"Do as I say, and she'll be taken away by the police soon. She'll likely be sent to a mental hospital and locked up for life," Su Su said, her feelings towards Sophie a complex mix of hatred and something more.
Xiao Lin asked worriedly, "If the police find out about this, won't Young Master get into trouble?"
"Don't worry, I'll tell the police that because she was violent and dangerous, we had no choice but to confine her here. As for the evidence that she killed Aunt Chen, we only just discovered it." Su Su would have cleared Tianyi's name even without Xiao Lin's reminder. If the police were to pursue charges for unlawful confinement, she would bear the full responsibility for Tianyi.
Xiao Lin nodded, understanding what she needed to tell the police.
Su Su asked strangely, "You said Sophie was completely mad, but when I spoke to her just now, her thoughts seemed perfectly coherent, no different from a normal person."
Xiao Lin hesitated for a moment before telling her the truth. "Young Master didn't want her to escape reality by feigning madness. He added a drug to her water, making it impossible for her to avoid clarity. This way, even if she can't pay with her life, she'll have to live with the torment of reality."
Su Su gasped. Tianyi truly hated Sophie to the core to devise such a method of torture.
"From today onwards, stop adding that drug to her water. It's no longer necessary. Let's hand everything over to the police."
Xiao Lin suggested, "Madam, I think it would be better to let her continue taking the drug. When the police take her for a psychiatric evaluation, she might not be deemed mentally ill, and then she could be sentenced to death or life imprisonment."
"But she already has a mental illness," Su Su disagreed, thinking Xiao Lin was being fanciful. "That's enough. Tianyi's punishment for her is sufficient. Don't add any more drugs to her water."
"Alright," Xiao Lin complied with her instructions.
Su Su took a breath of fresh air in the garden, eager to leave the place as soon as possible.
After Xiao Lin drove her to the city, she went to the police station to find Su Kangxi, wanting to personally hand over the evidence she had. However, upon inquiring at the station, she learned that Su Kangxi was out on official business. Not wanting to delay any further, she decided to wait for Kangxi to return at the police station.
While waiting idly for Kangxi, Su Su kept scrolling through her phone. Though her eyes were on the screen, she couldn't help but recall Sophie's frantic words: "He clearly fancies me, he even kissed me..." This had to be Sophie talking nonsense; Tianyi was a germaphobe and wouldn't kiss other women.
While she was lost in thought, Kangxi returned from outside and called out to her, "Sister Su Su, you came to see me about something, right?"
Su Su snapped back to reality and asked, "Can we talk in your office?"
"Of course," Kangxi replied, leading her to his office. It was Su Su's first time in his office at the police station. Though not large, it was well-organized, with various awards displayed on the walls and desk. She scanned them and said, "You're so accomplished. I see you won many awards at the police academy."
"Sister Su Su, please don't tease me," Kangxi chuckled. "Have a seat, I'll get you some tea."
"No need, let's get straight to business," Su Su said, sitting down. She took out the file containing the evidence and handed it to Kangxi. As Kangxi reviewed the evidence, she explained the entire sequence of events leading to Aunt Chen's murder by Sophie. "Sophie is now completely mad with schizophrenia, but she did commit murder, so I believe this matter should be handled by you police."
Kangxi sighed, then stated professionally, "Yes, you're right. I'll send someone to arrest her immediately. Where is she?"
Su Su immediately replied, "I was afraid she might harm someone again, so I had the family driver subdue her and lock her up in the old Qin family residence."
"Give me the address of the old Qin family residence, and I'll have someone bring her back. We will follow the proper procedures."
Su Su had wanted to resolve this matter quickly, but thinking that Xiao Lin might not have had time to bring Sophie clothes and food yet, she said, "Can you have someone arrest her tomorrow? She won't escape from the old Qin family residence, and I want her to have one more good meal."
Kangxi pondered, understanding Sister Su Su's current emotions, likely a mix of love and hate. He also knew that Sophie wouldn't have ended up like this if it weren't for Yang Sijie. He nodded and said, "Alright, I'll have my colleagues authenticate this evidence first, and then send someone to arrest her tomorrow."
Su Su gave him a grateful smile and left the police station without further disturbing his work. She aimlessly found a coffee shop on the street and sat alone until dark, taking the time to process her feelings after seeing Sophie. When the time seemed right, she got up to visit Tianyi in the hospital.
Upon seeing Tianyi, she acted as if nothing had happened, not mentioning Sophie again. Tianyi, in turn, pretended to know nothing and spent their few hours together each day in the hospital room, filled with warmth.
The next day, before Kangxi went to arrest Sophie, he notified her. Su Su didn't want to see Sophie again, but thinking that Sophie was about to be taken away by the police, she took a taxi back to the Qin family mansion. When she arrived, she saw Sophie being subdued and handcuffed by the police from a distance. She didn't have the courage to face Sophie directly and chose to hide to the side. Sophie's clothes were clearly new, her hair was messy and sparse, and some patches on her scalp were bald, likely from pulling it out herself. Seeing her in such a disheveled state was heart-wrenching for Su Su. As the police escorted Sophie past her, Sophie merely smiled foolishly, as if she no longer recognized anyone. Su Su knew that Xiao Lin must have stopped giving her the drug. To escape reality, she had truly descended into madness. Perhaps it was the best outcome if Sophie could remain lost in her own world of madness, forgetting who she was and everything else.
...
Sophie's matter was a perpetual ache in Su Su's heart, causing her pain whenever she thought of it. She could only try her best not to dwell on past events and focus all her energy on stabilizing the Aoxiang Group with An Jing. Recently, some project partners of Aoxiang seemed to have conspired together, questioning Aoxiang's current situation one after another and threatening to withdraw their investments at the slightest provocation. According to An Jing, it was a case of "press one gourd, another pops up," and Xie Zhendong was undoubtedly behind the instigation. Su Su had to play the role of a firefighter, stepping in as Qin Tianyi's wife to persuade key partners to dismiss their unwarranted concerns. In reality, while Xie Zhendong had relaxed his vigilance on bidding projects, they had been working behind the scenes, making all the necessary arrangements to catch Xie Zhendong off guard. As for Xie Zhendong's insignificant probing tactics, they paid them no mind. If some mature project partners wanted to withdraw their investments, let them. Aoxiang could then exclusively enjoy the substantial future returns.