Chapter 404: Chapter 404: Pretending to Disappear
Hu Yunqin had no choice but to look at the police officer and ask, “Officer, is this matter serious? Will my children be sentenced to prison?”
“Your daughter’s actions themselves constitute a crime. Although the victim wasn’t injured, she intended to splash sulfuric acid to harm others. Even though the other person dodged, this is regarded as attempted intentional injury. Whether she’ll bear criminal liability depends on our investigation and the victim’s willingness to forgive. If the victim does not agree, then this will have to go through the court system. Attempted intentional injury carries up to three years, plus compensation for the victim’s mental anguish and lost income. If she admits her wrongdoing and compensates sincerely, it generally results in probation or detention for no more than three months, but it will leave a criminal record.”
The officer’s meaning was clear—this matter depended on Lan Yan’s decision.
If Lan Yan agreed to settle privately, the issue could be resolved peacefully.
Upon hearing this, Hu Yunqin’s legs weakened and nearly gave way, but Luo Jian quickly supported her.
She never imagined Dong Xiaoxiao would escalate things to this extent.
And not only that, she dragged herself into the mess as well!
Meanwhile, Dong Jian had no time to handle this matter. He had to deal with company-related issues.
Because half an hour ago, footage from the restaurant entrance had already been released online by the media.
Hu Yunqin not only represented herself but also the Dong Family’s business.
When Dong Xiaoxiao heard the outcome, she began trembling uncontrollably, her emotions spiraling out of control.
Even as they waited outside, Dong Xiaoxiao’s shouting from the interrogation room could be clearly heard.
“Yanyan, mommy has never begged you before. Can you, for mommy’s sake, give your sister a chance today?”
With no other options, Hu Yunqin could only beg Lan Yan.
Lan Yan looked at her, her expression calm and indifferent. “Then give me a reason. Why should I, for your sake, give her a chance? Ms. Hu, don’t forget, you’ve never raised me, not even for a single day. Between you and me, there’s hardly any deep familial bond.”
Lan Yan’s words felt like an invisible hand tightening around her throat, making it impossible to breathe in or out.
A reason? What reason could she possibly have?
She even felt a pang of panic.
If she helped Dong Xiaoxiao with this matter, then Haohao’s situation…
Weighing her options, she realized she could only choose to abandon Dong Xiaoxiao.
Looking at Lan Yan, Hu Yunqin said, “Yanyan, I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t think this through. I won’t interfere in this matter anymore. Xiaoxiao has a rather impulsive personality; she was bound to suffer sooner or later. Consider this a lesson for her.”
Lan Yan’s icy gaze lingered on her for a moment.
She merely curled her red lips slightly without saying anything.
She couldn’t help but admire Hu Yunqin’s decisiveness, changing her stance this quickly.
She had thought Hu Yunqin might make some grandiose gesture for Dong Xiaoxiao, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
Lan Yan was no saint, nor would she rush to forgive Dong Xiaoxiao so easily. After all, she was never a benevolent person.
Lan Yan turned to the police officer beside her and asked, “Hello, officer. May I see her?”
The officer, understanding the familial connection between these individuals, paused for a moment before replying, “Yes, I’ll arrange it.”
A few minutes later, Lan Yan met with Dong Xiaoxiao.
The moment Dong Xiaoxiao saw her, her already unstable emotions exploded in anger.
“Lan Yan, you b*tch! It’s you! You set me up, didn’t you? You’re trying to destroy me so you can have mommy all to yourself!”
She stood up, her rage flaring, but the female officer beside her quickly pushed her down by the shoulders.
“Sit down and stop moving!”
Lan Yan smiled and said, “Dong Xiaoxiao, you’re really hilariously naive. You treat certain people like treasure, but they might not see you the same way.”
“What do you mean?”
“I remember warning you before, but it seems you’re not that bright after all,” Lan Yan said. “Miss Dong, just because you lack brains doesn’t mean I do. Committing a crime? That’s something I’d never dare. It’s your paranoia and delusions that got you here. No one’s competing with you. If it’s yours, it’s yours. If it’s not, no matter how hard you fight, you’ll never get it.”
Lan Yan shifted her gaze slightly. “If you apologize to me, I might reconsider not pursuing your criminal liability.”
Without hesitation, Dong Xiaoxiao replied, “Dream on! I’ll never bow down and admit fault to you in this lifetime!”
Lan Yan wasn’t surprised by her response.
Her gaze lingered with a smirk as she looked at Dong Xiaoxiao. “Seems Miss Dong is quite principled. In that case, I don’t have much else to say. Enjoy your time ‘reforming’ here.”
With that, she turned and walked out.
From behind, Dong Xiaoxiao called out to her, but Lan Yan ignored her completely.
