AWB Chapter 279: Still innocent
Chapter 279: Still innocent
At this moment, Jiang Yichen was still standing beside me, intently flipping through another diary. His profile was exceptionally clear under the soft light, and his brows revealed a resolute expression.
"Yichen..." I called him softly, my voice tinged with hesitation.
"Hmm?" He turned his head, his gaze falling gently on my face.
"If...if we don't succeed in overturning the verdict, will you feel that it was all worth it?" I asked in a low voice, feeling a little uneasy.
Jiang Yichen was silent for a moment, then smiled gently and reached out to ruffle my hair: "Of course it's worth it. As long as we can clear your grandfather's name, I will walk with you no matter how difficult the road ahead is."
Looking at him, a warm feeling welled up inside me, as if all my fear and unease had been dissolved by his gentleness at this moment. I continued to read through the diary, and time passed by unnoticed, while the night outside the window grew deeper and deeper.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jiang Yichen suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at me with a serious expression: "Look here."
I leaned closer and saw him pointing to a page in his diary, which contained an account of a secret deal between the Jin family and a high-ranking official. My heart suddenly raced, and my fingers trembled slightly: "This...this is irrefutable evidence!"
Jiang Yichen nodded, a cold glint in his eyes: "With this, the Jin family can no longer deny it."
I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down: "We need to organize this evidence as soon as possible and hand it over to the police."
"Okay." Jiang Yichen responded, then took out his phone, took a picture of that page of the diary, and sent it to Xu Sisi.
"Sisi, take a look at this," I said into the phone, my voice tinged with excitement.
Xu Sisi quickly replied: "Received. This evidence is crucial. I will organize it as soon as possible, and we can discuss it in detail when we meet."
"Okay." I nodded, feeling a little more at ease.
After putting down my phone, I looked at Jiang Yichen and found him quietly watching me with a complex emotion in his eyes. I was stunned for a moment, then lowered my head, my face burning.
"What's wrong?" I asked in a low voice.
Jiang Yichen smiled gently and reached out to hold my hand: "It's nothing, I just think... you're very brave."
"Thank you, Yichen." My voice was tinged with gratitude.
Just then, my phone vibrated; it was Xu Sisi calling.
I quickly pressed the speakerphone button, and Xu Sisi's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding a little urgent: "I just found a new lead. The Jin family not only forged the formula for the fake drug case, but also covered up the truth through bribery and threats. I have already sent this evidence to your email."
Jiang Yichen quickly opened his tablet and pulled up the files they had sent. We carefully reviewed them and discovered that these new clues pointed further into the Jin family's crimes, even implicating higher-ups. My fingers unconsciously tapped my knees, my heart filled with a mixture of anger and complex emotions.
"This evidence is enough to bring down the Jin family completely," Jiang Yichen said in a low voice, a cold glint in his eyes.
I nodded, but I was still a little uneasy: "However, the Jin family is very powerful, so we have to be careful."
"Don't worry, I've made all the arrangements." Jiang Yichen's voice was calm and firm. "We'll hand over this evidence to the police at dawn."
Looking at him, a warm feeling welled up inside me, as if I were being gently enveloped by something soft. No matter how dangerous the road ahead, as long as he was there, I would have no fear.
The next day, in a secluded corner not far from the car, Xu Sisi and Xiaotiantian sat in an inconspicuous vehicle, taking photos of the newly acquired evidence and analyzing its connection to previous clues using their phones. The car's interior lights illuminated their focused faces.
“This evidence matches the Jin family’s accounts perfectly.” Xu Sisi stared intently at her phone screen, her fingers swiping rapidly as she carefully compared the various pieces of information. “It seems that the Jin family’s crimes are more serious than we imagined.”
Little Sweetie, meanwhile, was diligently taking notes in her notebook, recording important clues and analytical results, occasionally raising her own opinions and questions: "Could the 'high-ranking officials' mentioned in these bribery records be...?"
"Shh—" Xu Sisi interrupted her, a hint of wariness in her eyes, "There are some things we can't say right now."
Little Sweetie nodded, a hint of understanding in her eyes. They exchanged a knowing glance before resuming their intense analytical work.
The hospital corridor reeked of disinfectant, the air thick with a pungent, cold odor, as if even the air itself carried a heavy, oppressive feeling. Xu Sisi's call came suddenly, her voice tinged with barely concealed excitement: "We've found the survivor of the fake drug case from back then, his name is Xiao Jie, and he's at the Municipal Hospital now."
Jiang Yichen and I exchanged a glance and immediately drove to the hospital. My feelings were indescribably complex the whole way. Xiao Jie—that name was like a key, perhaps it could unlock the long-sealed door to the truth.
Pushing open the door to the ward, a pale and thin face came into view. Xiao Jie lay on the hospital bed, covered in tubes, his breathing so weak it was almost inaudible. His mother sat by the bedside, her hands tightly holding his, her eyes red and bloodshot.
Her eyes were empty and filled with pain, as if all hope had been drained away.
I slowly walked to the bedside, knelt down, and gently held Xiao Jie's mother's hand. Her hand was cold and trembling, as if she were grasping at the last straw.
“Auntie, we’re here to help Xiao Jie,” I said softly, my voice choked with emotion.
She looked up at me blankly for a moment, then lowered her head again, tears silently streaming down her face: "Help? How can I help? He's already like this... So many years have passed, what else can I do?"
Jiang Yichen stood beside me, gently put his arm around my shoulder, and said in a deep but firm voice, "Auntie, we will do our best to find out the truth and give Xiao Jie justice."
I nodded, my gaze falling on Xiao Jie's wrist. There was a bluish-black scar there, shaped like a coiled snake, menacing and glaring. My heart clenched, as if gripped tightly by something.
"This is... left from the injection?" I asked in a low voice, my voice trembling slightly.
Xiao Jie's mother nodded, her voice hoarse: "Back then, they said it was a miracle drug that could cure his illness... but who knew..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but we all understood. Those so-called "miracle drugs" were nothing more than tools used by the Jin family to cover up their crimes, and Xiao Jie was just one of countless victims.
Jiang Yichen walked to the bedside table and picked up the yellowed medical record. The edges were frayed, and the paper was so fragile it seemed it would crumble at the slightest touch. He carefully opened it, his eyes quickly scanning each page.
“Here.” He stopped abruptly, pointing to one of the pages, his voice low and urgent, “Injection record.”
I leaned closer to examine it, and my heart suddenly raced. The injection time matched the records in the Jin family's ledger perfectly, and what was even more shocking was that the nurse who gave the injection had clearly signed Lin Shu's name.