Chapter 90: The wait is over! (10,000 words)
◎Sorry for the wait! 10,000 words!◎
younger brother
"Woof!"
The Samoyed and Bernese Mountain Dog, which were resting at our feet, suddenly started barking.
I quickly looked up and saw Xie Yong and Ye Fenglin walking side by side toward us.
The tense atmosphere they once exuded had vanished, replaced by an immediate sense of harmony and friendliness.
It's like...
I looked down at the two little puppies at my feet.
They were extremely excited, but they stayed by my side, obediently waiting for their owner to come over before rushing over.
"Xiao Fu, Ye Zi's family has prepared afternoon tea. Let's go over together later," Xie Yong said naturally. "Zhi En will also be here later."
Ye Fenglin simply bent down and stroked the heads of the two dogs, a smile playing on his lips.
“But I’m planning to go to the hospital with Qixi today.” I looked at him.
"Go see Jiang Mingzhuo?" Xie Yong immediately guessed my purpose. "Then let's go together."
I looked at Ye Fenglin.
He neither explicitly objected nor resisted, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
"Whatever, I didn't see him last time when Zhi'en and I fought with you because of Jiang Zhao."
Ye Fenglin casually remarked, and I stared blankly at Xie Yong. He had actually started fighting with Jiang Zhao?
I asked instinctively, "So who won?"
Ye Fenglin looked at me with interest. "What do you think? Who can beat the Crown Prince? Besides, he's a mad dog that bites anyone he sees."
His description was so accurate that I couldn't help but laugh, but Xie Yong's expression wasn't very pleasant. He seemed quite displeased with losing to Jiang Zhao.
"Woof!" The two puppies barked again, clearly having had enough playing and wanting to go home for a delicious meal.
Ye Fenglin's apartment was also in this building, but it was located in the middle.
He invited us inside, and I could tell he was watching me closely, observing my expression.
I glanced at the room's layout. Compared to Xie Yong's understated and minimalist design, it had a more fashionable and luxurious feel. The same technology was used to create the most comfortable living environment in the entire room, while also ensuring that one could enjoy the beautiful view of Central Park undisturbed.
The expansive view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is reserved for the wealthy, offering a completely undisturbed experience from noisy tourists, allowing them to enjoy the entire panorama at a glance.
The woman standing by the window was clearly more attractive than the scenery.
Her long black hair reached her waist; she was beautiful and elegant, with fair skin and wearing a light-colored dress. Her overall posture was indescribably perfect.
Lin Zhi'en has soft features, but her temperament is very noble. She is a young lady who is flawless.
"You're back? I've been waiting for you for so long." Lin Zhi'en turned her head and smiled gently.
"Zhi'en, Yong-ge, my sister-in-law, and I are walking the dog downstairs. Sorry to keep you waiting," Ye Fenglin explained naturally.
Xie Yong and Lin Zhi'en locked eyes for only a few seconds, maintaining their usual composure and ease.
Lin Zhi'en appears gentle and considerate.
But as the sole heir of a top conglomerate, she was a young lady who naturally rose above the ordinary class. As a ballet dancer, she was someone no one would underestimate or ignore, nor would anyone look at her with the eyes of someone looking at a plaything.
Perhaps noticing my disappointment, Lin Zhi'en walked towards me and spoke softly, her voice gentle, "Xiao Fu, are you dating Xie Yong?"
"No..." I retorted in such a weak tone, trying to assert my independence with these words. I whispered, "We've only gone out alone a few times recently."
I didn't feel respected like Lin Zhi'en did. I felt like a weak bird trapped in a gilded cage, only able to be played with by its owner. No matter how affectionate the words were, they couldn't make me feel as comfortable as opening the cage.
Lin Zhi'en knew perfectly well what was going on, but she didn't expose my clumsy lie. Instead, she gently stroked my head.
Two puppies were right next to us, but Lin Zhi'en didn't seem to have much interest in pets, and the dogs were just circling around my feet.
“They’re hungry, Xiao Fu,” Lin Zhi’en asked me curiously. “How are you going to feed them? Dogs can be jealous too, right? If the owner favors one of them too much, the other might secretly bite the other behind the owner’s back.”
