Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

"We are going to sue Li Hua!" Bai Hanchuan said in a firm and decisive tone.

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, then his eyes turned red again, "But... can we win? Li Hua..."

"We have to try!" I clenched my fists, my nails almost digging into my flesh. "Even for the sake of the children, he must pay the price!"

In the following days, we rushed between various departments to collect evidence of Li Hua's crime. Bai Hanchuan showed a calmness and wisdom that I had never seen before. He carefully analyzed every detail and did not miss any clues. Lin Xiao also went all out. She used her connections to get information everywhere.

Our efforts paid off, and we finally found several key witnesses who were once partners of Li Hua and turned against him because of unequal distribution of benefits. With our persuasion and assurance, they finally decided to stand up and testify against Li Hua's crimes.

We submitted all the evidence to the court with high hopes, but the situation did not go as smoothly as we expected. Li Hua was well prepared. He hired the best lawyer team and used various means to delay the litigation process. What was even more frightening was that he even started to threaten the witnesses. One of the witnesses changed his testimony in court out of fear, claiming that he was coerced by us.

"Damn it!" Bai Hanchuan slammed his fist on the table, his face livid. We had prepared for so long, but Li Hua easily resolved it, and all our efforts went to waste.

I felt powerless and desperate. Li Hua's power was far stronger than we imagined. Could we really defeat him?

Lin Xiao suddenly grabbed my hand, her expression was extremely solemn, "Jinli, I found something..."

Her voice was very low, but I could clearly hear the fear and anxiety hidden in it.

Lin Xiao held my hand, her hand was cold, as if she had just taken it out of an ice cellar. "Jinli, I found out something..." She lowered her voice, her tone full of fear, "Li Hua... he has close ties with many people in the city, and even some... some officials are helping him."

My heart tightened, and a bad feeling came over me. "An official? How could it be possible..."

"It's absolutely true!" Lin Xiao said anxiously, "I have a distant relative who works in the municipal government. I asked him about it indirectly and found out that Li Hua has been giving gifts to those people over the years and has helped them do a lot of shameful things. Now that he is in trouble, of course those people want to protect him!"

My heart sank. I had thought it was just a simple business dispute, but I didn't expect it to involve such a complicated background. If Li Hua really colluded with government officials, then our situation would be even more dangerous.

At this time, the mysterious ally who had been busy in the yard also walked in, and his face was not looking good. "Girl, I contacted a few old friends and wanted them to help check Li Hua's background, but..." He sighed, "When they heard that they wanted to check Li Hua, they all refused and refused to help."

"How could this be?" I couldn't believe it. "Don't your old friends have very powerful backgrounds?"

The mysterious ally shook his head, his face full of helplessness and worry. "Girl, you don't know that Li Hua is a ruthless person who does things by any means necessary. Although those old friends have a background, they don't want to offend him for such a thing. Moreover..." He paused and lowered his voice, "I heard that Li Hua may have a bigger backer behind him. Those old friends are afraid of getting into trouble, so they dare not help."

A bigger backer? My heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and it became difficult to breathe. How powerful is Li Hua's power? Can we really defeat him?

"Jinli, don't lose heart, we still have a chance..." Bai Hanchuan held my hand, his eyes were firm, but his voice revealed a hint of fatigue.

I forced myself to smile at him, but my heart was cold, because his frown and the haze in his eyes told me that we...were in a bigger crisis...In court, the lawyer spoke nonstop, but I felt that every word was like a huge rock hitting my heart, making me breathless. In the end, the chief judge made the final decision, "The plaintiff's evidence in this case is insufficient, and the lawsuit is dismissed!"

My head buzzed, my vision went dark, and I almost fainted. Bai Hanchuan supported me in time, his face was pale, and his lips were tightly pressed into a straight line.

"How could this happen? How could this happen..." I muttered to myself, unable to believe the facts before my eyes. We put in so much effort and collected so much evidence, but we still lost the case!

Walking out of the court, the dazzling sunlight made me dizzy. Bai Hanchuan held my hand tightly, his palms were full of sweat, conveying his nervousness and anxiety.

"Jinli, don't be afraid, we still have a chance." He whispered to comfort me, but I could hear the weakness in his tone.

Opportunity? Where is the chance? Li Hua's power is so intertwined that even those respected seniors dare not intervene. Who can we rely on?

When we got home, Lin Xiao had already prepared the meal, but her red and swollen eyes and forced smile reminded us that we had lost the lawsuit, and lost completely.

"Jinli, don't lose heart, we'll think of another way." Lin Xiao comforted me, but I could see that she was almost unable to hold on any longer.

The mysterious ally sat aside, frowning and silent. He used to be our greatest hope, but now, even he is silent, which makes me even more desperate.

As night fell, Bai Hanchuan and I sat in the living room of our home, facing each other in silence. The night outside the window was as dark as ink, and our future seemed to have fallen into endless darkness.

"Is there really no other way?" I asked in a low voice, my voice full of despair.

Bai Hanchuan didn't say anything, he just held my hand tightly with a firm look in his eyes.

"No, there must be another way..." He said in a firm tone, stood up suddenly, walked to the window, and looked into the distance with a sharp gaze.

"Jinli, do you believe me?" He turned around, with a strange light flashing in his eyes.

My heart was shaken, and an inexplicable premonition came to my mind, "You..."

"I believe you." He blurted out these words without a moment's hesitation. The light in Bai Hanchuan's eyes grew brighter, and he took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision.

"Jinli, you know, I always felt that the child's departure was my responsibility..." His voice was low and trembling with an imperceptible tremor. My heart suddenly tightened, and an ominous premonition came to my mind.

"No, Hanchuan, don't say that. Didn't we agree not to talk about this again?" I interrupted him subconsciously, not wanting him to continue. Those painful memories came flooding in like a tide, drowning me.

"No, Jinli, we have to face reality." Bai Hanchuan grabbed my hand. His hand was cold but extremely strong. "If it weren't for me, the children wouldn't..."

His voice was choked, and I couldn't hold back my tears any longer. "Hanchuan, please stop talking, please..." I hugged him tightly, trying to stop him from saying anything more, to stop those terrible thoughts from coming out of his mouth.

"Jinli, look at me." Bai Hanchuan held my face in his hands, his eyes firm and persistent, "We can't run away anymore, we want justice for the children, we want Li Hua to pay the price, even if..."

He paused, took a deep breath, and said something that made my hair stand on end: "Even if it costs anything..."