Roses in Flames

Jiang family.

Jiang's mother's face was contorted with rage as she glared at Jiang's father, who had rushed back from the construction site.

The whole town was in an uproar after learning that Jiang Zhaodi had killed Wang Jun and almost strangled Jiang Yaozu.

Jiang's father's mind was also in turmoil, as if struck by lightning.

Jiang's mother pointed at Jiang's father's nose, her voice sharp and sarcastic, "That good-for-nothing Jiang Zhaodi almost strangled our Yaozu to death! That was her own brother, the precious darling of our Jiang family! How could she be so vicious!"

Jiang's father frowned, and a look of pain appeared on his honest face.

Zhao Di is slender and frail. If she hadn't been driven to the brink, she probably wouldn't have done something so heinous!

Before Jiang's father could say anything, he heard Jiang's mother say emotionally, "Go to town right now and go door to door to get people to sign a petition. I want everyone to write to the government to sentence that bitch to death!"

Jiang's father suddenly looked up, staring at Jiang's mother in disbelief. His pale lips trembled as he murmured, "But Zhao Di... is our daughter."

"She's a murderer!" Jiang's mother's eyes were full of bitterness, and a cold smile appeared on her lips. "Does she deserve to be our daughter? She killed Wang Jun, her hands are stained with blood, and now she's made our whole family the laughingstock of the town! Most importantly, she almost killed Yaozu, she can even do that to her own brother, she's a scourge!"

Jiang's father opened his mouth, but his throat felt incredibly dry.

He had always been timid, and his wife was always right, but this time, he didn't want to get any petition signed; he didn't want his daughter to be sentenced to death.

Seeing that Jiang's father remained silent, Jiang's mother slapped him hard across the face. "Look at you, you spineless coward! Jiang Daqiang, if you don't do as I ask, I'll divorce you!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang's mother turned and left.

After Jiang's mother left, she got into a taxi.

Ye Yuntang and Xiao Lin sat in the SUV and quietly followed behind after seeing Jiang's mother get into a taxi.

The taxi drove to the center of Cangzhou City and stopped at an upscale residential area.

Looking out the car window, Ye Yuntang saw Jiang's mother getting out. A hint of doubt appeared in her eyes. "Could this be the place where Zhao Di's mother and her lover are having their tryst?"

If that's the case, then Jiang's mother's lover's financial situation is quite good.

Xiao Lin nodded slightly, his gaze cold and sharp. "That's right, her lover's family also lives in this neighborhood."

Ye Yuntang was shocked. "Isn't this a bit too audacious?"

"The most dangerous place is the safest place," Xiao Lin said in a low voice. "In all these years, the two of them have never been discovered."

Ye Yuntang frowned deeply. "What's the situation with her lover's family?"

"My lover's name is Gao Zhiyuan. He is a son-in-law who married into the woman's family. His father-in-law is a real estate developer and is well-off in Cang City. Gao Zhiyuan's current life is entirely due to the support of his wife's family."

Ye Yuntang detested infidelity, extramarital affairs, and illegitimate children. She scoffed, "What method is there to make Mrs. Gao discover their affair?"

Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes as he watched Jiang's mother gradually disappear into the neighborhood. "I'll send Mrs. Gao an anonymous email later. Jiang's mother must have made an appointment with Gao Zhiyuan to be here now."

Ye Yuntang nodded, "Let's send another anonymous message to Jiang Daqiang and ask him to come here too."

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang managed to get into the residential area.

The two stood in an inconspicuous spot and waited for about forty minutes when a commotion suddenly broke out inside the building.

Jiang's mother was dragged out of the building by the hair by a fierce woman.

Jiang's mother was only wearing thin underwear, her hair was disheveled, and her left cheek was swollen, clearly indicating that she had been beaten.

The woman grabbing Jiang's mother's hair was none other than Mrs. Gao.

Mrs. Gao was followed by several relatives. After the group came out, Mrs. Gao took a megaphone and loudly proclaimed in the neighborhood, "Shameless thing, you're so old, and you still try to seduce my man?"

Mrs. Gao was very fierce, and she slapped Jiang's mother repeatedly across the face.

Hearing the commotion, everyone in the neighborhood ran over to see what was going on.

Ye Yuntang glanced at the cold and indifferent man beside her. "I want to squeeze in and take a look too. Are you coming?"

Xiao Lin had one hand in his pocket, his eyes expressionless, clearly uninterested in this kind of drama. "I'm not going."

Ye Yuntang ignored him and ran towards the crowd.

Gao Zhiyuan hurriedly chased after him. He never expected that the relationship he had kept hidden for so many years would be suddenly exposed.

Seeing Jiang's mother being beaten, he wanted to step forward, but hesitated because of Mrs. Gao's status.

Just then, another person rushed in from outside the crowd.

It is Jiang Daqiang, Jiang's father.

When Jiang Daqiang saw his mother being beaten, he instinctively wanted to help her, but when he saw Gao Zhiyuan not far away, he froze on the spot.

His mind was buzzing, as if struck by lightning.

His gaze was fixed on Gao Zhiyuan's face, and the gossip his neighbors had talked about in the past flashed through his mind:

—Daqiang, why doesn't your son Yaozu look like you at all?

—Could it be that your wife is having an affair with another man behind your back?

The two children, Zhao Di, combine the best qualities of both parents and bear the shadows of both.

