Read Novel Full Chapter 145 Part 2 – Tong Yi’s Sharp Tongue (II)
Chapter 145 Part 2 – Tong Yi’s Sharp Tongue (II)
When the first trial results of the kidney-robbing case came out, Jiang Zhou and Dr. Zheng immediately chose to appeal. Bai Guolin hadn’t planned to, but once he learned Jiang Zhou was appealing, he followed suit.
For Bai Guolin, the fifteen-year sentence was already within expectations. He thought that even with an appeal, the second trial wouldn’t lessen his punishment. But since Young Master Jiang Zhou had chosen that path, there must be a reason. He just needed to follow his lead.
What truly broke Bai Guolin, however, was his parents’ attitude. Since his detention, they had never contacted him, as if they had never had such a son at all.
At first, he comforted himself, thinking they were just too disappointed to face him. Once their anger cooled, they would surely come visit—after all, he was their only son.
In detention, apart from study and prison labor, he spent all his remaining time waiting—waiting for his parents’ anger to subside, for them to finally come see him.
He waited three months. The first trial concluded, but his parents still hadn’t visited. He couldn’t wait any longer. Once his request got approved, he dialed his mother’s number from the detention center’s phone.
The moment the call connected, his voice choked as he said, “Mom.” After so long, he truly longed for his parents.
But his mother asked in confusion, “Who are you?”
Bai Guo was instantly agitated. “It’s me, Guoguo! I’m your son. Don’t you recognize my voice?”
Before she could respond, he rushed on: “Mom, are you and Dad still angry at me? Is that why you haven’t come to see me? I’ll reform myself in prison, strive for a reduced sentence, and come home sooner so we can be together again.”
But his mother’s reply was filled with doubt.
“Husband, someone just called saying he’s our son, claiming he’s in prison trying to reform. What’s going on?”
His father’s calm voice answered, “Sounds like phone fraud. Didn’t you just talk to our son this morning? He’s doing fine at school. How could he be in prison reforming?”
“That’s what I thought too. But this scammer’s voice does sound a lot like our son’s.”
Her husband chuckled. “Probably a voice changer—even scammers use high-tech now. You should hang up quickly. I heard of someone who chatted with a scammer for a few minutes, and their bank account was emptied.”
“You’re right. I’ll hang up and block this number.”
And without hesitation, she ended the call.
Listening to the busy tone coming from the landline receiver, Bai Guolin was frozen for a long time. He couldn’t believe it—his parents didn’t even know he had been detained, and when he called, they thought he was a scammer!
From their earlier conversation, he realized that someone else had impersonated him to call his parents that very morning. In other words, the person who had pretended to be him was the real scammer.
The thought left him agitated. He asked the guards for permission to call his parents again to explain the situation.
The guard said flatly, “That number has probably already been blocked by your mother.”
Bai Guolin “…”
He stood dazed for a long while before saying dejectedly, “My dad definitely didn’t block me. I want to call him. My parents must have been tricked—I have to explain it to them.”
The guard stared at him for five full seconds before replying evenly, “The social impact of your case is severe. Do you really think your parents wouldn’t know? Even if they ignored the news, your school surely knew. Do you think they wouldn’t have informed your parents about your expulsion?”
Bai Guolin froze again, then pleaded, “Then please call my parents for me, tell them about my situation. Please, I really don’t want them to be deceived by scammers.”
He simply couldn’t believe his parents would abandon him, calling him a fraud on the phone after learning he was in prison. He refused to believe it.
But just as he spoke, the landline on the desk rang. Seeing the caller ID, he exclaimed with excitement, “It’s my dad calling back!”
The guard glanced at him but said nothing, nor did he stop him from answering.
Bai Guolin was overcome with relief—of course, his smart father would soon realize who the real scammer was! He would never truly abandon his son!
The moment the call connected, before Bai Guolin could say a word, his father’s voice came through: “I know you’re not a scammer, and I know you’ve been sentenced to fifteen years for the kidney case.”
“Dad…” Just uttering that single word left Bai Guolin speechless. He didn’t regret what he had done for Ruoruo, but he knew he had let his parents down.
His father continued, “I want to come to Beijing to see you, but your mother is pregnant. I can’t leave her, and she doesn’t know about your situation. I can’t bring her with me, nor can I leave her alone at home.”