"You can't be so obvious." I smiled a little embarrassedly when I saw that Lin Zhi'en was also interested in such a small question.
"Then what should we do?"
I sat down on the sofa.
There happened to be a jar of shark bones that puppies like. I opened it and put one in the nose of both the Samoyed and the Bernese Mountain Dog. I told Lin Zhi'en, "If you want puppies to obey, you have to train them. You can't just put their favorite things in their mouths all at once."
The two puppies were drooling, but they didn't dare to touch the food right in front of them.
What would happen if someone secretly ate it?
"Then you need to implement reward and punishment measures. For example, take a well-behaved puppy out for a walk and give it a treat, while punish a misbehaving puppy by not letting it play with its favorite toys for a week."
After I finished explaining, I saw that the Samoyeds were drooling all over the ground, so I quickly took them down, one on each side, and put them to the little dogs' mouths, saying, "OK."
The two puppies immediately began to wolf down their food.
Lin Zhi'en, who was standing to the side, laughed out loud. I thought she was also charmed by the puppy's adorable appearance as it ate its food clean and then held its paws up in the air. But she just stared at me without moving. "Isn't Xiao Fu very good at training dogs?"
I was stunned when I heard Lin Zhi'en say those words.
“Actually, you’re not as helpless as you think,” Lin Zhi’en said gently. “You’re so beautiful and you know how to train dogs. If you think things through, you’ll be able to take control.”
The two of us were by the window, while Ye Fenglin and Xie Yong were on the other side.
Lin Zhi'en's voice was very low, and I think they didn't hear what she was saying at all. Of course, I understood what she wanted to tell me.
I am not an innocent and naive girl. I understand the attraction of my appearance to men, and I know that a little coquetry and soft-spokenness can make the men around me compromise with me.
Say a few nice words, act weak, and pretend to like him; I can easily get what I want.
But……
"Alright, afternoon tea is all ready. I'm a little hungry." Lin Zhi'en smiled gently, her expression radiating tenderness and understanding. "You can think about it while you eat. It's a bit difficult for you to figure this out right now."
"Ji-eun, why are you so good to me?" I couldn't help but ask.
I always thought I was quite good at understanding other people's psychology. Even Xie Yong, who was very good at hiding his emotions, could be guessed from his facial expressions and body language.
However, Lim Ji-eun is completely different.
Her perfection is from head to toe; I have never seen such a beautiful and powerful girl.
It's clear that she has a good relationship with Ye Fenglin and Xie Yong. I vaguely remember that they grew up together as childhood sweethearts.
Jiang Zhao's mother also liked her very much, otherwise she wouldn't have told her about Jiang Mingzhuo's injury.
Even without me, her life would have continued in the same orderly fashion, and she would still be a flawless socialite.
But I suddenly appeared in her world... In fact, it could be said that almost every man around her has some connection with me. Even if I didn't do it on purpose, I still felt a guilty feeling of "stealing something" when I was with her.
Lin Zhi'en never minded.
No, she didn't seem to care about anything. She was calm and indifferent, and I couldn't tell what she was really thinking at all.
A touch of warmth suddenly came close to my cheek.
Lin Zhi'en gently brushed my hair aside, and with a light pink Miu-style hair clip that she seemed to have come from nowhere, she tucked the stray hairs behind my ear and touched my face. "Does this need a reason? Maybe I'm like Xie Yong, I fell in love with you at first sight."
"Huh?" My face flushed slightly.
Lin Zhi'en pursed her lips, but a smile leaked from her eyes. "Xiao Fu, you're so cute. I really want to take you home and be with you every day."
The same assertive remarks, coming from such a beautiful and elegant girl, actually made me feel less disgusted.
Lin Zhien and I were delayed for a long time.
The apartment manager has already prepared a beautiful three-tiered gold dessert stand.
Besides scones, there was a full range of desserts and savory dishes. The tea set and pastry plates on the tea table were clearly antiques, expensive, exquisite and beautiful.
Ye Fenglin and Xie Yong were very gentlemanly. While Lin Zhien and I were chatting, they waited for us the whole time. Even when we walked side by side, they didn't take the initiative to ask us what we were talking about.
