CH 45.3

The next day–

The viral, nation-wide sensation of that live broadcast actually brought upon a hidden secret – the twenty-years-old crime of child abduction. Because of how it went down, the whole nation more or less had heard of it. And today, the ruling of that crime was to be held in court. 

Because the two parties involved in the case were both small celebrities who have become popular recently, this case had received widespread attention. On the day of the trial, the court was crowded with people applying for the rights to watch, and countless people on the Internet were waiting for the final court ruling to be given to the Zhang couple. 

When the judge announced the trial results, the audience was silent.

The accused Zhang Xia, who abducted and trafficked children about twenty1tbh, the author was switching between 20 and 21, so I chose 20 because JXS’ latest birthday (from what I remembered) was his 20th. years ago, caused tragedies to two families. After being arrested, she had a bad attitude and showed no remorse. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without a chance of parole, and confiscation of all her property.

The judge’s hammer fell, and the case was settled.

As Zhang Xia was being escorted to the prison, she saw Jian Xingsui, who was standing not far away, watching her quietly with an indescribable look in his eyes.

She suddenly struggled madly, rushed to Jian Xingsui in small steps, and said in a very excited tone: “Suisui, Suisui, you are here.”

Jian Xingsui looked at her quietly, didn’t know what to say, “Um.”

“Where’s Ranran?” Mrs. Zhang looked around and asked, “Didn’t Ranran come?”

Jian Xingsui gave her an honest answer, “He didn’t come.”

In fact, because the Internet made a big fuss about the live broadcast , Anran’s PR team reacted very quickly to do damage control. They not only forced the live broadcast app admins to shut down the live broadcast, but also issued a statement immediately.

Anran himself issued a statement that afternoon. This was the first time that he began to mention the Zhang family in front of the public. The Weibo he posted was also full of bitterness and hardship. The general content can be briefly summarized as follows:

[I didn’t want to announce these to the public, because this is a scar I don’t want to open up.]

[I was very sad when I learned the truth about being abducted and switched at birth. I have been treating them as my biological parents for so many years, but I didn’t expect them to not be my real parents. On top of that, they weren’t being honest with me. They kept me in the dark for so many years, and without any remorse.] 

[My bad attitude towards her that day was also because I couldn’t control my emotions. I’m sorry for my bad behavior, and I don’t ask for your forgiveness. I just want to say the truth for all of you.] 

The entire Weibo post was full of eloquent, pre-written words. He composed a heartwrenching essay, telling the heartache of a kidnapped child.

Immediately, some fans stood up and felt distressed:

[Ranran, we understand you.]

[I didn’t expect you to be so miserable.]

[The Zhang couple are so heartless!]

But the majority of the netizens were rational people with a working brain. They have been blinded once by Anran, so they were more skeptical towards him. Furthermore, they also seen Anran’s duality in the live broadcast room, so they felt that this “pitiful” look was just a well-crafted persona. 

[I remember that he was on the show before, he thanked his mother for saving money for buying him musical instruments and paying for his dance classes. So you’re saying that thankfulness was faked?] 

[Oh, now suddenly, your ex-parents are horrible people!] 

[Wait, didn’t you already know that the Zhang couple aren’t your biological parents during “Starlight”?] 

[Hahaha, do you still have two faces here?]

Especially the fans of Jian Xingsui, naturally they wouldn’t let this opportunity go. They still vividly remember that slander campaign Anran held against their baby. Now, it’s the high time to give everyone a reminder, so Anran couldn’t escape the consequences of his actions. 

[You said Suisui bullied you in high school, but you clearly admitted that you’re lying about that!] 

[You want to apologize to everyone? How about apologize to Suisui first! You clearly slandered him!]

[The party who was wronged the most in this situation still ended up being Suisui. Go apologize to him already, you two-faced bitch!]  

[Don’t worry about it, you aren’t the only suffering party here. Suisui is, and he’s a way better person than you are.] 

If it were before, when Anran’s pitiful quotes came out, the majority of people would feel sorry for him. But after the live broadcast incident, with the exception of his loyal fans, netizens began to wake up and see his true face. Anran’s Weibo was a mess, and his painstakingly designed fairy-boy persona also collapsed.

But Mrs. Zhang in the court didn’t know that Anran had already cut-off their relationship in order to whitewash his image. She was still insisting, “Is he not here? Is he really not here? I’m his mother, I I have raised him for more than 20 years! Is he not willing to come for my last visit?”

Jian Xingsui nodded and looked at the woman in front of him indifferently. Almost mercilessly, he repeated, “He didn’t come.”

Mrs. Zhang was stunned, stood there limply for a while, and suddenly laughed out loud. It’s as if she was laughing at herself in irony. Her laughter became louder, crazier, and more unhinged. Finally, the uncontrolled laughter metamorphosed into a racking sobs. Tears spilled out from her eyes, wetting her cheeks. 

“I know, he won’t come.” 

“Actually, from the moment he knew the truth, he hated me. I know this. I know… this…” Mrs. Zhang seemed to be muttering to herself.

She once refused to accept the news of her child’s death. She was confused, so she did a lot of wrong things. She had switched another child to become her own, so it’s as if her child never died in the first place.

