thefictionvixens Chapter 187 Aftermath and Undercurrents
Chapter 187 Aftermath and Undercurrents
When Tang Liuqian and his group rushed to room 408 of the Songtao Hotel, the police had just taken Thomas and James, who looked dazed and like zombies, away in a police car. The room was a mess, and the broken door silently testified to the harrowing events that had just transpired.
Lin Yan stepped forward and comforted Tang Liuqian, who was pale and breathing rapidly, saying, "Brother Liuqian, thankfully, Sister Xi'en only suffered a severe blow to the back of her neck and is temporarily unconscious. She hasn't suffered any other injuries. She's in the bedroom inside. The doctor has done a preliminary examination, and her vital signs are stable. You should take her to the hospital for a thorough check-up so you can be completely at ease."
Upon hearing this, Tang Liuqian's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down. He glanced gratefully at Lin Yan and immediately rushed into the bedroom. Seeing Yang Xi'en lying quietly on the bed, her face slightly pale, his eyes welled up with tears again.
Lin Yan looked at Lin Yi and gave him a look: "Big brother, why don't you go with us and help out? The hospital procedures are complicated, I feel more at ease with you here."
Lin Yixin understood, knowing that the young master wanted him to ensure that nothing unexpected happened during Yang Xi'en's stay in the hospital, and also to keep track of Yang Xi'en's condition as soon as possible. He nodded, stepped forward to help Tang Liuqian, carefully carried Yang Xi'en on his back, and quickly left the hotel, heading to a nearby hospital.
Only Lin Yan, Li Wenbin, and Zheng Jiaming remained in the room. Li Wenbin glanced at the faint traces of a struggle on the floor and the broken door frame, swallowed hard, and whispered, "Ayan, that...that bastard..."
Zheng Jiaming also looked at Lin Yan, his eyes asking, "Yan, is there anything we can do?"
A deep, unfathomable smile flickered in Lin Yan's eyes. He patted the two men on the shoulders: "Don't rush, this is just the beginning. The other side is a local strongman, they won't give up so easily. We need to be patient... just wait and see." His tone carried an air of complete control, which reassured Li Wenbin and Zheng Jiaming, though they didn't understand why.
The next morning, at the local court.
Accompanied by their appointed legal aid lawyer, Thomas Jefferson Brown and his henchman James, still under the influence of the drug, faced their first hearing before the judge. Their eyes were vacant, like puppets on strings, as they meticulously recounted every detail of their crime—their motive (revenge against Lin Yan), the planning process (Thomas's suggestion and hiring of James), and the execution of the kidnapping (knocking out Yang Xi'en on the street corner)—with logic so clear it was appalling.
More importantly, the police successfully found the check signed by Thomas in the inside pocket of James' coat. The clear amount and signature on it became irrefutable physical evidence.
With witness testimonies (both suspects confessed) and physical evidence (checks) readily available, the facts of the crime were clear, and the nature of the crime (kidnapping and attempted sexual assault) was egregious. Because the suspects confessed to the crime and the chain of evidence was complete, the judge stated in court that the facts of the case were clear and that they could consider skipping the lengthy trial proceedings and proceeding directly to the sentencing phase. This news spread like wildfire throughout the small legal community of Lake Tahoe.
That same morning, at a small clinic in town.
Yang Xi'en's long eyelashes fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes. A dull pain came from the back of her neck, causing her to frown slightly. She was greeted by a wooden ceiling and the smell of disinfectant, but the environment felt completely unfamiliar.
"Xi'en! You're awake!" A hoarse but delighted voice rang out from beside her.
Yang Xi'en turned her head and saw Tang Liuqian standing by the bedside with bloodshot eyes and a haggard face, staring at her intently.
"Liu Qian?" Yang Xi'en was somewhat bewildered. "You... what are you doing in my room? Where is this?"
When Tang Liuqian saw her awake, a wave of lingering fear and relief washed over him. He abruptly bent down and hugged her tightly, his voice choked with sobs and muffled: "Xi'en... this isn't a hotel, it's a clinic. Last night... last night you almost got into trouble! It's all my fault! I shouldn't have left you there alone... I'm so sorry, so very sorry!"
Yang Xi'en was a little breathless from his embrace, but she was more confused. "Something happened? Last night...?" She tried to recall, but her memory only went as she waited for Tang Liuqian to buy coffee in a sheltered spot on a street corner, and then... a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and then she knew nothing more.
Tang Liuqian, suppressing his grief, recounted the terrifying events of the previous night—her inexplicable disappearance, his frantic search, Lin Yan's swift rescue, finding her unconscious in the hotel room, and the crimes of the two thugs—in detail.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xi'en's pretty face turned deathly pale. A chill ran from her feet to the top of her head, and she broke out in a cold sweat! She couldn't imagine what would have happened to her if Lin Yan hadn't arrived in time!
At this moment, Lin Yi walked in carrying a steaming breakfast. Seeing that Yang Xi'en had woken up, he smiled gently and said, "It's good that Miss Yang is awake. Have something to eat first." He distributed hot milk and bread to the two of them.
The three survivors quietly finished their breakfast. After the doctor checked Yang Xi'en again and confirmed that she only needed to rest and was otherwise fine, Lin Yi arranged for a car to pick them up and take them back to the lakeside resort hotel to meet up with Lin Yan.
Meanwhile, inside the local detention center.
After completing the confession of the crime according to procedure, the effects of the bewitching spell seemed to have reached their expiration time. Thomas Jefferson Brown suddenly jolted awake, his eyes regaining their clarity.
After a brief moment of confusion, fragments of last night's nightmarish memories flooded back into my mind—I was slapped unconscious by that Eastern boy, and then…and then I actually confessed everything in court?! I even implicated James and the check?!
"No! This can't be!" Thomas growled, instantly consumed by boundless fear and rage. He lunged at the iron bars, pounding on them and screaming madly at the guards outside:
"I need to make a phone call! Give me a phone! I am Thomas Jefferson Brown! From the Brown family! I need to contact my lawyer! I need bail! This is unlawful detention! I did nothing! I've been framed!"
The prison guards at the detention center frowned as they looked at the seemingly deranged spoiled brat, but following procedure, they still dialed the number to the Brown family in California for him.
The moment the call connected, Thomas, as if grasping at a last straw, began to scream incoherently into the microphone...
On the other end of the phone, the head of the Brown family in California turned ashen-faced upon hearing his son's tearful, incoherent account and the keywords "kidnapping," "attempted sexual assault," and "confession." A backlash and storm from an established political family was about to engulf this tranquil snow-capped mountain town.