"Whether it was right or wrong doesn't require further discussion, but you're no longer suitable to care for Bao Bao in my home. Take this money—finding another job as a nanny or hourly worker in the provincial capital shouldn't be difficult."
Wang Yujiao looked at his expression, then at Chen Zi Hui, and knew any further words would be useless.
Gao Xiang went to the bedroom, picked up Bao Bao, and sat down in the rocking chair, gently swaying. After last night's crying fit, Bao Bao appeared more listless than usual, squirming in his arms and making indistinct babbling sounds. He looked down intently; a glistening trail of drool hung at the corner of Bao Bao's mouth, and those eyes looked more like Zuo Si'an's than ever before.
Complex emotions surged in his heart, and he held the small body even tighter.
He thought, given his mother's personality and her almost obsessive doting on Chen Zi Yu, it would be very difficult for her to forgive his father. As for his grandfather, even if he was reasonable and tried to smooth things over, Chen Zi Yu was after all his only son. Once he learned that his son-in-law had reported him, indirectly causing his son's untimely death, he would surely hold a grudge. It was unlikely his parents would reconcile completely, and the rift between father-in-law and son-in-law would be hard to erase. Involving the family business, there might even be greater disputes in the future.
But more than anything, he felt relieved that the matter had temporarily settled. Even at his age, he still didn't want to see his parents divorce—let alone at Zuo Si'an's sensitive and fragile age.
The moment he thought of Zuo Si'an, he remembered the slap he had delivered to her face—the sharp sound, and how she hadn't even looked at him, showing no fear or surprise. He had to take a deep breath to convince himself to push that face out of his mind.
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4
After the new nanny took over, Gao Xiang explained the necessary precautions and immediately went to the company. He first went to the warehouse downstairs and was surprised to see Liu Guanchao and Liu Yaqin talking at the stairwell corner. Seeing him approach, Liu Yaqin quickly said, "President Gao, my brother came to see me about something."
Gao Xiang found it odd that Liu Guanchao was at the company during school hours, but he had no mind to inquire further. He nodded and said, "I need to speak with you. Please come in for a moment."
Liu Yaqin followed him into the office, appearing quite composed: "President Gao, if you're asking about Zuo Si'an, I really have nothing to say. I absolutely didn't want to do it, but your mother insisted. I was afraid of losing my job and had no choice but to..."
"No need to distance yourself so quickly. I know my mother asked you to spread rumors about Zuo Si'an at the High School Affiliated to Normal University, but she couldn't force you to do it. And you should have known that I care deeply about Zuo Si'an. You could have chosen to refuse my mother. If you were afraid of her, you could have told me, and I would have stepped in to stop it. But you went ahead and did it anyway. How do you explain that?"Liu Yaqin gave a bitter smile: "President Gao, you're absolutely right, but have you considered that she's your mother? If you stop her, she won't do anything to you. Both my mother and I depend on your family for our livelihood. My brother needs to go to school, my father needs medical treatment, our income supports the entire family. What consequences would we face if we didn't obey her?"
Gao Xiang couldn't respond to this retort: "My mother was wrong in this matter, and I won't hold you responsible. But regarding what I'm about to ask, I hope you can answer truthfully. Two years ago, after you brought Zuo Si'an to the back gate of the nursing school and left her there, why did Chen Ziyu happen to appear?"
Caught completely off guard, Liu Yaqin's face instantly changed color: "How would I know? I wasn't even there."
"You claim Chen Ziyu was in a relationship with you, but how do you explain that six underage girls from the nursing school had contact with Chen Ziyu through your introduction?"
"The police asked about this too, and I've already made it clear - there's no such thing, not a single witness. I... have no idea who started these rumors."
"Zuo Si'an was too traumatized to recall what happened that day, but several facts are clear: You had your brother bring her to meet you to go watch a movie at the chemical plant club, but there was no need to take the route past the nursing school's back gate; you suddenly called your brother away, leaving her alone there, and Chen Ziyu, who you were closely associated with, just happened to drive by; Chen Ziyu told the police another girl was supposed to be waiting for him there and he mistook the person; after the incident, Chen Ziyu had his mother quickly deliver money to silence you. How do you explain these connections?"
Liu Yaqin was speechless.
"Now please tell me - did you orchestrate that rape yourself, or was it Chen Ziyu's idea with you acting as an accomplice?Liu Yaqin turned deathly pale and said anxiously: "What do you want?" To have the police arrest me? You don't have a shred of evidence for what you're saying. Don't think you can intimidate me."
"True, I have no evidence, and the police probably can't touch you either. I just want to understand - you weren't even 18 at the time, how could you be so malicious as to deliver a young girl into the tiger's mouth?"
Before Liu Yaqin could respond, the warehouse office door burst open and Liu Guanchao rushed in. He stared straight at his sister, his voice shrill as he demanded: "Is what he said true?"
"I told you to wait outside! Why did you come in?"
"I've been thinking about many things that don't add up, I have so many questions to ask you, but you've always brushed me off." Liu Guanchao grabbed Liu Yaqin's hand, "Tell me, did you really harm Xiao An?"
Liu Yaqin looked at Gao Xiang, who sat behind the desk watching this scene expressionlessly. She knew she could no longer defend herself today, and at the same time felt deeply provoked. She shook off her brother's hand violently: "Zuo Si'an is the goddess in your heart, placed on a pedestal too high to reach, someone to worship from afar. And me? Your sister only deserves to drop out of school early to earn your tuition money?"