She was wrong. She was a sinner. No matter her reason, she was still a thief, and she must face her current ending.

People from the court followed behind, trying to drag Mrs. Zhang away.

But Mrs. Zhang seemed to have an unexplainable strength. She wanted to pull Jian Xingsui’s hand again, and with a last-ditch effor, she asked: “Suisui, can you forgive me? Will you forgive me?” 

Jian Xingsui looked at her without saying a word.

However, Mrs. Zhang seemed to be more emotional, and she burst into tears. During this period of time, she has aged a lot, and it seems that a lot of gray hair has grown on her head overnight. Her hand was still holding Jian Xingsui with a death grip, even her fingers were a little white. Amidst her cries, she asked: “Suisui, please answer me, will you forgive me?”

She was getting more unhinged. Jian Xingsui steeled his heart, and managed to shake her grip. With a whisper, he answered: “No.”

Mrs. Zhang’s face immediately turned pale.

Even when the judge sentenced her for a life imprisonment, her face was never so sad and pale.

The light of hope disappeared from Zhang Xia’s eyes little by little. Jian Xingsui’s words were like a heavy hammer, breaking the last line of her psychological defense.

“Do you think you can be forgiven if you go to jail and get punished?” Jian Xingsui looked at her with dark eyes. Although his voice was as unemotional as it can be, every word seemed to pierce her in her heart, “You lost your child and you feel heartbroken. So you understand that feeling, right? Have you ever thought about my Mother? What about her feelings, when she found out that her child died? Shouldn’t you be able to empathize with her? Do you think you can pay your sins clean by going to jail? No. Never. I won’t forgive you. Not even on my deathbed.” 

Jian Xingsui knew that Zhang Xia would never know the depth of the tragedy she had caused in her grief. 

He could never tell her that in his last life, he died at the age of 23 years old. And because of her selfishness, he died in an unknown alley, and no one cared about him. 

His mother never knew the truth. She never knew that her baby survived, just to die a dog’s death in an alley somewhere, probably even without a proper grave.

“I hate you.”

Jian Xingsui’s eyes clearly reflected Zhang Xia’s figure. For a moment, her vision blurred, as if she was returned to that day in her house’s courtyard. Anran stood in front of her and said the same words. The two figures overlapped and separated in an instant, but what remained unchanged was the pair of eyes full of resentment and disgust towards her.

Jian Xingsui said in a deep voice, giving her his final ultimatum, “I will never forgive you.” 

With that, her last bit of strength was gone. Her body softened, and she slumped down unceremoniously on the ground. Fortunately, the people behind her quickly helped her up. The scene was a bit chaotic, but fortunately there were staff to maintain order. In the end, she was still taken into custody.

Jian Xingsui came with the members of the Shen family, and he had to leave after the court.

Xu Enzhen came from behind and looked at him worriedly, “Suisui, are you okay?”

Jian Xingsui shook his head and restrained his resentment. He smiled at his mother, knowing that the older woman was very worried about him. With every ounce of gentleness he had, he lied, “I’m fine.”

Shen Xingchen has long been tired of watching them. Naturally, he complained with a loud voice, “It’s finally over! God, I despise that woman so much!” 

In the end, the case closed. Some parts weren’t made public in order to protect the Shen family’s privacy. The court has not disclosed to the public who Jian Xingsui’s real parents are.

Shen Yong also came today. The case might be over, but he still had something to deal with, “Suisui, I discussed with your mother. Since the case is over, your household registration should also be transferred. Let’s finish it within two days.” 

Jian Xingsui had no objection, nodded on the spot and said, “Mhmm, let’s do it.” 

After they settled the matter, everyone was very happy and relieved.

Just as everyone was walking outside, Jian Xingsui’s cell phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was the call from his agent. After answering the call, he heard the middle-aged man’s voice: “Hello Suisui, I saw that your case is over. I want to ask, which family are your biological parents? Have you found them yet?”

Wang-ge‘s attitude was very casual.

Because he felt that with that Zhang Xia’s ability, she could switch a child from the wealthy Jian family. But she couldn’t do that twice, couldn’t she? 

So, Jian Xingsui’s biological family must’ve been an ordinary family at best. 

Since his background was basically non-existent, what is there to be afraid of? He could just handle Jian Xingsui as he wanted. 

Jian Xingsui said softly, “What’s the matter?”

“Ah, there’s nothing wrong.” Wang-ge was impatient for a long time, mainly because he was also impatiently being urged by the company’s upper management. He couldn’t wait to turn Jian Xingsui into his personal cash cow, “Since if you’re done with this matter, it’s time to go back to the company to take a gig. Have you figured it out after I’ve given you such a long vacation?” 

Jian Xingsui’s eyes were cold, “Yes, I’ve figured it out. I want to terminate my contract.”

His agent was short of breath. With visible anger, he threatened the youth, “I suggest you think about it carefully. Do you even have the money to pay for the liquidated damages? It will cost several million.  Don’t slap your face and pretend to be a wealthy man. Know your worth. If you terminate your contract with us, where else can you go? Is there any good company that can help you?”

As for Zhang Xiangyang’s ending, the author really didn’t specify it. But seeing the previous chapters, it’s highly implied that he will die soon.