That night, Ye Sibei didn't sleep well. When she woke up the next day, Qin Nan noticed her tired expression and asked, "Bad dream?"
"Yeah."
"What was it about?"
Ye Sibei hesitated for a moment before answering softly, "I dreamed of a child crying nonstop."
Qin Nan was taken aback. He looked at her, thought for a while, and clumsily suggested, "Should I get you a protective charm?"
Ye Sibei laughed at this. Stretching as she walked to the kitchen, her tone became much lighter, "Boss Qin, we should believe in science."
Qin Nan cooked noodles, and the two ate together in silence. As she ate, Ye Sibei thought about something and looked up at him, "I plan to stay home and study for the civil service exam recently."
"That's good."
As he spoke, Qin Nan seemed to remember something. He put down his bowl, opened his wallet, took out a card, and placed it on the table, sliding it toward Ye Sibei.
Then he picked up his bowl again and continued eating.
Ye Sibei was stunned. Qin Nan muttered, "Don't give the money to your parents again."
Ye Sibei knew Qin Nan was referring to her past "glorious deeds." Though it was a joke, she still felt a bit annoyed. She glared at him, pushed the bank card back, and lowered her head to eat, "I don't need your money. I can support myself."
"Oh," Qin Nan finished his last bite and looked at her, "Staying home today?"
"The books haven't arrived yet," Ye Sibei thought for a moment, "Should I go help at your shop?"
Qin Nan paused. Seeing his hesitation, Ye Sibei immediately realized something and quickly laughed, trying to cover up her momentary fluster, "I was joking. I'll just—"
"Go ahead," Qin Nan looked at her, "I was just worried about you."
Hearing this, the tension in Ye Sibei's heart eased. She lowered her head, "I can't hide at home forever."
Qin Nan nodded. After the meal, he washed the dishes while Ye Sibei wiped the table. When it was time to leave, Ye Sibei changed into sportswear, and Qin Nan quietly slipped the bank card into her bag.
Once she was ready, they headed out together. As soon as Ye Sibei opened the door, she saw paint splattered outside. Confused, she stepped out and looked up, then froze in place.
Qin Nan, who was changing his shoes, sensed something was wrong and rushed out. He looked up to see bright red graffiti sprayed on the door in large, glaring letters:
Whore.
The neighborhood wasn't crowded, but people were peeking out, watching from their doors in small groups.
Qin Nan quickly pulled Ye Sibei back inside, "Go back inside. I'll clean it up."
He guided her to sit on the sofa, then drove out to buy cleaning supplies and paint.
Ye Sibei sat inside, dazedly thinking about the words outside, when her phone suddenly vibrated.
A message from an unknown number:
Just the beginning.
From that day on, Ye Sibei started every morning by cleaning off paint and receiving anonymous threats and insults.
At first, she reported it to the police. After investigating, they caught some young troublemakers, fined them, and made them apologize. But the next day, they were back at it.
Eventually, Ye Sibei and Qin Nan stopped sleeping at night. Waiting until dawn, they rushed outside at the sound of noise and caught two young men with dyed hair in the act of spraying paint.The young man turned and ran at the sight of Qin Nan, who chased after him, catching one of them on the first floor and delivering a solid punch.
Seeing his companion beaten, the other turned back to help. Ye Sibei arrived from behind with a clothes rack pole, witnessing the two ganging up on Qin Nan. She swung the pole wildly at them, screaming as she struck, "Thieves! There are two thieves here! Call the police!"
Her shouts startled the building's residents. Lights flickered on as people rushed out from upstairs and downstairs. The two youths, seeing the crowd, immediately let go of Qin Nan and fled.
Ye Sibei steadied Qin Nan, who had taken a punch, and asked urgently, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Qin Nan hissed through gritted teeth. Glancing at the clothes rack pole, he chuckled, "I'll buy a sturdier one someday."
The young men were caught by vigilant neighbors and handed over to the police that night. From then on, their home was no longer vandalized with paint. But the next day, when Qin Nan went to his shop, the words "Green Tortoise" were spray-painted in bold letters across the door.
Amidst the murmurs of onlookers, Qin Nan remained silent. He splashed cleaning solution on the door, quickly wiped it clean, and opened for business as usual.
