She Died Once

Chapter 12: Guilty as charged

Lin Jiying was sentenced to two years in prison, Cheng Feng to life imprisonment. As for Sang Ji Yue, due to incomplete evidence for some of the crimes, she was temporarily detained in the detention center, awaiting her court hearing.

With the dust settling on the news, Wen Han boarded a plane to visit the owner of the Xishan Mansion, Jiang Zhimu, the powerful head of the Jiang family, one of the four great families in the capital.

All the videos obtained by Sangyu Studio—whether original or recovered later—were the work of Jiang Zhimu.

The Jiang family was the most powerful of the four great families in the imperial capital. Jiang Zhimu controlled nearly half of the city’s economic lifelines. Even though he had now expanded his influence to the Magic City, he could still secure his place at the top of the economic chain if he wished.

“Thanks to Mr. Jiang’s help.” A genuine smile finally appeared on Wen Han’s usually cold and hard face. “If it weren’t for Mr. Jiang, we wouldn’t have been able to prove General Manager Xiao Sang's innocence on our own.”

“There’s no need to be so polite. I’m grateful to you all for your unwavering dedication to Shufen.” Jiang Zhimu smiled with composure. Only when he mentioned Sang ShuoNian did a slight emotional fluctuation appear in his voice. “In fact, the video itself came from ShuoNian. It was an academician at the Aerospace Research Institute, one of her investments, who developed the satellite monitoring system that recorded all the evidence. I was merely the one to synthesize the data and make it public.”

Sang Shu Evening was kind, but she was never incompetent.

The satellite monitoring system had been in operation for seven years. Every movement was recorded, and these videos were part of its extensive database. However, Sang ShuNian had kept this technology under wraps, not wanting unscrupulous media to invade the field of aerospace technology. As a result, no one had known she held such advanced monitoring systems in her hands.

“Mr. Jiang is too modest. If it weren’t for your full support, the video would have been taken down by those forces long ago,” Wen Han added, knowing that without Jiang Zhimu’s influence, the videos would have been permanently banned after the first release. The reason they had managed to maintain momentum was entirely due to Jiang Zhimu's behind-the-scenes operations.

Jiang Zhimu continued to smile pleasantly, but Wen Han could tell that he was used to hearing such flattery. He only expressed his gratitude sincerely and refrained from saying more.

His gaze shifted to the second floor of the Xishan Mansion.

“Mr. Jiang, may I meet with little General Manager Sang?” Wen Han cautiously inquired.

Jiang Zhimu paused, and the atmosphere in the room immediately became cold and silent. It was only when Wen Han started to grow impatient that Jiang Zhimu finally responded.

“What do you mean by ‘little General Manager Sang’?” he asked slowly, lifting his teacup and sipping the now-cold tea. “The little General Manager Sang you’re talking about—didn’t she jump into the sea and commit suicide? Why are you asking about a living person? Mr. Jiang may have some skills, but I’m not so capable as to bring the dead back to life.”

His voice remained calm, yet Wen Han could sense an underlying anger.

“Is Mr. Jiang doubting me?” Wen Han dropped his attempts at subtlety and pressed forward. “That’s unnecessary. Mr. Jiang should see that everyone at Sangyu Studio cares deeply for little Sang’s well-being. We must be important to her, so I don’t think Mr. Jiang should keep us away.”

Wen Han was confident that Jiang Zhimu was a reasonable person. Having said this much, surely he wouldn’t refuse them an audience with Sang ShuNian.

Jiang Zhimu’s expression didn’t change. He put down his delicate teacup and raised his eyes to meet Wen Han’s. “It seems Mr. Wen doesn’t understand when to stop. Let me be blunt: ShuoNian doesn’t want to see you. To be precise, she doesn’t want to see anyone who has ever been involved with her, whether foe or friend.”

“That’s impossible!” Wen Han almost lost his composure. He couldn’t contain his shock, his calm demeanor slipping away. “How could Little General Sang not want to see us? We’ve followed her through everything, and at the very end of her life, the one thing she couldn’t let go of was Sanyu Studio. If Little General Sang can’t meet with me now, Mr. Jiang should have said so directly. There’s no need for these words to avoid the matter!”

“You think I’m stalling you?” Jiang Zhimu seemed genuinely puzzled. “Why would I need to delay you? Mr. Wen, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t have said what you just did.” His tone became almost negotiatory, his eyes now focused on the increasingly indignant Wen Han. “You seemed proud when you mentioned that she couldn’t let go of Sanyu in her final moments. I don’t understand why you’re proud of that. You all left her, a broken woman, to hold onto such attachments until the very end. Does that make you more than gold? No. It only proves your incompetence.”

Jiang Zhimu’s words cut sharply into Wen Han’s pride. He had been rendered speechless for a moment, but Jiang Zhimu didn’t intend to let him off easily.

“Sanyu was her creation, whether in prosperity or ruin, she stood alone in supporting it. You lived under her protection, completely unaware of the world outside. Even when she was full of stigma, you couldn’t do anything for her. All you could do was hide in your small studio, pretending to be her protector.”

“The videos that exonerate her were saved by her own monitoring system, and I carried the pressure of the world’s greatest families to bring this to light. From start to finish, you’ve only been a name. Even without you, I could’ve made those videos public and gotten better results.”

“The reason I gave you this opportunity was out of respect for the fact that you were once the people she cared about the most. But what’s this obsession with thinking that you’ve truly cleared her name? You’re still holding on to a fallen studio. You’ve done nothing for her, nothing at all. So, what face do you have to ask to see her?”

A faint mockery danced in Jiang Zhimu’s expression. His words struck deep, making Wen Han feel as though the ground beneath him was slipping away.

They had always run away, not daring to face the painful truth Jiang Zhimu had just laid bare.

They were the ones who had been useless, following Sang ShuoNian for protection, unable to add anything to her success or help her in her most desperate hour.

Jiang Zhimu was right. What face did they have to see Sang ShuoNian?

Incompetence was their original sin, and their evasion only made it worse.