For Giai Moc Vi, this matter was very important. It would determine the attitude she should take toward her "boyfriend."
Ve Dinh Tieu stared at her for a long moment, his fingers stopping on the table without holding the cigarette.
Even Inspector Ngan So, who sat down beside him, didn't react immediately. Only when Ngan So cleared his throat twice with a puzzled expression did Ve Dinh Tieu snap upright and greet his superior.
Inspector Ngan So smiled kindly: "It's alright, it's alright, sorry to bother you. I just came to ask a few simple questions."
The questions weren't anything special, just asking why the kidnapper had fainted.
Giai Moc Vi lowered her head and looked at her hands.
"At that time, I was really scared. I didn't know where they wanted to take me. The ropes they tied me with were quite loose, I could move a little and undo them, but I didn't dare let them notice. When one of them got out of the car, I originally planned to tie up the driver first, so I'd only have to face one person, maybe I could escape. But unexpectedly, he noticed me, and in panic, I used the rope to strangle him…"
The two men in front of her listened seriously.
Their expressions showed no doubt toward Giai Moc Vi.
Because what Giai Moc Vi said was true, only a few minor details were altered.
Originally, Giai Moc Vi had intended to kill him because he had deceived her.
But now, Giai Moc Vi couldn't say that, so she softened the way she described it.
Inspector Ngan So nodded continuously: "I see, so it was strong survival instinct that led to self-defense."
Giai Moc Vi raised her head and met their eyes sincerely: "How is he now? Did I go too far? I'm really sorry."
Ve Dinh Tieu picked up the cigarette and held it between his teeth with a low hum: "Alright, you don't need to worry about that guy's life. The doctor said it was just oxygen deprivation causing shock. Don't know if there's any nerve damage. Once in the ambulance, he was already hopping around. He won't die."
Giai Moc Vi exhaled gently, calming herself, and asked: "They said they knew me, so I followed them. Now it seems I was too careless. There are really many deceivers in this world."
When mentioning deceivers, Giai Moc Vi glanced at Ve Dinh Tieu.
Ve Dinh Tieu pressed his lips together, inhaling lightly from the cigarette without lighting it, just to satisfy the craving.
Giai Moc Vi didn't know what he was thinking, but when he lowered his eyes, a faint hesitation flashed in his black eyes. Perhaps this policeman was troubled, unsure why she had regained consciousness earlier, leading to her being taken.
Giai Moc Vi had no time to care about this new "boyfriend"; she looked toward the middle-aged, plump policeman: "But who were those two people? Why did they want to kidnap me?"
Ngan So, having heard about her memory loss, patiently explained: "Here's the situation, Moc Vi. Those two belong to a gang suspected of being involved in a high-interest loan case. The borrowers sued them because they used violence to collect debts. Your law firm took the case to help the plaintiffs win, so this was probably the motive for kidnapping you."
Ah.
So this was the "mistake" the kidnappers said she had made?
In short, she had blocked someone else's money-making.
These high-interest loan companies relied on huge interest profits. Losing the case meant losing a substantial "income."
"So I really am a lawyer." Giai Moc Vi muttered.
Ve Dinh Tieu corrected slightly: "More accurately, a trainee lawyer."
Giai Moc Vi had just graduated and obtained her lawyer license after passing the judicial exam in a year, but still needed a period of apprenticeship before officially handling cases.
Her mentor was the "undefeated queen of the legal world," Khuong Tich Yen.
The victims harassed by the loan sharks sought Khuong Tich Yen's help, hoping to win an economic dispute case.
Because they were harassed to the point of living impossibly, and the interest rates were outrageously high and illegal.
That case was won easily; the judgment only required returning the principal. Naturally, the loan sharks did not accept it.
Seeing the two men not doubt her words, Giai Moc Vi breathed a sigh of relief.
This instinctive performance was a bit confusing.
