At first light, Jin Zhengxiong opened his eyes. The sedative had completely worn off. As he recalled the assistant’s whispers in his ear just before he slipped into unconsciousness, Jin Zhengxiong began to fall into another bout of agitation, yelling out to grab anyone’s attention.
"Someone should really take a look at you now; you’re utterly disgraceful. Even from this distance, I can almost smell the stench on you."
The sudden voice of the assistant silenced Jin Zhengxiong immediately. He stared wide-eyed, struggling to turn his neck towards the source of the voice.
The assistant sat by the bed. The sunlight bathed his back, clothing him in a dazzling golden light, making him appear almost godlike. Yet the expression on his face was brimming with malevolent intent, contrasting sharply with the sunshine enveloping him.
"Ahhh!" Jin Zhengxiong looked at the assistant with the ferocity of a wild beast seeing prey, consumed by bloodthirsty rage.
But the assistant acted as if he saw nothing, even chuckling lightly. "The sunshine is lovely today, isn’t it? Make sure to appreciate it, because you won’t be seeing it for much longer."
Doubt flooded Jin Zhengxiong’s eyes.
As the assistant watched Jin Zhengxiong’s expression, the curve of his smile widened. "You really have aged disgracefully, haven’t you? Is your memory failing too? Have you forgotten about the mining accident at the company? Or do you think now that you’ve had a stroke, you can evade the law, hm?" The assistant’s voice, light as it was, struck Jin Zhengxiong like thunder, causing his eyes to snap open, even showing a trace of panic in them.
"And now you’re scared? What took you so long? Don’t worry, I’ve made preparations; you won’t die. You’ll live, awake to suffer." Zhu Kaili smiled, revealing her two large white teeth, gleaming in the sunlight with a hard, metallic chill.
"Ahhh!" Jin Zhengxiong gaped, drooling as he cried out. He wriggled his moving half of the body towards the assistant, exerting all his strength, his forehead lightly sweating. Yet he still couldn’t grasp the assistant, who seemed so close yet infinitely distant.
Jin Zhengxiong’s eyes carried a pleading look.
He had lived a life of high acclaim; he would rather perish than face the judgment and punishment now awaiting him.
The assistant’s eyes were filled with a mocking gaze, easily pushing him back to his original place. "Accept the gift I offer you, just as I accepted the harm you gave me. If you can’t hold on, I’ll repay Jin Ling and Jin Long twice over with what you’ve given me over the years. So, hold on tight and don’t do anything foolish, okay?"
The assistant’s breath, chilling like venom, wafted onto Jin Zhengxiong’s face, slowly converting his resolve for death into fear.
The police arrived quickly. As soon as they were sure Jin Zhengxiong was not in life-threatening danger, they came to the hospital. "Comrade Jin Zhengxiong, you are suspected of multiple charges including falsely reporting a safety incident and premeditated murder. Please come with us to assist in the investigation. Here is the arrest warrant."
Seeing the arrest warrant in the policeman’s hand, Jin Ling immediately erupted, "What are you talking about, you police officers? My grandfather is an honest businessman. How could he have committed those crimes you just mentioned? Those things online are all fake, all rumors, not credible at all. You should arrest those rumor mongers instead of my grandfather." Jin Ling directly intervened, shielding Jin Zhengxiong like a protective eagle together with Jin Long on either side.
"Could there be some misunderstanding?" The assistant stood in front of the siblings looking at the police, carrying a professional smile and asked softly.
"We police don’t arrest people indiscriminately. We’re here because someone provided sufficient and conclusive evidence. Of course, we won’t listen to just one side. We’re bringing Mr. Jin in to help clarify the situation more thoroughly and quickly, ensuring no innocent citizen is wronged."
"Given Mr. Jin’s special situation, we allow one of you to act as his spokesperson. You can also seek a lawyer or gather evidence to prove Mr. Jin’s innocence regarding these charges." The police officer who came to arrest him spoke with a smiling face.
"Certainly, if you refuse to cooperate, we’ll have to take stronger measures. However, I believe that if you’re upright, you needn’t fear a crooked shadow. Mr. Jin and his family won’t resort to anything drastic, will they?" The officer adjusted his hat, addressing Jin Ling and Jin Long.
"Of course, we’ll cooperate with your work, but this matter came so suddenly; could you give us a bit of time to adjust?" the assistant said.
"I’ll give you five minutes. We’ll wait outside, and if not resolved in five minutes, I’ll come in to take him." The police nodded, gestured to his colleagues, and they orderly left the room, leaving only four people inside with their breathing audible.
"This situation cannot be avoided. If the young miss and young master trust me, let me be the spokesperson. I’ve been by the chairman’s side for many years and worked in the company for so long. No one understands these circumstances better than I do. Plus, I have relevant experience, so I think it’s most fitting for me to go." The assistant’s gaze bore a perfect blend of concern and sincerity, deeply touching Jin Ling.
Jin Ling reached out to grip the assistant’s hand, her voice trembling slightly, "Can you guarantee Grandpa will be okay?" Jin Ling’s eyes carried a look of imploration.
The assistant felt secretly pleased, yet displayed a difficult expression, "That depends on how much evidence the police have. If it’s not much, we might get by by smoothing things over and finding a scapegoat. But if there’s too much evidence, I’m powerless."
"Do everything you can to bring Grandpa out of the police station."
Perhaps the assistant’s disguise was intact at this moment, or perhaps they had lost their backbone completely, unsure of what to do. Even Jin Long, who always resisted the assistant, showed traces of reliance when watching him.
The assistant nodded under their gaze, and on the hospital bed, Jin Zhengxiong pounded the bedboard with effort. Yet with just one look from the assistant, he fell silent, resignedly closing his eyes, waiting for the medical staff to bring a wheelchair and for the police to escort him into a vehicle.
This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om