Seeing the obvious fear and wariness on her face, he let out a mocking snort, gripped her waist, and lifted her off him before standing up and leaving.
Watching his figure go downstairs, Wen Quhua finally let out a long breath of relief and collapsed onto the sofa.
She had really been asking for trouble. If she had known he harbored a man’s feelings toward a woman for her, she definitely would not have asked further and would have kept her distance from him.
In truth, he had not admitted it, but his eyes had clearly told her.
Wen Quhua patted her chest, only then realizing that her dress had long been wrinkled and disheveled. Looking at herself like this, she angrily punched the sofa.
She should hurry and resolve the construction site boss’s matter, then return to Hong Kong.
Presumably, once the construction site matter was resolved, that Yang Qin would not be forced into a dead end and go down the wrong path.
After tidying herself up again, Wen Quhua continued contacting people. The informant told her that the construction site boss’s surname was Liu, named Liu Jun, and that he had quite a strong background in Langcheng. Otherwise, he would not have been able to contract such a large construction site as early as 1988.
It did not matter where Liu Jun had fled. The deeper one was rooted locally, the more countless and inseparable connections they would have.
The informant sent her more information. Liu Jun’s parents were both retired local officials in Langcheng. They were raising a granddaughter left behind by Liu Jun’s deceased wife. Liu Jun had also found a mistress, who was said to be pregnant and close to giving birth.
Wen Quhua took her bag and hung a “Closed for Rest” sign at the door. The informant had arranged a car for her. She got in and went to the area near Liu Jun’s parents’ home.
She knew how things would develop. Liu Jun would run away, and his parents, along with his local connections, would clean up the mess for him. After everything was settled, he would return.
And so, they chose Yang Qin to become the scapegoat.
When Wen Quhua arrived at the old residential building area, she went to a tea stall at the entrance of the alley, ordered a pot of tea, and sat down.
Wearing sunglasses, she looked through the lenses and saw a little girl, about seven or eight years old, playing with sand downstairs. It was Liu Jun’s daughter.
She sat there for quite a while. Then she saw an elderly woman smiling as she walked a middle-aged man in a jacket downstairs.
“Xiao Qin, I’ll have to trouble you with this matter.”
“It’s nothing, Shimu[1]“师母” refers to the wife of one’s teacher jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1948375_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1948375_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. You and Teacher can rest assured. Once this period passes, everything will be fine.”
“Alright, alright. Come over for a meal when you have time.”
After seeing Xiao Qin off, Old Madam Liu called out to the little girl, “Come upstairs.”
Wen Quhua witnessed this scene, then got into the car and said to the driver, “Follow that car ahead.”
Xiao Qin?
She took out her mobile phone and called the informant. “Which department is he from?”
“Alright, I understand.”
After hanging up, Wen Quhua looked out the window, deep in thought. The driver could not help but glance at the striking woman through the rearview mirror a few more times.
That night, Yang Qin stayed at the hospital to take care of Xiao Xin. Xiao Xin had fallen asleep from the pain. Yang Qin stood by the window, looking at the large locust tree outside.
When someone knocked lightly on the door, he walked out.
The man quickly lowered his voice. “Brother Qin, I checked. Just like you said, Liu Jun ran away with that mistress of his.”
Liu Jun had connections locally. Once he fled, there would naturally be people to clean up the mess for him. Yang Qin frowned, thinking about it, his expression heavy.
“Before the accident, I kept urging Old He to install the safety net as soon as possible. But the exterior wall was contracted under my team. The responsibility for the accident will likely…”
A flicker passed through his eyes, which were filled with a cold, heavy light.
“Brother Qin, why don’t you also go hide for a while?” They were all from the same village. Everyone knew Yang Qin would most likely be implicated, so they looked at him with concern.
Yang Qin curled his lips in a mocking smile. “What’s the use of hiding?”
Liu Jun could run because he had people backing him. But if Yang Qin ran, his grandmother would still be in the small fishing village.
