Evolution - Chapter 96
Chapter 96
The disheartening call ended with Yu Zhiyao’s words: “Let’s just leave it at that. Consider it my debt to her.”
Her expression was completely different from the night they had drinks and talked about Ji Changqing.
It was a look Xue Hong had seen on Ji Changqing many times before.
It was the look of a flicker of hope being silently extinguished by one's own hand, like embers after a fire. Though they might hold some warmth, they would eventually grow cold.
Xue Hong, who had always been a firm believer in the scientific perspective on development, couldn’t help but wonder if Ji Changqing and Yu Zhiyao were simply fated to be incompatible.
Just when everyone thought they had a chance at a happy reunion, some mysterious force would inexplicably twist the plot in another direction.
After repeated interrogations, Ji Changqing finally got to see Xue Hong and the lawyer whom Xie’er had reportedly asked Claire to hire.
The lawyer asked for a detailed account of that night’s events.
He found that Ji Changqing’s thinking was clear, her descriptions vividly painted a picture, and her account corresponded seamlessly with the edited clips they had seen on the StarNet.
The lawyer felt a little more confident.
Although, based on the edited footage in the news reports, it seemed to be a clear-cut case of manslaughter—after all, Ji Changqing had launched a kick, landing it squarely, accurately, and viciously on the neck of the victim, who had suddenly dropped to his knees, and then the man went down for good.
The entire clip showed no signs of being cut or spliced.
But adhering to the principle of questioning everything, the lawyer still had his own ideas.
Why did the victim happen to fall to his knees so coincidentally?
Why was the news released so promptly?
Why was high-definition footage broadcast?
...
Sometimes, things were just that coincidental. But most of the time, what seems to be a random, sudden event often has traces of careful design behind it.
He loved taking on cases like this.
The thrill of finding a crack in a seemingly sealed outcome to pry open the hidden secrets behind it made his blood boil with excitement.
Even without having seen the surveillance footage from that day, just listening to his client’s description was enough for him to piece things together in his mind.
This told him his client was quite resilient.
She had been locked up for nearly a week and had likely undergone dozens of interrogations. Especially given the prominent identity of the person who died in the conflict, someone would surely pull some strings, using the repeated interrogations to intentionally lead her toward a confession of premeditated murder rather than manslaughter.
He looked at his client with considerable satisfaction. “Tell me everyone who was there and your relationship with each of them.”
Ji Changqing, with clear articulation and a numb expression, listed the people she remembered.
She was well-practiced at this by now.
Anyone who had been asked the same questions dozens of times would develop a polished script they could recite on command.
The lawyer observed her carefully. Everything seemed fine, nothing beyond his expectations. He couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. He had been listening for a while, but he felt like something was still missing.
It was obvious that someone was setting Ji Changqing up.
The problem was, the final result and the subsequent moves seemed to be at odds.
If it weren’t for the follow-up news “accident,” the whole thing would have felt more genuine.
In his opinion, if the goal was truly to destroy Ji Changqing, framing her for manslaughter would have been enough. The incredibly timely media coverage, and especially the high-definition footage that could be considered a journalistic anomaly, were blunders that only served to arouse suspicion.
It was like watching a suspense drama that starts with subtle, untraceable clues, only to fall apart with glaring inconsistencies later on, making the audience question everything.
Surely they hadn't suffered a sudden drop in intelligence?
The only explanation was that at least two different parties had made a move. The first group had achieved their initial goal, but it now seemed their efforts were being undermined by the subsequent arrangements of the second group, putting everyone on the verge of exposure.
One party wanted the outcome to be manslaughter, and they succeeded. But what about the other? What had they originally intended to frame her for?
When Xue Hong heard Ji Changqing casually define Qiao Nansheng as a “former colleague,” she sighed, unsure whether to curse her for being a player or praise her for being so detached.
She swallowed, then said cautiously, uncertainly, “Qiao Nansheng is her ex-girlfriend.”
Ji Changqing and the lawyer both turned to look at her, wondering why this background character was suddenly ad-libbing a role for herself.
Since she was already halfway there, Xue Hong, the background character, decided she might as well go all in and blurted out the rest: “She’s married.”
The lawyer’s expression changed in an instant, and his body leaned forward involuntarily.
“Did you two arrange to meet there?”
All the inconsistencies, all the parts that felt like glaring flaws, suddenly made perfect sense.
In the Alliance, an extramarital affair was an undeniable scandal.
Ji Changqing was a bit baffled, but she answered the question. “No.”
The lawyer let out a small sigh of relief, then immediately followed up, “When was the last time you contacted each other? Before or after differentiation?”
“We lost contact five years before differentiation.”
The tension in the lawyer’s shoulders finally eased for the most part, but he didn’t dare relax completely. He proceeded to question her with an even more meticulous and rigorous attitude, covering every possible angle.
It got to the point where both Ji Changqing and Xue Hong felt he was more like a paparazzi than a famous lawyer.
