Light beyond the Road

The two of them arrived home close to nine o'clock.

After freshening up, Qin Nan slept on the floor as usual while Ye Sibei lay in bed, feeling a mix of joy and an indescribable sense of guilt.

Her mind wandered to Qin Nan's thoughts, the future, and how she felt unworthy of someone's affection, yet still longed to be liked and acknowledged.

Torn by these conflicting emotions, exhaustion from the day eventually lulled her into a drowsy sleep.

Meanwhile, in the Fan family's living room, Zhao Shuhui sat on the sofa wiping her tears, with Tao Jie beside her gently patting her back. Song Ming sat on a single-seater sofa nearby, smoking with his head lowered.

"She won't take the money, just keeps insisting on pressing charges. What kind of grudge is this that it has to come to this? I know Old Fan's temperament—how could he possibly do something like rape?"

Zhao Shuhui looked tearfully at Song Ming: "Brother Song, Old Fan followed you when you switched jobs to co-found Fuqiang. All these years, he's only ever been a store manager, working tirelessly for you. If not for his merits, at least for his hard work—Brother Song, you can't just stand by and do nothing."

"Shuhui, calm down first," Song Ming flicked his cigarette ash. "The company will handle this fairly. The issue is, if Old Fan really did commit such an act..."

"He couldn't have!" Zhao Shuhui cut him off through her tears. "Don't you know what kind of person he is? Does he even have the guts for that?"

"Sister-in-law," Tao Jie interjected, noticing Song Ming's displeasure, trying to soothe Zhao Shuhui. "The fact that Chairman Song is here today shows his stance. Rest assured, the company naturally hopes for the best outcome for General Fan. But at this point, we've done all we can—there's nothing more within our power."

"How can there be nothing more?" Zhao Shuhui turned to Tao Jie. "Isn't that woman's future sister-in-law working at the company? Get her sister-in-law, her brother, her whole family to talk her out of it!"

Hearing this, Tao Jie and Song Ming exchanged glances. With a subtle signal from Song Ming, Tao Jie carefully chose her words: "Sister-in-law, the company can't intervene further in this matter. If Ye Sibei really decides to go all out and take this public, the company's reputation is at stake. You can't just think about your own family—you have to consider the bigger picture, don't you?"

"My own family?" Zhao Shuhui stared blankly at Tao Jie, then after a long pause, realization dawned. "You're washing your hands of this, aren't you?"

"Sister-in-law," Tao Jie grasped Zhao Shuhui's hand. "How could we abandon you? It's just that this matter needs to be handled gradually—"

"Save it," Zhao Shuhui raised her hand. "I understand what you're saying. This has little to do with you anyway. If Ye Sibei wins, you'll issue a statement and fire Old Fan. If Old Fan wins, you'll fire Ye Sibei. At worst, a high-ranking executive raping an employee would look worse, but it's not a big deal—just make a gesture to show your stance. You never genuinely intended to handle this."

"Shuhui," Song Ming's face hardened at her words. "That's going too far. If I didn't care, why would I—"

"Then do something," Zhao Shuhui fixed her gaze on Song Ming, her tone laced with threat. "Ye Sibei isn't the only one who can take things online. Think carefully, Song Ming—how long has Old Fan followed you?"These words froze Song Ming in place. He stared at her for a long time before suddenly laughing. Crushing his cigarette in the ashtray, he stood up and pointed at Zhao Shuhui. She glared back at him, and as Song Ming took in her expression, his voice carried a hint of gritted teeth: "Zhao Shuhui, do you know how many women Fan Jiancheng has had outside all these years?"

"Old Fan isn't that kind of person," Zhao Shuhui insisted stubbornly, looking at Song Ming. "I don't believe it."

Song Ming scoffed. "Have you gone stupid staying home as a housewife all these years?" Zhao Shuhui's expression remained unchanged, and she didn't respond. Song Ming strode directly toward the door, with Tao Jie quickly following. "Sis-in-law, I'll be going now," she said, hurrying after him.

After the two left, Zhao Shuhui raised her hands in agony to cover her face, her body hunched over as she swallowed all her sobs.

A seven or eight-year-old girl opened the door to the children's bedroom, holding a doll as she stood silently in the doorway, watching her mother.

