Chapter 120: Notification of condition

A few twelfth grade guys swaggered out of the crowd, the one leading them who had said ‘this old man will go testify for you’ next continuing, “Vice Principal Lou, we’ve got to make this clear first. You can’t take us down for having skipped lessons that day. Any more of that and all of us will be expelled.”

Students who might be eyewitnesses during lesson time, and at the back gate of the school at that...it was naturally truancy.

This person was an old acquaintance of theirs, Bao Ming. To be precise, all of those who had walked out were old acquaintances of theirs. Xu Tingsheng, Fu Cheng and Huang Yaming had once gotten into a fight with them back when they had still been studying here, and there had also been a few conflicts between them afterwards.

If one was to be precise about it, they should really be considered enemies.

As the current ‘tyrant’ of Libei Senior High, the ‘big boss’ whom everyone was afraid of, Bao Ming himself also had a shadow hanging over his heart that just could not be gotten rid of. This shadow belonged to Xu Tingsheng, who in his eyes was ‘really extremely mental’ and ‘had nothing that he was not capable of’.

Even now, some hooligans of their school who were not afraid of death would sometimes dare to mouth off before Bao Ming, and most commonly said would be, “What cool are you faking? Weren’t you still owned and frightened by Xu Tingsheng and them back then?”

Whenever something like this occurred, Bao Ming would always attack exceptionally viciously, not holding back in his blows at all as if the person that he was beating up was Xu Tingsheng.

Seeing Bao Ming’s gang walking over towards him, Xu Tingsheng finally knew why it was that he had been unable to locate the eyewitnesses all along. He had made a logical error in deduction, having always subjectively thought that they would have been reluctant to come forward only due to fear and cowardice...

Because of this, he had actually always felt that that the eyewitness should be an honest yet fearful girl.

He had thought of it the wrong way.

Apparently, it had been an enemy.

“This old man really can’t stand the two of you, so freaking sentimental,” Bao Ming arrived beside the trio, saying, “Remember this, this old man’s not helping you people. It’s that Ms Fang I’m helping.”

“Thanks, bro,” Xu Tingsheng, Fu Cheng and Huang Yaming said together.

“Who’s freaking bros with you,” Bao Ming said, “Let’s go.”

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Bao Ming and the others had skipped lessons that day. Just having been about to flip over the back gate to go to an internet cafe, they had seen Fang Yunyao appear. And so they had hidden themselves...and witnessed the entire sequence of events afterwards.

Bao Ming and the others spent a few hours at the police station. When they emerged, Xu Tingsheng’s trio was still outside waiting for them.

“The three of us don’t have much time this time. When we return next time, let’s find a chance and have a meal together,” Xu Tingsheng said.

Earlier, he had said up on stage, “Help me...you will thereon be a friend of Xu Tingsheng, a friend of the Xu Family.”

Even though the other party was Bao Ming, the same words still held true.

“Nutjob,” Bao Ming said, “This old man’s not interested...whatever, let’s talk about it when the time comes.”

......

The same day after Bao Ming left.

Fu Cheng brought Xu Tingsheng and Huang Yaming along in contacting a newly promoted Vice Bureau Chief in private. This person was an old war buddy of Mr Fu’s, being the one who had been most involved in this case after the Fu Family had made their move.

The testimony of Bao Ming and the others, with their coherent and detailed description of the incident, completely corresponded with the characteristics at the scene of the crime and what had been deduced from them. With them additionally having agreed to testify in court if need be, there had been great progress in the investigation.

Yet, Zhang Junming still did not plead guilty, and his mother still insisted that it was she who had done the deed.

It was actually not hard at all to make things difficult for Zhang Junming. Beneath the joint pressure of the Xu and Fu families, the future ahead of Zhang Junming would definitely only be a bleak one. Still, Xu Tingsheng and Fu Cheng persisted diligently in searching for evidence, wanting to nail Zhang Junming down for good.

Fu Cheng wanted him dead, or at the very least unable to see the light of day in his remaining years.

