Chapter 21: I Must Survive
The notebook contained primarily transaction records, along with details of various deals. Each transaction record was accompanied by a receipt as proof.
Chen Xue Wen didn’t recognize the account names, but the transfer amounts were enormous.
The transaction records only occupied the first part of the notebook. The latter half contained photographs—and these were far more revealing.
Most were bed photos, capturing moments of intimacy between middle-aged or even elderly men and young, beautiful women. Among these, Chen Xue Wen spotted School Beauty’s photos. She had been photographed with at least a dozen different men.
Shockingly, there were even bed photos of several celebrities.
Chen Xue Wen didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind the transaction records, but he could easily deduce the purpose of these bed photos.
Undoubtedly, these were taken by Zhou Wan Cheng.
Those men were likely high-ranking figures. Zhou Wan Cheng used these women to entertain them, secretly photographing their encounters to use as leverage for blackmail.
It was now clear—the transaction records were also evidence of corruption.
This explained how Zhou Wan Cheng had climbed to his current position—through deceit, extortion, and manipulation!
Chen Xue Wen gazed at the notebook, a bold idea forming in his mind.
Perhaps he could use this evidence to help Li Er Yong avoid prison—or at least, keep him from being sentenced.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Chen Xue Wen pondered deeply. A plan gradually took shape in his mind.
He set Zhou Hao’s lifeless body aside, picked up the money and valuables, and headed downstairs.
In the villa’s main hall, Li Er Yong and Wu Li Hong were still slumped on the floor.
The place was drenched in blood, with over a dozen corpses lying around. The air reeked of iron, thick with the scent of death.
For the first time, fear finally seeped into their hearts.
Wu Li Hong, especially, trembled as she stared at the carnage.
Li Er Yong remained slightly more composed. When he saw Chen Xue Wen, he immediately urged, “Wen Zi, run while you still can! No one has discovered us yet!”
“If you leave Peaceful City now, maybe you can escape. Change your name, take on a new identity, and live a good life!”
Wu Li Hong nodded in agreement.
Chen Xue Wen, however, shook his head. “There’s no escape.”
“So many people have died. Even if I flee to the ends of the earth, the Law Enforcement Team will hunt me down.”
Li Er Yong grew anxious. “You have to at least try! You can’t just accept this fate!”
“Your parents sacrificed everything to clear your name! Do you think they did it just for you to give up now?”
“If they were watching from the afterlife, do you think they’d want you to live—or to surrender?”
Chen Xue Wen’s heart clenched in pain.
His parents had risked their lives appealing his case, just so he could have a future.
If he simply gave up and let himself die here, wouldn’t that be an insult to their sacrifice?
For the first time, his conviction wavered. A desire to survive sparked within him.
He handed a bag to Li Er Yong. “Er Yong, this has escalated beyond control.”
“You might end up in prison too. This is my fault.”
“Take this money back to your family.”
“If you really do get dragged into this mess, at least your family will have something to get by for a while.”
Li Er Yong instantly refused. “What the hell are you saying?”
“You need this money to escape!”
“Don’t worry about me—I’m not afraid of them!”
Chen Xue Wen shoved the bag into his hands. “Enough. Just take it.”
“You still have parents, younger siblings to take care of.”
“Get them settled first. Everything else can wait.”
With that, he pushed Li Er Yong out of the villa, gritting his teeth. “Tonight, I’ll handle everything.”
“If I don’t make it, promise me this—live on. Visit my parents’ graves during holidays. Burn some paper money for us.”
“Don’t let us be forgotten, wandering spirits without offerings.”
Li Er Yong’s eyes turned red. His fists clenched as his voice trembled. “Wen Zi, I know what you’re trying to do—you want to take all the blame yourself.”
“But we’re brothers. We shoulder burdens together.”
“No matter what, I won’t let you walk into death alone! If you go down, I go with you!”
Tears welled up in Chen Xue Wen’s eyes.
Having such a brother—this life was already worth it.
He pulled Li Er Yong into a tight embrace, then patted his shoulder. “I promise you, I will do everything I can to survive.”
“You know me—I, Chen Xue Wen, never break my word.”
Li Er Yong took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. Then I’ll be waiting for you!”
He gave Chen Xue Wen a firm pat on the shoulder before limping away into the snowy night, bag in hand, sobbing as he disappeared.
Chen Xue Wen watched his brother leave, only then turning back into the villa.
Wu Li Hong still sat on the floor, wiping blood off her face.
Seeing Chen Xue Wen return, she let out a bitter laugh. “Chen Xue Wen, we’ve been classmates for years. Can I ask for a favor?”
Chen Xue Wen: “Say it.”
She took a deep breath. “When you kill me later… can you not slit my throat?”
“At least leave me a whole corpse. I don’t want to die ugly.”
Chen Xue Wen gazed at her intently before speaking softly, “Why do you think I want to kill you?”
Wu Li Hong laughed bitterly. “I helped ruin you. I wasn’t the mastermind, but I was definitely an accomplice.”
“Your parents died because of me.”
“You sent Li Er Yong away but kept me here—doesn’t that mean you plan to take revenge?”
Chen Xue Wen didn’t answer.
Instead, he tossed five gold bars in front of her.
She stared at them, stunned. “What’s this?”
“For you.”
She looked up, bewildered. “You… you’re not going to kill me?”
Chen Xue Wen’s voice was calm. “I’m not a fool. I know the difference between right and wrong.”
“Yes, you were an accomplice. But you were also forced by Zhou Hao.”
“Even if it wasn’t you, someone else would’ve done it.”
“Blame fate. It was bad luck that I confessed to School Beauty, that I got caught in this web, that I was the scapegoat for Zhou Hao. None of it was truly your doing.”
He sighed. “And my parents’ deaths weren’t your fault either.”
“You wanted to help. You didn’t mean for them to die.”
Tears welled up in Wu Li Hong’s eyes. Silent sobs racked her body.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “At least someone understands me.”
She stood, leaning against the wall. “Keep the gold bars. You might need them to escape.”
“Since you’re sparing me, I’ll leave now.”
“You know me—I only look out for myself. If the Law Enforcement Team catches me, I can’t promise I’ll keep quiet.”
“Better if I don’t know where you’re going.”
She turned to leave, but Chen Xue Wen stopped her.
“I’m not running. There’s no escape.”
“I gave you the gold bars because I need your help.”
Wu Li Hong frowned. “What do you need?”
Chen Xue Wen held up the notebook. “You’ve been with Zhou Hao long enough to know Peaceful City’s power players.”
“Tell me—who are these people?”
“I need to know who they are.”
His voice was resolute.
“I must clear my name. I will see the light again.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation