In the decade she had been with Fang Wenzhe, Shu Yan never thought that one day, they would become plaintiff and defendant in court.
Seeing him being escorted by the police with iron handcuffs, Shu Yan felt somewhat conflicted inside.
He was a very good lawyer who had planted the seeds of fairness and justice in his heart from a very young age.
But unexpectedly, he had become a ruthless criminal one day.
Shu Yan’s gaze then fell on Jiang Li and a few others in the audience, suddenly feeling a bit more secure and firmer inside.
She took a deep breath and looked back at Fang Wenzhe. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Because of her excessive calmness and indifference, Fang Wenzhe completely broke down, questioning her with red eyes as soon as he reached his spot.
"Shu Yan, your heart is so cruel, why are you doing this to me? I’m your husband, your only family. Now, you are conspiring with those outsiders against me!"
Listening to his questioning, Shu Yan felt even more ironic.
"I am cruel? Who is really the cruel one?" she choked up involuntarily, "Fang Wenzhe, I know the Fang Family has treated me well, but let me ask you, haven’t I done well by you too? I paid off all the debts you owed, without any complaints or regrets."
"But you destroyed my life’s dream with your own hands, that most painful memory of mine was also crafted by you, and now you still accuse me of being heartless?"
Fang Wenzhe clenched his lips and slammed his fist down on the table.
"I’m not wrong. If you hadn’t insisted on entering the entertainment industry, would I have resorted to such measures? I was protecting you, do you not see? The people in the entertainment industry are scarier than those you’ve met; I was just rehearsing it for you in advance, did I do anything wrong?"
Shu Yan looked at him in disbelief, "What did you say?"
She thought that after these few days, he would have reflected somewhat, but unexpectedly, he had held onto this perspective all along!
Fang Wenzhe gave a bitter smile, lowered his head, and began to talk to himself.
"Is it also wrong that I love you? Why can’t you depend on me like you did when you were young? Why are you so determined to leave me? I just wanted you to always stay by my side, to always need me. How is that a mistake?"
From the first time he saw Shu Yan, he swore he would always protect this slender, petite girl.
On his first day transferring to that elementary school, he had spotted this little girl cowering in a corner’s shadow.
She was thin, seemed helpless, with large, alert eyes sizing him up.
Perhaps seeing through the profound loneliness in her heart, from that day on, he naturally took on the role of her protector.
They went to classes together, returned home together, dined together, and even slept together—closer than siblings.
He thought they had already become one until she expressed her desire to drop out of school to act in movies.
At that moment, he truly panicked.
He was afraid that she would leave him completely behind after she left.
He was even more afraid that she would meet more people wanting to protect her, after which he would no longer be the only one in her world.
So he did everything he could to keep her confined in his embrace.
He studied hard and got accepted to a university in the Capital.
He worked almost desperately as an intern, just to create the best performance and thereby get his boss to accept him—a man from a remote town.
But Shu Yan was simply too outstanding.
Already blessed with good looks, she was also very smart and ambitious, becoming a sought-after Little Hua with just a little effort.
Before, only he loved her in this world.
Millions of people had started to like her.
He felt lost, unwilling, jealous.
When the seeds of jealousy took root and sprouted, they eventually grew into an unstoppable force.
To love someone, to want to be their everything, was that wrong?
Yet, a voice seemed to come from the horizon, telling him—
Sitting in the tribunal, Jiang Li looked at him coldly, "Claiming someone’s everything in the name of love is not love, it’s harm. Love is not selfish, it’s selfless. To truly love someone is to wish them every happiness, willingly making sacrifices for their joy. Your ’love’ can only deceive yourself. In reality, you are nothing but a selfish villain."
Jiang Li’s words undoubtedly struck deep in Fang Wenzhe’s heart. His gaze became vacant for a few seconds, and then he suddenly burst into an angry struggle.
"No, you’re spouting nonsense. There’s never been anyone who loved Shu Yan more than I do! I won’t plead guilty, I refuse!"
The judge’s gavel struck hard from above, and two prison guards hurried forward to restrain him.
But, somehow, Fang Wenzhe found the strength to break free and madly rush towards Jiang Li.
"It’s you, all you! You’re the one who convinced Shu Yan to leave me. If I kill you, she will surely come back!"
"Stop!" Shu Yan roared from behind him, fists clenched.
Tears finally streaked down her face.
"After all this, you still want to harm my friend? You really are beyond redemption."
As she spoke, she stepped forward, wiped the tears from her face, and pulled a sheet of paper from her bag.
Fang Wenzhe, stunned, reached out to wipe her tears but was instead handed that cold laboratory report.
"Can’t you read what it says?" Shu Yan said coldly, "This is my stance and response."
The report, with the glaring words "Abortion" stung Fang Wenzhe’s eyes sharply. Holding the lightweight paper, his body uncontrollably began to tremble.
"Half a month ago, I found out; I had plans to keep this child and build a life with you, but before I could tell you, you cruelly imprisoned me at home."
"How could a person like you deserve to have children?"
Shu Yan’s words hit Fang Wenzhe hard.
He finally collapsed to the ground, crying like a child.
He repeated these words over and over, but Shu Yan had already turned mercilessly and left.
Eventually, the situation was brought under control, and the judge finally pronounced Fang Wenzhe guilty.
The evidence of his crimes was irrefutable, and it had caused a sensation in society; he was sentenced to twenty years in prison and was stripped of all personal assets.
As he walked out of the courthouse, the heavy snow that had been falling ceaselessly stopped, and a rare sunshine poured down.
Shu Yan stood on the high steps, taking a deep breath of the outside air.
It felt like the pressures of decades were being released at that moment.
All the wounds of her childhood, the hardships of her struggles, the pains of oppression, vanished in an instant.
She had reconciled with everyone, including herself.