The next day, Xu Tingsheng again drove Fu Cheng and Huang Yaming over to the police station to understand more about the progress of the investigation. At the door of the police station, they saw an old, hunched figure.

They recognised this figure. This person was Zhang Junming’s father. His wife and son were currently both in jail for suspected murder, while he had originally been maintaining his silence.

Today, having previously perpetually remained silent, Mr Zhang walked into the Public Security Bureau on his own accord.

When he exited the place, Fu Cheng received a call from that Vice Bureau Chief.

“The old man provided an alibi for Zhang Junming’s mother. That day, Mrs Zhang was in his house back at their hometown. This case can basically already be wrapped up, even though Zhang Junming is still stubbornly insisting on his innocence.”

This was the decision of a father. He was currently walking on the road back to his hometown all alone, hands behind his back and slow in his gait, his back view appearing increasingly hunched, increasingly old...

Xu Tingsheng followed him in his car for a bit. He had originally wanted to say something, yet finally still decided against it. To this old man, this period of time might have seen the most painful, conflicted days of his life. He could choose not to speak. His words if he did speak would affect the life of one of his closest kin, irreparably.

And yet he had eventually made such a decision. His pain in doing so could only be imagined.

Xu Tingsheng’s trio did not interrupt Mr Zhang. While Zhang Junming might still not plead guilty, all of that was already inconsequential. With there being sufficient evidence against him, there was really no way out of this for him now.

The combined forces of the Xu and Fu families would indict him dead with all their might.

“Let’s go back and tell our families. We’re going to Jiannan to see Ms Fang,” Xu Tingsheng said.

Fu Cheng nodded, then shook his head. While Zhang Junming had already been taken down for good, he was still not happy in the least, because the news sent over by Song Ni these past few days was that Fang Yunyao was currently still in a coma.

If Fang Yunyao did not wake up, it would still be meaningless even if Zhang Junming died a hundred times, a thousand times.

“I asked them to help to make the arrangements just now. Let’s go see Zhang Junming for a bit,” Fu Cheng said.

Xu Tingsheng and Huang Yaming did not ask why he still wanted to see Zhang Junming. They accompanied him into the meeting room of the detention facility.

Around ten minutes later, Zhang Junming was brought over by two policemen. Currently, he was already no longer at all like the previous refined and cultured man he had once appeared to be as his face was ashen and his body slumped.

Fu Cheng gazed silently at Zhang Junming.

Zhang Junming avoided meeting his gaze.

“Are you afraid of dying?” Fu Cheng asked.

Zhang Junming suddenly broke down, hanging his head and trembling all over as he knelt down on the ground in tears, “Please, spare me. I don’t want to die...spare me, okay? I pray for Yunyao every single day. I’ll help you to clear up the rumours...”

It was inconceivable that such a disgusting person could actually exist in this world.

Fu Cheng might originally have felt like cursing vehemently at him and venting. Now, however, he didn’t feel at all like continuing to talk to Zhang Junming.

He turned and told Xu Tingsheng and Huang Yaming, “Let’s go.”

As the three walked out of the room, Zhang Junming stood up behind them.

Just having been pleading earnestly a moment ago, he was now instead yelling frenziedly and savagely, cursing, “She still hasn’t woken up yet? Hahahaha...she won’t be able to wake up anymore...You didn’t see how it was back then. She was lying on the floor, and I stabbed her again, and again, and again. She was bleeding so much. Her face was so pale, her blood so red...I stabbed her more than ten times, you know?”

“Hahaha, she won’t be able to wake up anymore. She’ll accompany me into death! Look, it’s still me who won. I destroyed the two of you so nicely.”

Zhang Junming broke down and pleaded guilty.

Exiting the detention centre, Fu Cheng received a call from Song Ni.

Ms Fang’s mother had just received a notification of condition from the hospital.

......

When Xu Tingsheng’s trio finally arrived at Jiannan Central Hospital, the corridor outside the ward contained Fang Yunyao’s mother, Song Ni, some ex-students of hers who had been in the vicinity and rushed over as well as a figure whom Xu Tingsheng was familiar with.