RGL – Chapter 135

Especially since this case had already been closed before, the fact that such news is surfacing again shows that the previous case wasn’t truly over.

As the public’s concern grew, the police department also began to feel the pressure.

Although there was no concrete evidence for the case and it was based solely on Li Liang’s words, the police had their own methods. They brought out a few men to stand with Wang Mingsong and had Zhang Lihong brought out from prison to make an in-person identification.

Even though Zhang Lihong didn’t know Wang Mingsong’s name, she had seen him before and immediately pointed him out from the group—Wang Mingsong, who was shrinking back and trying to hide.

Li Liang and Zhang Lihong had never met, so there was no possibility of collusion. Moreover, Wang Mingsong had previously denied ever meeting either Li Liang or Zhang Lihong. This in itself proved he had lied. Therefore, Li Liang and Zhang Lihong could serve as key witnesses to identify him.

Just one month into the summer break, Wang Mingsong’s case was resolved, and his charges were confirmed: intentional homicide, framing others, bribery, construction fraud, and several other crimes. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison.

“My Mingsong!”

Upon hearing the verdict, Mother Wang fainted on the spot. Su Wenwen stood dumbfounded outside the courtroom, trembling from head to toe as she listened to the news coming from inside.

“Wenwen, let’s go home,” said Gao Hong, comparatively calmer. Now that it was certain Wang Mingsong wouldn’t be getting out, she had no choice but to prepare for the worst and shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family herself.

“Mom, what should we do? What should we do?” Su Wenwen clung to Gao Hong’s arm, her face full of anxiety and fear, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.

Seeing her daughter cry like this, Gao Hong thought she was simply frightened by Wang Mingsong’s imprisonment and the loss of support for the future. She quickly comforted her, “Wenwen, don’t be afraid. I’ll take care of you from now on. Everything will be okay. Don’t be scared.”

“No, Mom, that’s not it.” Su Wenwen shook her head frantically, the tears in her eyes flowing even more intensely.

On the other side, Father Wang was tending to his wife. Seeing that neither of the two women had any intention of helping, he simply called some friends and relatives to assist in taking the old lady to the hospital.

Now that the son was no longer around, this family would have to rely on this old man to keep it going.

After the Wang family left the courthouse, Su Wenwen was still clinging to Gao Hong, crying.

Gao Hong was becoming increasingly agitated by her daughter’s sobbing and snapped, “Wenwen, what on earth is wrong with you? If you keep this up, I’m leaving.”

This was no time for her daughter to be causing trouble.

“Mom, I… my stomach hurts.”

Suddenly, Su Wenwen clutched her belly and squatted down.

Gao Hong initially thought she was just being dramatic and pretending to be in pain, so she ignored her and was about to walk away. But when she looked down, she saw blood under Su Wenwen’s ankles. Her expression changed instantly, and she quickly squatted down next to her.

“Wenwen, what’s going on? Where are you hurt?”

Su Wenwen raised her pale, sweat-covered face and said, “Mom, it hurts so bad. My stomach really hurts.”

Only then did Gao Hong realize that her daughter was truly unwell. She hurriedly called over a nearby passerby to help flag down a car.

An older lady nearby looked over and said curiously, “Isn’t that a miscarriage?”

That kind of stomach pain and the amount of blood—it definitely looked like a miscarriage.

Hearing this, Gao Hong glared at the woman and snapped, “If you dare to slander my daughter, I won’t be polite.”

The older woman scoffed, full of contempt, and walked away while muttering, “Her daughter had a miscarriage and she still won’t admit it.”

Gao Hong was furious, but since she was supporting Su Wenwen, she couldn’t chase after the woman. When a car finally arrived, she shoved her anger aside and quickly helped Su Wenwen into the vehicle and rushed to the hospital.

“She really does look like she had a miscarriage,”

Su Changrong and Sun Qiufang had just walked out of the courthouse. Seeing the scene, Sun Qiufang also began to suspect it was a miscarriage. There were plenty of women in the village who had miscarriages during their first pregnancy, so the symptoms weren’t unfamiliar.

Su Changrong looked shocked.

“That can’t be, right? Wenwen’s still so young—she’s even younger than our Minzi.”

“How would I know?” Sun Qiufang pursed her lips. “You’ll have to ask Gao Hong. That girl is in her care. What kind of care was she providing?”

A teenage girl having a miscarriage—how would she go on after that?

Su Changrong still found it hard to believe.

“No way. Gao Hong might be unreliable, but she’s still Wenwen’s biological mother and an educated intellectual. No way she’d let Wenwen behave recklessly outside. Don’t overthink it. If Changgui finds out, he’ll cause another scene. Even if he’s not that attached to Wenwen, now that Shao Yun can’t have children, Wenwen is his only daughter. He can’t just disown her.”

“Let him cause a scene, then. He doesn’t even know how to take care of his daughter. What does it have to do with us?” Sun Qiufang said indifferently.

