"The current hostage situation is closely linked to the recent 'Nancheng Sexual Assault Case.' The hostage is the defendant from that case, while the kidnapper is the plaintiff's husband. According to the latest information, the kidnapper isn't demanding money, and the exact motive remains unclear..."
The reporter, clad in a raincoat with a headset, stood outside the unfinished building, delivering updates in real-time. Before finishing, a commotion erupted behind her as the police escorted Qin Nan out. Covered in wounds, Qin Nan was met with shouts of, "They're coming down!"
The reporter immediately turned and rushed toward Qin Nan and the officers.
"Sir, why did you kidnap Mr. Fan?"
"Step aside," an officer pushed the reporter away as Qin Nan was forced into a police car. Moments later, Ye Sibei emerged, supported by Ye Nianwen and others. Her clothes were stained with mud, and Lin Feng shielded her from the crowd. The reporter quickly approached, "Miss Ye, do you know your husband's motive for this crime?"
"Can you just back off?" Ye Nianwen snapped irritably at the reporter.
Ye Sibei paused, then turned to the journalist. "I'll clarify everything at the right time. You can reach me on Weibo."
"Sis?" Ye Nianwen looked surprised, but Ye Sibei didn’t respond. She hurried to the police car where Qin Nan sat inside. Through the glass window, their eyes met in silence.
"Don’t worry," Ye Sibei said firmly, her gaze unwavering. "I’ll handle everything. I’ll be fine—waiting for you to come back safely."
Qin Nan didn’t speak. He studied her for a long moment before raising his cuffed, bloodied hand and gently pressing it against her cheek through the glass.
As always, he said nothing. Yet in that moment, Ye Sibei saw a thousand unspoken words in his eyes.
Some remain silent because they have nothing to say.
Others stay silent because they have too much to say—too much to express.
After a lingering look, Zhang Yong approached. "We have to go now. He’s injured and needs medical evaluation."
Ye Sibei nodded. The police car drove off with Qin Nan. Soon after, Lin Feng pulled up in another vehicle. "Let’s go. We’ll take you home."
Lin Feng, Zhao Chuchu, and Ye Nianwen accompanied Ye Sibei back. She remained composed throughout the ride, while Zhao Chuchu trembled beside her.
Her mind replayed the scene—Qin Nan raising his hand, being forced to the ground, Ye Sibei kneeling and weeping. The images looped relentlessly in her head. A voice whispered in her heart, but fear held her back. She wrestled with herself.
As Lin Feng’s car neared her home, Zhao Chuchu clenched her fists, hesitating before finally speaking. "Sis."
"Hmm?"
"If…" She lifted her head, struggling with the words. "Hypothetically."
"What?"
"If I did something wrong… would you think I’m a bad person?"
Ye Sibei was taken aback. She studied Zhao Chuchu, whose eyes shimmered with unshed tears, filled with fear and guilt. After a long silence, Ye Sibei shook her head gently. "No."
"But I—"
"I used to have a hard time getting along with my parents," Ye Sibei interrupted softly, gazing at the bustling street outside. "The biggest reason was that I kept mixing up their kindness and their flaws.""When they treated me badly, I would think of their kindness, and so I couldn’t refuse them. But when they treated me well, I would remember their cruelty, and so I couldn’t love them wholeheartedly. I loved and hated them at the same time. So every day, I tried my best—I hoped that by accepting their flaws, they would genuinely love me in return and become the parents I wanted."
Ye Nianwen sat in the front seat, glancing at the two girls behind him through the rearview mirror. Zhao Chuchu asked blankly, "And then?"
"Then one day, I finally accepted it."
Ye Sibei turned to look at her and smiled faintly. "I accepted that they could be both bad and good—these are two separate things that can coexist in one person, but I couldn’t confuse them. I should reject the bad in someone, but their goodness wouldn’t be erased because of their flaws."
"Then, by your logic, are there truly bad people in this world?"
Lin Feng couldn’t help but laugh at Ye Sibei’s words. Ye Sibei thought for a moment. "People aren’t bad because they make mistakes—they’re bad because they refuse to turn back after making them." She then turned to Zhao Chuchu. "And the Zhao Chuchu I know—she would turn back."
Zhao Chuchu looked at Ye Sibei, tears welling in her eyes, but she remained silent.
Just then, Lin Feng stopped the car. "We’re here."
Zhao Chuchu forced herself to look away, steeling herself as she pushed open the car door and stepped out with difficulty. As the car started moving again, Ye Nianwen, sitting in the passenger seat, kept his gaze fixed on Zhao Chuchu.
He saw her hugging herself, seemingly sobbing uncontrollably as she stumbled up the steps. Watching from afar, something stirred in him, and he suddenly called out to Lin Feng, "Officer Lin, could you stop for a moment?"
Lin Feng braked abruptly. Ye Nianwen turned to Ye Sibei. "Sis, I’m going to find Chuchu."
"You—"
Before Ye Sibei could finish, Ye Nianwen was already sprinting back.
Lin Feng glanced at her. "Should we go ahead?"
After a brief hesitation, Ye Sibei nodded. "Let’s go."
The distance wasn’t far. Ye Nianwen ran toward Zhao Chuchu with all his might, catching her just before she reached the steps. "Chuchu!"
