Two weeks later:
Early in the morning, just before sunrise, Xue Guangli woke up bolting towards the bathroom. She opened the toilet seat, hurling her guts inside the bowl. When she finished, she flushed the toilet, cleaning herself up, sliding down the bathroom wall.
She sat on the floor, with her elbows on her knees, her hands rubbing the tears from her face.
She heard some shuffling across the carpeted floor, and the door creaked open. Xue Teegan walked in, wearing a nightgown and cardigan. She crouched down with a gla.s.s of warm orange juice and offered it to her.
"I heard you," Xue Teegan said to her.
Xue Guangli took the gla.s.s and began to drink the contents down, forcing the taste of bile away from her mouth.
Xue Guangli put the gla.s.s away, her face tear-stained.
"We should go see a doctor," Xue Teegan suggested.
Xue Guangli bit her lip. "No," she responded. "I don"t want to see one."
Xue Teegan sighed deeply. "Long Huojin would want you to go, to make sure that both of you are okay," she said.
Xue Guangli"s eyes shot up to her. "I don"t want to do it without him..."
Xue Teegan sat on the floor in front of her, grasping her hand. "Can we at least take a test?" she asked her.
Xue Guangli nodded.
Xue Teegan then rose from the floor, leaving the room. She came back five minutes later with a pregnancy test in hand. "I keep them in my room, just in case."
Xue Guangli took a deep breath before rising to use it. She gave the stick back to her sister to read the results. After a minute, Xue Teegan smiled softly. "It says you"re pregnant."
Xue Guangli ran a hand through her red hair. She glanced at her sister, smiling briefly with welling tears. She began to cry.
"Why are you crying?" Xue Teegan asked.
"I"ve suspected for some time..." she said, rubbing her still-flat belly. "But I didn"t want it to be true, not until Long Huojin was with me again. I can"t do it without him...this pregnancy."
Xue Teegan reached out to embrace her. "I am confident in you," she began. "The trial should start today. Bring everything you got. I trust Qian Meigui would wield what you give her."
Xue Guangli wiped the tears from her face, nodding. Xue Teegan broke the hug, taking her hand. She guided Xue Guangli down the stairs, into the kitchen, making her a small meal. She gave her a plate of baked sweet potato, eggs, and lentils. "It looks like you just put a bunch of random food," Xue Guangli said.
Xue Teegan pouted. "I"m not very good at cooking," she said.
Xue Guangli smiled, eating all of it nonetheless.
Xue Teegan could see her sister"s spirit brighten. The last two weeks for Xue Guangli had been restless. She distracted herself by obsessively putting pieces together, asking for Yin Shou"s help. Other times, she was working on the dresses for Fas.h.i.+on Week. But the problem was that she was overexerting her body, so Xue Teegan would provide her meals rich with the nutrients and vitamins she needed.
Xue Guangli didn"t want to accept the fact that she was pregnant, Xue Teegan knew. But it shouldn"t be for long until Long Huojin"s name is clear.
Most criminal trials were long processes, taking up to months. But Qian Meigui argued with the court, claiming Long Huojin as an innocent man.
She demanded that the re-trial should take place early, as it was a priority for someone like Long Huojin. She also threatened to sue w.a.n.g Weimin for defamation. Therefore, many people were on-edge about the trial, especially since they concerned elites and high societal men.
In the courtroom, Xue Guangli met with Qian Meigui just before her lawyer had to meet with the defendant, Long Huojin.
Xue Guangli was stunned to see her without her full-rounded belly. Judging from her face, Qian Meigui said, "I gave birth less than two weeks ago, but that"s not going to stop me from being here. My husband is taking care of my baby at home. They"ll be fine," she said.
Xue Guangli smiled, hugging the new mother. "Thank you," she whispered in her ear. Qian Meigui smiled back. "I better go," she said, walking down the courtroom to meet with her legal team. When she disappeared, Xue Guangli took a deep breath and exhaled. She sat in one of the benches, not far behind where Long Huojin was going to sit.
Xue Teegan and the others came to join her, including Long Huojin"s parents. Xue Guangli could see w.a.n.g Weimin sitting on the other side of the courtroom with a sneer etched on his face. He was sitting with members from w.a.n.g Worldwide, some of his family members were with him too.
Not long after did the correctional officers escort Long Huojin in. He sat next to Qian Meigui, where she began to speak to him, just before the proceeding began.
Xue Guangli"s heart pounded. She was nervous, very nervous. She remembered when they sentenced her father, but back then, she was too numb to feel anything. Now, her nerves and senses have heightened. She was terrified that no one would believe them, or that her plan won"t work.
The judge entered the room, a man who looked like he was in his late forties. His face was hard and grim. He greeted the courtroom before beginning. "I wanted to start off with the plaintiff"s family to begin the trial, but I received word that the plaintiff"s family, Mrs. Xue Hien"s family, had sided with the defendant, Mr. Long." He paused.
"Never in my career had I had both sides of the courtroom on the same side. I can"t tell if it"s a good or a bad thing, but Mr. w.a.n.g Weimin will step in for the plaintiff," he said.
Tension rose.
w.a.n.g Weimin"s lawyer began to speak. "In regards to Mrs. Xue mother of three, wife to Xue Gao, Mr. w.a.n.g accuses Mr. Long of the murder of Xue Hien." He then approached the judge with doc.u.ments.
"There is evidence that Long Huojin was at the crime scene, that night."