Chapter 216

The sky had completely darkened, with no moon or stars in sight. The heavens were a heavy, oppressive black.

Shen Xiyin was escorted by two armed foreign bodyguards onto a small yacht.

Under the cover of night, the modest vessel was almost invisible.

Jiang Yinian stood on the yacht, smiling at Xiyin. "Xiyin, I remember how much you love the ocean. The sea view in Jiangzhou City is beautiful, but it's a shame it's nighttime now. You can't see its splendor."

The ocean was pitch black, with waves glinting under the yacht's lights before vanishing into the night.

Shen Xiyin didn’t want to waste words with him. She immediately began searching the yacht but found no trace of Mu Mian. She rushed up to Jiang Yinian and demanded, "Jiang Yinian, where is Mu Mian?"

"Mu Mian is safe. You wanted the police to find evidence of my crimes, so I sent that evidence to her."

Shen Xiyin breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave, but the two bodyguards blocked her path.

"Xiyin, I once promised you freedom. But now, I must break that promise," Jiang Yinian said, his expression pained. "Why did you use the police to try and destroy me?"

Jiang Yinian could accept that Shen Xiyin didn’t love him. He was content to love her alone. But why did she have to be so cruel, going to such lengths to ruin him?

Shen Xiyin shot back, "Jiang Yinian, it was you who bribed my family’s nanny, wasn’t it? You used photos of Jiang Yun to lure Mu Mian back to the country. You instructed Chen Xue to befriend Mu Mian, only to hurt her. And you planned to continue experimenting on her. I won’t let you succeed."

"I did all of this to fulfill your wish. Didn’t you always want Mu Mian to become 'normal'? But you’ve sheltered her too much. Her environment, her job, everything about her life was designed by you. In such a sheltered world, she could never grow. Look, in less than two years, Mu Mian has developed rich emotions. She’s even fallen in love."

"I told you not to interfere with Mu Mian’s life."

"So, you turned Director Chen against me? Bai Jing too, right? She actually stole my research reports for you. Xiyin, if you wanted the reports, why didn’t you just ask me? I would have given you anything, unconditionally."

"So what if I did? I didn’t ask Bai Jing to steal from you. I didn’t need her to. She assumed I did and acted on her own. Jiang Yinian, you’re part of my father’s legacy. I have the right to dispose of you."

Shen Xiyin had used Bai Jing to reveal the truth about Neuro Rose to Director Chen. Director Chen had initially agreed to work with Jiang Yinian to save patients, but upon learning the truth, he completely broke down. Under Bai Jing’s influence, he killed two test subjects and staged their deaths as part of a serial murder case to draw police attention.

The patient with Down syndrome had severe congenital heart disease. Director Chen used high-frequency vibrations to trigger a heart attack, causing his death.

Yuan Yuan’s brain had already begun to deteriorate. Director Chen infected him with a virus that caused meningitis, accelerating his death.

Even if the police investigated further, they would find no connection to Shen Xiyin. Bai Jing had carried out everything, and she would never reveal the truth. Even if she did, there was no evidence to implicate Shen Xiyin.

Shen Xiyin said, "I originally planned to use the Star Home case to eliminate you. But you were too well-hidden. I had to dismantle you from within."

In the Star Home case, Shen Xiyin first used Michelle, an autism therapist she had introduced to Jiang Yun, to drive a wedge between Lin Qianyan and Jiang Yun, deepening Lin Qianyan’s hatred for Jiang Yun.

Yuan Yuan often interacted with Lin Qianyan. Michelle used suggestive language to manipulate Yuan Yuan into drawing disturbing pictures, which he used to seek help from Li Min. Li Min, who already had severe psychological issues, orchestrated the murders of Director Zhang and Jiang Yun to protect the children.

Michelle had once been Shen Xiyin’s teacher and was now an employee at her therapy center. Michelle would never betray her.

Shen ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍Xiyin had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes, exploiting everyone’s psychological weaknesses to achieve her goals. She left no trace.

Legally, she was completely innocent! She wouldn’t force Mu Mian to choose between her and Fang Rui, between justice and family.

Jiang Yinian protested, "Do you still hate me for what happened to your parents? I didn’t cause their car accident. I respected your father like he was my own. How could I have harmed him?"

The sea breeze tousled Shen Xiyin’s hair as she stood in the darkness, speaking softly, "Jiang Yinian, I know it wasn’t you."

Jiang Yinian looked at her in shock. In an instant, he understood, and his heart ached even more.

"They committed suicide! My father had been showing signs of Alzheimer’s. His memory was deteriorating, which is why he relied on you so much. When the drug he was developing failed, he lost all hope and decided to end his life.

My mother loved him deeply. She chose to die with him. My father didn’t want anyone to know about his illness or his suicide, so he staged an accident. That day, they deliberately crashed into a bridge, sending the car into the water."

"Then why…"

"Why did the police think it was murder? Before they left, I cut the brake lines on their car to make it look like a murder… Don’t you see? I wanted to frame you, to force you out of the lab."

"Why go through all that trouble? If you wanted me to leave, you could have just asked. You know I could never refuse you."

"Jiang Yinian, I was getting revenge on you!"

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Why do you think? You’re the one who told me about the Neuro Rose experiments. You’re the one who made me realize how monstrous my father was and the legacy of evil I inherited. You told me that Mu Mian’s recovery had nothing to do with me, that it was all because of Neuro Rose. You dragged me into hell, turning me into someone like you! Jiang Yinian, shouldn’t I hate you?"

Shen Xiyin still remembered the crushing despair she felt when she learned the truth. Her world had been turned upside down. Her beloved father had been conducting illegal experiments on healthy people. She had always believed it was her selfless love and professional expertise that had helped Mu Mian recover, only to discover that Mu Mian’s progress was due to drugs.

She began to question everything—her family, her career—but the one thing she never doubted was how important Mu Mian was to her.

Later, she learned about Miao Miao and witnessed the devastating side effects of Neuro Rose. She had no choice but to inherit her father’s work and continue his research. She couldn’t let Mu Mian suffer the same fate. Even the slightest chance was worth any cost.

To her, Mu Mian was both family and her greatest professional achievement.

"Xiyin, who told you Mu Mian was a test subject for Neuro Rose? I never said that. Mu Mian is not a test subject for Neuro Rose. I’m certain of that."

The sea wind howled, churning the waves and creating a cacophony of splashing sounds.

Shen Xiyin glared at Jiang Yinian in anger. "I heard my father say it himself. He even mentioned giving Mu Mian an improved version of Neuro Rose. You knew full well how dangerous that drug is, how it accelerates brain deterioration. Mu Mian would have suffered and died like Miao Miao. Jiang Yinian, you’re complicit in this, and that’s why I’m going to destroy you!"

"But Mu Mian couldn’t have been a test subject for Neuro Rose. I’ve seen her brain scans. Her brain is perfectly healthy. Neuro Rose research was halted for over a decade. It wasn’t until after our research failed that your father had to restart it. There was no improved version of Neuro Rose back then."

The creator of Neuro Rose was Shen Xiyin’s aunt, Shen Min. Clinical trials revealed severe side effects, leading to the drug’s discontinuation.

Shen Xiyin’s pupils dilated as realization dawned on her.