Chapter 6 & 7

Ling Yiran replied, "I don't need your compliments."

Under the influence of alcohol, Assistant Director He rushed towards Ling Yiran and slapped her right in her face, then said, "If I want you to drink, then drink. Why are you acting all high and mighty when you’re just a failure?!"

As he spoke, he took the bottle of alcohol and poured it into Ling Yiran's mouth.

Ling Yiran wanted to push him away, but a man's strength was much greater than a woman's, not to mention that Ling Luoyin was helping him from the side.

Assistant Director He was grateful for Ling Luoyin's help and said, "Luoyin, you're still smart. I'll talk to the director and give you more screen time."

Naturally, Ling Luoyin put in even more effort. "Thank you, Assistant Director He. My sister isn't smart, so please be understanding."

Ling Yiran didn't know how much wine she had been forced to drink. Her alcohol tolerance wasn't good, and at that moment, she already felt a little intoxicated. She tried to hold on to the last of her sobriety. "I... I want to go back..."

"Alright, I'll take you back in a moment." Assistant Director He held Ling Yiran in his arms, his eyes filled with lust.

The woman in front of him did not have sexual charms, but when he thought that this woman had once been Young Master Xiao's girlfriend, Assistant Director He couldn't help but get excited.

At this moment, Assistant Director He's cell phone suddenly rang.

Originally, he wanted to hang up the phone, but when he saw the caller ID, he still picked it up. After all, it was the director who had called.

In particular, this director was his older brother. He had relied on his older brother to get the position of Assistant Director.

However, after picking up the phone, Assistant Director He felt as if he had suddenly woken up from a drunken stupor. His face turned pale and his breathing quickened.

"How... how could it be? She, she... she is just a sanitation worker with no background. Even if her former boyfriend was Xiao Ziqi, Xiao Ziqi has a fiancée now, so he has no reason to care about her at all. Otherwise, why would his ex-girlfriend be a sanitation worker?"

"Anyway, don't you dare touch this woman, and you have to let her leave safely. You have to know that the boss of the company himself called and warned me. The boss also said that if anything wrong happened to this woman tonight, the entire production crew would be dismissed tomorrow. As for you, you wouldn't be able to stay in Shen City anymore," Director He said. At the thought of the boss's serious warning just now, he felt scared.

"How is that possible? Hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of investment? Dismissed?" Assistant Director He asked in disbelief, "Who the hell is this woman?"

"How would I know? Either way, you're the one who caused this mess. If you dare to touch even a single hair of hers, watch how I take care of you!" said Director He harshly. "How is she now? She's fine, right?"

Assistant Director He wanted to cry but no tears came out. He did not dare to say that he had slapped Ling Yiran and forced her to drink more than half a bottle of red wine.

At this time, Ling Yiran staggered to open the door of the private room and went out. Ling Luoyin stepped forward and tried to stop her. Sacrificing her stepsister was nothing as long as she could be famous.

What she didn't expect was that Assistant Director He would run forward and slap her hard. Ling Luoyin tripped and almost fell to the ground.

"Why are you stopping her?" It felt like Assistant Director He had hated Ling Luoyin to death this entire time. If it weren't for this woman, how would he have ended up in this mess?

Ling Luoyin looked at Assistant Director He in shock as he opened the door respectfully. He allowed Ling Yiran to walk out of the room. "Assistant Director He, what are you...?"

"Are you trying to set me up? Who is your sister? Who is behind her?" Assistant Director He asked sternly.

Ling Luoyin had a blank look on her face. "Is there a big shot that protects Ling Yiran? Why don't I know about it?!"

At this time, Ling Yiran staggered out of the room. The effects of the alcohol made her feel like she was walking on air, and her vision became more and more blurry.

"I have to go back... I have to go back quickly. I will be in danger if I pass out outside!"

She tried her best to tell herself that she was going home, but her body seemed to be a little out of control.

"Where... Where should I go?"

A blurry figure appeared before her eyes. That figure... gave her a sense of familiarity and made her feel at ease. She felt that as long as that figure was there, she would be safe.

Ling Yiran walked towards that figure step by step. With much difficulty, she finally arrived in front of it. She raised her head and looked at the figure. Her almond-shaped eyes seemed to have lost focus, but her lips revealed a smile that seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden. "Jin..."

The next second, she finally closed her barely-open eyelids, and her swaying body fell down.

He took hold of her falling body with a single arm. Yi Jinli stared at the cheeks of the woman in his embrace. His fingers gently caressed the area where she had obviously been slapped on her cheek. There was a cold glint in his eyes.