“The safety contract is in my hands. The situation isn’t that bad yet.”
Hopefully so.
Early the next morning, Xiao Xin’s mother and younger sister rushed to the county hospital by car. As soon as they entered and saw Xiao Xin covered in bandages, with blood still visible on his leg, they rushed over and cried loudly.
Xiao Xin’s mother was not only heartbroken but also afraid that after such severe injuries, Xiao Xin would not be able to work and support the family anymore. She immediately came over with red eyes and stared at Yang Qin.
“Yang Qin, my son followed you out to work. If anything happens to him, you must take full responsibility!”
Yang Qin did not speak. He looked at Xiao Xin’s mother’s weathered face and Xiao Xin’s younger sister, who was crying continuously.
At that moment, the door was pushed open again. People in uniform walked in, holding identification, and said to Yang Qin, “Yang Qing, right? You are the contractor responsible for this construction site accident. It involves criminal liability. Come with us.”
They had come so quickly.
Yang Qin’s gaze turned cold.
*
“He’s been arrested?” Wen Quhua could not believe it.
“Yes, he’s already been taken away for questioning. His name is Yang Qing.”
“Yang Qing? Not Yang Qin?” Wen Quhua froze again. Could it be that in this life, someone else had taken the blame?
The informant finally felt that he had earned the payment she gave him. He said proudly, “I’ve checked it. Yang Qing is probably the Yang Qin you’re looking for. When his household registration was recorded when he was young, the staff misheard it and registered Yang Qin as Yang Qing. People from the small fishing village all call him Yang Qin.”
She had finally found him, yet Wen Quhua did not feel happy at all, because the events were still unfolding just like in her previous life. Yang Qin had already been taken away.
No matter whether he was truly responsible or not, he would become Liu Jun’s scapegoat.
She could not quite remember this part clearly, but eight months later, his grandmother died during a rainstorm, and he failed to make it back in time. It was very likely because he was still detained and had not been released. By the time he got out, it was already too late.
Was that when he changed his name and went to Hong Kong?
Wen Quhua felt a bit confused, but she thought it would be best to stop this from happening.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this incident that Yang Qin’s temperament changed drastically, leaving him with no way back.
Wen Quhua took out her small notebook from her bag. After thinking for a long time, she finally decided to make a call.
“Uncle Liang? It’s me, Quhua. I have something I’d like to ask for your help with.”
“Yes, Langcheng. I want the best lawyer!”
For professional matters, it was best left to professionals. Wen Quhua did not understand Yang Qin well. Whether he bore responsibility for this accident or was innocent still required a lawyer’s judgment. At the very least, with a lawyer defending him, he would not have to bear responsibility that did not belong to him.
For example, that Xiao Qin…
Yesterday afternoon, when she followed Xiao Qin’s car, she saw him go to the Housing and Urban Development department, the Public Security Bureau, and the court.
Early this morning, Yang Qin had already been taken away. It was clear how fast Xiao Qin was moving.
If this matter was quickly concluded, then Yang Qin would have no chance.
Unable to find Liu Jun, the victims’ families gathered together, holding white mourning cloth and blocking the detention center.
Yang Qin was pushed to the forefront.
After Xiao Xin woke up and saw his mother’s haggard appearance, he froze. After understanding what had happened, he quickly said, “Mom, this has nothing to do with Brother Qin. If he hadn’t sent me to the hospital and paid for the surgery in advance, I might not have even been able to keep this leg.”
“Xiao Xin! I know Yang Qin is a good person, but… but…” Xiao Xin’s mother did not want to act this way either. She turned her face aside and said firmly, “Even if your leg is saved, can you still do heavy labor? If you need months to recover, can our family afford that delay? We must get compensation!”
Xiao Xin looked at her in disbelief. “Even if we want compensation, we should get it from the construction site boss. Mom, how can you join those families and protest?”
