Chapter 271 - 266: Returning Home
Xiao Linfeng’s eyes met Jiang Li’s, and he looked away as if he’d received an electric shock. Her gaze seemed to strip bare all the petty thoughts in his mind.
He didn’t much care whether Yin Chuman actually liked him. It was all just a matter of convenience.
Deng Jin had Yin Chuman taken back for further interrogation.
The more Qiu Jitong thought about it, the more miserable he became. He raised his hand and gave himself two hard slaps across the face.
"It’s all my fault. If I’d known this would happen, I never would have let Yin Chuman act as the intermediary."
Qiu Jitong slumped to one side. He felt he could no longer face Geng Weiyang.
This all happened because of Yin Chuman’s jealousy and the fact that he’d given her a chance to meddle.
Jiang Li glanced at Qiu Jitong’s red, swollen cheeks and arched an eyebrow. ’They were both pushovers, easily manipulated.’
Yin Chuman’s motive was simple: to plot Geng Weiyang’s murder and take her place. But the root cause was jealousy over how good Geng Weiyang’s life was.
On the day of the incident, Yin Chuman was indeed with Xiao Linfeng. According to the diving instructor’s testimony, Geng Weiyang had gone to the bar to meet him, and the two then left for the beach through the back door.
Yin Chuman showed up in the middle of the night. She coaxed Geng Weiyang into the ocean, led her to where a cage had been placed in advance, and then pushed her inside and locked it.
"Is Geng Weiyang really that naive? Going diving late at night, and behind Qiu Jitong’s back?"
A nearby officer, looking over Yin Chuman’s confession, asked in confusion, "This is really strange. Why go diving late at night instead of during the day?"
Deng Jin reviewed the statement, his eyes fixed on Yin Chuman. "Yin Chuman, the evidence is irrefutable. Are you still not going to come clean?"
Yin Chuman glared at Deng Jin, her mood souring. "Come clean about what? I already told you, it’s not like I forced her. She agreed to go on her own."
Deng Jin frowned and picked up his phone to call a colleague at the hospital. "Has Geng Weiyang woken up?"
"Captain, she just regained consciousness. We’re waiting for the doctor to finish the examination before we go in."
Deng Jin grunted in acknowledgment. "Just ask her one question: why she went diving with Yin Chuman."
Jiang Li sat off to the side, guarding the box and waiting for news. Her hand rested on the box, her gaze distant.
"Soon. I’ll be taking you all home soon."
Hearing Jiang Li’s murmur, Deng Jin glanced over at her box.
Jiang Li rested her head on her hand, watching the drama unfold nearby. ’Kun Sha was just a rookie in the grand scheme of things. He was bullied mercilessly in his final days, ending up in a state worse than a dog’s.’
’He suffered endless torment at my hands when he was alive, and he finds no peace even in death.’
Half an hour later, the call came from the hospital. "Captain, Geng Weiyang told us why she went diving with Yin Chuman late at night."
"Yin Chuman told her that Qiu Jitong had prepared a surprise for her there."
The corner of Deng Jin’s mouth twitched. "Alright, understood."
"Jiang Li, we’re here to take you all home."
Hearing the voice, Jiang Li turned to see Yu Hongqian and Yu Zhen Guo appear in the doorway. She shot to her feet in surprise.
She never expected that Yu Hongqian and Yu Zhen Guo would come to receive her in person.
Yu Zhen Guo walked up to Jiang Li. "You’ve been through a lot, my child."
For some reason, Jiang Li felt a sting in her nose and her eyes began to moisten, but she quickly suppressed the unexpected wave of emotion.
"It was no hardship. It was my duty."
Yu Zhen Guo patted her shoulder, then turned to Yu Hongqian. "Hong Qian, you can go attend to your business."
Yu Hongqian nodded and left with several other officials.
They had been preparing for this day long before her return.
Deng Jin’s superior had also received word and rushed over to coordinate.
Over the course of the afternoon, they located the remains of the other colleagues on the outskirts of the area. They too were boxed up for the journey home.
"Let’s get going. We’ll leave the rest to the professionals," Yu Zhen Guo said to Jiang Li.
"Alright."
Hearing that Jiang Li was leaving, Qiu Jitong got up and walked over to her. "Miss Jiang, thank you."
’If it weren’t for her, Geng Weiyang would be dead.’
Jiang Li gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, then clutched the box and followed Yu Zhen Guo onto the plane.
Sitting by the window and watching the scenery pass by, Jiang Li looked down at the box in her arms. ’A hero, and my father,’ she thought. ’Too bad I have no memory of him.’
The plane touched down in City A. When the cabin door opened, she saw rows of people standing in perfect formation on the tarmac below. So many people had come.
Jiang Li froze in the doorway. She turned and tried to hand the box to Yu Hongqian, who was beside her.
Yu Hongqian almost took it, but he caught himself just in time and withdrew his hand.
"Don’t be afraid. Go on."
Her feet felt welded to the floor. Staring at the sea of people below, Jiang Li couldn’t muster the courage to descend.
’I... Can I really do this? I’ve killed people... I...’
As Jiang Li stood there, lost and uncertain, she saw Jiang Li appear beside her, reaching out a hand.
Her hesitation vanished. She straightened her spine and strode down the steps.
"Salute!"
Jiang Li clutched the box tightly, her eyes fixed solely on the figure of Jiang Li.
An officer walked up to her, saluted, and prepared to receive the box from her, but Jiang Li showed no sign of letting go.
"Can I hand them over to you after the cremation?"
’I’m afraid they’ll smell... that smell. That they’ll see the marks. I don’t want the heroes to become a topic of gossip.’
The officer turned to his superior for instructions.
"Miss Jiang, please come with me."
When they arrived at the crematorium, Jiang Li finally set the box down. "Could you give me some privacy?"
"Miss Jiang, we’re professionals. You don’t need to worry."
"I don’t trust you," Jiang Li stated firmly. "Either give me some privacy, or I’m heading back to C City."
"What’s that supposed to mean?" one of the staff members snapped, clearly annoyed by Jiang Li’s attitude. "She asks for a cremation, we agree. Now she wants us to leave? Who’s in charge here?"
"Shao Zhenhua was my father. I have the right to make decisions for him."
’Worst comes to worst, I’ll take them back and separate the remains myself.’
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
The staff member looked at Jiang Li anxiously. The remains had to be sent to the Martyrs’ Cemetery together the next day.
But Jiang Li was not in a mood to argue. She simply bent down, picked up the box again, and started walking out.
"Wait!"
The color drained from one staff member’s face. If they let her leave, their superior would have their heads.
The men exchanged a look and hurried to block Jiang Li’s path.
"Miss Jiang, please, trust us. If you’re that concerned, you can supervise in person. How does that sound?"
Jiang Li hugged the box tighter. She wasn’t willing to take that risk.
"Are you sure you want to block my way?"
"Why do you have to be like this!"
"What’s all this shouting about? What kind of behavior is this?" a voice barked as someone strode in from outside.
"Sir, it’s not our fault! This woman is being difficult—this isn’t right, that’s not acceptable. Those are heroes in there, would we dare to be disrespectful?"
"Exactly! She’s the one making a fuss."
Jiang Li’s expression turned ice-cold. ’With attitudes like this, I’m glad I didn’t agree. If they dare say such things to my face, I can’t imagine the stories they’d invent behind my back.’
Jiang Li ignored them, taking out her phone to call Yu Zhen Guo.
"Hello? Grandpa, I want to go back to C City. I don’t want to be here anymore."