Chapter 221: Chapter 221

Shi Nian awkwardly smiled: "To request it from you, Prosecutor An, is a fair transaction between you and me. You can accept it or refuse it. But what Mr. Tang said is that he wants him to help me."

She bowed her head, softly biting her lip, a small dimple unconsciously appearing at the corner of her mouth.

"I don’t want to owe him too many favors."

Her relationship with Xiang Yuan was not completely severed yet in name, although legally there were no more marital obligations... But from an Eastern traditional perspective, letting Tang Yanqing always be in such an awkward position made her feel guilty.

But between her and Tang Yanqing... she felt it was too fast and somewhat lacked confidence. After all, the relationship between the Tang family and the Xiang family spanned generations.

An Cheng smiled: "I understand this feeling of yours." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

She was Du Songlin’s daughter, and her family’s position was similar to that of Xiang Yuan’s family, with all glory seemingly dependent on the Tang family’s reputation to attain. However, she really didn’t feeling, so she generally never mentioned any association with the Tang family outside.

And that’s why, when she encountered Tang Yan Xi as an opponent in court, she not only didn’t hold back but would instead give her utmost effort to ensure victory.

But it always led to disappointment—she faced Tang Yan Xi in court so many times, and she almost always lost.

Not wanting to owe the Tang family favors, not wanting to rely on the Tang family’s power and thereby have a mindset of relaxing under the shade of a tall tree, she needed to be more independent, more diligent... So when Shi Nian spoke such an ambiguous statement, she understood it.

"But I need to know why you want to know Mark’s background? Is it just because he almost harmed you? But Nana, here is different from China; the crime is committed by him individually and has nothing to do with his family."

"That’s not what I mean."

Shi Nian looked down, hesitating for a moment before speaking frankly: "I want to validate a suspicion in my heart."

"What suspicion?" An Cheng asked: "Only by clearly knowing what you want from his background information can I consider whether to agree to this transaction with you. Otherwise, I’d be concerned that you might utilize his background improperly."

Shi Nian glanced up: "Is Prosecutor An worried that once I know his background, I’ll blackmail their family?"

An Cheng replied without evasion: "That’s a reasonable suspicion. Besides, I would also worry that you would privately reach a settlement with his family, thus affecting our prosecution against him."

Shi Nian then nodded: "I understand. Rest assured, Prosecutor An, I don’t intend to meet his family privately by any means. I just—intuitively feel he comes from a noble lineage."

Even in the campus dining hall, with the most ordinary hamburgers and fries, he would first lay a clean white napkin on his lap, then sit upright, eating elegantly... This isn’t a demeanor cultivated by ordinary social etiquette. It’s likely inherent and directly related to his family background.

An Cheng yet didn’t easily nod but continued to remind: "Whether or not he comes from a noble lineage, it’s still irrelevant to our case."

An Cheng indeed was a very principled, calm, and clear-headed prosecutor, also difficult to deal with.

Shi Nian had no choice but to reveal a bit more: "To be honest, Prosecutor An, I once went to the deceased Zhou Guanghan’s room and found a small pearl in the gap of the floor there. The pearl has about a hundred years of age and exquisite craftsmanship, and I therefore suspect it’s from ancient adornments belonging only to the nobility."

An Cheng then raised an eyebrow high: "Where is the pearl? Show me!"

Shi Nian wisely smiled at the right time and refused: "Actually, that pearl is also not causally related to the case where Mark harmed me, so I’m not obliged to tell Prosecutor An."

An Cheng slightly lifted an eyebrow: "You’re good, indeed impressive."

Shi Nian tilted her head and smiled: "Thank you."

An Cheng then deeply inhaled, nodded: "Alright, let’s proceed with this transaction."

"Mark comes from the Lin Qi family. Since the 19th century, they’ve been engaged in textiles, later expanding into commerce, and owned the city’s most upscale ready-to-wear store at the time. In the 20th century, they even provided clothing for the military, gradually establishing connections with the military and political circles. Now, they hold several renowned luxury brand business groups."

Shi Nian listened intently, seeing An Cheng had finished narrating, she couldn’t help but ask: "Does the Lin Qi family have noble background?"

An Cheng spread her hands: "Don’t forget, M Country is an immigrant nation. Many old families, when they came here back then, had already erased their identities once. We can accurately verify only their records within the last hundred years; as for those from over a hundred years ago, it’s all hearsay."

