Chapter 935: Chapter 915: Yes, I’ve wronged you
Su Yan’s gaze toward Jiayi was filled with venom, like a rabid dog on the verge of death, determined to bite someone before its last breath.
After rounds of court trials, the judge pronounced the verdict in a calm voice, echoing through the courtroom.
Su Yan was found guilty of murder. Although it wasn’t premeditated, her deliberate concealment and framing of others, compounded by the victim’s family’s lack of forgiveness, led to her being sentenced to death by firing squad, with a one-year reprieve.
As the judge’s final words fell, Su Yan abruptly broke free from the guards’ grasp and began screaming hysterically toward the public gallery:
"It’s you—it’s you who ruined me—why! Why did you have to appear in my life?! Without you, I could’ve been with Zhenyang long ago! If not for you, I’d still be Mrs. Huo today! Don’t forget, we were best friends in university! I was the one who shielded you from the acid attack—otherwise, it’d be your face that was scarred! Why did you betray me? Do you even understand gratitude, Chu Jiayi?!"
As soon as the reporters caught wind of more drama, they turned their cameras toward Su Yan and Jiayi, snapping furiously.
Fang Yao stood up with a swish, boldly blocking the lenses aimed at Jiayi: "What are you filming? Ever heard of portrait rights? Which media outlet are you from? I’ll sue you into oblivion!"
George also stepped forward, shielding Jiayi from the cameras.
Xia Tingxuan frowned gently, placing a calming hand on her daughter’s: "Let her keep embarrassing herself if she still doesn’t see her wrongdoing. Ignore her."
Jiayi was silent for a moment, then moved her mother’s hand aside and stood up. She descended the steps from the public gallery.
"Jiayi—" Xia Tingxuan was startled to see her heading toward Su Yan.
Fang Yao and George both looked at Jiayi in surprise.
The reporters instinctively parted, clearing a path, as Jiayi walked steadily to the edge of the public gallery, now only a few steps away from Su Yan.
She stared at Su Yan coldly: "Yes, I did ruin you."
Su Yan was taken aback, then burst into mad laughter: "What, you’re admitting it? Did you all hear that? She just admitted she ruined me!"
Jiayi’s mocking voice cut through:
"That’s right, I ruined you. Back when we were at Jin University, I never should’ve pitied you for being an orphan and gone out of my way to care for you, giving you material support and leading you to lose yourself to greed. When you shielded me from the acid attack, I shouldn’t have spared no effort in sending my ’dear best friend’ to America for treatment, inadvertently helping you use my name to get close to the Huo Family, to Zhenyang, and Old Master Huo. When you deliberately didn’t notify Zhenyang and watched as Zaizai and I were kidnapped by Yan Bin, I shouldn’t have spared you out of gratitude for blocking that acid attack. All of that gave you the illusion that committing wrongs comes without consequence, emboldening you to end up where you are today."
Su Yan was stunned.
The reporters gasped audibly. So, this Mrs. Huo who committed murder wasn’t just guilty of taking a life—her scheming had deep roots.
A woman, sent abroad for treatment by her best friend, exploited her friend’s name to infiltrate her friend’s relationships and family. And when her friend returned, she attempted to monopolize the man by even plotting to kill her friend and her child. And now, she dared to accuse her best friend of being ungrateful? The term "best friend" had truly been sullied by Su Yan!
The camera lenses shifted back onto Su Yan, snapping incessantly.
Overcome with rage, Su Yan lunged forward, taking a few strides and raising her hand to grab at Jiayi: "Stop talking—"
The two were separated by only a railing. George hadn’t anticipated that Su Yan would act so deranged and was blocked by the crowd of reporters, unable to reach Jiayi in time to protect her.
The prison guards sprang into action, rushing forward and yanking Su Yan backward by the collar of her prison uniform.
Su Yan was forcibly restrained, her hand suspended mid-air. Like a lunatic, she continued clawing at Jiayi, but the strain caused a rip in the flimsy fabric of her prison uniform’s back collar. With a sharp tearing sound—the cloth gave way!
Her neck and back were exposed, revealing scorpion-like scars, horrifying under the glaring lights—
The courtroom staff and reporters were all stunned.
"Oh my god, how, how terrifying..."
Murmurs began to ripple through the room.
Su Yan seemed to snap out of it, her face drastically changing as the overwhelming humiliation surged forward.
She tried to cover her back, but how could it be covered? She crouched on the ground, clutching her face, as the last shred of her mental defenses collapsed, wailing miserably!
The prison guards eventually came to their senses, hauled her up, and took her away.
The reporters, however, were relentless. They descended from the public gallery, directing their cameras to capture the horrifying scars on Su Yan’s back.
As the reporters swarmed forward, Jiayi took a few steps back, as if to step aside. Perhaps shaken from the earlier chaos, her steps faltered, her vision momentarily blacking out, and she nearly lost her balance.
Luckily, George, along with Xia Tingxuan and Fang Yao, had rushed over just in time.
Xia Tingxuan quickly supported her daughter: "Are you alright?"
Fang Yao was seething with fury: "That mad dog! Even on the brink of death, she doesn’t know repentance!"
"I’m fine. Let’s leave." Jiayi gathered herself, casting one last glance at Su Yan’s retreating figure, and walked out of the courthouse with the other three.
......
Outside the courthouse, the sun shone brightly.
George hailed a car and helped Xia Tingxuan in, watching as the car drove off. He turned to Fang Yao: "Miss Fang, do you need me to take you home?"
"No rush." Fang Yao glanced at Jiayi. "Are you really alright? Your face has been a bit pale since earlier."
George quickly added, "Did you bump into something earlier? Should we go to the hospital for a check-up?"
"Mm-hmm, I agree," Fang Yao chimed in.
"I didn’t bump into anything, you’re all overreacting." Jiayi chuckled.
Seeing a bit of color return to her face, Fang Yao felt reassured but still clung to her arm: "No, I’m taking you back to Disheng."
George, noticing Fang Yao cozying up to Jiayi, grew wary.
This Fang Yao—why couldn’t she read the room?
Today, the Boss had specifically sent George to accompany Jiayi after hearing that Fang Yao would also be present, just so he could keep an eye on her and prevent Fang Yao from bothering Jiayi again.
And now, she was even offering to send Miss Jiayi back to Disheng?
If the Boss saw this, he would definitely be unhappy.
"Miss Fang, that won’t be necessary. I drove here and will be taking Miss Jiayi back," George replied on Jiayi’s behalf.
Fang Yao rolled her eyes at this burly man: "What’s so wrong about me offering Jiayi a ride? Since when does Derek control this kind of thing? Didn’t he say he wouldn’t restrict Jiayi? Or is even spending time with friends forbidden now?"
George gave her a dramatic eye roll. Spending time with friends wasn’t the issue.
But were you really just a friend? Aren’t you one of Miss Jiayi’s suitors? Did you think the Boss would let that slide?
Just as George hesitated, Fang Yao took Jiayi by the arm and started heading toward the parking lot: "Come on, I brought my car, I’ll take you back. We can chat on the way."
At that moment, the low rumble of an engine approached. A sleek silver-and-black Bentley screeched to a halt at the courthouse entrance, its polished body gleaming under the sun and casting a cutting, cold brilliance that drew the attention of everyone nearby.
The car door opened, and a tall, impeccably-dressed figure emerged from within. His long legs touched the ground as he casually adjusted the sides of his suit. His deep, abyss-like eyes scanned the crowd, locking onto one individual.
