Even After My Death
Chapter 263 - 182: Verdict in Both Courts

Chapter 263: Chapter 182: Verdict in Both Courts

Zhang Lang was very concerned about the incident of Jiang Ning’s reputation being wrongfully tarnished by netizens.

The Song Ranran family sincerely wanted to thank Jiang Ning, and after learning her location over the phone, Zhang Lang and two colleagues personally escorted the Song Ranran couple to the residential area where Jiang Ning lived.

Song Ranran joyfully prepared many gifts as thanks, and Jiang Ning warmly invited the group to stay for tea.

About an hour later, Capital City Public Security’s official Weibo account updated with a post, sharing photos of everyone at Jiang Ning’s home, looking happy and at ease. They confirmed the authenticity of Jiang Ning’s heroism in the rescue and advised the public not to spread or believe rumors, urging them not to discourage the hearts of heroes.

Song Ranran also timely posted a photo on her TikTok account of herself and Jiang Ning sitting on the couch, smiling at the camera, to show that with the help of the online community and Capital City Public Security, she successfully found her son’s lifesaver.

[Ah, the officials themselves are stepping in to debunk rumors!]

[It’s really Jiang Ning]

[Congratulations to the uploader for finding the lifesaver for her kid, laughcry.jpg. Is there anything netizens don’t know about? The efficiency of this generation of netizens is just too strong.]

[With official testimonies, there should no longer be senseless comments claiming that Jiang Ning staged all of this, right?]

[Jiang Ning is so cool, I envy her skills. The way she caught the child was so smooth; such a dangerous move, but it seemed so different when she did it.]

[Haha, those senseless people mocking Jiang Ning for being too strong, suggesting she would abuse her husband in the future, should look at this. She has never done anything wrong; instead, she keeps helping people over and over!]

[Indeed, it’s too ironic. Spreading rumors is so easy and effortlessly negates all of Jiang Ning’s efforts.]

...

Jiang Ning’s fan count surged once again, breaking through three million and swiftly approaching four million.

The incident of Ruan Jiahua slandering Jiang Ning and tarnishing her reputation was also quickly investigated and clarified.

Qi Chen’s Gold Medal Lawyer Team not only personally went to the station to understand the situation but also contacted Qin Taoran, who was inconvenient to appear publicly, and obtained a lot of strong evidence from her.

Qi Chen’s Gold Medal Lawyer Team filed a defamation lawsuit against Ruan Jiahua on behalf of Jiang Ning and, with Qin Taoran’s consent, published some of the evidence online.

Over the past two years, Ruan Jiahua not only regularly abused Qin Taoran but also restricted her personal freedom.

Before meeting Jiang Ning, Qin Taoran had already called the police several times and even sought help from the Women’s Federation and other relevant departments. She repeatedly filed for divorce from Ruan Jiahua, only to be repeatedly denied.

It wasn’t until Jiang Ning appeared that Qin Taoran saw a glimmer of hope in her dark life.

After reading all this, netizens commented:

[Jiang Ning isn’t the villain who wrecked the marriage; she’s the hero who rescued Qin Taoran from this terrible relationship.]

[Jiang Ning: Taking on blame to help. Law enforcement: Observing from the sidelines.]

[Why couldn’t she get a divorce after two years of abuse?]

[I strongly suggest we stop using the term "domestic violence". Intentional injury is intentional injury; attempted murder is attempted murder. Why should a marriage certificate be a shield for the abuser?]

Marital relationships have always been a hotly debated topic among netizens.

In the comment section, many netizens couldn’t help but share their own viewpoints, and Jiang Ning’s reputation was completely vindicated.

After all, who wouldn’t love a girl who comes to the aid of others in times of injustice?!

Later investigations revealed that Ruan Jiahua had live-streamed on TikTok for just under an hour, receiving a total of over 160,000 yuan in tips from thousands of netizens.

Before Zhou Tao could take any action, the head of the live streaming center stepped forward, stating that they would not take a single penny of that money and would return it to the accounts of the netizens.

The netizens were overjoyed, and although Zhou Tao was spared much trouble, he still handed over the data he had compiled to his colleague. Then, with actions taken by Qi Corporation’s Gold Medal Lawyer Team, the evidence was submitted to the court to sue Ruan Jiahua for profiting from slandering Jiang Ning’s reputation.

The capability of the Gold Medal Lawyer Team was unquestionable, and in the end, Ruan Jiahua was sentenced to a fine of 19,600 yuan and three years in prison, to be carried out immediately.

When Ruan Jiahua was sentenced, another case was also being judged: the case of Zhong Yuanlong, the corpse hidden in the freezer that Jiang Ning encountered on the day she left the TV program.

