Chapter 0055 Execution
Assessing the situation, Chen Yan clung tightly to He Caiyu as his lifeline and asked solicitously, "Auntie, shall I take you home?"
Before He Caiyu could answer, Ruyi scoffed, "You think you're the only one with a car? Can't we just take a taxi ourselves?"
"It's best for babies to sit in a baby car seat. Do taxis have them? You haven't bought one, have you?" The tone was confident.
Ruyi remained silent.
"Besides, Auntie, how can a taxi be as comfortable as our own car? And how can a stranger drive as steadily as me? What if the baby wakes up from the jolting?"
He Caiyu said to Ruyi, "Xiao Chen makes a good point. Let's let him deliver it. It's convenient and safe."
Ruyi had no way to refute him, so she could only correct Chen Yan: "You keep calling me 'aunt,' who is your aunt? Don't you have an aunt yourself? You shameless thing."
"You have a bad memory, so let me give you a friendly reminder: I've always called you Auntie, right?"
Holding Xingxing, He Caiyu took the lead and distanced herself from them, indicating her refusal to participate in this pointless war of words.
Ruyi wasn't very good at using a car seat, so she had to hand Xingxing over to Chen Yan. He carefully put her in and fastened the buckle. Halfway through, Xingxing pouted and almost woke up. Ruyi quickly comforted her, and feeling the familiar scent and touch, Xingxing gradually calmed down.
The car was small, and no one spoke for fear of waking Xingxing. The car drove smoothly and arrived home safely.
As soon as they arrived at Ruyi's building, Xingxing woke up and started whimpering for milk. Chen Yan took the opportunity to unbuckle his seatbelt, but Ruyi glared at him and said, "You're not allowed to come up here!" She quickly picked up Xingxing and got out of the car, while cautiously urging He Caiyu to come upstairs with her to prevent Chen Yan from turning her against him.
Chen Yan could only bitterly watch his wife and children disappear from sight.
*
After the accident, Zhao Nanyue immediately went to the airport and, before the police could react, flew to Hong Kong. She then transited through Hong Kong and New Zealand before finally hiding in a small town on the island of Ireland. She dared not contact anyone she knew, dared not use the credit cards registered under Zhao Nanyue's name, and even dared not touch the enormous wealth under Christine's American identity. She could only live a simple life in a remote little hotel.
A month and a half later, the Chinese government announced the expulsion from the Party and public office of several officials, including Zhao Chonghua. The news immediately caused a huge uproar online because his daughter was Zhao Nanyue, a former national team member, Olympic figure skating champion, and a highly popular sports star. Following this, a series of scandals involving Zhao Nanyue's past illegal entry into the national team and her illegal dual citizenship were exposed. Furthermore, insiders linked the car accident that nearly resulted in the deaths of both mother and unborn child outside the hospital to Zhao Nanyue.
There are still die-hard fans who stubbornly defend Zhao Nanyue.
So what if she has dual citizenship? She grew up in China, won Olympic gold medals for China, and has contributed more to the country than you internet trolls and real-life losers!
Is there any evidence of any violation in her entry into the national team? Her Olympic gold medal proves that her selection for the national team was well-deserved!
Your husband not only cheated on you, but his mistress is pregnant too. Wouldn't you be angry? Are you stupid? You have such a lack of empathy…
What does her father's corruption have to do with her? She's a victim too!
...
The opposing camp is very powerful, with those who have turned against the brand and turned against it being particularly vehement in their criticism.
Ha, you three-surname slaves, spineless. In China, it's business; in America, it's life. You fawn over her like this, but her father's embezzled money won't give you a single penny. Aren't you shameless?
What's the evidence? Qiu Zhen, a former member of the provincial figure skating team, had a higher score and better overall performance than her, so why was she eliminated? Probably because her parents aren't successful; she's just a lower-middle-class urban woman. Maybe if they had let the genuinely Chinese Qiu Zhen compete, she would have won with a higher score!
This suggests her husband, or rather ex-husband now, is a patriot! Using his infidelity to punish the daughter of a national scourge, driving her to murder in the street—truly brilliant! It's just a pity for the innocent child; I wonder if he survived…
How can her father's embezzlement have nothing to do with her? A victim, indeed? Did she earn her own money for figure skating since elementary school? Did she buy the mountain villa she owned when she was ten? Did the multi-million dollar luxury car she received for her coming-of-age ceremony just fall from the sky? Sucking the blood of the entire nation while claiming innocence—bah, shameless!
...
Amidst a chorus of insults online, Zhao Nanyue exited the webpage, a disdainful smile on her face. These ants could only vent their frustrations online; in reality, even if they toiled like oxen and horses for ten lifetimes, they wouldn't be able to match a fraction of her account balance.
Zhao Nanyue was angry, and looking at her surroundings—the old lamp, the yellowed wallpaper, the damp floor—she suddenly found it unbearable.
She felt she didn't need to be so cautious. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that the domestic police wouldn't go so far as to launch a transnational manhunt for Xu Ruyi, especially since she had transited abroad twice and her whereabouts would be difficult to track in a short period of time.
Driven by wishful thinking, she moved from a small hotel to a five-star hotel in Dublin, indulging in delicacies and fine clothes every day, and frequenting high-end venues.
Two or three months passed, and things calmed down. She completely let her guard down, bought someone else's account, and started showing off her jewelry and bags on Instagram, indulging in the praise and envy in the comments section.
