Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 549 - 397. It turns out this was just an empty joy (First Update)

Chapter 549: 397. It turns out this was just an empty joy (First Update)

In her own consciousness, she is heading towards her car. But all of a sudden, a blaring sound of a car horn blasts in her ears.

Baffled and disoriented, she looks around all directions, as if completely unaware of where she is.

A person suddenly rushes out from the side, grabs her wrist forcefully, and pulls her back fiercely. She stumbles, her figure already carried into an embrace.

"Are you crazy? Why are you going to crash into the car on your own?!"

She dazedly looks up, but what she sees isn’t the face she wants to see, so she tries hard to smile and shakes her head.

The person squints: "What’s wrong, don’t want to see me?"

The person is Huangfu Hua Zhang. How could Shi Nian forget, that today is still Huangfu Hua Zhang’s trial, the fact that he can freely appear in front of her now clearly indicates the result of the trial.

She couldn’t help but smile bitterly: "In that case, I should congratulate you, sir."

Huangfu Hua Zhang squints again: "But you speak insincerely." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Shi Nian doesn’t deny it, instead she looks at him sorrowfully: "Then sir, what about yourself, are you truly happy? The victory or defeat in the courtroom is within your grasp, but have you ever asked your heart? Are you truly at peace?"

Back then he had agreed to confess at the police station, and she had truly been relieved. She had sincerely hoped so much that he would open that window by himself and walk back into the light on his own.

Rosa’s case was almost the best opportunity because that might be his first case, and the fact that he drugged Old Buddha reflects his protection and guilt towards Rosa. So using this case as the starting point for his confession, the sentence in this case would certainly be the lightest.

Even though she knew that with his character, even if he signed a guilty plea at the police station, as long as he desired, he could still overturn it. However, she chose to believe him.

She believed there was still a desire for brightness in his heart, thus her presence was just a push for him, the real decision to return would stem from his own longing for light.

But now, facing the facts, she knew she was ultimately wrong.

She turned her back to him: "On the courthouse steps, you asked me which side I was on. I said I hold no stance, I only hope everyone connected to this case can find peace in their hearts. I wasn’t just talking about Rosa, nor James, but more about you, sir."

"I know you’ve gone through the issue with your mother, which made your heart resistant to law enforcement and justice in death, so you’re unwilling to admit guilt to the law and enforcement officers. You preferred saying it was for me, and I accepted that. I accepted it because I firmly believed you still had light in your heart, and you wished to return to it."

"But was I wrong? Sir never truly wished to return, it was just an empty joy bestowed upon me."

"No."

His gaze lifted to the dark night sky. Once the stars shone brightly, but now they have long been obscured by human lights.

"Even today, I maintained two possibilities during the trial. I knew I could win; I knew what Liu Qingtian excelled at, which is why I hired him as my lawyer. However, in reality, even if his courtroom performance was perfect, as long as I confessed in court, confessed my motives to the judge and jury, I would still be convicted."

His gaze leisurely returned to her face.

"The key to all this, is still you."

"If you were still by my side, if you were still that patient little girl who persuaded me, I would plead guilty in court to not disappoint you; actually, I spent the whole afternoon waiting for you to contact me in any form, saying you were willing to come back to me... Unfortunately, I never got to hear from you."

Today’s events happened too densely, wearing down Shi Nian’s psychological resilience.

She couldn’t help but laugh despondently: "Is it always about me? Sir, you say you plead guilty for me; you say your mistakes back then were for me... You say everything is for me. But please, have you ever asked me if this is what I want?"

"I’ve never asked sir to do anything for me, even my hope for you to plead guilty was because I couldn’t bear seeing you go further away; I hoped to pull you back. Sir is such a wise person, and certainly has his own considerations in everything he does or says. So why emphasize that it’s all for me?"

Huangfu Hua Zhang stops speaking, but just stares into her eyes.

Shi Nian smiles despairingly: "At this moment, even I detest myself, sir, so don’t even mention doing this and that for me. I don’t want it, such a worthless me, I don’t want anything, is that okay?"

Shi Nian says this while squatting, burying her face in her knees.

