Roses in Flames

Why did you want to kill Jiang Yaozu?

Jiang Zhaodi lived in an extremely patriarchal family, especially her mother, who only favored her younger brother Jiang Yaozu from a young age.

My father works on construction sites year-round. He's an honest but timid man who doesn't care about anything at home.

My mother is very domineering; she makes all the decisions at home.

She was born a daughter, so her mother named her Zhaodi, hoping that the next one would be a son.

The house is small, so since her younger brother was born, her room has become his.

At that time, she thought that as long as she behaved well, studied hard, and did housework diligently, she would win her mother's favor.

But every time she brought home a certificate of merit, her mother would only say one thing: "What's the use of a girl having good grades? She'll get married sooner or later."

Jiang Yaozu had poor grades and liked to cause trouble, but his mother said that a boy being mischievous was a sign of intelligence and that he would definitely be successful when he grew up.

Every day after school, she is given a lot of housework.

Jiang Yaozu would spit out sunflower seed shells while she swept the floor, then lie on the sofa doing nothing, eating and watching TV.

She's treated worse than a dog at home.

The best food is always hidden in the cupboard, reserved only for Jiang Yaozu.

Jiang Yaozu got tired of eating eggs, milk, and fruit and threw them in the trash can. His mother wouldn't let him eat them, saying they were for her son.

If she glanced at her again, her mother would slap her, scold her for being greedy, cheap, and a money-loser.

One year she had a fever and was shivering so badly she could barely stand, but her mother still forced her to do the laundry and cook.

Jiang Yaozu only had a mild cold, but his mother was extremely worried. She bought medicine and made chicken soup for him, and wouldn't even let him get out of bed.

Sometimes, when she was angry and wanted to fight with Jiang Yaozu, her mother would beat her up, saying that her younger brother was the root of their family and that she would have to serve him for the rest of her life.

She did try to resist; she tried to tell her father all the grievances she had suffered.

But her father was a coward; if her mother glared at him, he wouldn't dare say a word.

He couldn't manage it, nor did he want to, so in the end he could only stay away from home and work elsewhere year after year.

In that house, she was all alone and felt suffocated.

But none of that was enough to make her hate Jiang Yaozu to the core. When she was in junior high school, something happened that she would never forget for the rest of her life.

There was an old bachelor in town, and there was a persimmon tree in his backyard.

In autumn, the persimmon trees are laden with bright red persimmons.

That day, Jiang Yaozu forced her to pick some persimmons to eat while she was doing her homework.

She didn't go because she was afraid of that old bachelor.

But Jiang Yaozu kept making a fuss, and when her mother heard it, she ran over and scolded her:

"What's wrong with picking a few persimmons for your brother? You can't even do something this simple? What kind of older sister are you?"

She murmured softly, "I...I'm scared."

She was afraid of the way that old bachelor looked at her; his gaze was always sticky and creepy, which was especially frightening.

She told her mother why she was afraid.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yaozu laughed with disdain, "You're just a bean sprout, skinny and ugly, who would want you? You're too narcissistic. Hurry up and go, stop talking nonsense!"

Her mother also urged and pressured her to go.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and go.

She arrived at the old bachelor's backyard. The backyard gate was not closed, so she quietly slipped inside.

She picked a few persimmons and was about to run out when suddenly a hand reached out from behind her and covered her mouth and nose.

She was dragged into the house by a strong force.

She screamed and struggled desperately, but to no avail.

She was dragged into the room by the old bachelor, and she felt desperate, her whole body trembling.

Before the door closed, she saw Jiang Yaozu's figure flash by outside the door.

She wanted Jiang Yaozu to come in and rescue her, or to go out and call for help.

But he never appeared until the old bachelor ruined her life.

At this point, Jiang Zhaodi raised her hand and covered her mouth tightly.

His whole body trembled violently, his shoulders twitched, but he couldn't cry.

Chen Yang looked up at Jiang Zhaodi, his heart heavy.

This poor girl has experienced something truly hellish from childhood to adulthood.

He got up and handed her some tissues.

Jiang Zhaodi's eyes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, but her pupils were as empty as two dry wells, dull and lifeless.

There were no tears, no hatred, only a deathly silence and an abyss.

"Officer, do you understand what it feels like to be pushed into hell by your own family?"

Especially later, she discovered that Jiang Yaozu had deliberately sent her to pick persimmons that day.

He had known all along about the old bachelor's filthy thoughts about her, because Jiang Yaozu had become addicted to online games at that time.

If the old bachelor succeeds, Jiang Yaozu can take a thousand yuan from him.

Her younger brother ruined her life for a thousand yuan so he could go to an internet cafe to play games.

Jiang Zhaodi's fingernails dug deep into her palms, her voice broken and incoherent, "Officer, I'm Jiang Yaozu's sister, his own sister!"

"I've always indulged him and served him since he was little; I gave him all the best things in the house..."

"Why did you do that to me? Why did you sell me out? Why did you push me into hell with your own hands...?"

"That's not all..."

Jiang Zhaodi's voice was very soft, but every word was filled with anguish.

She was ruined, and her family all knew it, but no one stood up for her, and no one felt sorry for her.

They only thought she was shameful and that she was in their way.

