"He’ll cherish his freedom so much more after this and won’t do anything stupid on a whim," said Lin Xinlan, although that wasn’t what she was really thinking.
She also believed that Zhou Xi should go to prison, that he should be punished. He was too young, hot-headed, and quick to commit crimes – this couldn’t continue.
What if he encountered a similar situation in the future and committed another crime? What then?
She didn’t want to be soft-hearted just to assist him in possibly harming others later on...
Similarly, it was a lesson for Zhou Yu, making him understand that doing wrong wasn’t without consequences.
Zhou Yu was just as impulsive as Zhou Xi...
"Is there really no way to save him?" Zhou Yu asked, not giving up hope.
By then, Lin Xinlan had steadied herself. Zhou Yu was still too young, no match for her at all.
"Lessening his sentence is already the best possible outcome. Don’t worry, he hasn’t done much wrong, and with our plea on his behalf, at most he’ll serve a year before release. He’s young; after getting out, he’ll still have a full life ahead of him.
It’s you who need to stop making mistakes; we’ll let this one slide because of your youth.
If you insist on going down this path of mutual destruction with us, you won’t come out on top in the end! Do you want your brother to serve a longer sentence, and for you to end up in jail alongside him?!"
Lin Xinlan emphasized this last sentence with a commanding tone.
Zhou Yu was thoroughly intimidated; he hadn’t wanted to break the law, but had acted impulsively.
After doing so, he had begun to regret it, and hearing Lin Xinlan’s words now made him even more remorseful.
"Miss Lin, I’m sorry, and please convey my apologies to Mr. Qiao as well. I trust that you are all good people and will help my brother. Rest assured, I will destroy the photos, but you must do your utmost to help him."
"We will, and if you’re not at ease, you can come with us to the police station today and hear what we have to say. After that, you can still destroy the photos."
Her consideration touched Zhou Yu even more deeply.
He burst into tears, "Miss Lin, thank you. But it’s too late today; let’s go to the police station together tomorrow."
Lin Xinlan checked the time; it was already ten in the evening, certainly not an appropriate time to go to the police station.
"Alright, call me first thing tomorrow morning, and we’ll go together."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yu wiped away his tears and, turning to his anxious mother, said, "Mom, Miss Lin and the others have promised to help my brother and to minimize his sentence as much as possible."
Zhou’s mother, frustrated at his foolishness, said, "I’ve told you before, they are good people and won’t harm your brother. Look at you, you almost did something foolish. What if your brother goes to prison and you end up joining him? How would I bear it!"
"Mom, it’s not that I don’t trust them. It’s because you were turned away when you went to plead with her yesterday. If she had agreed to meet with you then, I wouldn’t have treated her the way I did today."
"Last night, I was turned away, not by Miss Lin, though I don’t know who it was."
"Maybe it was her. Don’t be fooled by her agreement to help me today. She’s just worried I’ll release the photos. But we did wrong by her. If she’s willing to help my brother, I’ll destroy all the photos," he said.
With a resigned sigh, Zhou’s mother said, "Well, at this point, that’s all we can do..."