Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 33.2

During the three years of studying abroad, aside from returning during the first Christmas break to accompany her girlfriend to buy a house, Huo Yuwan rarely came back.

Her coursework was demanding. She completed all her undergraduate courses in the first semester, then spent a year pursuing her master’s degree. During that time, she returned to take the domestic bar exam.

In the following years, she pursued her doctorate while co-founding a law firm with like-minded seniors from the same university. They continuously took on cases, and with a 100% success rate and an exceptionally strong team of lawyers, their firm quickly gained renown.

By the time Huo Yuwan’s study abroad journey came to an end, the firm had already secured a spot in the global top 100 law firm rankings, thanks to her relentless efforts in maintaining an unbeaten record. Huo Yuwan’s name had also spread throughout the prestigious “red circle” law firms in China. Her rapid rise in such a short time made her a legend in the legal world.

On the day Huo Yuwan returned to China, her entire family came to the airport to welcome her back. Li Xuzhi stood beside Huo’s mother.

In truth, they had only parted a month earlier. Over the past three years, Li Xuzhi had flown abroad numerous times, using all her hospital leave to visit Huo Yuwan overseas.

She had reissued all the documents her father had confiscated under the pretext of having lost them. The invisible shackles that once bound her weren’t difficult to break; it was just that over twenty years of conditioning from her family had ingrained in her a habit of obedience and timidity, making her too afraid to resist.

But at some point, she had slowly begun to change.

Perhaps only Li Xuzhi herself knew when she had started to grow tired of the version of herself that always yielded to her parents’ wishes.

As Huo Yuwan pulled her into a warm embrace, Li Xuzhi lowered her gaze and smiled softly.

“Welcome back,” she whispered.

Huo Yuwan had also changed over the past three years, she had grown taller, her demeanor more mature, and there was now an air of inscrutability when she narrowed her eyes.

Li Xuzhi had once pinched her nose in bed, complaining that Huo Yuwan had become “worse”, studying abroad had clearly deepened her knowledge in every aspect, to the point where the former “Teacher Li” could no longer teach her anything.

At the time, Huo Yuwan had chuckled proudly, thinking to herself that it was only natural, after all, she had access to more learning materials overseas.

Releasing her girlfriend from the hug, Huo Yuwan pulled a diamond ring she had prepared for a long time from her trench coat pocket.

Then, taking a deep breath, she knelt on one knee.

“Miss Li… Li Xuzhi, will you marry me?”

Even though she had rehearsed this scene countless times in her mind, Huo Yuwan was so nervous she nearly stumbled over her words.

Pfft.

Beside them, Huo’s mother and Huo Yuqing covered their mouths, stifling giggles.

The renowned lawyer Huo Yuwan actually had a slip of the tongue.

“I do.”

Extending her slightly trembling right hand, Li Xuzhi looked down at her, her eyes gentle and brimming with tears.

Huo Yuwan had truly kept her promise, she hadn’t made her wait a moment longer.

Holding Li Xuzhi’s slender, pale fingers, Huo Yuwan slowly slid the ring onto the middle finger of her left hand.

Rising from the ground, Huo Yuwan wrapped an arm around her waist, her eyes crinkling into a smile as radiant as the bright young girl from years past. “The wedding home has been ready for a while. How about we go get our marriage certificate today, sister?”

She leaned close to Li Xuzhi’s ear, her voice brimming with impatience.

Watching her youngest daughter practically glued to Li Xuzhi, Huo’s mother couldn’t help but give her a light smack on the back.

“You’re too hasty. We haven’t even met the in-laws yet.”

Huo Yuwan winced exaggeratedly, and Li Xuzhi shot her an amused, reproachful glance before instinctively reaching out to gently rub her back.

“The hospital has been quite busy lately. How about we arrange a meeting with my family in a few days? Would that be alright, Auntie and Uncle?”

Exchanging a glance with Huo Yuwan, Li Xuzhi spoke in a gentle tone as she discussed the matter with Huo’s parents.

“There’s no problem with that. We’re not in a rush anyway. Just let us know once you’ve settled on a date, your uncle and I are always available,” Mrs. Huo said with a smile.

Their eldest daughter had long been married, and their second daughter, Huo Yuqing, and youngest, Huo Yuwan, were both established in their careers, requiring no further concern from their parents. The couple felt considerably more at ease now, often traveling for leisure and enjoying their newfound freedom.

