Chapter 121: Extra: Xu Zhizhi’s Side Story (Parallel Universe) – Her Life Completed

 

Xu Zhizhi, in her two lifetimes, met Jiang Yuchuan’s long-lost sister for the first time. Though the woman looked haggard, her resemblance to Jiang Yuchuan was still apparent.

She had been threatened by Gu Lie for some time, and if Xu Zhizhi hadn’t intervened in time, she would have taken her own life.

Jiang Yuchuan was deeply grateful to Xu Zhizhi, but she simply responded that it was her duty.

As a lawyer, her mission was to wield the power of the law to dispel the dark clouds looming over them.

The moments when several girls sincerely expressed their gratitude to her were the times when her heart felt the most at peace.

For a long time, she had felt as if her soul was trapped in an invisible cage. She always believed she had broken free, but it wasn’t until she stood before the girl about to jump into the river that she realized… she hadn’t truly escaped.

But seeing the living, breathing girl and her cousin made her understand that she could still find peace.

“If you ever need a lawyer, consider me first!” Xu Zhizhi said with a smile.

She waved goodbye to them as the detective gathered crucial evidence on the family of three who had trafficked her years ago.

She had to return, as there was another matter to attend to.

Walking out of the courthouse in a sleek black woman’s suit, the bright smile on her face was illuminated by the sun.

As she stepped down the stairs, she chatted with her assistant.

A middle-aged woman brushed past her on the steps, pausing in shock as she watched Xu Zhizhi’s retreating figure. A voice called her name, pulling her back to reality, and she quickly rushed into the courthouse.

When the woman disappeared into the building, Xu Zhizhi turned to glance at her aunt.

Her assistant opened the car door and looked at her. “Attorney Xu, shall we go?”

Xu Zhizhi nodded and got into the car.

Her case had shocked the entire nation, sparking an uproar on the internet. She endured immense public scrutiny and was nearly expelled from her law firm.

A victory meant national recognition, praise, and a flood of positive attention in Beijing and online.

A failure meant widespread condemnation, hatred, and relentless criticism.

Regardless of the obstacles, she persevered and tirelessly uncovered every dark secret over the past six months.

The netizens who had once confidently claimed that Gu Lie was innocent and that the girls had framed him were now proven utterly wrong.

Her assistant deeply admired Xu Zhizhi’s resilience.

When Xu Zhizhi met the detective, he handed her the evidence he had gathered.

She carefully examined it before paying him the remaining fee.

The detective congratulated her but also expressed sympathy. It was a rare and fortunate thing for a girl who had been trafficked to reunite with her family.

Xu Zhizhi thanked him and saw him off.

After calming herself, she returned to the law firm, where Qi Xu, along with the firm’s partners and colleagues, was waiting to celebrate her triumphant return.

Qi Xu grinned. “I knew I had a good eye. You truly have great potential.”

Xu Zhizhi smiled back and clinked glasses with him.

They both understood that the toast was a way of putting past grievances behind them. No need for words. In the world of adults, some things are better left unsaid.

As for whether he truly had a good eye? That was just self-praise. Who would really take it to heart?

The atmosphere was lively. If all went well, in two years, Xu Zhizhi could become a partner herself.

She took a sip of champagne and gazed at the city’s dazzling skyline.

Once the celebration ended, it was time to move on to the next battle.

She had many other matters to attend to and there was no time to waste on socializing.

When the front desk informed her that someone had come to see her, she was curious. Usually, the front desk only notified her about clients involved in cases. It was rare for personal matters to be brought to the law firm.

Setting down the blue folder in her hands, Xu Zhizhi slowly made her way to the firm’s reception room.

The door was made of transparent glass. As she approached, her expression grew complex. She paused briefly at the sight before her, then composed herself and stepped inside.

The receptionist poured water for the guests, nodded to Xu Zhizhi, and left the room.

As the door closed behind her, Xu Zhizhi put on a smile and took a seat. “What can I do for you all?”

Inside the reception room were six people; Jiang Yuchuan, his sister, Mr. and Mrs. Shen, Li Fengqing, and Shen Junyu.

She already knew why they had come, but she still smiled and asked.

Jiang Yuchuan, despite his cold exterior, was actually quite naive and impulsive. He was the first to speak. “Attorney Xu! Are you an orphan?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, his mother smacked him on the back of the head, nearly sending him crashing into the table.

