The matter concerning the Ji family could finally be put to rest. The ill-gotten gains they had accumulated over the years through their illicit businesses could no longer be retained. With this matter settled, the Ji family would cease to exist, posing no further threat to anyone.
As for Feng Shiming, who had colluded with Ji Tong for so long, she naturally could not escape the clutches of the law.
Even setting aside the fact that Jiang Siyu was now dead and unable to testify against her, her complicity in hiding the Ji family's illegal enterprises was enough to land her in serious trouble.
After she was imprisoned, Wei Yumeng visited her. Seeing Feng Shiming in prison attire, her eyes filled with resentment, it was clear she harbored no remorse.
"Even now, you still don't think you did anything wrong?"
Feng Shiming's response was exactly as Wei Yumeng had anticipated. "What did I do wrong? Wei Yumeng, since ancient times, it has always been the victor who is hailed and the vanquished who is reviled. You married a good husband, and now you have the right to preach to me. But you should know your own capabilities. Do you think you could have defeated me with your own abilities alone?"
Hearing her words, Wei Yumeng knew that anything she said would be futile. However, she reasoned that this would likely be the last time she would ever see Feng Shiming. Even if it were futile, some things still needed to be said, not for Feng Shiming to have a change of heart, but for Wei Yumeng's own peace of mind.
"Firstly, I never intended to compete with you. You are the one who harbored improper thoughts about your own brother, thus making me your imaginary enemy. In fact, when Mo Han sent you abroad to study, his original intention was to temper your personality so that you could assist him upon your return. He always regarded you as his own sister. It was your malevolent intentions, your constant desire for things that did not belong to you, that led you down the wrong path and to this unfortunate end."
Feng Shiming could not absorb these words. She continued to accuse Wei Yumeng hysterically, "If it weren't for your appearance, none of this would have happened. You ruined me! Originally, Mo Han Ge Ge and I could have remained like siblings. It was all because of you that he sent me away, causing me to misunderstand his intentions."
Wei Yumeng was unsure if Feng Shiming was being stubborn or truly obstinate. "Since you admit that it was your misunderstanding that caused these subsequent troubles, how can you blame me? Can I possibly control your thoughts? Feng Shiming, if you are so unwilling to see reason, then consider this visit as if it never happened. Rest assured, when I return, I will tell Mo Han everything you've said, so he knows his good intentions, even if they are misinterpreted."
As Wei Yumeng stood to leave, Feng Shiming grew anxious and pounded on the thick glass, trying to make her stay.
Wei Yumeng turned back and added a few more words, "I forgot to mention, you caused Jiang Siyu to die in a foreign land, and her remains could not even be brought back for burial. If you have any conscience at all, you should repent for your sins every day, lest you be plagued by nightmares when you recall it at midnight."
Wei Yumeng felt she had spoken enough with Feng Shiming. After all, there was no point in talking further with someone so unrepentant.
However, Wei Yumeng also admitted that she had been somewhat cruel this time. Feng Shiming was not particularly bold and had merely relied on the Ji family's influence before. Now a prisoner, aside from her persistently defiant words, she likely did not possess as much mental fortitude.
Wei Yumeng deliberately brought up Jiang Siyu's death at the end, wanting Feng Shiming to be filled with fear whenever she thought of it. Although Jiang Siyu had tried to take her life several times when she was alive, and had even harmed her child, Wei Yumeng would not have survived in the Ji family's dungeon without Jiang Siyu. In that explosion, Jiang Siyu had sacrificed herself to save the four of them.
She had repaid her past debts with her life. By doing this, Wei Yumeng had avenged her and repaid her own kindness.
Ever since Feng Shiming met Ji Tong, her behavior had become erratic. Now that she was imprisoned, and the Ji family had fallen, no one would be able to rescue her. She would thus have to remain in prison to repent and atone. This outcome, while not kind to her, offered a sense of release to those who had suffered because of her.
Besides those who profited from illicit businesses within the same chain, another significant impact of the Ji family's downfall was on Mu Bai, who had depended on them for survival.
Earlier, Wei Yumeng had suspected why Mu Bai never seemed to worry about his livelihood despite not working. Only after learning of his relationship with the Ji family did she understand that he had always been dependent on them.
Even the island where Mu Lin Jing recuperated was lent to him by Ji Tong.
From the beginning, his saving Mu Lin Jing was part of a conspiracy. Ji Tong had manipulated everyone from behind the scenes, with Feng Shiming and Jiang Siyu alike being pawns in his scheme. Anyone connected to Zhan Mohan became a chess piece on his path to revenge.
However, despite all his calculations, he failed to anticipate Jiang Siyu sacrificing her life to save the four of them, nor did he foresee his own father's cowardice in dragging his own family down with him.
Fortunately, with the Ji family's downfall, all three of them were executed. Like a fallen tree, their followers scattered. Mu Bai, who had depended on the Ji family, met a similar fate.
However, he was not apprehended by the authorities. Instead, Zhan Yichen personally traveled to Country Y and brought him back, where he was imprisoned in the dungeon of one of his private residences.
He had to repay the suffering that Mu Lin Jing and Wei Yumeng endured in the Ji family's mansion. This repayment would consume his entire life.
Wei Yumeng returned home and let out a heavy sigh. Looking at the two children practicing walking in their walkers, her heart melted.
She went to the children and gently kissed their foreheads. "Be good, you two. Grow up well. No one will hurt you again. Perhaps, by the time Lin Jing is willing to return, you'll be able to run errands?"
She tried to sound lighthearted, but the moisture in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. Yes, like Zhan Yichen, she often missed Mu Lin Jing.
She recalled the most difficult period of her life, when Mu Lin Jing had stayed by her side. Now, Mu Lin Jing had fled this place of sorrow without even leaving a phone number. Wei Yumeng had many things she wanted to share with her closest friends, but no one to confide in.
Though the days passed by, she constantly hoped for Mu Lin Jing's return. Thinking of her friend, she couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Ah... Mama... Mama."