Hearing the voice, Huang Guifen grabbed Ye Sibei and pulled her down, crouching in a spot hidden from outside view.
From this angle, they couldn’t be seen, but they could peer through the glass window on the door to observe the outside.
A young man in a cheap suit was talking to two police officers stationed at the entrance.
He wore an ingratiating smile, while the officers frowned, clearly displeased with him. He offered them a cigarette, but they quickly waved him off. His smile faltered before he finally glanced through the glass into the ward.
His face was fully visible—a scholarly, youthful countenance bearing some resemblance to Ye Sibei.
Instinctively, Ye Sibei hunched lower.
It was this very posture that suddenly made her aware of an unconscious, ingrained sense of shame and humiliation.
She was more fragile than she had imagined, more affected by others’ words.
She couldn’t even bring herself to face her younger brother, Ye Nianwen, at this moment.
A profound sorrow welled up inside her. As it surged, she crouched, hugging herself, turning her head to bite her lower lip, afraid she might sob aloud.
Huang Guifen sensed her daughter’s emotional shift and felt a pang of sadness. She reached out, pulling Ye Sibei into her arms.
She said nothing, just as she had when Ye Sibei was a child—gently stroking her back, pressing her cheek against her head.
Mother and daughter clung to each other until the footsteps faded. Only then did Ye Sibei let out a muffled cry.
"It’ll pass," Huang Guifen comforted hoarsely. "It’s alright. I’m here. It’ll pass."
"Just pretend nothing happened. Live as you always have. That’s enough."
When Lin Feng arrived at the door with water, she heard faint sobbing from inside the ward. She hesitated, not entering immediately.
She waited outside until the sounds subsided, then knocked.
After a pause, Ye Sibei opened the door. Forcing a smile, she looked at Lin Feng and the two other officers. "Thank you for bringing me clothes. I’ll head back now. Can I mail them back tomorrow?"
"We’ve already filed the case," Lin Feng called after her, making one last effort. "We can help you."
"I’m sorry," Ye Sibei lowered her head. "It was just a fight with my husband. There’s nothing you can do."
Staring at the ground, she repeated, "I’m sorry."
Lin Feng froze. Ye Sibei turned and walked away with her mother.
Watching her leave, Lin Feng wanted to stop her. But the moment she opened her mouth, the sight of Ye Sibei’s retreating figure rendered her speechless.
Even with someone supporting her, someone by her side, she seemed like a wandering ghost, a rootless weed, helplessly adrift in the murky river of this world.
Huang Guifen accompanied Ye Sibei home by taxi. After showering, Ye Sibei changed into clothes that covered her completely, then went with her mother to another hospital to collect HIV prevention medicine.
When she reported the incident, she had asked Lin Feng to get her emergency contraception. Now, all that remained was to block any potential infections in advance.
This was the only thing her rational mind could do for herself.By the time everything was done, it was already afternoon. Huang Guifen took her home and knelt before Ye Sibei, looking at her earnestly: "Sibei, this matter is over now. You must never let anyone find out about it, understand?"
Ye Sibei gazed at her silently for a long time before slowly nodding.
Huang Guifen forced a smile: "Mom will cook your favorite braised pork today."
With that, Huang Guifen went to the kitchen. Ye Sibei sat on the sofa to rest. She still felt pain down there but didn't dare show it.
As Huang Guifen chopped vegetables, she remembered Ye Sibei's work situation and called out from the kitchen: "Did you skip work today? Did you ask for leave from your boss?"
"No."
After calling Huang Guifen in the morning, she had turned off her phone directly.
"Then quickly call your boss to apologize. Say you're sick. Don't lose your job—it's so hard to find work these days."
Ye Sibei's mind was blank as she mechanically followed Huang Guifen's orders, rummaging through her bag for her phone. When she pulled it out, she suddenly realized something was missing.
The condom was gone.
Had that person used it?
The related memories flooded her mind all at once, making her heart race uncontrollably.
The suppressed urge to know the truth surged wildly within her. Only one thought filled her mind: Who was it?
She kept replaying everything that had happened the night before, picturing the last person she had seen—was it Fan Jiancheng?
But he was such a good man. He always reminded young female employees to protect themselves, shielded them from drinking when he could, and had always made sure employees got home safely before.
How could it possibly be him?
Ye Sibei's thoughts were a chaotic mess. She couldn't help biting her nails.
Hearing no movement from the living room, Huang Guifen urged again: "Hurry up and make the call."
"Okay."
Ye Sibei snapped out of her daze and, suppressing her emotions, dialed Fan Jiancheng's number.
The call connected quickly, and Fan Jiancheng's angry voice came through: "Ye Sibei, what's going on with you? Skipping work for a whole day without even asking for leave? Just disappearing without a word—do you not want this job anymore?"
