Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 404; Shuyin

"They’ll be returned to their cells now. I imagine their cellmates will enjoy hearing about their performance tonight."

More humiliation, more suffering, more consequences for their actions. The wheel of justice turning with mechanical precision.

"There is one thing," Shuyin said, making a decision. "I want them to see me before they leave the ring. I want them to know I was here, that I watched this, that I’m the one who arranged it."

Director Chen nodded and spoke into a radio. The one-way glass began to clear, becoming transparent.

Lin Feng was being helped to his feet by guards, barely conscious. Madam Chen was still on the ground, curled into herself, sobbing. And then they both looked up as the glass cleared, their eyes adjusting to see through to the viewing room.

They saw Shuyin sitting there, composed and clean and completely in control.

The recognition hit them like physical blows. Their daughter. The one they’d imprisoned, tormented, tried to do away with. She was here. She’d watched. She’d orchestrated this entire nightmare.

Lin Feng’s mouth opened but no words came out. What could he possibly say?

Shuyin held his gaze for a long moment, then deliberately turned away, dismissing him as thoroughly as he’d once dismissed her pleading.

She stood, her legs slightly unsteady after sitting motionless for so long while watching the brutal spectacle. "We’re done here. Take us home."

Lu Yuze rose with her, his hand finding the small of her back in a gesture of support as they moved toward the exit. As they passed through the viewing room’s small service area, Shuyin noticed a crystal decanter sitting on the refreshments table that the prison director had provided. The liquid inside was amber-colored, expensive-looking, clearly meant for distinguished guests rather than the usual prison fare.

She reached for it without thinking, pouring a generous measure into one of the crystal glasses beside it. The weight of the glass felt substantial, luxurious, a stark contrast to everything else about this place.

"Shuyin...." Lu Yuze began, but she was already raising the glass to her lips.

The first sip burned going down. Not unpleasantly, but with the unmistakable heat of pure alcohol, undiluted and potent. High-proof liquor that wealthy collectors paid fortunes for, the kind served to people who appreciated expensive things and had the tolerance to handle them properly. She took another sip, then a third, the liquid fire spreading through her chest and settling warmly in her stomach.

"That’s very strong," Lu Yuze warned quietly, recognizing the bottle’s label as something far more potent than the wine or diluted spirits most people consumed casually.

"Good," Shuyin said, her voice already carrying a slight rasp from the alcohol’s burn. "I need something strong after watching that."

She took another drink, larger this time, finishing half the glass before Lu Yuze gently removed it from her hand. "Maybe pace yourself," he suggested. "That’s not meant to be consumed like water."

But the damage was already done. Pure alcohol on an empty stomach, she’d eaten only that quick dinner hours ago, was hitting her system with surprising speed. By the time they left the viewing room and entered the corridors leading back to the surface, Shuyin could feel the effects spreading through her body like warmth and dizziness combined.

Her steps became less certain. The straight corridor seemed to waver slightly at the edges of her vision. She reached out to steady herself against the wall, blinking hard to clear her head.

"Easy," Lu Yuze said, his arm coming around her waist more firmly now, supporting her weight as they walked. "I’ve got you."

"I’m fine," Shuyin insisted, though her voice lacked its usual crisp certainty. The alcohol was hitting harder than she’d anticipated, making her thoughts fuzzy and her balance unreliable. "Just... needed to take the edge off."

"You needed to get drunk," Lu Yuze corrected with gentle amusement, though concern colored his tone as well. "That wasn’t wine, Shuyin. That was probably sixty or seventy proof spirits. Meant for sipping, not gulping."

They reached the surface and the waiting car. Ting Fei’s eyebrows rose slightly when he saw Shuyin leaning heavily on Lu Yuze, her usual composure noticeably compromised, but he said nothing, simply opening the car door and helping Lu Yuze settle her into the back seat.

The drive back to the mansion passed in a blur for Shuyin. She leaned against Lu Yuze, her head resting on his shoulder, the world outside the window spinning slightly even though the car moved smoothly. The alcohol had stripped away the careful control she’d maintained all evening, leaving her feeling loose and unsteady and strangely disconnected from the weight of everything that had happened.

"Did you see his face?" she murmured at one point, her words slightly slurred. "When the glass cleared and he saw me watching. He looked so... so broken."

"I saw," Lu Yuze confirmed quietly, his arm around her shoulders keeping her steady as the car took turns.

"Good," Shuyin said, though her satisfaction sounded distant, muffled by the alcohol’s effects. "He should be broken. Should understand what he did."

The alcohol had stripped away her usual control, loosened the careful defenses she maintained. She leaned against Lu Yuze in the car, her head resting on his shoulder, the world outside the window spinning slightly as the vehicle moved through dark streets.

His arm was around her, holding her steady, and she could feel the warmth of his body against hers, solid and real and comforting after everything they’d witnessed. The privacy screen between them and Ting Fei was still raised, giving them complete seclusion in the back seat.

Shuyin shifted slightly, turning to look up at him in the dim light. The alcohol had made everything feel softer, hazier, but also more immediate. More urgent.

"Lu Yuze," she murmured, her voice carrying a note he recognized immediately.

He looked down at her, seeing the want in her eyes, the way the alcohol had stripped away her usual hesitation. "Shuyin, you’re drunk," he said gently, though his arms tightened around her. "We should wait until....."