Chapter 17

The sun rose and set every day. For others, opening their eyes each morning meant a new day. But for Jia Wenjun, it meant she was one step closer to her prison cell.

Although she didn't want to accept her fate, she knew her hopes were slim. Every day in the detention center, she wrote a letter to her parents, but she never sent them.

In a week, the court would try her case. If no game-changing evidence could be found before then, the court's verdict would be a foregone conclusion.

Her parents would then be able to visit her where she was serving her sentence, so there was no need to send the letters.

Meanwhile, Wu Peng, still running around on the outside, used several meals and a friend in the industry to get acquainted with the scruffy-bearded lawyer who had defended Hu Sixiang.

The scruffy-bearded lawyer didn't know Wu Peng had an ulterior motive for seeking him out, and thought it was just a gathering for colleagues. After the meal, Wu Peng treated him to a foot massage. As he was enjoying the massage, Wu Peng steered the conversation toward the *Beike Hao* yacht, which had been making headlines recently.

The scruffy-bearded lawyer asked, "I heard Lawyer Liu took on the case of one of the suspects on that boat."

Wu Peng clinked glasses with him. "That's right. Not only Lawyer Liu, but Lawyer Wang also took one. It was the wife of the dead property manager on the boat who hired him to sue Hu Sixiang, who stabbed Gong Dalong. By the way, I heard you're defending Hu Sixiang, senior? You'll have to work hard when you go up against Lawyer Wang."

Hearing what Wu Peng said, the scruffy-bearded lawyer's expression changed. He had taken Hu Sixiang's case because he thought Gong Dalong's wife was a bit mentally unstable and didn't seem to be in great financial shape, so she probably wouldn't be able to afford a good lawyer. He didn't expect her to hire Lawyer Wang from Jingcheng Law Firm, who was as famous in the industry as Lawyer Liu. Going up against him would just be suicide.

Forget it, forget it. He wasn't planning on putting in any effort for Hu Sixiang anyway. He'd just admit defeat. It wasn't like he could win.

Thinking of Hu Sixiang, the scruffy-bearded lawyer was filled with anger. He gave a bitter laugh and said, fueled by alcohol, "If I had known, I wouldn't have taken this case. Hu Sixiang's wife is divorcing him. As luck would have it, she hired a divorce lawyer from our firm. Hu Sixiang secretly sold a house, and the woman wants him to leave with nothing, to take the remaining money and the house. Hu Sixiang doesn't want to, and wants to split it evenly. They're fighting fiercely now. When that woman sees me at our firm, she makes a scene every day, saying I'll die a horrible death for helping a scum like Hu Sixiang. Tell me, am I being wronged?"

Wu Peng opened a bottle of wine and handed it to him, then listened as the scruffy-bearded lawyer continued to complain. "That Hu Sixiang is really not a good person. He secretly sold the house behind his wife's back to pay off gambling debts, and wanted his wife to pay the bail. When she didn't, he even wanted me to help him borrow it. Does he think I'm an idiot? You meet so many weirdos in this line of work."

"How was Hu Sixiang finally released on bail?" Wu Peng asked.

The scruffy-bearded lawyer took a sip of wine. "Ah, that's why they say the world is full of wonders. Someone actually went out of their way to lend money to a weirdo like Hu Sixiang."

Wu Peng was a little surprised. "Who lent it to him?"

The scruffy-bearded lawyer chewed on a piece of dried squid. "I went to the Egret Island residential complex to find Hu Sixiang's wife that day, thinking of doing some more work on her, but she had just found out about Hu Sixiang secretly selling the house, and wouldn't give it to him no matter what. Coincidentally, a man claiming to be Hu Sixiang's friend came to me and said he wanted to lend the money to Hu Sixiang. He also said his surname was... oh, Bai."

Wu Peng's heart skipped a beat: Bai Ma Shan!

The next day, Wu Peng went to find Hao Jiening.

Before Wu Peng came, he had prepared some "gifts." With these, Hao Jiening could more easily achieve her goals of divorcing Hu Sixiang and making him leave with nothing. He thought that Hao Jiening, who was so determined, would tell him something about Hu Sixiang when she saw these things, but he didn't expect this woman's mouth to be so tight, unwilling to say anything.

After leaving Hu Sixiang's house, Wu Peng called Zhang Lin and asked him to dinner, thinking of finding out if there were any new developments at the police station.

Zhang Lin refused as soon as he heard about dinner. "The court hearing is in a few days. You should hurry up and prepare and stop messing around."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Peng looked at the setting sun, which was only half visible, and felt a blockage in his heart. Zhang Lin's words were as good as telling him that there was no hope for Jia Wenjun.

He walked forward slowly, a sense of powerlessness sweeping over him. Thinking of Jia Wenjun facing a severe sentence, and the mastermind still at large, he punched the wall next to him.

He felt a stinging pain in his hand, but he didn't care at all. There were still a few days left. Thinking of Jia Wenjun in the detention center, he couldn't give up. Until the last moment, he didn't want to, and couldn't, give up on her.

At the police station, Zhang Lin refused several interviews with reporters. The disappearance of the *Beike Hao*, followed by the drug trafficking case, had made the ship the focus of attention for the entire city. Now that the murder case on the ship was about to go to trial, reporters had caught wind of it and come to learn about the situation, wanting to report on the aftermath.

Although the case was almost closed, the police would naturally not disclose anything to the media before everything was settled.

While interrogating the suspects, the police were also trying their best to find the missing Zhao Di, but after so many days, the possibility of finding her was slim. The fish had probably eaten most of the body.

In the evening, Zhang Lin and a group of colleagues worked overtime and then went out for a late-night snack.

While waiting for the food, a colleague stretched his muscles. "It's finally almost over. This Jia Wenjun is too stubborn. She still won't confess, missing the chance to get a lighter sentence."

Someone said, "Maybe she's putting her hopes on her lawyer."

"In her situation, with the evidence so solid, even the best lawyer is useless."

"Alright, don't discuss the case outside." Zhang Lin yawned after speaking. "It's been so long since I've slept until I woke up naturally. I don't even know what that feels like anymore."

Xiao Xia next to him said, "Brother Lin, you haven't taken a vacation in a long time. After this case is closed, you can take a few days off."

Other colleagues teased her, "We haven't taken a vacation in a long time either. Why don't you care about us?"

Seeing Xiao Xia embarrassed, Zhang Lin spoke up to defend her. "I'm her partner. Who are you? Why should she care about you?"

As the group was laughing and joking, Zhang Lin's phone rang. He answered it and after listening to a few words, suddenly stood up.

Everyone knew something big had happened when they saw his reaction. They all tensed up, waiting for his next order.

Zhang Lin hung up the phone, his expression complicated. "Zhao Di has been found. She's still alive, but in a coma!"

Everyone was shocked. Zhang Lin frowned, picked up his bag and said, "Let's go, back to the police station immediately."