Jiang Yaozu, however, bears no resemblance to him whatsoever.

Upon seeing the man in front of him, Jiang Daqiang suddenly understood.

Jiang Yaozu looks just like this man.

Jiang Daqiang seemed to have suffered a major blow. He grabbed Jiang's mother by the neck, pulled her up from the ground, and dragged her in front of Gao Zhiyuan. "Jiang Yaozu is his child, isn't he? No wonder you hate Zhao Di so much. It turns out it's because you hate me. You like this man, so you like his child. Ha, I've been fooled by you for so many years..."

Jiang's mother was in a daze, her ears were ringing, and she seemed unable to hear what Jiang's father was saying. Through her tears, she looked at Gao Zhiyuan and reached out her hand to him for help, "Zhiyuan, save me..."

Gao Zhiyuan's face turned pale; he didn't dare reach out to Jiang's mother at all.

Seeing this, Mrs. Gao sneered, "So, you two have an illegitimate child!"

Gao Zhiyuan was so scared he almost lost his soul.

He knelt down in front of Mrs. Gao with a thud, tightly hugging her legs with both hands, his voice trembling as he said, "Wife, I was wrong! I'll break it off with her immediately. I will never acknowledge that illegitimate child. I only have you, only our child. Believe me, give me another chance!"

Jiang's mother, whose neck was being choked by Jiang Daqiang, opened her eyes wide in disbelief after hearing Gao Zhiyuan's words, and the light of hope in her eyes gradually died out.

All those sweet words have now turned into deadly poison.

It turns out he never loved her; all he loved was money, status, and a stable life.

"Liar, you liar!"

Jiang's mother suddenly burst into laughter, a shrill and manic laugh, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.

Just then, Jiang Daqiang's cell phone rang.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Daqiang gave his mother a mocking smile. "The hospital just called. Jiang Yaozu went to an internet cafe and got into a car accident on the way. He injured his leg and his genitals. Now you'll have to take care of a crippled son for the rest of your life! Ha, it's all karma!"

Upon hearing Jiang Daqiang's words, Jiang's mother felt dizzy.

With a "pfft," she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Overwhelmed by the shock, she collapsed to the ground and fainted completely.

……

After the case was settled, Ye Yuntang took some time to visit Jiang Zhaodi at the detention center.

Ye Yuntang told her about all the things that had happened recently.

"The police have found the old bachelor who bullied you back then. He has confessed. You were underage at the time, and he will be punished by law."

Jiang Zhaodi's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She never imagined that the police would overturn her case, revealing the dirtiest, most shameful, and darkest past hidden deep in her heart.

Her family had never taken it to heart.

She hated Wang Jun, hated Jiang Yaozu, and hated even more the old bachelor who ruined her teenage years and gave her nightmares day and night.

But later, the old bachelor left the town, and she didn't know where he went.

She had always hoped that the old bachelor would get his comeuppance, and that someone would speak up for her.

But it never has.

Her family only regarded her as an unlucky, useless, and superfluous daughter.

until today.

It turns out the police are truly righteous. She was a murderer stained with sin, yet they were still willing to spend time seeking justice for her that was more than ten years overdue.

The defenses she had built up in her heart collapsed instantly at that moment.

Hot tears instantly slid down from the corners of her eyes.

This time, her tears were not out of despair or fear, but rather the pent-up grievances, pain, humiliation, and unbearable pain of many years. Finally, at this moment, she was warmly caught and given justice.

"Forensic Doctor Ye, thank you so much." Tears streamed down her face. "You are all so kind and good."

From childhood to adulthood, she has never received true warmth.

She was scorned, trampled on, subjected to domestic violence, abandoned by the whole world, and eventually became a murderer.

She assumed that these police officers, whom she didn't know at all, would only see her as a criminal whom everyone wanted to kill.

But they were willing to give her warmth.

This little bit of light was enough to illuminate her entire life.

It turns out there are still people in this world willing to look at her fairly.

It turns out that she also deserves to be treated kindly and to receive justice.

Ye Yuntang then recounted how Jiang Yaozu had been crippled in a car accident and how Jiang's mother had suffered a mental breakdown due to the shock.

"Zhao Di, Captain Xiao will hire a lawyer for you and Xie An." After saying that, Ye Yuntang took out a letter and handed it to Jiang Zhao Di. "Xie An wrote you a letter. Behave well in prison and try to get a reduced sentence so you can get out sooner and reunite with Xie An."

Jiang Zhaodi suddenly looked up at Ye Yuntang, tears still clinging to her eyelashes. She stared blankly at Ye Yuntang, her voice broken, "Forensic Doctor Ye... will I ever have a chance to be reborn?"

Ye Yuntang nodded solemnly, her eyes firm yet warm. "It will happen. You've suffered enough in the first half of your life. You'll definitely be happy in the second half. Believe me."

"I'll come see you whenever I have time. What kind of books do you like to read? I'll bring them to you next time, okay?"

Jiang Zhaodi nodded vigorously, tears welling up again.

This time, she felt no resentment or despair, but burning hope.

She never imagined that she, so tainted and despised by everyone, could be treated with kindness and be expected to be reborn.

She was so lucky to have met Captain Xiao, Captain Chen, Officer Cheng, Forensic Doctor Ye, and Forensic Doctor Shen—a group of people who uphold justice and have kind hearts.

They were the only unexpected light in her bleak life.

so good.

In a world that was pitch black, light shone in.