Freedom
Due to physical reasons, Song Yuhang’s request to join the project team was ultimately not approved.
Zhao Junfeng’s intention was to give her credit this time. The person sitting on the bed listened for a while, lips pressed tightly.
The hospital bed creaked, and Song Yuhang pulled out the needle herself and sat up, propping her arm on the edge of the bed, trying to get up.
Zhao Junfeng turned around and took a step forward, holding her down. “Are you trying to push your luck when you’re still injured?!”
Song Yuhang raised her gaze, meeting the eyes of the old chief, and, ignoring his hand, began to climb up. “I can’t accept this award. Lin Yan came out with me, and there’s no reason for me to receive an award while she faces punishment. Moreover, from a police rank perspective, I’m the leader. It was my mistake to misjudge the situation and take it lightly without applying for a gun from higher authorities. If I had a gun, maybe we wouldn’t have ended up in such a difficult situation.”
“Besides, in such a critical situation, how could we be sure that the criminals had truly lost their ability to resist? She did it for me… I’m willing to take this responsibility.”
She had just come out of the ICU and was far from being able to walk around. Zhao Junfeng didn’t dare to stop her again, fearing that she might struggle and rupture her wound, so he loosened his grip.
Song Yuhang slowly stood up, leaning on the edge of the bed, her face pale, sweat beads forming on her forehead.
She gritted her teeth, her legs trembling, and slowly raised her right hand. Despite her fingertips trembling, her voice was resolute, “I’m willing to undergo scrutiny together with Lin Yan. Please grant approval!”
Zhao Junfeng pursed his lips, frustrated. These two were as stubborn as two peas in a pod!
He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, glancing at her, who seemed on the verge of collapsing, and finally couldn’t help but speak, “Sit down! This is an order!”
Song Yuhang stood her ground, and she even straightened up a bit.
Zhao Junfeng was furious, pointing his finger at her and scolding, “What did Lin Yan give you? Some kind of drug? All you tech investigators are running here to plead for her. What am I, a chief, for? I might as well take off my uniform and quit early! Isn’t it better if you just catch and release people based on your preferences? Besides, with so many eyes watching from top to bottom, can I handle this all by myself?”
Above the chief, there was still the provincial committee and the supervisory department of the public security agency.
Indeed, he couldn’t make decisions on this matter all by himself.
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But Song Yuhang’s eyes brightened, and a hint of a smile played at the corner of her lips. Her hand remained raised, straight and resolute, even though her face was pale. Her eyes sparkled like stars.
“Report, Lin Yan didn’t give me any…drug…I had been lying in the hospital, and I had no knowledge of the other tech investigators pleading. Delusions of interfering with judicial justice based on personal feelings are simply wishful thinking! Chief Zhao’s impartiality is truly an example for all of us!”
Zhao Junfeng couldn’t help but laugh at her, and he swung the broad-brimmed hat in his hand directly towards her head. “I…”
It was as if they were back in their school days, and she would stand just as straight whenever she made a mistake, awaiting reprimand.
Zhao Junfeng continued to tap her head one after another, like knocking on a winter melon, delivering a scolding.
“Did you make a mistake?”
The group of people looked disheartened, and they responded weakly, “Yes, We made a mistake.”
Zhao Junfeng said, “Louder!”
Song Yuhang took the lead and shouted, “Reporting, Instructor, we know we made a mistake!”
Looking at the head in front of him now, the young girl had grown taller than him. In just ten years, she had rapidly developed into an outstanding detective, shouldering the heavy responsibility of defending the country with her own strength.
He couldn’t bring himself to strike her head any longer.
Zhao Junfeng withdrew his hand in frustration, placed the hat back on his own head, and adjusted his tie. “Alright, stop flattering me. How did I teach someone like you who’s opportunistic? Others have someone looking out for them from behind, and it’s not your place to worry about that. Heal your own wounds first!”
Upon hearing this, Song Yuhang gently lowered her aching hand. She could no longer support herself and sat down on the bed, clutching her chest and panting heavily, looking up at him.
“Since…since that’s the case, I have one last request.”
* * *
Three days later.
Lin Yan lay on the bed, peeling and enjoying a banana. The prison doctor had just given her an injection when the iron door clanged open. Two prison guards walked in, holding a shiny set of keys to unlock her handcuffs.
Lin Yan raised an eyebrow slightly and said, “Oh, what’s going on? Has someone up top grown a conscience and decided to let me out?”
Before she could finish speaking, she saw two well-dressed young men escorting Lin Youyuan into the room. Her expression changed, and she abandoned the banana, tossing it into the trash can.
A prison guard with a bit of authority followed Lin Youyuan, nodding and bowing, saying, “During this time, Forensic Doctor Lin hasn’t been eating or sleeping well. It’s time for you to go home, go home.”
Lin Youyuan smiled gently, his demeanor kind, and he even personally shook their hands to express his gratitude, saying, “You’ve all gone through a lot for me, causing trouble for you, the city bureau, and the provincial leaders. I will definitely visit to express my thanks in person at a later date.”
The Lin family was wealthy and influential, but to avoid suspicion, none of them held government positions. Lin Yan was an exception, but if you traced back three generations, they all had complex ties to the political arena.
