Jiang Li hung her head, her eyelashes slowly lifting.
A surge of warmth swept across her eyes. Her voice was soft as she made her final identification. "It's all true. There's nothing to amend or correct. Thank you."
Jiang Yi froze. The last half - sentence remained stuck in his throat, and his mouth hung half - open, making him look extremely dull.
Two seconds later, Jiang Yi's face contorted into a hideous expression. He couldn't hold back his struggle any longer. Staring at Jiang Li, his eyes were filled with rage and ferocity. "Bitch! You're just a heartless bitch, an ungrateful stray dog!"
"Order in the court! Keep quiet!" The judge banged the gavel, ordering Jiang Yi to be silent. The policemen in charge of security rushed forward and immediately held him down.
Although Jiang Yi was forced to shut up, his eyes remained fierce. He stared at Jiang Li like a mortal enemy, his gaze dripping with deep - seated hatred.
Finally, according to his crimes, the court sentenced Jiang Yi to three years in prison.
As Jiang Yi was being escorted past Jiang Li, he suddenly seemed to have roots growing from his feet. He stubbornly stood in front of Jiang Li, and the prison guards couldn't even push him.
His blood - shot eyes, a result of years of gambling, were now full of hatred. He finally showed his fangs. "You've ruined our whole family. Are you satisfied now?"
"I'll make you regret it when I get out of prison in three years."
...
After everything was settled, Jiang Li staggered down from the plaintiff's seat. She numbly followed the staff's instructions.
Throughout the whole process, she was like a marionette, just nodding, nodding, and nodding.
In the end, she didn't even know how she walked out of the courtroom.
The entrance of the court was empty. Only Jiang Li's slender and frail figure stood there, looking as shaky as a piece of paper that could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
She slowly squatted down, hugging her knees tightly. Her movements were extremely slow, like those of an old woman.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she slowly took out her phone from her pocket and dialed a number.
The contact was marked "Mom".
The phone rang only twice before it was quickly answered. The person on the other end seemed very nervous but still pretended to be gentle. "Lili, is it over? How about Jiang Yi..."
"Three years in prison." Jiang Li closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her tone was concise. "If he behaves well, he may get an early release."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a scream on the other end of the phone. The person obviously couldn't accept this fact, and her voice began to tremble. "Three years... That's three years!"
"Jiang Li, how could you be so cruel to your younger brother!"
Just thinking about Jiang Yi having to suffer in prison for three years, Zhou Ningyun's voice was filled with sobs. She continued to scold. "You're just a jinx! Since you were born, our family has never had a single good day!"
"You're a disaster! A curse! How could I have raised such an ungrateful daughter!"
"Mom, don't abandon me..."
Those harsh and piercing insults made Jiang Li's eyes turn red instantly. Tears rolled down uncontrollably.
It was really hurtful.
But Zhou Ningyun didn't let her finish. "Don't call me mom! I don't have a daughter like you. Get out of my sight!"
"Don't call me again. I never want to see you again. You're such a nuisance!"
With every word Zhou Ningyun said, it was like a small knife slowly cutting open Jiang Li's chest and stirring up her heart, until it was a bloody mess.
The old and new wounds were all exposed, intertwining into a sea of blood.
Jiang Li sat on the steps at the entrance of the court. Tears fell one by one. She couldn't say a word. Her throat could only make some meaningless sounds.
The sounds were really unpleasant.
But on the other end of the phone, there was already a cold and mechanical busy tone.
She hugged her knees and cried for a long time, until her brain was starved of oxygen and her vision went blank.
It wasn't until a pair of men's leather shoes came into her blurry vision that she randomly wiped away her tears and looked up. Through her tear - filled eyes, she couldn't even see his face clearly.
There was only a silhouette.
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her silently, his face expressionless. He asked in a voice only she could hear, "Do you regret it?"
His tone was still calm, but compared to usual, the sense of oppression was obviously reduced. His tone was very normal. "It's too late to regret."
Jiang Li shook her head. The tears she had just wiped away welled up again. "I don't regret it. He deserves this punishment."
"Then why are you still crying?"
"I'm crying for joy." She still refused to admit it. "I'm free, so I'm happy. Is that not okay?"
The man just let out a snort. Without saying a word, he pierced through her last layer of disguise and pride.
As if trying to prove something, Jiang Li clenched her fists and stood up from the steps.
She tried to raise the corners of her lips to show a smile, to prove that she was really happy.
But the muscles at the corners of her mouth kept drooping, making her forced smile look very funny, a desperate attempt at putting on a happy face that ended in failure.
Xiao Yanzhi crossed his arms and calmly watched her clumsy performance.
"Are you done acting?"
Jiang Li's body suddenly froze. She felt as stiff as if her body had been filled with cement. She only felt shame and despair.
Shame for performing in front of him.
Despair for being discovered by him that she was acting.
She closed her eyes, and tears rushed out from under her closed eyelids. Her nose was so sore that it hurt when she breathed.
"I lost my father a long time ago."
"I know," Xiao Yanzhi replied.
"I just sent my younger brother to prison."
"Okay."
"My mom doesn't want me anymore." Jiang Li's body trembled violently. Her voice squeezed out from her throat, faint and untouchable. "I have nothing left, Xiao Yanzhi."
There was a sense of desolation in her last words.
Xiao Yanzhi's heart tightened. His gaze stayed on her face. He always felt that that beautiful face would shatter into pieces the next second. "What on earth do you want to say?"
Jiang Li wanted to say that she didn't need to seek shelter from the rain anymore.
It would be better if she could just walk into the rain earlier and disappear into the rain curtain forever. That would be peaceful, perfect.
That would be a great ending.
Xiao Yanzhi stared at her intently, waiting for her answer.
Jiang Li was in floods of tears. Finally, she said weakly, "I want to go home."
Xiao Yanzhi didn't ask her where home was. He just told the driver to take her back to the rented apartment.
When they arrived at the door, they found that she had left her keys at the house in Huacheng.
So Xiao Yanzhi decided to take her back to Ruiyuan.
Jiang Li was like a soulless body. She sat motionless in the car. Except for the occasional blink of her eyes, she was just like a beautiful doll.
"I'm taking you back to Ruiyuan now. Do you agree?"