Chapter 50

An Xiaohai arrived at the visiting room, where only Chen Shuifen was present behind the isolation window. Lin Xuan’er was not there.

An Xiaohai’s heart skipped a beat, but he still forced a bright smile and walked over.

“Mom.”

As soon as An Xiaohai picked up the receiver and called out “Mom,” Chen Shuifen couldn’t hold back her tears and started crying uncontrollably.

The news of the increased sentence was something that Chen Shuifen surely couldn’t have been kept in the dark about. The prison’s notification of the punishment had already been sent to their home. Now, seeing An Xiaohai, whose face was covered in scars, Chen Shuifen could no longer hold her emotions.

“Alright, Mom, we can only meet once a month, stop crying so much. It’s been a long time since we talked; I want to have a chat with you…”

An Xiaohai could only softly comfort her, and after a long while, Chen Shuifen managed to control herself.

“Xuan’er was supposed to come. It was me who insisted she shouldn’t. I know you must have been hurt again, and I didn’t want her to see you like this…” Chen Shuifen mumbled, as if in a daze.

An Xiaohai furrowed his brows, noticing that something was off with Chen Shuifen.

“Mom, is something wrong? If something has happened, you have to tell me, don’t keep me guessing. Don’t make me worry, understand?”

“Understood,” Chen Shuifen nodded, “Something has happened recently.”

“What happened?”

Chen Shuifen hesitated for a long time, biting her lip before finally speaking.

“Xiaohai, this is strange. Recently, Jia La’er has been coming to our house and bothering me, sometimes staying over, eating and drinking here without leaving.

I can’t do anything about it, so I’ve been putting up with it, hoping he doesn’t cause any more trouble.”

“That bastard…”

An Xiaohai’s anger flared up. He couldn’t believe that at a time like this, Jia La’er would show up again. This was too much! He had already gone through so much trouble, and now, just when things were settling down, Jia La’er was causing more trouble. It showed what kind of person he was.

“But yesterday, something really happened…” Chen Shuifen stopped here, and An Xiaohai’s heart dropped.

“What happened, Mom? He didn’t do anything to the family, did he?”

“No, nothing happened to us,” Chen Shuifen shook her head, “The problem was with him.

The day before yesterday, he ate lunch at our place, then left, but didn’t come back for dinner, which I found strange. Normally, he’d come back for dinner.

It wasn’t until this morning that I found out Jia La’er died, in the Chen family’s rice field.

The police came and cordoned off the area. Apparently, Jia La’er was poisoned, but he had lunch at our place yesterday…”

“I see…”

An Xiaohai’s heart sank. This was too suspicious. Could it be that the shadowy figures behind this were trying to harm him again, but when they couldn’t get to him, they went after his mother?

An Xiaohai felt disoriented.

If this were before, he wouldn’t have been so worried. His mom was kind and gentle, she would never harm anyone. Since she hadn’t done anything wrong, the police would clear her name.

But now, An Xiaohai couldn’t be so sure. The complexity and darkness of things were beyond what ordinary people could imagine, especially for someone like his mother, who was so honest. She could easily fall into their traps without realizing it.

Of course, An Xiaohai couldn’t tell his mother the full truth, or she’d probably be scared out of her wits.

Time for the visit was running out, and An Xiaohai had to act quickly.

“Mom, listen carefully, you need to remember every word I say!”

“Okay!” Chen Shuifen nodded repeatedly. Even though her son was still in prison, he was still her only pillar of support.

“No matter who asks you about this, just say you don’t know. Don’t say anything else. The less you say, the better.

Just stick to this: Jia La’er indeed had lunch at our place, but you didn’t poison him, and you don’t know why he was poisoned.

No matter what they ask, answer just that. Don’t say anything extra or try to explain. Understand?”

“Understood!” Chen Shuifen sighed deeply and nodded, “Xiaoqing also told me the same. Since you and she said so, I’ll listen to you.”

“Xiaoqing?”

“Your classmate Xia Qing, she’s been over a few times recently, bringing gifts each time. Didn’t you know? She said you knew about it!”

Hearing Xia Qing’s name, Chen Shuifen became a little anxious.

Xia Qing was so pretty, and every time she came over, Chen Shuifen was afraid Lin Xuan’er might find out. Now, seeing her son’s reaction, she became even more nervous.

“…”

“I know,” An Xiaohai quickly nodded.

He knew Xia Qing must have been following Wang Tiejun’s instructions to visit his mother. He didn’t expect her to have visited multiple times, but it was a good sign.

Since Xia Qing knew about Jia La’er’s death, Wang Tiejun would find out too. Once Wang Tiejun knew, it would offer some protection.

“Mom, Xia Qing is my senior, she’s helped me a lot at school. She’s quite capable, you can trust her.”

“That’s good! That’s good!” Chen Shuifen said, patting her chest. “But Xiaohai, Xia Qing…”

“She’s very pretty, right?” An Xiaohai smiled, knowing exactly what his mom was thinking.

Chen Shuifen was definitely on Lin Xuan’er’s side. Lin Xuan’er and An Xiaohai had grown up together, and everyone in the family had already accepted her. They were just waiting for the two of them to graduate and get married.

Now, with the beautiful Xia Qing around, how could Chen Shuifen not be worried?

An Xiaohai understood that his mom couldn’t stand the idea of a third party and hated men who were not loyal. His father had left the family because of this, and it was the greatest pain in his mother’s heart.

“Don’t worry, Mom. There’s nothing between me and Xia Qing. We’re just good friends.

She’s so beautiful; there are so many people chasing after her, more than we could ever count. I don’t stand a chance. Don’t worry, she’s not interested in me.”

“That’s good!” Chen Shuifen breathed a sigh of relief. “But why is my son not good enough? We don’t need anyone else!”

As mothers often do, once the perceived threat was gone, she started defending her son again. In her eyes, her son was always the best.

The visit time was coming to an end, and Chen Shuifen kept looking back as she left.

An Xiaohai kept waving at her with a smile, but as soon as she was out of sight, his smile immediately disappeared.

“How many times is this? How long is this going to keep happening?!” An Xiaohai gritted his teeth, looking at the iron bars everywhere, fists clenched.

He had helped Xu Tianyou escape from this place, so this prison could never hold him!

“I hope this is just an accident! I hope they stop pushing me to the brink. If they don’t, I’ll make everyone pay!”

The fire in An Xiaohai’s eyes blazed, and if it were to be unleashed, it would be an inferno!

That evening, Wang Tiejun appeared at the right time.

“Kid, I’m starting to believe you. Someone really wants to harm you. Not only that, but they also want to harm your family…” Wang Tiejun ground out a cigarette, his brows furrowed tightly.

An Xiaohai remained silent, his expression dark and foreboding.

“Don’t think too much right now. Maybe this is just a coincidence. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on this and will never let your mom be wrongfully accused.”

“I hope so…”

“Hoping so?” Wang Tiejun shot him a glare. “I know what you’re thinking, but that’s enough!

This world isn’t as dark as you think. There’s still justice, and you must believe that.”

“Is there?”

“Of course there is!” Wang Tiejun answered firmly, taking a deep breath and standing up.

“Don’t worry, whether it’s public or private, I’ll follow this through to the end. I’ll clear your mother’s name, just wait and see.”

“Good, I’ll wait,” An Xiaohai nodded, his voice still heavy with anger.

“Alright, I know nothing I say will help. Just wait for my news, don’t do anything, understand?”

“Good, I promise you.”

“Look me in the eye and say it again!”

“I promise you.”

An Xiaohai looked into Wang Tiejun’s eyes, making a serious promise.