Chapter 353: What did you do?
Chen Li’s revenge had barely taken shape in her mind when it was crushed mercilessly. Just as she stood in the living room, plotting her next move, piercing sirens suddenly tore through the quiet morning. The sound grew louder and louder until several police cars screeched to a halt outside Hua Mansion. Before she could even react, uniformed officers rushed out and marched straight toward her.
Her heart dropped to her stomach. Still, she forced herself to remain calm, smoothing her clothes and lifting her chin like the dignified mistress of the Hua family.
"Officers... what brings you here so early?" she asked, forcing a polite smile. "Is there something you need from our household?"
One of the officers stepped forward, his expression cold and official. He unfolded a document and held it up before her eyes.
"Mrs. Hua, you are under arrest for the murder of Ling Mu."
The name struck her like a lightning bolt.
Ling Mu.
Chen Li’s face drained of all color. Her body went stiff, and for a split second, even her breathing stopped. That name... it had been buried for so many years. Buried under secrets, lies, and blood.
Ling Mu was Hua Jing’s mother. A lowly servant who once worked in this very mansion. Back then, Hua Mingrong had taken a liking to her, and their illicit relationship had resulted in a child—Hua Jing. It was a secret known only to a few, but it tortured Chen Li endlessly. The existence of that woman and that child was like a thorn lodged deep in her heart.
So she had removed the thorn.
In the cruelest way possible.
She had ended Ling Mu’s life herself, believing she had erased the truth forever. No witnesses. No evidence. No loose ends.
Yet now...
"How... how do you know?" Chen Li whispered, her voice shaking violently.
Panic erupted inside her. She suddenly started struggling, shaking her head wildly.
"No! You’re wrong! You’ve got the wrong person!" she screamed. "This is a mistake! A misunderstanding!"
The officers moved to restrain her, but she fought like a madwoman, clawing at their arms.
"Let go of me! Do you know who my husband is?!" she shrieked. "Hua Mingrong! Do you know who I drink tea with? Who I dine with?! I know powerful people! The mayor! Ministers! You can’t touch me!"
Her composure shattered completely. The elegant lady of high society was gone, replaced by a hysterical woman on the verge of collapse.
"I’ll ruin you! I’ll have your badges stripped! You’re framing me! Framing me!" she yelled as she kicked and struggled.
But the officers were unmoved. Their expressions remained cold and professional. With practiced ease, they twisted her arms behind her back and snapped the handcuffs on. The metallic click echoed painfully in the air.
"Mrs. Hua, stop resisting."
Chen Li screamed, tears spilling from her eyes as her expensive jewelry scattered across the floor. Her hair became disheveled, dignity completely torn apart.
At that exact moment, a sleek sports car screeched to a stop outside the mansion.
The door opened.
Hua Jing stepped out.
The moment Chen Li saw her, something inside her snapped. All pretense vanished. She lunged forward like a rabid beast, eyes bloodshot.
"I’LL KILL YOU!" she screamed. "What did you do, Hua Jing?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
She struggled violently, trying to break free from the officers.
"You bitch! This is your doing! You set me up! I’ll tear you apart!"
The scene descended into absolute chaos. Officers barely managed to restrain her as she thrashed wildly, screaming Hua Jing’s name over and over.
Hua Jing stood there silently.
She didn’t speak. She didn’t move. Her face remained calm, her eyes dark and unreadable as she watched Chen Li being dragged away. The woman who once stood above her like an untouchable queen now looked pathetic, broken, and desperate.
Chen Li kept screaming until her voice went hoarse, until the police car door slammed shut.
Silence fell.
The mansion felt eerily empty.
Hua Jing stood frozen in place, her fingers slowly curling at her sides. Only when the sound of sirens finally disappeared into the distance did she release a shaky breath.
Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
Warm.
Protective.
She leaned back slightly, finally allowing herself to breathe.
Hua Jing knew exactly who those arms belonged to. She had come here with Fu Jingrong, but he had stayed inside the car, respecting her wish to face this place alone. This mansion... it was where everything had started. Where her nightmares were born. She needed to see it one last time with her own eyes.
Gathering evidence against Chen Li had never been easy. It had taken years of silent investigation, countless hidden threads, and careful planning. From the moment Hua Jing woke up from her coma, this had been one of her greatest goals. She had returned to this world not only to live again—but to settle old debts.
And now, the timing was perfect.
Hua Ling’s scandal was shaking the entire industry. Chen Li was already under pressure from the collapse of her carefully crafted empire. Striking now was like killing two birds with one stone. If she waited, the chance might slip away. So Hua Jing struck while the iron was still hot.
As she watched Chen Li being dragged into the police car, a tremor ran through her body. Her eyes slowly turned toward Hua Mansion, the grand building standing silently behind her like a witness to every injustice she had suffered.
This place...
It had swallowed her childhood.
It had crushed her dignity.
It had stolen her mother.
Chen Li and Hua Ling had made her life hell here. Even after she became a famous actress, earning countless awards and unimaginable wealth, she still couldn’t escape their claws. They drained her, used her, humiliated her, and treated her like dirt beneath their feet.
No matter how high she climbed, this house always dragged her back down.
And now...
Everything was finally ending.
The realization hit her all at once.
Her knees almost went weak.
Tears slipped from her eyes without warning as she leaned fully into Fu Jingrong’s embrace. Her fingers clutched his coat tightly, as if afraid this moment would disappear.
"It’s over..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
"It’s all over..."
Fu Jingrong tightened his arms around her. He didn’t say much, but his presence alone was comforting. He knew her pain better than anyone. He had witnessed it in another world, had seen her suffer, struggle, and die unfairly.
He had seen this house ruin her.
So now, he held her like she was something precious, something fragile.
"It’s over," he repeated softly.
"Hua Jing... you’re free now."