"Young Master Yi." Gao Congming put away the phone in his hand and carefully explained the situation that he had had just discovered. "Miss Ling must have been forced to drink some red wine, and then she was slapped."

"Is that so? Break the hand of the person that hit her," Yi Jinli said, picked Ling Yiran up, and sat down in the car.

Gao Congming was shocked. "Is Master Yi standing up for Ling Yiran?" Previously, Master Yi had not done anything in retaliation when his fiancée had died, but now, with the perpetrator of the accident, he...

In the car, Yi Jinli only felt that the marks on her cheek were extremely eye-catching. She was obviously just a toy to him, but why was he so unhappy when he saw that she had been injured by someone?

Was it out of pity? But, when had he even felt pity for anyone?

—

When Ling Yiran woke up, she saw the ceiling of the rental house and... a familiar face.

"Jin!" Ling Yiran sat up abruptly, but her head throbbed with pain. She suddenly took a deep breath and said after resting for a while, "How... how did I get back here? I was obviously at the clubhouse..."

The previous scenes in the room replayed in her mind, and her expression gradually became gloomy.

"I saw you coming out of the entrance to the club, so I brought you back," Yi Jinli said.

"But I didn't tell you that I went there."

"When you were answering the phone, I heard the address," he said. "Would you like some water? You'll probably feel better."

He handed her a glass of warm water. She took a few sips of it and then felt more comfortable.

"I didn't do anything strange when I was drunk, did I?" she couldn't help but ask.

Chapter 7

"No," he said, but he recalled that after he had carried her back to the rental apartment, when he wanted to put her on the bed, she had suddenly pushed him down on the bed, looking at him with her drunk eyes.

At that moment, he was surprised that he had been so careless. If it had been someone who wanted to kill him, then he would have died without a doubt!

He had always been vigilant. Since when had he let down his guard like this?

But before he could get up, she had touched his face with her hands, brushed the thick bangs on his forehead away, and touched his eyes with her fingertips.

"Your eyes are so beautiful... I really... like them..." she murmured.

"Like?" The word was not strange to him. After all, there were always women who said that they liked him and liked his eyes.

Perhaps his eyes were the only part of him that was similar to his mother’s.

In the past, when he was young, his father would always look into his eyes and become lost in thought. His father would mutter to him, "The kind of eyes you have looks like they're very emotional, but in reality, they're the most heartless. I don't know if you will be emotional or heartless in the future."

"Hm, because... Burrrp... they're clean..." She burped.

"Clean?!" He sneered. This was the first time that someone had described his eyes as clean.

"It's like... They have never been tainted by any sin... They're so clean..." She was so drunk that she didn't seem to notice that her face was almost touching his. "Jin, don't be afraid... I will... protect you..."

After saying that, she was so drunk that she lay on his chest and fell asleep.

"Protect me? This woman can't even protect herself, but she wants to protect me? What a joke!"

At that moment, he looked at her and said, "Sister, you didn't do anything. You just fell asleep."

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief.

His eyes fell on the red, swollen part of her cheek. "Does your face hurt?"

She was stunned and then said, "It's fine." This was the truth. After all, she had suffered much worse pain in prison.

"What happened yesterday? How did you get hurt and drunk?" he stared at her and asked.

"Nothing, I just met a drunkard and had a little conflict," she said lightly. She didn't want to tell him about the dark things from last night.

She always felt that he was clear and clean. Even though he had been wandering on the streets, he was still pure like a virgin. If possible, she hoped that he would stay that way.

"Is that so?" His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he restrained the light in his eyes. "It would be great if I had arrived earlier. In that case, you wouldn't have been hurt."

In reality, it wasn't true that he couldn't have solved this matter earlier. This was just a game that added a bit of fun to his boring life. He had even expected that something might happen after she entered the private room.

But when he really saw what had happened, he found that he was not happy.

"It's already good enough for you to have come to the club to pick me up. Otherwise, I might have slept right next to the street," Ling Yiran said and pulled at his hand. "Thank you, Jin. It's really good to have you here. And I'm fine, really. It was just a slap in the face. It's nothing to me."

Her smile was as light as the clouds and wind, but why did he still feel that it was rather dazzling?

—

"What? Ling Luoyin tricked you into drinking with a man? She's shameless! I'm going to find her!" Qin Lianyi had gone to look for her friend that day and saw that Ling Yiran's face was still faintly red and swollen. She found out what had happened after asking Ling Yiran.