"Ji-en, when is your family's charity banquet?" Ye Fenglin asked, raising his glass.
Lin Zhi'en smiled at him, then slowly turned to Xie Yong: "You'll have to ask Brother Xie Yong. My mother kept postponing her election for Uncle Xie because of him. She really hoped the mayor could also attend."
“That makes sense, Brother Yong?” Ye Fenglin raised an eyebrow.
Both of their gazes fell on Xie Yong. It was clear that their stable triangular relationship was actually led by Xie Yong, while Lin and Ye's family backgrounds were slightly inferior.
Xie Yong slowly raised his eyes to look at me, then smiled silently: "It should be at the end of this month, my parents will go as usual."
"Are you planning to introduce Xiao Fu to your uncle and aunt?" Lin Zhi'en noticed Xie Yong's gaze. "Xiao Fu should be the first girlfriend you bring home."
Ye Fenglin couldn't help but curl his lips, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes, gone in an instant. "It all depends on whether they like Brother Yong and Sister-in-law together."
I became aware once again of the stark class contrast between us.
Even Lin Zhi'en, who is always gentle and patient with me, is still a person in a superior position at heart. Her other qualities are very gentle and beautiful, but the sense of superiority she has had since childhood is something that can never be erased.
They might just be offering Xie Yong advice.
How can I bring my "first love" home?
But from this natural conversation, I seem to have been able to glimpse Xie Yong's parents' attitude.
The dessert in my hand had lost its flavor, and I just ate it slowly. I don't usually like to talk much, and I'm even less likely to make small talk in situations like this. It took me half an hour to eat a small mousse cake.
Perhaps Xie Yong sensed that I was in a bad mood.
On the way to the hospital, he looked at me sitting in the passenger seat and took my hand. "Are you scared? Actually, they don't have any requirements for my girlfriend. As long as I like her, that's enough."
"Um……"
Xie Yong smiled at me, and I figured my hesitant expression had probably caused him to misunderstand.
On the way, I was extremely bored and couldn't help but turn my head to look at the scenery outside the window. Winter in the Empire State always seemed gray and gloomy, which also cast a heavy shadow on the buildings on both sides of the street.
Suddenly, I saw the vehicles parked in front of the hospital.
The moment I saw the license plate number, I froze in my chair.
It was the person who followed me to Lu Qixi's apartment that day.
Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, I clearly remember the car's model and license plate number. My chest heaved uncontrollably, and my face turned pale instantly.
I know someone is following me and observing me for a long time.
Although I can't get a definite answer, I seem to be able to connect all the clues, but I just don't understand why they are monitoring me.
Seeing that my lips were unconsciously biting white, Xie Yong suddenly stopped the car and raised his hand to stroke my face. "What's wrong?"
"It seems like someone is following me." I looked at Xie Yong, my rationality returning slightly, and said somewhat nervously, "I recognize that car outside the hospital just now."
Xie Yong's expression showed a subtle moment of surprise, but quickly, his eyes remained calm. "Don't be afraid, maybe you're just too nervous, Xiao Fu."
I understood immediately.
He might be one of them, and I felt a chill run down my spine from fear.
My brain controlled my stiff body, trying to keep myself natural. I nodded to Xie Yong, who drove the car to the underground parking lot and then approached me. My eyelashes fluttered, and he seemed to smile in my ear, exuding an air of nobility and confidence that permeated his very being.
"This is the last time I'm saying goodbye to Jiang Mingzhuo, right?"
I bit my lip, understanding his intention in coming with me, but my purpose was simply to see if Lu Qixi was actually placed by my side. Since it had been confirmed that Xie Yong was also involved in this matter, I didn't want to be too nervous and let him see through my act, so I just lowered my head as if it were normal.
Xie Yong took my actions as consent.
He and I went to the VIP ward floor.
Lin Zhi'en and Ye Fenglin waited for a while. Ye Fenglin lazily put his arms in his pockets and looked at Xie Yong, "Brother Yong, Jiang Mingzhuo still hasn't woken up. It's been two weeks. Just how badly is he injured?"
Xie Yong's expression was inscrutable. He curled his lips into a smile, his gaze calm, and his tone composed: "He won't wake up."
