Chapter 63 Behind Me: "...Is she alright?"
In the boundless darkness of night, a commercial airliner pierces through the clouds and slowly descends.
The only sounds in the cabin were the low rumble of the plane and the soft footsteps of passengers passing by their seats.
The air conditioning was set a bit low. In the window seat near the wing, a girl wrapped herself tightly in a blanket and gently pressed her head against the cool porthole.
It was pitch black outside the window, with only the indicator lights on the wings emitting a faint glow.
She looked dazed, her eyes half-closed and unfocused.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is descending. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, stow your tray tables, and adjust your seatbacks to the normal position... Good evening, ladies and gentlemen..."
Her consciousness was brought back by the broadcast, and she slightly raised her head to look out the window.
The aircraft pressed down on the clouds, and sparse, small clusters of lights appeared in the darkness, gradually becoming brighter and denser, converging into a vast expanse.
As the plane descended, the ball of light radiating a warm amber glow gradually became clearer, with flowing golden specks forming veins and crisscrossing bands of light, stretching out long, trembling streaks of light.
That was Hangzhou, a city brightly lit and bustling with activity.
The plane landed smoothly, and as the announcement was made, passengers got up to retrieve their luggage from the overhead bins. The girl finally raised her head and slowly began to fold the blanket.
"Are you alright? You don't look well."
The young man sitting next to her spoke with concern.
The girl raised an eyebrow, turned her head to him and smiled, "It's nothing, I probably just have a bit of a cold, I'll take some medicine when I get home and I'll be fine."
The man nodded slightly, and then she said, "Thank you for the blanket."
He sat in the chair, his hands casually resting on his crisp trousers, and smiled at the words, his voice gentle: "No need to be so polite."
The passengers in front gradually began to leave, and the two of them also stood up. The man stood outside the row of seats, put his hand on the back of the seat, and very gentlemanly let the girl in the inner seat go first.
The girl, carrying a small shoulder bag, smiled and thanked him before walking out with the crowd.
As she exited the passage, she looked up at the baggage claim area sign and frowned almost imperceptibly.
So far away.......
She looked tired, rubbed her lower back, and slowly walked over there.
When she arrived, the luggage was being conveyed out of the passageway. She found her small suitcase among the colorful suitcases and took it down. Hangzhou Airport is the largest airport in Hangzhou in terms of area. The terminal building is spacious and open. Passengers who had collected their luggage dispersed from the arrival hall to the exit.
She had been here many times before, but she had never felt that the road was so far.
I was rushing to catch the bus this afternoon, and it took me ages to barely make it to the plane. My back and waist are aching, and my legs are a bit weak. I tried to close my eyes the whole way on the plane but couldn't fall asleep, so I'm not feeling well right now. I also felt a bit chilly on the plane, so I guess I probably have a slight fever now.
"......"
She sighed softly and resignedly dragged her small suitcase forward.
Before I had taken two steps, someone called out to me.
"Hello, do you need a shuttle bus?"
She turned around in confusion and saw a staff member in a suit sitting on an airport shuttle bus, giving her a standard, professional smile.
"..." She paused slightly, then asked instinctively, "...Do you charge a fee?"
"It's free."
She looked around, somewhat hesitant.
But she was indeed feeling unwell and had little energy, and she really didn't want to walk that long distance, so she nodded and replied, "Okay, thank you."
"Please don't be so polite." The staff member got out of the car with a smile and politely asked her, "Let me help you put your luggage in the car."
Even as she boarded the shuttle bus, her doubts remained.
These kinds of cars are usually for business class passengers, right? It shouldn't be her, a poor economy class passenger on a budget airline, getting one... And this staff member is dressed so formally; the suit doesn't look cheap...
She clutched her small handbag, starting to feel a little nervous.
He didn't have a name tag on his clothes, is he really a staff member...?
The staff member started the car: "Ma'am, are you going to the terminal exit? Do you have a reserved car?"
“No,” she answered, staring at him and pursing her lips, “I need to take the subway. Um, where would be a convenient place for you to drop me off?”
The staff member paused slightly, then quickly covered it up: "Okay. I'll take you to the subway entrance."
