Chapter 266: Tinglan, at the very least we are friends

attended by important local figures, he had quite a bit to drink and was somewhat intoxicated. He returned to the hotel very late and saw that there was a missed call from Lu Yaoyao on his phone.A hin...In the absence of evidence, Shu Tinglan couldn't just believe Xu Wei's account, so she continued to ask:

"Since you didn't kill the person, how do you know so many details The victim's house had your footprints, and the rope used to strangle them was found in your home."

Footprints and hemp rope were important evidence used by the investigating agency to determine Xu Wei's guilt at the time.

At this time, Xu's mother stopped her crying and answered for Xu Wei.

“Mr. Shu, 18 years ago, every household on our street had a pair of Liberation brand canvas shoes, not just Xu Wei's. There were also hemp ropes, which were also common in every household. We used them to tie things up during festivals and visits.”

Shu Tinglan looked at Xu Wei.

"That's what your mother said, isn't it"

"Yes."

Shutinglan remembered again and then asked,

“That night, why did you walk past the victim's house”

That night, I didn't even pass by the victim's house. I was drinking with some friends in an abandoned factory. I have witnesses who can prove that. I only passed by her house the next morning because the door was open, so I just peeked inside out of curiosity. That one glance got me into trouble.

After a day of investigation, the officers learned from neighbors that they had seen Xu Wei peering around the victim's house early in the morning, acting suspiciously. This led the investigators to focus their attention on Xu Wei.

"So, when the investigators asked you where you were at the time of the incident, why didn't you say right away, but instead stammer and hesitate"

“Later I said, because the night before I was with some friends at that abandoned factory, discussing stealing cables. My friends all went to steal them, but I didn't because I was afraid. I got up so early the next day because I was worried they might have had an accident and hadn't slept all night, so I woke up early to see what happened.”

"When I was first caught, I thought they were asking about stealing cables. I couldn't betray my friends, so I didn't say anything clearly. When I later found out it was a murder case, I spoke up, but no one believed me."

Aha!

He stammered and refused to say where he had been on the night of the crime. The next day, he was seen lurking around the victim's house. Furthermore, his home contained shoes and rope identical to those found at the crime scene. All of these factors point to him as the prime suspect.

Even after 18 years, Xu Wei still gets excited when talking about the scene back then.

“I was framed. They kept interrogating me, beating me, forcing me to confess. If I hadn’t confessed to the murder, I wouldn't have survived until today. But now, the real culprit Wang doesn’t come out to admit his crime. Why can’t they let me go!” Long years in prison had made Xu Wei seem dull. He rarely dared to meet Shu Tinglan's gaze when answering questions. Only when he said the last few words did his eyes show a glimmer of hope for survival and freedom.

Xu's mother kept crying and comforting him constantly.

“My dear, Mom will definitely save you out… Attorney Shu will help us.”

Since leaving prison, Xu's mother has been emotionally distraught. For years, she has gone through the motions: visiting officials, hiring lawyers, seeking media attention—all to no avail. Now, even though the true murderer, Wang, has appeared, her son remains imprisoned, still without recourse. Lawyer Shu is their last hope.

The case needs to be handled step by step. It's not easy to get the court to re-examine it. If a re-examination were to happen, it would indirectly acknowledge that coercive interrogation tactics were used 18 years ago, and indirectly admit that the original verdict was wrong. This would be a huge challenge to the court's credibility. No one at the court is willing to take the lead on re-examining the case, and they have been passing the buck to Xu's mother, with lawyers changing one after another.

When Xu's mother came out of prison again, she went straight to the courthouse. She lay straight on the steps outside the courthouse, crying and howling for a while. Later, when she couldn't cry anymore, she just lay there.

Shu Tinglan couldn't pull her up, nor could he persuade her. Fearing she would get sunstroke lying there, he called Xiao Xin over as well. Standing in the scorching sun for so long, especially wearing black clothes which absorbed heat, she was sweating all over, her hair damp with perspiration.

Just then, a shadow fell over her head, shielding her from the scorching sun. A bottle of icy cold mineral water was handed to her.

As soon as she lifted her head, she saw Zhuo Yu'an standing beside her at some point, holding a parasol and a bottle of mineral water in his hand. His expression was calm.

“Drink some water, don't get heatstroke.”

He spoke in an ordinary tone, as if the two of them had never been apart for all these years.

Shouting Lan heard that familiar voice, his ears buzzing. He instinctively dodged to the side, away from his umbrella, preferring to stand in the scorching sun.

Zuo Yu'an now saw her, and felt pity for her. He didn't want to force her, so he continued to offer her the water.

She treated him like air, ignoring him completely.

"Tinglan, at least we're still friends."

Once upon a time, they were deeply in love. Even if they couldn't be lovers, at least they could care for each other as friends. Over the past three years of his absence, he has regretted it. He shouldn't have left in the first place.

Shutinglan's usually placid mood was suddenly rippled by a surge of hatred upon hearing his words.

Once he had decided to leave during the divorce, there was no possibility of them being friends.

When Mom was sick, she most desperately needed his help, but after finding out she had been blocked, it just wouldn't be a friendship anymore.

To spend day and night in the hospital holding two sick children, wouldn't be a friend.

She looked at Zhu Yu'an and thought, "Why is it like this You can just disappear when you want to, and come back whenever you please. There's no such thing in the world."

She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Mr. Zhuo, I'm working, please do not disturb."

All her resentment was kept hidden in her heart, she didn't want to say a word to him.

Of course, there was another layer to this, she didn't want anyone in the Zhuo family to know about the children, she just wanted to stay far away from them. In her life, besides the children, she truly had nothing left. The children couldn't afford any mistakes.

Therefore, anyone involved in matters concerning her child becomes her imaginary enemy.

At this moment, Xiao Xin, who had been taking care of Xu Mu all along, suddenly exclaimed.

“Ms. Shu, come quickly, Ms. Xu seems to have heatstroke.” Mrs. Xu on the ground had a pale face, with large beads of sweat dripping from her forehead. She also felt nauseous and wanted to vomit occasionally, but she stubbornly refused to get up. No matter how Xiao Xin tried to help her, she wouldn't budge.

Upon hearing this, Zhuo YUAN arrived before Shu Tinglan and naturally offered the parasol to Xiao Xin so she could shield Xu's mother from the sun. Then he helped Xu's mother up and had her drink the water in his hand.

He was strong, and Xu's mother was dizzy. Thinking of starving herself wouldn't work either. Person Zhuo Yu an directly helped her up and poured a mouthful of cool water into her.ly at the corners of her lips. 。When they arrived at the playground, Cheng Chen went to the school gate to take the bus, while she headed for the bike shed. 。She didn't notice him, bending over to unl...