“Don’t take offense! Yuchuan doesn’t know how to phrase things properly!” Mrs. Shen quickly said.

Xu Zhizhi glanced at them, then shook her head with a smile. “It’s fine. I grew up in an orphanage. Talking about it doesn’t offend me.”

Jiang Yuchuan’s sister looked at him with both affection and frustration before giving him another smack on the back of the head. “You still need to apologize! Zhizhi, have you ever thought about looking for your birth parents?”

Her almond-shaped eyes, identical to Xu Zhizhi’s, were filled with sincerity and cautious hope.

The four middle-aged adults immediately tensed, watching Xu Zhizhi with anticipation, not missing a single change in her expression.

Xu Zhizhi looked from Jiang Yuchuan’s sister to Mr. and Mrs. Shen, then finally to Li Fengqing and Shen Junyu.

“You think I look like Shen-jie, so you want a DNA test to confirm if I’m the child who was trafficked from your family?” Her voice was calm.

But only she knew how turbulent her emotions were inside.

They were her parents. The love she had longed for was within reach once again.

Only she knew how much she had to suppress her feelings to say those words.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged glances and Shen Junyu was the first to wave her hand dismissively. “There’s no need for a DNA test. We already know you’re our child.”

She turned to her husband.

Li Fengqing nodded firmly. “From the moment we saw you, we knew. It was our failure that led to your abduction. We hope you don’t blame us. Please, give us a chance to make it up to you, okay?”

Xu Zhizhi smiled at them and shook her head.

The couple grew anxious, reaching out for her hands, afraid she would reject them.

Seeing their reaction, Xu Zhizhi realized they had misunderstood and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not denying you. Don’t misunderstand. What I mean is, this isn’t your fault. I’ve already found the people who trafficked me. Even if you hadn’t come, I think our reunion wouldn’t have been far off.”

Her words stunned everyone into silence. Then, they immediately began asking questions.

After their conversation ended, Xu Zhizhi gathered the documents and took her parents and relatives to the police station.

They underwent DNA testing as part of formality, leaving the rest in the hands of the authorities.

In just one night, Xu Zhizhi went from having no family to having many.

Life seemed to move in fast-forward, astonishing her law firm colleagues and friends.

Having memories from her past life made it easier for her to bond with her family this time around. Their connection felt natural and harmonious.

Xu Zhizhi also wanted to make up for them. They had searched for her so desperately. Whether in this world or the alternate timeline, everything showed just how much pain they had endured.

After reuniting with her family, Xu Zhizhi officially set out on her own path.

She wanted to become a criminal defense lawyer and use her deep understanding of criminals.

Her journey of redemption wasn’t over. Instead, it was just beginning.

She interned at the court for a year, familiarizing herself with the entire legal process from appeal to sentencing. Then, she officially embarked on her new career.

Life was destined to be full of challenges, but Xu Zhizhi was not afraid.

She took on the case of Director Zhou, who had been framed, and set out to clear his name by gathering evidence and fighting for justice.

Against all odds, she helped him regain his footing and allowed his film to finally be released.

She traveled to Jiang City to confront a hacker organization. Through careful investigation, she tracked them down and reported them to the police, leading to their arrest.

The most dangerous thing was that Xu Zhizhi often worked alone, with little support.

Sometimes, she took on pro bono cases for marginalized groups. When handling cases involving the deaf and mute, she even taught herself sign language.

Even though the human traffickers had been caught, danger still loomed over Director Meng’s film crew. The perpetrators set their sights on someone else, planning another setup.

The girl involved reached out to Xu Zhizhi through Director Zhou, and she chose to help.

In this parallel world, some things have changed. She couldn’t simply rely on past knowledge to deduce the truth. Instead, she had to ignore the answers already in her mind and carefully uncover the real truth.

Standing beside her client, she devoted herself to proving their innocence.

The first time the perpetrator tried to spy on the girl, Xu Zhizhi stepped out of the shadows and took him down.

Over the years, she had never slackened in training herself.

The man struggled, but she overpowered him.

The girl turned on the lights and called the police.

The culprit was arrested, and Li Feng took him away. A brief interrogation led to the capture of his accomplices.

It wasn’t the first time Xu Zhizhi had worked with Li Feng, nor was it the first time she had demonstrated her sharp instincts.

With the criminals taken away, the girl was able to continue filming in peace.