"So what?" Ling Yiran held back Qin Lianyi. "I was too careless. I thought that she would at most try to get some money from me. I didn't really expect... but fortunately, Jin came to pick me up when I was drunk."

"Jin?"

"He's the person who's living with me now. Think of him as my younger brother. I got him to call me 'sister'," Ling Yiran said. When she mentioned Jin, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"Little brother? How old is he?" Qin Lianyi asked.

"Twenty seven years old, a few months younger than me."

Qin Lianyi almost choked on her own saliva. She couldn't believe that her friend was living with a man.

"What are you thinking? What if he has evil intentions? Have you ever thought that you might be putting yourself in danger? You studied law, didn't you? Aren't there a lot of cases when a man and a woman rent a place together? Your current situation is more dangerous than sharing an apartment with someone else!"

"I know what you're worried about, but Lianyi, with someone living with me, I don't feel as lonely. Plus, Jin is a nice person."

"What do you mean that you feel lonely? Don't you still have me!?" Qin Lianyi said. "Why don't I move out and live with you?"

"Don't do that. Your parents will hate me even more if you move out of the house," Ling Yiran said hurriedly.

When the car accident had happened, she had not been drinking, but all the evidence seemed to show that she had been driving under influence. No one believed her words except Lianyi.

And during the three years she had been in jail, Lianyi had been busy with Ling Yiran's case. She had even given up studying abroad for her. This had also made Lianyi's parents angry with Ling Yiran because they thought that she had delayed Lianyi's work.

And it was the truth. If it weren't for her, Lianyi would have had a better life now instead of being an obscure designer in an architectural firm.

"Moreover, Jin is like a little brother to me. You know, in the past, I always wanted to have a little brother. Now, my wish has finally come true," Ling Yiran said.

Qin Lianyi knew that there was no way she could dissuade her good friend. She could only put up with the second-best option. "Let me meet with him next time." Only after she had met Jin could Qin Lianyi feel at ease.

"Sure," Ling Yiran replied.

"By the way, this is a copy of your case from back then. There's also some information I've found over the past few years," Qin Lianyi said as she passed a stack of documents to Ling Yiran. "Since you have been released already, are you planning on reopening the case?"

"I don't know. I don't know where to find the witness from that year, and all the evidence still points towards me. I haven't been able to reverse the verdict for three years. In the future..."

"Perhaps we'll find an opportunity to turn over the case in the future. Don't forget that you are Ling Yiran, and the Ling Yiran I know doesn't give up easily," Qin Lianyi said.

Ling Yiran gave a bitter smile. Maybe she would have tried to turn over the verdict for herself three years ago, but after spending three long years in prison, her high spirits and sharp edges had been obliterated by pain.

Ling Yiran took the stack of information back to the rental apartment. She saw that there was no one in the room and Jin was nowhere to be found.

"He should still be giving out leaflets. He's been doing that for the past few days."

Ling Yiran steamed two cobs of corn, cooked up a simple stir-fry, made a bowl of soup, and waited for Jin's return.

Chapter 7

"No," he said, but he recalled that after he had carried her back to the rental apartment, when he wanted to put her on the bed, she had suddenly pushed him down on the bed, looking at him with her drunk eyes.

At that moment, he was surprised that he had been so careless. If it had been someone who wanted to kill him, then he would have died without a doubt!

He had always been vigilant. Since when had he let down his guard like this?

But before he could get up, she had touched his face with her hands, brushed the thick bangs on his forehead away, and touched his eyes with her fingertips.

"Your eyes are so beautiful... I really... like them..." she murmured.

"Like?" The word was not strange to him. After all, there were always women who said that they liked him and liked his eyes.

Perhaps his eyes were the only part of him that was similar to his mother’s.

In the past, when he was young, his father would always look into his eyes and become lost in thought. His father would mutter to him, "The kind of eyes you have looks like they're very emotional, but in reality, they're the most heartless. I don't know if you will be emotional or heartless in the future."

"Hm, because... Burrrp... they're clean..." She burped.

"Clean?!" He sneered. This was the first time that someone had described his eyes as clean.

"It's like... They have never been tainted by any sin... They're so clean..." She was so drunk that she didn't seem to notice that her face was almost touching his. "Jin, don't be afraid... I will... protect you..."

After saying that, she was so drunk that she lay on his chest and fell asleep.

"Protect me? This woman can't even protect herself, but she wants to protect me? What a joke!"

At that moment, he looked at her and said, "Sister, you didn't do anything. You just fell asleep."

