In court, the neighbors had already seen the evidence, and although there was no direct proof to confirm that Gu Yuanjiang sold his daughter's heart or that the hospital performed a live heart transplant, the related evidence presented was enough to prove that Gu Qin's heart was healthy and did not require surgery. No matter how eloquent the lawyer was, they all felt something was off. A coincidence was one thing, but so many coincidences? Haha...
Everyone had their own judgment, but one could easily imagine the outcome in today's world, where you couldn't use the internet and public opinion to fight against someone more powerful than yourself.
On the way back, Cheng Yinxiang was somewhat dazed, her face pale. "Qin Qin, why can't those bad people be punished? Why doesn't Heaven punish them?"
Gu Qin patted Cheng Yinxiang's back. "Mom, don't worry, there will be retribution. They will definitely get their comeuppance." She didn't care what the outcome was. If they created evil karma, let them have it. As long as those people received the punishment they deserved, she was fine with it.
Cheng Yinxiang almost cried but held it back, not wanting her daughter to worry. Gu Qin smiled. "Mom, really, don't worry. They will definitely have retribution, and I'm fine now. In the future, our family of three will live better and better. Oh, by the way, Mom, I transferred a million to your card. Use it to pay off the debts, and spend the rest however you like. When I'm making more money, I'll give you more."
"What... what?" Cheng Yinxiang was stunned, her eyes red as she looked at Gu Qin. "One million? Qin Qin, where did you get so much money? Don't tell me it's from giving someone a fortune..." She glanced at the taxi driver in front and stopped her words, "Qin Qin, I don't care about the debts. We can pay them back slowly. I just want you to be safe. I'm really worried about you doing things like this."
Gu Qin was silent. She wasn't good at speaking, and fortune-telling and feng shui were part of her daily life. She hadn't thought about hiding this from Cheng Yinxiang because it was hard to keep secrets. They couldn't rent forever, so it was better to be open from the start. She didn't think being a feng shui master was anything special, but her mother clearly didn't want her to do this. She couldn't argue and could only stay silent.
"Qin Qin..." Cheng Yinxiang looked at her daughter and, afraid she would revert to her introverted self, didn't dare push further. "Alright, alright, Mom isn't mad at you. Mom... Mom just wants you to be safe. Understand?"
Seeing that Gu Qin remained silent, Cheng Yinxiang coaxed, "Alright, alright, tell me how you made so much money? One million, that's too... when did giving someone a fortune become worth a million?"
Gu Qin briefly explained the situation, saying that there had been frequent accidents at a construction site, and she had helped resolve the issues. The boss gave her a million to thank her. She kept some things to herself, like how Boss Jiang and Boss Li also gave her a villa and the top floor of a building. She didn't want to shock her mom, but she would slowly help her mom accept her profession. After all, it would take a year to finish the two construction projects, and she planned to tell her about the villa and the building later. As for buying a house, she wasn't planning on that for now.
The taxi driver couldn't help but glance back, thinking to himself, "Now even young girls are bragging. One million? Seriously?"
After they got home, Cheng Yinxiang started feeling unwell, with a heavy head. Since it was the weekend, she didn't need to go to work and just stayed in bed to rest. Gu Qin made dinner. When Gu Jia came home, he saw Gu Qin busy in the kitchen and dropped his schoolbag on the sofa. He couldn't help but ask, "So, how did it go? Did you win?"
"No," Gu Qin replied in a muffled voice. "Go wash your hands and eat. Mom's not feeling well. She might have caught a cold. Let's eat first, and I'll make her ginger soup later."
Gu Jia didn't say anything. He felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, Gu Yuanjiang was his father, so it was hard for him to accept that his dad might go to prison. But if his dad didn't go to prison, no one would stand up for his sister's suffering. No matter what the outcome, Gu Jia was sad. After a long silence, he said, "What about a civil lawsuit? We still owe tens of thousands. If we get some money from them, Mom will feel better."
"For now, no civil lawsuit," Gu Qin said. "I don't want their money. I just want them to get the punishment they deserve."
"Punishment?" Gu Jia chuckled. "You still believe in that? Haven't you heard that good people don't live long, but harm lasts for generations?"
Gu Qin turned and looked at Gu Jia seriously. "They will get retribution. If I say so, then they will."
