The media here is already focusing on Qi Ning's case. If this continues, it will eventually reach Lancheng, and their Xie family's reputation will be completely ruined.
If it can be kept low-key, it should be suppressed quietly.
...
Sasha reluctantly changed her clothes and went out again.
Having seen the media reports, she also knew the location of the hotel where Xiao Anjing was staying and went directly there to find Feng Rou.
When she arrived at the entrance of the low-key and unremarkable five-star hotel, she saw a crowd of people, and could hear Feng Rou's desperate pleas.
She quickly pushed through the crowd and saw Feng Rou kneeling there, tightly clutching Xiao Anjing's leg and refusing to let go.
"Please spare my son, spare his life! Sending him to jail is like sending him to his death!" Feng Rou's plea was heartbreaking.
The surrounding foreigners, even though they couldn't understand the language, felt Feng Rou was pitiful and began to criticize Xiao Anjing.
Xiao Anjing couldn't bear her kneeling, so he grabbed her arm and tried to pull her up, saying, "Whatever it is, please get up first."
"I won't get up unless you agree," Feng Rou said tearfully, having made up her mind.
Xiao Anjing looked at her helplessly, "Your son harmed a child who was completely defenseless. No matter what you do, I cannot forgive him. This is useless. Get up quickly. If you don't get up, you'll just be a laughingstock."
Sasha came to Feng Rou and also tried to help her up, "Mom, please get up. It's useless for us to beg him."
Xiao Anjing glanced coldly at Sasha, forcefully broke free from Feng Rou, and said impatiently, "You are not helping Xie Qi Ning by doing this, but harming him. When you do something wrong, you should bravely bear the consequences. Only by being punished and taught a lesson will he truly repent."
With that, he finally escaped Feng Rou's entanglement and quickly left.
Sasha helped Feng Rou up, "Mom, let's go back."
Feng Rou's mental state was poor, and she stood up unsteadily, leaning entirely on Sasha.
Sasha quickly hailed a taxi. Being watched by so many people was truly embarrassing.
Back in the hotel room, Sasha directly helped Feng Rou onto the bed, poured her a glass of water, and fed her a few sips.
After lying down, she remained motionless, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sasha didn't disturb her further, closed the bedroom door, and called Xie Zhendong back, telling him that Feng Rou had been found and to rest assured.
Xie Zhendong instructed her, "After the first trial, I will book flights to return to Lancheng with your mother-in-law. The subsequent handling of Qi Ning's case will be up to you. There's no other way now. You just need to cooperate with the legal team, and no one will blame you regardless of the outcome."
"Dad, are you asking me to take over? I, I'm afraid I can't do it well, and if Qi Ning really has to go to jail, I won't be able to bear it either," Sasha said, declining fearfully.
Xie Zhendong had already seen her capability, saying, "You can do it. You've seen a lot of the world. You are more capable and clear-headed than your mother-in-law. There's no problem entrusting Qi Ning's case to you, so don't be afraid."
He deliberately emphasized the word "afraid," actually reminding her to stop pretending.
Sasha couldn't refuse and said, "Okay, Dad, thank you for your trust."
She also wanted to stay here longer, waiting for Daniel to find news of that child.
If that child fell into her hands, she wouldn't be afraid of Su Su handing over the leverage she held.
...
The night after Feng Rou begged Xiao Anjing and returned, she fell ill with a persistent high fever.
Sasha had someone take her to the hospital and also notified Xie Zhendong. It seemed to be due to excessive grief and despair.
When Xie Qi Ning's first court appearance arrived, Feng Rou was too weak to attend. Xie Zhendong and Sasha sat in the gallery.
Although they had hired a legal team, their rebuttals to the evidence presented by the prosecution were clearly unconvincing.
Besides shifting all responsibility to the deceased Wen Wei, they could not find any other good defense strategy.
Xie Qi Ning, sitting on the defendant's bench, looked scared and bewildered throughout the entire process.
He never dreamed that after living for nearly thirty years, he had always been arrogant and reckless, always believing that with the Xie family as a strong backing, nothing was insurmountable.
Now he was to be tried and sent to jail. It was simply a nightmare. He certainly believed he was having a nightmare and still refused to believe it was real.
Xiao Anjing was also in the gallery, watching Xie Qi Ning's performance in court with a cold gaze.
Only then did he truly feel he had avenged Lan Yu and Xiaoxiao.
However, it was regrettable that there was still no news of Xiaoxiao. The media had already extensively reported on Xiaoxiao's situation. If someone kind had taken her in, they should have seen the reports, or if she was still alive, she would have seen them herself.
It seemed the possibility of Xiaoxiao being alive was becoming increasingly slim.
...
A month later, Su Su and Tian Yi drove to the airport and met An Jing's family, who were returning from abroad.
Lan Yu looked much better. Su Su stepped forward and hugged her tightly, saying with emotion, "It's good that everything is alright now."
Lan Yu didn't know what to say, only feeling that she had gone through too much during this trip abroad. She hugged Su Su back.
Tian Yi looked at the baby in An Jing's arms, who was a few months old, and said to An Jing with a smile, "Let's take you back to rest first. Su Su and I will host a welcome dinner for you tonight, and we'll have a good meal."
An Jing freed one hand and playfully punched his shoulder, saying, "Don't be stingy, you have to treat us to a big meal."
"No problem, let's go," he said, helping them with their luggage.
Su Su walked with Lan Yu and asked, "Auntie still doesn't want to come back with you?"
Lan Yu nodded, "She says she's used to living there and doesn't want to move."
"Mm, have you arranged a nanny for the child yet?" Su Su asked.
"Not yet. Anyway, I can't teach dance for a while, so I'll take care of the child myself at home and then slowly find a suitable nanny."
Su Su said, "Your injury hasn't fully healed yet. I'm worried it will be too much for you to take care of the child alone."
"It's okay, this child is quite easy to care for. As long as she's fed, she doesn't cry much."
"That's very similar to our little Xingxing when she was young. She's truly very easy to manage."
They all got into the car. Having not seen each other for some time, they had endless things to talk about, but they deliberately avoided the painful topic of Xiaoxiao's disappearance.
Xiao Anjing had contacted them while he was there and told them that Xie Qi Ning had been found guilty in the first trial and sentenced to twelve years, which had somewhat eased their minds.
The Xie family's legal team was preparing to appeal, requesting a second trial in a higher court.
An Jing had also consulted legal professionals. Even if a second trial were to open, Xie Qi Ning would not be acquitted and the original verdict would be upheld.
Therefore, he was not worried at all and returned with Lan Yu and the child, letting the Xie family waste their money and make a fuss.
In fact, Xie Zhendong and Feng Rou had already returned to Lancheng. It was heard that Feng Rou had been ill since her return, and the Xie family matriarch had also been hospitalized.