Xu Zhizhi organized the evidence and left in a rideshare.

Another case closed. She knew there was still a long road ahead.

Soon after, she continued to display her remarkable abilities, helping Li Feng and his team crack multiple new and old cases. If there were a system to evaluate her, she would be considered a genius in the field of criminal investigation.

But she wanted to prove something; that the notion of a ‘criminal genius’ was flawed.

The world had no true crime prodigies, and she would never be one either.

Instead, she would be the one who understood criminals best and became their ultimate nemesis.

In the process, she learned to make peace with herself.

What Xu Zhizhi didn’t expect, however, was how famous she was becoming online.

Legal consultation requests skyrocketed and people lined up to join her live streams.

Of course, there were detractors, but Xu Zhizhi had already survived periods of infamy and online harassment, so she simply paid them no mind.

She primarily focused on legal consultations and had little interest in giving relationship advice. With her academic record of consistently ranking first in her field, along with her accumulated experience, answering legal questions was no challenge.

Apart from the occasional explosive moment, things were manageable.

At 11:00 p.m., Xu Zhizhi’s final live call of the night arrived.

As she prepared to take the last caller before ending the stream, she covered a yawn with her hand and asked, “Alright, what’s going on?”

The male caller’s first words made her pause.

“Attorney Xu, do you believe in ghosts?”

The comment section exploded.

[Oh, damn, is this turning into a paranormal show at midnight?]

[Bro, what happened to you?]

[No way the host believes in this stuff.]

Xu Zhizhi fell silent.

Because from what she had seen in the experiences of another Xu Zhizhi, she knew exactly who this person was.

Watching the flood of comments doubting she’d believe, she looked straight at the screen and nodded deeply.

“I believe.”

Her tone was firm, yet for some reason, it gave people the distinct feeling that she didn’t actually believe what she was saying.

The live chat was filled with question marks.

Why was Xu Zhizhi like this?

The caller, however, didn’t notice her contradiction and continued in a mysterious tone, “Strange things have been happening around me. Everything I do goes wrong.”

Xu Zhizhi: …

If she wasn’t mistaken, ‘A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains’ had already been stolen.

And if she remembered correctly, Zhang Yan was a superstitious chatterbox. He probably couldn’t sleep, got frustrated, and decided to hop on a live call.

Sure enough, he started venting, though he avoided revealing certain details.

He referred to his film crew as a ‘project’ and began complaining about all the bad luck he had encountered.

“Weird things started happening from day one. The project’s billboards would suddenly fall, I’d get hit on the head out of nowhere, and even my wife has had some unexpected accidents…”

Zhang Yan had always found Xu Zhizhi to be a lucky charm, like someone who radiated positive energy. So the moment he stumbled upon her livestream, he immediately requested to join, eager to unload his frustrations.

Xu Zhizhi listened patiently, occasionally summarizing key points.

By the time Zhang Yan finished speaking, more than ten minutes had passed.

Finally, she spoke, “Why don’t we meet in person to check things out? This situation seems a bit tricky.”

“Huh? Oh, sure!” Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment before agreeing.

At first, he hadn’t planned on it, but then he remembered that Xu Zhizhi had experience dealing with people in the entertainment industry. So he went along with it.

After ending the live call, Xu Zhizhi sent him a private message with the meeting details for the next day. She also specifically reminded him to bring his wife.

Zhang Yan scratched his head. How did she know he was definitely married? She seemed so certain.

And why bring his wife? Was she worried about misunderstandings?

Or… was Xu Zhizhi secretly some kind of metaphysical master?

Leaning toward the last possibility, Zhang Yan agreed immediately.

The next morning arrived.

Xu Zhizhi cleared some of her work schedule to meet with Zhang Yan and Zhao Qing.

The reason she wanted Zhao Qing to be there was simple. She was more reliable and far less superstitious than Zhang Yan, so convincing her would be easier.

At a café, Xu Zhizhi discreetly checked if anyone was following them before joining them in a private booth.

Only after they had their coffee did she finally speak. “I’m quite interested in last night’s conversation. Could you provide more details?”

Zhao Qing was the first to respond while studying her with curiosity, “You don’t seem surprised to see us, nor do you look intrigued by our identities. Why is that?”

Xu Zhizhi smiled, rubbing her forehead. “Actually, I’d already caught some rumors through my network. When I recognized Director Zhang last night, I figured we should meet in person.”