Later, when Jiang Yaozu went to a private high school, which cost money, her mother sold her to Wang Jun for 200,000 yuan without hesitation.

She suffered domestic violence, but her family ignored her.

Even though she was in such a terrible state, Jiang Yaozu still wouldn't let her go.

He knew that what she feared most was Wang Jun finding out about how she had been bullied by the old bachelor back then. If Wang Jun found out, he would definitely beat her to death.

So he used that incident to threaten her time and time again.

"If you don't pay, I'll tell everyone."

"If you don't pay me, I'll let everyone know that you used to be a womanizer and even seduced old bachelors."

"If you don't give me the money, I'll have my brother-in-law beat you to death."

At this point, Jiang Zhaodi suddenly screamed, her hands red from the handcuffs, "Officer, you ask me why I killed him? This is my reason for killing him!"

"I'm a human being too. I feel pain too. I want to live too."

"But they drove me to the brink."

"Tell me, does someone like Jiang Yaozu deserve to die?"

After saying that, Jiang Zhaodi suddenly slumped back, her slender body shrinking into the chair, her scarlet eyes completely vacant, like a corpse that had sunk into an abyss.

There was no more light, no more hope, just a deathly silence as if abandoned by the whole world.

……

The one-way glass observation room was deathly silent.

Ye Yuntang, Xiao Lin, Shen Yan, and Cheng Lei watched the entire interrogation.

After hearing Jiang Zhaodi's confession, Ye Yuntang felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart.

Heartache, anger, bitterness, and helplessness—a mix of emotions swirled within me.

Her eyes turned red, and every nerve in her body trembled for the thin, frail woman in the interrogation room.

Jiang Zhaodi's experience was too heartbreaking and distressing for her.

Ye Yuntang looked up at Xiao Lin, whose features were taut, and asked, "I want to go in and hug her, is that alright?"

Seeing the tears welling up in Ye Yuntang's eyes and the heartache in them, Xiao Lin's heart softened as well. He nodded gently, "Go."

Jiang Zhaodi is having a very tough time right now.

After Ye Yuntang entered the interrogation room and explained the situation to Chen Yang, she walked up to Jiang Zhaodi, gently squatted down, opened her arms, and carefully and tenderly embraced this woman who was covered in wounds and already broken.

Jiang Zhaodi looked up blankly; she recognized Ye Yuntang.

It's that beautiful, highly skilled, and elegant forensic doctor.

Jiang Zhaodi could feel her incredibly sincere embrace; she didn't mind that she was a murderer at all.

This hug contained nothing but pure heartache and kindness.

This was the most tender embrace she had ever felt, apart from Xie An's.

Ye Yuntang gently patted Jiang Zhaodi's back and said in a soft voice, "Zhaodi, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in, it's all in the past..."

Jiang Zhaoti rested his chin on Ye Yuntang's shoulder, his voice like broken sand, "My life is already like this, but I dragged Xie An into this. He's a good person, he shouldn't have been involved. He could have gone back to Y country and lived a clean life. It's my fault for dragging him down with me."

……

It was evening.

Xiao Lin, Ye Yuntang, Chen Yang, Cheng Lei, and Shen Yan were eating in the cafeteria.

Xiao Lin said in a deep voice, "When I was investigating Jiang Yaozu, I also discovered something else."

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Lin, waiting for him to say what he was going to say next.

"Jiang Yaozu is not the biological son of Jiang Zhaodi's father. Jiang Zhaodi's mother had a lover when she was young, and that lover had a family."

Everyone was shocked.

Xiao Lin continued, "I suspect the reason Jiang's mother disliked Jiang Zhaodi so much was because she didn't like Jiang Zhaodi's cowardly and honest father at all."

Ye Yuntang opened her eyes wide, her heart ached, and a chill ran from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

It turns out that Jiang Zhaodi's life was a complete scam from the very beginning.

She was sacrificed because of the preference for sons over daughters, sold by her relatives, threatened by her younger brother, and exploited by her entire family.

In the end, the younger brother who had drained her of everything was just a half-brother.

Cheng Lei slammed his fist on the table. "This is outrageous! Jiang Zhaodi's mother doesn't deserve to be called a human being!"

After closing his eyes briefly, Ye Yuntang said, "I want to hire lawyers for Jiang Zhaodi and Xie An."

Jiang Zhaodi suffered long-term domestic violence, threats, and was sold by her younger brother. She suffered from severe depression and only fought back when she was driven to the brink.

Xie An destroyed the body to protect the woman he loved.

They are not bad people at heart.

"I want to hire a lawyer to help them get the lightest possible sentence, so that in the future... they will still have a chance to get out. Two poor people who have suffered so much should have a chance to be together again. I want them to see the sunlight again."

Xiao Lin glanced at Ye Yuntang, knowing her kind and gentle nature, and said, "I'll take care of the lawyer's matter."

Ye Yuntang considered his status as the second young master of the Xiao family; it would be best if he arranged for a lawyer.

"And Zhao Di's father, that cowardly, incompetent, and escapist man who watched his daughter being bullied without standing up for her, we should let him know that Jiang Yaozu is not his biological son, and let him know just how much he has wronged his own daughter in this life!"