Bai Juan's hands were tightly cuffed behind her back as the police led her to the mess hall. She sat on a chair, staring at the glass window in front of her, the world outside blurring beneath her lowered eyelashes.
She shifted her gaze to Li Mohan. "Three hundred and seventy-nine days. We haven't seen each other for three hundred and seventy-nine days. Have you ever thought of me? I would have abandoned my family and my identity for you, just to be with you.
But you refused.
Now, for this little girl, you're making such a big fuss. Is she better than me? What makes her better than me? Is it because she's younger? Do you like younger women?
But what does she understand about you? Only I understand you the most. I am the one who suits you best. If you join forces with our Bai family, the entire Haicheng will be ours. You..."
Her tone betrayed a deep obsession. Her love had always been characterized by extreme possessiveness; she believed that if she couldn't have someone, no one else should.
"That's enough. I let you go last time. This time, you wanted Huo Huo dead. I won't let you off again, nor your Bai family. Do you really think no one is watching what your family is doing?" Li Mohan interrupted her near-hysterical outburst, speaking coldly.
"That's right. We, the police, have obtained solid evidence. A large number of special police are currently surrounding your Bai family's villa. Your brother and all your cronies will be apprehended, without a single one escaping," the director confirmed from the side.
Bai Juan's expression finally changed. She knew her fate had been irrevocably altered.
At this moment, she understood clearly that she would never obtain Li Mohan, the man she had always loved.
Li Mohan's brow furrowed, his gaze sharp as a blade, causing those around him to feel immense pressure. He glanced coldly at Bai Juan, who was observing from the side, his anger surging. He remembered Ye Huo Huo's scene of being severely injured, a memory that pierced his heart like a knife.
"Bai Juan, I didn't want to involve your Bai family in the previous matter, but you've pushed step by step. Now you've injured my person so badly, we'll settle both accounts together. You know better than I do how your Bai family made their fortune, and you know what you're still doing.
As the saying goes, if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet. The police have records of the few recent deals your Bai family has made. We originally intended to wait until the evidence was even stronger before moving against your family, but now, with the firsthand information I've provided to the police, they can close the net.
Right, Director Lu?"
Bai Juan's face turned slightly pale but quickly regained its composure. "Li Mohan, you're talking nonsense. Our Bai family has always conducted legitimate business. This is slander."
Li Mohan's lips curved upwards into a cold sneer. "Heh, whether it's slander or not, you can tell the judge. If the Bai family's funds weren't frozen, you might still have a chance to hire a high-priced lawyer. But I believe your brother will be joining you here before the day is over.
Bai Juan. Your Bai family is finished!"
Bai Juan's expression darkened slightly, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. "Do you have that courage, Li Mohan? Do you think my brother will surrender without a fight? As long as my brother and the others are still out there, you and your people won't have a peaceful day."
Director Lu snorted, "Is your insignificant Bai family trying to shake the foundations of the nation? Do you think all our police are like her?" He pointed to the prison warden, who had just been dismissed, not far away.
Li Mohan raised his head, exchanged a look with the director, then turned and pulled Ye Huo Huo's hand. The light last night was too dim, and with too much happening, he hadn't had a chance to get a good look at Ye Huo Huo.
It was only now that he noticed her freshly changed clothes were not only stained with dust from the fight but also bore numerous bloodstains and wounds.
"Let's go, I'll take you home!"
Ye Huo Huo looked at him with disbelief. "I, I can leave?"
"Yes, I've found proof of your alibi. Director Lu has already issued the bail notification, and I've had Ah Cheng handle the bail procedures. We can leave now." Li Mohan, uncharacteristically, explained things in such detail.
Ye Huo Huo nodded but withdrew her fingers from Li Mohan's grasp. "Lu Yao..."
"Her offenses are minor, and she's still injured. She can be released on medical parole!" At this moment, the portly deputy captain, who had been silent all along, walked over. "I apologize, Mr. Li. It's my fault for not being able to handle things properly and causing Ms. Ye to be so severely injured!"
"You? ...You guys..." Ye Huo Huo looked at the portly captain, then at Li Mohan, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"It's like this, Ms. Ye. Before you came in, Mr. Li had already communicated with me, asking me to take care of you here as much as possible. I originally intended to arrange a private room for you under the charge of murder, but I'm not the regular captain here, and I don't know who contacted the captain, leading her to assign you to room 304."
"Oh? I never expected that even going to jail would receive special attention." Ye Huo Huo narrowed her eyes slightly. She had a vague suspicion about who was behind this.
Seeing the fleeting intelligence in Ye Huo Huo's eyes, Li Mohan narrowed his own. "Have you discovered something? Listen, you are not allowed to act alone again!"
Ye Huo Huo's expression turned grim, and she said nothing. This instead made Li Mohan wary. For some reason, ever since he had rejected Ye Huo Huo that time, he felt she had changed.
He couldn't quite articulate what it was, but he felt she was intentionally distancing herself from him.
This made Li Mohan uncomfortable. He wanted Ye Huo Huo to return to how she was before, but he truly had no right to demand it.
After all, he was the one who had first uttered the refusal.
"Hey, I say, Ye Huo Huo, no matter what, I got so badly injured for you. Aren't you going to get me out of here too!" Lu Yao said in a boisterous manner, gesturing towards Li Mohan. "Your people are so capable!"
"Alright, and thank you for taking care of Huo Huo here. After we get out, if you need anything, feel free to come to Li Corporation to find me. After all, Huo Huo doesn't have many friends, you..." Before Ye Huo Huo could say anything, Li Mohan interjected.
"Hey? Don't! I'm not her friend, I'm her rival. Last night..."
Ye Huo Huo quickly covered Lu Yao's mouth, afraid she would reveal that Li Mohan had been here last night.
A man trespassing into the women's prison without any guards, even Li Mohan, could not bear such a charge.
"Do you still want to get out? Don't talk nonsense anymore, or I'll make sure you serve your sentence here until the end of time," Ye Huo Huo threatened.
Lu Yao blinked her large eyes and nodded, indicating she understood.
Only then did Ye Huo Huo release her.
How the prison was later rectified was a matter for the director and the acting captain. Ye Huo Huo walked out of the detention center's gate with Li Mohan. Ye Huo Huo's case was one for which Li Mohan had already found conclusive evidence and issued a bail order in advance.
Lu Yao would have to stay for another half a day. Li Mohan had already found a lawyer to handle her bail procedures.
"Do you know who arranged for people to target you here?" Li Mohan asked as soon as they got into the car.
Ye Huo Huo looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"
"You've only lived a few years, what could escape my eyes." Seeing that Ye Huo Huo, despite her injuries, seemed to be in good spirits, Li Mohan felt half of the worry that had been weighing on him since he returned last night finally lifted. The other half...
He didn't know when it would be lifted.
Ye Huo Huo's gaze towards her junior uncle, Zuo Qingya, made him feel very uncomfortable.
He had already had people investigate Zuo Qingya's identity. He was a rare young talent in the Xuanmen, appearing once in a century, and also a highly-ranked junior uncle in the Maoshan sect.
Li Mohan had never felt inferior to anyone, but last night, Zuo Qingya made him unconsciously feel a sense of inadequacy.
Even with all the wealth in the world, he was merely a worldly mortal, but that person...
He was like an immortal, detached from worldly affairs!
"Let's go and see the Ye family in a moment. It's time to settle all the old and new scores!" Ye Huo Huo's lips curved into a smile that sent a chill down one's spine with a single glance.