Lord, give up! Madam has too many vests

Chapter 334 Qin Shi is not dead yet

The next day, Yan Lan gently pushed open the glass door of the clinic, her fingertips pausing slightly on the doorknob—at this time, Uncle Tao should already be waiting outside.

Yan Lan looked around the empty doorway, a vague sense of loss welling up inside her.

She placed the reusable bag on the consultation table, her fingers unconsciously tracing the medical records on it. The prescription Uncle Tao had left behind was still tucked there.

"Perhaps...this is for the best."

She murmured to herself, her long eyelashes casting a shadow beneath her eyes. After all, anyone who suddenly discovers that the elder they drink tea and chat with every day is actually a high-ranking official needs time to process this fact.

Just as she was about to put on her white coat, the clinic door was suddenly pushed open.

Mr. and Mrs. Song walked in with hunched backs, completely different from their arrogant demeanor yesterday.

Song's mother's clothes were wrinkled, and her carefully permed and dyed curly hair was disheveled.

Mr. Song's tie hung crookedly around his neck.

"Dr. Yan!"

Song's mother knelt down with a thud, "We were wrong, please be merciful... forgive my son."

Her voice was thick with sobs, and her makeup was already smudged by tears.

Mr. Song also knelt down, his forehead slamming heavily against the marble floor with a dull thud: "Please spare my son... We're willing to compensate... Any amount of money will do..."

Yan Lan frowned as the clinic door was pushed open again—

What are you doing here?!

Qin Shengsheng stormed in angrily, still wearing her school uniform skirt, clearly having come directly from school.

She shielded Yan Lan behind her, her almond-shaped eyes wide: "How dare you harass my sister-in-law after failing to raise your son properly? Song Chi must go to jail! Your Song family can expect bankruptcy!"

Song's mother collapsed to the ground, wailing uncontrollably. Her carefully styled hair was disheveled and stuck to her tear-stained face. Song's father kept kowtowing; they only had this one son.

In the end, under Qin Shengsheng's angry glare, the two slunk away.

Yan Lan breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Sister-in-law, you should rest at home."

Qin Shengsheng looked worriedly at Yan Lan's swollen belly, where her brother's last bloodline was growing.

She reached out to help Yan Lan tidy up her disheveled hair.

"I'm fine." Yan Lan forced a smile and gently pushed Qin Shengsheng towards the door. "You should go to class now, don't let it interfere with your studies."

After seeing Qin Shengsheng off, Yan Lan forced herself to stay awake and saw patients all morning.

As evening fell, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the clinic in an orange-red hue.

She leaned back wearily in her chair when her computer suddenly beeped, indicating a new email had arrived.

When Yan Lan saw the contents of the email, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

She sat bolt upright, her fingers trembling as she read the email over and over again three times, until she was sure she hadn't misread it—

"This is impossible..." she muttered to herself, her chest heaving. Just then, her cell phone rang abruptly.

“Yan Lan,” Situ Qing’s voice trembled unusually on the other end of the phone, “I have good news and bad news. The autopsy report shows that Qin Shi’s body was not on the helicopter.”

Yan Lan held her breath. The email in her hand was the DNA report from the X Research Institute—confirming that the charred corpse did not match Qin Shi.

Her vision suddenly blurred.

"But to survive a high-altitude fall..." Her voice was as soft as a feather, and her other hand unconsciously touched her swollen belly.

“I’m checking Qin Shi’s boarding records for that day.” Situ Qing paused. “As for the bad news… Liu Jinnian’s lawyer has applied to change the charge to attempted murder.”

Yan Lan stood by the window, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a golden halo on her profile.

Her slender fingers gripped the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"The news about Qin Shi has not yet been confirmed."

Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness: "But whether he lives or dies, the fact that Liu Jinnian premeditatedly murdered him will not change."

Outside the window, a withered leaf twirled and fell. Yan Lan's gaze followed the falling leaf until it disappeared from sight.

She turned and walked back to her desk, the hem of her white coat swaying gently with her movements.

"I must get to the bottom of the matter regarding the prison network."

Her fingertips tapped lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound. "None of the people behind Liu Jinnian will escape."

