Chapter 745 - 497: The True Great Catch

The next morning.

Chen Yuan woke up later than the two sisters, but he was the first one ready and waiting downstairs. The sisters had to wash their hair and pack their things, dawdling until a whole hour had passed.

He was so bored waiting downstairs that he started checking his work group chat, watching his subordinates clock in one by one.

The sun was already shining brightly outside by the time the two sisters were more or less ready.

Jiangg Ning had just finished putting on her shoes when Yaoyao came THUMP-THUMP-THUMPing down the stairs. Since it was hot outside, neither sister was wearing much. Ningning had on a French-style gray dress that fell to about her knees, revealing her slender calves. The bottom half was tapered, making for a look that was both elegant and lively.

Jiangg Yao was dressed very youthfully: a baseball cap, a little t-shirt, a short skirt with white socks and sneakers. Chen Yuan had never seen her wear this red baseball cap before; he figured it must have been stored in the walk-in closet at home.

"It’s such a hassle being a woman," Chen Yuan remarked, watching Jiangg Yao squat down to pull on the heel of her other shoe.

"Tell me about it."

"With a closet full of clothes, how long does it take just to choose an outfit?"

"It didn’t. I only took ten minutes to pick something out and put it together. Washing my hair was what really took up all the time."

"Then what’s the point of washing your hair just to put on a hat, Your Highness Yaoyao? Wasn’t that a total waste?"

"You’re wrong. The hat is to block the sun so I don’t get baked alive," Jiangg Yao said as she stood up. "Sis, did you bring lipstick?"

"I did."

"Don’t tell me you two still need to put on lipstick. You were inside for that long and you didn’t even do that?"

"We’ll put it on in the car," Jiangg Yao said with a wave of her hand, probably sensing Chen Yuan’s impatience.

"Let’s go. No more dawdling."

"Look how antsy you are. Here, here, don’t be angry now. Good boy."

Jiangg Yao walked over to Chen Yuan, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a light peck on the lips, as if she were soothing a pet.

But how could a single peck be enough to appease the grumpy Chen Yuan? His expression remained sour.

Jiangg Ning, who had been standing to the side, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward as well.

She also rose onto her tiptoes and gently kissed him on the left cheek.

"Don’t be angry anymore."

"Hehe."

Chen Yuan couldn’t hold back any longer, breaking into a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

He declared with mock solemnity, "I hereby announce that from now on, whenever either of you makes us late by doing your makeup, you must offer this form of compensation. Otherwise, I will remain angry indefinitely."

"Announce my ass! In your dreams!"

Jiangg Yao rolled her eyes, then grabbed her sister’s hand and left.

...

"Only two people can go in, not three. Besides, you’re not immediate family. You can just wait out here."

「Before they knew it, they had arrived at the Mingzhu City suburban detention center.」

The guard on duty stopped Chen Yuan and told him to wait outside.

Chen Yuan didn’t mind the guard’s harsh tone in the slightest. These were the rules of the detention center, after all, so he simply waited outside.

"I’ll wait for you guys in the car, then. It’s a good chance to call Pei back; he just tried calling me," he said to the sisters.

"Okay. I’ll come right out once we have Mom," Jiangg Ning said with a nod.

More than one person was being released from the detention center that day. A number of family members were already waiting in the Detention Room, each face etched with an anxiety so intense they looked as if they were trying to stare holes through the door.

The atmosphere was anything but pleasant.

Even though the papers had been signed long ago, the detention center still had to follow procedure, releasing the detainees one by one according to their intake number.

The two sisters found a place to sit, their hearts churning with unease. Their eyes remained fixed on the door.

Just a wall away, inside the detention center’s high walls...

Jiangg Ruxue had already changed, having shed the ugly and humiliating prison uniform for a loose-fitting white t-shirt and an ordinary pair of jeans. She had actually been up since six o’clock. She hadn’t slept well the previous night; anyone would be too excited to sleep, knowing they were about to regain their freedom. Yet she had waited all the way until nine-thirty in the morning and was still inside.

The guard on duty stood his post, not sparing a single glance for the handful of people lined up, who were anxiously wringing their hands and pacing back and forth.

「A moment later.」

"Everyone, in line!" the guard commanded in a cold, hard voice.

Everyone immediately stood at attention, no one daring to move a muscle.

"Your term of criminal detention has now concluded. Your families are waiting for you outside. For the past month, the Mingzhu City Suburban Detention Center, under the dual supervision of the public and the law, has implemented standard supervision and education. I hope that each and every one of you, upon returning to society, can exercise self-control, turn over a new leaf, and strive to be a good citizen who knows, understands, and abides by the law."

After the square-faced, thick-browed guard finished his speech, a person beside him handed him a list.

"Now, when I call your number and name, step forward to verify your identity. Then, you will retrieve the personal belongings we held for you upon intake. Once everyone has collected their items, you will be released to meet your families."

Upon hearing this, everyone collectively held their breath.

A thousand emotions washed over them in that instant.

Before entering the detention center, these people had been white-collar office workers, prosperous and respectable small business owners, or even high-level executives with seemingly limitless prestige, like Jiangg Ruxue.

But inside the detention center, everyone was treated equally. No one was spared humiliation.

The cells housed a motley crew of people from all walks of life. Your status on the outside meant nothing in here. No one received special treatment. During the initial, stricter phase of their detention, even trying to bribe guards or pull strings was useless. They could only endure. Things only got slightly better toward the end of their term.

After this experience, they would surely all understand the harsh, unforgiving nature of the law, and just how precious a peaceful life truly is.