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief.

His eyes fell on the red, swollen part of her cheek. "Does your face hurt?"

She was stunned and then said, "It's fine." This was the truth. After all, she had suffered much worse pain in prison.

"What happened yesterday? How did you get hurt and drunk?" he stared at her and asked.

"Nothing, I just met a drunkard and had a little conflict," she said lightly. She didn't want to tell him about the dark things from last night.

She always felt that he was clear and clean. Even though he had been wandering on the streets, he was still pure like a virgin. If possible, she hoped that he would stay that way.

"Is that so?" His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he restrained the light in his eyes. "It would be great if I had arrived earlier. In that case, you wouldn't have been hurt."

In reality, it wasn't true that he couldn't have solved this matter earlier. This was just a game that added a bit of fun to his boring life. He had even expected that something might happen after she entered the private room.

But when he really saw what had happened, he found that he was not happy.

"It's already good enough for you to have come to the club to pick me up. Otherwise, I might have slept right next to the street," Ling Yiran said and pulled at his hand. "Thank you, Jin. It's really good to have you here. And I'm fine, really. It was just a slap in the face. It's nothing to me."

Her smile was as light as the clouds and wind, but why did he still feel that it was rather dazzling?

—

"What? Ling Luoyin tricked you into drinking with a man? She's shameless! I'm going to find her!" Qin Lianyi had gone to look for her friend that day and saw that Ling Yiran's face was still faintly red and swollen. She found out what had happened after asking Ling Yiran.

"So what?" Ling Yiran held back Qin Lianyi. "I was too careless. I thought that she would at most try to get some money from me. I didn't really expect... but fortunately, Jin came to pick me up when I was drunk."

"Jin?"

"He's the person who's living with me now. Think of him as my younger brother. I got him to call me 'sister'," Ling Yiran said. When she mentioned Jin, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"Little brother? How old is he?" Qin Lianyi asked.

"Twenty seven years old, a few months younger than me."

Qin Lianyi almost choked on her own saliva. She couldn't believe that her friend was living with a man.

"What are you thinking? What if he has evil intentions? Have you ever thought that you might be putting yourself in danger? You studied law, didn't you? Aren't there a lot of cases when a man and a woman rent a place together? Your current situation is more dangerous than sharing an apartment with someone else!"

"I know what you're worried about, but Lianyi, with someone living with me, I don't feel as lonely. Plus, Jin is a nice person."

"What do you mean that you feel lonely? Don't you still have me!?" Qin Lianyi said. "Why don't I move out and live with you?"

"Don't do that. Your parents will hate me even more if you move out of the house," Ling Yiran said hurriedly.

When the car accident had happened, she had not been drinking, but all the evidence seemed to show that she had been driving under influence. No one believed her words except Lianyi.

And during the three years she had been in jail, Lianyi had been busy with Ling Yiran's case. She had even given up studying abroad for her. This had also made Lianyi's parents angry with Ling Yiran because they thought that she had delayed Lianyi's work.

And it was the truth. If it weren't for her, Lianyi would have had a better life now instead of being an obscure designer in an architectural firm.

"Moreover, Jin is like a little brother to me. You know, in the past, I always wanted to have a little brother. Now, my wish has finally come true," Ling Yiran said.

Qin Lianyi knew that there was no way she could dissuade her good friend. She could only put up with the second-best option. "Let me meet with him next time." Only after she had met Jin could Qin Lianyi feel at ease.

"Sure," Ling Yiran replied.

"By the way, this is a copy of your case from back then. There's also some information I've found over the past few years," Qin Lianyi said as she passed a stack of documents to Ling Yiran. "Since you have been released already, are you planning on reopening the case?"

"I don't know. I don't know where to find the witness from that year, and all the evidence still points towards me. I haven't been able to reverse the verdict for three years. In the future..."

"Perhaps we'll find an opportunity to turn over the case in the future. Don't forget that you are Ling Yiran, and the Ling Yiran I know doesn't give up easily," Qin Lianyi said.

Ling Yiran gave a bitter smile. Maybe she would have tried to turn over the verdict for herself three years ago, but after spending three long years in prison, her high spirits and sharp edges had been obliterated by pain.

Ling Yiran took the stack of information back to the rental apartment. She saw that there was no one in the room and Jin was nowhere to be found.

"He should still be giving out leaflets. He's been doing that for the past few days."

Ling Yiran steamed two cobs of corn, cooked up a simple stir-fry, made a bowl of soup, and waited for Jin's return.