The infamous crime boss Qiu Xu was an extremely dangerous individual. While he had supposedly retired, his gang was still active.

Some of his people were lurking within Zhang Yan’s film crew. If they were ruthless enough, Zhang Yan, Zhao Qing, and anyone caught in the crossfire could be in serious danger.

Zhao Qing nodded slightly, indicating her understanding. She then asked, “What’s your take on this situation, Attorney Xu?”

She wanted to gauge her stance before revealing anything further.

Zhang Yan, sitting beside her, was also curious. Xu Zhizhi seemed incredibly sharp. She even humored his superstitions, so she was definitely not an ordinary person.

Xu Zhizhi glanced at the two of them, sighed, took a sip of coffee, and finally said, “I’ve thought about it, and I believe these incidents are man-made.

“Take the falling billboard for example. Are you really that confident in your crew’s props?

“And the random object that hit you while you were out eating. Did you check the exact circumstances?

“Sure, a string of bad luck might seem coincidental at first. But when you think about it, every single incident could have been orchestrated.”

Based on what she had heard last night, she began breaking it all down.

She ignored Zhang Yan completely, focusing her analysis on Zhao Qing.

Zhang Yan pursed his lips, frowned, and finally spoke up, “But the master I consulted said it was because of my unlucky fate! He didn’t even charge me, so he couldn’t be lying!”

Zhao Qing shot him a glare, clearly exasperated. “Enough already! The moment you start talking about superstitions, you turn into a completely different person. You’re not usually this dumb!”

She understood what Xu Zhizhi was saying and the attorney’s reasoning aligned with her own suspicions.

There had been too many incidents lately, and she hadn’t had the chance to verify anything yet.

She sighed, looked at Xu Zhizhi, and shared all the details she knew.

“Have you ever considered that this might be a setup specifically targeting Director Zhang?” Xu Zhizhi asked, turning to Zhao Qing after listening carefully.

Her words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples.

Zhang Yan immediately shook his head and firmly denied it, “Impossible! I haven’t offended anyone that badly. Besides, everyone in my crew is someone I trust. If someone were behind all this, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed!”

For such a scheme to work, someone would need to have influence over the crew, know Zhang Yan well enough to manipulate him into believing in superstitions, and have the capability to execute it all.

But someone with that much power wouldn’t have any reason to target Zhang Yan specifically.

Based on these thoughts, Zhang Yan was convinced that this wasn’t some human conspiracy and rejected Xu Zhizhi’s theory outright.

Xu Zhizhi wasn’t upset. Instead, she simply kept her eyes on Zhao Qing.

Zhao Qing looked back at her and, for some reason, saw unwavering confidence in Xu Zhizhi’s expression.

“How do you plan to verify it?” she asked.

Both women completely ignored Zhang Yan, who was too emotional to be rational. Stubborn people like him didn’t need to be persuaded with words. They needed undeniable evidence.

Zhang Yan watched his wife and Xu Zhizhi in disbelief, thinking they were being completely unreasonable.

Xu Zhizhi turned to Zhao Qing. “Can we create a situation where no one is in the film set? I want to inspect the billboard directly.”

This was all thanks to Xu Zhizhi’s quick thinking. Without it, things wouldn’t have gone this smoothly.

Zhao Qing considered it for a moment, then immediately agreed and started making arrangements on her phone.

Xu Zhizhi watched her and added, “Aside from us, no one can know. No one.”

She emphasized this point.

Zhao Qing was momentarily startled but nodded firmly.

Zhang Yan drove the two of them to the set.

The place was deserted. The incident had only happened recently, so the billboard was still there.

Xu Zhizhi let out a long sigh of relief when she saw it.

They grabbed a chair to climb up and examine it. Zhao Qing and Zhang Yan also checked it carefully.

After coming back down, Zhang Yan’s face was grim, his mind racing.

A moment later, he suddenly threw the tool in his hand aside, shaking with anger.

Xu Zhizhi turned to Zhao Qing and Zhang Yan. “I suggest you call the police. Report that the skeleton found in your crew’s safe is connected to these incidents. Have them investigate every crew member.

“And one more thing, keep this absolutely confidential. If the mastermind catches wind of it, they might escape.”

Zhao Qing had a strange feeling that Xu Zhizhi knew more than she was letting on. She nodded in gratitude and immediately urged her husband to follow Xu Zhizhi’s advice.