Fortunately, this was indeed a shuttle bus for transportation, not a human trafficker trying to abduct her to some remote corner. The bus stopped smoothly at the subway entrance, and she got off. The staff kindly helped her unload her luggage and pushed it in front of her.
"Thank you, I appreciate your help." She smiled and thanked her politely.
How could there be human traffickers in such a big airport? You're overthinking it. Maybe they just didn't have anyone else to meet and randomly picked her as their lucky guest.
"You're welcome." The staff member bowed slightly to her. "Then please be careful on your journey."
She blinked. "Okay... thank you."
The service is amazing! Why are they even bowing?
Goodbye, Ms. Mu.
"Okay, goodbye."
She watched the shuttle bus drive away, somewhat bewildered, then, as if remembering something, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
Her phone screen was off; she hadn't turned it on since boarding the plane. But she needed to scan a code to take the subway, so she had to turn it on now.
"......"
She took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision, and pressed the power button for a long time.
The screen quickly lit up, displaying the lock screen, signal connection, and various app notifications popped up one by one.
Most of the messages were automatic pop-ups from marketing promotions, which she usually didn't block because she found them lively and interesting. But at this moment, she felt there were too many and they were too annoying. She scrolled through them one by one and finally saw the WeChat messages buried at the very bottom.
The message didn't show any specific content, only that a message had been displayed. She unlocked the app and opened WeChat.
One of the messages was from Jiang Chu, asking what time she would arrive at the airport so he could pick her up.
One message was from Shaoyue, saying she had seen the news online and asked if she was alright and if the art studio was okay.
The last contact was with a senior law student named Liao Meng, whom she had contacted before takeoff. Liao Meng said she mainly handled civil cases, and this situation was somewhat complicated, so she couldn't give a definitive answer immediately. However, she could recommend a lawyer who was more skilled in criminal cases.
She rubbed her temples, thanked him wearily, exited the chat window, and then slowly opened the contact list.
The top friend request came from a person with a completely black profile picture and the name "X".
"......."
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she clicked on it.
What greets the eye is a series of repetitive friend request messages; you have to scroll down to see them all.
X: I am X.
X: I am X.
X: I am X.
......
"X: Mu Tingyu, reply to this message."
There were more than a dozen identical friend request messages, except that the last one changed from "I am X" to "Mu Tingyu, reply to the message".
And this last one was the last one she saw before takeoff.
After that, the person seemed to have given up completely or was disappointed, and never sent her any more messages.
"......."
She bit her lip tightly, her fingers trembling, and quickly turned off the screen.
After a while, she raised her hand to wipe her red eyes, then took a step and walked towards the escalator at the subway entrance.
Just as she was about to step across the yellow line, she suddenly stopped and looked back abruptly.
"......."
People come and go at the subway entrance, with countless pedestrians flowing through.
The shuttle bus had long since disappeared.
She frowned slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
When that staff member said goodbye to her, did he call her "Ms. Mu"...?
She hadn't realized it at first, but now that she thinks about it... her plane ticket was in her bag, and there was no identification information on her luggage tag...
How did that person know her last name?
This was a peak time for people, and as she stood blocking the escalator entrance, people behind her who also wanted to go downstairs started urging her on.
She had no choice but to step onto the escalator first, her head still turned back, her heart beating inexplicably fast.
As the escalator descended, the scene on the ground disappeared from view.
"......"
She gripped the suitcase handle tightly and slowly took a breath.
......
At a passageway near the subway entrance, a "staff member" dressed in a suit, hidden in the crowd, made a phone call.
"That lady has already entered the subway station."
A man's calm voice came from the phone: "I understand."
The "staff member" kept his head down, quietly waiting for instructions.
After a while, someone finally spoke up: "...How does she look?"
The staff member spoke clearly and briefly, reporting, "He's not in good condition; his face is a bit pale. He's been rubbing his lower back, so he seems to be feeling unwell."
"......."
The man was silent for a moment, then asked in a low, hoarse voice, "Anything else?"
The staff member thought for a moment and added, "Just before she entered the subway, she stood there looking at her phone for a long time, and then... it seemed like she cried."
