Chapter 110: The Arrest

Qin Tian was gone. As for Qin Qing, just a little girl—she’d be easy to deal with.

Find an excuse, lure her into the mountains, give her a push, and it’d all be over.

Qin De had been plotting this for a while. When he heard not long ago that Granny Qin had come down with tuberculosis, he felt the time had come.

He even thought the heavens were on his side—otherwise, how could Granny Qin have gotten such an incurable illness?

So, he started trying to trick Qin Tian.

At first, he thought Qin Tian was tempted, but then—things didn’t go as planned...

Thinking back to that military couple he’d seen at the Qin house, Qin De had a vague sense of unease.

His wife and son were still chattering beside him, making him irritable. Just then, the door suddenly burst open and several police officers rushed in.

Before Qin De could react, they grabbed him.

""Qin De, we suspect you and Lu Ping colluded to fraudulently claim a large sum of wages sent by the state to the families of government workers. You’ll need to come with us.""

As soon as the police said this, only one thought flashed through Qin De’s mind: It’s over.

""Hey, what are you doing? Help! The police are arresting people!"" Qin De’s wife shouted, but it was useless. If anything, her yelling just brought the neighbors running.

Of course, it wasn’t just Qin De who was arrested—Lu Ping, who lived in the county seat, was also taken away.

In Kaoshan Village, it was a snowy, freezing day, and every household had their doors tightly shut, unwilling to go out.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from Qin De’s house. With his wife’s shouting, the neighbors quickly came out to see what was happening.

When they saw the police, word spread from one person to another, and soon, all the villagers were outside.

""Why are the police here?""

""They’re here to arrest Qin De, aren’t they? What did he do?""

""Whatever it is, it can’t be good. I’ve always said Qin De wasn’t a good person.""

Kaoshan Village was instantly abuzz with gossip about Qin De’s arrest.

Qin Tian stood at the doorway, watching as Qin De was taken away, the police and their car passing right in front of him. His little face was tense and drawn.

Inside, Granny Qin had already woken up. When she learned the truth, tears streamed down her face.

""It was my fault for trusting the wrong person. I never should have believed in Qin De.""

""I’ve brought so much suffering to these two children.""

If she’d received the money sent by her son and daughter-in-law eight years ago, the children’s lives wouldn’t have been so hard.

It was her negligence that made the children wonder if their parents had abandoned them.

Otherwise, how could it be that for eight years, there was neither a letter nor money—nothing at all?

Especially Xiao Tian—she knew he was mature for his age, smart, and remembered things early. He must have resented his parents.

She was the one who made the children misunderstand their mom and dad.

""Granny, it’s not your fault. It’s Qin De and Lu Ping who were too wicked,"" Gu Jianing comforted her.

The stolen money was over eight thousand yuan. Even split in half, Qin De got more than four thousand.

And with that money, all Qin De ever did was occasionally give the Qin family’s old and young a few small favors.

But even now, he felt it wasn’t enough. He still wanted the three of them dead so he could take over their brick house.

Human greed—it always grows, until in the end, a person is unrecognizable, completely losing their conscience.

Gu Jianing called Qin Tian in and explained why Qin De had tried to send him to the Mincheng woodworking factory.

The truth was cruel, but Gu Jianing felt that Qin Tian was now the only one in the Qin family who could take charge.

He couldn’t afford to be so naive anymore—he needed to understand how dangerous the world and people could be.

Even though learning the truth now was a heavy blow for a ten-year-old, it was better than being fooled forever.

Sure enough, after hearing everything, Qin Tian’s face went pale. He walked off to a corner by himself to process it all.

Gu Jianing and Sheng Zexi left the Qin house that afternoon.

The police would need time to investigate Qin De and Lu Ping, but with Sheng Zexi putting in a word, justice would be served.

As for the Qin family, Gu Jianing left three days’ worth of medicine. As long as Granny Qin took it on time, her tuberculosis would get better.

Before leaving, Gu Jianing gave Qin Tian ten yuan. Knowing he wouldn’t want to accept it, she said it was just a loan so he could buy some fine grains—Granny Qin was still sick and needed good food. She also told Qin Tian that if anything happened, he could always come find her at the military district.

Qin Tian, his sister, and Granny Qin thanked Gu Jianing repeatedly.

—

""Hey, Ningning, you two are going out even in this heavy snow?"" Back at the military district, Sheng Zexi held an umbrella over Gu Jianing, shielding her as they walked home.

Just as they reached their door, the neighbor’s door opened and Zhang Shuwan poked her head out.

""Yes, we had some things to take care of, but we’re done now. It’s so cold—better to stay home,"" Gu Jianing replied.

As she spoke, her expression changed slightly, but only for a moment before she regained her composure.

Sheng Zexi, standing beside her, noticed the change in her expression. He thought for a moment, then looked away as if nothing had happened.

""Ningning, let’s go inside.""

""Okay.""

Back home, Gu Jianing sat on the kang in the living room while Sheng Zexi went to fetch water and start the fire.

The system’s future vision reward would last only one hour at a time.

She’d already used the first hour when dealing with Qin Tian.

But for some reason, as she got into the car with Sheng Zexi to return to the military district, Gu Jianing activated the second hour of future vision.

She wanted to see if she’d run into anyone at the military district, maybe even Li Shuyao.

But along the way, she hardly saw anyone.

The future vision remained blank.

It wasn’t until she saw Zhang Shuwan at the door that the future vision finally activated.

She saw Zhang Shuwan’s past life—or rather, what would have happened if she’d never met Gu Jianing.

In that vision, Guoguo was kidnapped and never found. Zhang Shuwan and Lin Xing searched in vain.

Later, Zhang Shuwan developed depression and died in misery, while Lin Xing lived out his days alone.

But now, things were different.

Guoguo had been saved, and now Shuwan was pregnant. Her and Captain Lin’s future would surely be better than in their previous life.

This time, they would be happy.

Just then, there was a sound at the door.

Gu Jianing looked up to see Sheng Zexi coming in with the kettle, having fetched water.

She was about to say something when, suddenly, a series of images flashed through her mind.

A mission. Blood. Serious injury. Death. Wailing...

Gu Jianing’s face changed dramatically.

""Ningning, what’s wrong?"" Sheng Zexi immediately noticed something was off, quickly set down the kettle, and hurried over.

He took her hand and found it icy cold. He held it tightly. ""Why are your hands so cold? Your face is so pale. It must be from going out today—you’ve caught a chill. Should we go see a doctor?"""