Zhao Shuhui cried for a while before noticing the child. She hastily wiped her tears and stood up, walking over to crouch down to the girl's eye level. Gently, she asked, "Wenwen, why are you up? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Mom," Fan Wenwen looked at Zhao Shuhui with confusion, "is Dad not coming back?"

"How could that be?" Zhao Shuhui forced a smile. "Dad is on a business trip. He'll be back soon."

"But some classmates said," Fan Wenwen's face was still puzzled, "that Dad did something bad and was taken away by the police."

"That's not true," Zhao Shuhui immediately corrected, her voice firm. "Dad wouldn't do anything bad. Your classmates are lying. Just wait a little longer," she said resolutely. "Dad will come back."

Early in the morning, Ye Sibei got up and was driven to the police station by Qin Nan.

Before leaving, she looked in the mirror and suddenly thought of people like Da Chun and Tao Jie. Hesitating for a moment, she put on a mask and hat before stepping out.

Qin Nan glanced at her, puzzled. "Why all covered up?"

"I have a cold," Ye Sibei said as she got into the car. "I'm just a little nervous going to crowded places."

Qin Nan paused but didn't press further. As he drove her through the bustling streets, he thought for a moment. "Sibei."

"Hmm?"

"Don't look for a job right now. Stay home and prepare for the civil service exam again this year, okay?"

Ye Sibei turned to him in surprise. Qin Nan smiled at her. "You went to college after all—no point wasting that, right?"

Ye Sibei stayed silent. Qin Nan's voice was calm. "This year, aim for the provincial capital. If you pass, it'll be easier to transfer your household registration. If we have kids in the future, their hukou can follow yours."

Hearing him talk about the future, Ye Sibei lowered her head. "What if I still don't pass?"

"How would you know if you don't try?"

Qin Nan encouraged her. "Give it another year."

Ye Sibei turned to look at him. His eyes were on the road, but even without words, she understood—he didn’t really care about her taking the exam. He was just afraid she couldn’t face everything else.

She lowered her head, thought for a moment, and finally said, "Okay."

"We'll go buy study materials this afternoon."

"But it's not because I'm afraid of those people," Ye Sibei looked up at him. Qin Nan turned to meet her gaze as she said earnestly, "It's because I want to take the exam myself."

"I understand."

Qin Nan smiled.Qin Nan dropped Ye Sibei off at the police station, and she turned to instruct him, "Go to the shop. Don’t keep following me around—we still need to put food on the table."

"But you—"

"I’ll take the bus back later."

Ye Sibei smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry."

Qin Nan hesitated, then nodded. "Alright."

After seeing Qin Nan off, Ye Sibei entered the police station and spotted Lin Feng waiting for her near the entrance from afar.

Lin Feng was momentarily taken aback by her fully covered appearance before chuckling. "Caught a cold today?"

"No."

Ye Sibei shook her head. Understanding the implication, Lin Feng didn’t press further and simply nodded. "Come with me."

Familiarity eased her nerves. By the time she sat down in the interrogation room again, Ye Sibei was far less tense than before.

As usual, it was Zhang Yong and Lin Feng conducting the questioning. After verifying her identity details, Lin Feng briefly outlined the purpose of the session. "We’ve called you in today to fill in some additional information." Ye Sibei nodded.

Lin Feng pondered for a moment before asking the first question. "What’s your relationship with Fan Jiancheng?"

"He’s my superior," Ye Sibei answered truthfully. "I’m an accountant in the finance department at Fuqiang Real Estate, and he’s the general manager of our Nancheng flagship branch."

"Your direct supervisor?" Zhang Yong interjected curiously. Ye Sibei shook her head. "No. My direct supervisor is Tao Jie, the finance director. He’s technically her superior, but he is indeed the highest-ranking executive at the flagship branch."

"Did you have any private interactions with him?"

"No." Sensing the direction of their questions, Ye Sibei shook her head again. "We never engaged in private conversations. Even in private, he only discussed work matters with me. In public settings, he’d occasionally show concern for my well-being, like an elder would, but he treated everyone that way."

"How would you describe your feelings toward him?"

"I’m grateful to him and respect him deeply."

"Grateful?" Zhang Yong seized the keyword. "Was there any relationship between you two beyond work?"

