Chapter 14.1

The emergency room light stayed on, and Qin Nan sat on the bench, quietly waiting outside the door.

After a while, his phone rang. Seeing Ye Nianwen’s name, Qin Nan hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

“Hello.”

“Um, brother-in-law,” Ye Nianwen hesitated, “Are you still coming over tonight?”

“Not coming over. You guys go ahead and eat.”

After some thought, Qin Nan added, “Tell Mom and Dad that Sibei is feeling unwell. I’m taking care of her. When she’s better, I’ll take her to celebrate Dad’s birthday.”

Ye Nianwen responded, and suddenly a nurse’s voice came from beside him: “Is Sibei’s family here? Sibei’s family, please come sign some documents.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Nan immediately hung up, got up, and went to the nurse. The nurse gave him a stack of forms and briefly explained the risks. After that, Qin Nan immediately went to sign and pay.

His phone kept ringing in his pocket, but he didn’t answer. After he finished the payment, his phone was still ringing. He answered, and Ye Nianwen’s urgent voice came from the phone: “Where are you? What’s wrong with my sister?”

Qin Nan fell silent for a moment before speaking, “Second People’s Hospital, alcohol poisoning, overdose reaction to medication.”

Ye Nianwen hung up before he could finish speaking, rushed back inside to grab his bag, while Zhao Chuchu came out holding a plate, looking puzzled, “What’s wrong? Are you going out?”

“I…” Ye Nianwen’s eyes were slightly red as he lowered his head, trying to sound calm, “It’s my case…”

“Is Sibei in trouble?”

Huang Guifen rushed out from the kitchen, staring at Ye Nianwen. Ye Nianwen couldn’t say a word, and Huang Guifen’s eyes turned red. She murmured, “I knew… I just knew!”

“Where is she? Where is she?”

“At the Second Hospital…”

“Then why are you still standing here?” Huang Guifen hurried back to the kitchen, turned off the stove, and rushed out, “Hurry!”

As the family rushed to the hospital, Qin Nan sat on a bench in the hospital, looking down at his phone.

On his phone was an old photo with the caption “Nancheng No.2 High School, Class of 2006, Grade One Group Photo.” In the crowded image, he found the familiar figure.

It was a girl in a school uniform, with her hair tied in a ponytail, smiling brightly and proudly. Behind the girl stood a slightly taller boy, not looking at the camera but at the girl, exuding a sense of youthful tenderness even through the photo.

He quietly looked at it, and after a while, the family rushed over. Ye Nianwen ran to the front, grabbed Qin Nan’s shoulder, panting heavily, panicked, “How is my sister?”

“She’s inside.”

Qin Nan put away his phone, looked up at Huang Guifen and Ye Ling who were following him.

He stood up and walked over to Huang Guifen, supporting her, “Mom.”

“What about Sibei? How is Sibei?”

“She’s still being treated. Please sit down first, don’t panic.”

Qin Nan helped Huang Guifen sit down, then assisted Ye Ling, who was also eagerly asking, “What happened to her? How did she end up in the hospital for treatment?”

“She drank too much alcohol, alcohol poisoning.”

Qin Nan didn’t go into too much detail. Huang Guifen was stunned, Ye Ling frowned, “Alcohol poisoning? How could a girl like her drink so much? How did she drink? Why weren’t you paying attention?”

“Dad,” Ye Nianwen hurried over, supporting Ye Ling, “Please sit first, don’t argue. We’ll talk after Sister comes out.”

“Yeah, Uncle,” Zhao Chuchu chimed in, rushing forward to support Ye Ling, “Please don’t worry first. Everything will be clear when Sister comes out. Nan is Sister’s husband, he wouldn’t harm her.”

These words didn’t comfort Ye Ling; he waved his hand, eyes red, and sat on a chair.

Huang Guifen seemed to know something. She stood up, walked quickly out of the corridor, found an empty place, and silently wiped her tears.

The family waited until nearly eleven o’clock when people finally came out of the emergency room. Everyone gathered around. The doctor looked a bit tired but not overly concerned, “She’s stable now. We’ll monitor her with IV fluids for a few days after she wakes up.”

