Chapter 12

Facing Jin Yunhao's aggressive questioning, Jin Hongji felt at a loss, subconsciously feeling that he needed to refute something.

"No, nothing is right. His injury has nothing to do with me at all. You are slandering me!"

Jin Hongji was still a flower in the school. Although he had learned a lot about legal knowledge, he had never experienced such a situation. Moreover, due to his nervousness, he said the one thing he shouldn't have.

Jin Yunhao straightened up, a victorious smile on his face. He shook his head at the bewildered Jin Hongji and said, "You slipped up! How did you know Li Minjun was injured? Yesterday and just now, your answer was still 'I don't know.'"

"I... I suddenly thought of it, I heard it from someone else?" Jin Hongji started to stutter.

"Who? Who did you hear it from?" Jin Yunhao sat back in his chair, crossed his legs, and asked casually.

"... You wouldn't know them. Alright, I need to go review. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Jin Hongji finally realized his naivety and knew he shouldn't have talked to Jin Yunhao.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Jin Yunhao had already learned everything he wanted to know.

The murderer, found!

Just as Jin Hongji was about to get up, he felt a strong hand press down on his shoulder—Shin Donghae's hand!

His role was that of an investigator, the right-hand man of the prosecutor, responsible for all physical tasks, including apprehending suspects.

"What are you going to do? Jin Yunhao, you're just an intern prosecutor, you have no right to arrest me, and you can't restrict my personal freedom!" Jin Hongji reacted strongly, his voice trembling with fear.

Jin Yunhao shook his head and waved his hand, signaling Shin Donghae to let him go.

Just as Jin Hongji was about to step out of the room, Jin Yunhao suddenly spoke, "The Li family has a lot of influence! Enough to hire me, an aspiring prosecutor, to investigate the case! If I were you, I would leave Korea immediately, go far away, and never come back."

Bang!

The door was slammed shut.

Jin Hongji fled in a panic, leaving only Jin Yunhao, Shin Donghae, and Li Xiaoran in the dormitory.

Jin Yunhao sighed and dismissed Shin Donghae, "Donghae, go outside and keep watch for me. Don't let anyone get close."

The atmosphere was a bit strange. Shin Donghae noticed and nodded, quickly leaving without any hesitation.

"If I'm not mistaken, he will run. Whether he will leave Korea or not is another matter. If he runs, he is undoubtedly the murderer."

After saying that, Jin Yunhao took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, but didn't light it.

"Ha ha, actually, we can be sure now that he is the murderer. Your last words to him were more about showing mercy, wanting to let him go. To put it in your words—am I right?"

Li Xiaoran crossed her arms and leaned against the desk, smiling lightly.

Finding the murderer, she was in a good mood and spoke quite casually.

Her opinion of Jin Yunhao had greatly improved.

She didn't expect that Jin Yunhao could lock down the murderer with just a few clues and force the murderer to reveal himself with a few words. This guy's reasoning and investigative skills were really impressive.

Even she, who knew nothing about solving cases, could confirm that Jin Hongji was the murderer from his reaction. Therefore, she quickly understood Jin Yunhao's true intentions from his last words.

She never imagined that the cold and arrogant Jin Yunhao had such a 'soft' side.

Faced with Li Xiaoran's question, Jin Yunhao didn't speak, squinting his eyes and taking a deep breath of the tobacco scent. It wasn't satisfying, not as good as actually smoking.

He finally lit the cigarette in his mouth.

"What will be his fate?" he asked.

Li Xiaoran raised an eyebrow, looking fierce, "Harming my family, he must pay the price. Perhaps an accidental car crash should be his fate."

"Phew!" Jin Yunhao blew a perfect smoke ring.

How ruthless!

Is this Li Xiaoran's true nature? A beautiful and dignified woman, but a venomous snake in disguise? Was the caring sister and the lively woman he saw just an illusion?

He didn't know, he really didn't know.

He had hoped that Li Xiaoran would be different from those powerful people, that she wouldn't make such a cold-blooded decision. But he was disappointed!

However, some things just had to be said, and in the end, he said them:

"Your brother's thesis cheating was probably arranged by your father or an elder in the family. They knew the situation and understood that if the case was investigated by the authorities, the cheating scandal would be exposed. To cover it up, they found me to investigate secretly and find the real culprit, so you could take revenge and vent your anger."

"Ha ha, to make me, the executioner, work wholeheartedly, they even offered such a high price."

"But have you thought about it? His crime was at most excessive violence, and even then, it was an attempted murder. A few decades in prison would be enough. Is it really necessary to sentence him to death?"

Sentence him to death?

Li Xiaoran's surprised expression quickly disappeared, and she smiled without speaking.

Jin Yunhao took her silence as an acknowledgment, and his mood worsened.

He knew the coldness of powerful people and had experienced such things before. But personally participating and indirectly acting as an accomplice, he couldn't get over the guilt in his conscience.

He was extremely restless.

In the small dormitory, he continued to smoke, and she smiled silently.

This was their third time being in the same room.

But... maybe this was the last time.

---

In the minivan, Jin Yunhao stared blankly out the window, smoking one cigarette after another.

As for Li Xiaoran, she didn't ride with them, parting ways at the school gate.

Shin Donghae knew that something had happened between Jin Yunhao and Li Xiaoran, but he didn't know what. This made him feel uneasy and frustrated.

"Boss? Are you okay?" Shin Donghae asked tentatively.

Jin Yunhao seemed not to hear, or perhaps he heard but didn't want to answer.

He was not doing well at all!

To be honest, the first time he met Li Xiaoran, he was indeed captivated, even if it was just for a brief moment. At that time, he was moved and thought: This woman should be mine.

The second time they met was in the nightclub's private room. That time, Li Xiaoran gave him the impression of being mature, intelligent, wise, and decisive. He liked mature women, and a wise mature woman was even more irresistible to him.

The third time they met was in the office, where he saw a cute, domestic, and ordinary side of Li Xiaoran. He liked it. Life should have such a touch.

But all these good feelings were shattered when Li Xiaoran made that decision, like the ash in his hand, scattered by the wind.

He was heartbroken! Even though it hadn't even started, it was already over!

"Donghae, let's go for a drink!"

"Sure! Boss, where do you want to go?"

"Let's go to Xiao Nan Restaurant."

"Please, Boss, have some standards. The food there is really not good. How about I treat you to some barbecue somewhere else?"

"Not really, I still think Xiao Nan Restaurant is good."

"What's good about it? I don't see it."

"Clean and cheap!"

"..."

"Boss, you win."

---

A few hours later.

Jin Hongji encountered a serious car accident near the long-distance bus station, fortunately without life-threatening injuries. However, during the rescue, his legs were amputated, and he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Ying Xiangming also confessed everything about the ghostwriting to Professor Cui Zhongde. However, due to their deep teacher-student relationship, Cui Zhongde didn't publicize the matter. Instead, he demoted Ying Xiangming within the law and politics department: from a distinguished lecturer to an ordinary lecturer, with no promotion for ten years and no longer serving as a professor's assistant.

In the Li Minjun case, the two main individuals involved received their 'due punishment.'

However, these matters were temporarily irrelevant to Jin Yunhao.

He and Shin Donghae finally went to Xiao Nan Restaurant, ordered a few simple dishes, and drank several bottles of high-proof liquor.

They staged a 'drinking to forget sorrows' scene.

This time, Jin Yunhao really drank too much. He fell asleep as soon as he got home and didn't wake up until... the next morning.

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