The wilting of the rose

"Jinxi, time to get up~" Fu Rong pinched the sleeping Han Jinxi. After letting down her guard, Han Jinxi slept the first good night's sleep she'd had in days. She opened her eyes, saw Fu Rong and tried to scramble up, but was gently pressed back down by Fu Rong. "No rush, get yourself together. We're taking you to the detention center." "Detention center..." Han Jinxi, who had just sat up, shrank back again, her bare feet dangling. "Sister... I don't want to go..." Fu Rong sat down beside Han Jinxi and gently tidied her hair. "I know Jinxi is a good girl, but Jinxi did make a mistake." She took out a tissue from her pocket and gently wiped the dust off Han Jinxi's bare feet. "When you get to the detention center, you must obey the orders of the guards. Don't throw tantrums like today." Han Jinxi nodded slightly, her tension laced with fear. "Don't worry too much. We'll arrange for an officer to look after your mother. Once she's recovered from her surgery and is discharged, the neighborhood committee will handle her follow-up check-ups and daily life. We'll also include your cooperation in solving the case in the report. If you behave well, you'll be reunited with your mother soon~" Han Jinxi suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Fu Rong. "Thank you... thank you, sister..." She then burst into tears. Fu Rong gently patted her back and took the handcuffs from the accompanying officer. "Jinxi, you're involved in a murder case. According to regulations, you must be restrained during transport." Han Jinxi bit her lip, remembering what Fu Rong had just said. She sat on the bed behind her and extended her limbs forward. Fu Rong squatted down, placed Han Jinxi's hands on her knees, picked up the ankle cuffs, and fastened them around Han Jinxi's ankles. The cuffs were small, clearly designed for female suspects. Because of this, they were still new, with slight burrs from machining still clinging to them. The coldness of the iron-manganese alloy struck like lightning, and Han Jinxi shivered, but then gritted her teeth, enduring it in silence. Fu Rong then held the handcuffs in her palm for a moment before locking them onto Han Jinxi's slender wrists. "See if you can stand up," Han Jinxi slowly stood up with Fu Rong's support. "It's a bit heavy..." Fu Rong took the chain from the auxiliary police officer, attached one end to the ankle restraints, and handed the other end to Han Jinxi. "See if you can walk like this." Han Jinxi was momentarily dazed. Just yesterday, Fu Rong had handed her a small spoon for cake in this same manner. Perhaps the good things in her life had been left behind with that sweet cake, twenty years ago. She tugged hard on the chain and took a few small steps forward, managing a weak smile and nod towards Fu Rong. "Go move the car, so the trunk faces the entrance. Her shoes were taken away, don't let her walk too much outside." Fu Rong gently held Han Jinxi's forearm, trying to help her bear some of the weight. Han Jinxi shuffled forward slowly. The threshold of the detention area's iron gate made her steps even more difficult. It was only with Fu Rong lifting her ankle chain that the slender girl could move forward with the five-kilogram shackles. As she stepped out of the Star City Police Station, Han Jinxi stopped. She took deep breaths of the fresh spring air, gazing longingly at the trees and flowers lining the road, and gently closed her eyes. The auxiliary officer behind her wanted to urge her on but was stopped by Fu Rong. She knew Han Jinxi was saying goodbye, bidding farewell to her youth. Han Jinxi finally descended the stairs. When her fair feet touched the brick ground of the courtyard, she still let out a soft gasp of pain – the ground was rough, and her feet hurt. Fortunately, Fu Rong didn't make her walk far. Fu Rong opened the trunk and gently helped her climb in. The seat in the prisoner transport vehicle was narrow, but for Han Jinxi, having a place to support herself and temporarily relieve the weight of the shackles was a great relief. She had no idea that many female inmates had to kneel in the center of the compartment for the first and last journey of their lives in shackles. Sitting in the vehicle, Han Jinxi closed her eyes and recalled the dreamlike past month. After committing the crime, she had accepted her fate and had no intention of fleeing. She had continued her normal life, attending classes and caring for her mother, intending to sacrifice