Qin Jiang agreed with An Nuan.
The two of them hit it off instantly and set off immediately.
Wang Xu remained in Qing City, while An Nuan asked him to find a way to meet Ye Jinghuai at all costs.
An Nuan had a feeling that she could obtain many clues from Ye Jinghuai.
An Nuan and Qin Jiang set off together with Hu Feng.
Xiao Nanchen was concerned about the information regarding Ye Jinghuai's case and wanted to accompany them to Jiang City, but was rejected by An Nuan.
An Nuan knew very well that their every move was being monitored by the municipal government. The fewer people involved, the less danger they would face. Moreover, if any real danger arose, they could receive covert assistance. They couldn't afford to be wiped out altogether.
Xiao Nanchen was also a sensible person. He would consider the bigger picture, so he didn't insist.
By the time they arrived in Jiang City, it was already night.
They went straight to Ye Jinghuai's residence in Jiang City, only to find the front door sealed with a strip of tape.
Seeing the tape, Qin Jiang became enraged.
The thought of Ye Jinghuai being framed like this made him furious.
He reached out to remove the tape.
"What are you doing!" a stern male voice suddenly came from behind.
An Nuan turned around.
Two police officers in uniform approached from behind. "Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Stop what you're doing!"
Qin Jiang clenched his fists tightly.
Anger made the veins on his face bulge.
An Nuan held Qin Jiang back.
If they got into a conflict with the authorities at this point, they might end up being detained for obstructing public servants, which would prevent anyone from finding evidence to exonerate Ye Jinghuai and clear his name. They would only be playing into the hands of the opposition.
Under An Nuan's gaze, Qin Jiang suppressed his anger with great difficulty.
"Let's go," An Nuan said to Qin Jiang.
Qin Jiang walked ahead, fuming with rage as they left.
An Nuan and Hu Feng followed behind.
They checked into a nearby hotel.
The three of them shared one room.
Suddenly, An Nuan recalled a time when she had gone to see Ye Jinghuai, and it was the three of them as well.
An Nuan felt a sense of melancholy.
Ever since she met Ye Jinghuai, she hadn't had a few days of peace.
"Since we're under the watchful eyes of others, it's safer for the three of us to stay in one room," Qin Jiang stated bluntly.
"Okay," An Nuan didn't mind the lack of privacy. "But I think we should avoid being watched. Otherwise, whatever we do will be discovered by them, and we won't be able to make any progress."
"Mm," Qin Jiang nodded. "I've already sent people to reinforce us. Tomorrow, we should be able to find out how many spies are around us, and then we can devise a plan to shake them off and do what we need to do."
"Approximately how long until Ye Jinghuai's trial?" An Nuan asked.
"Lawyer Wang said that under normal circumstances, it should be within three months. But for a case like Ye Jinghuai's, with substantial evidence, the trial is usually expedited. Fortunately, since Ye Jinghuai is a public official accused of a crime, the case involves complex matters, and the investigation into the crimes of those involved will take some time. According to the usual practice, the trial shouldn't be expedited."
"Let's prepare for a month's time," An Nuan decided pragmatically.
Qin Jiang looked at An Nuan.
"We can't be too careful," An Nuan explained. "The opposition has already stooped to such despicable levels. We can't rule out the possibility that they might do something even more shameless."
"Okay," Qin Jiang readily agreed.
He truly admired An Nuan's composure, calmness, and magnanimity.
Regarding Ye Jinghuai's case, he himself felt a bit agitated and restless.
Yet An Nuan had consistently acted in the most rational manner.
"Tonight, let's all rest and recharge. Tomorrow, we'll discuss our roles, and once we've eluded the spies, we'll carry out our respective tasks."
"Okay."
Everyone then lay down on the beds.
An Nuan slept on one bed by herself.
Qin Jiang and Hu Feng shared the other bed.
The room remained lit.
But it was quiet.
An Nuan couldn't sleep, though.
She didn't know how Ye Jinghuai was doing inside.
She also didn't know if she had the capability to rescue Ye Jinghuai.
In reality, she wasn't as composed and calm as she appeared. When she quieted down, she felt panicked too.
In her previous life, although she had helped Gu Yensheng interact with some prominent families, she had only provided advice and strategies to Gu Yensheng. She had never had much direct contact with any prominent families and didn't know the true extent of their power. The only person she had met was Di Zhiyao, but that was after Gu Yensheng had completely confined her.
In an area she wasn't very familiar with, she would feel at a loss.
An Nuan gritted her teeth.
She had never expected that in her second life, she would become even more entangled with prominent families.
In this life, she had wanted something very simple! She just wanted those who had harmed her in her previous life to suffer a miserable fate and utter ruin.
She was well aware that the higher the power, the lower the chance of survival. Apart from seeking revenge, her sole wish was to develop her family's business. She had never intended to venture into the world of prominent families.
When she had agreed to help Ye Jinghuai develop his career in the past, it was only to provide him with advice and strategies. Once he reached the pinnacle of his career, she could make a complete exit.
Her ideals were lofty, but reality was harsh.
In the end, she still became thoroughly involved.
She even wondered if, this time, the prominent families were targeting Ye Jinghuai, but next time, would they come after her and the Four Great Families?
Just how ambitious were the prominent families?
Gu Yensheng could take her family's wealth to appease the prominent families, so it was likely that the prominent families had long had their eyes on the lucrative Four Great Families.
So, rather than saying this was about rescuing Ye Jinghuai, it was more accurate to say that she was also trying to save herself.
Now, she and Ye Jinghuai were on the same side, setting aside romantic considerations. The two of them were inextricably linked.
Of course, she didn't regret it.
The one thing she didn't regret in this life was meeting Ye Jinghuai.
An Nuan tossed and turned for a long time.
Her mind kept churning, thinking about the current situation, then pondering how to find evidence of Ye Jinghuai's innocence, where to start the investigation, and which people needed to be investigated.
In the quiet room, "An Nuan!" Qin Jiang suddenly called out to her urgently.
An Nuan's heart skipped a beat.
In that instant, she knew something major had happened.
"Get down on the floor!" Qin Jiang commanded.
An Nuan immediately rolled off the bed and onto the floor.
Qin Jiang and Hu Feng did the same, rolling on the ground.
Then, in the next second, they heard the sound of the door being kicked open.
At the same time, Qin Jiang turned off all the lights in the room.
The room was pitch black.
An Nuan's body trembled with tension.
At that moment, she didn't even know where Qin Jiang and Hu Feng were hiding!
She saw a few men wearing combat boots enter the room one by one through the light from the hallway.
About four men.
An Nuan's heart sank.
Were they going to kill them and cover it up so quickly?
Were the prominent families willing to go to such lengths and burn all bridges?
