sighed softly and turned to Wang Xiaoling, saying, “Xiaoling, I can testify that An’an and Cao Jinbo had no illegal financial dealings. The money she received from Cao Jinbo was simply a gift from him. Not long ago, she didn’t even know what Cao Jinbo did… I met An’an about six months ago. At that time, I was delivering food, and she had no social connections in Dali. She was confined to her place every day. Later, I introduced her to my circle of friends, and she gradually built up her network and tried to make some investments… In a way, I also bear some responsibility because I introduced her to the investment channels… So, this is what I think: I am personally willing to compensate An’an for all illegal gains, including fines. I just hope you can view An’an fairly and not involve her… If needed in the future, I am willing to testify for her.”
“The money Cao Jinbo gave her was no small sum… Are you capable of covering it for her?”
"I'd sell everything I own for it!"
After a brief pause, I said in a low voice, "Youth is priceless. I don't want to see her use her youth to pay the price for Cao Jinbo. I don't think it's worth it!"
Wang Xiaoling remained silent, and An'an also remained silent; the atmosphere was indescribably heavy…
I even regretted it a little. I shouldn't have brought An'an to see Wang Xiaoling. Given her determination to protect Cao Jinbo, it's hard to guarantee that she won't reveal to Cao Jinbo that the police are investigating and collecting evidence. This will "force" Cao Jinbo to be vigilant, which doesn't seem like a good thing.
Wang Xiaoling also realized this, and she kept frowning, as if she was thinking of a solution.
This time, it was An'an who spoke first. She said to Wang Xiaoling, "Officer Wang, I'd like to speak with Michael alone, is that alright?"
"Okay... but there's something I need to remind you: our conversation today is absolutely confidential... otherwise, you should understand what kind of responsibility you'll bear."
An'an nodded, and Wang Xiaoling then got up and left, leaving only An'an and me in the teahouse... I was a little puzzled; I didn't know what she wanted to say to me alone.
...
I glanced at the time instinctively; it was already 7 PM. Even though night falls later in Dali compared to other places, it was completely dark by now. I could hear people soliciting customers on the street, and the night had an indescribable somber atmosphere…
At this moment, I couldn't help but think of Yang Sisi again. Where is she, and what is she up to?
If we weren't preoccupied with these matters, we should already be on our way back to our small town by now...
I feel disappointed because there are only a few days left until the Chinese New Year... Will I still be able to make it back in time?
Why is there always such an insurmountable distance between reality and ideals? ...And on the way here, I imagined such wonderful things...I even prepared a red envelope to give Yang Sisi for her New Year's money, which I secretly bought at a convenience store in a service area.
...
"Michael, did I really do something wrong?"
I finally snapped out of my daze and looked at An'an. After a long pause, I finally spoke to her, "I really want to understand you from your perspective, but I just can't... I feel like Wang Xiaoling and I have already told you everything that needed to be said, and everything that shouldn't have been said... Cao Jinbo's crimes are heinous, utterly evil, and unforgivable... I know we're being a bit too focused on our own perspectives, but what if you were a victim's family member now?... While you're asking us to put ourselves in his shoes, I also hope you can do the same..."
An'an looked at me and whispered, "A year ago, I was misdiagnosed with suspected breast cancer. He accompanied me to seek medical treatment everywhere and gave me a lot of emotional support. To put my mind at ease, he secretly transferred over a million yuan to my mother's account. He said he would be the person in the world who would never abandon me. Later, after repeated checkups, it was finally diagnosed as a fibroadenoma. The sense of security he gave me is something I will never forget. I really can't imagine what my mental state would have been like if it weren't for him... I would have collapsed. I simply wouldn't have been able to cope with all of this."
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