Ji Changqing was also reluctant to lay out all her private affairs.
Seeing their bewildered expressions, the lawyer sighed internally and gave them a quick lesson. “In the Alliance, an extramarital affair isn’t a crime, but the consequences regarding property division and financial compensation are extremely strict. More importantly, it’s a universal consensus not to promote or place in important positions anyone with a scandal of infidelity.”
A person who couldn’t even maintain a bottom line and offer loyalty to their own family and partner was not worthy of great responsibility. After all, people who want a second family or cheat during their marriage are, in essence, people who cannot control their own greed.
This consensus was shared by both the government and the public.
Therefore, unless one was a profligate heir from a wealthy family, almost no one would joke about their career and financial future.
Met your true love after getting married? No problem. Just end your previous marriage cleanly before embracing your new love.
The lawyer’s gaze toward Ji Changqing became subtle. There were so many single people out there, why get involved with someone who was married?
Ji Changqing felt a little awkward. No one enjoys being looked at as if they’re an idiot. She cleared her throat and offered a weak defense, “She was preparing for a divorce and was separated at the time.”
“Oh,” the lawyer replied with a noncommittal, soullessly professional tone. “In that case, if the person setting you up releases evidence of this past affair, will you sue Ms. Qiao Nansheng for emotional fraud?”
Ji Changqing was taken aback.
Was a wild move like that even possible?
She shook her head. “There was no deception.”
After all, Qiao Nansheng had never hidden the fact that she was married back then.
“Alright, this happened before differentiation, so it won’t be handled according to Alliance law.” The lawyer had figured it out. One group simply wanted to ruin Ji Changqing’s reputation, dim her prospects, and ensure she could never recover.
Since this incident occurred before Blue Star joined the Alliance, even if it were dug up, Alliance law wouldn’t apply. And under Blue Star’s old laws, there would likely be no punishment at all.
However, Ji Changqing was going to make a living in the Alliance. Just as her fame was reaching its peak due to the military academy league, the first step would be to leak that she was meeting a beautiful Omega at night. The next step would be to reveal that this beautiful Omega was married. And the final step would be to expose their past affair.
Wow. Even if these two protagonists had twelve-tenths of the ability, they would probably only get one-tenth of the opportunities others received.
With such a high-profile exposure, the public wouldn’t bother to investigate whether the affair happened before or after joining the Alliance. They would only remember that these two had once crossed the public’s bottom line.
Unless, of course, someone relentlessly brainwashed the public from the start, framing it as a deliberate setup to fool them—taking something that happened when the individuals had no connection to the Alliance and insisting on judging it by Alliance rules, all with the aim of destroying Ji Changqing, whom they saw as an obstacle.
Yes, the Alliance public would be far more interested in schemes like that, where someone used underhanded tactics to sabotage a rival and prevent their rise.
If they handled it that way, they could probably shift everyone’s attention.
When the visiting time was over, Ji Changqing was cuffed and led away, while Xue Hong and the lawyer walked out.
The lawyer felt he needed to gather more information, especially on Qiao Nansheng.
Her past relationship with Ji Changqing was like a ticking time bomb; no one knew when it would detonate.
But it was probably soon.
He thought for a moment, then couldn’t resist asking Xue Hong, “In the past, was something like this… no big deal?”
His phrasing was concise, but Xue Hong miraculously understood. In an attempt to save face for Ji Changqing and show she wasn’t a person of bad character, she said, “Well, for men, saying 100% is too absolute, so let’s say 99%. For women, it’s around 70%.”
The lawyer was dumbfounded. He desperately wanted to ask, Then why did you people even get married? Was it just to show off your lack of commitment and responsibility?
He felt he needed to brush up on Blue Star’s culture. It looked like his sleep time tonight would be drastically reduced again.
As the lawyer frantically studied in his hotel room, he also reviewed the supplementary file on Qiao Nansheng.
When he saw the various photos of this woman who had differentiated into an Omega, he seemed to understand Ji Changqing a little better.
After all, who wouldn’t love a versatile woman who could be pure, seductive, or demure—a femme fatale with a thousand faces?
Becoming a captive to her charms was only too normal!
Stop, stop, the lawyer took a few deep breaths. This woman was married. A fleeting admiration was fine, but he shouldn’t get any foolish ideas!
As a mature man, even as a Beta who was indifferent to pheromones, not an Alpha, he still felt deeply drawn to her.
Even through a screen, he could tell this beautiful Omega must be incredibly charming, her pheromones sweet and intoxicating.
A full bust, a slender waist, long legs. With a glance, she could be languidly alluring enough to set one’s pulse racing, or she could flash a bright smile with pearly teeth, so radiant it brought joy to one’s heart.
Truly, anyone standing beside her would make everyone else instinctively think that person must be incredibly, incredibly rich!
Otherwise, how could they possibly be worthy of standing next to her?
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