her own life for her mother's. But this naive idea was quickly seen through by the experienced officers. Who was that girl, and what would become of her fate... The sound of a door opening interrupted her thoughts. Fu Rong was outside, smiling at her. In that heavily iron-barred prison, Cai Roujia knocked on the door of cell number nine, where Han Jinxi and He Fangfei were locked. She opened the lock: "Number nine, time for yard!" Han Jinxi stood up, feeling a bit lost. He Fangfei, however, stood up with practiced ease: "Go to the door and squat. Don't look around." Cai Roujia's forward command made Han Jinxi hastily avert her gaze. She helped He Fangfei to the yard. The three free individuals seemed to be in good spirits, moving around with interest, cherishing their single hour of social time each day. The three death row inmates, however, lacked such enthusiasm. They sat down on the steps in tacit understanding, maintaining a distance from each other, feeling the vibrant spring air while secretly praying it wasn't their last spring. Han Jinxi helped He Fangfei sit down, occasionally glancing at the female death row inmate she had just seen in the corner of the yard. Without Cai Roujia's supervision this time, she could examine the woman's appearance. She was actually quite attractive, with thin lips and large eyes. Placed in a crowd, even if not outstanding, she would certainly be noticeable. But such a beauty was now in an utterly wretched state. Her dry, yellow, messy hair covered her head, and her wrists bore raw marks from the shackles. Her feet, bound by death fetters, rested limply on her slippers. The pink cotton socks on her feet seemed to have not been washed in a long time, stained with spots. The cuffs of the socks around her ankles were so worn by the shackles that sparse cotton threads were visible. "Sister, she...?" Han Jinxi gently nudged He Fangfei's hand. Although she had anticipated the dejection of death row inmates, the sight of this woman exceeded her expectations. "Hmm?" He Fangfei's gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, was drawn back by Han Jinxi. She glanced in the direction Han Jinxi's elbow indicated and immediately understood her question. "That's Zhang Shian," He Fangfei straightened her back, easing the soreness from being cramped in the cell. "She defied her father's discipline, had a huge argument, and stormed out wanting to drive away. Her father tried to block her path, but she drove her car into him and ran him over viciously." Han Jinxi trembled slightly. She could hardly imagine someone being capable of such brutality towards their own father. He Fangfei gently took her hand, stroking her hand a few times for comfort. "Her mother was overcome with grief and became mentally unstable. Her uncle also absolutely refuses to forgive her." He Fangfei also looked up at Zhang Shian in the distance. "When she came in, she had nothing but the clothes on her back. Her family refused to send her anything. Even those dirty socks on her feet were given to her by a younger inmate she shared a cell with before." "Before?" Han Jinxi looked up, but instantly regretted asking the question. He Fangfei gave a bitter smile. "She's gone. Left last week." He Fangfei surveyed the now much emptier courtyard. "They house co-defendants in separate cells, odd and even numbers, and allow them out in batches. This reduces supervisory pressure while preventing collusion." "After my sentence was finalized last month, the court officials brought me back here. They delivered review rulings to four people. She was among them, sent off last Wednesday morning. Since then, yard time has been much quieter." Han Jinxi bit her lip, wanting to change the subject. "She committed the heinous crime of patricide. It's her just deserts to have no family or friends..." "What's so different about me? We're all death row inmates," He Fangfei jiggled the chains on her feet. "But I've come to terms with it. My own suspicion and killing an innocent have earned me this death, and it's only right." "Sister, don't say that... there's still hope..." Han Jinxi leaned gently against He Fangfei's arm, whispering words of comfort. "I only regret my poor judgment of character back then, entrusting myself to the wrong person too early and ruining my entire life." He Fangfei closed her eyes gently, countless images flashing through her mind. "Then this one it is, white never goes wrong!" After receiving He Fangfei's affirmative