As the cold handcuffs "clicked" around Jiang Wan's wrists, she took one last look at the gray sky outside the courtroom. The air was filled with a depressing atmosphere mixed with disinfectant and despair, like an invisible net that trapped her tightly.
"Traffic accident resulting in death", these eight cold words, like a poisoned blade, stabbed into her 23-year-old life, announcing the darkness of the next five years.
She is not the murderer.
That late night, the person who actually held the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator in panic was her always weak and timid sister, Jiang Rou.
After the car accident, Jiang Rou knelt on the ground, crying heartbreakingly, her pale face covered with tears. She grabbed the corner of her clothes, her voice trembling: "Sister, I didn't mean to do that... I'm so scared... Mom and Dad will beat me to death, I will go to jail... My life will be ruined..."
The mother rushed over after hearing the news. She did not immediately care about the victim, but hugged the trembling Jiang Rou, turned her head and looked at Jiang Wan with an almost pleading look: "Wanwan, you have been stronger and more sensible than Rourou since you were a child. Rourou has a poor health and is timid. If she goes to prison, her life will be over! You...you just help your sister!"
The father smoked in silence, and finally put out the cigarette butt, his voice hoarse and heavy: "Wanwan, we will talk to the Gu family. Han Shen is a loyal child, he will wait for you. The Jiang family cannot have two daughters ruined. You are the elder sister, you should bear more responsibility."
"Sister, please, I will work like a slave to repay you in the future!" Jiang Rou's crying voice entangled her like a spell.
So Jiang Wan became the scapegoat. She took all the blame on herself and calmly told the police about "her" crimes, leaving out every detail. That was the version Jiang Rou told her while crying.
Just before she was taken away, she met her fiancé, Gu Hanshen.
Gu Hanshen is a young talent in the business community of City A, the heir of the Gu Group, handsome and steady, and the dream lover of countless celebrities. He held Jiang Wan's handcuffed hands tightly, and the back of his hands were cold. His eyes were red, and his handsome eyebrows were full of pain and reluctance.
"Wanwan, why are you so stupid?" His voice trembled with suppression.
Jiang Wan looked at the face she had loved for many years. That was the future she was willing to protect at all costs. She forced out a smile that was uglier than crying: "Han Shen, wait for me. Five years... Five years will pass quickly. When you get out, I will marry you."
"I'll wait for you." Gu Hanshen nodded solemnly, his voice full of promises, "I swear, I will wait for you to come back."
This promise was Jiang Wan's only light in the next five dark years.
She was put on the prison van, and the neon lights of the city quickly receded behind her, finally turning into a blur of light and shadow. She thought that she was just temporarily bidding farewell to the light, and five years later, she would be able to return to the world full of sunshine and love.
However, she was wrong. Very wrong.
On the first day of imprisonment, the cold iron door slammed shut behind her, cutting off her freedom and dignity. She changed into a prison uniform numbered "734", cut off her long hair that she had kept for many years, and squeezed into a small cell with a group of numb-looking female prisoners.
At dinner time, in the common lounge area of the cell, an old TV hanging on the wall was playing local financial and entertainment news. In the noisy environment, no one paid attention to the content of the news.
Jiang Wan held the cold meal, which tasted like wax, and glanced at the screen inadvertently.
At that moment, all the blood in her body seemed to freeze.
On the TV screen, Gu Hanshen was wearing an expensive white suit, looking elegant and graceful, with a happy smile on his face. Beside him, the woman wearing a white wedding dress, smiling like a flower, holding his arm intimately, was none other than his sister, Jiang Rou.
The news headline was written in eye-catching red font: "Gu Hanshen, the president of Gu Group, and Jiang Rou, the second daughter of Jiang family, got engaged today. The romantic wedding photos were exposed. Good things are coming soon."
The background of the photo was the most famous "Alice" wedding photography studio in the city. Jiang Wan remembered that she had been there with Gu Hanshen, and they had made an appointment to take their wedding photos next month.
It turned out that on the day when she was walking towards hell full of hope, the man she loved most was holding the hand of her sister, who had exchanged her future for freedom, standing in the position that should have belonged to her, accepting everyone's blessings.
What she once thought was love, family affection, and commitment collapsed at this moment.
On TV, the host announced in a sweet voice: "...It is reported that the love story of Mr. Gu and Miss Jiang Rou is very touching. After his sister Jiang Wan was unfortunately imprisoned, it was the kind-hearted Miss Jiang Rou who stayed by Mr. Gu's side and healed his injured heart with her gentleness and thoughtfulness. The two fell in love with each other over time and finally got married, which can be regarded as Miss Jiang Wan's wish..."
"A wish?"
Jiang Wan stared at the screen intently, her nails digging deep into her palms, oozing blood. She felt no pain, only a bone-chilling chill running from the soles of her feet straight up to her head, causing her to tremble all over.
Her stomach churned and she rushed to the trash can in the corner and vomited out all her dinner, leaving only sour bile.
"I went to jail for her and she wore a wedding dress?"
The surrounding prison guards and prisoners looked at him with either contempt or anticipation.
"Hey, 734, you're new here, are you feeling unwell?" A female prisoner leader with a face full of flesh came over and patted her on the back with such force that she staggered.
Jiang Wan supported herself against the wall and slowly stood up. She wiped the stains from the corners of her mouth and raised her head. All the light in her once clear and bright eyes had gone out, leaving only endless darkness and dead silence.
She slowly turned her head and looked back at the TV screen. Gu Hanshen was gently putting a diamond ring on Jiang Rou's finger, and the two of them were kissing sweetly in front of the camera.