"No," Ye Sibei replied, slightly irritated by Zhang Yong’s insinuation but remaining composed after her previous experience. "Back then, I couldn’t find suitable employment. Fuqiang Real Estate initially didn’t want to hire me either because of my age. It was Fan Jiancheng who insisted to HR that I be brought on board. That’s why I’m grateful to him."

"Why did he advocate for your hiring?" Zhang Yong probed pointedly.

Ye Sibei sensed the implication that Fan Jiancheng might have had ulterior motives, but she pretended not to notice and answered honestly. "I asked him once. He said I was a college graduate with capability, and it’d be a shame to pass me over just because of my age. Whether that was his real reason, I don’t know."

"Have you been short on money recently?"

The question made Ye Sibei fall silent. She lowered her head, acutely aware of how incriminating this topic was for her. Yet, she couldn’t lie. After a long pause, she nodded.

"Yes. My younger brother is getting married and needs to buy a house. I took out a personal loan for 50,000 yuan." She decided to volunteer the information they were likely after. "I asked Fan Jiancheng to approve an employment verification letter for me because I needed to inflate my salary on paper to qualify for the loan."

"And he did it?"

"Yes. He’s always been kind in the company. He’d help with small favors like that."Hearing this, Lin Feng and Zhang Yong exchanged a glance. This small detail made Ye Sibei tense up involuntarily. Pretending not to notice, she lowered her head and remained silent. After some thought, Zhang Yong asked, "Before this incident, how much could you usually drink?"

"I'm not sure," Ye Sibei shook her head. "I rarely drink and have never been completely drunk before."

"What's the most you've ever drunk then?"

"Flying Fairy Moutai, 53 proof, about 13 of those small cups they provide."

Zhang Yong paused and looked up at her. "Never completely drunk? Then how drunk would you get?"

"I'd feel a bit dizzy but very excited, wanting to talk. My mind would stay clear, though I might walk a little unsteadily at most."

"You have quite a tolerance," Lin Feng murmured. Ye Sibei smiled awkwardly, and Lin Feng, realizing she'd spoken out of turn, quickly changed the subject. "Did you call Fan Jiancheng on the day of the incident?"

Ye Sibei thought for a moment. "I called him the next day to ask for leave."

Zhang Yong nodded at this and proceeded to ask scattered questions about Fan Jiancheng. After the questioning, Lin Feng escorted Ye Sibei out of the police station.

At the entrance, Ye Sibei hesitated before asking, "Um, I heard Fan Jiancheng has been arrested. Does that mean I can just wait for the trial now?"

"The investigation is still ongoing. After the case is transferred to the procuratorate, it's up to them to decide whether to proceed to court."

Lin Feng spoke formally, but seeing Ye Sibei's somewhat downcast expression, she reconsidered and added, "But we'll be transferring it to the procuratorate soon."

Hearing this, Ye Sibei's heart skipped a beat. A glimmer of hope surfaced as she looked up at Lin Feng. "Officer Lin, what are the chances I'll win this case?"

Lin Feng's expression stiffened. Realizing her question was inappropriate, Ye Sibei quickly corrected herself, "I understand. Nothing's certain until the court rules. Officer Lin, you and Officer Zhang have worked hard. I'll head back now."

"Mm."

Lin Feng nodded and watched as Ye Sibei turned to leave. Unable to resist, she called out, "Miss Ye."

Ye Sibei turned back. Lin Feng pursed her lips. "This matter should be in the past for you. It's in our hands now, and we'll bring it to a close. You don't have to stay stuck there—you can move forward."

Ye Sibei smiled at these words.

"I know," she said calmly. "I'm preparing for exams, planning to take the civil service test. Thank you."

Seeing Ye Sibei's smile, Lin Feng felt somewhat relieved and waved.

"Be careful on your way."

Ye Sibei left the police station, donned a hat, and boarded a bus.

When she arrived home, she hurried upstairs with her bag.

At her doorstep, she paused upon seeing a vaguely familiar woman standing there.

The woman turned around.

She looked weary, carrying a designer bag and wearing a fitted floral dress that accentuated her already plump figure.

Ye Sibei stared at her. The woman smiled, her voice hoarse. "Finished giving your statement?"

Ye Sibei tightened her grip on her bag and uttered the woman's name: "Zhao Shuhui, what are you doing here?"