Many of these officials had received some form of support or favor from the Lin family at some point, so who would dare to refuse such gratitude?
“Oh, you’re too modest. The higher-ups have already issued a document clearing Miss Lin’s name. These days must have been tough for you.”
Lin Yan watched this political and business maneuvering without revealing any emotions, but her teeth were about to ache from it all.
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Lin Youyuan had enough of the laughter and kindly withdrew his hand, finally deciding to end the conversation. He said, “Of course, I’ll have a few words with Lin Yan…”
The prison guards, showing tact, asked the prison doctor to step out as well, saying, “Alright, feel free to talk. Just let us know when you’re done, and we’ll proceed with the paperwork for your release.”
Lin Youyuan nodded with a polite acknowledgment and watched them leave. His aristocratic demeanor was on full display, which made Lin Yan feel almost nauseated.
She didn’t even want to look at her father directly.
Of course, Lin Youyuan didn’t have much to say to her either. As soon as the others left, he put away his smile and got straight to the point, saying, “I’ve had a resignation letter prepared for you. Just sign it.”
The young man accompanying Lin Youyuan handed over a piece of paper and a pen. Lin Yan glanced at it briefly, lacking enthusiasm.
“So, which subsidiary company am I being sent to this time?”
Lin Youyuan twiddled the green thumb ring on his thumb, and in this regard, father and daughter were quite similar in their impatience towards each other.
“The CEO of Jingtai Group, to prepare to take over my position in the future.”
Jingtai Group was the Lin family’s main business, and this appointment was quite significant.
Lin Yan’s lips curled, revealing a sarcastic smile. She said, “I’m not going, I’m not signing, so get lost.”
Lin Youyuan maintained a placid demeanor, as if he had anticipated this response.
He stopped twiddling his thumb ring and made no gestures. The two young men accompanying him moved closer to help Lin Yan get out of bed.
No one could see exactly how she moved, but the soft tube for the IV drip started to leak, and the needle was no longer visible.
Lin Yan raised her chin slightly, her fingertips gleaming with a cold light, and her tone, seemingly nonchalant, carried a hint of sharpness.
“Don’t move, all of you. I’m a forensic expert, and I can’t guarantee whether I can kill you within ten seconds, but I can definitely kill myself.”
A steel needle was poised on her fragile skin, ready to strike at any moment.
The two young men exchanged glances.
Lin Youyuan watched her performance in silence and smiled. “You’ve got guts. You truly are my daughter, Lin Yan. Go ahead, stab yourself. Even if you become a corpse today, I’ll make sure to bury you in the ancestral tomb of the Lin family.”
Lin Yan still had injuries on her shoulder, and she couldn’t maintain this position for much longer.
She was breathing heavily, her wrist starting to tremble, stirred by his words.
Father and daughter exchanged silent glances. Lin Youyuan was a seasoned individual who had weathered many storms, and Lin Yan’s cleverness was hardly worth mentioning in his presence.
He didn’t need to say anything at all. He didn’t even need to put on a facade of indifference or feigned smiles to conceal his true thoughts, unlike Lin Yan.
With just that look of indifference, tinged with a hint of disdain, he could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
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Lin Yan’s hand began to shake; she could hardly hold onto the steel needle. She started to swallow saliva frequently.
This was a display of nervousness and fear.
Lin Youyuan sat calmly in his wheelchair, looking completely unperturbed. If not for the barred windows all around, he might as well have been enjoying tea and reading a newspaper.
However, due to Lin Yan’s trembling hand, the needle had gone in slightly too deep, and the two bodyguards were on high alert, ready to pounce and intervene at any moment.
Lin Youyuan remained indifferent, and he even seemed a bit impatient, tapping his foot as if urging Lin Yan to hurry up and die if she intended to, without wasting any more time.
Lin Yan swallowed saliva and interpreted his body language correctly: If she wanted to die, she should do it quickly and not waste any more time.
She gave a faint smile, the first one she had shown since he arrived here.
“Well, if that’s the case, why bother giving birth to me in the first place?”
After uttering these words, she slowly closed her eyes.
Lin Youyuan’s pupils contracted, but it was too late to stop her. At the moment Lin Yan released her grip, a spurt of blood gushed from the needle’s tip, instantly staining her hospital gown and splattering onto the floor.
Lin Youyuan’s lips quivered, his jaw clenched, and the green thumb ring in his hand stopped its fidgeting.
He watched helplessly as Lin Yan fell backward onto the bed. She had been ruthless, piercing an artery, and the tiny jet of blood spurted out like a showerhead, impossible to control.
As she lay disheveled on the bed, her eyes remained bright. She stared intently in his direction, as if to ensure that he remembered: her death today was caused by him, and him alone.
It was as if time and space had overlapped, and the woman from years ago had also fallen before him in a similar manner. Though dead, she remained unyielding.
The face was identical, as was the unwavering spirit.
His right hand began to tremble violently, as if afflicted by Parkinson’s, shaking uncontrollably.
The two bodyguards rushed to support him, saying, “Mr. Lin, Mr. Lin!”
The last thing she saw before the world turned dark was him wheeling away, in control of the wheelchair. Lin Yan knew she had won.