Lin Zhi'en: "..."
I slowly raised my head and saw the darkness and secrets in Xie Yong's eyes, as well as his unwavering confidence.
I looked at Jiang Mingzhuo, who was still unconscious and surrounded by expensive medical equipment.
The man on the hospital bed was as quiet as if he were asleep. He had long eyelashes, fair skin, and exquisite features.
Some of it doesn't seem very real.
Just two weeks ago, he was by my side.
The last time we met, he gave me a pair of exceptionally beautiful antique earrings and told me that he would pick me up from get off work.
Jiang Mingzhuo appears gentle and elegant, but inside he seems to harbor a powerful and dangerous madness.
I'm not worried about Jiang Mingzhuo, but I don't think he would have an accident so "easily," or even not wake up.
In a daze, I seemed to see Jiang Mingzhuo slowly open his eyes. His gaze was deep, and his pupils were dark. He slowly turned his head and looked at me.
Jiang Mingzhuo maintained a smile, revealing a dark and eerie undercurrent within. I was so frightened that I took a step back and even subconsciously closed my eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, all I could see was the faint beeping of the instrument next to him used to measure his heartbeat, which stirred my already tense nerves in the exceptionally quiet environment.
It took me a while to blink, but my eyes were already blocked by the man's outstretched hand.
"Don't look at him. He's in a terrible state right now. It'll scare you." Ye Fenglin lowered his voice. "Let's go. A hospital like this will only remind me of bad things."
I looked at Lin Zhi'en and Xie Yong again. They seemed to have no feeling at all about the scene when Jiang Mingzhuo woke up, as if it was all my hallucination.
As I was leaving, I couldn't help but look back one last time.
The corridor remained so quiet that even breathing could be heard clearly, as if Jiang Mingzhuo had been left there alone.
That evening, Xie Yong's father called him, his tone somewhat stern, and ordered him to go home.
He told me to stay in the apartment and not wander off. When I went out, I was the only one left in the huge penthouse apartment, along with a little dog sleeping soundly downstairs. The bedroom was quiet, without a sound. I lay on the bed, closed my eyes, and soon woke up with a start.
A strong sense of unease enveloped me.
The entire bedroom was pitch black, except for an orange floor lamp that lit up the corner. I felt a strong sense of being watched, so I quickly got out of bed, left the bedroom, and went to the room outside the suite.
To my surprise, I saw a man sitting on the other side of the sofa!
As if sensing my gaze, the man slowly raised his head. His face was undeniably handsome and perfect, yet under the dim light, it was exceptionally frightening. When I saw him, my heart skipped a beat, and I thought I was still dreaming.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Have you been with Xie Yong for too long and forgotten about me?"
Jiang Mingzhuo looked up at me. His eyelashes were long, and the shadows cast by them made his face extremely attractive, but all I wanted to do was scream.
“Jiang Mingzhuo…” I think I must be dreaming.
This is the most secure and most expensive private apartment in the entire East District; Jiang Mingzhuo has no chance of getting in.
I turned around, but Jiang Mingzhuo's steps were unhurried as he approached me. He pushed me down onto the huge bed. I struggled to escape and even screamed loudly. Jiang Mingzhuo raised his hand and restrained me. A deeper, more elegant smile appeared on his lips as his face drew closer to mine.
"I didn't do anything, why are you crying? Are you unhappy because you saw me in your dream?"
"No, it's not a dream..." I struggled to grab his wrist.
He gave a cold laugh, his voice chilling: "You're dreaming. I should be lying in a hospital bed, waiting for you to visit me and take care of me every day, instead of watching you with Xie Yong. Even this time you see me is the last time."
My face turned pale instantly. I looked at Jiang Mingzhuo, whose smile deepened. "I shouldn't have left you out for so long. I should have locked you up the day you regained consciousness, right?"
Jiang Mingzhuo's movements weren't actually that big, but my body couldn't stop trembling. Seeing this, Jiang Mingzhuo picked me up and chuckled, "You haven't seen Xie Yong's room yet, have you? I'll show you."