reply, Han Jinxi folded it and placed it on the head of the bed, then put away the remaining clothes and stored them under the bed. Just then, the cell door rang. "Number nine, out of the cell, prepare for a shower!" Cai Roujia's voice came from outside. As Han Jinxi scrambled to get out from under the bed, she hit her head hard against the steel bed frame, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes. But she didn't cry; instead, as before, she slowly helped He Fangfei to the cell door. As she squatted down, she gently wiped away a tear with her hand while cradling her head. Cai Roujia's attention seemed to be entirely on He Fangfei this time. She escorted the two of them slowly towards the bathroom, constantly reminding He Fangfei to control her emotions tomorrow and not give the judge an impression of insubordination. The bathroom in cell block four was not large, and the facilities were simple. Six showerheads were attached to the white tiled walls. Cai Roujia unlocked He Fangfei's shackles and motioned for Han Jinxi to help her undress. Han Jinxi removed He Fangfei's outer pants and helped her slowly sit on the floor. She then painstakingly pulled the pant legs out from the gaps in the shackles, and after pulling out the waistband, she repeated the process on the other side, carefully hanging them on a nearby hook. Then Han Jinxi also took off her own clothes; after not bathing for several days, she had a faint odor about her. He Fangfei should have been in the prime of her womanhood, her youthful beauty not yet faded, but now graced with a touch of mature charm. Although she had gained a little extra weight around her waist and legs due to the lack of exercise in her death row life, it was still evident that this female doctor was captivatingly beautiful. Han Jinxi was so engrossed in watching Cai Roujia examine He Fangfei that she didn't realize she should have been squatting and waiting, but she was forgiven. "Alright. Han Jinxi, you wash her first, then you can shower yourself!" Cai Roujia, who had read the case files, had developed a good impression of Han Jinxi, this tragic yet strong girl, and made an exception to provide her with whatever care she could. "Yes! Thank you, officer!" This unexpected bonus made Han Jinxi exceptionally happy. She helped He Fangfei sit on a small stool and picked up the showerhead, wetting her body. As the warm water flowed over the wound on He Fangfei's ankle, she let out a sharp intake of breath. "Ah, I'm sorry..." Han Jinxi hastily moved the water stream away, picked up the body wash, and applied it to her body, then used shampoo to wash her hair. In the steamy mist, Han Jinxi cleansed He Fangfei's body and hair, seemingly forgetting that they were two female inmates imprisoned for serious crimes, and more like close college friends helping each other. The cleanliness and refreshment of her entire body washed away some of He Fangfei's anxiety with the water. She cast a grateful look at Han Jinxi, stood up with her shackles dragging, and prepared to squat to the side. "Bring that stool over and sit for a while; she still needs to wash," Cai Roujia said from the side. She was actually younger than He Fangfei, and being less experienced, she had been assigned to the maximum-security block. But fortune favors the bold; this also allowed her to witness many sorrows and joys that people rarely see, and it gave her a maturity that her peers lacked. "Thank you, officer!" Han Jinxi moved the stool aside and let the warm water flow over her own body... "Thank you for the trouble today." The two, having finished their baths and put on their undergarments, returned to the cell. The only discordant note was probably the shiny shackles that had returned to He Fangfei's wrists... "No, it's I who should thank you, sister... I got to shower thanks to you," Han Jinxi said a little shyly. "Let me help you put on your clothes, sister." "We'll talk about it tomorrow morning," He Fangfei waved her hand. "I haven't felt this refreshed in a long time." "Then... I wish you good luck tomorrow, sister! Goodnight!" Han Jinxi gently kissed He Fangfei's cheek and pulled the covers up for her. Yan Rong silently endured the pointing and whispering around her, shuffling her feet against the chains. The cool air and the ground, no longer scalding, made the journey much easier. Suddenly, she felt pressure on her shoulders and stopped. "Ah..." As the hood was removed, the light stung Yan Rong's eyes. But the