Chapter 150 If one life isn't enough, what about two?
Hearing a response, Wen Jiu said softly, "Then I'm going to sleep."
"Um."
She turned and walked into the bedroom, and just as she was about to close the door, she saw the person who had said they were going to sleep walk towards the sofa and then sit down on it.
Wen Jiu looked puzzled and asked again, "Aren't you going back to your room to sleep?"
"I'll sleep here."
Completely unexpected, Wen Jiu blurted out, "Why?"
"Because there's only one bedroom."
"A bedroom?"
Hearing him say that, Wen Jiu suddenly remembered that when she came here last time, Zhou Yanchuan had let her sleep on the sofa in this bedroom and hadn't found her another room.
She had wondered why he hadn't found her another bedroom; it turned out there was only one. But such a big house, only one bedroom?
As if guessing what she was thinking, Zhou Yanchuan slowly said, "So that we could still live together when we argued, we only left one bedroom when we were decorating."
However, he was only focused on the bedroom and forgot that the sofa in the living room could also be used as a sleeping spot.
Future wife? We can still live together even when we argue?
For a moment, Wen Jiu didn't know which sentence had made her suddenly realize something. When her thoughts returned, she only felt heartache.
Whichever it is, it has nothing to do with her anymore.
She composed herself and said softly, "Then I'll sleep on the sofa, and you can sleep in the bedroom."
Zhou Yanchuan glanced at the polite person, seemingly wanting to say something, but hesitated and finally said indifferently, "No need."
*
The next morning, Wen Jiu was woken up by her phone alarm. After washing up, she went out, but the person on the sofa was still asleep.
As if guided by some unseen force, she walked over quietly.
Squatting on the carpet, looking at that peaceful sleeping face, Wen Jiu's eyes couldn't help but sting. From the moment they reunited until now, it had almost always been a time of confrontation, and there had been very few times when she could look at him so tenderly.
She wanted to raise her hand to touch it, but her fingertips trembled as she withdrew.
Wen Jiu still doesn't dare to recall those mornings when she woke up in his arms. Everything was so gentle then—the curtains, the sunlight.
She's a restless sleeper, and every morning her nightgown would be rolled up to her thighs. Whenever that happened, she would feign anger: "Zhou Yanchuan, you've lifted my clothes again!"
The person who was wronged didn't argue back. He just leaned against the bedside table, watching her act with a smile, then pulled her into his arms and helped her straighten her dress without touching her.
...
Seeing the person on the sofa move slightly, Wen Jiu snapped out of her thoughts.
She stood up, wiped the moisture from her face, and her eyes returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
But the longing for him in my heart was so strong it was almost overflowing.
*
After several days of continuous snowfall, it finally stopped on this day, and the sky cleared up.
Wen Jiu went to her workplace first. When she reached the pine tree at the entrance of the procuratorate, a gust of cold wind blew the snow off the branches, and it all fell onto her shoulders.
Snowflakes fell on Wen Jiu's shoulders as she patted them off and walked into the courtyard. Just as she stepped onto the steps of the hall, she saw Sun Jin rushing out from inside.
As soon as the woman saw her, she immediately said, "Xiao Jiu, Captain Liu called and said that Li Xingzhou is standing on the school rooftop because of Zhiyi."
Upon hearing this, Wen Jiu's heart skipped a beat, and she turned and ran outside.
"Why did you suddenly go to the rooftop?"
"I don't know either, let's go over and take a look."
On the drive to school, neither of them spoke.
Sun Jin honked her car horn so hard it seemed like it would dent, as she sped along.
When they arrived at the school, the area was already cordoned off, and police cars were parked nearby with flashing red and blue lights illuminating the faces of a group of students watching the commotion.
When a police officer saw them trying to cross the cordon, he reached out to stop them, but Sun Jin, holding up her identification, simply bent down, lifted the cordon, and walked in.
Team Leader Liu saw them walking over from the group.
"What's going on now?" Sun Jin looked up and her eyes widened with anxiety when she saw the boy outside the railing.
"Our expert in charge of comforting people went up and tried to persuade them for a while, but it was no use."
"Where's the teacher? Has the teacher gone upstairs? And have you been able to contact his parents?"
Sun Jin's series of questions made Captain Liu's expression even worse.
The man recounted what he knew: "It was no use for the teacher to go up there; he wouldn't listen to anything. This child has no parents. The teacher said he was raised by his grandmother, but she passed away a few years ago, leaving him all alone at home."