Shi Nian clenched her fists with frustration.

This is also a particular national condition of M Country, an unchangeable fact.

Indeed, Mark and those four "centennial" clues are so closely linked, yet finding tangible evidence proves elusive, causing her to feel like she’s about to go mad.

An Cheng stared at Shi Nian, able to empathize with her feelings. Just like when she was a prosecutor, often in court she was clearly about to persuade the jury and achieve a conviction, yet unexpectedly a piece of unfavorable evidence, or even a shift in courtroom emotion, would abruptly foil it, making her feel like she wants to step out of her high heels and knock each juror on the head.

She then slowly said: "But personally, I do agree with your intuition. I also feel the Lin Qi family might once have had noble background in Europe."

Shi Nian joyfully raised her eyes: "Really?"

An Cheng nodded: "Though lacking concrete evidence, I must say, my intuition has always been quite accurate."

At this moment, Shi Nian felt that she really had a bit of a liking for this Prosecutor An.

She was cold, principled, and even slightly arrogant and stubborn; but she also possessed adaptability, amiability, humor, and—an irresistible charm.

Shi Nian lowered her eyes with a smile, "Well, with these words from Prosecutor An, I feel more confident. I will continue to investigate, there’s no way I won’t find out his real family background."

An Cheng leaned forward over the table, squinting his eyes, "Hey, you’re a communication student from China, why are you digging into the Mark family’s history? Trying to uncover some dark past?"

Shi Nian stared into An Cheng’s eyes and said slowly, "...I want to see if he’s a vampire."

Shi Nian’s expression was very serious, and the light above was somewhat hazy, such that for a moment even An Cheng was almost fooled, his eyes widening.

But then he burst out laughing and couldn’t help but give Shi Nian’s arm a light slap, "Ah, you scared me to death."

Shi Nian also smiled, "Prosecutor An, I promise you, I will testify in court when the time comes."

Only then did An Cheng quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

Shi Nian didn’t let go so easily, asking softly, "Prosecutor An cares so much about this assault case with Mark, knowing full well that I haven’t suffered any real harm, yet still wants me to testify... Could it be that Prosecutor An thinks that accusing Mark of murder isn’t that easy?"

An Cheng raised his eyebrows in surprise again.

He took his coffee and gulped down two big sips, "You, girl, are too scary."

Shi Nian couldn’t bring herself to smile, lowering her head in gloom, "It’s obvious; he killed Sean, and the intention to harm me, these two cases aren’t even on the same scale. As a prosecutor, you should surely charge the serious crime first rather than focus on this minor case of mine... Unless, Prosecutor An thinks there is no certainty with that one."

An Cheng stared straight at Shi Nian but said nothing more, just got up, "We had a pleasant chat tonight. I’ll list you as a witness for the prosecution tomorrow morning. If you have no objections, I’ll leave now."

Shi Nian could only nod, "Bye-bye."

An Cheng said nothing more, nor did he say goodbye to Tang Yanqing, and directly drove away.

Shi Nian turned to look out the window, keeping her eyes on the taillights of An Cheng’s car until they vanished into the night, no longer visible.

An Cheng, although he never admitted anything in the end, evidently was in a worse mood because of it, proving indirectly—that An Cheng truly lacked confidence.

But if they couldn’t get Mark to confess to murder, only this small charge of the intent to harm—then what was the point of all their previous efforts?

Tang Yanqing saw her face blank with confusion, and only then did he "pffft" out the straw from his mouth.

Thinking that he actually used a straw to drink a whole cup of coffee, the café’s counter and waiters were all stunned... He didn’t care about feeling embarrassed, quickly walking over to ask Shi Nian.

Shi Nian shook her head, "I just hope I can help Prosecutor An."

Tang Yanqing also glanced towards the door, "She seemed in a bad mood when she left, what did you say?"

Shi Nian briefly recounted the previous conversation to Tang Yanqing.

Tang Yanqing then took her hand, "Come back to the police station with me. Coincidentally, I’ve got Guan Liang looking into the Lynch family’s background as well."

Shi Nian’s eyes lit up, "Great, let’s go together!"

Shi Nian went back to the police station with Tang Yanqing, and sure enough, both Guan Liang and Jia Tianzi were working overtime.

Unexpectedly, Tang Yan Yi was also there.

Thanks to Cai for the 20 flowers, 15007275749 for the red packet, and 767533943 for the gifts.

copies: 13435192621, Su Jier

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