Chapter 259 - 253: The Gamble Paid Off
"I must have had a nightmare. It’s okay, don’t be scared," Jiang Li said, patting Wu Ming’s back to comfort her.
Wu Ming heard her and looked up. It was as if Jiang Li had no idea what had just happened.
Wu Ming wiped away her tears. "As long as you’re okay. You just gave me a scare."
Yu Huannian frowned as he observed Jiang Li’s condition. He remembered his mother telling him that Jiang Li had an illness. ’Is it getting worse?’
His mom had said that if this kind of illness becomes severe, it can lead to serious self-harm.
"As long as you’re okay, you should get back to sleep." Yu Huannian glanced at Wu Ming.
Wu Ming quickly guided her back down, climbing into bed to lie beside her. "Go on, get some sleep," she said, gently patting her.
When Jiang Li lay down, she felt a pain in her throat as she swallowed. But afraid of disturbing Wu Ming next to her, she just closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
Yu Huannian returned to his room. Miao Anji sat up and looked at him. "What’s wrong?"
With a heavy heart, Yu Huannian sat down. He shook his head at Miao Anji’s question; he didn’t know what was wrong, only that Jiang Li was sick.
"You’re a big shot now. Why don’t you throw some money at finding someone to research medications that could help with mental health."
Miao Anji sat up straighter at Yu Huannian’s words, his mind going to Jiang Li’s occasional strange behavior.
But...
"You’re the one with a mental illness! Your whole family has a mental illness!"
"What’s wrong with you?" Yu Huannian glared at him. "Was that what I meant? I’m asking you to find a doctor, to find medication! What the hell are you doing? You got a death wish?!"
Miao Anji scoffed and walked out. "Sleep by yourself then."
"Hah! Like I need you," Yu Huannian muttered, then pulled out his phone to ask Captain Cui for advice.
The answer he got was that mental illness is incredibly difficult to cure. Captain Cui also warned him to be vigilant, as some people act unusually cheerful right before they attempt suicide.
Yu Huannian hung up as soon as he heard that, his heart in turmoil.
Miao Anji got his own room. Once inside, he called his assistant and asked them to look into it.
The next day, Jiang Li stood at the sink, staring at the bruise-like marks on her neck in the mirror. Recalling the way Wu Ming and Yu Huannian had looked at her last night, she was so frightened she couldn’t stop shaking.
’They saw. What am I going to do?’
Jiang Li gripped the toothbrush in her hand tightly, leaning against the door, not daring to go out.
Flashes of their disgusted, averted gazes ran through her mind.
With her head throbbing, she sank to the floor, the self-loathing inside her growing stronger.
’No one wants a psycho in their family.’
"Jiang Li? Jiang Li, it’s time for breakfast."
When Jiang Li didn’t come out after a while, Wu Ming grew worried and went to knock on the door.
Hearing Wu Ming’s voice, Jiang Li scrambled to her feet. She caught a glimpse of her own pathetic, abnormal reflection in the mirror and hastily ran her fingers through her hair.
"W-Wu Ming, I’m done."
"Come on, let’s go eat. After breakfast, we’re going to the police station. Brother Huo said he has news about Lu Xingye."
Wu Ming took Jiang Li’s hand and led her out, distinctly feeling a faint resistance from her.
The moment Jiang Li heard there was news about Lu Xingye, she was afraid to go, scared of what she might find out.
"Besides, Kun Sha is still alive. If a monster like him actually gets away, then all of Lu Xingye’s and the others’ efforts will be for nothing."
As Wu Ming spoke, she watched Jiang Li’s expression. She knew Jiang Li was in this state because she was blaming herself for everything.
’All she needs is a glimmer of hope.’
Jiang Li nodded. "Right. After we eat, we’ll go to the police station."
The other three silently breathed a sigh of relief.
After breakfast, Jiang Li arrived at the police station.
"Jiang Li, don’t you worry. That kid, Xingye, is fine. We have a witness who saw him climb ashore from the river. He’s probably laid up in a hospital somewhere."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Huo Qing pulled out a blurry surveillance image for her to see. The person’s build was a match.
After seeing it, the weight on Jiang Li’s heart finally lifted. "As long as he’s okay."
’As for Kun Sha, she would wait. Wait for the day someone tried to break him out.’
"Then, Officer Huo, please let me know the moment you find him."
"Of course. That kid’s a slippery one. Too young and too clever for anything to happen to him."
Jiang Li left after a little while. For the next few days, she waited for news at the hotel.
On the day of the trial, the courthouse was heavily guarded, surrounded by layer upon layer of crowds.
Watching on TV, she saw Kun Sha’s fearless and utterly unrepentant face and couldn’t help but clench her fists.
"Being able to turn all your lives upside down made my life worth living! So it’s just death? Bring it on! BRING IT ON!"
Kun Sha shot them all a defiant look, then scanned the crowd. He didn’t see Jiang Li. ’What a pity she didn’t show up,’ he thought.
’He’d really wanted to take someone down with him. If Shao Zhenhua knew what he’d done to his wife and child, the man probably wouldn’t be able to rest in peace.’
The thought brought a wave of satisfaction to Kun Sha.
Jiang Li’s expression was grim as she watched the man on the screen. Finally, a hood was placed over Kun Sha’s head, and his death sentence was carried out, broadcast live for all to see.
She stood up, grabbed the car keys beside her, and walked outside.
’Kun Sha can’t be dead.’
"Wu Ming, Xiao Nian, I’m going out for a bit. Don’t worry about me for the next few days. Let me know if there’s news about Lu Xingye."
With that, Jiang Li rushed to her car and sped off, following a route she had scouted out over the last few days.
The moment Huo Qing and Zhou Tiancheng heard the gunshot, the weight on their shoulders finally lifted. All their hard work hadn’t been in vain; they had finally brought him to justice.
"Jiang Li told me the other day that it wouldn’t go this smoothly. But didn’t it go smoothly?
Still, it’s a shame. For him to just die like this... he got off too easy."
Huo Qing pulled out his phone to give Jiang Li the news. They hadn’t let her come today precisely because they were afraid it would be what Kun Sha wanted.
Hearing this, Zhou Tiancheng shot to his feet. "Jiang Li wouldn’t say that for no reason. A few days ago, she told us there was still a traitor in our midst.
This isn’t right. I have to go check."
As he spoke, Zhou Tiancheng strode forward to the body, supposedly Kun Sha’s, and ripped off the hood. The face underneath was that of a complete stranger.
"Damn it!" Zhou Tiancheng slammed a fist on the ground. ’Who the hell could have swapped the prisoner under these conditions!’
Huo Qing rushed over and froze when he saw the man on the ground. The person who dared to pull a stunt like this at such a crucial moment...
Huo Qing’s heart began to pound. He stared around, bewildered. ’Why is this so hard?’
’Then what was all their work for? What about their colleagues who died? What about the missing Lu Xingye?’
"Jiang Li... Don’t tell me she’s planning to chase him across the border! She’s insane!" The memory of what Jiang Li had brazenly said that day flashed through Huo Qing’s mind. He frantically pulled out his phone to call the station.
"Find Jiang Li! Right now, go!"
Zhou Tiancheng whirled around in shock at Huo Qing’s words. It would be a disaster if she crossed the border. She’d be walking straight into the lion’s den!
"That lunatic!" Zhou Tiancheng couldn’t help but curse. He knew Jiang Li was a little unhinged, but he never thought she’d be this audacious.
Jiang Li saw the car appear right where she expected. ’My gamble paid off.’