Chapter 18

When the two went to sleep, Fan Jiancheng, tired, looked at Zhang Yong and Lin Feng in the police interrogation room. “Officers, I’ve said everything there is to say. No matter how many times you ask me, it will be the same.”

“Are you sure you’re telling the truth?”

Zhang Yong looked at him coldly. Fan Jiancheng, somewhat impatient, replied, “I swear, everything I’ve said is true. That night, she specifically asked me to drive her and Zhao Chuchu. I didn’t feel comfortable letting two young girls go alone, so I agreed. She kept talking in the car, saying how grateful she was, thanking me. I dropped Zhao Chuchu off and then took her home. When we got to her house, she refused to get out and sat in the car crying about her bad relationship with her husband. I comforted her, and she said she wanted to go for a walk in the reed field.”

Fan Jiancheng’s voice lowered, and he looked down. “I actually picked up on her hints. I lost my head and gave in. At the reed field, she said she liked me and initiated sex. After it was over, she suddenly demanded money. She asked for 100,000 yuan right off the bat. Furious, I dragged her out of the car and drove off.”

“Then she called and threatened me, saying she would report me for rape if I didn’t pay. I told her to do whatever she wanted; I didn’t believe she would really dare. Who knew, the next day, she actually reported it to the police. After she reported it, she called again and said if I didn’t give her the money, she wouldn’t drop the case. I ignored her, and then you guys really came.”

“Why didn’t you say this from the start?”

Lin Feng asked aggressively, “When we first summoned you, you said you dropped her off at home. How do you explain that?”

“Miss, don’t you understand social etiquette?”

Fan Jiancheng looked at Lin Feng, anxiously explaining, “At first, I didn’t tell the truth because I wanted to protect both of our reputations. I’m a married man, and Ye Sibei has a husband too. If this got out, it wouldn’t look good for anyone. Of course, I wanted to keep it quiet.”

“Fan Jiancheng,” Lin Feng clenched her fist, “confession leads to leniency, resistance leads to severity. We have physical evidence now. Are you sure you’re telling the truth?”

“It’s the truth!”

Fan Jiancheng was annoyed. “If you don’t believe me, bring Ye Sibei here and we’ll confront each other!”

The two stared at each other. Seeing the situation deteriorate, Zhang Yong stood up. “That’s enough for now.”

With that, he led Lin Feng out and back to his desk.

Lin Feng was frustrated. “He refuses to admit it. What do we do?”

Zhang Yong sipped his water. “Don’t get hung up on his statement. Gather more evidence and prepare to hand it over to the prosecutor’s office.”

“Alright.”

Lin Feng nodded. Noticing that Zhang Yong didn’t look relieved, she asked quietly, “Master, is the evidence insufficient?”

“Actually, based on witness testimonies, Ye Sibei said she couldn’t remember how much she drank that night and was unconscious, but witnesses confirmed that the amount she drank wasn’t more than usual…”

Zhang Yong twirled his pen, deep in thought. “We didn’t find any controlled substances in Fan Jiancheng’s car, home, or office. What about his purchase records?”

“Checked,” Lin Feng shook her head. “Nothing suspicious.”

Zhang Yong remained silent for a long time before deciding, “Schedule a time to have Ye Sibei come in for another statement.”

*****

When Ye Sibei got up the next morning, Qin Nan had already prepared breakfast.

After they ate together, Ye Sibei received a call from Lin Feng, informing her to come in for another statement the next day.

Ye Sibei felt a bit uneasy upon hearing this. “Is the evidence insufficient?”

“There’s no need to worry about that,” Lin Feng reassured her. “The case will soon be handed over to the prosecutor’s office. Rest assured.”

Feeling relieved, Ye Sibei nodded. “Alright, thank you.”

After hanging up, she looked up and saw Qin Nan across from her, engrossed in his messages. He didn’t ask what the call was about and instead changed the subject. “I asked a friend last night, and it turns out there’s an opening for a cashier at the water plant. The pay isn’t great, but do you want to check it out?”

In the small town, job hunting mainly relied on connections. She had been planning to ask friends for help, but since Qin Nan had already found a job for her, she decided not to fuss about it. She nodded and quietly said, “Alright.”

Qin Nan set up an appointment for her to visit the plant, arranging for her to go that very day. Afterward, he got up to head to his store. Before leaving, he looked back at her. “If you’re free at noon, come by the store and we’ll have lunch together.”

Ye Sibei smiled and agreed. After Qin Nan left, she cleaned up the dishes and took the bus to the water plant where Qin Nan had arranged for her to visit.

This water plant was located in a remote area, requiring an hour-long bus ride to reach. The wages were low, so hardly anyone came to work here. After Ye Sibei arrived, she sent a WeChat message to Qin Nan’s friend. Soon, a burly man came running out, greeting her, “Sis.”

This man, named Dachun, was Qin Nan’s childhood friend. He led Ye Sibei to the boss’s office door, where she waited outside.

After a while, Dachun called out, “Sis, come in.”

Nervously, Ye Sibei entered. Dachun introduced her to the boss, “Mr. Yang, this is my sister-in-law, Ye Sibei. She’s a college graduate and used to work as an accountant at a real estate company.”

Mr. Yang looked at her resume, stroking his chin as if hesitating. “Twenty-seven years old… married for a year and no kids. Where did you work as an accountant before?”

Looking up, Mr. Yang scrutinized Ye Sibei. Although nervous, she truthfully answered, “Fuqiang Real Estate.”

“Fuqiang Real Estate,” Mr. Yang mused. “Didn’t something happen at your company recently?”

