Chapter 27 This Isn't So Simple

Zhang Lin looked at Sun Jiaojiao's intense reaction and became even more certain that things weren't so simple.

By the time the doctor came in, Sun Jiaojiao's emotions were somewhat out of control. After being given a sedative, she slowly calmed down and fell asleep.

"Senior, does this mean we can't question her today?" Xiao Xia closed her notebook.

Zhang Lin looked at Sun Jiaojiao on the bed. "The doctor didn't inject a large dose just now. I estimate she'll wake up in two or three hours. We'll wait here. We must strike while the iron is hot today and get her to tell us what she knows."

At the detention center, Wu Peng had gone to see Jia Wenjun early in the morning.

While waiting for Jia Wenjun to come out, Wu Peng rubbed his face vigorously with both hands. He didn't know how to tell her what had happened in the past two days.

Jia Wenjun was quickly brought out. She had been in a good state of mind these past few days. Seeing the hope growing, she even had a hint of a smile on her face.

But as she sat down and saw Wu Peng across from her, looking haggard with bloodshot eyes and a ring of blue stubble around his mouth, her heart inexplicably tightened.

She took a silent breath and said to Wu Peng, "Lawyer Wu, has something happened?"

Wu Peng knew that this was something he couldn't avoid, so he let out a barely audible sigh and told Jia Wenjun one by one about the new, powerful evidence the police had found and her current dire situation.

Jia Wenjun was completely stunned. This bad news was nothing short of a devastating blow to her.

She couldn't understand how, in just two short days, the road that had been looking so promising had suddenly become a dead end. Jia Wenjun's mind was buzzing, and the blood in her body seemed to have solidified.

Wu Peng told her that the police had found Zhao Di's hair on the Velcro strap of her windbreaker sleeve. She didn't know why Zhao Di's hair would be there. She was stiff as a board, her whole body rigid. Why? Why did it have to be like this?

Who put the hair on her clothes? She hadn't directly fought with Zhao Di, so there shouldn't be any of Zhao Di's hair on her. Why would these things appear on her clothes?

Could it be that the real killer was trying to frame her, so they planted it there? But she had been wearing that windbreaker all the time. When did they put it there? On the boat? Or after she took it off and left it at home?

On the boat, she was basically in a state of constant vigilance. Even when she rested, she wouldn't fall into a deep sleep. If someone approached, she couldn't possibly not know. The most likely time was when the clothes were at home.

Thinking of this, Jia Wenjun broke out in a cold sweat. Her family had been at the hospital for a while, and her mother hadn't had time to wash the clothes after taking them home. That meant the other party could very well have entered her house during that time without being discovered.

Her house had a screened-in balcony and burglar bars, so the only way in would be through the front door. If the door lock was broken, the security guards or neighbors would definitely notice. But if they got in without breaking the door, then the other party must have had a key.

Besides her parents, Jia Wenjun hadn't given her house key to anyone else. As she was thinking, she suddenly remembered that she had given Wu Peng her key when she was in the hospital, so he could retrieve her laptop.

Her face paled. Jia Wenjun stared intently at the young man in front of her, her mind trying to assess the possibility of that scenario.

Wu Peng had no idea what she was thinking. He was mentally calculating that if the public security agency issued an indictment and then handed over the evidence to the procuratorate, it would be time for the review and prosecution stage. If the evidence was conclusive, the procuratorate would issue a public prosecution and file a public lawsuit with the corresponding court. This process would take at least a month, but no more than five months.

After the court accepted the case, it would hold a trial and deliver a verdict within a month. If the defendant didn't agree with the first instance judgment and appealed, the case would enter the second instance procedure. The trial period for the second instance was also about a month. In other words, if there was no appeal, Jia Wenjun would be sentenced in about a month at the earliest.

He clenched his fist and looked at Jia Wenjun across from him. "Think again. Of the people who went on the boat with you, Gong Dalong and Zhao Di are gone. Anna and Lili have also been arrested. Sun Jiaojiao and my grandfather are still in the hospital. That leaves Lu Maowang, Bai Ma Shan, Teacher Lin, and the Hu Sisi couple. Who did you offend before? Who is most likely the mastermind behind this? Or think about it again. Is there any clue you didn't notice before?"

As Jia Wenjun's lawyer, all he could do now was try to find the mastermind with her and think about how to help her reduce her sentence.

Jia Wenjun looked at the haggard Wu Peng in front of her. If his concern for her was an act, then he could really win an award.

She didn't want to believe it was him, but she had to ask these questions.

Her voice was hoarse. "Why are you helping me so much?"