Liu Guanchao's face also turned pale: "Why would you do this? Even if you hate me, what did Xiao An ever do to you?""She hasn't wronged me, but she's the deputy county magistrate's daughter, cherished by her father like his heart and soul. My younger brother worships and protects her like a goddess. My father picks out the best vegetables every day, washes them, and delivers them to her home. My mother believes she deserves all this care. I can't help but wonder what would happen if she went through the same things I did."
Liu Guanchao could no longer speak. He stood frozen for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran out.
The office fell silent again. Liu Yaqin gave a bitter smile: "Even though I earned his tuition fees and bought his clothes and shoes, he will never forgive me."
"You treated an innocent girl like that just out of petty jealousy. No one could ever forgive you."
"Innocent? When I was Zuo Si'an's age, I'd already had an abortion for Chen Ziyu. By your standards, was I innocent?"
"If Chen Ziyu raped you, you could have chosen to report him..."
"And have my father beat me, my mother endlessly blame me, and my classmates mock me?" Liu Yaqin shrugged. "I refuse to be that kind of victim."
"So you chose to sacrifice someone else, and you don't regret your actions at all."
Confronted by Gao Xiang's sharp gaze, Liu Yaqin suddenly sobered from her unusual outburst of fierce arrogance. In an instant, she adjusted her expression, becoming pitiful again, her voice soft: "I'm sorry, President Gao, that's not how it was. I've always regretted it, truly. You know, I was only seventeen back then, young and ignorant, and timid too. Chen Ziyu... he kept threatening me. I was so scared of him, I had no choice but to do as he said."
"It's certainly convenient to shift all the blame onto Chen Ziyu, who can no longer speak."
"But like Zuo Si'an, I was his victim too. You can't put the responsibility on me."
"I'm not trying to absolve Chen Ziyu of responsibility. No matter what, his crimes are unforgivable. As for you, only you know what you've truly done. I have no right to judge you, but I have my basic assessment. I believe you're not timid at all, and you show no remorse. The only thing you fear is punishment."
Seeing that feigning weakness wouldn't get her through, Liu Yaqin forced herself to stay calm: "I... You have no evidence. What can you do to punish me? At most, you can fire me."
"I can warn you clearly: if you take any more action against Zuo Si'an, I'll make sure you understand what true regret feels like."
"No need to threaten me so righteously. I know how to read the situation," she suddenly sneered. "I get it now. You're just like Chen Ziyu—you only like little girls. That's why you'd rather dump your girlfriend to play protector for Zuo Si'an. But she'll grow up too, and she won't always maintain the appearance you people like..."
She abruptly stopped, horrified to see Gao Xiang stand up. His eyes were cold and sharp, his entire demeanor completely different from the usual gentle, calm young man. He radiated an intense pressure that made her instinctively step back."Of course, she will grow up gradually, the harm you brought her will slowly heal, and she will still have a bright future." His voice remained calm. "As for you, please remember, everyone pays the price for what they have done, sooner or later. Chen Ziyu is the best proof. Now go to the HR department to complete the resignation procedures."
Liu Yaqin's face turned ashen. Without a word, she turned and left.
Gao Xiang drove to the vicinity of the Affiliated High School of Normal University, parked his car, and waited at the school gate for almost an hour. When school ended, a large crowd of students poured out. He finally spotted Zuo Si'an, carrying her backpack with a scarf covering the lower half of her face, walking out alone. Some students stopped to stare at her, pointing and whispering, but she seemed oblivious, heading straight toward the bus stop.
Unwilling to attract more attention here, he followed behind, planning to call out to her once they reached a quieter spot. However, after turning a corner, several students blocked Zuo Si'an's path: "Hey, Zuo Si'an, where's that country bumpkin knight in shining armor today? Why isn't he following you around?"
Zuo Si'an ignored them and tried to walk around them. One of the boys reached out to grab her: "Stop pretending to be so prim and proper, it's boring. We're not going to do anything to you, we just want to be friends. Let's go hang out somewhere."
Gao Xiang rushed forward, pushed the boy aside, and said sternly, "Get lost. Don't harass her again."
The boys, who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, scattered when an adult intervened. Zuo Si'an continued walking toward the bus stop without looking at anyone. Gao Xiang grabbed her arm: "Xiao An, my car is over there."
Zuo Si'an's eyes above the scarf finally met his, but her gaze was icy: "Did you chase them away so you could harass me yourself?"
Stunned into silence, he could only murmur, "I'm sorry, Xiao An. I came to apologize to you."
"There's no need to seek me out just for that. You should know the rumors about me are pretty wild now. You might even be mistaken for the father of my child. Then your 'spotless reputation' would be completely ruined."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear and sharp. Some people had already begun to stop and stare, pointing at them. Without another word, Gao Xiang gripped her arm and pulled her toward his parked car. She struggled to break free, but he held firm. Reaching the car, he opened the door, pushed her inside, then quickly circled around to the driver's side, got in, and started the engine.
Gao Xiang drove to another street and pulled over. He saw Zuo Si'an curled up in the corner of the seat, her head bowed, her face almost entirely buried in her scarf.
"Xiao An, I apologize to you again. No matter what, I shouldn't have hit you. Please forgive me." She didn't respond. He reached over, pulled down her scarf, and lifted her face. Her left cheek was still slightly swollen and red, but what shocked him was her pallid complexion and her dull, lifeless eyes.
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