He kicked open the dressing room door and looked at the men's and women's clothes inside. On the other side of the dressing room was a large, bright dressing mirror. Jiang Mingzhuo was holding me and looked at the mirror. I saw that he still had a bandage on his neck, which made my hair stand on end.
"You, you're awake?"
He casually fiddled with the strawberry cup, looking in the mirror, seemingly quite pleased with how he was playing with it. "Do you wish I would never wake up?"
He pressed me against the mirror, and I breathed softly, but his tone held an ambiguous smile: "I didn't want to wake up, I wanted to see if you would come to the hospital to be with me every day, just like you did when he had the accident, but you only went once, didn't you? You've completely forgotten me, maybe you wish I would never wake up in this lifetime."
I can no longer tell whether he actually broke in or if it was just a dream.
Jiang Mingzhuo hugged me again and made me sit on the cabinet that Xie Yong used to collect watches. He gently called my name, "Xiao Fu, starting tomorrow, you have to come see me every day."
"..."
He said softly, "Did you think that once I left the apartment and came to Xie Yong's place, I wouldn't be able to catch you anymore?"
Jiang Mingzhuo's smile at me surprised me, but also frightened me.
"Why are you spying on me?"
"I'm protecting you," Jiang Mingzhuo's controlling nature, hidden beneath his gentle words, only terrified me. His cold malice was chilling. "If it weren't for me, you would have been eaten by someone countless times already."
"How did you know where I was..." My breath caught in my throat, and I stared at Jiang Mingzhuo in disbelief.
"Even if you discover Lu Qixi and realize something's wrong with the apartment... so what, Xiao Fu? I'll always find a way to catch you."
He laid bare the bloody truth, revealing his superior appearance, elegant and melodious voice, and the infatuation and possessiveness in his eyes as he looked at me. All of this made me tremble with fear. I didn't care that he was kissing me greedily against my neck. If I could, I wish I could just faint right now.
Both legs lost all strength.
I collapsed onto the carpet in the walk-in closet and looked up at him.
“No matter what I do, you’ll still be afraid of me.” Jiang Mingzhuo grabbed my chin. “I really hate that look on your face. I want to create a drug… preferably one that will make you fall completely in love with me and forget everyone else. Xiao Fu, you know what? The way you look when you cry because you’re afraid of me is so beautiful. It excites me even more.”
I didn't move, and he wouldn't move either. In the end, all I could hear was Jiang Mingzhuo's sigh.
"I hope you regain your memory, or... I'll die completely, and we can start over. Go to the hospital to see me until I wake up..."
Suddenly, I reached out and grabbed Jiang Mingzhuo by the neck!
My wound, not yet fully healed, was gushing blood. Jiang Mingzhuo smiled as he gently stroked the wound, then tenderly wiped away the blood that had stained my fingers and cheeks. With a soft sigh, he kissed me again, still wet with blood…
"I'll give you whatever you want. If you have someone you want to kill, I'll kill them for you. But if one day you want to kill me, I'll end my life completely and give it to you..."
-
It was late at night, already 2 a.m.
Outside the apartment building in the West End, a Cullinan sat quietly and silently by the roadside. The interior seemed to be filled with a thick, silent darkness, and the entire street was excessively eerie, shrouded in darkness and shockingly black.
The man inside the car had a high-bridged nose and thin, slightly pursed lips. The occasional sparks from the lighter fell into his dark eyes, giving him an innate air of nobility and arrogance. He held an extremely thin cigarette in his hand, and his well-tailored suit accentuated his broad and sturdy shoulders, while his trousers hugged his long, straight legs.
He exudes an aura of supreme superiority, cold, powerful, and unapproachable.
"..." The car door opened.
The man in the dark black trench coat sat in the back.
"You've forgotten, we can't hurt her anymore," Jiang Zhao said coldly.
Jiang Mingzhuo removed the blood-stained bandage, where dark blue marks from pinching were visible. Even in her dreams, she loathed and hated him.
“I just reminded her to visit me at the hospital occasionally. After all, I’ve been waiting for half a month, and she hasn’t come even once.” Jiang Mingzhuo behind her curled his lips, but there was no warmth in the curve of his lips. “Maybe we were all wrong. It’s not bad to let her regain her memory. At least it’s much better than now. I would rather she suffer by my side than see her completely forget me and hang out with Xie Yong.”