“If you ask me, he’s a useless father. Back when Gao Hong and her family were spoiling Wenwen rotten, wasn’t Changgui also completely irresponsible? He was too scared of Gao Hong’s family to discipline his own daughter. Now that they’re divorced, he just washes his hands of it? Is that what a father should do? Wenwen turned out this way not just because of Gao Hong—Changgui bears a huge part of the blame too.”

Su Changrong couldn’t refute that and simply sighed, “Forget it. It’s not our business anyway. Wenwen and our Minzi don’t get along. If we get involved, Minzi will just get upset.”

“I never intended to interfere. After all the times they tried to hurt Minzi, I stopped treating Su Wenwen as a relative long ago. It’s already generous that I don’t see her as an enemy. Everyone takes care of their own kids. We have no spare energy to sympathize with others. Come on, let’s go home.”

Although Su Min had already guessed how things would turn out, she still felt a sense of satisfaction upon hearing the confirmed news from Sun Qiufang and Su Changrong.

Everything had finally been resolved, and those who deserved punishment received it.

That night, while chatting with Sun Qiufang before bed, she also heard about what happened at the courthouse with Su Wenwen and couldn’t help but recall what Tang Man and the others had said before.

“Mom, my classmates said that Su Wenwen and Wang Mingsong were really close. They were always holding hands or linking arms.”

“What? They’re not even real father and daughter. What were they holding hands for?” Sun Qiufang said in shock, eyes wide.

“That’s what’s so strange,” Su Min said. “If something really did happen… could it be…”

“Don’t say anything more. That kind of talk is too nasty.” Sun Qiufang quickly cut her off.

“Alright, time for bed. Don’t you have class tomorrow? You’re about to start senior year. Can’t let yourself get distracted during summer tutoring.”

She patted her daughter’s head with a smile and walked out.

After she left, Su Min pursed her lips, picked up her book, and continued reading.

Anyway, Wang Mingsong had already been arrested. As for everything else, there wasn’t much she could do or think about. Her mom was right—she was about to start her final year of high school and needed to focus on her studies.

“Wenwen, whose child was it? Will you tell me or not?”

In the hospital, Gao Hong looked heartbroken as she stared at her daughter, who was wrapped in a blanket on the bed.

She had rushed her daughter to the hospital, thinking it was some acute illness. But the doctor took one look and immediately diagnosed it as a miscarriage.

Miscarriage? Her daughter wasn’t even eighteen yet—how could she have had a miscarriage?!

“Wenwen, who bullied you? Tell me now,” Gao Hong urged, tears falling uncontrollably from her eyes.

Although Gao Hong had always been domineering and arrogant throughout her life, she still prided herself on self-respect. When she married Su Changgui, she had been pure and innocent. How could her own daughter have ended up like this?

“Stop forcing me. I don’t know anything! I don’t know!” Su Wenwen cried and screamed from under the covers.

Seeing Su Wenwen still being so stubborn at this moment, Gao Hong grew even angrier, her eyes reddening with fury. “Fine! If you won’t talk, then so be it. From now on, I’ll pretend I never had a daughter like you. You’ve completely disgraced me!”

After she said this, she suddenly stood up from the bed and stormed out.

Hearing the commotion, Su Wenwen sat up in a panic and grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mom, don’t go. You’re all I have left. You can’t just abandon me!”

Gao Hong clenched her teeth as she stared at her. “How am I supposed to help you if you won’t even tell me who hurt you?”

“I… I…” Su Wenwen bit her lip in fear.

Gao Hong turned to leave.

“Don’t go! I’ll tell you!” Su Wenwen clutched her mother’s arm. “It was Uncle Wang.”

“What?!” Gao Hong was utterly shocked. She grabbed Su Wenwen’s arm tightly, her fingernails digging in, causing Su Wenwen to wince in pain.

But Gao Hong didn’t even register her daughter’s pain. She just stared at her and asked, “You mean… Wang Mingsong?”

Su Wenwen nodded slightly, head lowered, not daring to meet her mother’s eyes.

“He bullied you—he forced you? Why didn’t you tell me earlier, you silly girl…” Gao Hong wailed as she cried out loud.

“Mom, it wasn’t forced. We truly love each other. He treats me really well. What should I do, Mom? Now that Uncle Wang’s been arrested, he’s going to be locked up for thirty years. What will I do in the future?”

Gao Hong had been heartbroken and blaming herself for letting her daughter get hurt by her current husband. But upon hearing this, her expression changed drastically. She stared at her daughter in disbelief. “You’re saying it wasn’t forced? You’re in love with Wang Mingsong?”

“Mom, I’m sorry… but Uncle Wang treats me really well.” Su Wenwen didn’t think she was wrong. After all, books always said marriages without love are unhappy. In that drama “Waters of the Clouds”, didn’t the male lead say that marriage was from a past life, and the female lead was his true love? Uncle Wang only married Mom to take care of her—they didn’t have love.

Gao Hong couldn’t hear anything anymore.