"General Fan," Ye Sibei tried to steady herself as she listened to his voice, "I... I drank too much last night. I'm in the hospital. I need to ask for leave."
At the mention of "drank too much," Fan Jiancheng paused. His tone softened with concern: "Nothing serious happened, right?"
Then, with a hint of apology, he added: "Mr. Zheng is a client. I couldn't really stop him last night. Sorry about that."
"Nothing too serious. I might... need to stay in the hospital for a couple of days." Hearing Fan Jiancheng's straightforward response, Ye Sibei lowered her head.
"Then rest well," Fan Jiancheng said, unsuspecting. "Try to come back to work as soon as possible."
"Okay."
Ye Sibei agreed and hung up.
After ending the call, she stared at the slightly blackened bananas on the coffee table.
The truth was, she might never know the answer.
And did it even matter who it was?
She didn't know.
She only felt something inside her still screaming restlessly, stirring and struggling.
She sat there blankly until, not long after, Ye Ling returned home from playing chess in the park.
Seeing Ye Sibei, Ye Ling was surprised: "Oh, Sibei's here?"
"She had a fight with Qin Nan. Don't bother her."
Huang Guifen immediately interjected, scooping the cooked dishes from the pot and placing them on the table.Ye Sibei got up as usual to help serve the dishes. Ye Ling, taking off his coat, watched the busy mother and daughter pair: "Why do you always quarrel with Qin Nan?"
"What couple doesn't argue?"
Huang Guifen stirred the vegetables in the wok: "Let them argue. As long as they don’t get divorced."
"You shouldn’t say that. Sibei, my birthday is coming up in a few days. Bring him over, and I’ll talk to him."
"Mm."
Ye Sibei nodded, not daring to say much about her relationship with Qin Nan.
As the family was talking, they heard Ye Nianwen’s voice from the doorway.
"Dad, Mom," he called as he pushed the door open. When he saw Ye Sibei, his eyes lit up, and he immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Sis!"
Ye Nianwen always seemed cheerful, as if he had no worries in the world. If one hadn’t seen him bowing and scraping outside, no one would have guessed the grievances he endured.
Before, they hadn’t known, but now, seeing him like this, Huang Guifen couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. Pretending not to notice anything, she went to take Nianwen’s bag and asked with concern, "Did you go hungry today?"
"What era is this? Who still goes hungry? The boss at my firm really likes me—there are banquets every day, seafood and all. I’m sick of eating that stuff."
"Don’t exaggerate," Ye Ling said, though pleased, he still felt the need to advise. "You should be humble. You’ve just graduated; learn to keep a low profile—"
"He knows."
Ye Sibei cut Ye Ling off, and Huang Guifen quickly interjected, "Enough with the lectures. Let’s eat."
Huang Guifen ushered everyone to sit down while she continued bustling about. Ye Ling, feeling hot, went to change his clothes first. The only ones actually seated were Ye Sibei and Ye Nianwen.
Nianwen looked at his sister curiously. "Sis, what brings you here today?"
"Did you go to the hospital today?"
Ye Sibei asked directly. Nianwen’s expression froze, but before he could lie, she exposed him: "I saw you there today. Why were you handing out cigarettes to those police officers?"
Nianwen seemed embarrassed. His smile turned strained as he leaned closer to Sibei and whispered, "I’m just networking for cases."
Ye Sibei ladled soup while Nianwen explained earnestly, "Those officers handle cases every day and meet lots of people who need lawyers. If they’re willing to refer victims to me, I’ll have cases, right?"
"Then why weren’t you stationed at the police station?" Ye Sibei set the bowl down, her face unreadable. Nianwen quickly replied, "I was! But then I heard there was a case, and the criminal investigation team was dispatched. I followed them but lost track. So I thought, if it’s a big case, the victim would probably go to the hospital. I rushed to People’s Hospital and searched forever. Finally, I saw three officers guarding a room—it wasn’t far from the gynecology department. I figured it was a rape case."
Ye Sibei’s hand trembled, spilling soup on herself.
Nianwen grabbed some tissues and took the bowl from her. "Be careful, Sis."
"Did you see the victim?"
Ye Sibei wiped her hands with the tissues, not daring to look up. Nianwen shrugged. "No. If I had, I’d be working on the case tonight instead of coming home."
"These cases are all about timing," Nianwen said, ladling more soup for her. "Every minute counts—the later it gets, the harder it is to solve."
Ye Sibei lowered her head and blew on the soup. "Are these kinds of cases hard to win?""Big sis, think about it," Ye Nianwen saw that Ye Sibei had asked a professional question and finally had a chance to show off. He quickly sat up straight and looked at her, raising two fingers. "What are the two key elements for establishing a □□ case?"