He didn’t mention this to Ye Sibei. Even if he had, there was little she could do. He couldn’t leave her alone at night, nor could he bring her to live in the shop’s damp, dim little room.
Though the paint stopped appearing at home, the harassment against Ye Sibei didn’t cease.
During the day, someone would knock on her windows, only to vanish when she opened the door. Anonymous texts filled with insults arrived daily, and her public social media accounts were flooded with hateful messages.
But she never told Qin Nan about any of it.
Each bore their own burdens, gritting their teeth and pressing forward.
One day, while carrying groceries, a group of youths sped past her on bicycles. One of them cheered and suddenly slapped her head before riding off, laughing and making faces at her.
She pulled out her phone to call the police, only to see a long list of previous emergency calls. These days, the number she dialed most was the police hotline.
After a moment’s hesitation, she put the phone away and hurried home with her groceries.
From then on, she minimized her outings. Only once a week would she venture out with Qin Nan to buy groceries, spending the rest of her time at home, forcing herself not to dwell on things and focusing on her books.
Lin Feng had told her it would take five months to get a result.
She just had to endure these five months, and she’d have her answer.
She started a journal, writing daily. The happiest part of her day was turning the page to a fresh one.
Over half a month later, during dinner, Qin Nan suddenly suggested, "What if we moved?"
Ye Sibei looked up at him. Qin Nan kept his eyes on his food as he added, "We could rent a place in the next town over."
Ye Sibei was slow to process, her mind sluggish these days. After a pause, she asked, "Would you still come home?"
"Of course," Qin Nan reassured her with a smile. "I checked—it’s not far. Just an hour’s drive."
An hour there, an hour back.Living in another city would mean leaving this house empty. The incident of their home being vandalized with paint was already known throughout the neighborhood, making it nearly impossible to rent out the property under these circumstances. This essentially meant they'd have to pay extra for renting another place.
Monthly mortgage, rent, two hours of daily commute time, and transportation costs...
Ye Sibei quickly ran through the numbers in her head. She lowered her gaze to her food, speaking softly, "We're settled here. Why move?"
"Don't worry about the money," Qin Nan seemed to understand her concerns and hesitated before continuing, "I've already looked into—"
"I like living here," Ye Sibei interrupted him. "I'm used to it. It's fine."
A stalemate fell between them. Qin Nan studied Ye Sibei's stubborn expression before finally lowering his head with a quiet acknowledgment, saying nothing more.
Before bed that night, Ye Sibei received another message:
Have you asked your husband how his business is doing lately?
She stared at the words, gripping her phone tightly before finally burying it beneath her pillow.
Qin Nan sensed she was still awake. "Can't sleep?" he murmured.
"Qin Nan," she began, gazing at the ceiling, unsure why she was bringing it up now. "This year's provincial civil service exam period has passed. I'll have to take next year's."
"Mm. Prepare well."
"I'll do more housework. I'll study hard. I'll give it my all."
"I know."
"Once I pass the exam," she closed her eyes, "we'll move to the provincial capital. I'll help you reopen the shop."
So for this year... I'm sorry.
She didn't voice the last part, uncertain if Qin Nan would understand. Moments later, she felt his hand reach for hers where it rested by the bed, fingers intertwining.
He said nothing, yet an indescribable ache welled up in Ye Sibei's chest. In the darkness, she returned his grasp, feeling silent tears slip from the corners of her eyes into her hair.
The weather in Nancheng grew increasingly sweltering. By late May, Ye Sibei turned on the fan overhead, its creaking rhythm accompanying her as she marked up her study materials. Then came another anonymous message—familiar, unwelcome.
"Zhao Chuchu resigned. Don't you feel guilty? Homewrecker."
Her hands trembled as she read it. For a fleeting moment, she considered taking it public, exposing everything, burning bridges. But then Fan Wenwen's beaming smile from the photographs surfaced in her mind.
Having endured public condemnation herself, she couldn't bear the thought of a child experiencing that.
Helplessness washed over her. Clutching her phone, she eventually called Zhao Chuchu.
