Chapter 444 Better to Die Than to Lose
Bo Siye's purpose has become fully apparent; his ultimate target is still Han Xi.
Shen Jiheng had only one request.
"Han Xi, you just need to remember, no matter what he uses to threaten you, you must not compromise, understand?"
If it involved her own affairs, Han Xi would fight to the bitter end, but now that the situation has changed, she is wavering.
Seeing that she didn't answer, Shen Jiheng guessed what she was thinking, grabbed her hand and said sternly, "I need you to agree to me now, do you hear me?"
Han Xi gently pulled his hand away and said heavily, "Ji Heng, you know me. I can't let anything happen to Qianqian, and I don't want Assistant Qin to get into trouble because of us."
Hatred flashed in Shen Jiheng's dark eyes. His repeated concessions only resulted in the other party becoming more and more aggressive.
He didn't want to put Madam Shen and the others in a difficult position, so he was willing to let go of his hatred as a way of repaying their kindness in raising him.
But Bo Siye had already gone this far, and his murderous intent resurfaced.
"Rather than make you compromise, I'd rather just get rid of him."
Han Xi knew he was serious and said in a panic, "No, if you do that, your aunt and grandmother won't forgive you, and the Shen family won't let you off either."
Shen Jiheng replied firmly, "Since you know this, then remember what I said: I would rather die with him than let you make a sacrifice."
Forcing Han Xi to submit to him is no different from killing Shen Jiheng. If it really comes to that, he might as well go down in flames and let no one survive.
Han Xi was startled by his actions and shook her head repeatedly.
"Ji Heng, please don't have such thoughts. I understand. I will remember your words and will never obey him."
"Just remember that. I know Miss Zhuo's problem is difficult. Leave it to me to figure out a solution. As for Qin Chuan, I believe he thinks the same way I do. If he knew that you sacrificed yourself to save him, he would choose to die."
Han Xi was deeply moved by these words; his reaction must have been frightened by what he had just heard.
She stepped forward and hugged Shen Jiheng, leaning against him and saying, "I'm sorry, I was too impatient."
“I understand how you feel. Your best friends would be worried in this situation, but you also need to understand that they would never let you do this.”
"I understand, I understand everything."
Shen Jiheng would protect her with his life, and Zhuo Qingqian would also be willing to give everything for her; no one would be willing to let her get hurt.
During the conversation, Shen Jiheng's phone rang again, and Han Xi gestured for him to answer it quickly.
Shen Jiheng answered the phone; it was the detective he had sent out to find Qin Chuan who had provided him with intelligence.
Han Xi didn't hear very clearly, but judging from Shen Jiheng's serious expression, she knew that the matter was very serious.
Shen Jiheng put down the phone and fell into deep thought. Han Xi stayed beside him without making a sound, afraid of disturbing his thoughts.
After a moment, he came to his senses and looked at Han Xi solemnly, saying, "Someone found a body in a ditch on the outskirts of the city. The physical characteristics are similar to Qin Chuan's. The police have arrived and are conducting an on-site investigation."
Han Xi stared in astonishment, her eyes wide, and said in a panic, "How could this be? Has he already been murdered?"
Shen Jiheng shook his head heavily and pulled her along, saying, "Perhaps it's just a coincidence. Let's go over and check the situation. Director Wu is over there too."
Feeling Shen Jiheng's palms sweating, Han Xi could tell that he was even more anxious than she was.
Qin Chuan was already a brother to him, a family member, and an indispensable and capable helper.
He would never have peace of mind for the rest of his life if he lost his life because of their struggle.
Despite this, he was still trying to calm himself down, but the one who was truly afraid was him.
After getting into the car, Shen Jiheng's phone rang one after another. He had arranged for multiple people to investigate Qin Chuan's whereabouts, which showed how much he cared about this matter.
But the fact that this news was always reported to him only reinforced the cruel reality.
Han Xi saw that he slowed down the pace of hanging up the phone, and she knew he must be suffering greatly inside.
Before she could offer any words of comfort, Shen Jiheng calmly said, "It wouldn't be him. Bo Siye hasn't achieved his goal yet, so it's impossible for him to make a move against him."
It's good that he can keep this mindset, and Han Xi doesn't want to discourage him, so she nods.
“You’re right. Assistant Qin is such a clever person, he definitely knows how to handle these things. He’s still waiting for us to rescue him.”
That being said, they are now at the crime scene to identify the body.
Both of them knew the truth, but they were just using this method to comfort each other.
The rest of the journey was quiet in the car. Shen Jiheng needed to calmly think about many things, and Han Xi gave him this space.
Half an hour later, the car exited the highway and traveled two more miles to reach the scene of the crime.
The scene has been cordoned off, and police are still investigating inside.
Shen Jiheng spotted Director Wu in the crowd and raised his hand to greet him.
Director Wu nodded, signaling the guards to let them in.
The ground was uneven and potholed as Shen Jiheng led Han Xi by the hand.
Director Wu approached the two men with a briefcase in hand and said gravely, "We found this briefcase next to the deceased, and inside was a wallet... it belonged to Assistant Qin."
Director Wu frequently dealt with Qin Chuan, so he was naturally aware of his situation.
Shen Jiheng recognized the briefcase; he had bought it abroad years ago as a reward for Qin Chuan, and Qin Chuan's initials were engraved on the back of the bag.
"Where's the body? Has it been confirmed that it's him?"
Director Wu said with a headache, "The body is unrecognizable and cannot be identified. The forensic doctor has taken it back for examination, and the identity will be announced later."
Han Xi asked, "What about the cause of death? Has it been determined yet?"
Director Wu gave a conservative explanation: "There were several obvious stab wounds on the body, but none of them were fatal. The preliminary judgment is that he drowned. Further examination is needed to determine the specific cause. All his valuables were stolen. This area is indeed not safe. It looks like he was robbed."
Shen Jiheng said, "If it were Assistant Qin, he wouldn't be in a place like this. He could only have been murdered in a staged manner."
Han Xi patted his back, "It might not be Assistant Qin. Let's wait for the forensic doctor's reply."
For some reason, Han Xi had a premonition that this person was not Qin Chuan, but someone deliberately using this method to scare them.
To do something so cruel just to scare them—that person is worse than an animal.
"Yes, based on the current situation, only height, body type, and physical evidence at the scene are related to Assistant Qin."
But this is enough to prove that everyone was just clinging to the last shred of hope.
With the situation at the scene mostly resolved, Director Wu took the two men back to the police station to await further news.
Shen Jiheng inquired about some details and found that his situation was quite different from Qin Chuan's, which gave him more hope.
An hour later, the report came out, confirming that the deceased was not Qin Chuan, finally allowing everyone to relax.
Director Wu said, "We will continue to look for relevant clues from the deceased. Judging from the evidence on his body, it is at least closely related to Assistant Qin."
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