No one expected that the year Chen Zi Hui became pregnant, her 44-year-old mother also unexpectedly conceived at an advanced age. Chen Zi Yu was born nearly six months later than Gao Xiang. While Chen Li Guo was still immersed in the joy of becoming a father again approaching fifty, his wife tragically died from postpartum complications the day after giving birth to their son. Accepting her mother's final wish, Chen Zi Hui quickly transformed from a spoiled, willful daughter into a responsible elder sister. She weaned her own son who had just turned six months old, entrusting him to her husband and nanny, and took on the responsibility of breastfeeding and raising her younger brother.
From the time he was old enough to understand, Gao Xiang had always known that his mother cared for his young uncle far more than for him, her own biological son. However, he never felt jealous. On one hand, under his mother's constant reminders, he genuinely treated Chen Zi Yu as a younger brother to care for; on the other hand, he also understood that no matter how much affection he received, this young uncle could never make up for the loss of his mother from birth.
Chen Li Guo never remarried. From the moment he was born, Chen Zi Yu replaced the six-month-old Gao Xiang as the center of attention for the entire Chen family. Yet despite receiving meticulous care and being the focus of everyone's affection, he grew up contrary to everyone's hopes. He disliked studying, refused to accept teachers' discipline, frequently skipped school, and with his family's wealth and ample allowance, gathered a group of similar-aged teenagers to act as his followers. They would parade around with great fanfare, putting on the airs of a gang leader, constantly picking fights and causing trouble. He became the most notorious young ruffian in Qinggang County, with countless misdeeds from childhood through adolescence.
Though Chen Li Guo's business continued to expand, he was completely helpless in dealing with his son. As he grew older and was diagnosed with coronary heart disease, unable to withstand such constant stress, he gradually abandoned his hopes for his son's success. His expectations for Chen Zi Yu shifted from "don't cause trouble" to "just don't cause major trouble."
Gao Xiang and Chen Zi Yu attended the same kindergarten and elementary school. Later, Gao Xiang tested into Qinggang Junior High School, while Chen Zi Yu only managed to enter by paying a large sponsorship fee. Two years later, Chen Zi Yu was expelled for a series of serious violations and transferred to another middle school, barely graduating with scores only sufficient for an ordinary high school. Meanwhile, Gao Xiang unsurprisingly tested into Qinggang High School. Three years later, Gao Xiang was admitted to a university in the provincial capital with decent scores, while Chen Zi Yu, as expected, failed the college entrance examination.
Chen Zi Yu was completely indifferent, rejecting his father and sister's suggestion to retake the exams. He idled at home for nearly a year until one alcohol-fueled group fight nearly turned fatal in the chaos, leaving him injured as well. Thoroughly frightened, Chen Li Guo and Chen Zi Hui no longer dared to let him run wild like an unbridled horse. Once he recovered from his injuries, they forced him to enlist in the military, hoping the army could reform his behavior and help him mature.He was assigned to serve in the distant Northeast. Although he complained incessantly and encountered constant minor troubles during the first year, he did become more disciplined. However, before his family could fully relax, he was expelled from the military for a serious disciplinary violation and sent back to Qinggang City. Chen Li Guo was furious, but facing his now fully grown son, he couldn’t resort to beating him with a stick as he had when the boy was young. Nor did he dare send him away again, so he arranged a job for him at the company, assigning him to work under his brother-in-law, Gao Ming.
Gao Ming found his behavior utterly unacceptable, but the slightest complaint would provoke his wife’s displeasure, often forcing him to cover for his brother-in-law in front of his father-in-law. He knew full well that he couldn’t control this unruly and disrespectful young man who looked down on him, so he simply stopped interfering. As a result, Chen Zi Yu continued his idle and troublesome ways, working sporadically and causing trouble.
Gao Xiang’s parents and grandfather lived in a three-story house with a spacious, independent courtyard in Qinggang County. As soon as he entered, he noticed that besides his mother and father, two female guests were seated side by side in the living room on the first floor. The younger girl, dressed in a T-shirt and tight jeans, appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen, strikingly beautiful with long, wavy permed hair and a playful black mole above the left corner of her mouth. Her large, expressive eyes quickly glanced sideways at him before she lowered her head.