After two rings, Zhao Chuchu's cheerful voice answered, "Sis! Long time no hear. Miss me?"
"Chuchu—"
The rasp in Ye Sibei's voice betrayed her emotions before she could continue. Zhao Chuchu understood immediately. "Sis, calling about my job? I quit on my own—has nothing to do with you, really. That company's dangerous. Couldn't stay."
Though Zhao Chuchu offered explanations, Ye Sibei knew they were meant to comfort her.
Fuqiang Real Estate was among Nancheng's better private enterprises—providing social insurance, housing fund, punctual salaries, and bonuses. As part of the operations team, Zhao Chuchu had enjoyed solid benefits and had always valued the position."How did they threaten you?"
Ye Sibei took a long time to finally speak: "I'll go talk to them."
"They didn't threaten me," Zhao Chuchu laughed. "They just wanted me to persuade you. I refused. What kind of garbage company is this? Instead of dealing with Fan Jiancheng, they keep pressuring you? So I told them straight up—I quit. Anyway, I'm getting married soon. They can do whatever they want."
"I'm sorry..." Tears fell from Ye Sibei's eyes. "I'm sorry, Chuchu..."
"Actually, I should be the one apologizing to you," Zhao Chuchu said, standing on the street, her eyes reddening. "Sis, if only I'd been more careful that day, if I hadn't trusted people so easily..."
"This isn't your fault..."
"And it's not yours either."
Zhao Chuchu quickly wiped the tears from her face. "Enough of this. I'm on the street—how embarrassing to ruin my makeup. I've already quit my job. I'll find another one tomorrow. Someone as talented and beautiful as me won't have trouble getting hired. But you, sis," Zhao Chuchu's tone turned serious, "don't overthink it. Since you've decided to sue, see it through to the end. Show them what we're made of."
"I'm sorry..." The more Zhao Chuchu comforted her, the harder Ye Sibei cried. She didn't know what to say, what she could say. Over and over, only one phrase came out: "I'm sorry."
After hanging up, Ye Sibei sat alone at home, curled up and crying for a long time.
When she finally stopped, she went to her computer and couldn't resist opening a forum to ask a question:
If I was sexually assaulted, but reporting it would implicate many innocent people, should I still go to the police?
But after typing it out, she lacked the courage to post it. She was afraid someone would say no, afraid someone would tell her she was wrong.
So she deleted the question and reopened her notebook, writing down word by word all the phrases that had kept her going until now.
The innocent should not be punished; the guilty must pay.
If I'm not even afraid of death, why fear living?
I did nothing wrong.
She wrote stroke by stroke until nightfall, when Qin Nan finally returned. He opened the door and saw Ye Sibei sitting at the table. When she turned to look at him, Qin Nan noticed something was off and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Ye Sibei closed her diary and stood up, offering him an apologetic smile. "I forgot to cook. I'll go make dinner now."
After they finished eating, Ye Sibei stared at her phone for a while before removing the SIM card. She turned to Qin Nan. "Can you go with me tomorrow to get a new number?"
Qin Nan glanced at the SIM card she had placed in the drawer and reminded her, "Then you'll have to update your contact info at the police station."
"I know."
The next day, Qin Nan accompanied her to get a new number, then to the police station to update her contact details. When Lin Feng saw Ye Sibei, he was startled. "You've lost so much weight! How have you been lately?"
"It's nothing," Ye Sibei smiled, then asked, "Officer Lin, how's the case progressing?"
"We've submitted the prosecution recommendation to the procuratorate and are waiting for their response."
Lin Feng studied her and decided to add, "If you run into any trouble, let me know."
"It's all minor stuff," Ye Sibei shook her head. "You're already busy enough. As long as the case is moving forward, that's enough. I won't trouble you with anything else."With that, Ye Sibei and Qin Nan bid farewell to Lin Feng together.
Lin Feng watched their retreating figures, hand in hand, and for some reason, it felt like seeing a flower crushed beneath a massive rock.
Zhang Yong walked up behind her, smoking a cigarette. "What are you looking at?"
"Master, is there anything more we can do?" Lin Feng murmured.
Zhang Yong took a deep drag of his cigarette. "Push the case forward. Give them an answer."
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