Her words had hit the nail on the head.
An Xiaoning would never stoop to making a deal with her. Otherwise, how would she be any different from Chi Rui’er?
“I know it myself even if you don’t tell me. I may not be as powerful or enjoy as much authority as the Xu family, but I highly doubt they’d bother standing up for you if I were to kill your mother. After all, you and Xu Youran aren’t actually close friends, are you?” An Xiaoning retorted.
“It’s good that you know who the culprit is, you don’t have to find out from me then. Your guess is right. I’m merely a puppet of hers, though, and I’d like to break free too,” said Chi Rui’er.
An Xiaoning knew what her words meant.
“Are you genuinely in love with Uncle?”
“I already said, I’m only a puppet. I have standards when it comes to men.”
An Xiaoning stared at her and said, “You’d better watch out, you’re on your own.”
After the three left, Mrs. Chi closed the door and hurriedly rushed inside Chi Rui’er’s room.
“What were they here for?”
“Nothing much. Mother, pack your belongings. I’ll take you to live in the place I buried Xu Jingwen tomorrow morning.”
“Why do I have to go there?” Mrs. Chi asked in puzzlement.
After a moment of silence, Chi Rui’er answered, “Just stay there temporarily for a short while. I intend to buy a house overseas. We’ll move abroad after some time. Let’s go somewhere no one can find us and never come back.”
“Aren’t we getting on well now?”
“Mother, I killed someone. If we don’t go somewhere no one can find us, it’s only a matter of time before I get arrested.”
Mrs. Chi conceded, “Alright, I’ll go along with your plan. It’s your call. I’ll go pack my belongings now.”
Chi Rui’er let out a long sigh and stared out of the window blankly, plagued with woes of life.
—
Upon returning home, An Xiaoning removed her makeup and washed her face before sitting on the bed to talk to Jin Qingyan.
“From what Chi Rui’er said, I’m very certain that the mastermind is Xu Youran. Actually, it’s pretty obvious that she’s the one behind it. Chi Rui’er clearly doesn’t possess the capability to come up with such a plot and expose the matter widely across so many media platforms. Chi Rui’er claimed that she was just a puppet, and I have a feeling that Xu Youran was the one who saved Chi Rui’er from being arrested for murdering Xu Jingwen. That’s why…” An Xiaoning concluded.
“But the results of the investigation show that Xu Youran has no feud or relation with our family. Why would she want to do that?”
“People are intelligent these days. Given the Xu family’s wealth and status, how hard could it be to fabricate an identity and claim that she had grown up overseas? I was just wondering why she looked so familiar. Don’t you think she resembles you a little?” An Xiaoning prompted.
“Me?” asked Jin Qingyan, who was rather stunned by her remark.
“Yes. Oh, why don’t you just bring that group photo of you guys when you were children to a studio and get a sketch of the predicted appearance of her older self based on the photo? Wouldn’t everything be clearer then?”
“Oh right. Why didn’t I think of that?” Jin Qingyan exclaimed agitatedly.
“If the simulation proves that it’s not Xu Youran, then all the better. You may use the simulated sketch to continue looking for your half-sister whom you’ve been feeling guilty towards.”
Jin Qingyan hugged her tightly and said, “Indeed. Xiaoning, you’ve really enlightened me.”
He then hurriedly got out of bed and rushed to the study to get the photograph.
After scrutinizing the photograph while in bed, they realized that Jin Qingyan’s half-sister does look a little like Xu Youran, though there was not a clear or distinct resemblance.
“Now that I look at it, she really looks like your half-sister. I believe her motive for doing that to your father may be to seek revenge. Besides that, it will not only be your father who’ll be her target, she will also try and get back at your mother.”
Jin Qingyan found that An Xiaoning’s conclusion did make a lot of sense. “I’ll bring the photo to an artist tomorrow and get him to come up with the sketch. If there’s indeed a close resemblance, I’ll then retrieve her hair samples to run a DNA test. The truth will be out by then.”
Pursing her lips, An Xiaoning said, “Don’t you find that most of your anger has dissipated after we broke everything down?”
Jin Qingyan gave her a kiss and said, “All thanks to your brilliant idea. You’re indeed the clever and virtuous wife I need.”
Looking at him with her arms folded, An Xiaoning asked, “What are Chi Rui’er’s birth characters?”
“1st of January XXXX, four o’clock in the morning.”
“You actually still remember so clearly?”
“Don’t be mistaken, it just left a strong impression in my mind,” Jin Qingyan frantically explained.
“I’m joking. Do I seem like such a petty person? Her health is going to deteriorate constantly, perhaps because she has done too much evil,” An Xiaoning said casually while laying flat on her back and staring at the ceiling above.
“What will be the cause of her death?”
“Skull fracture.”
“A skull fracture? That usually happens due to a head injury,” Jin Qingyan asked.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“May I ask when she’s going to die?”
“She will die when her time comes,” said An Xiaoning, unwilling to disclose the answer.
Jin Qingyan laid atop her and asked, “Why do I feel like you sound a tad bit too serious?”
“I just feel that life is short and one may only die without regrets if he or she doesn’t live life in vain and instead occupies their time by doing things they find meaningful.”
“I’ll let you live with no regrets tonight, alright?” he teased with an evil smirk.
“Again?”
“Yes, again.”
“If you die from excessive ejaculation, I’d be too embarrassed to say that I was the cause of your death, should others ask about it.”
“Don’t be. What’s there to be embarrassed about? You should feel glorious and proud that a man died for you. Think about it, how few women can achieve such an amazing feat?” Jin Qingyan joked with a laugh.
“That’s enough. Get to work if you want to. Why do you have so much rubbish to say?”
“Okay, I’ll get to… doing you right away.”
“…”
The day after, Mr. Jin was admitted to the hospital in the middle of the night due to being severely agitated by the scandalous news that were spreading like wildfire. Jin Qingyan hurriedly called for an urgent press conference to address the situation.
During the press conference, the reporters and journalists rapidly bombarded him with crude and straightforward questions, such as,
“Mr. Jin, your father’s face can be seen clearly in the photographs, yet you’re still so insistent on denying it. Are you trying to pull public relations yourself?”
“I’m sorry, but there are many people who look alike out there. We’ve already verified that the photos are merely a hoax and have been retouched and photoshopped,” Jin Qingyan answered with a straight face, remaining unfazed.
Another reporter then asked again, “Mr. Jin, may I then ask if the senior Mr. Jin has been admitted to the hospital because of an overwhelming shock or because of other reasons?”
Keeping his eyes fixed on that reporter, Jin Qingyan answered, “My father is getting on in his years, he can’t deal with such absurd and sudden accusations. Touch your hearts and ask yourself, is it really appropriate of you guys to treat an elderly man by sparking rumors and spreading false news before even finding out the truth?”
“…”
Jin Qingyan answered every question posed to him during the interviews at the press conference, regardless of how crafty and crude they may be.
The press conference soon ended. Jin Qingyan, too, believed that the matter would blow over very soon.
He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.
At the same time that he heaved a sigh of relief, someone else was extremely furious and displeased after watching the press conference.
It was none other than Xu Youran. “I thought the Jin Corporation stocks would take a tremendous plunge in the market today. I can’t believe it didn’t happen. How disappointing,” she scorned.