Huangfu Hua Zhang squints and stares at her vulnerable, lonely figure: "You’re disgusted with yourself? What’s wrong, what did Du Songlin do to you today?"

Shi Nian hugs herself tightly and looks up with teary eyes: "Even I am a criminal. I was an accomplice in killing my dad back then. Sir, are you satisfied now?"

.

Just then, a royal blue Land Rover sped by the roadside. It screeches to a stop, tires screeching harshly against the ground.

In the next moment, Shi Nian was embraced into that familiar hold.

Tang Yanqing hugged Shi Nian, gently patting her head: "What’s wrong, hmm?"

He speaks to her softly, yet his gaze sharply fixed on Huangfu Hua Zhang: "Cousin, the trial just ended in the evening, and newly released like you, how come you coincidently appear in front of my girlfriend?"

His gaze rose, looking at Du Songlin’s clinic sign: "Moreover, my girlfriend came here today due to private reasons to visit the Tang Family’s associate’s clinic. Cousin, your uninvited presence isn’t only rude but what’s more intriguing is your true intent, isn’t it?"

It was Shi Nian who requested Du Songlin not to disclose today’s events at the clinic to Tang Yanqing.

Today’s epiphany came so abruptly, even exceeded her own tolerance limit, she wanted to sort it out herself before slowly finding a suitable opportunity to tell him.

Du Songlin agreed too.

Moreover, as a professional physician, Du Songlin isn’t allowed to leak the patient’s records and specific conversation details. Even though Tang Yanqing is his nephew, and Shi Nian’s boyfriend, it’s still not permissible.

Yet Du Songlin understood, what Shi Nian realized at his clinic today is too hard for a girl like her to digest alone, so he couldn’t bear seeing her quietly leave his clinic’s door, solitary and bewildered.

After much consideration, he called Tang Yanqing.

Yet he didn’t elaborate on today’s treatment content or results, just vaguely mentioned "Today might have touched some sorrowful memories for Shi Nian, and she left in a very low mood. She’s still driving by herself, isn’t she? I’m a bit worried."

Tang Yanqing was initially in a meeting with An Cheng at the police station, urgently responding to today’s trial result, but after hearing Du Songlin’s words, he left everyone behind and sped away.

.

After hearing everything, Huangfu Hua Zhang laughs, his fingers smoothly brushing his shirt cuff, proudly tilting his chin.

"Boyfriend, girlfriend? Such absurd titles. Sir Tang, I think I needn’t remind you, her current identity is firstly the mother of my daughter, not those random titles of yours."

Tang Yanqing meets Huangfu Hua Zhang’s blue eyes with a contemptuous smile: "The mother of your daughter? What a pity, considering whether legally or socially, that title doesn’t confirm any special connection with you."

Huangfu Hua Zhang shrugged with a light laugh: "I, with her, have Jieyou. Does that not count as a connection? This tie spans emotions and physicality, encompasses genetic recombination and heritage. Pray, what other connections in this world can surpass this one?"

Tang Yanqing doesn’t yield at all: "According to cousin’s logic, maybe Xiang Yuan is even more qualified. After all, he was my father’s choice at his deathbed to entrust Nian Nian, and also had four years of marriage with her. But even Xiang Yuan hasn’t come to me flauntingly, I don’t understand then why cousin emphasizes tirelessly, what are you trying to do."

He arrogantly lifts his gaze to fix Huangfu Hua Zhang’s eyes: "Cousin also understands behavioral analysis, so you should know that your eager denial just now and excessive emphasis only signify one thing: you’re lying, you’re hiding something."

Tang Yanqing speaks while temporarily leaving Shi Nian, stepping towards Huangfu Hua Zhang, coldly sneering as he meets his eyes: "Is it about Jieyou? You lied to her about Jieyou’s identity and origin!"

Huangfu Hua Zhang tightly stares at Tang Yanqing, and couldn’t help but return with a cold laugh: "You question Jieyou’s identity? As a police officer, if you truly have questions, you would’ve already done a DNA test secretly."

Tang Yanqing narrows his eyes: "Technology has advanced, DNA testing indeed can answer this question. However, similarly because technology advanced, even if Jieyou’s DNA is fine, her background could still be fundamentally different from what you said."