Chapter 7

"No," he said, but he recalled that after he had carried her back to the rental apartment, when he wanted to put her on the bed, she had suddenly pushed him down on the bed, looking at him with her drunk eyes.

At that moment, he was surprised that he had been so careless. If it had been someone who wanted to kill him, then he would have died without a doubt!

He had always been vigilant. Since when had he let down his guard like this?

But before he could get up, she had touched his face with her hands, brushed the thick bangs on his forehead away, and touched his eyes with her fingertips.

"Your eyes are so beautiful... I really... like them..." she murmured.

"Like?" The word was not strange to him. After all, there were always women who said that they liked him and liked his eyes.

Perhaps his eyes were the only part of him that was similar to his mother’s.

In the past, when he was young, his father would always look into his eyes and become lost in thought. His father would mutter to him, "The kind of eyes you have looks like they're very emotional, but in reality, they're the most heartless. I don't know if you will be emotional or heartless in the future."

"Hm, because... Burrrp... they're clean..." She burped.

"Clean?!" He sneered. This was the first time that someone had described his eyes as clean.

"It's like... They have never been tainted by any sin... They're so clean..." She was so drunk that she didn't seem to notice that her face was almost touching his. "Jin, don't be afraid... I will... protect you..."

After saying that, she was so drunk that she lay on his chest and fell asleep.

"Protect me? This woman can't even protect herself, but she wants to protect me? What a joke!"

At that moment, he looked at her and said, "Sister, you didn't do anything. You just fell asleep."

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief.

His eyes fell on the red, swollen part of her cheek. "Does your face hurt?"

She was stunned and then said, "It's fine." This was the truth. After all, she had suffered much worse pain in prison.

"What happened yesterday? How did you get hurt and drunk?" he stared at her and asked.

"Nothing, I just met a drunkard and had a little conflict," she said lightly. She didn't want to tell him about the dark things from last night.

She always felt that he was clear and clean. Even though he had been wandering on the streets, he was still pure like a virgin. If possible, she hoped that he would stay that way.

"Is that so?" His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he restrained the light in his eyes. "It would be great if I had arrived earlier. In that case, you wouldn't have been hurt."

In reality, it wasn't true that he couldn't have solved this matter earlier. This was just a game that added a bit of fun to his boring life. He had even expected that something might happen after she entered the private room.

But when he really saw what had happened, he found that he was not happy.

"It's already good enough for you to have come to the club to pick me up. Otherwise, I might have slept right next to the street," Ling Yiran said and pulled at his hand. "Thank you, Jin. It's really good to have you here. And I'm fine, really. It was just a slap in the face. It's nothing to me."

Her smile was as light as the clouds and wind, but why did he still feel that it was rather dazzling?

—

"What? Ling Luoyin tricked you into drinking with a man? She's shameless! I'm going to find her!" Qin Lianyi had gone to look for her friend that day and saw that Ling Yiran's face was still faintly red and swollen. She found out what had happened after asking Ling Yiran.

"So what?" Ling Yiran held back Qin Lianyi. "I was too careless. I thought that she would at most try to get some money from me. I didn't really expect... but fortunately, Jin came to pick me up when I was drunk."

"Jin?"

"He's the person who's living with me now. Think of him as my younger brother. I got him to call me 'sister'," Ling Yiran said. When she mentioned Jin, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"Little brother? How old is he?" Qin Lianyi asked.

"Twenty seven years old, a few months younger than me."

Qin Lianyi almost choked on her own saliva. She couldn't believe that her friend was living with a man.

"What are you thinking? What if he has evil intentions? Have you ever thought that you might be putting yourself in danger? You studied law, didn't you? Aren't there a lot of cases when a man and a woman rent a place together? Your current situation is more dangerous than sharing an apartment with someone else!"

"I know what you're worried about, but Lianyi, with someone living with me, I don't feel as lonely. Plus, Jin is a nice person."

"What do you mean that you feel lonely? Don't you still have me!?" Qin Lianyi said. "Why don't I move out and live with you?"

"Don't do that. Your parents will hate me even more if you move out of the house," Ling Yiran said hurriedly.

When the car accident had happened, she had not been drinking, but all the evidence seemed to show that she had been driving under influence. No one believed her words except Lianyi.

And during the three years she had been in jail, Lianyi had been busy with Ling Yiran's case. She had even given up studying abroad for her. This had also made Lianyi's parents angry with Ling Yiran because they thought that she had delayed Lianyi's work.