His tone was somewhat cautious, as if he didn't know if this was the kind of news his superiors wanted to hear.
This time, the other end remained silent for an even longer period.
The staff member was unsure of his meaning, so he remained silent.
"I understand," the man said in a low voice. "That's settled then."
After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
-
......
In August, the Jiangnan region is hot and humid.
The sweltering heat and sudden downpours followed one after another, completely shrouding the land in mist.
......
It rained for a week straight in Hangzhou. The endless rain curtain descended, and the streets of Pingtan were shrouded in a misty haze. The rain washed away all the dust, turning the world into a tapestry of brown and green.
Vehicles and pedestrians hurried by without stopping.
Mu Tingyu stood in front of the glass door, quietly watching the street scene outside.
Suddenly, Jiang Chu called out to her from inside the house.
"Tingbao, you have a phone call—"
She responded, glanced at the lush green sycamore leaves on the street, and then turned and went inside.
The phone displayed an unfamiliar number. She hesitated for a moment before answering: "Hello?"
"Ms. Mu, I am Jiang Jiayun."
"Ah, Lawyer Jiang!" Mu Tingyu was surprised for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, "Hello, I heard from Senior Sister Liao that you've been very busy lately, so I didn't want to bother you. I didn't expect you to call first."
A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone: "There was a slightly tricky case, but it's been resolved now."
"You've worked so hard," Mu Tingyu said politely. "It's really kind of you to take the time out of your busy schedule to handle my case."
“No trouble at all,” the voice on the other end said businesslike. “Xiao Liao has told me the general situation. When are you free? Let’s meet and talk. I also need to take a look at the specific documents.”
I'll be free this afternoon.
"Okay, then 2 PM? Do you know where the law firm is located?"
"No problem, I'll just guide you through the navigation."
"OK."
She breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up the phone.
Jiang Chu, without looking up from her computer, asked, "What's up? Is that lawyer finally free?"
“Yeah,” Mu Tingyu sat down on the sofa, leaned back, and sprawled out like a salted fish, “It feels like we’ve been waiting for a century.”
"What kind of big-name lawyer is he? So busy?"
"My senior highly recommended him, saying he is her most admired idol, a model worker, with top-notch professionalism and reputation, and more importantly, a high success rate in cases."
Mu Tingyu counted on her fingers and repeated what Liao Meng had told her.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Jiang Chu exclaimed in surprise. "The lawyer's fees must be very expensive, right?"
"I don't know, I don't know anything about these things." She thought for a moment and said, "But it's just a consultation now, so it shouldn't be too expensive. I saw online that the most expensive one is 3,000 yuan per hour."
"Wow, this is not expensive?" Jiang Chu's head was buried in the computer, and only his voice came out.
Mu Tingyu laughed: "Well, the payment for the last painting was settled, hehe. I'm a hero again now."
"You're really something, you can finish a painting in three days, and the client seems quite satisfied, he's already asking about your availability again."
"I just had a sudden inspiration." Mu Tingyu smiled, propping her head up to look at her. "What are you doing?"
"We're dealing with the remaining public opinion. Your aunt is really despicable. When she was spreading rumors, she tried to contact every media outlet, and we almost got her featured on 1818 Golden Eye. But when she issued a clarification, she just casually posted it. It didn't even get as much attention as when we posted it ourselves."
Jiang Chu typed rapidly on the keyboard, muttering to herself, "But a couple of days ago, a big blogger suddenly reposted our statement, and then the online criticism suddenly decreased a lot. Most of the negative comments disappeared overnight. I don't know why. I sent a private message to thank that blogger, but I haven't received a reply yet..."
"Thank you, good deeds are rewarded." Mu Tingyu put her hands together and said sincerely, "This is the most popular time our studio has had in a long time."
"you do not say."
Jiang Chu cleared the backstage area, looked up and stretched: "Tingbao, are you feeling any better today?"
"Much better now," Mu Tingyu said with a smile. "My recovery ability is super strong, so don't worry."
"I was really shocked when you came back that day, your face was so pale." Jiang Chu said half-complainingly, "You didn't even eat a meal. And you came back in the rain, you deserve to catch a cold."
