After changing her number, Ye Sibei's life seemed to return to peace.
She didn’t go out, didn’t go online, and didn’t contact anyone. The sound she heard most every day was the creaking of the ceiling fan overhead.
A few days later, she received a notice from the police, asking her to come to the station to accept apologies from Zhao Shuhui, Song Ming, Tao Jie, and others.
When Ye Sibei arrived at the station, Tao Jie immediately explained to her: "Sibei, we absolutely never meant for you to give false testimony. We just wanted you to tell the truth. Please don’t misunderstand."
Song Ming also stiffly apologized: "There was a misunderstanding before. Don’t take it to heart. The company has always been fair."
Ye Sibei ignored them. Her gaze fell on Zhao Shuhui, who looked up and said flatly, "I’m sorry."
Ye Sibei nodded. "Don’t trouble the people around me anymore."
"Don’t worry, we won’t," Tao Jie quickly assured her. "Why would we bother your family? None of this has anything to do with us."
Ye Sibei didn’t say much more. She knew Tao Jie and Song Ming were just opportunists, and Zhao Shuhui, as Fan Jiancheng’s wife, wouldn’t switch sides over this.
Having received their apologies, she stood up to leave. Just before stepping out, Zhao Shuhui called out to her: "Ye Sibei."
Ye Sibei turned back. Zhao Shuhui looked up at her. "Aren’t you tired?"
Hearing this, Ye Sibei smiled. "Aren’t you?"
Who wasn’t tired? But whether tired or not, this was a path she had to keep walking.
Zhao Shuhui watched her without speaking. Her eyes were weary, and in that moment, Ye Sibei realized she wasn’t the only one who had been suffering all this time.
After being reprimanded by the police, they had toned down their actions. But Ye Sibei still didn’t dare go out. For a while, she stayed at home every day, cleaning the house, as if nothing had ever happened.
She even felt that as long as she kept living in this small space, isolating herself from the world, she could pretend nothing had changed.
At the end of June, she got up as usual, had breakfast with Qin Nan, and after he left for the shop, she cleaned the house. Once finished, she opened a book and started working on problems.
That day was no different from any other—except that Qin Nan came back an hour early in the evening to cook with her.
"I heard from Nian Wen that there’s progress in the case," Qin Nan said, sprinkling salt into the soup before turning to look at her. "Thought I’d come back to celebrate with you."
"What progress?"
Ye Sibei kept chopping vegetables without looking up. Qin Nan’s tone was light. "I heard the case was transferred to the prosecutor’s office yesterday."
Ye Sibei’s hand paused mid-chop. She forced herself to stay calm. "Progress is good."
No sooner had she spoken than her phone on the dining table buzzed. She set down the knife, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked over to pick it up. Seeing it was Ye Ling’s number, she hesitated for a moment before answering—only to hear Ye Ling’s frantic voice: "Sibei, come home right now! Your mom… your mom’s had an accident!"
Ye Sibei’s heart lurched. She hastily turned off the stove and rushed out. "What happened?"
"She fainted. Just get here first."
"Then take her to the hospital!"
Ye Sibei snapped impatiently. "Why are you keeping her at home?"
"Just come!"
Ye Ling’s tone was uncharacteristically sharp before he abruptly hung up.
"What’s wrong?" Qin Nan asked.Qin Nan looked up at her. Ye Sibei seemed uncertain. "My dad said my mom is sick, but he didn't take her to the hospital. I'm worried something's wrong..."
"I'll go with you."
Qin Nan spoke decisively. Ye Sibei turned to look at him, calming slightly before finally nodding.
They turned off the stove, hurried downstairs, and drove straight to the street outside the Ye family home.
While Qin Nan went to park the car, Ye Sibei entered the alleyway and walked into the courtyard.
The Ye family lived in a traditional teachers' residential compound, the house bought back when Ye Ling was still a teacher. The neighborhood was full of familiar faces. As soon as she entered, people stopped what they were doing, gathering in small groups to watch her pass.
Ye Sibei kept her head down, walking quickly to the Ye household. Bursting inside, she saw Ye Ling and Ye Nianwen sitting on the sofa, apparently having just argued. Zhao Chuchu was busy in the kitchen and called out cautiously when she saw her, "Sis."
Ye Sibei nodded at Zhao Chuchu, scanning the room but not seeing Huang Guifen. Her voice rose slightly, "Where's Mom?"
Hearing this, Ye Nianwen suddenly stood up and pushed her. "You should go back first."
"Stop!"
Ye Ling called out to Ye Sibei, his tone unusually stiff. Ye Sibei froze as Ye Nianwen kept pushing her. "Go."
"Ye Nianwen, how dare you!"