She had thought her daughter had been ruined by someone else, that she was a victim. She never imagined her daughter had stolen her own husband.

And the child that had been lost… was already three months old. That meant Wang Mingsong and Wenwen had been together for quite a while. Thinking about how they had done such shameless things right under her nose, Gao Hong felt a wave of nausea.

Watching her mother dry heave, Su Wenwen became worried and clung to her clothes, refusing to let go. “Mom, I know I was wrong. Please don’t abandon me. Uncle Wang has been arrested—I only have you now.”

Gao Hong turned back around with red eyes and a tear-streaked face. She looked at her daughter with pain in her eyes. “Wenwen, tell me—if Uncle Wang hadn’t been arrested, would you two have just stayed together like this without any status? Or were you planning to have him divorce me?”

“I don’t know… Uncle Wang said he wouldn’t let me suffer.”

Hearing this, Gao Hong understood immediately—her daughter wanted her to step aside.

Her husband was taken, and the mistress was her own daughter. Gao Hong’s heart felt like it was being cut by knives.

“What kind of sin have I committed?!”

With the start of senior year, in order not to disturb the learning atmosphere, the school didn’t rearrange the classes.

Tang Man and Yin Jing let out a sigh of relief.

Ever since they had started studying together and tutoring each other daily, their grades had improved rapidly. The subjects they were previously weak in had gradually caught up, and their overall performance had significantly improved. In the recent exams, all of them had ranked within the top twenty in class.

After school started, Su Min also handed over the clothes that Ke Wan had previously asked to be made.

“Sister Wan, the clothes are all done. But I’m starting my final year now, so I’ll need to pause my business for a while. I plan to resume after the college entrance exams.”

Hearing that Su Min wouldn’t be taking new orders, Ke Wan was surprised. “What about your shop, then?”

“There are some items in stock, and I’ve already designed a few simple styles. It should be enough to keep the shop running. But I won’t be able to take on any custom orders for now.”

Although Ke Wan hadn’t studied high school domestically, she understood how important the college entrance exams was for students in China. So she didn’t try to persuade Su Min to change her mind.

She smiled and said, “Alright, focus on your studies. If anyone comes looking for custom designs, I’ll hold the orders for you until your exams are over. You’re quite famous in the B City circle now. When people talk about custom traditional Chinese dresses, they immediately think of you. Even with foreign designers, you have to wait years to get a dress made. A one-year pause for you won’t matter. It’s a good chance to build up your prestige.”

Su Min laughed at Ke Wan’s teasing. “I don’t dare act prestigious. If you don’t mind, Sister Wan, help explain for me.”

“Well, now that you’ve asked, I can’t exactly say no.” Ke Wan chuckled, sipping from her coffee cup before continuing, “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. That time you asked us to introduce someone to help with the farmers’ market construction—did you know something in advance? Otherwise, why send Wang Mingsong?”

Su Min’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the question but quickly steadied herself. She knew that smart people like Ke Wan and Wu Zhe would naturally become suspicious. She had even mentally prepared herself for the possibility that they might distance themselves from her.

But to her surprise, neither Wu Zhe nor Ke Wan had treated her any differently. And now that Ke Wan was asking her face-to-face, it meant she wasn’t planning to push her away. Otherwise, she would’ve kept the doubt to herself.

Faced with Ke Wan’s openness, Su Min actually felt a bit guilty.

Others treated her with sincerity, yet there were things she couldn’t reveal—like the fact that she had been reborn, or that she knew there would be issues with the farmers’ market.

She lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Sister Wan. I didn’t want to lie to you, but I also can’t tell the truth. I did know there would be a problem with the market—I heard it from someone. But I can’t say who.”

Ke Wan hadn’t expected Su Min to actually admit she knew something in advance. She didn’t ask who told her but instead asked, “So from the start, you planned to get Wang Mingsong involved?”

“Yes.” Su Min nodded. “In that regard, I did have an ulterior motive.”

Ke Wan pursed her lips without replying, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Su Min was almost nineteen. At this age, she should have been pampered at home. The Su family wasn’t lacking in resources; they could’ve given Su Min a happy life. For her to be so mature and calculating now—Ke Wan didn’t believe anyone was born that way. Something major must’ve happened before.

“Sister Wan, I’m sorry. There are some things I can’t say. But I don’t want to lie to you either.”

Su Min raised her head and looked seriously at Ke Wan. Since Ke Wan had treated her with such sincerity, she didn’t want to deceive her anymore.

Ke Wan had asked her so directly this time, and this was the only answer she could give. Besides, even if she said she had been reborn, Ke Wan probably wouldn’t believe her.

After all, who would believe in something like reincarnation?

Even before her own rebirth, Su Min had never thought such a thing was possible.

Although Ke Wan was dissatisfied with being deceived by Su Min, she had hoped to use this conversation to reevaluate her character. But when she saw the sincerity and seriousness in Su Min’s eyes, she suddenly felt like the truth didn’t really matter anymore.