Upon hearing these words, the villagers who were initially righteous began to whisper amongst themselves, some even shifting their positions to make way for Ban Qin to leave.
"See?" Ban Qin said triumphantly, observing this scene. "What can you all do to me? If I want to leave, I can leave anytime. This is fate, there's nothing we can do. The fate of our old Zhang family is simply better than yours, what can you do but live and watch the most capable person in our old Ban family."
"If you know what's good for you, you'll know what to say and what not to say," Ban Qin's eyes filled with mockery. "As for me, I naturally won't treat you unfairly."
Seeing the villagers remain silent, Ban Qin nodded in satisfaction and cast a final glance at the village chief. "Village Chief, what do you think?"
"You!" The village chief slammed his cane heavily on the ground. "It's your children who are dead, your own flesh and blood!"
"Village Chief, we are also very sad that the children are dead, but we have had more children since then. Perhaps our children couldn't bear to leave us and were reborn into our families."
"That's right, we have to look forward. If we dwell on the past, how can we live?"
"Exactly, everyone has been developing tourism these years. We finally managed to connect with the Wen family and could soar to great heights. If you call the police and arrest Aunt Ban, what will happen to us?"
"Foolish, you people are foolish."
"Village Chief," Aunt Ban said smugly, "Since things have come to this, there's no need to make our relationship so strained, is there?"
"You people are truly going too far."
The villagers averted their gaze, no longer meeting the village chief's eyes.
"Xiao Zhi'er, I'll give you one last chance. Do you want to be with my Da Niu or not?"
"Xiao Zhi'er will never be with your Da Niu. You will eventually be punished for your wrongdoings," Xin Xuanlai's calm tone carried a hint of firmness. "Under the law, no one can be protected forever."
"What are so many of you doing gathered here? And Mom, why are you here?"
Just as Aunt Ban was about to speak, she heard a familiar surprised voice from behind. She instinctively turned her head and saw Er Niu standing at the entrance, looking at her in confusion.
"Oh my, Er Niu, you're finally back. If you hadn't arrived any sooner, your mother would have been bullied to death by these people."
"Who's bullying you?" The newcomer was handsome and refined, but his eyes showed disdain and arrogance, revealing his true character. "Also, I've told you, don't call me Er Niu. I've changed my name to Zhang Wenyu. How many times do I have to tell you this?"
"Alright, alright, Wenyu, quickly, these people are bullying your mother. Get revenge for me."
"Zhang Wenyu."
Zhang Wenyu felt annoyed when someone called him by his full name. After all, ever since he was promoted to team leader, people called him Team Leader Wen, and when he went out, he was respectfully addressed as President Wen.
He wanted to see who was so audacious as to call him by his name.
As he looked up, intending to reprimand them, he saw an acquaintance smiling enigmatically at him.
Xin Xuanlai, Assistant Xin?
How could this be?
Assistant Xin was so high and mighty, how could he possibly be in such a small mountain village? It must be his imagination.
Xin Xuanlai's tone carried an unreadable inflection: "Zhang Wenyu, President Wen?"
If he hadn't been sure at first, hearing the voice, that sense of familiarity washed over him.
He was indeed Xin Xuanlai, the former assistant of the Wen Corporation?
But why was he here? And the look in his eyes seemed... off.
Aunt Ban, unaware of his thoughts, grew displeased when he remained silent. She stepped forward and slapped Zhang Wenyu's arm. "Zhang Wenyu, your mother is being bullied, what are you standing there dumbfounded for?"
"What are you doing standing there dumbfounded?" Xin Xuanlai chuckled. "Of course, I'm assessing whether I can afford to offend him now."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I apologize, I'm not very talented, but I also worked at Wen Corporation. Moreover, my rank was slightly higher than your darling son's."
Aunt Ban's expression changed, but she quickly recovered. "You just worked at Wen Corporation before. Perhaps you did something bad and were fired by Wen Corporation. Unlike our Wenyu, who joined the company right after graduation and worked his way up to become the President of Wen Corporation."
"Oh?" Xin Xuanlai feigned realization. "Then, President Wen, your mother committed an illegal act that directly caused the deaths of over a dozen lives. Do you think your current position can protect your mother?"
"Lives? What lives?" Zhang Wenyu's face paled, and he looked at his mother in disbelief.
"What is that look?"
"Mom, is Assistant Xin telling the truth?"
"What nonsense about old assistant, new assistant! Your wings have grown strong, haven't they? You believe outsiders over your own mother. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"It's okay," Xin Xuanlai had no time to listen to their bickering. He pointed to the road outside. "Listen, the police are here. Whatever you need to say, you can tell them."
"Who are you, you damn man, popping out of nowhere?"
She only wanted to find a wife for her Da Niu, how did it turn into dredging up old scandals?
"You, who called the police?"
"I did," the village chief raised his hand tremblingly. "Officer, I called the police. I want to accuse Ban Qin of murdering fifteen lives in our village."
The two police officers exchanged glances. Seeing the crowd watching from outside, they had assumed it was a village dispute. They hadn't expected it to be so serious – fifteen lives, a major incident at any time.
With that thought, the two officers' expressions turned solemn. "Old sir, are you sure your words are true? Because filing a false report is also against the law."
"I know."
Da Chen then presented the people and documents to the two police officers. "Here is the evidence and one of the perpetrators."
The two police officers looked at each other...
Is investigating cases this easy these days?
One of them coughed a few times. "So, tell us, who is the murderer?"
Some villagers lowered their heads in silence.
Before Ban Qin could rejoice, some villagers looked up, glaring fiercely at her.
"You."
"Officer, it's her. She is the real murderer of our children." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"That's right. My husband didn't want me to say anything earlier, but I dream of my child every night. Why should our children be dead while she is still alive and well? It's unfair, completely unfair."