Chapter 683 - 458: Meeting Jiangg Ruxue
"If I’m going to see her, should I change? To look a bit more formal."
"If you’re asking me, Boss, I don’t really have any experience with this... After all, I don’t have a mother-in-law."
"I have to say, now that the time has come, I’m actually a little nervous."
"You’ll be fine. No matter who you’re meeting or what the occasion is, just play it by ear."
"Alright, I’ll just wear this... I have to see her sooner or later. There’s no escaping it, so I might as well face it head-on," Chen Yuan said, as if trying to reassure himself.
He adjusted his posture in the car and cleared his throat.
"Let’s go now."
The driver complied.
He started the engine.
...
Before the formal legal process is complete, suspects meeting the criteria for a criminal offense are first held in a detention center. Once the case is officially filed, the investigation concluded, and all supplementary information gathered, the case is then submitted to the local court to begin the standard litigation and sentencing process.
After the verdict is delivered, the inmates in the detention center are transferred to a prison within a month.
In essence, it’s a way station that provides a buffer for the courts, the inmates, and the local law enforcement agencies.
The reality, however, is that as a transit point, the conditions in a detention center are far worse than in a prison, and the management is also relatively strict.
Staying here is much more of an ordeal than being in prison.
Some inmates even wish for a swift verdict and transfer to prison. At least then they would have a final result and could look forward to their eventual release, rather than suffering through an endless wait in the sunless detention center.
Chen Yuan arrived at a secluded spot, which was more or less the rear entrance to the detention center. He had come here following the address he was given.
Since Jiangg Ruxue’s case had not yet gone to trial, she could not be definitively classified as a financial criminal, so she was still under the control of the local law enforcement agency.
Chen Yuan didn’t have to try very hard. He pulled a few minor strings and met the criteria for a visit.
Since he had pulled strings, the process was naturally not entirely by the book, which was why he was entering through the back door.
"Alright, we’ll wait for you here." Pei Youwen glanced at the middle-aged man waiting up ahead and patted Chen Yuan’s shoulder.
"I’ll be out in half an hour, tops."
"Relax. Get this over with quickly. Business in Linzhou is waiting for you to get back and take charge."
Chen Yuan nodded, pushed the car door open, and zipped up the front of his collar.
He walked straight toward the waiting middle-aged man.
"Mr. Chen?" the man, who had a righteous air about him, asked as he approached.
"Hello, Captain Zhang. I’m not late, am I?"
"You’re right on time," Captain Zhang said flatly, glancing at the old watch on his wrist. "Follow me."
The two of them passed through a sturdy iron gate and walked across the detention center’s large courtyard.
The courtyard, paved with light-colored stone tiles, was very clean, likely having been swept just that morning. To the side were a few rest areas for the staff, and clothes, washed but not yet dry, were hanging in the yard, still dripping with water.
Chen Yuan was led into a very bare room. Other than a few stools, there was only an old table.
Captain Zhang told him to wait there for a moment.
「A few minutes later.」
"It’s time. They’re ready over there. You can go in now," Captain Zhang said, pushing the door open.
"Thank you, Captain Zhang."
"Don’t mention it."
He was led deeper into the detention center. Not far off, a heavy, solid metal door glinted silvery-white in the sunlight.
Captain Zhang stopped at the doorway.
"Mr. Chen, let me be clear with you beforehand. Even though we aren’t following official procedure, the visit still has to follow our rules. Before you go in, you must hand over all electronic devices. Watches are not allowed either. Once inside, passing letters or items is prohibited. The use of coded language, secret signals, or foreign languages is also forbidden."
"Don’t worry, Captain Zhang. I won’t make things difficult for you." Chen Yuan nodded, handing over his watch and phone, then patted his pockets to show he wasn’t carrying anything else.
"Thank you for your understanding. You can go in."
With that, Captain Zhang took out a key and unlocked the heavy metal door.
Now only a step away from meeting his prospective mother-in-law, Chen Yuan’s emotions were a complicated mess. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for a moment.
Only then did he take a step.
And cross the threshold.
He stepped into the even barer room.
The first thing he saw was a room so clean it was almost unnatural—spotless would not be an exaggeration. There were surveillance cameras in the corners, covering every angle, and a single chair sat in the very center.
The instant she heard the door open,
on the other side of the room, behind iron bars, a pale-faced woman nervously lifted her head.
And looked in his direction.
...
Chen Yuan was surprised, almost to the point of disbelief. He frowned as he looked at Jiangg Ruxue behind the iron bars.
In less than two weeks.
Her transformation was unbelievable.
It made Chen Yuan stare, a bit dazed.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Jiangg Ruxue asked in a small voice, her eyes filled with suspicion and surprise.
The cold, glamorous makeup of the past was gone. Her face was completely bare, her lips pale from poor nutrition. Her once waterfall-like long hair had been abruptly cut, hanging limply at her shoulders.
Her cuffed hands had lost their former fairness; they were rough, and there were even scabs on her fingertips.
It was amazing how much her complexion could affect her appearance.
It made her seem incredibly lackluster.
Wan, even.
Chen Yuan didn’t answer. Instead, Jiangg Ruxue studied him for a moment before suddenly recalling where she had seen this young man before.
"I’ve seen you before? In... in Lanjing, right?" She spoke weakly, her voice hoarse.
"Yes," Chen Yuan nodded. "But we should reintroduce ourselves, Madam Jiangg."
"What do you mean? Why are you the one visiting me?"
"We have time now, so let me explain. First, let me introduce myself properly. I’m the General Director of the Northern Region for the Jiang Corporation. My father is Jiang Zhengfeng. I’m currently a university student in Lanjing, and I am also your daughter’s... well, her boyfriend, more or less. I apologize for not being truthful about my identity last time, which led to a small misunderstanding, but that’s not important now. Two weeks ago, I came to Mingzhu City with Jiangg Ning, and I learned some things... let’s call it the inside story of this incident with the Meiruxue Company..."
Chen Yuan calmly explained to Jiangg Ruxue, in meticulous detail, how several companies had colluded with an investment firm to deliberately set a trap for her.
After he finished speaking, he let out a long breath.
His mouth was a little dry.
As for Jiangg Ruxue, trapped behind the iron bars, she had been stunned when Chen Yuan first introduced himself. Afterward, her expression grew complicated, shifting several times.
Finally, she clenched her fists tightly.
Upon learning the full story, her immediate reaction was, surprisingly, silence.
This was not what Chen Yuan had expected.
He had thought that, given Jiangg Ruxue’s personality, she would have burst out cursing, filled with indignation and hatred for the people who had conspired to frame her.
"I should have realized something was wrong sooner..." After a long while, Jiangg Ruxue’s gaze darkened, and she said hoarsely, "At the time, I was blinded by greed. I was gambling on a lucky break and stubbornly pushed ahead to this point..."
"The setup was indeed very meticulous." Chen Yuan had to admit that an ordinary person would not have been able to escape such a scheme.