Ye Ling stood up, rushing forward to pull Ye Nianwen's hand away. "Let your sister in," he said, grabbing Ye Sibei and dragging her toward the bedroom. "Come see, see what's become of your mother."
Stumbling, Ye Sibei was pulled into the master bedroom as Ye Ling spoke agitatedly, "Look at your mother! See what she's become because of your situation!"
Ye Sibei stopped at the doorway, staring blankly into the room.
Huang Guifen and Ye Ling's bedroom was cramped and dimly lit. Huang Guifen sat on the bed, gazing at the newspaper-covered window, her eyes unfocused, lost in thought.
After a month and a half apart, Huang Guifen had grown much thinner. The once fierce woman now seemed directionless, her hair graying as if she'd aged over a decade.
"What...?" Ye Sibei couldn't bear to look too long. She turned to Ye Nianwen. "What happened?"
"Nianwen lost his job," Ye Ling said hoarsely. "Your mother hasn't been eating or drinking these days, too afraid to even step outside. Chuchu lost her job, now Nianwen's gone too. We just bought the house—how are we supposed to pay for it...?"
Ye Sibei's lips trembled as Ye Ling continued, "Your mother can't take it anymore. Sibei... the family can't hold on. We really can't."
Ye Sibei didn't respond. She turned and walked out, pulling out her phone to quickly find the number from those unfamiliar texts and dialed.
The number hadn't contacted her in a long time—perhaps unaware she'd changed her number, or maybe because of the police warning last time. Standing by the door, Ye Sibei listened to the ringing until the call connected. No one spoke, so she went straight to the point. "Zhao Shuhui, was it you?"
"What?"
Zhao Shuhui's voice was calm, as if she'd anticipated this.
"My brother's situation," Ye Sibei gritted her teeth. "You did this, didn't you?"
"I didn't."Zhao Shuhui was meticulous in her words, but Ye Sibei inexplicably detected a hint of mockery in her tone: "Who is your brother? What happened to him? Why are you calling me? I'm the defendant's family member. We shouldn't be in contact."
"Are you getting back at me?"
Ye Sibei clenched her fists: "Wasn’t what the police told you last time enough?!"
"It was enough," Zhao Shuhui replied nonchalantly. "Haven’t I stopped contacting you?"
"Then why was my brother fired?"
"Ask your brother," Zhao Shuhui said matter-of-factly. "Ask yourself—what did you do wrong? Why would someone fire him?"
Ye Sibei fell silent. As she listened to Zhao Shuhui’s voice, for a moment, all her principles and bottom lines seemed on the verge of collapse. She gripped the phone, unable to utter a word.
Qin Nan walked up behind her and gently took the phone from her hand, speaking softly, "Let’s go see Mom first."
Ye Sibei took a moment to steady herself before calming down. She turned and entered the house, immediately hearing Ye Ling lecturing Ye Nianwen: "The house purchase drained the family savings. You have to pay the mortgage every month, repay your sister, and your parents have no pension..."
"Stop saying that. I’ll figure it out. I’m not useless!"
"You’ve never suffered the pain of losing a job! Back when I lost mine..."
Ye Sibei pretended not to hear. She walked through the living room into the master bedroom, pulled up a stool, and sat beside Huang Guifen.
"Mom," she called softly.
Huang Guifen stared out the window and murmured, "Close the door. It’s too noisy."
Ye Sibei nodded, stood up, and shut the door. The sounds of Ye Ling and Nian Wen arguing instantly grew muffled. After sitting back down, she wasn’t sure what to say to Huang Guifen.
After a long pause, she finally spoke: "What happened today? Why didn’t you go to the hospital?"
"Just felt a bit dizzy," Huang Guifen downplayed it. "I’ll be fine after resting."
"Don’t skimp on your health. Go get checked."
As she said this, Ye Sibei realized that telling someone not to save money meant she’d have to pay. But she had no income now, and she couldn’t bring herself to use Qin Nan’s money to cover medical expenses.
Her well-intentioned advice suddenly felt hollow and hypocritical.
Ye Sibei lowered her head, feeling somewhat ashamed. Huang Guifen didn’t press further. After a moment, she spoke softly, "You’ve never managed a household, so you don’t know the cost of salt and rice. You’ve always been reckless with money."
Whether from exhaustion or something else, Huang Guifen’s tone was unusually gentle. Ye Sibei looked up at her. "Mom..."
"Lately, I’ve been thinking—why did I end up with a daughter like you?"
Huang Guifen ignored her call, her voice tinged with resignation. "You were never obedient as a child, always competing with Nian Wen, constantly accusing us of being unfair. Then you ran off as soon as you grew up, and even after we brought you back, you resented us. You don’t know how much I looked forward to you growing up, thinking you’d finally understand things." She turned to look at Ye Sibei. "But you never did."
