Chapter 299: Chapter 294 Arrest

Old Sir Bai hesitated to speak. It wasn’t until Qin Jiangsheng carried him on his back that he slowly said, “Actually, you’re more suitable to be the head of the Bai Family than Ayue.”

Fortunately, the house was made of wood, but the stairs weren’t; however, the wooden railing beside them had been completely burned away. Sirens sounded outside, the fire was terrifyingly fierce, and occasionally wooden beams fell from above. The thick smoke made Qin Jiangsheng’s throat hurt, and his breathing was choked with heavy dust until Old Sir Bai covered his nose and mouth with his hand, making it much more bearable for him.

With his clothes scorched, skin underneath bloodshot, Qin Jiangsheng clenched his teeth and rushed out with all his might.

Only after escaping the Bai Mansion did he realize that many people had gathered outside. Firefighters were fully engaged in battling the blaze, and there were several police cars and an ambulance. Old Sir Bai had completely lost consciousness.

Qin Jiangsheng hurriedly sent Old Sir Bai onto the ambulance, and the Bai Family’s butler followed in a panicked state. The next second, the cold handcuffs were clasped around Qin Jiangsheng’s wrists, the icy touch against his burned skin somewhat painful.

He turned around and saw the leading police officer pull out his credentials, “Someone has reported you for smuggling firearms, and here is the arrest warrant. Please come with us. Per the orders from above, any resistance may result in being shot on the spot.”

A policeman restrained him, and his hands were cuffed with the silver handcuffs.

His tea-colored eyes appeared ominously somber.

“Qin Jiangsheng!”

Hearing Ji Tian’s call, he glanced slightly to the side, and under the reflection of the firelight, her eyes were filled with panic. She had run toward him without even stopping her car properly, and unsurprisingly, she was stopped by the surrounding police, unable to move a step closer, ten paces away from him.

His shoulder was roughly pushed, and Qin Jiangsheng withdrew his gaze, emotionlessly boarding the police car.

Ji Tian could only watch helplessly as Qin Jiangsheng was taken away.

Just a moment ago, he was happily celebrating his eighteenth birthday, walking with her by the roadside, gently kissing her. It had only been an hour and a half, and now their reunion was in these circumstances.

She had heard the news at home, and it was Ji Qilin who had told her.

So she begged her second brother to bring her here, just in time to witness this final scene.

Ji Tian’s eyes were somewhat red as she turned to look at Ji Qilin, “Second Brother, what should we do? He’s just escaped from a sea of flames, and he’s still injured.”

Ji Qilin frowned, gazing at the relentless fire, and sighed faintly, “It’s a trap, and he just happened to walk into it, a difficult trap to escape.”

Unless there was evidence to prove Qin Jiangsheng’s innocence, he’d spend at least twenty years in prison, if not facing death.

School was set to start in a few days, and they had just agreed today to study together in the same class. They had finally reached this point–how could they give up now?

Ji Tian clenched her fists tightly, “I’ll go find evidence for him.”

Ji Qilin didn’t stop her. This was murky water, and any intelligent person would know to keep their distance for self-preservation to avoid getting involved.

But the word “retreat” was not in the Ji Family’s vocabulary.

He gently smiled, touching her head, “Go on, it’s brave enough to stand by his side even when thousands point fingers at you. The Ji Family will always be your support. We’ll hold up the sky if it falls.”

Ji Tian sniffled, nodding solemnly, “Mhm.”

The news of Qin Jiangsheng’s imprisonment made a huge impact. By the next day, it had spread everywhere and even made the trending searches. No one took it down; his name was pinned at the top like a mark of shame.

An uproar ensued online.

[I actually liked him, but he turned out to be such a person! So disgusting.]

[All I can say is that justice has long arms, and the wicked will eventually receive their due.]

[I remember that Ji Tian was with him, right? Tsk, their interactions looked pretty sweet, but now I suspect she knew about it. After all, no wealthy family is innocent. Could it be that she’s guilty of harboring a criminal if she knew and didn’t report it? Does that mean she’ll end up in prison too?]

[Even if she’s not yet eighteen and it’s proven that she’s been complicit, they should still go easy on her, right? A year and a half in detention wouldn’t be a problem, would it?]

[Did you hear? The whistleblower this time is Shen Zhiyi! I suspect that when she was forced to leave Capital City, it was also a setup! These wealthy family types are really vicious. Suddenly, I feel panic-struck!]

[Traitor, pah! If he dares to show up, I’ll drown him in spit, that double-crosser.]

Not a single voice online was taking Qin Jiangsheng’s side; even Ji Tian was dragged into the fray.

Multitudes of haters seemed to have been ready, flooding her Weibo comments, ceaselessly sending her private messages.

It was as if she’d be beyond saving by the Ji Family’s name if she dared to respond even once, because this time the enraged party was the people.

Ji Tian remained calm and set her account to allow comments only from herself. She kept screenshots of those who insulted her the most viciously. She once managed to sue three hundred people at once, and now, a few more didn’t matter.

Only when netizens had had enough did the trending search finally start to drop slowly; the people behind it wanted to ensure Qin Jiangsheng’s reputation was ruined beyond recovery.

In the afternoon, Ji Qilin returned.

Ji Tian promptly pulled him aside to ask, “Brother, how is Qin Jiangsheng’s condition? Is he alright?”

Ji Qilin’s expression was grave. Due to his status, he was allowed to see him, but the situation was far from good.

He shook his head, “His skin was ulcerating and oozing pus, and he was semi-conscious, running a high fever. Don’t worry, the police won’t let him die; they need his testimony to solidify his charges. Just hope he has the backbone not to confess everything at once–that would be beyond even divine help.”

“Don’t worry; I’ll find time to check on him again.”

He paused before hesitatingly adding, “The whistleblower this time is Shen Zhiyi. I didn’t expect she was still lying low in Capital City… Old Sir Bai is still in a coma, fighting for his life, and it’s a question whether he’ll survive or not.”

Ji Tian took a deep breath, “I need to go to the hospital to save Grandpa Bai. If he passes away, Qin Jiangsheng will lose his main backer.”

Ji Qilin frowned, “His liver cancer is already at an advanced stage; it’s hard to cure. If my anti-cancer agent is successfully developed, there might still be a fifty percent chance… If it can kill the cancer cells in his body, there’s a decent chance for recovery.”

After all, Old Sir Bai was only in his sixties; living into his seventies or eighties wouldn’t be a problem.

Ji Tian was confident she could save Old Sir Bai; her skill, “Miracle Healing,” could pull someone back from the brink of death as long as they were still alive.

As for the anti-cancer agent, Ji Tian smiled, “It’s just an anti-cancer agent; I’ve already developed it.”

Because of changes in the plot, this part about Shen Zhiyi’s skyrocketing fame was as good as nullified.

Ji Qilin’s face showed shock, “What, what did you say?”

Her anti-cancer agent was still in the experimental stage, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that–it was needed to save a life.

Seeing Ji Tian leave, Ji Qilin quickly followed, “Wait for me; I’ll go with you.”

Kyoto Prison

As soon as he arrived, Qin Jiangsheng was brought here for interrogation. Despite his feverish, clouded consciousness, he was dragged into a room.

The words in front of him were clear.

Confess and be shown leniency; resist and face strict consequences.

The officer in front of him was stern, “Qin Jiangsheng, please honestly recount the crime process for lighter punishment.”

Qin Jiangsheng sat in the chair, suddenly letting out a soft chuckle. His tea-colored eyes were deep, his voice hoarse, “I haven’t committed a crime, so what is there to confess?”