The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

Zhang Feng gazed at the distant evening breeze, sighed softly, and began to speak in a leisurely manner.

"When we arrested Ye Long back then, that old fox got wind of it in advance and destroyed all the information, leaving not a single clue."

"Courts make judgments based on evidence. In the case where you took the blame, Ye Long prepared a complete set of false evidence, and the evidence was conclusive. We all know you are innocent, and the real culprit is Ye Long's youngest son, but we have searched through all channels and still cannot find any concrete evidence to overturn the verdict."

As Zhang Feng finished speaking, fragmented images from the past flooded into Xu Nian's mind.

He vaguely remembered the courtroom scene back then, where the pieces of evidence presented on the judge's bench were simply flawless.

He had never met the murdered policeman and had no connection to the case, but looking at the layers of evidence, he almost became disoriented and mistakenly thought he was the murderer with blood on his hands.

Come to think of it, before Ye Long was brought down and destroyed, he wielded immense power in this city, with connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, and his influence was deeply entrenched and difficult to shake.

Since he paid someone to take the blame, he would leave no loopholes or flaws, and would inevitably make this miscarriage of justice an ironclad case that cannot be overturned.

Even if Xu Nian recants his confession or appeals in prison later, there will be no evidence to prove his innocence, and all his efforts will be in vain.

Moreover, when the investigation was reopened, several years had passed since the crime, and the circumstances had long since changed. As time went by and circumstances changed, even if there had been any trace left at the time, it had long been washed away by the passage of time, like sand scattered by the wind, nowhere to be found.

The more Xu Nian recalled the details of that year and reviewed the whole incident, the more she felt that it was too lucky and too unbelievable that she was able to clear her name and walk out of prison.

He turned to look at Zhang Feng beside him, his eyes filled with deep confusion: "Then how did I manage to overturn my conviction and get released from prison?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Feng smiled bitterly, shook his head slightly, and his eyes were full of heaviness and regret.

"When our police encounter cases with special characteristics, such as those involving organized crime groups, we will privately recruit informants to provide us with clues."

"The criminal organization led by Ye Long has extremely strong counter-surveillance capabilities and a tight criminal organizational structure, making it difficult for our investigators to infiltrate. Therefore, in this case, we launched the informant program."

"Among them, there was an informant codenamed 'Butterfly' who infiltrated Ye Long's group under the guise of a 'Red Dust Woman'. Right under the noses of these thugs who had taken several lives, she collected their top-secret information, including evidence that Ye Long paid you to take the blame."

"It was because of this crucial evidence that your case was overturned."

At this point, Zhang Feng's voice trembled slightly, revealing an overwhelming sense of regret.

"However, due to a tip-off from an insider, she was unable to evacuate safely. When we rescued her, she was being tortured, stabbed 18 times, and spent three days in the operating room before she was out of danger..."

......

Xu Nian could no longer hear what was said after that.

The sound of the wind suddenly fell silent, as if the world had lost its sound for a moment, and only the violently trembling heartbeat could be heard throughout the entire world.

He staggered back two steps, his legs suddenly went weak, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, his body stiff, speechless for a long time.

Butterfly.

This familiar yet unfamiliar name—isn't it the name that Zhou Xiaoman, the clear-headed and lonely purple-haired woman, gave herself in her writing?

No wonder, no wonder Zhou Xiaoman has such hideous scars on her body that she needs to cover them up with tattoos.

"So it was her...it was her..."

Xu Nian's lips moved, her eyes widened, and she murmured softly, large tears involuntarily rolling down her cheeks.

Fragmented conversations from the past flooded back to me as if they happened just yesterday, each word clear and distinct.

"Mr. Xu really has no sense of romance."

"If one day, Xiaoman is also lying in a hospital bed, on the verge of death."

"Will Mr. Xu shed a few tears for Xiaoman?"

……

Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, Xu Nian suddenly stood up, as if she had lost her soul, and rushed towards the car on the side of the road. She opened the car door, jumped in, and drove straight to Zhou Xiaoman's aquarium.

He sped along, flooring the accelerator, leaving all other vehicles and street scenes in his wake.

The whistling wind seeped in through the window cracks, and the car engine roared like a wild horse galloping forward.

After driving through elevated roads, across long stretches of road, and traversing half the city, the car finally stopped in front of the aquarium, and the night was already deep.

The once bustling aquarium has long since lost its vibrancy. The lights are all off, the visitors have all left, and all is quiet except for the staff who are cleaning up the premises and closing the aquarium.

Upon seeing a hurried figure rushing towards them, the staff immediately put down their tools and quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Sir, our business hours have ended. Please come back tomorrow."

Xu Nian wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, pounded on the door desperately, and cried out in a sob, "I'm not a tourist here, I want to see your curator."

The staff member looked the man up and down, then suddenly remembered something and tentatively asked, "Sir, is your surname Xu?"

Xu Nian nodded vigorously: "Yes, my name is Xu Nian, and I'm a friend of your curator."

The staff immediately stopped stopping him, quickly opened the door, and led him through the deep and long underwater tunnel, escorting him all the way to Zhou Xiaoman's office.

Warm yellow light shone through the cracks in the wall, falling at the man's feet and illuminating the tear stains that Xu Nian had left behind.

Stepping back here again, Xu Nian was no longer the composed and calm person she used to be.

His thoughts were in complete disarray. He raised his hand to knock on the door, hovered in mid-air, and then slowly lowered it.

Throughout his life, he didn't understand the complexities of human relationships; he only knew that he would avenge any wrongs and repay any kindness.

But only now did he fully realize that he owed Zhou Xiaoman countless debts, as heavy as mountains and seas.

To clear his name, Zhou Xiaoman risked her life, infiltrating Ye Long's gang alone to gather evidence. She was seriously injured and almost died at the hands of that cunning old fox, but she fought her way out for him.

But what could he possibly give in return?

Xu Nian stood silently in place, lost in thought.

All he can give is money.

Zhou Xiaoman, who runs such a large aquarium, probably has no shortage of money.

Zhou Xiaoman's life was remarkably similar to his.

Half his life was filled with hardship and wandering, and he was covered in the scars of life. He grew up alone without anyone to protect him, experiencing all the bitterness and coldness of the world. He never had a stable life and never had the simple and warm happiness of an ordinary person.

The only precious gift to repay this life-saving grace is to ensure her safety and well-being for the rest of her life and to grant her a lifetime of happiness.