"You always thought I didn’t love you, that I wanted to harm you," Huang Guifen said with a bitter smile. "But I never thought that way. I just never understood—how should a girl like you be loved?"
"Me, your aunt, your grandmother—we’ve all suffered far worse. But we never felt it was unfair. All women lived this way. Why is it only you who demands so much?"Hearing this, Ye Sibei gave a bitter smile: "Let's not talk about this. It'll only upset you, and that's not good."
"Say it," Huang Guifen looked up at her, "Tell me, what did I do wrong?"
Ye Sibei remained silent, sitting still as Ye Nianwen's furious shouts echoed in her ears: "Then sell the house! I don't need it, I won't get married, I'll stand by my sister and fight this lawsuit to the end!"
"That's my money!" Ye Ling screamed hysterically, "You don't get to decide whether it's sold or not!"
After listening for a while, seeing Huang Guifen still staring intently at her, she thought for a moment and let out a low chuckle.
"I don't understand either," Ye Sibei looked up, forcing a smile, "How can you think there's nothing wrong with such blatant unfairness?"
"You didn't get an education so your brother could study, you supported Grandma, yet all the property went to him," Ye Sibei shrugged, "Did you really never feel the slightest resentment?"
"I didn't—"
"You did." Ye Sibei cut her off, looking earnestly at Huang Guifen. "But everyone told you that was selfish, that you weren't being generous enough. You were forced to live like that your whole life, so you think I should live like that too."
"You love me," Ye Sibei unconsciously rubbed her thumb, nodding, "I know. But your love for Nianwen is different from your love for me. In your love for me, there's not just love—there's jealousy too."
Huang Guifen shook her head slightly: "I don't, it's not like that..."
"You can't accept me not living the way you did," Ye Sibei smiled bitterly, "because that would mean denying your own life. You always say you're doing what's best for me, but sometimes, you don't know what's best or worst."
"You don't understand, you're still young."
"But you're old."
Ye Sibei lowered her head: "Mom, times are changing. I know why you didn't want me to report it, but look—Chu Chu supports me, Nianwen supports me, Qin Nan supports me. The world has changed. It's you who doesn't understand."
"If things have really changed," Huang Guifen's eyes grew moist, "why am I lying here, why is our family arguing like this?"
Ye Sibei couldn't answer that.
Because she didn't know either.
She could passionately argue back when facing Tao Jie, calmly refuse when dealing with Zhao Shuhui, but Huang Guifen's question felt like it was dragging her out of the beautiful dream she'd woven.
It's not as if the world will bend to your will just because you've made up your mind.
Huang Guifen looked at Ye Sibei as if she were a child, reaching out to gently place her hand on Ye Sibei's.
"Maybe you're right. I can't love you the way I love Nianwen."
Ye Sibei listened as tears fell straight down.
Huang Guifen held her hand: "So I know you might be right, and I know it's unfair to you. But Sibei," her voice paused, and after a long while, she spoke again, "Go to the Fan family, negotiate for some money, and just let it go."
Ye Sibei said nothing, tears streaming down silently as the room fell into stillness.
In the midst of their standoff, sudden urgent knocking came from outside, followed by Qin Nan's voice: "Sibei, something's happened. Come out, quick."
Ye Sibei hurriedly wiped her tears and stood up to see Qin Nan already holding their things, everyone in the room looking at her anxiously. Qin Nan grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door: "Officer Lin just called me. Reporters went to the police station for interviews, and now they might come after us. We need to get home fast."Hearing the word "reporter," Ye Sibei froze. Before she could react, Qin Nan pulled her out of the room. Qin Nan waved at Ye Nianwen: "We're leaving first. Close the door quickly."
Qin Nan dragged Ye Sibei as they jogged out. Just as they exited the courtyard, they saw a crowd coming up the alley from below. Spotting Ye Sibei and Qin Nan, someone sharp-eyed shouted, "That's her!"
No sooner had the words been spoken than reporters with cameras swarmed forward, their flashes lighting up the night. Qin Nan threw his jacket over Ye Sibei's head and yanked her back the way they came.
The crowd chased after them, calling out anxiously, "Ms. Ye, we mean no harm. We just want an interview."
"Ms. Ye, we heard you're the victim in the Fuqiang Real Estate sexual assault case. Could you tell us what happened?"
"Ms. Ye..."
They shamelessly repeated the details of her ordeal, pursuing her and Qin Nan through the alley.