Zhao Chuchu turned around in a daze, her face streaked with tears. Ye Nianwen panted heavily. "I’ll take you... I’ll take you to turn yourself in."
"Turn myself in?"
Her voice was hoarse. Ye Nianwen nodded. "Yes. You were right—you’re human, and so am I."
"We’ve both been selfish. We’ve both made mistakes. But making mistakes isn’t the end—we can change and start anew. If we don’t, we’ll carry that burden forever."
"So what if we were wrong? We’ll make amends. This time, I’ll go with you."
Tears streamed down Zhao Chuchu’s face. Standing on the same steps where he had once confessed his feelings, Ye Nianwen looked up at her. "I’ll go with you to turn yourself in. I’ll wait for you to serve your sentence, wait for you to come back. You’ll still be Zhao Chuchu."
"I’m sorry I wasn’t there during your hardest times." Ye Nianwen’s eyes reddened. "From now on, I’ll never criticize you for going to those work dinners—I’ll pick you up every night. I’ll never say your skirts are inappropriate—if you wear them, I’ll stand by your side. We’ll work hard together. I’ll take you somewhere—a place where you can freely choose your career, wear the dresses you love, put on makeup, and have people say, 'Zhao Chuchu, you’re so beautiful.'""If I could do it all over again," Ye Nianwen choked up, "I would give you so much courage, let you know that it's okay to make small mistakes in life. If there hadn't been so much blame, if I could have given you just a little courage," he looked at her with hopeful eyes, "you would have stood up, wouldn't you?"
Zhao Chuchu didn't respond. She gazed at this young man she'd always thought of as childlike, who now seemed to have suddenly grown up, suddenly understood all the sorrows and joys of the world.
After a long silence, she smiled.
"I would," she said through tears, nodding vigorously. "If I could do it all over again, I would stand up."
Every attempt to cover up a mistake only leads deeper into the abyss.
Yet the moment she placed her hand in Ye Nianwen's, though she knew her future might hold prison and condemnation, she felt something she hadn't in six months—relief.
She returned home, retrieved the bottle of pills she'd kept for so long, uncertain whether to discard them, and hand in hand with Ye Nianwen, walked to the police station.
"My name is Zhao Chuchu," she said to the officer at the reception, smiling brightly. "I'm the key witness in the Fuqiang Real Estate sexual assault case."
"I'm here to turn myself in."
The news of Zhao Chuchu's arrest for submitting new evidence and testimony, charged with perjury, reached Ye Sibei several days later.
Qin Nan's hostage situation involving Fan Jiancheng had caused an uproar online, and the video of Fan Jiancheng admitting his wrongdoing, uploaded by Ye Sibei, went viral. Though many argued Qin Nan's actions constituted coercion, the case, once considered closed, was now being reexamined.
Netizens began asking—if the case had truly been fair, why would Qin Nan risk his life just for an apology?
Reporters scrambled for new angles. Ye Sibei reached out to journalists while searching for updates on Qin Nan.
She learned Qin Nan had been hospitalized with injuries, charged with attempted murder, and that everyone involved in the brawl that night had been arrested.
As family, she couldn't visit Qin Nan yet, but once the investigation concluded, they could apply for bail.
Strangely, where she might once have panicked, she now felt steady despite Qin Nan's absence.
She knew what needed to be done—she'd promised Qin Nan she'd handle everything.
After numerous discussions with reporters, they agreed to a live-streamed interview arranged by Nancheng's local TV station, with major media outlets present.
The case's twists had made it a trending topic, drawing media to Nancheng in droves. Minutes before the interview, as a makeup artist prepped Ye Sibei backstage, she received word of Zhao Chuchu's arrest.
Lin Feng delivered the news excitedly: "Zhao Chuchu's new evidence means we can request a retrial. We're still reviewing the drug dealers' transaction records, but we'll find proof soon. Sibei, we're going to win this time."
Ye Sibei stood frozen, tears welling. After a long pause, she simply said, "Thank you."
Moments later, a staff member called out, "Miss Ye? Miss Ye, we need you now!"Ye Sibei snapped back to reality. She politely ended the call, stood up, and walked toward the gathering lights.
The brightness there was almost blinding compared to the backstage. As she stepped forward, her silhouette seemed swallowed by the radiance.
"Now, let's welcome the person speaking publicly for the first time—Ye Sibei!"
Thunderous applause erupted as Ye Sibei took the stage.
A chair was set up on the platform, and the host motioned for her to sit. She did so, slightly stiff with nerves.
When she looked up, she suddenly realized that not only were there reporters present, but also a crowd of spectators seated farther back. Most of them were young women, some holding banners that read, "Go, Sibei! Never back down!"
Among them was a long banner that declared, "I've always believed in Ye Sibei."
As she took in the banners and the youthful faces, it finally struck her—deeply and truly.
This was no longer the world described by Huang Guifen or the many voices of Nancheng. The younger generation was far kinder and braver than she—or many others—had ever imagined.
Her throat tightened with an indescribable swell of emotion.
The host handed her the microphone. "Go ahead, introduce yourself."
Clutching the mic, she gazed at the words on the banners and spoke hoarsely, "Hello, everyone. I'm Ye Sibei."
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