officers didn't give her time for self-pity. Fu Rong, holding her camera, spoke again, "Yan Rong, use your words and actions to reenact the poisoning process." Yan Rong lowered her head, looking at her sun-reddened feet, waiting for the officer behind her to unlock her handcuffs. "I saw Tang Ke over there looking at the route map..." Yan Rong started to point towards the subway route map in the distance to her left. But then she saw that only her right handcuff had been opened. The chain dangling from her left wrist was a stark irony. She pursed her lips, watching as the officer stood by the route map. She then turned her head and pointed to an empty space not far in front of her. "His new girlfriend was standing here with food." "So I went up and pretended to ask her for directions," Yan Rong laboriously shuffled towards the girl, who had been brought from the holding cell to play Tang Ke's girlfriend, Yang Yumeng. She raised her left hand, grasping at the air, and finally held the dangling cuff ring in her hand like a phone. "Then I poured the potassium cyanide powder into the food on her left." "OK." Fu Rong closed the camera, surveyed the area, and pointed to the station sign and the exit signs on the wall. "Point to this subway station sign again and indicate that you poisoned them here." Two officers escorted Yan Rong to the wall. Just as Yan Rong was about to raise her left hand, an officer pressed it down. Then, the feeling of confinement returned as her right wrist was once again freed. She looked helplessly at the officer who had stepped back slightly, raised both her hands, and weakly extended her left index finger towards the station sign. "This is where I poisoned Tang Ke and his girlfriend." "Can't hear you," Fu Rong shook her head and turned to the onlookers. "Passengers, please cooperate with our work. Please do not linger or make noise. Thank you!" She then turned back to Yan Rong and nudged her with her chin. "Speak up." "This is where I poisoned Tang Ke and his girlfriend Yang Yumeng's food!" Yan Rong shouted with almost all her strength, then slumped against the wall behind her, looking helplessly as the officers on either side dragged her back out into the searing heat. She sat powerlessly on the floor of the paddy wagon, enduring the stifling heat. Leaning against the inner wall of the compartment, she tried to regain some strength before facing the upcoming torment. Two officers opened the back of the vehicle. Seeing Yan Rong sitting inside, they sneered and pulled her out. Even though there were still more than ten meters to go, Yan Rong spotted the travel bag she had buried with her own hands two years ago at a glance. "It is indeed human remains. We've taken samples for analysis," the forensic doctor, who had come to meet them, nodded at Liu Zeyu's questioning gaze. "To prevent further damage, we've zipped it up for now." "Thank you for your hard work," Liu Zeyu looked up and waved at the two officers behind Yan Rong. "I... I don't want to go," facing her former lover, Yan Rong felt a psychological resistance for the first time. "I admit I killed them. Don't make me point, didn't I already point at the subway station..." The officer beside her ignored her words, only increasing the force in his hands, dragging her along unsteadily. "Squat down. You don't need to say anything, just point to the victims' remains." Fu Rong raised her camera, looking at Yan Rong's shrinking face and her barely extended finger in the viewfinder. She frowned and looked up, scolding her. "Look at the duffel bag and straighten your finger! I didn't ask you to say anything! Weren't you this scared when you buried them yourself?!" The moment she heard the click of Fu Rong's camera, Yan Rong collapsed weakly, burying her face in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably. Fu Rong pursed her lips, wanting to comfort her. But seeing Yan Rong being dragged back into the paddy wagon by the two officers, she ultimately didn't speak. "Let's go," Liu Zeyu patted her shoulder. "You're still young. You'll get used to it the more you see." "Wen Qianxi, interrogation," Cai Roujia expressionlessly cuffed Wen Qianxi's hand as it emerged from the small window. Then she opened the cell door completely and watched Wen Qianxi walk out. Usually escorting slow-moving, heavily shackled female death row inmates, this time she had to quicken her pace to keep up with Wen Qianxi. "Outside," Cai Roujia stopped Wen Qianxi, who was about to