And it was the truth. If it weren't for her, Lianyi would have had a better life now instead of being an obscure designer in an architectural firm.

"Moreover, Jin is like a little brother to me. You know, in the past, I always wanted to have a little brother. Now, my wish has finally come true," Ling Yiran said.

Qin Lianyi knew that there was no way she could dissuade her good friend. She could only put up with the second-best option. "Let me meet with him next time." Only after she had met Jin could Qin Lianyi feel at ease.

"Sure," Ling Yiran replied.

"By the way, this is a copy of your case from back then. There's also some information I've found over the past few years," Qin Lianyi said as she passed a stack of documents to Ling Yiran. "Since you have been released already, are you planning on reopening the case?"

"I don't know. I don't know where to find the witness from that year, and all the evidence still points towards me. I haven't been able to reverse the verdict for three years. In the future..."

"Perhaps we'll find an opportunity to turn over the case in the future. Don't forget that you are Ling Yiran, and the Ling Yiran I know doesn't give up easily," Qin Lianyi said.

Ling Yiran gave a bitter smile. Maybe she would have tried to turn over the verdict for herself three years ago, but after spending three long years in prison, her high spirits and sharp edges had been obliterated by pain.

Ling Yiran took the stack of information back to the rental apartment. She saw that there was no one in the room and Jin was nowhere to be found.

"He should still be giving out leaflets. He's been doing that for the past few days."

Ling Yiran steamed two cobs of corn, cooked up a simple stir-fry, made a bowl of soup, and waited for Jin's return.

Chapter 7

"No," he said, but he recalled that after he had carried her back to the rental apartment, when he wanted to put her on the bed, she had suddenly pushed him down on the bed, looking at him with her drunk eyes.

At that moment, he was surprised that he had been so careless. If it had been someone who wanted to kill him, then he would have died without a doubt!

He had always been vigilant. Since when had he let down his guard like this?

But before he could get up, she had touched his face with her hands, brushed the thick bangs on his forehead away, and touched his eyes with her fingertips.

"Your eyes are so beautiful... I really... like them..." she murmured.

"Like?" The word was not strange to him. After all, there were always women who said that they liked him and liked his eyes.

Perhaps his eyes were the only part of him that was similar to his mother’s.

In the past, when he was young, his father would always look into his eyes and become lost in thought. His father would mutter to him, "The kind of eyes you have looks like they're very emotional, but in reality, they're the most heartless. I don't know if you will be emotional or heartless in the future."

"Hm, because... Burrrp... they're clean..." She burped.

"Clean?!" He sneered. This was the first time that someone had described his eyes as clean.

"It's like... They have never been tainted by any sin... They're so clean..." She was so drunk that she didn't seem to notice that her face was almost touching his. "Jin, don't be afraid... I will... protect you..."

After saying that, she was so drunk that she lay on his chest and fell asleep.

"Protect me? This woman can't even protect herself, but she wants to protect me? What a joke!"

At that moment, he looked at her and said, "Sister, you didn't do anything. You just fell asleep."

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief.

His eyes fell on the red, swollen part of her cheek. "Does your face hurt?"

She was stunned and then said, "It's fine." This was the truth. After all, she had suffered much worse pain in prison.

"What happened yesterday? How did you get hurt and drunk?" he stared at her and asked.

"Nothing, I just met a drunkard and had a little conflict," she said lightly. She didn't want to tell him about the dark things from last night.

She always felt that he was clear and clean. Even though he had been wandering on the streets, he was still pure like a virgin. If possible, she hoped that he would stay that way.

"Is that so?" His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he restrained the light in his eyes. "It would be great if I had arrived earlier. In that case, you wouldn't have been hurt."

In reality, it wasn't true that he couldn't have solved this matter earlier. This was just a game that added a bit of fun to his boring life. He had even expected that something might happen after she entered the private room.

But when he really saw what had happened, he found that he was not happy.

"It's already good enough for you to have come to the club to pick me up. Otherwise, I might have slept right next to the street," Ling Yiran said and pulled at his hand. "Thank you, Jin. It's really good to have you here. And I'm fine, really. It was just a slap in the face. It's nothing to me."

Her smile was as light as the clouds and wind, but why did he still feel that it was rather dazzling?

—

"What? Ling Luoyin tricked you into drinking with a man? She's shameless! I'm going to find her!" Qin Lianyi had gone to look for her friend that day and saw that Ling Yiran's face was still faintly red and swollen. She found out what had happened after asking Ling Yiran.

