A "Death Sentence" lay before Guo Xiaopeng, stamped with the crimson seal of the Provincial High Court.
Jiang Qiangmin pointed to the signature line and handed a pen to Guo Xiaopeng. As Guo Xiaopeng attempted to sign, the pen ran dry. He chuckled, "This pen isn't as good as my Cartier."
Jiang Qiangmin glared at him with contempt, took the pen, shook it, and handed it back. Guo Xiaopeng shrugged. "My father used to say, there are three embarrassing things: shaking a watch, pushing a car, and shaking a pen." With that, he signed his name smoothly.
Jiang Qiangmin grabbed the judgment and started to leave. "Wait," Guo Xiaopeng called out. Jiang Qiangmin turned around.
Guo Xiaopeng's arrogance vanished, replaced by a pleading tone, "I want to see Jiang Jingfei."
"In your dreams!" Jiang Qiangmin turned to leave again.
"I have important information!" Guo Xiaopeng shouted urgently.
Jiang Qiangmin stopped, his gaze piercing, and said in a low voice, "I warn you, the law is not clay for you to mold."
Guo Xiaopeng, with a sincere expression, said, "A dying man speaks no falsehoods, and a bird sings mournfully before its death. I truly have crucial information, but Jiang Jingfei must come for me to speak."
Jiang Qiangmin scrutinized him, "Is that so?"
"I'm already a dead man; why would I play games with you? Please, believe me." Guo Xiaopeng said solemnly.
"Alright, I'll report your request to my superiors," Jiang Qiangmin replied, striding out quickly. The sun was about to sink into the mirror-like waters of Haizhou's Linbin Park. Silence surrounded them as visitors became sparse. Li Xinjian rowed the boat powerfully, while Lu Xiaofei sat at the bow, lost in thought. Li Xinjian's face was filled with affection as he asked, "When are you leaving Haizhou?"
Lu Xiaofei averted his intense gaze and softly replied, "Orders are for me to return immediately, within these couple of days."
"What about us..." Li Xinjian searched for words, "When will we meet again?"
Lu Xiaofei understood his unspoken words but responded vaguely, "I believe there will always be chances to meet."
Just as Li Xinjian was about to express his feelings clearly, Wang Jingfei's phone rang. She quickly said "Got it" and then closed her phone, telling Li Xinjian, "I have to go back, there's a mission."
Li Xinjian looked at her with suspicion but held back his questions.
In the interrogation room, the lights were exceptionally bright.
Guo Xiaopeng sat upright in a chair. Across from him, Lu Xiaofei sat in another chair, her gaze unwavering on the shackled Guo Xiaopeng, her heart weighed down by a heavy stone, but her face remained expressionless.
With a half-smile, Guo Xiaopeng said, "I knew you would come."
Lu Xiaofei replied gently, "Say what you have to say."
Guo Xiaopeng placed a piece of paper on the table. "Let's handle official matters first, so you can listen to me with peace of mind." He nodded towards the paper, "This contains my offshore bank account details, with fifty million yuan inside. Instead of letting Swiss banks profit like during WWII, I'd rather give it to you."
Lu Xiaofei asked, "Didn't you say all accounts were recorded in your electronic organizer?"
"When I was young and got into trouble, Lin Zilie didn't hit me. He just starved me. Once, I caused a major incident and wasn't allowed to eat for a week," Guo Xiaopeng laughed, "but I wasn't hungry at all. I had stashed food in a place only I knew. Always prepared for tough times." His eyes sparkled, "Moreover, I never trusted anyone. You are an exception. Not rigging the organizer with a bomb is an example, but I'm not so irrational as to not have a backup plan."
Lu Xiaofei took the paper but didn't look at it immediately.
"Also, there are names of several prominent figures besides Hu An, along with evidence of their corruption."
Lu Xiaofei still didn't move the paper.
Guo Xiaopeng seemed satisfied, "You will definitely become a top figure. Your composure is remarkable!"
Lu Xiaofei remained stern and motionless.
Guo Xiaopeng relaxed, "Now, I can tell you about my journey. Haven't you always wanted to know? I've decided to tell you, even though you sent me to the guillotine. Life is fleeting. Besides, I'm weary of this world and must quickly join my dear mother in the other world, my only family!"
Lu Xiaofei looked at him with a complex expression.
