Stealing Your Heart

She felt warm and fuzzy, delighted that someone was there to give her strength when she needed it most. She let out a small smile.

Twenty minutes later, someone arrived at B City’s penitentiary, a looming fortress built in the middle of nowhere. Its steel gates were tough, imposing, and impenetrable.

The last time Lin Xinyan was here to see Zhuang Zijin, her sentence wasn’t out yet.

As he stood before the gates, Lin Xinyan could feel his heart tremble. Her mother was right behind these gates, locked up for her crimes, doomed to have a stain on their life after she was released, like all the ex-cons. From then on, society would look at her like she was trash.

Zong Jinghao stood beside her, holding her freezing hand. “Let’s go in.”

Lin Xinyan nodded in assent.

Shen Peichuan was waiting for them at the guard’s pitstop. When they came, he went to welcome them and led them inside. Thanks to Shen Peichuan, nobody stopped them when they entered.

Zhuang Zijin was placed in a solitary meeting cell with nobody standing guard outside. It was the perfect place to meet Lin Xinyan alone. Well, as perfect as a jail cell could be.

They went past the corridor, where layer after layer of steel doors awaited them, but finally, they reached their destination.

“She’s in there,” Shen Peichuan said.

Lin Xinyan took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally one last time before the meeting. She looked back at Zong Jinghao. “I’m fine. Let me meet her alone.”

Zong Jinghao pursed his lips. He didn’t like the idea, but still, he let her go. “I’ll be waiting outside then.”

“Thanks.” She went to the door and took another deep breath. She then opened the door.

The room was stark. There was one fluorescent light on the ceiling and a rectangular table in the middle in the full white room. Aside from Lin Xinyan, there was only one other person there—Zhuang Zijin. She was sitting behind the table. When Lin Xinyan entered, the woman looked up.

The sight of her mother made Lin Xinyan’s heart skip. Contrary to the old her, she was gaunt. Her face had darkened and she had visibly aged. Lin Xinyan used to think she looked young for her age, but not after she saw her this time.

here.” Zhuang

sat on the chair across from her

her children too. Ever since they were born, she was always there for them. Never

Lin Xinyan thought she would be crying inconsolably when they met,

her tears away. “I’m fine. I think I know

take you to

am fine, girl. I just—” Zhuang Zijin covered her mouth

to the hospital

chest bursting in pain. She calmed herself down after another bout of coughing before asking, “I want to see Ruixi and Xichen before

better than anyone. Even though she never went for a checkup, Zhuang Zijin could feel herself slowly wasting away. She knew her days were numbered, but she

see them today.” She then left the room and saw Shen Peichuan talking to

involved had been

might get back at them. Even though all traces of Lin Xichen

didn’t know that Lin Xichen was the one who had uploaded the video, but she knew her confrontation with Lin Xinyan started the whole ordeal, so she would try to

the police, so she had no choice but to hide. She had never

doubling down on crime and corruption, so he’s unlucky to be arrested this time. They aren’t going to let him

Lin Xinyan come out until she called out to

before coming up to them. “I need your

Shen

a little excursion.” Lin Xinyan couldn’t bring the kids here, but she needed her mother to get a

gaunt and pasty, almost deathly even.

for this visit to persuade Zhuang Zijin to go for a checkup, so he had prepared for this. “You can take her for the checkup right away,”

she thanked him

it.” He smiled. Zong Jinghao was his buddy,

took Zhuang Zijin back home with her that very same day, and she called Cheng Yuxiu