After exiting, Lan Yan looked at Hu Yunqin, who was sitting on a chair nearby, and asked, “Why did you come looking for me today? Was there something you wanted to say?”
Hu Yunqin did have something to tell her today, but now it seemed like saying it or not made no difference.
She said, “It’s nothing. Mommy just missed you and wanted to have a meal together.”
Lan Yan’s gaze held a trace of mockery.
Such words were almost utterly unbelievable.
However, since Hu Yunqin refused to speak the truth, there was no point in continuing the conversation.
“Let’s go,” Lan Yan said to Xiao Si before walking off.
Hu Yunqin stared at Lan Yan’s retreating figure, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as if needles were piercing her heart.
“Madam, what do we do now?” Luo Jian asked from beside her. “We can’t really let the eldest miss go to prison, can we?”
Hu Yunqin didn’t respond immediately, remaining silent for a moment.
Finally, she opened her mouth: “If her father doesn’t care, what can I do?”
“…”
Hu Yunqin laughed sarcastically before continuing, “He doesn’t even care about his son, why would he care about Dong Xiaoxiao?”
In Dong Jian’s eyes, sometimes profit outweighed everything.
“At times like this, we can’t afford to offend Lan Yan. Otherwise, the situation with the bone marrow will only become worse.”
“Then madam, what do we do next?”
What to do?
She didn’t know either.
What had been a perfectly good move had turned into a chaotic mess.
“Let’s head back for now,” she said weakly.
The pair left the police station shortly afterward.
As for the online video, Hu Yunqin couldn’t be bothered to address it anymore—someone else would handle it.
After leaving the station, Lan Yan was taken to lunch by Xiao Si and then dropped off at the research institute.
“You can borrow the car,” Lan Yan said before getting out.
It was her car, after all. Without it, Xiao Si wouldn’t have a ride back.
“I’ll come pick you up in the afternoon,” he replied.
Lan Yan said, “No need. Just drive back to Moon Gift Villa. I’ll catch a ride with the boss later.”
That afternoon, she needed to run errands with Su He, so she probably wouldn’t return to the institute.
Once back at the research institute, Lan Yan received a WeChat message from Mrs. Xiao.
Mrs. Xiao had seen the news online.
Lan Yan clicked on the voice message Mrs. Xiao had sent.
“Yanyan, Aunt Yun saw the video online. Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
Actually, the online videos were edited fragments. Mrs. Xiao had only seen the rough outlines of the incident.
After listening, Lan Yan replied, “Aunt Yun, don’t worry. I’m fine. I’m already back at the institute.”
Just a minute after sending her reply, Mrs. Xiao called her via video.
Lan Yan answered the call.
“Yanyan, let Aunt Yun take a look at you.”
Mrs. Xiao had refrained from directly calling earlier, afraid Lan Yan might be inconvenienced. Seeing her reply now, she quickly made the video call.
Lan Yan understood her concern and scanned herself with the phone camera.
She said, “Aunt Yun, I’m really fine. I truly am at the institute.”
Seeing that she was okay, Mrs. Xiao relaxed. “Thank goodness you’re fine. I was terrified when I saw the video, mentioning sulfuric acid—I almost had a heart attack.”
“By the way, Yanyan, that rascal Xiao Si was at the scene too, wasn’t he?” Mrs. Xiao asked.
Lan Yan affirmed with a hum. “He just dropped me off here and already left.”
Mrs. Xiao’s face immediately broke into a wide grin. “That boy finally showed some sense, huh?”
Lan Yan: “…”
Continuing enthusiastically, Mrs. Xiao said, “Yanyan, don’t hesitate to ask him for help. If you need anything, make sure to give him plenty of tasks.”
Lan Yan wasn’t sure how to respond, so she simply hummed in agreement.
Mrs. Xiao chatted for a bit longer and then ended the call.
“Alright then, Aunt Yun won’t disturb you any longer. Go ahead with your work.”
“Will do.”
——
City First Hospital.
In Fang Huaying’s ward:
“Oh my, isn’t that Yunqin and her daughter?”
Pan Lian happened to be scrolling through her phone when she saw a video.
She hadn’t planned to watch it, but the familiar faces caught her eye, stopping her mid-scroll.
Mr. Fang, who was nearby, glanced over upon hearing her exclamation.
“Aren’t these the two people we rode the elevator with the other day?” Fang Jianfu noted, pointing at Lan Yan and Xiao Si in the video.
Their striking appearances had made them hard to forget.
“That recording the police have must be theirs; they were the only people in the elevator apart from us,” Fang Jianfu added.
His comment jogged Pan Lian’s memory.
“But we have no enmity with them. Why would they record anything?” Fang Jianfu asked, puzzled.
Pan Lian rewound the video a few times as an odd familiarity toward the man began to surface.