Wu Peng, who was still considering what to do next, was taken aback. He stared at her for several seconds and suddenly understood.

She suspected him because the clothes were at home, and during this time, besides her parents, the only person who had openly entered her house was him.

Wu Peng felt a moment of anger. He had been running around for her these past few days, and in the end, she suspected him. He endured it and softened his tone. "You're suspecting me?"

Jia Wenjun didn't speak. She knew that she should trust the people she used, but at this moment, her mind was in chaos. She was instinctively suspicious of everyone.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Wu Peng continued, "I did enter your house, but if I wanted to harm you, I definitely wouldn't have chosen that time. If I remember correctly, there's a camera in your living room. That camera can see the washing machine on the balcony."

Jia Wenjun paused for half a second. Her mind had been in chaos, and she had forgotten about the camera. Now that Wu Peng reminded her, she remembered.

"I'm sorry." She lowered her eyes, a sense of guilt rising in her heart.

Wu Peng took a child's electronic plastic watch from his bag and opened the case. Jia Wenjun saw a small photo inside.

It was a woman's face. At first glance, Jia Wenjun thought it was herself. Except for the hairstyle, her eyebrows, nose, and mouth all looked very similar.

Seeing her confused expression, Wu Peng said, "This is my mother. She passed away when I was young. The reason I'm helping you so much is because you look a bit like her."

Jia Wenjun didn't expect things to be like this. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood you."

Wu Peng carefully put the watch back in his bag. "It's okay. If I were you, I would be suspicious too."

Seeing the moisture in her eyes, Wu Peng couldn't continue to blame her. Putting himself in her shoes, he would also suspect everyone who had entered the house.

Jia Wenjun had spent enough time with him to know his personality. If he said he didn't blame her, then it was over.

She said with a hint of guilt and a pleading tone, "Could you please go to my house again? I want you to help me check the footage from the camera during this time."

Wu Peng sighed softly. "Before I came here this morning, I picked up Uncle Jia and Auntie after they were discharged from the hospital and checked the footage. They watched it with me. Since you came ashore, besides Auntie and Uncle Jia, I only went in once to get your laptop. Other than that, no one else has been there."

Jia Wenjun wrung her hands together, feeling completely lost.

"I don't know why Zhao Di's hair is on my clothes. I haven't seen the people who boarded the ship in the middle of the night either." Her voice was dry and slightly choked.

If it wasn't put there after she came ashore, then that meant the hair on her clothes was put there on the ship. But when she was on the ship, she had been very careful to keep her distance from the others on the ship, and the Velcro straps were always fastened. It was impossible for someone to have precisely stuck the hair on the narrow Velcro strap while passing her.

How did the hair get on her clothes?

This was the first time Wu Peng had seen Jia Wenjun so helpless since he had known her.

He couldn't help but try to comfort her. "We still have at least a month. We can try to find a breakthrough. If that doesn't work, we'll think about how to reduce your sentence. Liu will also do his best to defend you in court."

Jia Wenjun's eyes were hollow. After a few seconds, she looked at him. "Lawyer Wu, tell me the truth. Do I have no chance?"

Wu Peng wanted to say no, but looking into her eyes, he couldn't say any of the empty, hollow comforting words.

Jia Wenjun lowered her eyes, and tears slid down her cheeks. Why? Was this her fate?

Was she going to accept her fate like this? She didn't want to accept it. She had fought back, but the other party had easily slapped her to the ground. She couldn't explain herself and had no power to fight back, only to wait for death.

She had imagined this despair, but when she truly experienced it, she realized that her imagination didn't even come close to one percent of reality.

"I'm tired." She stood up numbly, like a lifeless puppet.

Seeing her lifeless appearance, Wu Peng felt like he was seeing his mother when she found out that she was terminally ill. His heart twisted into a knot. He was afraid that after she lost heart, she would lose all fighting spirit.

If that happened, the outcome would really be set.

He wanted her to go back to the Jia Wenjun she was before, the one who could face anything with optimism and never give up until the very last second. He couldn't help but shout at her back, "Jia Wenjun!"

Jia Wenjun stopped and turned to look at him.

Wu Peng looked at her and said loudly, "I really wasn't a qualified intern lawyer before. I didn't even want to do this job. But because of you, I found the meaning of this job. I couldn't protect her back then, but now I want to protect you. Don't give up. Think about your parents. They're waiting for you. There's still a month left. Liu and I will definitely find a way."

Jia Wenjun looked at the man in front of her. Her hands trembled slightly. After a few seconds, she wiped away her tears, nodded to him, and turned to leave.

She didn't want to admit defeat, but did she really still have a chance?