"I was in such a rush to catch my flight that day that I didn't have time to eat, and there were no airplane meals either. The subway station is only a kilometer away from here, and I was too lazy to take an umbrella out of my suitcase~" Mu Tingyu got up and moved closer to her, hugging her and acting coquettishly, "Thank you, Chu Bao, for staying with me in the art studio these past two days, hehe. But you didn't catch anything from me, huh?"
"It's just that I'm worried you don't know how to take care of yourself. You've got a cold and you still want to go out. I'm not like you, always putting yourself through the wringer." Jiang Chu said irritably, reaching out to ruffle her fluffy head. "I have to go home tonight. The neighbors say my unruly son is like he's tearing the house apart every night, so I have to go back and check on him. Can you manage on your own?"
"Sure, sure." Mu Tingyu nodded in the crook of her neck. "I used to live by myself."
"Okay, stop rubbing, it's so itchy."
"I like you so much, Chu Bao~"
"Really? Then you should paint well tonight as a way of repaying me."
"Why?"
........
-
......
Tiancheng, one of Hangzhou's top law firms, is located in the heart of Pingjiang District, in the most bustling area.
Hangzhou values greening, with wide and straight asphalt roads and lush green belts running parallel to each other, each leading straight to every corner of the city in the rain, with tall buildings lining both sides of the roads.
In the minimalist office, Mu Tingyu held a cup of coffee and looked out the window with a hint of boredom.
That building across the street is so tall... I wonder which company owns it; it looks really impressive...
"Ms. Mu."
The man's voice pulled her back to reality, and she subconsciously responded.
"I've reviewed the documents. I have a few questions I'd like to confirm with you." The elite lawyer, dressed in a sharp suit, sat at his desk, his face expressionless. "You had already paid the person who was blackmailing you 200,000 yuan, and then she used online defamation to blackmail you by phone, demanding that you continue to give her 20,000 yuan every month, is that right?"
Mu Tingyu nodded: "Yes."
"Before transferring the 200,000 yuan, did she threaten or blackmail you?"
"No."
“Okay.” Jiang Jiayun clasped her hands together, her tone steady. “When you were adopted, no adoption procedures were completed, but the extortionist still has a foster relationship with you. This may affect the acceptance of the case, such as whether it is a family dispute. However, her subsequent threatening methods have exceeded the scope of internal family conflicts, and the recordings and transfer records are complete, so it can be determined that her behavior constitutes the crime of extortion.”
Mu Tingyu was a little stunned by his sudden barrage of words, but at least she understood the last sentence and replied, "Okay, then..."
"However, if there is no relevant evidence of threats, the 200,000 yuan transferred earlier is very likely to be not determined as extortion, but rather as a voluntary gift."
Mu Tingyu hadn't intended to get the 200,000 yuan back anyway. She nodded and asked, "It's alright, Lawyer Jiang. Money isn't the primary goal. What I want to know is—how many years could she be sentenced for this?"
"Extortion of public or private property valued at 30,000 to 100,000 yuan or more is punishable by imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than ten years. Lin Yulan threatened to damage your reputation and demanded 20,000 yuan from you every month. After the threatening behavior, you paid her a total of 20,000 yuan. Although the amount did not reach the range of a large amount, her criminal behavior was continuous and constituted repeated extortion, so her criminal liability will be aggravated."
“So,” Mu Tingyu grasped the key point, “basically, the sentence can be more than three years, right?”
"Yes."
“…” She licked her lips. “Is there any way to get a heavier sentence?”
Jiang Jiayun glanced at her and said, "Defamation."
Mu Tingyu frowned.
That's not enough. This little prison isn't enough for her to serve her time. Once she gets out, she'll cause all sorts of trouble again.
Is there anything else?
“There are also cases involving exceptionally large sums, starting from 300,000 to 500,000 yuan, which carries a sentence of more than ten years in prison,” Jiang Jiayun said matter-of-factly. “But your current amount is clearly not something you can reach in the short term.”
His voice came calmly, reminding her, "And Ms. Mu, criminal cases take time to file and investigate, and cannot be concluded in a short period of time. The suspects will also be summoned, so you need to be mentally prepared."
