Chapter 362: The Innocent – The Daily Life of the Sickly Aunt in the Courtyard

**Chapter 362: The Innocent One – The Fragile Young Woman’s Compound Gossip Chronicles**

The people in the outer compartments were worked up.

Especially those who had caught the human traffickers and spies—they were fired up, boasting nonstop from last night until morning.

"You have no idea. The moment we heard that scream, we rushed over immediately."

"And then? And then?"

"And then? Well, we took them down right on the spot—those human traffickers and spies!"

"I just don’t get why anyone would willingly become a human trafficker or a spy?" The tone was laced with disgust.

"I hate human traffickers and spies more than anything in my life!"

...

Word spread fast, soon filling the entire train.

A transit officer also briefed everyone from start to finish, warning passengers to keep an eye out for accomplices of the human traffickers and spies.

As a result, everyone on the train began eyeing everyone suspiciously.

The traffickers and spies themselves were clearly on edge.

An unassuming woman lightly dabbed at the sweat on her forehead. She was on edge too—she hadn’t expected her crew to fail. They’d always pulled it off before. But this time, they’d been caught.

She had watched everything unfold the previous night but hadn’t dared move, forced to stand by as her accomplices were arrested.

She was fuming. Clenching her teeth, she vowed that she *had* to get her hands on that prime target. Otherwise, her lost crew would have gone to waste.

"If anyone notices anything suspicious, make sure to report it to the staff!"

A transit officer and an attendant walked through the compartment, speaking as they went.

The officer noticed the female passenger next to the unassuming woman was fast asleep and felt a twinge of suspicion.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward. "Ma’am, is this young lady alright? Car sick? Does she need help?"

The woman tensed, unsure why he was approaching.

"Oh," she replied, "she’s just tired. Last night was so noisy she couldn’t sleep, so she’s seizing the moment to rest and catch up on sleep."

"Oh, really? Ma’am, do you know this young lady?"

"Of course I do! She’s my niece. We’re traveling together to visit family in Mountain City."

"Your niece, you say?"

"Ah, yes, yes!"

"In that case, could you wake her up?"

"Why? I told you she needs rest!"

"But the compartment is so loud, and she hasn’t reacted at all. Don’t you think that’s strange?" The officer stared straight at her, watching her reaction.

The woman stood her ground. The officer, already suspicious, gave the young woman a hard shake—and sure enough, his hunch was right.

The kind-looking woman reacted swiftly, immediately shielding the unconscious woman in front of her while pulling out a dagger with her other hand and pressing it against the woman.

The surrounding passengers panicked instantly. Just moments after talking about human traffickers, one had appeared right before their eyes.

"Ah!!!"

"Help! A human trafficker!"

And to think this woman, who looked so gentle, was actually a heartless trafficker. Guess you gotta be careful when traveling these days!

The corner emptied in a flash.

The train cop realized he’d underestimated her—he hadn’t expected the woman to react so quickly or to be armed with a knife!

"Let go of this woman."

"You step aside," the woman snapped, her kind demeanor gone, replaced by a fierce expression.

"Don’t harm an innocent person."

"Hahaha! If you don’t want me to hurt her, then move!"

The train cop now regretted acting too soon—he shouldn’t have tipped her off.

The next station was only about ten minutes away. If this trafficker got away, it’d be bad news.

Lin Qing and Cen Xi couldn’t believe their luck.

They hadn’t seen what happened last night, but today they just happened to stumble into another incident.

Who would’ve thought things would line up like this?

The two had gotten up in the morning to wash up and were on their way to the restroom when they got stuck in the middle of this mess.

Lin Qing was floored—the woman had seemed so good, yet she turned out to be a cold-blooded trafficker.

"Quit the pointless struggle. Release the hostage now."

The woman caught sight of Lin Qing and the others lingering at the back of the car. "Want me to let her go? Fine—have *her* take her place as my hostage," she said, staring straight at Lin Qing.

Lin Qing was like, “What the—?” Even bystanders weren’t safe!

The train cop glanced at Lin Qing and Cen Xi ahead of her. They stood out like a sore thumb—it was obvious they were no ordinary passengers. Even if he had the guts, he wouldn’t dare ask Lin Qing, an innocent bystander, to trade places with the hostage!

If looks could kill, the woman would’ve been dead a thousand times over under Cen Xi’s glare.

It clicked—last night, the traffickers were after his wife, while another group had him in their sights.

Somehow both sides got mixed up, clashed, and ended up getting taken down easy.

"Take it or leave it. Agree, and I’ll release the hostage."

The train cop wouldn’t even look at Lin Qing. There was no way she’d volunteer to step up.

Most importantly, Lin Qing was just a regular gorgeous girl. They could never justify sacrificing one person to save another.

So the woman’s demand was simply impossible.

But Cen Xi wasn’t having it. He exchanged a nod with Comrade Li, who had followed them out.

Comrade Li slipped past them unnoticed, working his way behind the group. Soon, he had stealthily reached the back of the human trafficker.

Comrade Li held his breath.

The train cop was sharp enough to realize his earlier mistake and now sought to make amends. He started distracting the woman at the front to create an opportunity for Comrade Li.

"We will never agree to such unreasonable demands. Let her go right now!"

"Ha! You want her free? I have just one condition." Everyone knew what she meant.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Surrender quietly."

Though nervous inside, the woman showed no trace of it on her face.

Her demand was born of desperation, but she couldn’t swallow her resentment without taking revenge on Lin Qing.

Lin Qing had no idea about the woman’s deranged thoughts. She just felt so wronged—just going to the bathroom had somehow made her a target.

She wasn’t about to play hero by volunteering as a hostage. She knew her limits; keeping her distance from this mess was the wisest choice.

She wasn’t invincible—just some helpless young girl. What could she possibly do in this situation, let alone become a hostage?

Even the onlookers shared no such reckless thoughts. While the hostage in the trafficker’s hands was innocent, so was the young girl who happened to pass by!

They were both innocent—how could anyone favor one over the other?