Although Zhan Jiayi now knew who the mastermind was, she couldn't tell Xie Zhendong about it yet.
If she revealed it now, Yang Shasha could still argue her way out of it.
She wanted Yang Shasha to be exposed, while she remained hidden, and then see what tricks Yang Shasha could pull.
As night fell, Xie Zhendong had dinner with Zhan Jiayi.
"Did you go out this afternoon?" Xie Zhendong asked abruptly.
Zhan Jiayi was slightly taken aback, not expecting the housekeeper to report her movements to Xie Zhendong.
"Yes, I just went for a walk and bought a few things," she said with a natural smile. "I was feeling cooped up at home and wanted some fresh air."
"Why didn't you ask the housekeeper to accompany you?" Xie Zhendong asked, concerned.
Zhan Jiayi replied, "I just walked nearby and stopped for a drink at a fast-food place when I got tired."
Xie Zhendong advised, "Next time you go out, have the housekeeper with you. It's safer."
"Okay, I understand," Zhan Jiayi smiled sweetly and served him a spoonful of soup.
After dinner, Xie Zhendong accompanied her for a walk outside the villa.
They watched television for a while after returning home, and then they went to bed early.
Zhan Jiayi felt that these peaceful and tranquil days were like a dream, making her feel very happy.
However, she also knew that this hard-won happiness was accompanied by hidden dangers.
But thinking too much was useless; cherishing the present was the most important thing.
At night, they had gone to bed early.
Ever since she became pregnant, Zhan Jiayi had been prone to sleepiness. As soon as she lay down, she would fall asleep.
While she was fast asleep, she was vaguely awakened by the sound of a mobile phone vibrating. She thought she had turned off her phone before going to bed.
It wasn't her phone vibrating, so it must have been Xie Zhendong's.
Xie Zhendong was also woken up from his deep sleep. He turned his head and asked her, "What's going on?"
Zhan Jiayi shifted her body to lie more comfortably and said, "Your phone is vibrating. Who would be calling you so late?"
Xie Zhendong became much more alert. He sat up, picked up the phone from the bedside table, and said unhappily, "Hello, what is it?"
Zhan Jiayi couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying, but she felt Xie Zhendong shiver. She couldn't help but sit up as well. Something big must have happened.
Xie Zhendong's hand holding the phone dropped limply, the phone falling onto the quilt. He seemed to be trying his best to control his trembling shoulders.
"What happened?" Zhan Jiayi picked up a coat from the bedside and draped it over him.
He couldn't control his tears and said, his throat choked, "Qi Ning, Qi Ning committed suicide in prison..."
Zhan Jiayi was also stunned, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Xie Zhendong covered his face and wept, "I should have expected he wouldn't be able to handle it. He was pampered at home since he was a child and never suffered like this... I should have bribed the prison staff earlier to ensure they took better care of him..."
"My condolences, my condolences." Other than saying these words, Zhan Jiayi didn't know what else to say.
Logically, she should have been secretly pleased to hear such news, but not only was she not happy, she felt as if her soul had been clutched by something.
She recalled the time at the company when Xie Zhendong had asked her to manage Xie Qi Ning more closely to train him.
Xie Qi Ning had many habits of a spoiled rich kid and wasn't very likable, but he was a living person, a living person she had worked with.
To have him gone so suddenly, she hadn't expected that interfering in someone else's marriage and being a third party would lead to Xie Zhendong losing his wife and son.
She felt a sense of confusion. Was this truly what she wanted?
...
Yesterday, Xie Zhendong received that call in the middle of the night and left in sorrow to personally handle Xie Qi Ning's funeral abroad.
No matter how disappointed Xie Zhendong was with Xie Qi Ning, Xie Qi Ning was, after all, his son whom he had raised for thirty years.
Zhan Jiayi understood him and didn't say much, only telling him to take care of himself.
During the day, she stayed alone in the villa, thinking that Xie Zhendong was probably still on an international flight.
Bored, she browsed through her phone and remembered the lawyer she had first consulted to help Xie Qi Ning with this matter.
Perhaps she could ask that lawyer to help her inquire about why Xie Qi Ning committed suicide in prison.
"Hello, hello, I wonder if you still remember me?"
Lawyer William immediately recognized her voice. "Oh, Miss Zhan, hello."
"Thank you for remembering me."
"Of course, you are a capable and intelligent woman." Lawyer William was later part of the legal team defending Xie Qi Ning.
After Zhan Jiayi returned to the country, neither Xie Zhendong, who took over the case, nor Yang Shasha handled Xie Qi Ning's case well.
He personally felt that if Miss Zhan had continued to handle this case, Xie Qi Ning might not have been so severely sentenced.
"You flatter me," Zhan Jiayi said directly. "The thing is, the client you helped defend last time committed suicide in prison."
"Oh my, what a pity," Lawyer William said, shocked and regretful.
"It is indeed regrettable." She wasn't as heartbroken by Xie Qi Ning's death as Xie Zhendong, but she still felt bad. "Would you be able to help me find out why Mr. Xie Qi Ning committed suicide in prison? I want to know the truth."
"This... this I can try to find out for you," William hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
"That's great, thank you so much," Zhan Jiayi said. "Can you give me your account number..."
"Oh, no, really, no need!" William didn't want to earn her money. "I can only do my best on this matter, and I might not be able to find anything."
"Alright, then I'll wait to hear from you after you've investigated," Zhan Jiayi didn't continue the discussion about money. She said, "Mr. Xie Qi Ning's father is going abroad to handle his funeral. If there's anything he needs, please help him then."
William readily agreed, saying, "Certainly. May I be curious, are Miss Zhan and the Xie father and son truly just employer and employee?"
"They were before, but now it's a bit different." Zhan Jiayi felt embarrassed to be so explicit.
William understood and didn't ask further about it. He then said, "Will Mrs. Xie Qi Ning also be coming?"
"I'm not sure about that." Zhan Jiayi didn't know if Shasha would be very sad upon hearing this news.
William said "Oh" again and continued, "I feel, and this is just my personal feeling, that the wife didn't care much about her husband's life or death. They don't seem to have any real affection."
"Why do you think so?"
"Later, when she took over Mr. Xie's case, her approach was very perfunctory, everything was just a formality," William explained. "Of course, I was just a junior lawyer in the legal team and couldn't make any decisions. Even if there were good solutions, she didn't adopt them. The main responsibility for Mr. Xie's failure in the second trial lies with her."
He tried to phrase his words as tactfully as possible, but some things just had to be said.
He didn't want to take on any more cases that were just about collecting legal fees.
Zhan Jiayi understood his meaning completely and felt a pang in her heart again. She hadn't expected Yang Shasha to treat her own husband this way. Did she not love Xie Qi Ning at all?