turn. "We're not interrogating you here. We're taking you to the Municipal Bureau." Wen Qianxi looked up at the officers waiting by the police car and shrugged noncommittally. Li Jingxuan inserted his private key into the computer and lightly scanned his fingerprint. He opened the email with a garbled subject line and sender. He frowned slightly at the empty file body and the attached video below, then opened the video. "I am..." Qu Yinuo looked at the camera behind her, trying her best to control the tremor in her voice, "I'll cooperate with you... please be gentle..." Liu Zeyu glanced at Fu Rong and nodded slightly. Fu Rong stepped forward, looking at Qu Yinuo on the chair: "Hands up, get down." Qu Yinuo took a deep breath, trying to stand up without falling comically in front of the camera, but she couldn't hide the slight tremble in her legs. She stood by the bed with her hands raised and slowly lay down. Fu Rong knelt on one knee on the bed, her hands beginning to explore from top to bottom, feeling the 24-year-old girl tremble slightly in her palms. She traced from her hair to her back, then took handcuffs from her waist and cuffed Qu Yinuo's arms behind her back. Qu Yinuo propped her chin on the mattress, staring blankly at the headboard. Above the headboard was a replica of Monet's masterpiece "Impression, Sunrise." She looked at the morning mist in the painting, hazy and chaotic, just like her future. But she knew it wasn't sunrise she was facing, but sunset... The sudden release on her feet interrupted her reverie, and then her right loafer was removed. "Don't... don't take them off... I surrendered... why are you still so harsh..." She writhed her body indifferently, trying to escape the fate of having her shoes and socks removed, but all she got was the hands of an escorting officer pressing her down firmly. Fu Rong yanked off Qu Yinuo's white athletic socks and waved to the officers behind her. The officers stepped forward and began to put shackles on the girl's tender, fleshy feet. Qu Yinuo bit her lip tightly, feeling the cold touch of the shackles. Suddenly, her arm was pulled up. Before she could get used to standing barefoot on the ground, she was shoved in front of Liu Zeyu. "Qu Yinuo, I, on behalf of the Xing City Police Bureau, inform you that you have been arrested by the Xing City Police Bureau on suspicion of drug trafficking." Liu Zeyu took out the arrest warrant and waved it in front of Qu Yinuo. Qu Yinuo nodded slightly, suddenly remembering Yan Rong from a week ago, "Can I take a few clothes?" Liu Zeyu glanced at the expensive silk French shirt in the wardrobe, "I'm afraid not. Those clothes are beyond the scope of normal clothing and should be sealed as illegal gains." "I only have those expensive clothes..." Qu Yinuo wanted to protest, but the voice that actually came out was as thin as a mosquito's hum. "We will notify your family to send you suitable clothing separately," Liu Zeyu waved his hand, and two officers on either side took Qu Yinuo's arms and slowly moved towards the elevator. Qu Yinuo stood in the center of the elevator. A week ago, she was looking down at Xing City under the twilight from the observation deck behind her. Now, she was tightly surrounded by vigilant police officers. She looked up at the European-style decoration in the elevator, thinking that this should be the last glimpse of opulence she would see in her life... Noon was the peak time for check-outs. Many people were ending their holidays and embarking on their return journeys. People were idly waiting in the lobby for their departing trains. In their boredom, everything new and novel becomes exceptionally attractive and sparks curiosity. And Qu Yinuo was no exception. The police formation was already eye-catching, and Qu Yinuo, stumbling with her shackled feet among them, naturally became the focus of everyone's attention. Not to mention the travelers, even the front desk staff processing check-outs would steal glances in that direction during brief moments when the computer system was busy. Qu Yinuo lowered her head deeply, trying to walk faster to escape it all, but the chain between her feet crushed this thought. She hardened her heart, raised her hands, and let down her meticulously styled hair to cover her face. Although this action made the hands on her arms grip tighter, preserving her last shred of dignity seemed more important. Passing through the hotel lobby, Qu Yinuo stopped at the sun-drenched marble