Wen Jiu's heart tightened as he listened, his uneasy premonition growing stronger. The importance of Zhiyi to him regarding their background was self-evident.
She looked around, and when she saw the stairs, she took off running towards them.
Sun Jin's voice calling her was carried away by the wind to her ear.
She understood the boy's feelings for Zhiyi all too well, and she also knew what Zhiyi's death meant to him.
When Wen Jiu rushed onto the rooftop, some police officers tried to stop her, but she didn't say a word, only raising her hand to show her identification.
The man stopped trying to stop her and took a step back.
Wen Jiu cautiously walked towards the boy.
"Li Xingzhou, listen to me."
"Don't come any closer!"
As she walked forward, the boy, who had been standing on the edge, took another step forward.
Wen Jiu immediately stopped in her tracks: "I'm not going over there, don't be impulsive."
Li Xingzhou didn't move, his eyes filled with utter disappointment as he looked at her: "Didn't you say that the law wouldn't let any criminal go unpunished?"
Seeing the person who suddenly asked such a question, Wen Jiu guessed that they had heard something they shouldn't have and were stimulated.
She swallowed hard. "I don't care what you've heard, but please believe us, okay? We—"
"Stop lying!"
The boy abruptly interrupted Wen Jiu's words.
He stared at her coldly: "Do you think we ordinary people are stupid?"
The boy's cold, suppressed question from outside the fence made Wen Jiuwen's words catch in her throat, and she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. She guessed that he had heard something that caused his sudden emotional breakdown.
“Li Xingzhou, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I’ve never lied to you,” she said without hesitation, truthfully reporting the clues she had gathered, trying to let him know that there was hope and a turning point in the situation.
Whether it was because she was too deeply hurt or because she suddenly saw through something, the people not far away were unmoved by her words, and even laughed after listening: "Is this a new story you've made up?"
Wen Jiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately said, "We didn't make up a story. We really found clues, and a lawyer is even willing to represent Zhiyi for free. Don't you want to see those bad guys brought to justice?"
Upon hearing this, a subtle change appeared in those calm eyes.
"What lawyer would dare to represent Zhiyi? With Song Yang's mother's status, who would dare to offend her?"
"What if the lawyer who helped Zhiyi is also very capable?" Wen Jiu tried her best to persuade her. "Can I show you that lawyer? Please come in first."
Li Xingzhou stood still.
Seeing this, Wen Jiu said again, "Then I'll go over and show you, don't move."
After she finished speaking, she tentatively walked forward and exchanged glances with Sun Jin, who ran up beside her. Sun Jin gestured to the police officer next to her to quickly take the opportunity to go around to the boy's side.
Wen Jiu approached him little by little, but when she was only two steps away, she was suddenly stopped: "Just stand there."
She stopped and held up her phone.
“Look.”
Li Xingzhou looked up and his eyes flickered when he saw the lawyer's name and the words written next to it.
“Chi En, you don’t need to worry about whether she’s afraid of Qin Qing and the others. Since this woman dared to take on this case, she must be confident.”
Seeing the boy's obvious change in mood, Wen Jiu's nose also felt sore. She said softly, "Many people are paying attention to Zhiyi's case, and many people are working hard. Please don't give up, okay?"
Li Xingzhou's eyes softened, as if he had finally let go of something: "Sister."
Wen Jiu nodded, listening attentively to what he had to say.
"Thank you."
Hearing this, she thought she had been persuaded and breathed a sigh of relief, "Then come with your sister."
Wen Jiu reached out to take his hand, but the boy in front of her suddenly turned around and jumped down without any hesitation.
Wen Jiu's expression froze for a moment, then she lunged forward like a madwoman to grab him, but her body slammed into him with a thud, and her outstretched hand still missed everything.
It exploded from below with a scream.
Before I left home in the morning, it was a clear, sunny day, but now the sky is overcast and snowflakes are falling.
The ground was quickly stained red with blood, and the boy lay in that red expanse.
The surroundings were chaotic and crowded, filled with screams. Police officers formed a protective barrier, constantly shouting, "Back up! Back up! No photos allowed!"
Wen Jiu leaned against the fence, feeling as if a huge hole had been torn in her heart, with cold air constantly blowing inside.
Her body went limp from the effort.
How disappointed and helpless must one be to jump without hesitation?
