Chapter 18 I am still young and cannot go to jail. Mom, you are old and it doesn’t matter if you do it for a few years.

Shendu City, a certain police station.

The station chief, with a face full of righteous indignation, listened intently to Ruan Xiangxiang’s account of what had happened. Slamming his hand on the desk, he said angrily, “Comrade Ruan, we’ve recorded everything you told us. Don’t worry—Zhang Lingyu and Ruan Mengmeng are suspected of stepdaughter abuse and human trafficking. The law won’t let them off lightly.”

“Thank you for your help, Director Wu,” Gu Rongqing nodded, his expression cold. After hearing what his wife had gone through, he was filled with heartache. He couldn’t stop imagining little Xiangxiang being forced to wash clothes with icy water in the dead of winter or being chased and beaten by Zhang Lingyu with hot tongs.

No wonder the suitcase he carried that day felt so light—Xiangxiang had barely owned any clothes, and the ones she had were all hand-me-downs from Ruan Mengmeng. She was so beautiful, like a princess, yet that mother and daughter had treated her so viciously. And Ruan Chenghong—if not for his indulgence and silence, Xiangxiang wouldn’t have suffered so much.

So no matter what, that family of three had to face consequences.

“Director Wu, the central government just issued a strict crackdown order. Human trafficking is a key target. I hope you’ll handle this matter seriously,” Gu Rongqing said calmly but forcefully.

Cold sweat broke out on Director Wu’s forehead. He had already asked someone to look into Comrade Gu and Comrade Lu’s backgrounds—and was shocked. These were not people he could afford to offend.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offered one each to Gu Rongqing and Lu Hang, and said sincerely, “Yes, we’re in the middle of the crackdown. We just held a meeting about it a few days ago. Human trafficking is under intense scrutiny. Don’t worry, Comrade Gu, we’ll investigate thoroughly and hold those people accountable.”

“Much appreciated, Director Wu.” Gu Rongqing accepted the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear—he didn’t smoke, but he usually accepted out of politeness.

Lu Hang, always hot-tempered, took the cigarette and held it in his hand. “People that wicked shouldn’t get away with it. And that Ruan Mengmeng—she even got into college, but she’s rotten inside. Let’s see how she plans to continue her studies now!”

He cursed himself for once thinking about asking Xiangxiang to introduce her sister—he must’ve been out of his mind!

Ruan Xiangxiang, however, shook her head. “Zhang Lingyu can’t escape the charges, but Ruan Mengmeng might. She’ll definitely claim ignorance, and Zhang Lingyu will take the blame to protect her daughter.”

That was true. Most of it had been orchestrated by Zhang Lingyu, so Ruan Mengmeng could easily distance herself.

“It’s fine. If she doesn’t go down this time, her character will catch up with her. She won’t be able to help herself eventually,” Gu Rongqing nodded, already considering other strategies.

Ruan Xiangxiang wasn’t in a rush either—time was on her side. If not now, then later. Given Ruan Mengmeng’s personality, she would surely hold a grudge. But for now, the priority was reclaiming her things and cutting all ties with that family.

—

Meanwhile, in another holding cell at the police station…

Ruan Mengmeng’s eyes were swollen from crying. “Mom, what do we do? Am I going to jail? I don’t want to go to jail—I’m only twenty! I just got accepted into college! My life can’t be ruined like this, sob sob… Mom, you messed everything up! I told you we needed to send Ruan Xiangxiang far away so she’d never crawl back, and you botched it! Now I’m going to jail because of you!”

Zhang Lingyu was terrified and weak in the knees. She never expected Ruan Xiangxiang’s husband to have so much power that even the station chief received him personally.

She clung to her daughter, sobbing, “Mengmeng, I didn’t think this would happen! It’s all that damned matchmaker Wang’s fault for not telling me about the other side clearly! I didn’t want to go to jail either! What do we do?”

Ruan Mengmeng was fed up. Her mom only knew how to cry and never considered her. “Ugh, Mom, stop crying. Let’s think of a solution!”

“What solution? Oh! Your dad! He must have a way. Doesn’t he know some government officials? Let him pull some strings—we’ll be fine!” Zhang Lingyu wiped her tears, placing her hopes on Ruan Chenghong.

He had been a sent-down youth and made some close friends in the frontier. Those friends now had good jobs back in the city, and he always bragged about how deep those bonds were.

But Ruan Mengmeng scoffed. “Mom, wake up. Dad’s just flattering himself. If he had real connections, would he still be stuck as a low-level worker? Honestly, right now, we have to look out for ourselves. I’m still young, and I just got into a top university. If I go to jail, my future is over! Mom, you’re older—doing a year or two is not a big deal. Just think of it as taking one for the team.”

“What? Mengmeng, you’re asking me to go to jail?” Zhang Lingyu was stunned—she never expected her own daughter to say such a thing.

“We’re weighing the pros and cons! Do you want me to go down with you? Ruan Xiangxiang married a military officer now. If I don’t go to college, how can we ever get revenge? Do you really want us crushed under her heel forever? Mom, I’ve always believed studying can change my fate. So you decide—if you won’t take the fall, I won’t go to college. We’ll go to prison together and rot there, humiliated for life.”

Tears streamed down Ruan Mengmeng’s face, her expression full of despair.

Zhang Lingyu slowly calmed down. Her daughter was right—right now, they couldn’t beat Ruan Xiangxiang. Mengmeng’s only asset was her academic achievement. If she sacrificed that now, they really would be finished.

“Mengmeng, Mommy was just confused earlier. You’re right. You must go to college, succeed in life, and crush that little b*tch Ruan Xiangxiang beneath your feet. And hey, she thinks marrying a military man is impressive? You’re getting into a top university. Once you’re there, you must find a capable man—someone from a powerful family. That’s why I always told you not to rush into dating.”

“I got it, Mom. When the police question us, you know what to say, right?” Ruan Mengmeng pursed her lips. Her mother was smart usually, but panicked easily. Thankfully, she could still think.

“Don’t worry, Mom knows what to do.” Though unwilling, Zhang Lingyu had no choice but to take the blame to protect her daughter.

Before they could speak further, two officers in uniform entered the room. With stern expressions, they led the mother and daughter away for formal questioning.