"So what?" Ling Yiran held back Qin Lianyi. "I was too careless. I thought that she would at most try to get some money from me. I didn't really expect... but fortunately, Jin came to pick me up when I was drunk."

"Jin?"

"He's the person who's living with me now. Think of him as my younger brother. I got him to call me 'sister'," Ling Yiran said. When she mentioned Jin, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"Little brother? How old is he?" Qin Lianyi asked.

"Twenty seven years old, a few months younger than me."

Qin Lianyi almost choked on her own saliva. She couldn't believe that her friend was living with a man.

"What are you thinking? What if he has evil intentions? Have you ever thought that you might be putting yourself in danger? You studied law, didn't you? Aren't there a lot of cases when a man and a woman rent a place together? Your current situation is more dangerous than sharing an apartment with someone else!"

"I know what you're worried about, but Lianyi, with someone living with me, I don't feel as lonely. Plus, Jin is a nice person."

"What do you mean that you feel lonely? Don't you still have me!?" Qin Lianyi said. "Why don't I move out and live with you?"

"Don't do that. Your parents will hate me even more if you move out of the house," Ling Yiran said hurriedly.

When the car accident had happened, she had not been drinking, but all the evidence seemed to show that she had been driving under influence. No one believed her words except Lianyi.

And during the three years she had been in jail, Lianyi had been busy with Ling Yiran's case. She had even given up studying abroad for her. This had also made Lianyi's parents angry with Ling Yiran because they thought that she had delayed Lianyi's work.

And it was the truth. If it weren't for her, Lianyi would have had a better life now instead of being an obscure designer in an architectural firm.

"Moreover, Jin is like a little brother to me. You know, in the past, I always wanted to have a little brother. Now, my wish has finally come true," Ling Yiran said.

Qin Lianyi knew that there was no way she could dissuade her good friend. She could only put up with the second-best option. "Let me meet with him next time." Only after she had met Jin could Qin Lianyi feel at ease.

"Sure," Ling Yiran replied.

"By the way, this is a copy of your case from back then. There's also some information I've found over the past few years," Qin Lianyi said as she passed a stack of documents to Ling Yiran. "Since you have been released already, are you planning on reopening the case?"

"I don't know. I don't know where to find the witness from that year, and all the evidence still points towards me. I haven't been able to reverse the verdict for three years. In the future..."

"Perhaps we'll find an opportunity to turn over the case in the future. Don't forget that you are Ling Yiran, and the Ling Yiran I know doesn't give up easily," Qin Lianyi said.

Ling Yiran gave a bitter smile. Maybe she would have tried to turn over the verdict for herself three years ago, but after spending three long years in prison, her high spirits and sharp edges had been obliterated by pain.

Ling Yiran took the stack of information back to the rental apartment. She saw that there was no one in the room and Jin was nowhere to be found.

"He should still be giving out leaflets. He's been doing that for the past few days."

Ling Yiran steamed two cobs of corn, cooked up a simple stir-fry, made a bowl of soup, and waited for Jin's return.

"No," he said, but he recalled that after he had carried her back to the rental apartment, when he wanted to put her on the bed, she had suddenly pushed him down on the bed, looking at him with her drunk eyes.

At that moment, he was surprised that he had been so careless. If it had been someone who wanted to kill him, then he would have died without a doubt!

He had always been vigilant. Since when had he let down his guard like this?

But before he could get up, she had touched his face with her hands, brushed the thick bangs on his forehead away, and touched his eyes with her fingertips.

"Your eyes are so beautiful... I really... like them..." she murmured.

"Like?" The word was not strange to him. After all, there were always women who said that they liked him and liked his eyes.

Perhaps his eyes were the only part of him that was similar to his mother’s.

In the past, when he was young, his father would always look into his eyes and become lost in thought. His father would mutter to him, "The kind of eyes you have looks like they're very emotional, but in reality, they're the most heartless. I don't know if you will be emotional or heartless in the future."

"Hm, because... Burrrp... they're clean..." She burped.

"Clean?!" He sneered. This was the first time that someone had described his eyes as clean.

"It's like... They have never been tainted by any sin... They're so clean..." She was so drunk that she didn't seem to notice that her face was almost touching his. "Jin, don't be afraid... I will... protect you..."

After saying that, she was so drunk that she lay on his chest and fell asleep.

"Protect me? This woman can't even protect herself, but she wants to protect me? What a joke!"

At that moment, he looked at her and said, "Sister, you didn't do anything. You just fell asleep."