According to the police investigation, Zhong Yuanlong’s parents were forced into marriage over thirty years ago due to a child betrothal arranged by both families. They unwillingly came together and had Zhong Yuanlong.

Zhong Yuanlong’s father never liked the woman who was engaged to him through a child betrothal. When Zhong Yuanlong’s mother was eight months pregnant and about to give birth, he ran away from home and has yet to return.

The sudden disappearance of Mr. Zhong was an incredibly heavy blow to the Zhong Family.

The elderly Zhong couple blamed everything on Mrs. Zhong, believing that she was the culprit who had caused Mr. Zhong to run away from home.

Mrs. Zhong was a native of the mountains, brought up with deeply ingrained feudal ideas, believing that a husband was like heaven.

After her husband ran away, Mrs. Zhong dedicated herself to tirelessly taking care of her in-laws, while also raising her only son, Zhong Yuanlong, in hardships and toil.

Although the Zhong family was poor, they never skimped on Zhong Yuanlong’s food and drink; the entire family doted on him as if he were the very lifeblood of the Zhong family.

After the elderly Zhongs passed away one after another, Mrs. Zhong came to regard Zhong Yuanlong as her sole reason for living, doing everything herself and not requiring him to do anything.

Before he turned sixteen, Zhong Yuanlong had never done any household chores, not even dressed himself - this was all taken care of by his mother with utmost care.

A child who grew up in such a family might not encounter too many problems if they never left that poor mountain village their entire lives, but now, in the rapidly developing age of modernization, Zhong Yuanlong, having failed the college entrance examination after high school, followed friends from the village to seek work and encountered the wider world, leading to a severe psychological imbalance.

Having barely done any housework all his life, his ability to live independently was poor, and he couldn’t endure the hardships of working.

After experiencing the bustling cities, Zhong Yuanlong was even more reluctant to return to the poor little mountain village.

With no other choice, Mrs. Zhong rented an apartment for him in the big city and came to check up on Zhong Yuanlong from time to time.

Zhong Yuanlong, meanwhile, spent his days hiding in the rental playing games, sometimes making a little money in the games to sustain himself.

Zhong Yuanlong remembered that it was a very ordinary afternoon.

His mother came up from the countryside, her hands full of large and small bags, bringing many things to the rental to see him.

He disliked cleaning; the stuff in the rental was always in a mess. Mrs. Zhong, without even drinking water, began to clean the moment she saw the dirty rental, talking incessantly while tidying up and even wanted to stay long-term to accompany him and help with laundry and cooking.

Mrs. Zhong had mentioned this before, but Zhong Yuanlong had always refused.

He loathed the rural woman’s air that clung to her.

That day, Zhong Yuanlong had lost a game, was in a bad mood, and, listening to his mother’s nagging, he impulsively grabbed the kitchen knife and walked behind Mrs. Zhong, not only beheading her but also dismembering her body like he would in a game.

He hadn’t lied that day; the three freezers were indeed bought by Mrs. Zhong from the second-hand market to stock up on food for him, in case he ever got hungry.

Only, Mrs. Zhong never imagined that they would serve as her own burial place.

After dismembering Mrs. Zhong’s body, Zhong Yuanlong stored it in the freezer.

Having only each other for many years, and with no other relatives, Mrs. Zhong’s disappearance didn’t draw much attention, aside from a little confusion amongst the neighbors.

Moreover, those neighbors probably assumed Mrs. Zhong had gone to the city to look after Zhong Yuanlong.

Months passed, and still, nobody grew suspicious.

If it weren’t for the rent coming due and Zhong Yuanlong not having enough money to keep renting the apartment, which is why he planned to move, this matter might have gone undetected for many years.

After the court concluded its investigation, the final verdict sentenced Zhong Yuanlong to death, with deprivation of political rights for life and a two-year reprieve.

Of course, all of that was later developments for everyone else.

On the other hand, after learning the court’s verdict, Jiang Ning asked the System one more question about the whereabouts of Zhong Yuanlong’s father.

System: [Zhong Yuanlong’s father didn’t run away from home; instead, seeing that his wife was close to giving birth, he planned to earn some money to buy nutritional products for his wife and unborn child but was deceived into doing hard labor across the border and has been dead for nearly twenty years.]

[Although the den was demolished by international police forces ten years ago, the dead cannot be brought back to life. And since Zhong Yuanlong’s father died too early, his remains have disappeared, and it is normal that the police could not trace him.]

Zhong Yuanlong is now only 22 years old, and his father has been dead for nearly twenty years. That is to say, not long after being deceived, Zhong Yuanlong’s father passed away.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning felt a momentary sense of lamentation.