On the other end of the phone, Situ Qing was silent for a moment: "I will try my best to get his sentence reduced. But..." He paused, "...someone wants to protect him. It's that Secretary-General Si you met."

Yan Lan's pupils contracted slightly.

She remembered Si Chu's eyes, hidden behind his gold-rimmed glasses, always filled with calculation.

"Furthermore," Situ Qing's voice was probing, "what is your relationship with the First Commander like? Everyone saw how he protected you yesterday."

Yan Lan's fingers unconsciously touched her abdomen, where a tiny life was growing. She hesitated for a moment: "He's just... my patient."

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the shadows inside the clinic grew thicker.

Yan Lan did not turn on the light, letting the darkness engulf her.

“Then you might need to prepare for the worst.” Situ Qing’s voice became serious. “You should know that the First Commander has the power of pardon. If Secretary-General Si manages to get the First Commander to grant amnesty…”

Yan Lan stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor with a harsh sound. Her face appeared exceptionally pale in the dim light. "No, it can't be," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Uncle Tao isn't that kind of person."

But as soon as she said it, she herself became somewhat uncertain. After all, Uncle Tao was no longer the old man who used to chat with her over tea in the small clinic, but a powerful official.

A sigh came from Situ Qing on the other end of the phone: "Yan Lan, politics is never black and white. Sometimes..."

“I understand.” Yan Lan interrupted him, her voice regaining its calmness, “But I will not back down on this matter. If necessary…” Her gaze fell on the photo of her and Qin Shi on the table, “I will go to Uncle Tao myself.”

After hanging up the phone, Yan Lan stood quietly in the darkness. The streetlights outside the window lit up one by one, casting a long shadow of her.

After hanging up with Situ Qing, Yan Lan put on a beige trench coat and hurried to the helicopter company.

The helicopter company's glass doors were already closed, but after Yan Lan showed her credentials, the duty manager still welcomed her inside.

She stood on the empty tarmac, the night wind blowing up the hem of her clothes, her hair dancing in the wind.

She looked up at the dark night sky, as if she could still see the trajectory of the crashing helicopter.

"Mr. Qin did indeed board the plane that day..." the manager said cautiously, handing over a document.

Yan Lan took the document, her fingertips trembling slightly. She carefully flipped through each page, not missing a single detail. When she saw a certain signature, her pupils suddenly contracted—the handwriting was Qin Shi's signature.

It was already late at night when we returned to Yunhu Villa.

The villa's lights streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the courtyard, adding a touch of warmth to the night. Yan Lan pushed open the door, wearily rubbing her temples.

"Lanlan." A gentle voice suddenly rang out.

Yan Lan looked up and saw Madam Qin getting up from the sofa in the living room.

"Mom..." Yan Lan's voice choked with emotion, "You've already received the news?"

She strode forward, the hem of her trench coat swaying gently with her movements. Madam Qin reached out and grasped her wrist; it was icy cold to the touch.

“I know everything.” Madam Qin’s voice was soft, but carried an undeniable firmness. “It’s about the autopsy report.”

Yan Lan's eyes instantly reddened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Madam Qin gently pulled her into her arms, and the familiar scent of her perfume made Yan Lan unable to control her emotions any longer; tears soaked Madam Qin's shoulder.

"Don't cry, child." Madam Qin patted her back gently, her voice soft yet firm. "We must be strong. For Ashi, and for the child in your belly."

Yan Lan looked up, her eyes shining brightly in the moonlight: "Mom, I found Qin Shi's signature."

Madam Qin pulled her to sit on the sofa, where the black tea on the coffee table was still steaming. She poured Yan Lan a cup, and amidst the rising steam, Yan Lan recounted her discoveries from that day.

“That signature…” Madam Qin’s fingers trembled slightly, “Are you sure it’s A-Shi’s?”

Yan Lan nodded and took the document out of her bag.

“I checked the surveillance footage, and Qin Shi did board the plane that day. However, there were five people on the plane that day, but only three bodies. I think Qin Shi might still be alive.”

"He's still alive..." Madam Qin said, choking back tears, "My son is still alive..."