…

That evening, the family gathered for dinner at a restaurant Li Xuzhi had reserved in advance. After the meal, Huo Yuwan and Li Xuzhi returned to their previous small apartment.

Their marital home was not in this area but in a newly developed district a few years back, slightly more remote compared to the city center. It was a three-story villa with courtyards in both the front and back, spacious and tranquil.

Li Xuzhi had been drawn to the quietness of the place, and Huo Yuwan naturally went along with whatever her wife preferred.

Since they hadn’t yet registered their marriage or held the wedding, the two hadn’t moved into that house.

Pulling their luggage upstairs, Huo Yuwan pressed Li Xuzhi against the wall for a deep kiss as soon as they entered.

Their cat came to greet its owners but soon realized both were too absorbed in each other, embracing as they made their way to the sofa.

“Yuwan… Yuwan…” Li Xuzhi gasped softly in her ear as Huo Yuwan nibbled on her delicate skin.

Feeling slender legs rubbing against her waist, Huo Yuwan caressed the smooth skin of Li Xuzhi’s ankles before gently pressing down.

Li Xuzhi trembled in her arms, tears welling uncontrollably at the corners of her eyes. Huo Yuwan smiled tenderly and kissed her softly.

“Sister, you’re still so sensitive.”

Carrying Li Xuzhi to the bathroom, Huo Yuwan started filling the bathtub.

Once they were both submerged, Huo Yuwan watched as Li Xuzhi mustered the strength to climb onto her lap, feeling her throat grow dry with thirst again.

The diamond ring, recently placed on her finger, sparkled brilliantly under the light. Li Xuzhi pinned her arms down, interlacing their fingers tightly.

“You’re not allowed to move unless I say so,” she whispered, biting Huo Yuwan’s earlobe.

Dazed by the kisses, Huo Yuwan unconsciously shifted her leg, causing Li Xuzhi to let out a muffled groan and tug lightly at her ear in frustration.

The touch was almost weightless.

Her voice grew husky and trembling with desire. “I said no moving…”

As the slippery sensations rippled with the water, Huo Yuwan held the weakened figure in her arms and chuckled silently.

“I didn’t mean to, sister…”

Just before losing consciousness, Li Xuzhi finally heard Huo Yuwan’s whispered explanation in her ear.

…

After returning to the country, Huo Yuwan began working on the case that had been on her mind for three years.

During her years abroad, she had hired people to keep an eye on the Sun family’s movements. Half a year ago, Sun’s son, who was working in another city, was nearly killed in a car accident. It was Huo Yuwan’s hired help who called the ambulance and covered the expensive surgery fees.

Now, as she stepped back into the prison to reopen the old case, Sun, who was incarcerated, finally changed his stance and agreed to cooperate.

His son had visited him after being discharged from the hospital and revealed that, the night before the accident, he had drunkenly confided in someone about his father’s wrongful imprisonment.

The very next morning, he was hit by the car.

With Sun’s testimony and the physical evidence collected over the years, Huo Yuwan swiftly and decisively exposed and condemned the family members of the officials who had been shielded from justice.

And this was merely a pretext. Huo Yuwan cooperated with the procuratorate’s investigation, and as expected, after handing over all the physical evidence she had collected, the matter once again came to nothing.

Emerging from the courthouse, Huo Yuwan showed no trace of discouragement.

Sitting in her car, she dialed the phone number she had contacted half a year earlier.

“Director Li, I presume you now have both witnesses and evidence.”

One month later.

Huo Yuwan sat calmly in the Li family’s living room, sipping tea and conversing peacefully with Mrs. Li.

She asked a lot about Huo Yuwan’s interactions with Li Xuzhi, but more than that, she wanted to catch a glimpse of her daughter’s recent situation.

Over the past three years, Li Xuzhi had returned home only a handful of times.

Huo Yuwan responded gently to each question, all the while appearing completely unaware of the probing gaze from behind her.

Li’s father stood on the staircase a few meters behind her, staring intently at her back as if trying to see through her.

Last month, Qi’s father was suddenly investigated, and before anyone could react, he was swiftly expelled from both his party and official positions.

In just one-month, multiple corruption cases within the education department were exposed.

Every single one of them was linked to Qi’s father.