"Thank you, sister."
What are you thanking your sister for? Your sister couldn't even protect your life.
Wen Jiu gripped the railing tightly, tears streaming down her face.
*
Li Xingzhou's death undoubtedly pushed the case to the forefront of public opinion.
No one knew that the boy had scheduled a video to be sent before he jumped, and the video was sent to various online public platforms the very second he jumped.
The boy recounts how he met the girl when he was a child, how they accompanied each other during their teenage years, and how, at eighteen, they had known each other for ten years. They had originally agreed to go to the same university and fall in love there.
When talking about these things, the boy in the video had a gentle look in his eyes, but all of this was buried in the last winter before the college entrance examination.
At the end of the video, the boy said: "My life is very fragile, but if it can make people notice Zhiyi, that's enough."
Since I never intended to continue living, this is a way of doing something before I die.
Actually, I wanted to just go and kill Song Yang.
But Zhiyi once told me: "Brother Xingzhou, we cannot fight violence with violence. We must trust the country and trust the law."
If one life isn't enough, what about two?
*
Inside the office, case files were slammed onto the table. The section chief turned around and asked, "Tell me, what does 'suicide by a related person' mean? And in front of us prosecutors?"
Wen Jiu kept her head down and didn't speak, her eyes were lifeless, and her knuckles were white from clenching her fists too tightly.
"How many times have I emphasized to you that this case is extraordinary? I told you to keep a close eye on it, keep a close eye on it, is this how you keep a close eye on it?"
The man's knuckles tapped the documents on the table, his tone growing increasingly harsh: "Do you know what a mess the internet is in right now? Have you heard what everyone's saying? They're saying we officials are protecting each other and abusing our power for personal gain!"
The table was being banged on repeatedly.
Wen Jiu looked up, as if she had guessed what she was going to say, and Sun Jin reached out to pull her.
As they came out of the office, Sun Jin looked like a lost soul. She pulled her to a corner and said, "I know what you're thinking, but do you know that if you say those things, you'll lose your job?"
Wen Jiu knew this, which is why she hesitated for so long before finally saying it.
She wanted to say, "Isn't there collusion among officials and abuse of power for personal gain?" But she was afraid that if she said those words, Zhiyi's case would be transferred to another prosecutor.
Sun Jin looked at the silent man, whose small face was delicate and pretty. He had secretly cried on the way back, and his eyes were red and moist with grievance.
Seeing this, she felt a pang of heartache and softened her tone: "I know you feel sorry for Xingzhou, but since it has already happened, all we can do now is bring those who made the mistakes to justice as soon as possible. If something else happens to us now, wouldn't Xingzhou be..."
Sun Jin didn't finish her sentence, but Wen Jiu still felt a pang of pain in her heart and whispered, "I know."
"If you know this, you'd better cheer up quickly."
"Um."
...
Before Wen Jiu could adjust her mood, after the meeting in the afternoon, she was called to the deputy chief prosecutor's office alone.
“Xiao Jiu,” the old chief prosecutor said in a deep, slow voice, with a hint of seriousness, as he tapped the file folder lightly with his fingertip, “I received an anonymous tip-off letter before the meeting. Take a look at it yourself first.”
Wen Jiu looked up at the sealed document bag he was pointing to and reached out to take it.
She opened the bag that had been opened and then closed again, and took out its contents. There were no letters, just a few photos.
The photo was taken in front of the prosecutor's office, capturing the moment she bent down to get out of the back seat of a black Rolls-Royce.
She was facing the entrance to the procuratorate, its silver badge gleaming coldly in the wind and snow. A tile on the steps was broken, its age unknown, and its presence, compared to the luxury car, immediately gave it an indescribable air of insecurity.
No sooner had Li Xingzhou gotten into trouble than online public opinion turned against them, accusing them of abusing their power for personal gain and accepting bribes. These photos seemed to confirm those accusations.
Wen Jiu realized that someone was trying to mess with her, so she clutched the photo tightly. At that moment, the person in front of the desk said, "I know what kind of person you are, but you at least need to give me an explanation. What's going on with this car?"
An eight-figure car appeared at the entrance of the procuratorate without any warning, which was quite eye-catching.
Wen Jiu opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. That was Zhou Yanchuan's car, and the photo on it was probably taken by someone with ulterior motives when Lu Nian picked her up last time.
The former chief prosecutor looked at her and asked, "You have a boyfriend?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com