Ye Nianwen lowered one finger. "First, we need to prove that an objective incident occurred. That is, we must confirm that person A and person B engaged in a specific sexual act. We can prove this through biological evidence, which is relatively straightforward."
Ye Sibei nodded.
"But the hard part is the second element," Ye Nianwen lowered another finger. "How does the woman prove she wasn’t consenting? You say there are injuries on her body—maybe it’s just a kink? There’s video evidence—maybe it’s a cosplay honey trap? So, we need a very strong chain of evidence to prove this. And during this process, those bastards often sling disgusting accusations at the woman to prove she was willing—like she seduced them, or they were already in a relationship. These things can severely damage the woman’s reputation. Many times, she breaks down before even making it to court."
As Ye Sibei listened to Ye Nianwen’s words, they overlapped with scenes she’d heard about in past news reports—except now, the protagonist in those scenes was her.
The last flicker of hope in her heart quietly extinguished. She lowered her head as Ye Nianwen sighed. "That’s why I say, with cases like these, whether you sue or not, it’s punishment for the victim. Might as well pretend it never happened and just forget about it."
Ye Sibei said nothing. Ye Ling came out after changing clothes and called Huang Guifen to sit down.
Dinner began, and the family ate and drank, appearing warm and cheerful.
Each of them carried their own masks, as if suffering no longer existed in the world.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng was sitting at a roadside diner with her team leader, Zhang Yong.
It was rush hour, and the small shop was crowded. The two could only sit at a tiny table by the entrance, each with a bowl of noodles and two pieces of braised tofu.
Lin Feng sat motionless, while Zhang Yong ate heartily, glancing every few bites at the auto shop across the street.
His car had a flat tire after returning from the outskirts that morning, and now he finally had time to get it fixed.
The one repairing his car was an extremely young man named Qin Nan, the owner of the shop. His repair skills were exceptional, his prices fair, and he spoke little. Zhang Yong often came here for repairs and car washes, so they were somewhat familiar.
Zhang Yong watched as Qin Nan patched the tire and began washing the car. He admired how his grime-covered vehicle, once indistinguishable in color, was gradually becoming shiny again. Just as he was feeling pleased, Lin Feng suddenly spoke up. "I think this case should be filed."
Zhang Yong was startled and turned to look at her. "Good grief, can you not just spring to life like that?"
"You saw the situation today," Lin Feng frowned deeply. "The victim’s state was clearly off, and the examination report also showed—"
"Showed what?" Zhang Yong interrupted her. Lin Feng froze as Zhang Yong set down his chopsticks and looked at his justice-driven subordinate. "Lin Feng, remember this—in our line of work, don’t presume guilt. Otherwise, you’ll end up wronging people. You think she’s acting strange? Besides your gut feeling, is there any actual evidence?""Whether other criminal cases are filed or withdrawn is our decision from the moment we respond to the call, but this particular crime is different," Zhang Yong said vaguely due to the crowd. "The victim's will is a crucial standard for determining the case. Right now, the victim isn't speaking—what basis do you have for making a judgment?"
As he spoke, Zhang Yong gestured vaguely toward Lin Feng's eyes: "Those beady little eyes of yours?"
"But Captain, her situation—"
"There are many possibilities for her situation," Zhang Yong glanced at his nearly cold noodles. "With so many cases, why are you fixated on this one? Not enough work to keep you busy?"
Seeing his car was almost done being washed, Zhang Yong took a couple more bites. Noticing Lin Feng still hadn't touched his food, he frowned. "Are you eating or not?"
"No."
Lin Feng stood up, clearly annoyed. "I'm heading back."
"Hey, my car's fixed—want a ride?"
"No need."
Without giving Zhang Yong a chance to insist, Lin Feng walked straight to the roadside and hailed a cab.
Zhang Yong muttered under his breath, "Damn kid," took a few sips of soup, paid via WeChat, exchanged a quick word with the owner, and returned to his car.
The car was completely dry now. Qin Nan glanced at the tires as Zhang Yong approached and warned him, "Your tires are worn thin. One more scratch and you'll need replacements. Want me to order one for you in advance?"
"Go ahead. How much?"
"I'll give you a discount—900."
"Fine, write it up."
Zhang Yong leaned against the car and scanned the payment QR code by the shop entrance. Qin Nan went to the counter to prepare the receipt. As the mechanical female voice announced, "Payment received: 900 yuan," Zhang Yong crossed his arms and eyed the neatly arranged tires nearby.
Suddenly remembering something, he turned to Qin Nan. "Hey, Lao Qin."
"Yeah?"
"You know tires well?"
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