On the day of the divorce, I became Qin Shao's darling.

Lin Xiwei said, "If it's really as you say... I found it at the train station, then tell me the name of the train station and I will check it myself."

Zhao Xingfen suddenly stopped chewing, her face clearly showing tension.

"If you can't answer, then you've been paid for it. Human trafficking is illegal and punishable by imprisonment. You don't want to go to jail, do you?"

After Lin Xiwei finished speaking, seeing that Zhao Xingfen's face was even more flustered, she deliberately looked at Qin Jiamo and asked, "Attorney Qin, according to our country's laws, what are the penalties for human trafficking?"

Qin Jiamo gave a faint smile, his eyes cold, and recited the legal provisions with great familiarity.

According to Article 241 of the Criminal Law, knowingly buying a trafficked child constitutes the crime of buying a trafficked child, with a basic sentence of imprisonment for up to three years. However, if there are other illegal acts, the crimes will be punished concurrently, resulting in a heavier sentence.

Qin Jiamo already possessed an imposing aura, and when he read out the legal provisions, he gave people an even stronger sense of oppression.

Zhao Xingfen trembled in fright, glancing at Lin Xiwei and the other woman, clearly wanting to beg for mercy.

Lin Xiwei took the opportunity to scare her, "Three years in prison, neither of you can escape it. When you two are in there, your precious son will be all alone when he comes out. He might not even be able to support himself."

"No, I can't go to jail!" Zhao Xingfen suddenly stood up, waving her hands frantically, and said in a trembling voice, "I...we're innocent! Someone brought you here saying nobody wanted you, so we bought you for ten thousand yuan!"

Lin Xiwei's heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, she had been abandoned.

However, Zhao Xingfen's character is unreliable, so this statement cannot be taken entirely at face value.

She felt a jolt of fear, but quickly regained her composure.

"Words are no proof; who knows if you stole it?" she deliberately provoked Zhao Xingfen.

Zhao Xingfen quickly denied it, "No, who would dare to steal? If we were caught, we'd be beaten to death! Back then, we couldn't have a child even after two years of marriage. Our elders said 'introduce the child,' and told us to get a child and raise it, saying that this would help us get pregnant."

"Holding a child as a guide"—Lin Xiwei was surprised to hear this term for the first time.

Such an absurd custom is utterly ignorant.

"We thought it would be the best to buy a girl, raise her to help with housework, and earn a dowry when she gets married."

Zhao Xingfen spoke very quickly and hurriedly, which didn't sound like she was lying.

"We asked around everywhere, and eventually a fellow villager who worked outside the village found a way to help us get a child back, guaranteeing that the child would be healthy, but it would cost 10,000 yuan. Back then, 10,000 yuan was incredibly expensive! We used all the savings we had accumulated after getting married to buy you back."

As Lin Xiwei listened to her words, her body still trembled involuntarily, even though she had prepared herself mentally.

Qin Jiamo immediately noticed her unusual behavior and quickly grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

Knowing that she was extremely distraught, Qin Jiamo asked on her behalf, "Do you know where the child was bought from?"

Zhao Xingfen shook her head repeatedly: "I don't know. The fellow villager who helped us buy the child said the less we know, the better, and told us not to ask too many questions. But she said very confidently that the little girl was abandoned by her family, so no one will look for her, and there won't be any trouble later."

"Can you still contact that fellow villager?" Qin Jiamo pressed.

"Contact me my ass," Zhao Xingfen said coldly with a look of disdain. "She died of cancer a long time ago. Everyone in the village says it was retribution. I heard she was involved in buying and selling children."

After so many years, it will be difficult to prove the truth of Zhao Xingfen's statement if key witnesses cannot be found.

However, based on Qin Jiamo's judgment, what Zhao Xingfen said at this moment was highly credible.

He turned to look at Lin Xiwei, his eyes filled with tenderness and heartache, and softly asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Lin Xiwei looked up at him.

Although her expression remained calm, the heartbreak and coldness in her eyes were unbearable to look at.

Feeling the coldness between her fingers, Qin Jiamo moved his hand to warm them up.

Lin Xiwei snapped out of her daze and shook her head absently, "I'm fine."

She turned to look at Zhao Xingfen, her eyes quickly turning cold. "Continue."

Zhao Xingfen spread her hands, "There's nothing more to say. We really don't know anything, and fearing that things would get out, we quickly left the village and came to Jiangcheng to work. Later, we settled down in Jiangcheng. A few years later, we really got pregnant and gave birth to Yanzhou."

At this point, Zhao Xingfen smiled again, clearly believing that the folk custom was still useful.

If you adopt a child, you can actually bring your own child with you.

Seeing that she still had the nerve to laugh, Lin Xiwei felt a surge of intense hatred.

"Since you bought me, why did you insist that I was found at the train station when I asked you about my background last time?"

Zhao Xingfen's eyes darted away guiltily as she stammered, "I never expected you to know that I'm not our biological child. I know that human trafficking is illegal, and I was afraid that if things were exposed we would go to jail... so I could only say that I was found."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiwei smiled coldly, "Fine, very well. Since you already knew that human trafficking is illegal, then obediently do as I say, otherwise I will call the police and have you arrested as well."

"Weiwei, you can't do this..." Zhao Xingfen panicked and quickly pleaded, "Look at me, I raised you so well, and you even got such a high degree. We've done our part, even if we haven't done anything special."

Lin Xiwei stood up, expressionless and unmoved.

"You don't need to say anything more. I'll call you tomorrow. Make sure you're clean and tidy, and come with me to see them."

Seeing that she was getting up to leave, Qin Jiamo also got up.

Zhao Xingfen's lips trembled. "But when I see them, what... what am I supposed to say? What if I give myself away and they call the police and arrest me?"

"Don't worry, I haven't admitted my identity. At most, they'll just be suspicious. Just do as I say. No matter what they say, just insist that you're my biological mother. That's all."

As soon as Lin Xiwei finished speaking, the waiter knocked on the door and came in with a takeout container.

Zhao Xingfen took the lunchbox, looked at them, and asked, "Neither of you are eating, right? Then I'll pack it all up."

Seeing her in such a destitute state, Lin Xiwei frowned, her face full of disgust again, and finally said, "Didn't you just ask me for 20,000 yuan? You cooperate with me tomorrow, and I'll give you 20,000 yuan afterwards."

Zhao Xingfen, who was packing up food, beamed with joy upon hearing this and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, don't worry, I'll definitely cooperate!"

Lin Xiwei didn't bother to look at her again, turned around and took Qin Jiamo's hand, "Let's go."

"Um."

Qin Jiamo grasped her fingers in return, and the two turned and left.

Once the room door closed, Zhao Xingfen breathed a sigh of relief. Her legs were so weak that she couldn't stand and slumped into a chair.

"That brat, she's really lucky... It's bizarre, more than twenty years have passed, and they still managed to find her..."