steps. She gently lifted her foot and tested it with her toes. As her five perfectly formed toes touched the stone slab, a wave of heat made her recoil: "Ah... it's too hot..." The officer beside her looked at Qu Yinuo's shrinking posture and then looked up at Fu Rong: "Sister Fu Rong?" Fu Rong looked at the scorching sun in the sky and waved to the officer behind her: "Go get the car." She looked back at Qu Yinuo, "But you still have to go down these stairs yourself." Qu Yinuo watched the police car pull up in front of the main entrance and nodded gratefully to Fu Rong. She whispered to the officer next to her, "I'll try to be quick, please don't pull me... it hurts..." She let out a long breath, took a step, endured the scorching heat underfoot and the friction on her ankles, and reached the police car. Qu Yinuo's sudden surrender had caught the Xing City police off guard, and they hadn't been able to quickly dispatch the typical van used for escorting serious offenders. Instead, it was a regular police sedan. As she approached the car, she saw the officer named Fu Rong take the place of the officer on her left and open the car door, getting in first. "Get in yourself." Qu Yinuo watched Fu Rong lower her head, pull the chain between her feet, and step into the car with effort, only to be immediately squeezed into the middle by the officer who followed on her right. She swayed her handcuffed hands, trying her best to turn her head to see the bustling and noisy CBD receding further into the distance. Liu Yidi, dressed in a sporty style and wearing sunglasses that covered half her face, strolled along the Changi Airport's connecting corridor, overlooking the garden city. The boarding pass in her hand clearly indicated her destination – John F. Kennedy International Airport. Liu Yidi leaned against the railing, her feet in red basketball shoes tapping restlessly on the stone steps, as if this was how an approachable young scholar should be. Her phone rang at an inopportune moment. Liu Yidi raised her hand and looked at the breaking news on the screen: The Malaysian Prime Minister called for Thailand to remain rational, stating that Malaysia was willing to resolve the issue through dialogue and that he would personally attend the ASEAN mediation meeting on this matter in Jakarta, inviting the Thai Prime Minister for a face-to-face meeting. Liu Yidi's expression darkened. She pulled her suitcase beside her and disappeared into the crowd at the boarding gate. "Thank you." Qu Yinuo watched as the officer squatted down and securely locked her bare feet into the iron ring beneath the pedal of the interrogation chair. As the officer straightened up to remove her handcuffs, Qu Yinuo subconsciously whispered her thanks. The young officer paused slightly, and the restraint when she tucked her wrists into the iron ring seemed to be noticeably gentler. "Wen Qianxi! I'm calling your name!" "...Here!" Wen Qianxi, who had been sitting on the bed in a daze since hearing Liu Yidi's voice that morning, only realized what she needed to do when Cai Roujia called out for the third time. She numbly turned her back and reached her wrist out of the waist-high window. Her mind was a mess. Logically, with Yan Rong and Qu Yinuo arrested one after another, Liu Yidi's capture seemed only a matter of time. Wu You's departure a few days ago seemed to confirm this. Yet, Wen Qianxi refused to believe it. She always thought that Liu Yidi, her true mentor who valued her, would find a way to escape. Suddenly, a sharp pain in her arm interrupted Wen Qianxi's thoughts. Unlike the loose handcuffs before, Cai Roujia outside the door yanked her arm outward forcefully this time, causing the serrated edges of the handcuffs to bite deeply into Wen Qianxi's tender wrist, making the skin around the cuffs turn a deep crimson. Wen Qianxi was bewildered but was quickly pulled out as the iron door behind her opened. Seeing Yan Rong squatting beside her, treated the same way, Qianxi shrugged helplessly. Perhaps, during the identification, her only identity was that of an equal suspect alongside her... Yan Rong, with a blank expression, obediently watched Cai Roujia half-push, half-escort her into the restraint room. She lowered her head and looked at the brand-new silver shackles in the center of the room. Judging by their specifications, they seemed no different from those worn by death row inmates. Yan Rong gave a wry smile, sat down obediently, and closed her eyes, awaiting