Bai Guolin “…”
He had always known his father was a rational man, but he had never imagined he could be so rational it bordered on cold-blooded—his own son was facing a jail sentence!
Was it because his mother was expecting another child that his father no longer cared about him?
Over the next ten minutes, his father said many words of comfort, explaining that he hadn’t contacted him before because he didn’t know the detention center’s number, and also because he had to keep everything hidden from his pregnant wife.
But Bai Guolin couldn’t hear any of it. All he could think was that his father had given up on him. Because soon, his parents would have another child.
When the call ended, the guard’s face remained expressionless. He said in a businesslike tone, “It’s time for dinner. Later, you’ll need to watch the evening news broadcast.”
Bai Guolin “…”
Yes, now the only way he could learn about the outside world was through the news broadcast. He could have no direct contact with anyone outside. No one cared about him, no one even thought of him. For the next decade or more, he would live like the walking dead—until the day he was released.
Ruoruo was out there alone, with no one to rely on. Did she think of him?
She must, he told himself. She had once said with her own lips that he was her friend.
But more than him, she must miss Jiang Zhou. She had spent over ten years side by side with Jiang Zhou, and no Bai Guolin could ever replace him in her heart.
In fact, Ruoruo could have contacted him. Though she wasn’t a blood relative, she still could have written to him. But she never had.
She must not have known she could, he thought. She certainly would have written otherwise. She is always so kind, so good…
At that moment, Bai Guolin held only one thought: he had to reform himself. He hoped that when the day of his release finally came, Ruoruo would be there waiting for him.
…
After the spring semester began, Jiang Li once again immersed herself in her studies. Compared with the previous term, she had become noticeably busier.
The schoolwork itself wasn’t particularly heavy, but Feng Qi had given her far more tasks. Over the winter break, he had tested her and judged that she had more or less mastered the basics.
To complete the assignments he set, she had to spend much of her free time searching for references, and sometimes even borrowing a school laboratory to conduct simple experiments.
The professor in charge had some ties with Feng Qi, and since Jiang Li herself was outstanding, she was always able to borrow the laboratory smoothly. But Jiang Li also understood that haste makes waste, so on weekends she typically spent only one day studying, reserving the other day for rest and relaxation—achieving a balance between work and leisure.
Although Tong Yi often came to see her at her campus, and they occasionally went out together, she never let that interfere with her studies.
Wen Wan had originally been Lin Zhao’s dutiful follower, but when she saw that even someone as talented as Jiang Li worked so hard, she felt she ought to put in more effort too. She never thought of surpassing Jiang Li, but as Jiang Li’s friend, she couldn’t afford to fall too far behind.
When Lin Zhao noticed Wen Wan suddenly becoming much more diligent, he was a little unsettled. Privately, he asked Tong Yi in puzzlement, “Has Jiang Li always worked this hard?”
Tong Yi raised a brow. “Did you think geniuses rely only on talent?”
Lin Zhao quickly shook his head. “I was just curious—what kind of magic does she have to even influence Wanwan like this?”
Tong Yi chuckled. “Since they’re busy, we can be busy too. Make more money, and in the future, whatever Wen Wan wants, you can buy it for her. Don’t you think that would be a real accomplishment?”
Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up instantly, but then he sighed. “Of course I’d like that. But my parents are both university professors; they don’t have connections in that field. I’ll just have to take things step by step.”
He had already planned: after graduating, he would apply to the best companies, gradually build himself up, and then fully display his abilities.
Tong Yi gave him a disdainful look. “The resources are right by your side, yet you don’t know how to use them at all. You’re so slow on the uptake—I really don’t know how Wen Wan ended up liking you.”
Lin Zhao grinned. “Wanwan has followed me around since we were kids. Wherever I went, she went. I guess our energies just matched from the start.”
Tong Yi said flatly, “Of course. She used to follow you around, but now she follows Jiang Li. Doesn’t that make you jealous?”
Lin Zhao: “…”
How on earth did Jiang Li put up with Tong Yi’s sharp tongue?
From what he remembered, Jiang Li’s temper wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t especially good either.
If Tong Yi dared to run his mouth like this in front of her, she would probably tie him up and give him a beating!
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