Gao Xiang immediately recognized her. About three months earlier, Chen Zi Yu had driven to the provincial capital for fun and invited him out to eat, bringing along this girl named Xiao Qin. Back then, her makeup had been heavier, and her attire far more flashy and trendy. Later, he had asked Chen Zi Yu in confusion why he was dating someone who seemed barely adult. Chen Zi Yu had laughed heartily, saying she wasn’t really his girlfriend—just someone to hang out with. His flippant tone made Gao Xiang frown in disapproval, though he could do nothing about it. He was relieved that his own girlfriend, Sun Ruo Di, hadn’t been able to join them that day, as she would have certainly criticized the situation severely.
Seeing Xiao Qin at home now, Gao Xiang guessed the situation must be related to Chen Zi Yu. Next to Xiao Qin sat a plainly dressed middle-aged woman. His mother was handing her a thick envelope, which she clutched nervously, her face filled with fear and confusion. His father sat beside them, grim-faced and silent.
After greeting everyone, Gao Xiang went up to his room first. When he came back downstairs, the two guests had already left. He asked what had happened, but Chen Zi Hui remained evasive, which made him grow impatient.
“Where is Ziyu now?”
His father, Gao Ming, spoke up: “He’s been taken into criminal detention.”
“What did he do this time? Get into a fight? Did he hurt anyone?”
Chen Zi Hui remained uncharacteristically silent. Gao Ming glanced at her and reluctantly explained, “It wasn’t a fight. It’s rape.”
Gao Xiang was shocked, his first reaction one of disbelief. “How is that possible? It can’t be about the girl who was just here. They’ve known each other for a while—he took her to the provincial capital, and I met her too.”
“It’s not her. It’s another girl, and she’s pregnant.”
“That doesn’t prove he committed a crime,” Gao Xiang defended Chen Zi Yu almost instinctively. “Could there be some misunderstanding?”
Chen Zi Hui immediately chimed in, “Yes, yes, that’s what I said too.”Gao Ming shot his wife a glare, then turned to his son, lowering his voice almost hesitantly: "Gao Xiang, that girl just turned 14. She's a student at Qinggang Middle School and was only in eighth grade when it happened."
Gao Xiang was utterly stunned, nearly repeating "How is this possible?" aloud. But one look at his father's expression told him his mother's urgent summons home meant this seemingly impossible thing had likely occurred. The mere thought of the girl's age made him nauseous. After a long pause, he managed to say hoarsely, "How could he do such a thing?"
"Don't jump to conclusions like everyone else. I'm sure there's been some mistake," Chen Zi Hui insisted, clearly refusing to believe the child she'd raised could commit such a terrible crime.
"You're still saying that?" Gao Ming, typically reserved and introverted, flushed with anger in a rare outburst toward his wife. "You heard what the police said."
"That's just the girl's one-sided story. She's so young and was crying hysterically—how can we take her word as evidence? Ziyu has always had girls swarming around him. Why would he need to..."
"You're being foolish, Zi Hui. Do you even know what kind of girls chase after your brother? And who is this victim? She's the daughter of Zuo Xuejun, the deputy county mayor sent from the provincial capital for temporary training. She only came to Qinggang Middle School last year with her father, excels academically, and just turned 14 in May. She didn't even know your brother—how could she have been chasing him? The police showed you her account: she was waiting by the back gate of the nursing school when your brother dragged her into his car... What else could this be but assault?"
"Then why didn't she report it immediately? She waited months to speak up, and her story is full of inconsistencies," Chen Zi Hui argued stubbornly. "Girls mature early these days. Who knows what really happened?"
Gao Ming was rendered speechless by her response. He turned back to Gao Xiang: "Did you see the mother and daughter who came earlier? That girl was only 15 when she got involved with Ziyu two years ago. Yesterday your mother visited Chen Ziyu, and he asked her to pay them off. She actually called them here to hand over the money."
Gao Xiang gasped. "Mom, how could you do that?"
