Chapter 63

Chapter 63

"So..." Shen Nian paused for a moment, looking at Mrs. Xiao. "I should probably not go and disturb your happy family anymore."

Xiao Mubai treated her well, and she didn't want to ruin Xiao Mubai's family.

With these words, she politely declined Mrs. Xiao's request.

Rising to her feet, Shen Nian gave a slight nod to Mrs. Xiao. "Madam, I will keep my distance from Xiao Mubai from now on, so as not to cause you any trouble."

After saying this, she took the porridge from the table and left the tea shop.

Watching her retreating figure, Mrs. Xiao moved her lips but ultimately said nothing.

...

When Shen Nian arrived, Xiao Mubai had already changed his dressings and was sitting on a long bench in the corridor, holding his phone as he waited for Shen Nian.

Hearing the sound of high heels, Xiao Mubai looked up, his eyes visibly brightening when he saw Shen Nian's figure. He immediately broke into a warm smile. "Didn't you say you'd be here soon when you called? I've been waiting for you for a while and was getting anxious, about to call you."

Shen Nian lied with a straight face, "That porridge shop was too crowded. There was a really long queue when I got there, so I lost some time."

"..." Hearing this, Xiao Mubai's gaze seemed a little strange, but it passed quickly. He asked in a casual tone, "Is that so? I see."

"Yeah." Shen Nian handed him the porridge. "Here's the porridge you wanted."

Xiao Mubai smiled. "Great, thank you."

He took the porridge from Shen Nian's hands with his uninjured left hand, set it on his lap, and opened it.

"I haven't eaten anything all morning, so I'm hungry now. Let me finish this porridge, then we can go."

"Sure," Shen Nian replied.

Xiao Mubai's other hand was still immobile, so he needed to open the plastic container's lid with his left hand. Seeing this, Shen Nian moved to help. "Let me help you..."

"No need." Xiao Mubai declined politely, giving Shen Nian a reassuring look. "It's a small thing, no need to trouble you."

With that, he easily opened the lid. There was a plastic spoon next to him, which he used to drink the porridge.

Relying on their connections, they acted arrogantly and thought they were above everyone else. More than once, they spoke rudely and regarded human life as worthless...

"Lu Lingchuan must have investigated them over the years as well. They are old hands and naturally wouldn't reveal their weaknesses easily. As for Yang Hao and Wang Yong, those two are not good people. I looked into them - they've known each other for over ten years, loafing around and causing trouble since they were eighteen or nineteen, with no proper jobs."

"Even if the Lu family insists on holding them accountable for Lu Lingrui's case, the other side won't give in easily. If the Lu family demands the death penalty, the chances are less than 1%, maybe even less than that."

Shen Nian was well aware of this, even without Xiao Mubai pointing it out.

Then Xiao Mubai continued, "But for people like them with such tarnished records, is it possible that Lu Lingrui was their only victim? If there are more victims, and they show no remorse or change in their attitude, there's a high chance they could be severely punished."

Xiao Mubai was earnestly sharing the information and speculations he had gathered with Shen Nian.

His words seemed to clear the fog that had been clouding Shen Nian's vision.

Xiao Mubai was right - it would be difficult for them to receive the death penalty based solely on Lu Lingrui's case. But what if there were many other victims?

All these years, Lu Lingchuan had only focused on finding evidence to bring down the backers behind Yang Hao and Wang Yong. But they had been in their positions for so many years and were seasoned operators. If it was that easy to catch them, someone else would have brought them down long ago without Lu Lingchuan's involvement.

The Lu family had never considered taking another path...

After saying this, Xiao Mubai seemed to remember something and explained further, "I only thought of this after my friend mentioned it. Of course, Lu Lingchuan could probably find this information as well."

Xiao Mubai didn't even know Lu Lingrui when she died; he only met Shen Nian after that. Originally, he had no reason to get involved in this case since it had nothing to do with him.

It was only because Shen Nian cared about it that he went out of his way to call in favors from others to help Shen Nian obtain useful information.

"..." Shen Nian's feelings were complicated, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.

After a brief silence, she spoke up, "Xiao Mubai."

"Yes," Xiao Mubai responded almost immediately.

"Thank you for your concern. I will be indebted to you for the rest of my life, but... I don't want to owe you that much..."

She paused, then said those words, "From now on... let's have less contact."

"..." Hearing this, Xiao Mubai's expression froze, and he forced an extremely unpleasant smile. "Is my existence causing you trouble?"