The next day after getting the video evidence, Jiang Wan found Zhang Bo, the most prestigious and impartial lawyer in City A.
Attorney Zhang Bo is nearly 50 years old and is well-known in the industry for "taking on tough cases". He has handled many major cases and is never afraid of the powerful. He only believes in evidence and the law. Of course, his fees are also sky-high.
This money was paid by Huo Yunchen.
"I'm investing in you, so of course I have to give you the best equipment." Huo Yunchen said it nonchalantly, as if the seven-figure legal fee was just the purchase of an ordinary commodity.
In the VIP reception room of Zhang Bo's law firm, Jiang Wan took off her black-framed glasses that disguised herself for the first time and faced this gold medal lawyer in her true identity.
"Hello, Lawyer Zhang. My name is Jiang Wan."
Zhang Bo looked at the overly young woman in front of him, whose eyes were unusually calm, and pushed his gold-rimmed glasses: "Jiang Wan? The one who caused the traffic accident five years ago..."
"Yes, it's me." Jiang Wan gently placed the USB drive containing the video evidence on the table. "I'm here today to ask you to overturn my case."
Zhang Bo showed a bit of surprise on his face. He had seen all kinds of people in his many years of working, but Jiang Wan was the first one who was so determined to overturn her conviction after being released from prison.
He did not agree immediately. Instead, with professional caution, he inserted the USB drive into the computer and clicked on the video.
As the video played, the expression on Zhang Bo's face changed from calm at first to solemn, and finally to deep shock.
After watching the video, he was silent for a long time before he looked up at Jiang Wan, with a hint of admiration and sympathy in his eyes: "Ms. Jiang, you have suffered a lot in the past five years."
"The suffering is over. I just want justice back." Jiang Wan's voice was calm.
"I'll take your case." Zhang Bo made a prompt decision. "From a legal perspective, with this new key evidence that is sufficient to overturn the original verdict, we can file an appeal with the Municipal High People's Court and request a re-examination of the original case."
"How long will this process take?"
"It may take three months at the fastest and half a year at the slowest," Zhang Bo explained. "The court needs time to verify the authenticity of the evidence and re-summon all relevant persons. Especially... your sister, Jiang Rou, and your ex-fiancé, Gu Hanshen. They were both key witnesses in this case."
Jiang Rou, Gu Hanshen.
Hearing these two names, a cold light flashed in Jiang Wan's eyes.
"Very good." This was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to see with her own eyes what wonderful expressions they would have when they stood in court and faced this irrefutable evidence.
"But, Miss Jiang, I must remind you." Zhang Bo's tone became serious, "Once this matter is launched, you will be pushed to the forefront again. And your opponents are the Gu Group and the current Jiang family. They have top public relations teams and lawyers. They will attack the legitimacy of this evidence at all costs, and even attack you personally and slander your reputation."
"I don't care." Jiang Wan replied calmly, "I have nothing left. What else do I have to lose? My reputation? Five years ago, the moment I put on the prison uniform, it was trampled to pieces. As for personal attacks, Lawyer Zhang, the me in front of you has crawled out of hell. I am not afraid of any form of attack."
Her tone was calm, yet it carried a convincing power.
Zhang Bo looked at her as if he saw a phoenix rising from the ashes. He nodded, "I understand. From now on, I will build the best team and go all out. Please believe in the justice of the law."
"I don't believe in the law, Lawyer Zhang." Jiang Wan stood up and prepared to leave. "I believe in the evidence."
Walking out of the law firm, the sun was shining brightly. Jiang Wan looked up at the azure sky. This was the first time since she was released from prison that the sun was no longer glaring.
The first step towards revenge has been taken firmly.
In the following days, Jiang Wan and Huo Yunchen divided the work. She worked with Zhang Bo's lawyer team to complete all the appeal materials, recalling and recording every detail that was overlooked that year. Huo Yunchen, on the other hand, used his resources to secretly clear obstacles for her.
He found out the technician who was responsible for processing the surveillance video. He had long since left the police force and opened a small company with the help of the Gu family. Huo Yunchen's people "visited" him. They did not threaten him, but put a recording of a secret transaction between him and the Gu family's assistant in front of him. The man was so depressed that he expressed his willingness to testify in court.
He also found the driver of the taxi. The driver had already returned to his hometown, so Huo Yunchen sent someone to invite him back to City A and provided him with all the living security, just to make him tell the truth - it was he who drove Jiang Wan to the crime scene.
An invisible net is quietly tightening.
At the center of the web were Gu Hanshen and Jiang Rou, who were still enjoying their wealth and glory. They knew nothing about the coming storm.
The court summons was delivered to the president's office of Gu Group and Jiang Rou's jewelry design company in the most official and unquestionable manner.
When Jiang Rou saw the words "Notice on Reexamination of Jiang Wan's Traffic Accident Case" on the subpoena, the coffee cup in her hand fell to the ground with a clang and shattered into pieces.
Her face instantly turned paler than the porcelain pieces on the ground.
The court summons was like a huge rock, smashing into Gu Hanshen's peaceful life.
He sat in the spacious president's office, holding the thin piece of paper between his fingertips, but he felt that it weighed more than a thousand pounds.
Jiang Wan.
Overturn the verdict.
Those two words combined gave direction to all the uneasiness and doubt he had been feeling for the past few weeks.
He immediately thought of the mysterious woman named "Lin Wan".
It's her! It must be her!
Who else but her would go to the trouble of reminding him of the secret of the cufflinks and sending him photos of the accident scene?
She didn't look like Jiang Wan, nor did she know some secret and wanted to blackmail her. She was Jiang Wan herself!
This realization made Gu Han feel an unprecedented panic.
