Volume One, Chapter 41: Suspicion

The glass mirror reflected the man's face. His profile, chiseled as if carved, was shrouded in a cold severity beneath the interplay of night and lamplight. He stood tall and unmoving until he sensed movement from the hospital bed.

Lu Wenzhou turned around.

Meeting Jiang Wan’s gaze, the indifference in his dark eyes was pressed deep beneath the surface. Unhurried, he walked toward her.

“It’s over,” he said calmly, his words as tranquil as a breeze passing over the sea—seemingly placid, yet with a hidden undertow.

Jiang Wan stared back at him as well. With his approach, a strong scent of smoke mingled into her breath. Instantly, she recalled the hand that had clamped over her mouth and nose, its rough texture, suffused with nauseating odors— and Lu Wenzhou, who had come back in his Rolls-Royce.

“You saw it then, didn’t you?” Jiang Wan tilted her head back, her gaze unwavering upon his face.

The man’s imposing form stood at her bedside, the overhead light casting half his face in shadow, his silhouette falling across Jiang Wan.

Confronted by her question, Lu Wenzhou glanced at her; his dark eyes betrayed no emotion.

“Didn’t you wish I’d disappear?” he countered, locking eyes with her.

Jiang Wan’s jaw tightened; her injured hand unconsciously curled into a fist, pain spreading through her palm.

So, he had seen everything from the start. Yet he chose to ignore it, leaving her in danger—using her suffering to prove his importance.

She laughed at herself.

She masked the fleeting disappointment in her eyes, restoring their sharpness.

“Then you should have vanished even more completely,” she bit out, staring into his eyes. “The worst that could’ve happened would be to be raped by some beast—just like you.”

Every word struck deep.

Lu Wenzhou’s face darkened instantly.

“Say that again?”

“It’d be the same no matter how many times,” Jiang Wan retorted, and a silent tension filled the room.

Their silence was broken by voices in the corridor outside.

“So, you realized something was wrong while taking the detour, went back to check, caught the suspect about to assault Miss Jiang, intervened, and then called the police?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, since Miss Jiang is awake, let’s go in and check on her.”

The men’s voices and footsteps drew near. The door swung open, and two uniformed police officers entered, accompanied by Lu Wenzhou’s driver.

“Miss Jiang, you’re awake. How are you feeling? Can you answer some questions?” the lead officer asked.

Jiang Wan nodded.

She sat up in bed, listening as the police explained the situation.

The man who tried to assault her was a migrant worker hired for renovations in the villa district; the incident occurred at his worksite. That day, after a dispute with his foreman over his attitude, he was upset and didn’t return to his dormitory, instead resting in the employer’s storeroom. He drank heavily and, in his drunken state, randomly targeted a passerby to vent his anger.

As for Lu Wenzhou’s driver, Qi Mo, he had chosen the detour because the main road lamps were under repair, just like Jiang Wan. He noticed something amiss as he passed by, stopped, and found them, rescuing her from the worker.

She had stabbed the assailant in the left lung; he was now out of surgery and in stable condition, not in danger. With Qi Mo’s video evidence, it was clear Jiang Wan acted in self-defense, and Qi Mo had acted bravely. Neither would face legal consequences for the harm caused. The worker would be prosecuted for attempted rape and intentional injury, but since he committed the crime while intoxicated and not fully conscious, the punishment would not be severe.

“Is there anything you’d like to add?” the officer asked seriously.

Jiang Wan remained silent for a long moment, dissatisfied with the investigation’s conclusion.

Her intuition told her the truth was not so simple.

“But I can get paid after I’m finished with you!” “To get both a beauty and money—who would pass up such luck?” The worker’s words echoed relentlessly in her mind. If his actions were merely drunken violence, why would he record the process on his phone? Was he afraid his crime would go unnoticed? Or did he plan to use the video as leverage—exchange it for payment?

Someone willing to do so...

Fragments of neglected details slowly pieced together in her mind: the fleeting shadow at the corner of the Lin family villa.

She was increasingly certain it was not her imagination. Even the face she hadn’t clearly seen began to take shape in her memory.

“I heard Auntie say your alcohol tolerance isn’t great, so I specially prepared a drink with very low alcohol content for you,” “Be careful,” Lin Zhi’s warning and her ambiguous smile as Jiang Wan left the Lin house.

Recalling it now, Jiang Wan felt a chill run down her spine.

“Miss Jiang?” The officer’s voice brought her back to the present.

She took a deep breath, her tone resolute: “I believe someone was directing him.”

She voiced an idea no one had considered.

The officer’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Do you have a suspect?”

Jiang Wan’s gaze shifted from him to Lu Wenzhou, seated on the sofa not far away, his expression calm and unruffled.

Until Jiang Wan spoke two words: “Lin Zhi.”

Her suspicion made Lu Wenzhou’s brow crease as he looked down at her. The pressure in his dark eyes was palpable, his tone displeased.

“Do you realize what you’re saying?” Lu Wenzhou’s stern expression and aura warned her not to speak carelessly.

But Jiang Wan voiced her thoughts nonetheless.

She believed none of this was coincidence. Why had the main road’s lamps failed just then? Why was there a drunken worker in just the section she passed? The timing and location were too convenient to be mere chance. Wasn’t this an ambush, carefully arranged in advance? The worker had also mentioned he could trade the video of her assault for money.

“We found on his phone that he frequents adult websites and has posted videos seeking tips,” the officer explained. “His purpose in filming and mentioning payment likely relates to those activities.”

He added, “Still, we’ll take your concerns into account and continue investigating. Why do you suspect her? What motive would she have?”

Jiang Wan’s eyes fixed once more on Lu Wenzhou—sharp, brimming with hostility and anger.

She suspected Lin Zhi was seducing him.