Guo Xiaopeng tried to cross his legs, but the shackles stopped him. "When you look at people, they all seem the same, just a bunch of two-legged, hairless animals. But if you observe closely, it's a complex world. At the top, people enjoy ample spiritual and material supplies. As you go down, supplies dwindle. At the bottom, energy barely sustains life, and spiritual supply is almost zero. I lived in such a world."
Lu Xiaofei looked at him skeptically.
Guo Xiaopeng noticed her doubt. "From a layman's perspective, it might sound absurd. My biological father was a famous writer, from whom I inherited a good mind. My mother was a known actress, from whom I got decent looks. My stepfather was a high-ranking official, from whom I got opportunities. This structure predetermined my path."
Lu Xiaofei couldn't help but speak, "I've seen many from similar backgrounds who didn't take your path."
Guo Xiaopeng calmly interrupted, "Note this: you will have many opportunities to express your views, but I have at most ten hours left!" With that, Lu Xiaofei naturally held her tongue.
Guo Xiaopeng continued, "Looking forward, life seems full of chance, but in retrospect, everything is predestined. You haven't known me long enough to see me truly eat. At banquets, I eat modestly, but when I let loose, I can devour three and a half pounds of meat, half a roast duck, and a big ice cream, and not eat for three days. When I went to the U.S. with ten dollars, I had to rely on this just to survive." Lu Xiaofei seemed uninterested.
Guo Xiaopeng noticed and shifted to the main point, "You categorize people as criminals and non-criminals, good and bad. But I tell you, it's all about opportunity. Rural areas have low crime rates not because the people are noble, but because they lack choices. No choice, no pain. My father was exiled to Haizhou; he wasn't pained because he had no choice. My stepfather was overthrown; he wasn't pained because he had no choice. My mother remarried into the Lin family, enduring Lin Xiaoqiang's relentless harassment because she had no choice, with me and my brother to care for, even death wasn't an option."
Lu Xiaofei trembled, eyes showing confusion.
Guo Xiaopeng noticed and explained, "You might think high-ranking families can't have such filth, but it exists. Lin Xiaoqiang, highly driven by lust, mirrored Lin Zilie's early harassment of my mother. At Lin Zilie's downfall, Lin Xiaoqiang forcibly harassed my mother. At just four or five years old, I hit him with a stick, knocking him out."
Lu Xiaofei pushed a water cup towards him, seeing his trembling lips.
Guo Xiaopeng's voice softened, "You, living in the sunlight, can't fathom my heart. Many poorer families still have parental care and dignity. In this world, nothing is bigger than food. Let's talk about food. I knew my place in the Lin family, didn't dare dream of good things. They ate cabbage hearts, I ate the stems; they ate lean meat, I had fat and skin. One time, I loved fish heads, which they fed to the cat if I wasn't there. But Lin Xiaoqiang took the fish head I loved. We fought, and I got beaten. You know who hit me? My own mother! My own mother!" He reverted to his earlier tone, "I loved reading, a trait inherited from genes. But books were beyond my reach. Initially, I read behind Lin Xiaoqiang. When he noticed I understood quickly, he mocked me and then decided to erase my scholarly traits. From then, no books were visible. I had to sneak to bookstores, hiding unfinished books behind shelves. Learning was as natural as breathing. In elementary school, I was always first, topping the city's exams. Lin Zilie was pleased because theoretically, I was his son. He asked what I wanted. I asked for a pair of Warrior shoes."
He looked at the ceiling, "Such bouncy shoes! Even after wearing crocodile, calf, and lamb leather, I can't forget those Warriors." His tone turned dark, "But the next day, they were gone. I found them destroyed behind the Lin estate. Someone had shredded them with intense hatred. Anything I needed had to be fought for. Without fighting, I had nothing! Nothing, do you understand?"
Lu Xiaofei said, "Adversity breeds strength. Many have turned childhood hardships into motivation."
Guo Xiaopeng nodded, "True. I realized my misery was due to one thing: lack of power. From that day, my life centered around gaining power. After college, I chose to study in the U.S., the shortcut to power. Lin Zilie, through his influence, helped me. That's why I spared Lin Xiaoqiang's life into the last century." He smirked, "That fool, thinking he'd become the Count of Monte Cristo after five years in prison, came to settle scores. A typical fool's errand!"