“Yang Qin has money! There’s only one elderly person in his family. After all these years, he must have savings. You have the best relationship with him. If he compensates you first, our lives can go on. Xiao Xin! I have no other way…” She cried as she complained, “There’s no man at home to support the family. I struggled to raise you all these years. What else can I do?”
Xiao Xin looked at his mother in disappointment and fell silent.
He could not move and could not help with anything. When the police came to ask questions, he could only say, “Brother Qin had already reported to the higher-ups to install the safety net quickly. And the collapse of the climbing frame wasn’t caused by Brother Qin. It was originally the construction site—”
“Xiao Xin!” Xiao Xin’s mother had just returned after getting medicine. When she heard this, she immediately glared at him, then turned to the police and said, “Our Xiao Xin came out to work with Yang Qin. Since it’s the project he contracted, he naturally has the responsibility to compensate us!”
“Mom, do you want Brother Qin to go to prison?” Xiao Xin raised his red eyes.
The police closed their notebook, said that the patient should rest well, and left.
It was just a formality. Someone inside was already manipulating things, specifically naming that this person surnamed Yang should take the blame.
A man sat across from Yang Qin and said with a smile, “Think it over carefully. Just take the fall for this and serve a few years in prison. Someone will take care of your grandmother. The medical expenses, your wages, and the compensation for these years are not small sums. It’s more than what you would earn working desperately for several years.”
Yang Qin lowered his head, showing no reaction.
After speaking, the man stood up to leave and added, “You’re a smart person. Whether you cooperate or not, the result will be the same. But the life you’ll have after you come out will be different.”
Yang Qin looked at his departing back and let out a cold laugh.
If he took the blame, he would be unable to compensate the victims’ families, get sentenced to several years, and then Liu Jun’s family would spend some money to settle him. Liu Jun would walk away unscathed, at most selling the project and developing elsewhere.
As for him, he would have a criminal record, and his future would be completely ruined.
Yang Qin had already anticipated that things would come to this point. If it were the former him, he might have calculated how to maximize his own benefit and negotiate with the Liu family.
He lowered his eyes. Suddenly, a pretty face flashed in his mind, questioning him about why he was avoiding her.
If this matter was concluded, let alone avoiding her, he might not even have a chance to see her again in this lifetime.
She would hear his story from outside, knowing that he had gone to prison. Would she regret not staying farther away from him sooner?
Yang Qin’s expression grew restless. His thumb and index finger rubbed hard against each other. It was not as if there was no solution at all.
He had left himself a backup plan. He would drag out Old He, who was responsible for safety protection. The responsibility for this matter was not entirely his. Old He was the brother of Liu Jun’s mistress and had also fled quickly when something happened.
At most three days. His people could bring Old He in. At that time, he would have a chance to turn things around.
But on the third day, the first person Yang Qin saw was not the police, but a well-dressed lawyer sitting in front of him.
The lawyer was dressed impeccably and even wore a valuable watch. He took out documents from his briefcase, including the construction contract, and introduced himself.
“Mr. Yang, hello. My name is Liang Heng. I’ve been entrusted to defend you in this case.”
“Entrusted by whom?” Yang Qin lifted his eyelids slightly, looking at him casually.
He did not know anyone who would hire a lawyer for him. In a small place like Langcheng, there were not many lawyers to begin with.
Especially someone like the man in front of him, who was clearly not ordinary.
Liang Heng adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled faintly. “You don’t need to know that. You only need to cooperate and tell me everything you know.”
Although he looked young, his tone was calm and steady, carrying a subtle authority.
Yang Qin suddenly narrowed his eyes. “From Hong Kong?”
Liang Heng curved his lips slightly and did not deny it.
The next moment, Yang Qin said irritably, “Thanks, but I don’t need it. Go back to wherever you came from.”
He did not want to think about why a lawyer from Hong Kong would defend him. He did not want to think about Wen Quhua, and he did not dare to think about her.
References[+]