Xie Zhendong angrily slammed the knife and fork in his hand onto the dining table. The loud noise made the other diners in the restaurant glance over.
A waiter quickly came over to inquire. He controlled his emotions and said it was nothing.
...
Feng Rou and Sasha had been in New York for two days, but they hadn't contacted Xie Zhendong. They were staying in a different hotel.
It was Sasha's idea. She suggested that upon arriving, they shouldn't disturb Xie Zhendong first. They should privately understand Xie Qining's current situation before seeing how they could help.
Although Feng Rou was very anxious, she felt Sasha had a point.
She could put aside the matter of Xie Qining having another woman for now. Saving her son was the most important thing.
After their discreet investigation, they found the situation was indeed dire.
Both the police evidence and public opinion were extremely unfavorable to Xie Qining.
Sasha had lived in New York for many years and knew people from various circles. She found someone to arrange for them to visit Xie Qining in the detention center.
Since Xie Qining could not be bailed out, he had been transferred from the police holding cell to a facility that housed serious offenders awaiting trial.
Feng Rou and Sasha arrived at the visiting room early and waited for a long time before Xie Qining was brought in by a prison guard.
As he stepped into the visiting room and saw his mother and Sasha, the dullness in his eyes suddenly brightened. He rushed towards his mother.
"Mom! Mom, you came to see me, you finally came!"
Seeing her son's messy hair, pale face, and gaunt appearance, Feng Rou's heart ached. She rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Your father kept it from me. I only found out recently and rushed over," she said, tears streaming down her face.
"Mom!" Xie Qining's cry of "Mom" was also heart-wrenching.
The prison guard beside them reminded them, "Please sit down."
Sasha pulled Feng Rou aside, also shedding tears. "Mom, let's sit down. We can't have close contact here."
Feng Rou reluctantly released Xie Qining and asked, "Qining, you must not be eating or sleeping well here, right?"
"Mom, get me out of here quickly! I don't want to stay in this hellhole for another minute!" Xie Qining sat opposite them. The tall man, like a child, had tears and snot running down his face.
Feng Rou continuously wiped her tears and said, "Don't worry, your father is trying to find a way..."
"He's not my father. He doesn't even want to manage me! All he cares about is Xie Corporation and himself! Mom, Mom, I can only rely on you. Only you will truly help me!"
"Honey, Mom and Dad are both trying to find a way," Sasha said tearfully. "Is anyone bullying you here?"
Her question only made Xie Qining cry harder, rendering him speechless.
Feng Rou immediately realized he was being bullied and quickly asked, "Who? Who is bullying you? I'll go find the person in charge here to complain right now!"
Xie Qining covered his head and said, "It's useless. They're all hardened criminals in here, and they're all fierce... Mom, your complaint won't do any good. Get me out of here quickly!"
"Okay, okay, I'll risk my life to get you acquitted," Feng Rou said with conviction.
This was her most beloved son, and how could he have ended up in such a state? She simply couldn't accept it.
Sasha looked at him affectionately and said hesitantly, "Honey, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I should have persuaded you earlier."
Xie Qining cried for a long time before managing to ask, "Jiejie, how is he?"
"He's very well. I've been taking care of him at home," Sasha said, then pulled out her phone to show him pictures of their child.
Xie Qining looked at the photos and said with regret, "If I had known this would happen, I should have stayed here. How good it would have been to stay at home. I was wrong, terribly wrong..."
"Honey, just tell them it was all me. I'm willing to go to jail in your place, let me take your place in prison!" Sasha suddenly grabbed one of his hands tightly and said excitedly.
Xie Qining clasped her hand back, his eyes red. "You can't replace me. All the evidence points to me. You take good care of our child."
Sasha secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but on the surface, she said, "But it pains me to see you suffering in there." She then burst into tears.
For a moment, the entire visiting room was filled with a somber atmosphere.
Sasha was completely relieved. Given Xie Qining's personality, if he could have let her take the blame, he would have done so already.
It seemed there was no evidence implicating her in this matter, nor could he use her to escape punishment.
After leaving the detention center, Feng Rou could no longer contain her urge to go directly to Xie Zhendong and find out how he planned to save their son.
Sasha could no longer stop her and followed her to the grand hotel where Xie Zhendong had been staying.
In fact, as long as she herself was not implicated, she didn't care whether Xie Qining went to jail or how long he would be imprisoned.
But in front of the Xie family, she still had to pretend to be very concerned about Xie Qining and unwilling for him to go to jail, which was quite tiring.
Feng Rou went directly to the hotel's conference room and found Xie Zhendong discussing the defense strategy for the first court appearance with lawyers.
Xie Zhendong showed a moment of surprise when he saw them enter, then gestured for them to sit and observe.
Feng Rou suppressed her anxiety and listened for over an hour. Even though she wasn't a legal professional, she understood some of it. All the lawyers felt that the defense for this court appearance would be difficult to win over the jury.
When the discussion ended and the lawyers had all left, Feng Rou could no longer hold back and directly asked, "Old Xie, what kind of lawyers have you hired? They all look helpless. Replace them all and hire new ones!"
Xie Zhendong looked at her impatiently, ignoring her statement, and only asked, "I didn't ask you to come. Why did you bring Sasha with you?"
Sasha felt a major argument was imminent between them and timidly said, "I'm also worried about Qining. I couldn't sit still at home, so I came with Mom, and I also want to see if there's anything I can do."
Xie Zhendong suppressed his anger and said, "Since you're here, you can attend the first hearing the day after tomorrow." He then prepared to go back to his room to rest.
Feng Rou stopped him and said, "Did you hear what I said earlier? Replace all the lawyers!"
"This is unreasonable," Xie Zhendong said, placing his briefcase back on the table with a thud. "Didn't you hear that the trial starts the day after tomorrow? Changing the legal team is impossible. And I've hired the most professional legal team; you won't find better lawyers here."
"Then go find them elsewhere. I want my father..."
"It's no use looking for your father! This is a foreign country, not Lancheng. Your father can't have things his way here," Xie Zhendong said with a laugh. "Your father retired long ago, and your Feng family is not as influential in Lancheng as it used to be. What can you do abroad!"