Free Web NovelThe moment Ji An let go of Liu Jiayi, the little girl’s expression changed instantly. In the blink of an eye, she was once again that lost, bewildered child who had just lost her father.
She lingered in Ji An’s embrace for a second longer than necessary, reluctant to let go of the warmth. But as though suddenly realizing it was inappropriate, she hurriedly loosened her arms and stepped back with nervous obedience.
Liu Jiayi lowered her head shyly and tugged at her wrinkled clothes. Tears still trembled on her lashes.
Every tiny movement made her look exactly like an insecure little girl clinging to the last shred of safety she had left. Ji An’s expression softened even more.
Mu Shicheng, who had watched the entire performance from beginning to end with an increasingly twisted expression, fell silent.
At this point, he no longer found it strange at all that Liu Huai had been manipulated by Liu Jiayi so thoroughly he could barely tell north from south.
This kid’s acting skills were worthy of an Oscar.
It had taken her less than a second to summon tears.
Mu Shicheng desperately wanted to grab Ji An by the shoulders and shake her awake.
Da-jie, wake up!
Three minutes ago, this “pitiful little girl” jumped from the sixth floor without blinking and landed safely. Do you seriously think someone like her would travel all the way here just to cry to an investigator’s wife because she lost her father?!
Not to mention, Liu Jiayi’s original plan had been to kidnap Ji An and use her as leverage against Su Yang in order to force out Bai Liu’s location.
Watching Ji An gently comfort Liu Jiayi now sent a chill crawling down Mu Shicheng’s spine. He rubbed his arms instinctively.
Terrifying.
What kind of monsters was Bai Liu recruiting into the team?
“I rarely interfere with Su Yang’s work,” Ji An said after being coaxed along by Liu Jiayi for so long. Though she still sounded cautious, her tone had clearly softened. “His work is confidential, so I don’t know exactly what he does. But I can ask for you. If he’s willing to tell me, I can pass the address along. Since you’re family of the detained person, visitation should be allowed.”
Then Ji An glanced toward Mu Shicheng suspiciously.
“If the arrested person is your father... then who is he?” freeweɓnøvel.com
Before Mu Shicheng could answer, Liu Jiayi immediately cut in.
“He’s my father’s friend.”
Ji An looked unconvinced and was just about to ask another question when a knock sounded at the door again.
Mu Shicheng immediately tapped Liu Jiayi’s wrist.
Before Ji An could react, the two of them slipped into the nursery and locked the door from inside without hesitation.
Ji An hurried over and rattled the handle anxiously, but it wouldn’t budge.
The nursery key was still in Mu Shicheng’s hand.
Unless he opened the door himself, there was no way for her to get in.
Liu Jiayi’s timid voice drifted softly through the door.
“Da-jiejie... as long as you help me ask about my father and Bai Liu, we won’t hurt your child. I promise.”
Remembering that Liu Jiayi had saved the baby earlier—and that Mu Shicheng had saved her as well—Ji An gradually calmed down.
After hesitating outside the nursery for a long while, she finally gathered herself and went to answer the front door.
But the person outside still wasn’t Su Yang.
A young man stood there.
At first glance, he looked anything but ordinary.
Ji An recognized the watch on his wrist immediately. She had seen it in a television program before; it supposedly cost several million. His appearance was refined and elegant, his clothes impeccably arranged, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested neatly across the bridge of his nose.
Though he wasn’t particularly tall, he carried an overwhelming sense of authority.
After everything she had already experienced tonight, Ji An was calmer this time around. Besides, Mu Shicheng was still inside the nursery.
She steadied herself and asked carefully,
“May I ask who you are?”
“My name is Mu Ke.”
Mu Ke bowed politely before straightening again.
“Is this Su Yang’s residence? And are you his partner?”
Both of his hands were covered in black leather gloves, and he carried two black coded suitcases.
Ji An nodded hesitantly.
“I am. Do you need something from him?”
Without answering immediately, Mu Ke placed one of the suitcases flat on the table. He calmly turned the combination lock and opened it just enough for Ji An to see inside.