Seeing that his sister seemed off, Gu Jia didn't want to upset her. "Alright, alright, if you say they will, they will."
Gu Qin continued with her work. Gu Jia watched her thin back, feeling a mix of emotions. "You guys made a mistake from the start. If you had exposed this online, built up public pressure, even if the evidence wasn't enough, they wouldn't have gotten away with it."
"Online?" Gu Qin straightened up. She recalled that many things were exposed by the media on the internet, and there were benefits and drawbacks to that. Some bad people were punished due to online pressure. But there were also many false accusations, and the internet lacked a real-name system, so no one knew who was behind the screen. It had its pros and cons, and some people just used it to maliciously attack others without any moral compass.
Gu Qin wasn't familiar with this aspect. She hadn't considered using the internet at the beginning because, even though the internet had power, cases like hers, without public relations behind them, were unlikely to gain much attention. Even if there was high attention, if it didn't work, it didn't work. Some people could always find legal loopholes to avoid responsibility. For example, in her case, there was no direct evidence to prove her father's involvement in the live heart transplant, so even if it were blown up online, it wouldn't help.
It wasn't the first time something like this happened online. She remembered a similar case: a teenage boy threw a two-year-old child off a building more than twenty floors high. There was no direct evidence to prove the boy did it, only an elevator video showing him attacking the child. The boy's father claimed his son didn't know how to express emotions, and that hitting the child was his way of showing affection. In the end, because the boy was a minor and there was no direct evidence, the case was dismissed, and even the compensation hadn't been fully paid a year later. It was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye what had happened, just like her case. Even though the evidence was right in front of them, it wasn't enough to force them to admit it.
Gu Jia saw that Gu Qin was lost in thought and couldn't help but ask, "Gu Qin, what if I post a video online?"
"Forget it." Gu Qin replied calmly. "What's the use of a video? There's no evidence that they tried to transplant my heart." She had given up on using legal means to punish them and wanted to make them suffer in a different way.
After dinner, Gu Qin watched TV while thinking of a plan. She didn't know much about the people involved but knew their names. In order to set up a trap, she needed to gather more information about them. She didn't know anyone in this area, but both the Jiang and Li families were influential, so maybe they could help investigate these people. Since the Li family was in disarray, she could only turn to the Jiang family.
Jiang Ni was outgoing and had many connections. Gu Qin immediately called her, hearing loud music in the background. Jiang Ni's voice soon became clearer as she walked away from the noise. "Gu, what's up?"
Gu Qin replied, "Sister Jiang, it's Gu Qin. I need your help with something."
The music grew quieter. Jiang Ni walked further away, and her voice became clear. "Gu, just tell me what you need."
Gu Qin listed the names of the people involved. "Sister Jiang, these are the people— the hospital director, the anesthetist, the doctor, and some assistants. Can you help me investigate them? Once I get the details, I'll take action."
"Alright," Jiang Ni said without asking too many questions. "I know some people. I'll get it done soon."
"Thank you, Sister Jiang."
After hanging up, Gu Qin went to check on Cheng Yinxiang, who was already fast asleep. Gu Qin then went to her room to rest.
The next morning, Gu Qin woke up early to treat Li Qi at the rehabilitation center, then went to school for the early self-study session. Gu Qin was very diligent in her studies. After the session, she went out for breakfast when Lin Xinxin came over, asking, "Qin Qin, you said you would teach me boxing. How about we go to the artificial lake after class? It's quiet there, and not many people go."
Gu Qin smiled. "You don't start
training until later, but we can go now. I'll help you with some exercises, and you can watch."
"Alright!" Lin Xinxin grinned, happy to have the chance to watch and learn.
The two went to the artificial lake after class. Lin Xinxin brought a mat and Gu Qin began showing her some basic moves, teaching her the correct posture and stance. As they trained, they talked.
"Qin Qin," Lin Xinxin suddenly asked, "Do you think we'll win this fight? I mean... with your dad, the case..."
Gu Qin looked at Lin Xinxin and smiled faintly. "It's hard to say. But whether I win or not, I've learned a lot from this."
Lin Xinxin nodded. "It's good to learn something, but I just hope you can get what you deserve."
"Don't worry," Gu Qin said, "I'll make sure they pay for what they did."