Chapter 1: Released from Prison

On the day Gu Sheng was released from prison, it was late autumn.

She was still dressed in the summer clothes she had worn upon arrival—her skirt hem barely covering her calves, the thin fabric leaving her shivering uncontrollably. With a limp in her right foot, her slow, uneven gait appeared especially awkward.

The female prison guard waited for a long time, noticing Gu Sheng’s sluggish exit. She instinctively glanced at the injured right leg, where a prominent bone-penetrating scar wrapped around her ankle like a centipede—ghastly and unsightly.

Momentarily stunned, the guard recalled Gu Sheng’s harsh experiences in prison and stepped forward kindly. Following protocol, she returned Gu Sheng’s belongings and casually asked, “What time is it? Why hasn’t your family come to pick you up yet?”

At the mention of “family,” Gu Sheng’s movements paused. Lowering her brows and eyes, her gaze landed on a document stamped “Lawyer’s License Revocation Receipt,” which bore her photo.

After a long silence, she tightened her grip on the paper and raised a faint brow with an indifferent tone, “No one’s coming. They’re all dead.”

Gu Sheng was beautiful—delicate eyebrows, an oval face, and a temperament exuding the gentle grace of a southern woman. But after so long in prison, her complexion had turned a sickly grayish pallor. In the biting wind, her words chilled to the bone.

The guard couldn’t help but take another look.

Gu Sheng was well-known within the prison.

First, because of her infamous background. Once the daughter of a city mayor, after her father was arrested for corruption, she was taken in by the Zhao family, who were prominent real estate magnates in the capital. The two families had long-standing ties, and the Zhaos continued to provide her with a comfortable life.

Second, one night a year ago, Wang Xiao, the sole heir of the Wang family who specialized in water conservancy projects, was found gravely injured and unconscious in a pool of blood. Police, following surveillance footage from that night at a club, found the murder weapon—a fruit knife bearing Gu Sheng’s fingerprints.

The evidence was irrefutable.

Yet, the police harbored doubts. Unable to resist the Wang family’s influence and pressure, Gu Sheng was ultimately convicted of intentional injury, a serious crime.

She was sentenced to ten years.

Her life seemed over.

But Gu Sheng served only one year before a sudden notice declared a wrongful conviction, and she was exonerated and released today.

The whole thing was dramatically surreal.

The female guard sighed, “You should be grateful after you go back. Mr. Zhao has been relentless in checking on you, running around with lawyers to gather evidence so your case could be reopened and you could be declared innocent.”

At the mention of “Zhao,” Gu Sheng’s eyes, usually like still water, stirred noticeably. “Zhao Qinglang?” she asked hesitantly, recalling that night she turned herself in, when Zhao Qinglang tearfully held her hand, swearing.

“Shengsheng!” Zhao’s eyes were red. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you out!”

But she waited a whole year without seeing a trace of him.

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