Rows upon rows of milk powder tins.
Ji An froze.
“This is...?”
“May I come inside and speak with you?” Mu Ke asked gracefully, lightly shaking the heavy cases in his hands. “These are rather heavy, after all. And it isn’t exactly safe for me to stand outside alone carrying this much.”
Ji An’s thoughts were in complete disarray.
Someone arriving in the middle of the night carrying two cases of milk powder was bizarre enough already.
But then another possibility surfaced in her mind.
Recently, Su Yang had looked exhausted. Distressed. Combined with this young man’s expensive appearance and cryptic words...
Could the milk powder tins actually contain something else?
Her expression sharpened instantly.
“What do you mean by saying these are things my husband wanted?”
“You should ask your husband that yourself,” Mu Ke replied leisurely as he sat down on the sofa.
He folded his hands neatly over one knee and looked at Ji An with polite composure.
“Ask him why he allowed his team members to arrest an innocent civilian who hasn’t committed any crime. We had no choice but to bring gifts and pay a visit ourselves. We simply hope you can help us speak with him.”
“That’s impossible,” Ji An rejected immediately. “Su Yang would never do something like that.”
And in truth, Su Yang really hadn’t.
But that didn’t stop Mu Ke from using the assumption to probe for information through Ji An.
“Wouldn’t he?” Mu Ke lifted his gaze coolly, the smile on his lips never changing. “Then why was my friend arrested? Around ten tonight, members of Su Yang’s team even visited my villa to warn me that I could also be detained as an accomplice.”
Ji An unconsciously tightened her hands in her lap.
Around ten o’clock tonight, Su Yang really had called her.
He had said their team had suddenly been dispatched to the wealthy district on an emergency assignment.
At the time, his voice had sounded exhausted and helpless. He had even vaguely complained that Captain Tang had started arresting people before the investigation was fully clear.
Why would arrests begin before the case itself was confirmed?
And lately, Su Yang had also mentioned that Captain Tang’s condition had become increasingly unstable—that he’d been arresting people who seemed entirely unrelated to the cases.
Her gaze slowly dropped toward the milk powder cases on the table again.
Mu Ke followed her line of sight and smoothly opened both suitcases completely, revealing the neatly packed tins inside.
“As a mother,” Mu Ke said quietly, “I believe you understand how precious human emotions are.”
“Our friend’s life is hanging by a thread right now. We’re desperate. But we’re ordinary people—we don’t have any power. The only thing we can do is come ask you for help.”
“Since you have a child now, I thought milk powder might be useful.”
Ji An looked away immediately as though burned.
Her fists tightened at her sides.
“That’s impossible,” she whispered.
She shut her eyes tightly, unwilling to look at him.
“Su Yang isn’t that kind of person. This is his work. I can’t interfere. Thank you for the milk powder, but please take it back.”
“It’s only two cases of milk powder,” Mu Ke said softly. “A newborn child is precious. We merely wanted to offer a small kindness.”
Then he smiled faintly.
“I only hope that when your child grows up, you can teach them that kindness and justice are the foundation of being human.”
Even with her eyes closed, every word pierced clearly into Ji An’s ears.
“Becoming a parent changes people,” Mu Ke continued. “Hasn’t becoming a mother changed you as well?”
“For your child’s sake... do you really want them to grow up into someone incapable of distinguishing right from wrong?”
Ji An’s breathing became uneven.
Her nails dug deeply into her palms.
“How can you be certain your husband hasn’t changed?” Mu Ke’s voice lowered further, turning almost hypnotic.
“And even if he hasn’t... what about the people around him? What if his superior changed? What if everyone else did?”
“Perhaps he never wanted to do these things. But when everyone around you is moving in the same direction, eventually you get swept along too.”
“That kind of thing happens all the time, doesn’t it?”
Mu Ke gently pushed the two cases of milk powder toward her.
“But even if that’s true, I don’t blame him. I believe Su Yang is an upright person.”