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief.

His eyes fell on the red, swollen part of her cheek. "Does your face hurt?"

She was stunned and then said, "It's fine." This was the truth. After all, she had suffered much worse pain in prison.

"What happened yesterday? How did you get hurt and drunk?" he stared at her and asked.

"Nothing, I just met a drunkard and had a little conflict," she said lightly. She didn't want to tell him about the dark things from last night.

She always felt that he was clear and clean. Even though he had been wandering on the streets, he was still pure like a virgin. If possible, she hoped that he would stay that way.

"Is that so?" His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he restrained the light in his eyes. "It would be great if I had arrived earlier. In that case, you wouldn't have been hurt."

In reality, it wasn't true that he couldn't have solved this matter earlier. This was just a game that added a bit of fun to his boring life. He had even expected that something might happen after she entered the private room.

But when he really saw what had happened, he found that he was not happy.

"It's already good enough for you to have come to the club to pick me up. Otherwise, I might have slept right next to the street," Ling Yiran said and pulled at his hand. "Thank you, Jin. It's really good to have you here. And I'm fine, really. It was just a slap in the face. It's nothing to me."

Her smile was as light as the clouds and wind, but why did he still feel that it was rather dazzling?

—

"What? Ling Luoyin tricked you into drinking with a man? She's shameless! I'm going to find her!" Qin Lianyi had gone to look for her friend that day and saw that Ling Yiran's face was still faintly red and swollen. She found out what had happened after asking Ling Yiran.

"So what?" Ling Yiran held back Qin Lianyi. "I was too careless. I thought that she would at most try to get some money from me. I didn't really expect... but fortunately, Jin came to pick me up when I was drunk."

"Jin?"

"He's the person who's living with me now. Think of him as my younger brother. I got him to call me 'sister'," Ling Yiran said. When she mentioned Jin, a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

"Little brother? How old is he?" Qin Lianyi asked.

"Twenty seven years old, a few months younger than me."

Qin Lianyi almost choked on her own saliva. She couldn't believe that her friend was living with a man.

"What are you thinking? What if he has evil intentions? Have you ever thought that you might be putting yourself in danger? You studied law, didn't you? Aren't there a lot of cases when a man and a woman rent a place together? Your current situation is more dangerous than sharing an apartment with someone else!"

"I know what you're worried about, but Lianyi, with someone living with me, I don't feel as lonely. Plus, Jin is a nice person."

"What do you mean that you feel lonely? Don't you still have me!?" Qin Lianyi said. "Why don't I move out and live with you?"

"Don't do that. Your parents will hate me even more if you move out of the house," Ling Yiran said hurriedly.

When the car accident had happened, she had not been drinking, but all the evidence seemed to show that she had been driving under influence. No one believed her words except Lianyi.

And during the three years she had been in jail, Lianyi had been busy with Ling Yiran's case. She had even given up studying abroad for her. This had also made Lianyi's parents angry with Ling Yiran because they thought that she had delayed Lianyi's work.

And it was the truth. If it weren't for her, Lianyi would have had a better life now instead of being an obscure designer in an architectural firm.

"Moreover, Jin is like a little brother to me. You know, in the past, I always wanted to have a little brother. Now, my wish has finally come true," Ling Yiran said.

Qin Lianyi knew that there was no way she could dissuade her good friend. She could only put up with the second-best option. "Let me meet with him next time." Only after she had met Jin could Qin Lianyi feel at ease.

"Sure," Ling Yiran replied.

"By the way, this is a copy of your case from back then. There's also some information I've found over the past few years," Qin Lianyi said as she passed a stack of documents to Ling Yiran. "Since you have been released already, are you planning on reopening the case?"

"I don't know. I don't know where to find the witness from that year, and all the evidence still points towards me. I haven't been able to reverse the verdict for three years. In the future..."

"Perhaps we'll find an opportunity to turn over the case in the future. Don't forget that you are Ling Yiran, and the Ling Yiran I know doesn't give up easily," Qin Lianyi said.

Ling Yiran gave a bitter smile. Maybe she would have tried to turn over the verdict for herself three years ago, but after spending three long years in prison, her high spirits and sharp edges had been obliterated by pain.

Ling Yiran took the stack of information back to the rental apartment. She saw that there was no one in the room and Jin was nowhere to be found.

"He should still be giving out leaflets. He's been doing that for the past few days."

Ling Yiran steamed two cobs of corn, cooked up a simple stir-fry, made a bowl of soup, and waited for Jin's return.