Jiang Mingzhuo's lips slowly curled up, as if he were coldly squeezing out a few words from between his teeth, "Why not force her to regain her memory? Anyway, it always ends at this time. At worst, we can lock her up in advance next time, so she won't see anyone and will only fall in love with me."
Jiang Mingzhuo's words had been silent for a long time, and Jiang Zhao did not respond at all.
Is he giving up?
Jiang Mingzhuo looked at Jiang Zhao with suspicion. In his opinion, his older brother was not someone who would give up so easily.
But the last time Jiang Fu jumped off the building in front of the two of them, even after she didn't die from the fall, she still struggled to crawl to the center of the garden, took the scissors and stabbed herself in the throat, dying with her eyes wide open, causing Jiang Mingzhuo and Jiang Zhao immense pain.
She really disliked them and hated them.
If he could, Jiang Mingzhuo would surely know that the best way to love her is to set her free.
It would be best to disappear from her world.
This is what Jiang Mingzhuo was thinking at the moment the car accident happened.
Even if I die, I might leave a beautiful, albeit incomplete, impression in her heart. Decades later, she might still remember my radiant appearance, as if I were her first love.
But it's simply impossible.
Aside from Jiang Fu, Jiang Mingzhuo had no reason to live. This twisted emotion made him unable to watch her with other men with a clear conscience even in death. Their only ending was death together.
Or perhaps she went first.
He then committed suicide.
Love is inherently crazy, haha.
"How does the medicine feel?" Jiang Zhao finally asked.
Jiang Mingzhuo curled his lips into a smile.
He knew it.
How could a man who shares the same blood as you give up so easily?
With his slender fingers pressed against his lips, Jiang Mingzhuo smiled and said, "I think Xie Yong would love to try what it's like to fall asleep and never wake up again."
Jiang Zhao silently curled his lips into a smile.
-
-
Sunlight peeked through the gaps in the thick, blackout curtains and slowly fell upon me. Like a horror movie finally ending, I wearily opened my eyes and found myself sleeping in an empty bedroom.
There was no blood, nor was there Jiang Mingzhuo's eerie laugh. I heard a slight noise downstairs, my body tensed, and I quickly shrank into the blankets.
The footsteps outside the door quickly stopped, and the other person knocked on the door. "Miss Jiang, are you awake?"
Is this the housekeeper specially assigned to this apartment? I was stunned, my body stiffened for a moment, and it took me a long time to speak, "Yes, you can come in now."
The woman pushed open the door and bowed slightly to me. "You should go down for breakfast now. We prepared breakfast for you as instructed by Young Master Xie."
"Thank you." Then something occurred to me. "Excuse me, did anyone come in last night?"
The woman frowned slightly upon hearing this. "Miss Jiang, our apartment has the best security system, guard patrols, and protection in the Empire State. The surveillance footage from the public areas last night did not show any suspicious persons."
Was it a dream? I shook my head with difficulty, washed up, and went into the dressing room.
Everything remains the same.
My heart slowly calmed down. Perhaps it was because I visited Jiang Mingzhuo in the hospital yesterday that I started having nightmares again. I remembered last night when the man's neck was bleeding, yet he still tried to get close to me, stroking my skin with his blood-soaked hand. The dark, viscous obsession and lust in his eyes sent chills down my spine, almost suffocating me.
After changing into a simple and comfortable outfit, I went downstairs.
The puppy was lying on the carpet, its fluffy fur still being groomed by the butlers. It seemed a little sleepy, yawning listlessly.
I smiled and went over to play with it for a while before returning to the dining table to eat. I planned to go to the school's art studio today to finish that painting... I remembered the two unopened ballet tickets in my bag. As a reward, I wanted to invite Yu Xu to watch the ballet starring Lin Zhi'en with me.
When I arrived at school, it was already past 10 a.m. Many students had already prepared their artwork, so there weren't many people there.
I bought a cup of black coffee, casually clipped my hair back with a shark clip, and focused on preparing the painting themed around Rose Manor.
Time moved slowly by, and as I continued painting, fewer and fewer people remained around me.
