The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 652 - 565

The driver’s account is similar to what’s documented, but there is no lack of exaggeration. After all, none of these people have experienced the scene firsthand and there is a possibility of misinformation spreading.

However, in Jian Si’s eyes, the driver who caused the accident is utterly unforgivable. Overloading the vehicle to make money, neglecting to change the worn brake system to save costs, and choosing to abandon the vehicle to save his own life at a critical moment.

She couldn’t understand, how such a person, who caused the death of more than thirty people, could still get a defense from Nan Zhan. He should pay for his negligence. He didn’t just harm thirty lives, but thirty families, or even many more than that.

"Smart of you not to reveal our purpose." After getting out of the car, Nan Zhan stood on the roadside of the scene of the car accident and looked down.

This road was a mountain pass, and below the road was a nearly vertical cliff. If it weren’t for the moment the vehicle plunged down when someone was ejected, it’s likely that no one would have survived.

Jian Si said: "How could I possibly say that? The victims’ families are filled with immeasurable hatred toward the driver; I don’t want to attract more resentment needlessly."

"Those words carry a grudge." Nan Zhan had already crouched down by the road, his head lowered as if observing something.

"Not at all." Jian Si pouted slightly.

"Hah, that grudge just grew a bit heavier."

"Nan Zhan." Jian Si was angry, "I have no right to interfere with what cases you take, but such thankless tasks will only bring you negative repercussions. Even if you do get a reduced sentence for that driver, you will only earn resentment. With your status, you don’t need to come to these remote places and suffer. Why then?"

"Yes, why indeed?" Nan Zhan picked up a small pebble and looked at it, his response seemingly off-topic. Suddenly, a glint flashed across his narrow eyes – hadn’t he just picked up the evidence from the photos?

Hehe, good, the trip wasn’t in vain.

Standing aside, Jian Si suddenly heard his voice: "Alright, end the childish temper tantrum, hand me an evidence bag."

Although Jian Si was annoyed with him, she knew not to delay work, so she opened her backpack, took out an evidence bag, and handed it to him.

"What do you need a few stones for?"

"They’re useful." He put the stones in the bag, then took out a rope from the backpack he brought, tying one end to a locust tree on the roadside.

Jian Si realized what he was planning to do and asked nervously, "You’re going down there?"

"How can I draw a conclusion without seeing the scene? Wait for me up here." After leaving instructions, Nan Zhan started sliding down the slope, which became steeper towards the bottom. Although the terrain was higher up top and almost vertical below, he could still see the marks made by the rolling car ten days ago – the flattened grass, the fallen stones, and some trash and snack wrappers that fell out of the car.

After Nan Zhan got to the bottom, the vehicle and everything at the scene had been removed, leaving behind the horrific aftermath of the car accident, bloodstains everywhere, and some fragments of the car body that couldn’t be collected.

After a thorough search, Nan Zhan didn’t find anything of significance, and Jian Si, above, was already calling out to him.

Worried?

Nan Zhan smirked and raised his eyebrow, then started climbing back up the same way.

Jian Si indeed was worried; there was no proper path here, the slope was almost vertical at nearly ninety degrees, and the sound of wind whispering through the mountain seemed even more eerie amidst the height of almost a hundred meters. Moreover, so many people had just died below; the thought alone was enough to send chills down her spine.

Soon, the rope tied to the tree began to quiver; someone was climbing up.

Jian Si hurriedly leaned out to look down. Nan Zhan was climbing up with the rope. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he stepped on a loose stone and started sliding down.

"Be careful." Jian Si yelled out in shock, instinctively crouching down to grab the rope.

Thankfully, Nan Zhan did not let go, although his body was hanging in midair, he still managed to find a foothold with his agile skills.

It was not until he finally climbed up that Jian Si breathed a sigh of relief. This man, in search of evidence, was willing to risk his life – is this the extent to which lawyers go?

"Worried about me?" Compared to Jian Si’s frazzled state, Nan Zhan seemed completely at ease, as if the danger he had just faced never happened. He began untieing the rope, "Sadly, no findings."

"You’ve hurt your hand." Jian Si, with her sharp eyes, noticed the fresh blood on his palm.

"It’s nothing, just a scratch from the rope."

Nan Zhan didn’t care, but Jian Si suddenly seized his hand, "No, it needs to be bandaged."

She took out tissues and mineral water from her bag, first cleaning his wound with water, washing away the blood and dirt to reveal the ghastly cut beneath. It was so deep and yet he seemed so indifferent.

"We’ll handle it simply for now; you’ll need to go to the hospital later. It’s hot weather and wounds can easily get infected," Jian Si said as she tore her handkerchief into two strips and started wrapping his hand skillfully while holding his palm steady.

There was almost no one on the mountain road as the road had been closed off to the public after the major accident. The surrounding woods rustled with the wind and unidentified birds flew overhead.

Nan Zhan watched the fluffy head below him – under the sunlight, it was even dazzlingly bright.