The ring was a style she chose herself.
It turned out that the sacrifice she thought of was nothing but a carefully planned scam. She was not a sister, not a hero, she was just a piece of trash that they used and discarded, a stepping stone to pave the way for their happiness.
From this moment on, Jiang Wan was dead.
The only one who survived was an Avenger with only hatred left in his heart.
Time in prison passed extremely slowly, and every minute and every second was like being cut by a blunt knife. For Jiang Wan, the former eldest daughter of the Jiang family, this place was hell on earth.
In the early days, she was like a puppet without a soul, silent and numb. The news of the engagement party was like a poisonous sting, deeply piercing the softest part of her heart, causing sharp pain with every breath. She refused to eat or drink, and stayed awake all night, staring at the mottled mold spots on the ceiling, replaying the scene of Gu Hanshen and Jiang Rou hugging each other in her mind.
She couldn't understand why?
Why would her family and lover, whom she protected with all her heart, betray her in the cruelest way? She even began to wonder whether the car accident was an accident or a trap tailor-made for her?
Her physical weakness and mental collapse made her the easiest target to be bullied in the cell.
"Hey, 734, wash everyone's clothes!" The leader of the female prisoners, known as "Sister Xia," threw a pile of sweaty prison uniforms in front of her.
Jiang Wan didn't move, just looked at her with empty eyes.
"Hey, you still dare to glare at me?" Sister Xia kicked her on the knee, and Jiang Wan's thin body immediately fell to the ground. The prisoners around burst into laughter.
"Here, you either listen or get beaten. Which one do you choose?" Sister Xia looked down at her.
The pain made Jiang Wan's chaotic brain clear up a little. She looked at the hideous face in front of her and remembered Jiang Rou's pure and innocent face on TV. It turned out that there are thousands of faces of sin, some written on the face, and some hidden in the heart.
She chose silence, silently picked up the pile of dirty clothes, and walked towards the cold pool. The biting cold water soaked her hands, freezing them to the point of unconsciousness, but this was far less than the coldness in her heart.
Bullying is just the beginning.
Her already meagre meals were taken away from her, and she was forced to sleep in the dampest corner. Someone even deliberately poured water on the ground she had cleaned, and then reported her to the prison guards for being lazy. Frame-up, isolation, and abuse became the norm in her life.
Once, a female prisoner's "heirloom" - a yellowed old photo - disappeared in the cell, and everyone pointed out that Jiang Wan had stolen it. The prison guards locked her up for three days without any reason.
It was a dark room of less than three square meters, with no windows and only an icy iron door. In the pitch-black darkness, time lost its meaning. Hunger and coldness continued to erode her will. She curled up in a corner, feeling real fear and despair for the first time.
She thought about death.
Maybe if I died, all would be over and I wouldn't have to endure all this pain and torture anymore.
Just when her will was at its weakest, the dazzling wedding photo of Gu Hanshen and Jiang Rou emerged in her mind uncontrollably. Their happy smiles seemed to be laughing at her stupidity and cowardice.
No! She can't die!
If she died like this, who would expose their crimes? Who would get back the five years of youth and innocence she had lost? Her death would only make the couple laugh more happily and live a more fulfilling life!
A strong hatred gushed out from the bottom of her heart, like a wildfire, instantly burning away all her weakness and despair. This hatred became the only motivation that kept her alive.
She wanted to live, live well, and get out of this hellhole! She wanted to see with her own eyes how those who had hurt her fell into the abyss step by step and paid the price with blood!
After coming out of the confinement room, Jiang Wan changed.
Her eyes were no longer empty, but became like a wolf, calm, sharp, and with a chilling ruthlessness. She was no longer submissive, and in the face of Sister Xia's provocation, she would fight back in a tougher way.
That day, Sister Xia wanted to snatch her steamed bun again. Jiang Wan did not hide. Instead, the moment Sister Xia reached out her hand, she picked up the hot soup at hand and poured it over her without hesitation.
The scalding hot water made Sister Xia scream, and the cell instantly fell into silence. Everyone looked at this silent "soft persimmon" in shock.
"No one can touch my things." Jiang Wan's voice was not loud, but it was as cold as a poisoned knife. "Whoever provokes me again, next time I will pour boiling water on you instead of soup."
At that moment, Sister Xia saw a flash of murderous intent in her eyes. It was a look that had truly seen blood, or was ready to see blood. From that day on, no one dared to provoke her easily.
Jiang Wan understood that in this place where the strong prey on the weak, kindness and concession would not win respect, and only strength and ruthlessness could win a living space.
She began to use every opportunity to strengthen herself. She learned fighting skills from a former Sanda coach in the cell who was imprisoned for excessive self-defense, and exercised in a small space every day until she was exhausted. Her originally fair and delicate hands were covered with thick calluses.
She also began to read like crazy. The prison library was her only spiritual sustenance. She read a lot of legal books, from criminal law to evidence law. She wanted to find out all the details of the case and find clues that could overturn the verdict. She also studied psychology, finance, business management... She wanted to make herself an indestructible sword, and the day she drew it out of the sheath, she would drink blood.
Five years, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days and nights.
Jiang Wan was like a seed buried in dark soil. In an environment without sunlight and water, it absorbed the nutrients of hatred and stubbornly broke through the soil, growing into a thorny bush.
She died and lived again.
The one who died was Jiang Wan, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, who was innocent and believed in love and family.
The one who survived was a calm, rational woman with only the flame of revenge left in her heart.