As the colors deepened, I put more effort into mixing them to complete the incredibly beautiful garden from my dream. Originally, I wanted to use a dark sky as the background to make the whole painting more oppressive and painful, but when I thought that Yu Xu might see this painting in the future, my colors gradually faded.
The sky was bright, clear, and pure.
Various light-colored roses bloomed gracefully in the garden.
In that narrow corridor, surrounded by greenery and bouquets of flowers, a pretty girl in a pink dress was being led by her parents by the hand.
"Xiao Fu, Xiao Fu, there are police officers."
"ah?"
I heard a sound, as if waking from a dream.
My classmate couldn't hold back any longer and whispered in my ear, "These people just arrived. I heard it's related to fraud..."
I quickly looked at the men in front of me. Unlike the police officers I usually encountered, they were dressed in suits, with stern faces, and looked young and promising. One of the men saw my panicked look and slightly changed his serious expression.
"Ms. Jiang, please don't be nervous. We are just conducting a routine investigation. May I ask if Jiang Shu is your mother?"
Hearing this, I was somewhat surprised and nodded.
The men exchanged glances, and it was the same man who spoke first, inviting me to the corridor outside the art gallery.
He took out his federal investigator badge, showed it to me, and explained, “Your mother, Jiang Shu, is suspected of defrauding Taiguang Group in your name. The prosecutor in Imperial State will charge her with 13 counts, including fraud and forgery. Because we are unsure whether she used your bank card with your authorization to fraudulently obtain unemployment benefits… So, please come with us to the Imperial State Police Department.”
"No, how could this happen?" I was trembling all over, and I couldn't believe that such a thing could happen to me.
"Miss Jiang, please cooperate with our work," the man said coldly.
I bit my lip.
Imperial State Police Department.
I sat in my office as the policewoman kindly handed me a steaming glass of orange juice. I felt uneasy, but more than that, I was panicked. The criminal charges and the civil damages left me bewildered; I didn't even know what had happened...
"Hello, Ms. Jiang, your lawyer has arrived." Another officer opened the door and said politely, "Your lawyer will accompany you for questioning."
I slowly raised my head.
A tall man in a grey rat-tail coat and a well-tailored suit exuded an air of sophistication.
He walked into the room, glanced around, and then sat down opposite me, his demeanor composed and reserved.
“Fu Yue, your lawyer.” The man raised his eyebrows slightly and extended his hand toward me.
I hesitated, then raised my hand. Before my hand could even touch the man's palm, he quickly withdrew it. He glanced at his watch and said in a cold voice, "In a little while, FBI agents and the prosecutor in charge of this case from the Imperial State Attorney's Office will talk to you. Let's save some time. Tell me first, what is your relationship with Jiang Shu? When was the last time you met?"
“Her? She’s my mother, but we haven’t seen each other in a long time. The last time was…” A thin layer of sweat beaded on my forehead as I tried to recall, “About a month ago, she said her husband had an accident and asked me to lend her money, but I didn’t have any at the time, so I refused her.”
"Did you know that she borrowed money from the CEO of Taiguang Group?"
The man in the suit in front of me spoke calmly. He looked at me and, seeing that I didn't answer for a long time, impatiently tapped his long, slender fingers on the table. "Ms. Jiang, to tell you the truth, Mayor Xie has entrusted me to be your agent. Don't hide anything from me. Only in this way can I guarantee that you will get out of this case unscathed."
“You should know that I am the top defense attorney in the Empire State, and that is Mayor Xie’s purpose.”
"He doesn't want his son to date a woman facing fraud charges. He hopes you'll be sensible and break up with Mr. Xie on your own initiative."
[Author's Note]
Sorry for keeping you all waiting. I rushed through the 10,000-word chapter to speed things up, because I was afraid I'd lose momentum, so I finished it all in one go. From now on, I'll try my best to maintain a pace of 10,000 words per chapter (but correspondingly, updates may be changed to every other day, because I feel that when I'm rushing to update daily, it's easy for my writing to become disjointed and the plot to be rather weak).
The last 6000 words will be updated after everyone has purchased the subscription. Is this still a bonus chapter after the delay?
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