This relieved everyone, and Huang Guifen stepped back, with Zhao Chuchu rushing to support her.

Ye Sibei was transferred from the emergency room to a regular ward, and the whole family was worried, staying by her side in the ward. A few of them sat outside the door and fell asleep, while Huang Guifen stayed by the bedside, taking care of her. Qin Nan, Ye Nianwen, and Zhao Chuchu stayed together to watch over Ye Sibei.

They stayed until around five in the morning. Qin Nan felt a bit tired, so he went outside to the corridor and lit a cigarette. Standing in the morning breeze, he watched the sun gradually rise and heard footsteps behind him.

Qin Nan turned around and saw Ye Nianwen.

“You haven’t slept?”

Qin Nan softly asked, and Ye Nianwen smiled, “Took a short nap, came out for a walk.”

“Your family is really strange,” Qin Nan said, holding the cigarette in his hand, standing at the corridor’s steps. “Normally, you don’t seem to treat her well, but when something happens, it’s like you’re deeply caring and affectionate. Who are you trying to impress?”

Ye Nianwen didn’t speak for a while. Then, he spoke softly, “Love is real, and some deeply rooted beliefs are real too. Like my mom, she actually cares a lot about my sister, but she thinks women should live like this. She doesn’t allow my sister to deviate from her lifestyle, yet she wants her to live well.”

“Like me, you said I advised my sister not to report to the police to avoid trouble for myself. There may be some truth to that, but I still feel that compared to the gossip and turmoil after reporting to the police, not reporting might cause less harm.”

“Do you know, reporting such cases to the police is just the beginning,” Ye Nianwen turned to look at him. “After reporting, she has to make statements repeatedly, recounting her experiences, reliving the most painful moments, facing everyone’s judgment and gossip, and accepting the possibility of losing the case.”

“I’m not afraid of trouble; I just don’t understand why one would endure so much to pursue the possibility of winning?”

Qin Nan remained silent, looking at him. The morning breeze made the cigarette in his hand flicker, and at this moment, Ye Sibei slowly opened her eyes in the ward.

She turned her head to look out the window, seeing some light in the sky. Then she turned back and saw Huang Guifen leaning at the bedside.

The sight of Huang Guifen’s half-white hair made her eyes sore and her heart tremble.

She didn’t dare to wake her up because she knew that once Huang Guifen woke up, she might, like countless times before, crush the courage she had painstakingly gathered.

She glanced at the half-full IV drip bottle and checked her body’s condition.

She was very weak but not completely unable to walk. She gritted her teeth, raised her hand to stop the IV drip, pulled out the needle from her hand, gently lifted the blanket, took her phone from the side, got off the bed, passed by Ye Ling sitting on a chair, and Zhao Chuchu leaning against the wall, and struggled to walk out.

As dawn broke, Qin Nan pondered for a long time before speaking slowly, “When I entered the room yesterday, it was a mess.”

“There were empty alcohol bottles everywhere, the air was filled with the lingering smell of alcohol and smoke. In the bedroom, there were medicine boxes, and everywhere was what she vomited.”

“I can hardly recognize her anymore.”

“Ye Nianwen, why do people need justice?”

Ye Nianwen turned to look at him, and Qin Nan smiled, “Because justice is the foundation of living well. If a world lacks even the most basic justice, how can a person believe that they can live well in this world?”

“Others can mistreat her without any consequences, she gives kindness but receives cruelty. In such a world, how can you expect your sister to accept it?”

“She reported to the police, facing many difficulties, but at least she’s fighting. If she gives up directly, yes, it might be calm, but that’s also where despair comes from.”

“But where is absolute justice?”

“If there is,” Qin Nan interjected, “what would you do? You, those who are lawyers, judges, prosecutors, aren’t you all existing to uphold justice in this world?”

“You, me, Ye Sibei,” Qin Nan earnestly asked, “Isn’t every good person in this world striving for justice throughout their lives?”