Chapter 653 - A Million Times for You (15)
The men stopped and allowed Yuan Mingzhu to walk in front. She wanted to escape, but there was no chance at all. She was so petrified that her legs had turned to jelly, and thus, she had no choice but to allow herself to be brought away forcefully to Wei Ni Estate.
Once they arrived at the estate, Yuan Mingzhu constantly wondered why Jin Qingyan had sent his men to bring her to him. Could it be that he had found out that I was the culprit behind his mother’s death?
She could not help but feel terrified at the thought of that possibility.
Pangs of panic engulfed her.
She was afraid that Jin Qingyan would punish her physically.
At the same time, she tried to curb her fear and get a grip on her emotions by reassuring herself that there was no way Jin Qingyan could put the blame on her since he did not have any proof of her being the culprit.
She constantly tried to convince herself that everything would be fine, so as to calm herself down slowly.
The car drove toward the entrance of Jin Qingyan’s mansion and gradually pulled over.
Fan Shixin opened the door and stood outside the car. “Ms. Yuan, please get out of the car,” he said to Yuan Mingzhu.
Yuan Mingzhu jumped out of the car and questioned haughtily, “Just what did you call me here for? I still have to go to work. Are you going to be responsible if I’m late?”
“You’ll know the reason when you go in.” Fan Shixin led the way while Yuan Mingzhu followed him.
The temperature was drastically different in the living room.
It was freezing cold outside.
As soon as Yuan Mingzhu entered, she was greeted with the sight of Jin Qingyan standing in a corner, giving her the chills.
She stepped forward, pinching her fingers.
“Young Sir, she’s here.”
Jin Qingyan turned around and glared at Yuan Mingzhu coldly while remaining silent. The menacing look in his eyes was daunting enough to make Yuan Mingzhu lose her composure and be consumed by her anxiety.
“Mr. Jin, did you call me here just to stare at me?” she spoke up.
“Of course not. I just have a few questions for you, Officer Yuan. Please answer me truthfully,” Jin Qingyan said politely in an austere tone.
“Go ahead and ask.”
“When did you get to know Xu Youran personally?”
Yuan Mingzhu’s eyelid began to twitch as she answered solemnly, “A long time ago. What’s wrong?”
“How long exactly?” he questioned further.
“A few months. What are you asking this for?” Yuan Mingzhu answered.
“You’ve known each other for mere months, and yet, she’s already gifted you with an expensive apartment as well as a few million dollars. May I ask, what have you done to deserve such a handsome reward?”
“That’s my personal matter. I have no obligation to divulge any details,” said Yuan Mingzhu, constantly reminding herself not to let the cat out of the bag. However, she was, in fact, so tensed up that she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
“Personal matter? Ever since my mother’s death, I haven’t stopped investigating to find out the truth. Yuan Mingzhu, how do you think I should punish people like you?” Jin Qingyan questioned sternly.
Paralyzed by fear, Yuan Mingzhu vehemently denied, “What rights have you got to accuse me of being in cahoots with Xu Youran? I’ll admit it willingly if you can show me the evidence.”
“I don’t need you to admit it willingly. It doesn’t matter if you keep denying it anyway. It’s enough for me to learn after the investigations that you’re one of the accomplices,” Jin Qingyan said with a humph.
Yuan Mingzhu suddenly realized what he was going to do with her. “Jin Qingyan, you called me here out of the blue without even finding out the truth. If I don’t report to work at the police station, my parents and colleagues are definitely going to pursue the matter.”
“Ms. Yuan, why weren’t you this concerned about the police checking up on you when you used black magic to harm others? Did you really think that no one else in the police station, except you, can find out anything about the matter?” Fan Shixin scoffed.
“I already said I didn’t do it! Stop trying to malign me!”
“Yuan Mingzhu, don’t try to challenge our intelligence or overestimate your capabilities. Do you think all the investigations we’ve carried out thus far are all for nothing? Would we have alarmed you if we didn’t have any solid proof? None of the accomplices involved in this matter will be able to escape unscathed, regardless of who it may be,” Jin Qingyan warned with a gloomy look in his eyes.
Fear was written all over Yuan Mingzhu’s face, which had already turned as pale as a sheet. She could sense that her end was near.
There was no way she could escape this ordeal.
Even though things had already come to this juncture, she still refused to admit anything. “Then show me the evidence. Only then will I concede willingly.”
“Do you think I care about your willingness? Must I show you the evidence before I can deal with you? It’s enough to know that you’re the one behind it!” Jin Qingyan bellowed.
“You...”
Jin Qingyan did not bother arguing with her further and motioned for Fan Shixin to take her away.
Finding herself being dragged away forcefully, Yuan Mingzhu grew even more flustered and anxious. “Where are you taking me? Let go of me! Let go!” she exclaimed in panic.
Unfortunately for her, her efforts were proven futile, for the bodyguards refused to budge, despite her yelling her lungs out.
——
“Teacher, is there any way to prevent one’s fate from being altered? We found out last night that my sister-in-law’s fate has been rewritten by an evildoer. I immediately changed it back for her. Such incidents are really unsettling.”
Shaking her head, the elderly lady answered, “There aren’t any effective solutions to that. It doesn’t matter if others know your birthday, but things will become dangerous once they know the exact birth timing too. Don’t you realize that there are plenty of people who go berserk for no reason, as well as mysterious murders committed by murderers who have no clear motive at all? The worst thing that can happen is becoming someone else’s scapegoat and tool for murder. Human willpower is too weak to ward against and fend off these evil sources. By the way, you look really pale and unwell, you have to eat more nutritious food to nourish your body.”
An Xiaoning asked again softly, “I’ve always been curious about this. It must be extremely draining to help someone like Xu Baizhi, whose altered fate is difficult to restore. Since it’ll take a toll on your health, why did you still agree to help her change her fate, Teacher?”
“Would you believe me if I said that I wanted to do a kind deed? Anyway, I’m not entirely sure if I can help her change it back successfully. Her determination is key. If she doesn’t truly set her mind to it, not only will she let my good intentions down, she’ll also be causing her parents’ efforts to go down the drain. Or you could also say...”
She paused to look at An Xiaoning before continuing, “I’d like to minimize the number of victims as far as possible. Her wayward behavior is going to cause harm to those around her.”
“Well then, Teacher, can you tell if she knows how to perform black magic?”
“She definitely doesn’t have such abilities. After all, she wouldn’t be here if she had such powers. She’s not psychic, and neither is she gifted with supernatural abilities. Has your mentor given you her book?”
“Old Mr. Gu has given me the book Master had left behind before her death. I’ve already finished reading it and internalizing all the content, which had aided me in furthering my abilities. I’ve already destroyed the book, though.”
“Good that you have, lest we risk anyone using the information in the book for unscrupulous means. I’ve written the summary of everything I know into a book. I’ll hand it to you.”
The elderly lady headed inside her room to retrieve a small journal that she treasured dearly. “I wrote this myself. Destroy it too once you’ve finished reading it. It’ll be of great help to you, for sure,” she explained, handing the journal to An Xiaoning.
“Alright, thank you, Teacher.” An Xiaoning took the journal from her hands and stowed it away in her bag.
An Xiaoning was greeted with the sight of Xu Baizhi washing some clothes in the backyard when she exited the house. She stepped forward and took the initiative to greet her, “Hello, Ms. Xu.”
Xu Baizhi stopped what she was doing and answered, “Ms. An.”