The entire night passed, and Di Mingjue did not appear. Later in the night, too tired to stay awake, Jiang Wenbin and Xu Jingya fell asleep on the sofa.
The next day, a ray of sunlight fell on Jiang Wenbin's face. He opened his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar surroundings. Startled, he blinked his eyes open, shocked by the scene before him.
"Where is this?"
A shout woke Xu Jingya. Drowsily, she sat up and mumbled to Jiang Wenbin, "Where else could it be? We've been brought to Di Jue Group."
"Open your eyes and look again!" Jiang Wenbin urged impatiently.
Roused by his words, Xu Jingya rubbed her eyes and took in her surroundings.
The area was empty. Some walls were crumbling, shedding debris from being exposed to rain. The place they were in now was nowhere near Di Mingjue's office; it was worse than even the restroom at Di Jue Group.
"We… how did we end up here?" Xu Jingya leaned nervously against Jiang Wenbin's body, casting furtive glances around. She couldn't recall at all how they had arrived.
Just as the two were contemplating whether to escape, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Di Mingjue entered with Jiang Ziyu.
"President Di, what is the meaning of this? First, you imprison us in your office, and now you bring us to this dreadful place. Regardless, I am your nominal father-in-law. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for doing this?" Jiang Wenbin vented his anger towards Di Mingjue.
Divine retribution?
Di Mingjue chuckled. He solicitously moved a chair and, glancing at Jiang Wenbin, made a feint with his body.
He placed the chair behind Jiang Ziyu and shouted towards the doorway, "Bring them in."
Jiang Wenbin watched as the door opened and several burly men carried in a stretcher. Two tables were pushed together, and the stretcher was placed upon them.
Looking forward, Xu Jingya recoiled in fear.
"Mr. Jiang." Ah Qiang greeted Jiang Wenbin.
After more than a decade apart, neither saw any change in the other.
Jiang Wenbin avoided his gaze and denied, "Who are you? I don't know you."
Ah Qiang looked at Jiang Ziyu.
"Do you truly not recognize me, or dare not?" Jiang Ziyu took out her phone, and a photo appeared on the screen.
The photo was yellowed with age. Through the screen, the photo seemed to be veiled in a mist. She moved the phone forward, almost pressing it against Jiang Wenbin's eyes.
Jiang Wenbin turned his head away, refusing to look, and continued to pretend he didn't know him.
"Mr. Jiang, you cannot lie with a clear conscience. I was your driver for so many years, and I even helped you conceal your former wife's car accident. How can you say you don't know me?" Ah Qiang said indignantly.
He had confessed the reason for Lu Yuman's car accident to Jiang Ziyu the previous night and had presented the recording of his conversation with Jiang Wenbin from that year. He feared that if his conscience bothered him one day, he would have something to prove his innocence.
Seeing Ah Qiang's insistence on maintaining a connection, Jiang Wenbin, exasperated, kicked the leg of the table beneath the stretcher. "You're talking nonsense! Don't try to force unfounded accusations onto me."
"You truly are stubborn!" Jiang Ziyu retracted the photo and played the recording Ah Qiang had sent her the previous night.
After more than ten years, the recording was still very clear.
As the recording played, Jiang Wenbin's defiant attitude gradually softened. His eyes darted around, and his tongue felt clumsy, unsure of how to refute.
Finding the dialogue so repulsive, Jiang Ziyu genuinely did not wish to hear it a second time. She turned off the audio. "Even now, you still won't admit it?"
"Your mother died in a car accident while driving herself. Can a simple payment I made to her in the video prove that I told her to drive into an accident?" Jiang Wenbin forcibly twisted the truth, attempting to quibble.
Seeing him like this, Jiang Ziyu felt utterly disgusted.