67: Chapter 67 Completely Severing Ties with the Liu Family

In the meeting room of the Police Station, sunlight filtered through the blinds into thin strips, falling upon Qin Xue's tightly furrowed brow.

She gripped the case file of the Liu family kidnapping in her hands, her knuckles turning white. Facing her, the station chief, Li Jianjun, looked at her with a helpless tone: "Xiao Xue, it's not that I won't help you, but the city bureau's criminal investigation department sent a supervision letter. Kidnapping is a major criminal case and must be transferred according to procedure. These are the regulations."

Qin Xue's fingers brushed over the cover of the case file, where the marks she made last night remained—the page numbers of Liu Mingxuan's confession, photos of the rope marks on Liu Ruyan's wrists, and screenshots of the phone's GPS location.

It had only been three months since she transferred from the narcotics squad to the Police Station. This was the first complete criminal case she had handled. She had intended to personally send the villains of the Liu family to prison, but she never expected to get stuck on "procedure."

“Uncle Li,” she looked up, her voice carrying a rare sense of grievance, “The Liu family is clearly colluding. Liu Mingxuan is taking all the blame, but Liu Zhengguo was definitely involved! If I investigate for a few more days, I'll definitely find evidence!”

Li Jianjun sighed. “Xiao Xue, back when your father was in the narcotics squad, when he was catching that inter-provincial drug lord, he clearly could have taken him down himself, but he insisted on waiting for backup to arrive before acting.” Li Jianjun’s voice dropped low, carrying the weight of years. “He said, ‘Procedure isn't a constraint; it's to protect the victims and to protect yourself.’ Liu Zhengguo was well-connected in the Chamber of Commerce in his early years and has a messy network of contacts. The criminal investigation team has broader authority, which can prevent anyone from making an issue out of the ‘Police Station's lack of professionalism.’ This isn't about not trusting you; it's about making the case airtight.”

Qin Xue's eyes slowly turned red. The year her father, Qin Feng, sacrificed himself, she was only ten. She only remembered the uncles in narcotics uniforms at the funeral saying, “Your father was a tough man; he’d rather take a bullet himself than let the drug lord escape.” Later, she attended the police academy and chose the narcotics major, wanting to follow in her father's footsteps, until her mother threatened suicide, forcing her to transfer to become a regular police officer.

This kidnapping case was the first one she had led from start to finish. She wanted to personally put that Liu family gang away, to seek justice for Liu Ruyan, and to fulfill her dream of “handling a case like her father.”

“I understand.” She packed up the case file, her voice lowering, “I will organize all the evidence and transfer it to criminal investigation.”

Li Jianjun watched her back and sighed softly—this child was just like her father to the core, incredibly stubborn.

On the other side, in a black sedan at the entrance of the city bureau, Liu Zhengguo had just been “temporarily released” by the criminal investigation team and couldn't wait to dial Liu Ruyan's number. The busy tone rang three times before Liu Ruyan's voice came through, raspy as if she had just woken up, yet tinged with a sense of detachment: “Hello?”

“You unfilial daughter! You still have the face to answer the phone?” Liu Zhengguo's roar was like a thunderclap, making the receiver buzz. “Your brother is still locked up at the criminal investigation team! Are you really so heartless as to watch your own brother rot in prison? How did my Liu family raise such a cold-blooded creature like you! If I had known, I should never have brought you back into the family!”

Liu Ruyan's hand holding the phone suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning white, and her fingertips even dug into her palm.

She was currently sitting on the sofa in Zhou Yurou's living room, covered with Zhou Yurou's cashmere blanket.

When she left the Police Station last night, Zhou Yurou was afraid she’d be scared living alone and insisted on dragging her back to her own home. When they pushed open the door, they ran into Zhang Fan busy in the kitchen wearing a cartoon apron. The apron had a round little bear printed on it, making him look like a completely different person compared to his usual suit-wearing self at the company.

“Ruyan, don't be afraid. Stay here tonight; Zhang Fan and I will keep you company.” Zhou Yurou had handed her a cup of hot milk at the time, her eyes full of heartache. “Regardless of whether you want to sign the letter of leniency, no matter what decision you make, we are on your side.”

Zhang Fan walked out carrying freshly fried eggs, the edges of which were a golden, crispy brown. He scratched his head and smiled: “I’m not very good at cooking, so just make do with this. Tomorrow I’ll take you to eat the cream strawberries you like.”

That simple dinner was the warmest meal Liu Ruyan had ever eaten in her life. But at this moment, Liu Zhengguo's words were still like a rusty needle, ruthlessly stabbing into the softest part of her heart.

“Raised me?” She laughed, her laughter laced with the bitterness of tears, like shattered ice scattered by the wind. “Liu Zhengguo, speak with your conscience—have you raised me for a single day?”

“You unfilial daughter! You dare talk back?” Liu Zhengguo's roar interrupted her again. “The Liu family gave you the chance to return to your roots, and this is how you talk to your father?”

“Return to my roots?” Liu Ruyan’s voice suddenly rose, and her tears finally couldn't help but roll down, splashing onto the phone screen. “When I was first brought back to the Liu family, you made me live in that storage room without even a window. There was no heating in winter, and I wrapped myself in two thin blankets, unable to sleep all night from the cold—you didn't think I was your daughter then. When Liu Mengqi framed me for stealing her diamond necklace, you didn't even ask a question before pointing at my nose and cursing me for being ‘dishonest,’ kicking me out to sleep under a bridge—you didn't think I was your daughter then. This time you kidnapped me back, locked me in a bedroom to force me to try on wedding dresses, wanting to marry me off to that Lin Zhe—someone I’ve never met who is rumored to have domestic abused his ex-wife—just to trade my life for your company's bailout money. Now you suddenly remember I'm your daughter?”

“That's because you're being unreasonable! You're of Liu blood, so you should sacrifice for the Liu family!” Liu Zhengguo's voice grew even fiercer. “Mingxuan is your brother. If he goes to prison, the Liu family is completely finished! Are you just going to watch the Liu family go bankrupt and watch your mother suffer?”

“My mother?” Liu Ruyan's tears finally fell, hitting the phone screen. “When she was suffering, did she think of me shivering in the storage room? When I was being slandered by Liu Mengqi, and she only said ‘just let your younger sister have her way,’ did she think of me? You never treated me as family, yet you demand I use my whole life to repay this so-called ‘bloodline.’ Based on what?”

The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds before Zhao Lan's crying suddenly came through, intermittent, like a cat being strangled by the throat: “Ruyan, Mom is begging you... just write a letter of leniency... if Mingxuan is sentenced, our family will truly fall apart... Mom knows you were wronged before. In the future, Mom will definitely make it up to you, buy you beautiful clothes, and cook you delicious food...”

Liu Ruyan closed her eyes, her tears flowing even harder.

She remembered what Zhang Fan said last night: “A letter of leniency isn't a compromise; it's your right to choose to let go of the past. If you want to sign it, you must secure the greatest protection for yourself—for example, completely severing ties with the Liu family so you'll never be dragged down by them again.”

“I can sign the letter of leniency.” Liu Ruyan took a deep breath, her voice suddenly becoming firm, like tempered ice. “But I have two conditions: First, I want to sign a 'Severance of Relationship Agreement' with the Liu family. From now on, I will have no legal relationship with you, and you cannot seek me out in the name of 'family' ever again. Second, you are never allowed to interfere in my life, you cannot tell anyone I am a member of the Liu family, and you cannot trouble my friends or colleagues.”