That afternoon, she had just woken up when there was a knock at the door. She was hungry and thought it was room service, so she opened the door without asking any questions. There were three Dublin police officers in uniform standing outside. Her heart sank and she instantly sobered up. Just as she was about to close the door, she was stopped by someone.
"Beautiful Miss Zhao, your compatriots need your help."
After the Dublin police finished speaking, they smiled and stepped aside. Behind them stood two upright Asian faces, wearing familiar black police uniforms with high-ranking epaulets, and pistols and handcuffs at their waists.
"Is it Chen Yan... It must be him, isn't it?!" Why won't he let her go?
The leading Chinese criminal police officer didn't bother arguing with her. Even without Chen Yan's people providing clues, did she think she could get away with Zhao Chonghua's illegal gains abroad? The country wouldn't give up on recovering the losses; it would just be a bit slower.
Zhao Nanyue was led onto the special plane back to China in a daze. Seeing this scene, she suddenly came to her senses and asked with a mixture of despair and relief, "Xu Ruyi must be dead, right? How long will I be sentenced to?"
The detective chuckled, "Don't worry, they're both alive and well, mother and daughter are safe. Since they didn't die, you'll at most get a three- to five-year sentence. Go in there, get some reform, turn over a new leaf, and start anew."
He then said to his companion, "Thanks to Mr. Chen's sponsorship, we also experienced the treatment of a private jet. It was awesome."
Upon learning that Xu Ruyi was still alive, Zhao Nanyue was filled with despair. Crossing the vast sea of clouds, she knew that the punishment of the law awaited her.
The evening news reported that Zhao Nanyue, the daughter of corrupt official Zhao Chonghua, was escorted back to China and handed over to Jingzhou Public Security Bureau at Jingzhou International Airport. The footage captured Zhao Nanyue raising her hand to shield her face from the flashing lights. This screenshot was widely shared by netizens, who exclaimed that justice had finally prevailed and applauded the victory. No one dared to speak up for Zhao Nanyue anymore. Only a very few people lamented the fall of this once-proud woman in the comments section.
Hao Jing turned off the trending topics and asked Ruyi, "She's the one who hit you. Look closely at her face, don't you really remember her at all?"
Ruyi shook her head.
Hao Jing knew a little about the entanglement between the three of them. At first, Ruyi said that Chen Yan had cheated on her, and she thought that her friend had been cheated on. Now it seems that this is not the case at all. It is more like that Chen Yan married Zhao Nanyue for some reason, and then forced Ruyi to maintain a relationship after marriage. Ruyi even got pregnant and gave birth to a child. At the same time, the Zhao family fell into trouble. Under the double blow, Zhao Nanyue went crazy and hit people in the middle of the city.
Just as he was hesitating whether to tell Ruyi all this, the latter noticed and interrupted him in time: "No matter what entanglements I had with them in the past, don't mention them. I don't want to know."
"Since God made me lose my memory, maybe it's so I can start over. Now all I want to do is raise Xingxing well. What those people were like before is none of my business."
"But being a single mother is so tough."
“My aunt will help me. We still have some savings, and her two old shops are still open. With some preparation, they can reopen. There won’t be any difficulties for the time being.”
Hao Jing looked around Ruyi's bedroom, which was less than 20 square meters. After having a child, the desk was moved to the corner and replaced by a crib. The wardrobe door was half open and filled with various baby supplies. For easy access, some of them were piled directly on the bed and on a simple shelf. The originally spacious space suddenly became cramped.
Hao Jing said, "Xingxing is still small, so we can manage. But once she can run and jump, she'll need more space to move around. You don't have any income right now, and you're just relying on your aunt's two shops. When will you be able to afford a decent school district house?"
"...Aren't you thinking too far ahead?"
As the ancients said, "He who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present."
Ruyi retorted, "Just because I have no income now doesn't mean I won't have one in the future. Once I finish my PhD, will I still have trouble finding a good job?"
After being discharged from the hospital, He Caiyu said that she had originally been admitted to Lan University for her doctoral studies, but had to put it on hold due to pregnancy. Now, she has amnesia, and she is worried that she will not be able to return to school. Strangely enough, Ruyi has forgotten everyone and everything since the first year of high school, but she has not forgotten the knowledge she has learned. After briefly looking at the study materials she has accumulated over the years on her computer, she said that she had no problem.
He Caiyu and Hao Jing were overjoyed and exclaimed how fortunate they were.
Hao Jing replied, "Yes, you're going to pursue a doctorate, and in the next three or four years, it will be even more difficult to make ends meet."
Ruyi huffed, "Go away, go away, is that how you discourage people?"
"I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just advising you not to be foolish. Since Chen Yan is so eager to offer you money, a nanny, a car, and even a house, don't keep refusing. Be careful, or you might miss this opportunity..."
Ruyi said irritably, "Stop bringing him up. Isn't it true that you both fear and dislike him? Why are you siding with him in your words?"
"This doesn't conflict with you taking his money. He's Xingxing's father, it's only right that he pays!"
Ruyi said disdainfully, "You should hurry back to the hospital for your shift. Didn't they say the orthopedics department is very busy lately?"
"How dare you look down on Xingxing's godmother? I'm going to tell on her when she grows up!"
"Oh, please make yourself at home."
...
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