"......."
Mu Tingyu fell silent, her fingers slowly rubbing together under the table.
Jiang Jiayun wasn't in a hurry. She stood up, picked up her cup, and walked towards the coffee machine on the tea table.
The rich aroma of coffee beans spread, the machine made a soft sound, and the girl sat there with her head down, her cheeks a little pale.
Jiang Jiayun returned with the coffee, glanced at her, and said casually, "Would you like some more?"
"Hmm?" Mu Tingyu looked up, and it took her two seconds to realize what he was talking about. "No need, thank you, I still have some in my cup."
She doesn't like coffee. When she arrived, Jiang Lu poured her a cup, and she politely accepted it, but only took a symbolic sip and didn't touch it again.
Jiang Jiayun nodded and picked up the cup to take a sip.
After a while, Mu Tingyu stood up and said to the man at the table, "Thank you, Lawyer Jiang, I understand now."
"However, I might need to... go back and think about it again."
Jiang Jiayun said, "No problem, it's up to you whether to call the police or not. I'm just providing advice."
"Thank you for your help today," Mu Tingyu said, her eyes crinkling at him. "How will I pay you the consultation fee?"
"..." Jiang Jiayun said calmly, holding her cup, "No need."
"Why?"
Seeing the girl's surprised expression, Jiang Jiayun slowly said, "Xiao Liao is my junior sister. She introduced you, so the consultation fee is waived, and it didn't take much time."
Mu Tingyu opened her mouth: "This is inappropriate..."
"We can discuss the fees later if you need to prepare a police report or require legal representation for subsequent legal proceedings."
"..." Since the senior lawyer had said so, Mu Tingyu had no choice but to nod and say with a smile, "Then I'm sorry to have troubled you. I'll contact you if I need anything later."
The man nodded.
"Then, I won't disturb your work any longer." Mu Tingyu tactfully got up to take her leave.
Jiang Jiayun put down his cup, walked to the door to open it for her, and just as Mu Tingyu was about to walk out, he suddenly spoke: "Ms. Mu".
Mu Tingyu stopped in her tracks: "Hmm?"
Jiang Jiayun paused for a moment, then said calmly, "My suggestion is that you call the police immediately, not to compromise. Compromise will only embolden the extortionist."
"......."
Looking into his unwavering eyes, Mu Tingyu thought to herself that she wanted to embolden the blackmailer.
She smiled and said to him, "Thank you for reminding me, Lawyer Jiang."
Jiang Jiayun nodded to her and made way for her.
She was currently on a high floor of the Tiancheng Building, where senior lawyers worked. The corridor was lined with offices and several meeting rooms of various sizes. From the other end of the corridor, she could faintly hear conversations.
She was about to go out when she glanced at the person walking towards her from the other end of the corridor, and her expression instantly changed.
She took two quick steps back and slipped back into the office.
The office door opened inwards, and Jiang Jiayun was standing by the door holding the doorknob when she was unexpectedly bumped into, causing her to take a step back in surprise.
Before he could react, Mu Tingyu said "sorry, sorry" while pulling his hand away and slamming the door shut.
"........"
"........"
The two looked at each other in silence.
Mu Tingyu swallowed hard, not having time to explain, and went to the door to listen to the sounds outside.
Jiang Jiayun crossed his arms and looked at her furtively as she did so, seemingly lost in thought.
The office was silent. The voices of a man and a woman talking outside the door gradually approached, passed by the door, and then gradually faded away.
Once she was sure the person outside the door had gone far away, she straightened up with a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Jiayun's voice came faintly from behind.
"..." Mu Tingyu turned around, awkwardly grabbing the doorknob, and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, Lawyer Jiang, the situation was a bit urgent, and I accidentally offended you."
"Hmm." Jiang Jiayun still looked at her with his arms crossed. "So who is it?"
"......"
"predecessor?"
“…” Mu Tingyu recalled the woman in the shirt and with exquisite makeup that she had just caught a glimpse of, and replied blankly, “No.”
Jiang Jiayun's eyebrows twitched, and she was about to speak when she heard her say something.
"Yes—my ex-sister."
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