those crisp yet cruel clinking sounds. Yan Rong spread her arms, allowing the officers behind her to pull her up by her arms. During the brief pause before being escorted to the side to squat, she gently lifted her pale bare foot from inside her blue slipper and gave it a slight wiggle, producing a faint jingle of chains. The shackles were slightly lighter than she had imagined, and Yan Rong breathed a small sigh of relief, only to be pressed to the ground instantly by the officer behind her, who warned, "Don't move around." Wen Qianxi watched in dismay as the armed police brought out her shackles. These old shackles were the same size as Yan Rong's, but the dense rust and oxidation layer made them look far more terrifying. Wen Qianxi stumbled a step, her reddened hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes behind her. A horrifying thought was slowly forming in the mind of this intelligent and sharp geek girl. The Star City Women's Detention Center, located in the northern part of Star City, required a journey across the entire city to reach Liu Yidi's villa. The long drive made it unbearable for Yan Rong, who was kneeling in the back of the police van. Large beads of sweat dripped from her cheeks, and her legs trembled uncontrollably. She painfully lifted her head, but in the darkness, she could see nothing. Yan Rong struggled internally for a long time, and finally, after collapsing from exhaustion, she cursed, "Fuck it!" Yan Rong pulled her calf from beneath her buttocks and sat astride the rear door of the van. Wen Qianxi, in the police van behind her, was timidly curled up in the deepest part of the vehicle. The temporary deprivation of sight intensified her fear. She leaned against the inner wall of the van, trembling as she fumbled with the chains around her ankles, unable to suppress her imagination of her most terrifying end. Liu Yidi, emerging from the police car, looked up at her two-story villa. The moment she first saw this house, she was reminded of the opulent manor she had seen when delivering laughing gas to a viscount's daughter. She had decided to buy it in just a few minutes, and it seemed she had once achieved her goals. But today, this would likely be her last sight of it... After confirming that everything was normal with Liu Yidi, Liu Zeyu opened the rear door of the police van. He looked at Yan Rong, who was breathing heavily with her legs spread apart, and frowned slightly, "This posture is not very dignified." "What does it matter?" As Yan Rong raised her arm, she was pulled down by two officers beside the van. She gently stamped her foot to relieve the numbness from sitting for too long and looked up at Liu Zeyu, "Whether I appear dignified and elegant or frivolous and debauched today, how many people will remember me in ten years, or even this time next year?" Yan Rong stretched her waist and voluntarily offered her arm to the officers beside her, "But no matter what, I will identify them properly for you." The moment the intercom on the door buzzed, the female inmates in the detention center's cell became alert. But upon hearing Han Jinxi's name, they all turned their heads in unison, looking at the quiet young girl who had just been transferred from the dreaded Cell No. 4 to this one. "Here!" Han Jinxi, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation as per detention center regulations, instinctively answered loudly. She then hopped off the end of the communal bunk, found her pair of slippers from the row along the wall. Unlike Cell No. 4, which housed extremely serious offenders, Cell No. 1, for ordinary criminal suspects, did not have a small window on the iron door for handcuffs. However, after a brief hesitation, Han Jinxi immediately squatted down within the small square opening by the door. The cell door opened, and the unfamiliar guard expressionlessly drew handcuffs from his waist and cuffed Han Jinxi's hands, which she had habitually raised. He treated her the same way he treated everyone else here. The iron door closed again, and the other female inmates inside let out a collective sigh of relief. Outside the door, the guard sized up Han Jinxi, who was bowing her head against the wall, "Do you know what day it is?" Han Jinxi instinctively straightened her body upon hearing the question, "Reporting to the guard, I do. Today is the day the court will hear my case." "Mm," the guard nodded with satisfaction, looking at the new suspect under his charge. "Guard Cai