It seemed like a danger-avoidance reflex had been engraved into her bones, becoming a habit.
Giai Moc Vi looked at the man across from her with some vexation.
He was her boyfriend. The person she was willing to be with even if it meant death, the one she had given all her affection to.
Perhaps she should tell him the truth: when she strangled that man, in her mind, due to the insult the kidnappers caused, she truly wanted to deal with them.
It wasn't carelessness, nor just self-defense. But… oh well. This guy is a policeman; he surely won't overlook "attempted murder."
Hmm.
"Attempted murder" must be some professional term.
Strange. All memories disappeared, yet knowledge previously learned seemed untouched.
Just mentioning Khuong Tich Yen, Giai Moc Vi soon saw her mentor at the City Police Department. A knock on the door, a woman's voice called:
"Excuse me, Lieutenant Nhuoc Lan said Moc Vi is here. May I come in?"
Khuong Tich Yen pushed the door open, followed by her secretary Dam Uyen Chi.
The two of them entered and flanked Giai Moc Vi, the latter directly hugging her.
"Thank goodness, Moc Vi, you're okay! It's really great! We and the lawyer were almost scared to death. I didn't expect those people who lost the case would dare to take revenge!"
Khuong Tich Yen placed a hand on Giai Moc Vi's shoulder, worry on her face: "They intended to threaten me, but last night you and Uyen Chi just returned from Osaka, so they couldn't find you and turned their attention to you. Are you alright, Moc Vi?"
Giai Moc Vi shook her head and stepped out from Dam Uyen Chi's hug: "I'm fine. They've been caught. Sorry for worrying everyone."
Ve Dinh Tieu stood up, explaining to the woman who had rushed to hug Giai Moc Vi: "After she regained consciousness, she seems to have a head injury and doesn't remember many things from before."
"Huh?! Oh my, why is it like that? Moc Vi! You're too pitiful! I'm Uyen Chi! Don't you remember me? Dam Uyen Chi-"
Hearing the woman cry and repeat her name, Giai Moc Vi shook her head blankly.
"Sorry." She remembered nothing.
Giai Moc Vi had no family; the temple in Kyoto that adopted her was her only home.
After moving alone to Tokyo, the only people she knew were colleagues. Khuong Tich Yen and Dam Uyen Chi learned that she was targeted for revenge by the losing party and immediately returned to Tokyo.
"Why say that?" Dam Uyen Chi grabbed Giai Moc Vi's hands and shook them.
"You have to recover quickly, poor Moc Vi!"
Khuong Tich Yen gently reassured: "I heard this kind of memory loss from trauma requires preparing for a long recovery process. Don't worry about work; you're still in the apprenticeship stage and can take it slowly."
Dam Uyen Chi checked Giai Moc Vi's injuries. After sighing in relief that there were no serious external wounds, she worried:
"Oh my, what should we do now? Those loan sharks are gangsters! Even though they were caught for kidnapping Moc Vi, what if they continue seeking revenge? The lawyer's client was harassed for six months after reporting to the police with no results! Arson, blocking doors, paint throwing…"
"…" Giai Moc Vi.
She began analyzing her relationship with the two women before her.
One was her mentor, looking dignified and gentle in conversation.
The other seemed lively, apparently very close to her. Their relationship with her must be good.
Dam Uyen Chi eventually mentioned an important issue: "...Those gangsters might still find Moc Vi at the hospital, they probably know your address."
"Right, Moc Vi's room rental just expired. You were also planning to change rooms. Maybe just move entirely!"
Giai Moc Vi's apprenticeship with Khuong Tich Yen lasted only a month, during which she helped handle this case.
The clients were harassed to live impossibly. Dam Uyen Chi's worries were reasonable.
Ve Dinh Tieu stood up, putting away the cigarette in his mouth: "I know a very suitable place to stay."
Giai Moc Vi was slightly startled: "Where?"
"My house." He said.
"…" Giai Moc Vi.