When Xu Zhizhi saw Li Feng this time, he seemed to have resigned himself to fate.

Xu Zhizhi suggested that if they could create a facial reconstruction from the skull, they should release it online and let the public help identify the person.

Li Feng agreed and assigned the task of creating the sketch to Xu Zhizhi.

Xu Zhizhi hadn’t expected to be the one doing it, but in the end, she took on the job. She had developed the skill on her own, learning as she went.

She had been paying close attention to everything related to Xu Zhizhi’s past.

The truth then came to light.

After the composite sketch was uploaded, Li Feng’s investigation, combined with some unseen forces pushing things along behind the scenes, finally exposed the notorious Thief King Qiu Xu.

Qiu Xu was caught, and Xu Zhizhi’s reputation skyrocketed.

After that, she took on more legal cases in the entertainment industry and saved everyone she could.

During this time, Xu Zhizhi continuously worked on promoting herself and building her fan base and influence.

Because she was waiting.

Some battles had to be fought personally.

In this life, aside from the system, the people she hated most were Li Feng and his son.

Self-righteous and hypocritical, she was determined to expose their true faces.

Although there was no system manipulating them in this lifetime, that didn’t mean the two of them were innocent. Li Jiahang was a true menace. Whether it was bullying or intentional harm, he had done it all.

Li Feng had used his power to cover up his son’s wrongdoings numerous times. Otherwise, how could someone legally accountable for his crimes keep getting away with them?

Her public presence wasn’t just for show. It was a strategic move to ensure she wouldn’t be at the mercy of public opinion. It also gave her the leverage to drag them down when the time came.

She remembered every key moment when they had hurt others. To ensure she didn’t miss anything, she hired a private investigator in advance. He infiltrated the school as an external PE teacher, keeping an eye on things as they unfolded.

To prevent any unintended harm due to the butterfly effect and to ensure that the injured girl was not the one who ended up disabled instead of Li Jiahang, she specifically instructed the investigator to protect her.

Her careful planning paid off.

After dealing with the Thief King Qiu Xu, Xu Zhizhi received all the evidence the investigator had gathered.

Some photos were taken from strategic angles under the guise of photography practice.

Unfortunately, the girl still got injured this time. Because the PE teacher’s intervention had softened her, she subconsciously tried to pull Li Jiahang back, only to be dragged down the stairs with him.

The only satisfying part? Li Jiahang still took the worst fall.

After exposing the incident, Xu Zhizhi sought out the girl.

Her family wasn’t poor; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been attending the same school as Li Jiahang. Furious over their daughter’s injury, they were determined to pursue the case to the very end.

With solid evidence, Xu Zhizhi took on the role of the girl’s lawyer, fighting for the harshest possible sentence for Li Jiahang.

Li Feng was a master at manipulating public opinion, but Xu Zhizhi had built her influence for this very moment. She wasn’t an easy opponent.

After a year-long legal battle, Li Jiahang was sentenced to three years in prison.

Not a long sentence, but enough to ruin him.

As for Li Feng, he couldn’t escape Xu Zhizhi’s grasp either. His past bribery, threats, and exploitation of others to clean up his son’s mess were all exposed.

He was sentenced to five years.

Again, not a particularly long sentence, but enough to destroy him.

His reputation was in ruins, making it impossible to survive in the entertainment industry.

On top of that, his wife wasn’t as gentle as she had seemed. She had only been suppressed and controlled all these years.

With the two biggest obstacles in her way gone, she did everything she could to take out loans, mortgage assets, and transfer funds. Then, she fled abroad with the money, leaving Li Feng with nothing.

By the time he and his son were released, they would be left destitute, forced to spend the rest of their lives resenting and tormenting each other.

Xu Zhizhi admitted that hearing all this brought her immense satisfaction.

With this chapter of her life finally closed, she was free of her inner demons, her mind completely at peace.

For the rest of her life, she dedicated herself to being a voice for others, pursuing her vision and goals.

She had saved many people.

She had defended countless individuals to the best of her ability.

She had spoken up for the marginalized.

She had no regrets, neither for her actions nor for this second chance at life.

She wanted to become a beacon of justice, which had been her original wish all along.

 

 

 

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And that’s the end of our journey! Thank you for reading this novel. I hope you enjoy Zhizhi’s life and adventure as much as I do.❤️