She was a head shorter than him, the bridge of her nose pronounced and delicate due to her bowed head, as if transparent.

He simply gazed at her quietly, feeling a strange warmth spreading from the tip of his heart, leaving behind a warm trace.

"There, the bleeding has stopped for now." Jian Si finished bandaging the wound and raised her bright eyes, "What do we do next?"

"Go look for the survivors."

~

The car accident had happened not long ago, and the survivors were still receiving treatment in the hospital.

After arriving at the hospital, Jian Si wanted Nan Zhan to have his wound treated first, but he insisted on seeing the survivors first, and Jian Si had no choice but to compromise.

There were a total of six survivors in the car accident. Apart from the driver, the remaining five people included three who were in the intensive care unit and two whose condition had stabilized and were receiving rehabilitative treatment.

"Who are you?" A family member of Mr. Wu, one of the survivors, looked at the two with some confusion, "Hasn’t the investigation finished?"

"There are a few more questions we need to ask, it won’t take much time," Jian Si said with a smile, "Thank you for your cooperation."

Pushing open the door, he pointed at the person in bed, "He’s in fairly good spirits today."

Mr. Wu had a fractured right leg and ribs. He didn’t fall off the cliff but was thrown onto a higher slope by the vehicle, which is why he was fortunate to survive.

"I’ve already said what I should. The van, which was supposed to carry only 25 people, was crammed with 35. The accident was caused because of the overload and brake failure," Mr. Wu said.

Jian Si asked, "Was your vehicle arranged by the travel agency?"

"Yes, the travel agency arranged everything, and the vehicle was hired," Mr. Wu replied.

"Did any of the travel agency’s staff organize boarding or notice the vehicle was overloaded before you got on? Did they check the vehicle’s operation qualifications when they hired it?"

Mr. Wu thought for a moment, then shook his head, "I’m not sure if they checked the operation qualifications, but there was no one organizing when we boarded. We just saw the vehicle parked halfway up the mountain bearing the travel agency’s flag and got on."

"The minivan only had twenty seats, where did the other ten people sit?"

"Some sat on small stools, and some were standing."

Jian Si caught Nan Zhan’s glance and continued to ask, "Whose stools were those? And who gave them out to everyone?"

Mr. Wu explained, "The stools were in the driver’s van, and they were handed out to us by him and the tour guide."

They visited another injured person whose responses were essentially the same as Mr. Wu’s.

After leaving the hospital room, Mr. Wu’s family member ran out, visibly agitated, "You must punish that driver severely, even take his life if possible. He has hurt so many people; he’s like a devil."

Nan Zhan and Jian Si exchanged glances, and Jian Si spoke up, "Rest assured, whoever needs to be held accountable will be."

It was already evening when they returned to the small hostel, having been on the run all day. Jian Si was exhausted and sore all over, but fortunately, she was used to such hardships from working with Nan Zhan. After soaking her feet and lying down on the bed for a while, she didn’t feel as tired.

After resting for a while, Jian Si got up, slipped on her slippers, and left with a folder in hand.

Nan Zhan had just taken a shower. When she knocked and entered, he was coming out of the bathroom, with only a white towel wrapped around his waist, worn very low at that,

Jian Si, upon contact with his lean chest and toned body, immediately blushed and took a step back, "I’ll come back later."

"Come in," Nan Zhan said casually as he put on a T-shirt, "Did you think of something?"

"This, this is the medicine I got from the hospital. Treat your wound first," she said. He’d refused to have it bandaged at the doctor’s, so she took advantage of the moment she went to the bathroom to get some external medication.

He might be meticulous and thorough with his cases, but he’s careless and negligent when it comes to his own body.

Nan Zhan clearly didn’t expect her to have bought medication for external injuries, a rare flicker of unusual emotion crossing the depths of his eyes.

The room in the hostel was very small, with no furniture like tables or chairs. There was just a bed with an electric kettle on a bedside table. Because it was on the shady side, the wall’s seams had grown a layer of green moss.

Jian Si had no choice but to sit on the bed, taking out gauze and antiseptic from her pocket.

"My mom used to say that small sicknesses can become incurable diseases if you’re not careful. The same goes for wounds; an infection can cause big trouble," Jian Si remarked.

Nan Zhan obediently sat beside her and extended his hand. The small bed suddenly became very crowded with his addition.

His hand was still wrapped with her handkerchief, which had been soaked through with blood and had dried into a dark purple. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Jian Si carefully unwound the handkerchief, and indeed, the wound had already turned white, the flesh nearly bursting out.

A chill ran up her spine, and a sharp pain stung at her heart. Although there was no wound on her body, she felt a very real ache.

The bed was very small, and they had to sit very close. Her soft, boneless fingers rubbed against his skin, tickling like a kitten’s scratch.

He stared at her slender, snowy neck exposed outside her T-shirt, and the desire within him began to stir uncontrollably.