Released from Prison

Li Ming agreed nervously, then followed Lin Xi to the main gate of the prison. This was the same entrance he had walked through when he first arrived, the words "Black Mountain Women's Prison" gleaming brightly above the door.

"Everyone’s here today, and we have things to do later, so I’ll keep it brief. Some of you have already met him yesterday, while others haven’t. This is our new prison warden—Li Ming! Let’s give him a warm welcome!" Lin Xi led the applause.

Clap clap clap! A flurry of applause erupted, and curious eyes turned toward Li Ming. The prison guards couldn’t help but feel intimidated by his stern, cool demeanor, instinctively avoiding his gaze as if facing a strict school principal from their younger days.

This time, Li Ming had experience. He raised his hand slightly, and the applause quieted down.

"Hello everyone, my name is Li Ming. From now on, I’ll be the warden here. Since I’m new, and many of you have been here much longer than me, I welcome any suggestions or feedback. I’m not one for formalities—I hope we can get along like friends. Thank you!"

As Li Ming finished speaking, everyone except the armed guards applauded again.

Seeing that Li Ming had said his piece, Lin Xi wasted no time.

"Alright! Dismissed! Return to your posts! A new batch of inmates will be arriving in the next couple of days—stay sharp!"

"Yes, Deputy Warden!" The guards responded in unison before dispersing to their stations.

"What about you? Are you coming with me to inspect the cellblocks, or do you want to keep looking around?" Lin Xi asked Li Ming once the guards had left.

"I… if I need to leave, to go back to the city, what paperwork do I have to complete?" Li Ming thought of Wang Xin’s situation and got straight to the point.

"You want to leave? What for?" Lin Xi asked curiously.

Had he only been here a day or two and already wanted out? Was he planning to bail because he couldn’t handle the environment?

"I have some personal matters to take care of. I should be back within a day," Li Ming replied vaguely. He didn’t mention Wang Xin—he just wanted to check on her, and it wouldn’t take long.

"Well, if you’re leaving, that’s fine. Just sign out at the gate. You can take that car," Lin Xi pointed to the jeep she had driven last time. "But if you’re coming back tomorrow, would you mind doing me a favor and picking up a batch of inmates from another prison?"

"Bring back a batch of inmates? I can do that, but what exactly do I need to do?"

"Nothing complicated. I’ve already arranged everything. Just take the files with you, verify the headcount and identities when you get there, sign the paperwork, and escort them back with the assigned officers. If you can’t make it tomorrow, the day after is fine too." Lin Xi led Li Ming to the office and handed him a file folder.

Perfect—she didn’t feel like going herself, and since Li Ming was heading out, this was the ideal task to assign him!

"Got it. Leave it to me!" Li Ming tucked the folder away, took the keys from Lin Xi, grabbed a set of casual clothes from his room, and drove out of the prison.

Once again, he passed through the forest. Last time, it had been dark, and he hadn’t been able to see the surroundings clearly. Now, he realized that Black Mountain Women’s Prison was actually situated on a desolate mountain far from the city!

No wonder Lin Xi had driven for so long. When Li Ming checked his GPS, he discovered they weren’t even in City A—the prison was located in the middle of nowhere between City A and City S.

He quietly noted the prison’s coordinates so he wouldn’t get lost later, then focused on driving.

By afternoon, Li Ming finally arrived in City S, where Wang Xin’s sister lived. Following the address she had provided, he stood outside her apartment building before nightfall.

He rang the intercom, but no one answered—clearly, no one was home. Looking up, he saw the lights were off in her apartment.

But he didn’t have Wang Xin’s sister’s phone number. With nothing else to do, Li Ming wandered around the neighborhood.

He strolled to a small park nearby, where many elderly residents were exercising despite the season. A few women were walking their dogs, and Li Ming’s eyes lit up. Casually, he approached them.

"Hey, did you hear? That old man from Unit 5—apparently he died from overexertion during sex! Serves him right! Retired and still couldn’t settle down, marrying some young wife. Barely enjoyed a peaceful life before kicking the bucket like that! Don’t you think he deserved it?" One woman munched on sunflower seeds as she gossiped with the others.

"Where’d you hear that? I heard the young wife kept him up every night, literally worked him to death!"

"Pfft! Like that old man had the stamina for that! Don’t believe that nonsense—he definitely died from overexertion! And I heard he was on pills too! My source is the colleague of his son’s third aunt’s own sister—she told me herself! No way it’s wrong!"

"Tch, what kind of relatives spread stuff like that? Can’t even let the dead rest in peace!"

"Hah! At least he died on top of a woman—not a bad way to go!"

Listening to the women animatedly discussing other people’s business, Li Ming felt more confident. He stepped forward and asked,

"Excuse me, aunties. I’d like to ask about someone. She lives in this building—third floor, east side. Her name’s Wang Keyan, 20 years old. Do you know her?"

Hearing his question, the women turned to look at him. "And you are…?"

"I… I’m an old classmate of hers. Haven’t seen her in years, so I thought I’d ask around," Li Ming replied smoothly.

"Oh! Her classmate, huh? She doesn’t seem to live here anymore. She used to be around a lot, but I haven’t seen her in ages," one woman shook her head, clueless.

"I know, I know! Heard her mother’s a criminal, so her family never treated her well. I used to hear them yelling at her all the time—really nasty stuff. But now that she’s grown up, it’s a bit better. Last month, her family tried to marry her off to some man. They fought like crazy—she absolutely refused. Then she ran away from home. Haven’t seen her since."

"Hey, I know more about that! The man her family picked for her was in his forties, some rich guy who owned a karaoke bar. Offered 200,000 to marry her. That girl’s usually so meek, but she actually stood her ground this time—wouldn’t agree no matter what. Ended up jumping out the third-floor window! Luckily, she landed on a vegetable stall downstairs, so she wasn’t badly hurt. Limped away right after—I saw it with my own eyes!" A curly-haired woman recounted the scene vividly.

"What?! She jumped from the third floor?" Li Ming exclaimed.

"Yeah, she hit the stall on the way down—that’s the only reason she wasn’t seriously hurt. Otherwise, she’d have been in real trouble."

Beyond that, the women didn’t know anything else. All they knew was that Wang Keyan had never returned after that day.