Chen Zi Hui looked dismissive. "When I went to find her, she was selling vegetables at the market with her mother. Should I have shoved money at her in front of everyone? Of course I had to invite them home. That girl is almost 18 now and claims she was in a relationship with Ziyu. I was just compensating her family to keep things quiet and avoid a messy police report—I never asked her to lie. Don't listen to your father; he's always been biased against Ziyu."
"Biased? Tell me, which of my opinions about him is biased? If you and your father had listened to me earlier and disciplined him properly, we wouldn't be in this situation today."
Chen Zi Hui slammed the table and stood up. "What's the use of saying this now? Are you trying to anger your father to death with this attitude?"
"If he's angry, it's only because of the things your precious brother has done."Gao Xiang quickly stopped Chen Zi Hui, who was on the verge of a major outburst: "Alright, alright, let's not say these angry words. Does Grandpa know about this?"
Gao Ming sneered coldly: "The police came to arrest him in a patrol car yesterday morning, and most of Qinggang already knows about it. How could we possibly hide it from him? He was so angry he fainted on the spot. We took him to the hospital, and the doctor said he shouldn't be jostled on the road right now. They're monitoring him and will transfer him to the provincial hospital tomorrow once his condition stabilizes. Your mother insisted on dragging me out, telling me to use my connections at the Public Security Bureau. The moment I said it wouldn't work, she started arguing with me endlessly."
"Ziyu is my only biological brother. You have a good relationship with Secretary Hu, and our Chen Family has treated you well. Yet when we ask you to do such a small thing, you either make excuses or outright refuse. How could I not be angry?"
Gao Ming glared angrily at his wife: "You flatter me too much. You don't need to constantly remind me that I owe my current position entirely to 'your Chen Family.' But use your head and think about what your brother has done and who he has violated. Even if I have a friendship with Secretary Hu, so what? Don't forget that County Chief Zuo is Secretary Hu's colleague, a cadre sent down from the provincial level for training and experience. Your brother actually assaulted his only daughter. Don't say it's me—even if Dad personally stepped in with his title as a Provincial Political Consultative Conference member, who would dare show favoritism in such a matter?"
Seeing them about to argue again, Gao Xiang quickly interjected: "Ziyu has just been detained. We need to clarify the situation before deciding what to do next. Mom, don't worry. Quickly pack Grandpa's things, and I'll accompany you to the hospital."
After Chen Zi Hui went to pack the clothes, leaving only father and son in the room, Gao Xiang asked his father: "Dad, is it really confirmed that Ziyu did it? What Mom said makes some sense too. After all, it happened several months ago. They can't arrest someone based solely on a little girl's one-sided account."
Gao Ming sighed: "That girl fainted at school a few days ago and was sent to the county hospital, where they discovered she was pregnant. A 14-year-old girl, plus her father's status as Deputy County Chief—imagine how shocking this is. She was completely terrified. Her father rushed over and repeatedly questioned her, and only then did she reveal what happened. Setting aside other details, the car Chen Ziyu was driving at the time was your grandfather's newly purchased Mercedes-Benz—the only one in all of Qinggang County—with that eye-catching license plate, 8888. One of her classmates also testified that he happened to witness Chen Ziyu carrying her out of the car, dumping her by the roadside, and then driving away. It's truly... despicable."
Gao Xiang could say nothing more.
Chen Li Guo was sent to the provincial capital the next day for further diagnosis and treatment. Chen Zi Hui insisted on staying in Qinggang to gather information about her brother. Gao Xiang and his father accompanied Chen Li Guo to the provincial capital, with Gao Ming staying at the hospital to care for him, while Gao Xiang followed his mother's arrangements to seek out a lawyer.A few days later, Gao Xiang returned to Qinggang with Lawyer Zhang, a well-known criminal defense attorney from the provincial capital. Together with Chen Zi Hui, they went to the police station and met Chen Zi Yu, who was detained in the holding cell. As they listened to the case details, Gao Xiang's heart sank completely to the bottom. Initially, Chen Zi Yu had been extremely arrogant and refused to admit anything. After several days of interrogation, his aggressive demeanor gradually faded, and he began to speak incoherently, hesitantly claiming it was all just a misunderstanding—he had arranged to meet another girl behind the nursing school and mistook Zuo Si'an, who was standing by the roadside, for that girl.
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