At the same time, it was revealed that he had repeatedly abused his power to secure improper benefits for his daughter. Huo Yuwan unhesitatingly released evidence of all the terrible things Qi Qiuyuan had done at school.

Outsiders were unaware and assumed it was a routine investigation, but Li’s father, through his connections, found out.

This entire matter was inextricably linked to Huo Yuwan.

He really hadn’t misjudged her back then. Li’s father prided himself on his sharp eye.

…

After Huo Yuwan and Li Xuzhi registered their marriage, they began living between two places, as Huo Yuwan’s career focus was still abroad for the time being.

Li Xuzhi planned to resign from the hospital. Recently, encouraged by Huo Yuwan, she had started picking up her paintbrush again. Though she was a bit rusty at first, as she slowly regained the feeling of painting from long ago, Li Xuzhi realized she had always hoped for this day.

Only when her heart was filled with sunlight did she find the courage to pick up the dreams and passions that had once been shattered.

On the day she brought up her resignation with her father, Li Xuzhi was assisting him in surgery as the first assistant.

The surgery was extremely difficult, and the patient was a public official, so to be safe, Li’s father was the lead surgeon, with Li Xuzhi assisting.

Six hours into the surgery, Li Xuzhi noticed something was wrong.

Her father’s hands were trembling, and clearly, every doctor in the room had noticed it too.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. Li’s father took a step back and looked at Li Xuzhi beside him.

“You take over.”

He spoke with difficulty through his mask.

Without a word, Li Xuzhi pressed her lips together and took on the role of the lead surgeon, and the surgery continued.

The surgery lasted ten hours, during which Li’s father stood back and watched.

Only when the surgery was successful did his tightly wound nerves finally relax.

As they left the operating room, he noticed Li Xuzhi’s face was as pale as paper.

He was momentarily stunned, he had thought that after all this time, Li Xuzhi would have adapted to such intensity…

Li’s father’s sudden hand tremors were diagnosed as essential tremor, a condition that usually can’t be cured. While it doesn’t greatly impact daily life, as a surgeon, it meant he could no longer operate.

It was at this time that Li Xuzhi went to his office to discuss her resignation.

Looking at her still-pale face, Li’s father was silent for a long time. “What if I don’t agree?”

“Whether you agree or not is up to you. At the end of this month, I won’t be coming to the hospital anymore.”

Li Xuzhi lowered her eyes calmly.

He nearly laughed in frustration.

After a long pause, Li’s father waved his hand. “Do as you wish.”

He had always been aware of his own actions, and he had always known that Li Xuzhi lived like a desireless puppet under his control, her career, her life, everything was under his command.

But now, she had desires.

She had found a new anchor.

So she began to resist, and in the end, she succeeded.

…

Leaving the airport, Huo Yuwan inexplicably felt restless and unsettled.

She had just finished a business trip, and her work was temporarily on hold. Li Xuzhi had resigned from the hospital today, and the two of them planned to go on a trip together for a while.

Sitting in the taxi, Huo Yuwan called Li Xuzhi, wanting to ask if she was still at the hospital.

But the call went unanswered, and Huo Yuwan’s unease grew.

Clutching her phone tightly, she glanced inadvertently at the rearview mirror and happened to meet the driver’s gaze.

Her right hand suddenly seized the driver’s neck, and Huo Yuwan’s expression turned icy.

“Stop the car.”

The baseball cap on the driver’s head was knocked off, revealing a familiar face.

It was Qi Qiuyuan.

Choked, she let go of the steering wheel, struggling to pry off the grip on her neck.

But the car’s trajectory remained completely unaffected. Qi Qiuyuan smirked provocatively and even pulled out the car key.

The car continued to drive normally.

Huo Yuwan’s expression grew even colder.

She leaned over and began operating the navigation system.

This was a modified self-driving car, and the navigation was locked, programmed to proceed unimpeded to a preset destination.

The doors were locked, so Huo Yuwan swiftly climbed from the back to the passenger seat.

Sure enough, all the locking mechanisms were disabled.

She took a deep breath, utterly exasperated.

“Go ahead and smash the window if you dare. But even if you break it, I doubt you’ll jump out of the car.”

Qi Qiuyuan coughed lightly and sneered.

“Can’t get in touch with Li Xuzhi, can you? Guess who’s in the trunk.”