She's not dead? She's back? How did she get out? What does she want to do?
A series of questions rushed through his mind like a runaway train, and for the first time he realized that his rationality and calmness, which he was so proud of, were completely useless at this moment.
He immediately mobilized all his resources to investigate the fake identity of "Lin Wan". However, it was like a stone sinking into the sea. No matter how hard his people investigated, they could only find the fake resume. Beyond that, there was nothing. This woman was like a ghost that appeared out of thin air, coming and going without a trace.
If he couldn't find her, he couldn't confirm his guess, nor could he predict her next move. This feeling of being out of control made Gu Hanshen suffer.
He began to become distracted, often losing focus during meetings, and even lost interest in an acquisition that had seemed a sure thing.
He began to go places subconsciously.
Those places he and Jiang Wan had been to together.
He went to the cafe where they had their first date. The cafe was still there, but the owner had changed and the walls were covered with unfamiliar photos. He ordered a cup of Jiang Wan's favorite cappuccino, but found it too bitter to swallow.
He went to the top of the mountain where they had fallen in love. The night wind was cold, and the city lights below the mountain were brilliant, just as he remembered. He remembered that it was here that Jiang Wan accepted his proposal and leaned in his arms, her eyes full of longing for the future.
"Han Shen, we will be together forever, right?"
"certainly."
The vows made in the past were still fresh in his mind, but now they were like a loud slap in his face.
He didn't know whether he was missing her or fearing her. Perhaps it was both. He missed the Jiang Wan who loved and adored him with all her heart, but he was also afraid of the Jiang Wan who had returned from hell and only wanted revenge.
His attitude towards Jiang Rou also became colder and colder.
When Jiang Rou came to him crying with the subpoena, he did not comfort her as usual.
"Han Shen, what should we do? Why is the court re-investigating my sister's case? Did they make a mistake?" Jiang Rou's voice was filled with fear.
"How should I know?" Gu Hanshen interrupted her impatiently, "You should ask your lawyer about the court subpoena, not me!"
"But...but we are husband and wife!" Jiang Rou couldn't believe that he would speak to her in that tone.
"Husband and wife?" Gu Hanshen sneered. He stood up, walked in front of Jiang Rou, and looked down at her. "Jiang Rou, let me ask you, five years ago, did you hide anything from me?"
His eyes were as sharp as a knife, as if they wanted to cut her open.
Jiang Rou felt uneasy when he looked at her, and subconsciously took a step back: "I...what can I hide from you? It's a fact that my sister was driving under the influence, all the evidence is..."
"I don't want to hear this!" Gu Hanshen slammed the table, frightening Jiang Rou so much that she trembled all over. "I just want to know if you're lying!"
Facing Gu Hanshen's questioning, Jiang Rou's mind went blank. She could only use her best weapon - tears.
"Han Shen, how can you ask me that? Am I that kind of person in your heart? Can't you see how much I have given for you and for this family?" She cried with tears in her eyes.
If it were in the past, Gu Hanshen might have softened his heart. But now, looking at her tearful face, he just felt annoyed.
He suddenly thought of Lin Wan's calm and even cold face. Comparing the two, he actually felt that the latter was more real.
Just when Gu Hanshen was overwhelmed by this matter, he received a strange phone call.
"Mr. Gu?" The voice on the other end of the phone was a deliberately processed one that made it impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman.
"Who are you?"
"Someone who wants to help you." The voice said slowly, "I know you've been looking for a woman named 'Lin Wan' recently. I can tell you where she is."
Gu Hanshen's heart skipped a beat: "What are your conditions?"
"Tonight at 10 o'clock, at the abandoned dock in the west of the city, come alone. Remember, don't bring the police with you, otherwise, you will never know the truth."
After saying that, the other party hung up the phone.
Gu Hanshen held the phone in his hand and fell into deep thought. He knew that this was most likely a trap. However, in order to solve the mystery in his heart, he had no choice.
Night, West City Pier.
The sea breeze smells salty, and the abandoned warehouse looks like a silent beast in the night.
Gu Hanshen arrived alone as promised.
He waited for a long time, and just when he thought he was being fooled, a figure wearing a black windbreaker, a baseball cap and a mask walked out from the shadow of the warehouse.
It's her!
Even though she wrapped herself tightly, Gu Hanshen still recognized her at a glance. That figure was "Lin Wan"!
"Who are you?" Gu Hanshen asked straight to the point.
"Who I am, does it matter?" Jiang Wan's voice was also processed, cold and hoarse, "What's important is that I know who you are, Gu Hanshen. I also know that you really want to know the truth of five years ago."
"What do you want? Money?"
"Money?" Jiang Wan let out a low, mocking laugh. "Mr. Gu, do you think that everything in this world can be solved with money?"
She walked towards him step by step, her dark eyes shining surprisingly brightly in the night.
"I don't want money." She stood in front of him and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I just want to remind you that if you choose the wrong person, you will have to pay a price. Some people and some things, you think they are in the past, but in fact, they are just waiting for a time of reckoning."
After saying that, she no longer paid attention to Gu Hanshen who was standing there in a daze, and turned around to leave.
"Stop!" Gu Hanshen heard a strong threat and hatred in her words. He was almost certain that the woman in front of him was Jiang Wan. "You are Jiang Wan, right!"
Jiang Wan paused for a moment, but did not look back.
"Gu Hanshen, you will know the answer soon."
She dropped these words and quickly disappeared into the darkness, just as mysterious as when she appeared.
Gu Hanshen stood there, the sea breeze making him feel cold all over.
She is back.
She really came back.
She returns with a heart full of hatred to settle accounts with all those who betrayed her.