Do Not Speak Ill of My Mother!

Chapter 714: Chapter 644: Ji Li Visits Qin Youran (1)

Something serious was gradually being discovered at Zhongxing, while Yan Yueqing, far overseas, had just heard about another matter.

She hung up the phone, her fingertips gently caressing the desktop.

Her son Jun Yan’s earnest voice still echoed in her ears: "Mom, Brother Li took leave today, saying he was going to visit a sick relative. But Tang Bao said she heard Brother Li secretly checking the route to ’women’s prison’ in his room..."

A sick relative?

Besides Grandma Ji, who else is a relative to Ji Li?

She furrowed her brow slightly, then relaxed.

This child, ultimately couldn’t hold back.

"Xiao Yan, Mom knows about this matter."

Putting down the phone, Yan Yueqing walked to the window.

The winter here wasn’t as damp and cold as in the Imperial City. A large-scale weather regulator covered the entire Jiang Family, allowing high-tech control of any kind of weather desired.

She liked the high and clear weather; after returning home, it had always been this bright scenery, just like her current state of mind.

Ji Li wanted to see Qin Youran; she was not surprised. The child was troubled by "Future Memory," venerating the illusory Qin Youran as a deity, and viewing real goodwill as a conspiracy. If he weren’t allowed to see and hear the truth himself, verbal persuasion would be like scratching an itch through boots.

"Someone come." She whispered.

The butler silently appeared at the door: "Miss."

"Check where Ji Li is now. Also, contact the head of the women’s prison and arrange a special visit for a boy named Ji Li in the name of the ’Anonymous Charity Foundation.’ Ensure the process is smooth..." She paused, her gaze clear, "If he senses someone helping, just say it’s an anonymous person; no need to mention me."

Ji Li is too sharp; an overly smooth itinerary would only make him suspicious.

Anonymous person... surely the child could guess it’s herself arranging, but compared to his safety, a bit of displeasure is nothing.

"Yes." The butler bowed and withdrew.

Yan Yueqing sat back at her desk, her fingers glided over Ji Li’s recent academic report on the tablet.

The director’s recommendation letter was sincere, lavishly praising Ji Li as "exceptionally gifted, meticulously thoughtful, far beyond his peers," and suggested directly skipping to the graduation class of sixth grade, already reserving a spot in the advanced class at Jingdu’s top middle school "Qiming Middle School."

Grandma Ji sobbed uncontrollably over the phone, repeatedly murmuring, "Miss Yan, Little Leh... finally didn’t let you down! When he graduates, he will surely repay you well!"

Repay? A slight helpless curve appeared at Yan Yueqing’s lips.

Her pursuit was never about repayment. She only hoped this sapling, eroded by "pests," could clear the fog and grow towards the sun.

On the other side, Ji Li, clutching a crumpled bus route map, stood under the sycamore tree outside the gray, cold walls of the women’s prison. The autumn wind swept up fallen leaves, swirling past his thin school uniform.

His heart was pounding, sweat was seeping from his palms.

To avoid the pick-up arranged by Yan Yueqing, he slipped out of the sanatorium before dawn, transferred through three buses, and finally arrived at this place marked vaguely even on maps.

"A minor’s visit requires the presence of a guardian and must be scheduled in advance." The female police officer at the reception window spoke in a business-like tone, her gaze sweeping over his small figure with scrutiny.

Ji Li’s heart sank. He had anticipated obstacles but hadn’t expected them to be so direct.

He bit his lower lip, pulled out a prepared "medical record" from his backpack—written in imitation of Grandma’s handwriting, falsely claiming he was visiting a "seriously ill distant aunt."

Yet the policewoman only gave it a glance and shook her head: "Rules are rules. Without a guardian, without an appointment, it can’t be processed."

The flame of hope extinguished suddenly. He stood in place, his hands and feet icy cold. Could it be... he really wouldn’t be able to see Aunt Qin?

The Aunt Qin who smiled gently to him in the "dream," who distributed cake in old newspaper photos? The one imprisoned by Yan Yueqing’s "scheme," the truly kind person?

Just as he was about to turn away in despair, a middle-aged woman prison guard in uniform hurried over, whispered a few words to her colleague at the window. The colleague looked at Ji Li in surprise, then their demeanor softened: "Little boy, your name is Ji Li? You... are here to see Qin Youran?"

Ji Li jerked his head up, light bursting in his eyes: "Yes! I’m Ji Li! I’m here to see Aunt Qin Youran!"

"Follow me then." The woman prison guard’s tone remained calm but she stepped aside to let him pass through, "We’ve just received notice, an anonymous person has arranged a special visit for you. The procedures have been completed, follow me to register."

Ji Li was stunned, an anonymous person? Who could it be?

Yan Yueqing? No, definitely not! She couldn’t wish more fervently for me to never see Aunt Qin!

He suppressed his doubts and followed the prison guard to the registration area.

Each step felt like stepping on cotton, both grateful and perplexed. This sudden "smoothness" seemed like an invisible hand pushing him toward the truth he both yearned for and feared.

Registering, security checks, walking through a long corridor. The iron door closed heavily behind him, isolating external light and sound.

The visiting room was small and cold, vague figures moved behind the one-way glass. Ji Li sat on a hard plastic chair, his hands tightly gripped, nails digging deep into his palms.

The clanking sound of chains approached from afar. The door opened, and a woman in prison attire was brought in. She was thin, her complexion pale, and her long hair, once meticulously cared for, was cut short to ear length. Her eyes, however, still carried that "gentle" smile from Ji Li’s memory—though now it seemed stiff and forced.

"Little Leh..." Qin Youran’s eyes instantly reddened, as if seeing a juicy piece of meat, "You... you’re Ji Li?"

Ji Li’s throat moved, a thousand words stuck in his chest.

He remembered the warmth of Qin Youran distributing cake at the orphanage in the "dream," the despairing eyes on old newspaper images as she was taken away by police, and countless nights clutching a torn corner of that newspaper, interpreting every bit of Yan Yueqing’s goodwill as "deception" and "manipulation."

But now, sitting face to face, he was actually somewhat dazed.

"Aunt Qin..." his voice was dry, "Are you... okay?"

"Not well... not at all well..." Qin Youran wept, wanting to reach across the table to hold Ji Li’s hand, but was restrained by the guard. She sobbed, "It’s cold and dark here, the food is hard to swallow... Little Leh, you are the only concern for Aunt in this world! Before entering prison, what I worried about most was you!"

Ji Li’s heart tightened. He instinctively asked, "Aunt, are you... really wronged? The newspaper said you fabricated and slandered Aunt Yueqing..."

"Wronged! Very wronged!" Qin Youran suddenly looked up, a trace of venom flashed in her eyes, then was covered by tears, "It’s Yan Yueqing! She’s jealous of me, hates me! She used her power, bribed the judges, forged evidence! Little Leh, you mustn’t be fooled by her! Her kindness to you is all fake! She’s using you! When you grow up, she’ll squeeze every bit of value out of you, just like squeezing an orange!"