“I only need one thing from you. Help me learn where Bai Liu is being held.”
“I won’t mention any of this ever again.”
“You wouldn’t be harming Su Yang by helping me.”
His smile softened behind the gold-rimmed glasses.
“You’d be helping him do the right thing.”
Ji An’s shoulders trembled faintly.
“Please,” Mu Ke said quietly. “I’m begging you.”
Suddenly, Ji An snapped her eyes open.
“...Who did you say you wanted to save?”
Before Mu Ke could answer, the nursery door opened.
Liu Jiayi stepped out first.
Behind her, Mu Shicheng leaned lazily against the wall with his arms crossed.
“You got here pretty fast,” he said with raised brows.
***
At one in the morning, an utterly exhausted Su Yang finally returned home.
The moment the door opened, he seemed to lose every remaining ounce of strength. He buried himself against Ji An’s shoulder and rubbed his face against her affectionately.
“Wife... I’m back.”
But the relaxation only lasted a second.
Su Yang abruptly straightened, his eyes sharpening with suspicion as he scanned the room.
“Did someone come here today?”
Something about the room felt off.
A few things had clearly been moved.
Ji An forced herself to smile naturally.
“The outdoor unit for the nursery air conditioner almost fell earlier. I called someone to repair it.”
“I see...”
Su Yang visibly relaxed again.
He lowered his head and kissed the top of Ji An’s hair apologetically.
“Sorry for making you live in a second-hand house like this. Once this busy period is over, we’ll save enough to move somewhere better.”
A new house would require an enormous amount of money.
Where would that money even come from?
Ji An wanted to ask.
But in the end, she simply rested her forehead lightly against his shoulder and murmured softly,
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Completely unaware of her thoughts, Su Yang unbuttoned his coat and headed straight toward the nursery.
Like an idiot father hopelessly in love with his child, he leaned over the crib and pressed his face against the baby’s while making ridiculous bubbling noises to entertain her.
After everything Ji An had endured tonight—after nearly breaking down because of those terrifying lunatics—seeing Su Yang like this almost made her cry.
When he turned around and caught her secretly wiping her eyes, he sighed helplessly and walked over.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed his forehead gently against hers.
“I made you worry again.”
“My work is always like this. Don’t wait up for me anymore, okay? Your body can’t handle it.”
Ji An shook her head.
She placed her ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) hands against his temples and began gently massaging them.
“And what about you?” she asked softly. “Can your body handle it?”
Under her massage, Su Yang gradually relaxed completely.
He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes, his breathing soon evening out.
But Ji An knew he wasn’t fully asleep yet.
This was when his guard was lowest.
As casually as possible, she asked,
“Who were you arresting tonight? You suddenly had to work overtime after saying you’d come home for dinner.”
Su Yang frowned faintly without opening his eyes.
“Honestly... I don’t think that person should’ve been arrested.”
“Captain Tang used special authority to detain him, but I still don’t understand why. There’s no core evidence yet. The person may be involved somehow, but I don’t think it should’ve escalated this far.”
He sighed tiredly.
“Lately, Captain Tang keeps arresting people before there’s any concrete evidence or even signs of future crimes. His mental state’s getting worse too. He’s drunk all the time.”
“He even argued with me tonight. The others think he’s going too far as well.”
“He wasn’t like this before...”
His voice gradually slurred as sleep overtook him.
“But... we should still trust Captain Tang...”
“If this person really is what Captain Tang says...”
“Then once he’s locked up...”
“...everyone will finally be safe...”
“No one will have to work so hard anymore...”
Ji An slowly exhaled.
The last trace of uncertainty in her heart vanished.
Her eyes hardened.
Once Su Yang had fully fallen asleep, she quietly stepped down from the bed.
She took his work ID and keys from the coat hanging over the chair, opened the nursery window, and threw both items down to the street below.
Then she calmly shut the window again.
After leaning down to kiss the sleeping baby gently on the forehead, Ji An walked out of the nursery as though nothing had happened at all.