already told you about the rules, right?" "Reporting to the guard, yes," Han Jinxi gently moved her hands. Having grown accustomed to the way she was cuffed behind her back and tightly restrained in Cell No. 4, these front handcuffs at her waist felt almost like a release. "One, pay attention to court order during the trial, answer questions truthfully, no crying or making a scene..." "Alright, alright, as long as you know," the guard made a T-sign in the air to signal a pause. "Memorizing it is useless; being able to do it is what matters." "After all, if you don't do it in court, no one will hold me responsible—" the female guard muttered leisurely, gently pushing Han Jinxi and escorting her to the court police officer at the door. "The detainee is in your hands." The young male court officer looked at the still youthful-looking girl before him, finding it hard to connect her with the assassin described in the mission brief. "Are you Han Jinxi?" "I am," Han Jinxi looked up at the imposing court officer. With the prosecutor's recommendation for a lighter sentence, she once again felt a youthful admiration for a handsome face of her age, blushing slightly. "What is the alleged charge for the criminal case you are being tried for today?" "...Intentional homicide," Han Jinxi clenched her fists, cuffed in front of her, feeling ashamed of her crime, especially in front of someone her own age. "Mm," the court officer sighed silently in his heart and, along with his colleague, took hold of Han Jinxi's shoulders. "Get in the car." Han Jinxi nodded slightly and stepped onto the familiar steps of the prison transport vehicle. Inside the prison transport, Han Jinxi gazed out at the world through the one-way glass with a sense of curiosity. Although it had been less than a year, the outside world felt foreign to her. She wondered what it would be like when she had served her punishment and embraced the outside world again. The armed police officer beside her suddenly squeezed the back of her neck, gesturing for her to look at the ground beneath her feet. They were arriving. Han Jinxi stared blankly at her feet in their pink slippers. The lack of exercise in the detention center seemed to have made her feet fairer and softer than before. Looking at her feet, suddenly illuminated by the sunlight, she raised her head slightly, gave a wry smile, and followed the direction of the sunlight, brushing past the opened rear door of the prison transport. Han Jinxi was escorted by the armed police officers to the temporary holding area for defendants outside the courthouse. Due to the non-public nature of the trial, they hadn't encountered many people along the way. The moment the holding room door opened, Han Jinxi's eyes met Liu Yidi's, who was sitting on a chair. Han Jinxi instinctively opened her mouth, staring at Liu Yidi. For this youngest professor at Jingchu University, the architect of her tragic fate, Han Jinxi didn't know how to face her. She lacked the courage to rush forward and demand an explanation, nor could she let go of the past. She looked at the embroidered cashmere sweater Liu Yidi was wearing, then lowered her head to look at her own plain cotton thick T-shirt, biting her lip fiercely. "Both suspects are present. Put on the restraints." As the armed police officer gave the order, Liu Yidi turned her head to look at Han Jinxi, who was being seated beside her. The shackles were locked onto her small ankles, and the silver-white chains were particularly glaring under the lights, contrasting with her pink slippers. Liu Yidi turned her head and watched as the armed police officer grabbed her wrist and placed the handcuff ring on it. Before being taken into the courtroom, Liu Yidi, as the principal offender, stood outside the waiting room door. She suddenly turned back and stared at Han Jinxi for a moment, but said nothing. As the heavy courtroom door opened, Liu Yidi withdrew her gaze and walked in. "Xiao Nuo, what are you doing?" Ou Huanling, lying on the bed, shifted her arm, which could only be bent to one side due to being handcuffed, and turned her head to look at Qu Yinuo, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed with her eyes closed. "I... I don't know either..." Qu Yinuo shook her head. "I'm thinking about what the judge and lawyers will ask me when the trial starts tomorrow... but I can't think of anything. I can't do anything but overthink..." Qu Yinuo gave a wry smile and spread her hands towards Ou Huanling.