Ye Sibei ran with Qin Nan's grip on her. As they climbed the steps to higher ground, she saw some of the crowd splitting off and rushing toward her home.
"They're going to my house..." Ye Sibei said nervously.
Qin Nan tightened his hold and snapped, "Don't look back!"
The moment he spoke, camera flashes went off. Ye Sibei ducked her head in fright and sprinted after Qin Nan.
Like rats scurrying from a beating, they dashed wildly through the alley, hand in hand. The narrow lane was nearly empty at night, with only a few dilapidated streetlamps casting dim yellow light on either side.
Ye Sibei heard her own ragged breathing, felt her heart pounding violently. She clung desperately to Qin Nan, her vision blurring.
She wanted to wail. She felt like the whole world was hunting her down—no future, no way back.
Like a drowning person, her only lifeline was the young man pulling her along as they fled in disarray.
Qin Nan led the reporters on a winding chase until they reached the roadside. Afraid the journalists would note their license plate, they didn't dare take their car and kept running along the street.
After a few hundred meters, a pink car suddenly pulled up in front of them. Lin Feng shouted, "Get in!"
The two immediately yanked the doors open and jumped inside. Before Ye Sibei could catch her breath, she hunched over, gripping her phone tightly. Qin Nan leaned forward and asked Zhang Yong in the passenger seat, "Where to now?"
"Drive around a bit first. We'll drop you near your car, then head to your place to keep watch. I'll call you when the reporters are gone."
"Got it."
As Qin Nan and Zhang Yong talked, Ye Sibei took a moment to steady herself, sniffled, and called Ye Nianwen.
When he didn't answer, she dialed the landline instead.
The phone rang for a long time before Ye Ling picked up, his voice flustered: "Sibei?"
Ye Sibei urgently asked, "Dad, what's going on there?"
As she spoke, she heard chaos through the line.
Huang Guifen was crying, wailing between sobs, "What are you doing? Who are you people?"
Ye Nianwen seemed to be arguing with someone, roaring, "She's not! She's not my sister!"
"Don't worry about it. Nianwen called the police. He and your mom are shooing them away," Ye Ling said before suddenly bellowing, "Stay out!"
Then he turned back: "They mistook Chuchu for you. She's hiding inside now, too scared to come out. Just take care of yourself. I need to help your mom."Ye Ling hung up as soon as he finished speaking.
Ye Sibei was in complete disarray. She wanted to go back to help, but she knew returning now would only make the situation more chaotic.
She lowered her head, gripping her phone tightly, eyes closed in silence.
After a while, she calmed down slightly and searched her own name online, only to find posts about her everywhere.
She read carefully for a long time and finally pieced together that the incident where she had paint thrown on her had been posted online, with kind-hearted people sharing her story.
Sexual assault, the underprivileged, oppression...
One keyword after another, the story fermented through rounds of discussion until it exploded into full-blown public outrage after a prominent influencer questioned the local police and received an official reply: "The case has been transferred to the prosecutor's office."
Many journalists, sensing a hot story, rushed to Nancheng overnight to get the first scoop.
Countless people were waiting for a dramatic tale, countless more wanted to see how beautiful the female protagonist was.
Ye Sibei scrolled through the comments online.
Some supported her, some doubted her, some were just making crude jokes. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she read.
Qin Nan noticed beside her. He reached out and took her phone. "Stop looking," he said.
Then he pulled her into his arms, comforting her shaking form. "It's okay, don't be afraid. It's nothing."
Lin Feng drove them around in circles before finally, under Qin Nan's directions, arriving at where Qin Nan had parked. The reporters didn't know this spot. Qin Nan and Ye Sibei got out, thanked Lin Feng and Zhang Yong, then got into Qin Nan's car.
Once inside, Qin Nan turned and saw Ye Sibei still trembling slightly, seemingly completely lost.
He watched her for a moment before reaching out to embrace her.
The car's console separated them, but he pressed his forehead against hers, letting his warmth seep into her.
"Ye Sibei," he called her name softly, "we're ready."
Hearing this, Ye Sibei miraculously calmed down.
His words were like a spell, becoming the only command in her chaotic world.
"Don't look at your phone, don't read the news. Everything they're doing now is to stop you."
"Stop me from what?"
"They want you to recant, to stop pursuing this, because doing so would hurt them, make them pay for what they've done."
"Sibei, you've scared them."
Ye Sibei didn't respond. She closed her eyes.
She didn't dare tell Qin Nan that she was afraid—afraid he would grow tired of her wavering, her weakness, her confusion.
It wasn't just them who were afraid.
She was too.
But they were all walking a path of no return.
Whether it was her, Zhao Shuhui, Fan Jiancheng, or Qin Nan—none of them could turn back now.
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