Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

Xie Wang's finger hovered above the phone screen, trembling slightly, but he finally pressed the play button for the audio file.

A few seconds later, a rough voice came from the phone's speaker.

"That woman surnamed Xie has taken an account book that she shouldn't have, and she's been going to the provincial government's petition office for the past few days."

This was Gu Tianlong's voice, his tone carrying the indifference of someone in a superior position.

Immediately following the recording was another timid male voice.

"Boss, this is too risky. That's a busy downtown area, and the security cameras at the intersection were just replaced with a new batch."

Gu Tianlong sneered, and the sound of the teacup hitting the mahogany table was clearly audible.

"I'll have someone erase the surveillance footage in the background. All you need to do is drive the heavy truck and step on the brake instead of the accelerator at that traffic light intersection."

The man was clearly hesitant.

"Boss, that's a human life. If I get arrested, my life will be ruined."

Gu Tianlong's tone became somewhat impatient as he offered a deal that was impossible to refuse.

"Five million in cash."

The recording paused for a long time here, with only the man's heavy and troubled breathing amplified.

"Okay, I'll take the job."

He eventually succumbed to the lure of money, and with that casual remark, he completely bought Xie Wan's young life.

The audio progress bar reached its end, and the living room fell back into that suffocating silence.

Xie Wang lowered his head and buried his face in his large hands.

For twelve years, he had struggled in the dirtiest urban villages of the city, and finally heard the complete picture of this murder case.

Gu Tianlong used five million to buy his mother's life, and also ruined his childhood, which could have been full of sunshine.

Su Qinghe sat beside him, a layer of tender heartache welling up in her eyes. She stretched out her slender arm and wrapped it around Xie Wang's shoulder, pulling him towards her.

She didn't offer any weak words of comfort; instead, she pressed her warm cheek against Xie Wang's cold earlobe, giving him the strongest support.

The phone screen on the coffee table lit up again; Kangping had sent a long message.

Xie Wang sat up straight, picked up his phone, and opened the short video that Kang Ping had sent him.

The video footage was clearly captured by a security camera in the hospital corridor.

In the video, a hunched-over middle-aged man is standing in a corner making a phone call.

In the ward less than three meters away from him, lay a thin little girl wearing a bright yellow woolen hat, with an IV needle inserted into the back of her hand.

Kangping's text message followed immediately.

Kang Ping told Xie Wang that the man's name was Chen Jianping, and that he might be the driver who caused the accident twelve years ago.

In the message, Kang Ping detailed Chen Jianping's current situation: he squandered the money within two years of receiving it, his wife passed away, leaving behind a daughter.

Two weeks ago, the little girl was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and needed a huge amount of medical expenses for a bone marrow transplant.

Desperate, Chen Jianping went to Gu Tianlong to ask for money, but was kicked out by the security guards of Tianlong Group.

In his despair, he learned that Xie Wang was investigating what happened back then, so he took a risk and used the evidence he had secretly kept to get money to save his daughter's life.

Xie Wang looked at these words, his heart heavy.

"Uncle Kang, I must settle this score myself."

The status at the top of the chat box showed that the other party was typing, and Kangping quickly replied.

Kang Ping expressed his understanding of Xie Wang's feelings and informed him that he had notified the newly appointed Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau Chief that the police would be arriving at Jiangcheng People's Hospital soon to make the arrest.

Xie Wang replied with a "good" and exited the chat interface with Kang Ping.

Wang Nan's WeChat chat window was pushed to the top of the list at that moment.

"Xie Wang, I just received orders from the Municipal Bureau and am leading a team to the inpatient department of Jiangcheng City Hospital. Our target is a suspect related to a murder case from twelve years ago, and it is said that he is connected to you."

Wang Nan had clearly guessed the direct connection between this suspect and Xie Wan's case.

"I know, this is the person who killed my mother," Xie Wang replied.

"Sister Nan, please wait for me at the hospital entrance for a moment. I'll be right there. I'm going to end this feud with my own hands."

Xie Wang pressed the send button, the coldness in his eyes already turning to frost.

Wang Nan replied that she had received the message and assured that no coercive action would be taken before Xie Wang arrived.

Xie Wang stood up, picked up the black coat draped over the back of the sofa, and put it on.

Su Qinghe also stood up. She took a long camel-colored woolen coat from the wardrobe, put it on, and calmly walked to Xie Wang's side.

"I'll go with you." Su Qinghe took Xie Wang's hand.

Xie Wang turned to look at her, his originally cold and hard facial features softening slightly with her presence.

He grasped Su Qinghe's slender, warm hand tightly and led her out of the apartment building in the Cloud Top Piano Room.

It's raining.

The first rain of winter in Jiangcheng.

The Maybach sped through the streets of Jiangcheng.

Inside the car, Uncle Chung focused intently on the road conditions ahead, pushing the car to its maximum speed.

Xie Wang leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed on the rapidly receding street scene outside the window.

At this moment, he was less than ten kilometers away from the man who killed his mother. The oppressive feeling of facing the abyss made him both excited and sad.

He recalled that rainy night when he was seven years old, when he cried until his voice was hoarse outside the iron gate of the morgue, but received no warm response in return.

Su Qinghe noticed Xie Wang's tense mood, so she moved closer to him and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

She reached out and wrapped her arms around Xie Wang's lean waist, pressing her cheek against his chest, listening to his rapidly beating heart.

"Xie Wang, you have done more than enough. Aunt Xie will be so proud of you if she sees you like this from heaven."

Su Qinghe spoke very softly.

These simple words were like a gentle spring breeze, dispelling the gloom that had accumulated in Xie Wang's heart for many years.

"Having you by my side is enough," Xie Wang murmured in a voice only the two of them could hear.

After making a turn, the Maybach entered the tree-lined avenue of Jiangcheng People's Hospital, where the sign for the inpatient building stood out prominently in the night.

Xie Wang was ready to face the trial that was twelve years overdue.