Ye Sibei stood still, lowering her gaze nervously as Mr. Yang continued, seemingly casually, “It seems like a woman got raped after drinking… what was her name…”

Suddenly, Mr. Yang froze, his expression changing as he looked at Ye Sibei more intently.

Oblivious to the shift in atmosphere, Dachun stepped forward, “Mr. Yang, that incident has nothing to do with my sister-in-law…”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Yang,” Ye Sibei, sensing the change in his demeanor, could no longer hold on. She excused herself, “I’m not feeling well. I’ll leave now.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and left. Dachun, bewildered, looked between Mr. Yang and the door, “Mr. Yang, I should…”

“Dachun,” Mr. Yang grabbed him, speaking in a low voice and nodding towards the door, “How could you bring someone here without knowing their background? Do you know anything about this woman?”

“She’s my childhood friend’s wife.”

“Is your friend out of his mind?” Mr. Yang retorted bluntly. “This woman is the one from Fuqiang Real Estate who went drinking late at night, got in a car, and then accused her boss of rape. Why hasn’t your friend divorced her yet? Does he not mind being made a fool of?”

Dachun’s face changed, and Mr. Yang pushed him, “Get her out of here. Don’t bring trouble into the plant.”

Ye Sibei walked out of the gate, calming herself down. Since Dachun was Qin Nan’s friend, she felt obligated to inform him before leaving.

She waited at the gate for a while until she saw Dachun running out.

When he came out, his expression wasn’t good, and his gaze towards her was rather strange, completely different from his initial enthusiasm. He silently escorted her out.

Ye Sibei thought she had caused trouble with her attitude towards his boss. As they neared the gate, she finally spoke, “Dachun, I’m sorry about earlier, I…”

“It’s nothing.” Dachun waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

Ye Sibei nodded. They walked together to the factory gate, and Dachun seemed to hold back for a long time before finally speaking, “Sis.”

He no longer called her “sister-in-law.” Ye Sibei looked up in confusion, and Dachun, after some hesitation, spoke firmly, “My brother is an honest man. I’m asking you, please don’t take advantage of him.”

Ye Sibei didn’t understand. Seeing her silence, Dachun decided to be blunt, “Sis, I just heard about your situation. As an outsider, it’s not my place to say anything, but Nan and I grew up together. I can’t stand to see him treated unfairly. He’s a good man. If you want to stay with him, live a good life together. If you can’t, then don’t waste his time.”

Hearing this, Ye Sibei’s expression changed. She thought about how this person was Qin Nan’s childhood friend and held back her words before finally speaking, “Things aren’t as they seem from outside…”

“It doesn’t matter how they seem,” Dachun interrupted her. “I just don’t want Nan to be a laughingstock.”

Ye Sibei couldn’t find words to respond. Dachun lowered his head. “I’ll leave you here. I’m heading back.”

With that, Dachun started to walk away, but Ye Sibei called after him, “Dachun.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t understand.”

Dachun turned back, and Ye Sibei stared at him. “I’m the victim here. Why aren’t you mocking the criminal? Why are you mocking Qin Nan?”

“What kind of talk is that?” Dachun forced a smile. “A bad person is just a bad person. What’s there to say about that?”

“If there’s nothing to say about the bad person, then all the focus is on the victim, is that it?”

Dachun frowned at her words. “Sis, out of respect for Nan, I’m not going to say more. This conversation ends here. I’m leaving.”

With that, Dachun turned and walked away.

Ye Sibei stood at the factory gate, hugging herself. After calming down for a moment, she walked to the bus stop.

There weren’t many people on the bus. She looked around and after a while, boarded the bus.

Sitting in the back row, she gazed at the empty street. Her eyes welled up with tears as she clutched her bag, looking at the desolate street, but she managed to hold back her tears.

At noon, Ye Sibei had planned to meet Qin Nan for lunch. She arrived early at his shop, only to find a crowd gathered at the entrance. She heard Chen Jun’s loud voice arguing with someone, “The tire damage wasn’t our fault. Why should we fix it for free?”

“Last time, you didn’t fix it properly, so now it’s broken. Shouldn’t you repair it?” Another man’s voice rose in anger. “What kind of shady shop is this?”

“Boss,” Qin Nan’s steady voice came through. Ye Sibei squeezed into the crowd and saw a burly, bald man standing by a car. Qin Nan was kneeling in front of a tire, pointing to a spot and showing it to the bald man. “The patch from last time is here, and the new puncture is over here.”

As he spoke, Qin Nan seemed to notice Ye Sibei in the crowd. He glanced up at her and then continued, “How about this? This new puncture can’t be fixed for free, but I’ll give you a twenty percent discount today. How does that sound?”

The bald man thought it over and pointed at Qin Nan, “That works, but I want you to fix it, not the assistant.”

“I told you…” Chen Jun began, stepping forward, but Qin Nan stopped him. “Xiao Jun, go have your meal.”

Qin Nan stood up and said to the bald man, “Boss, why don’t you go have lunch first? I’ll call you when it’s ready, and you can come back to pick up your car.”

“Alright,” the bald man agreed reluctantly. The surrounding crowd, seeing that the argument was over, dispersed. The bald man left his number with Qin Nan and departed with his friend. Qin Nan turned to Ye Sibei, who was standing to the side, and asked, “How was your morning?”

“It was okay. Was there any trouble just now?”

As they started talking, the bald man and his friend slowed their steps, sneaking glances at Ye Sibei. She pretended not to notice and turned to Qin Nan, saying, “Let’s go inside.”

“Is that the woman people were talking about in the group chat?”

“Looks like her. What’s her name again? Ye Sibei, right?”

“Could she be his wife?”

Though the murmurs behind them were quiet, Ye Sibei heard them. She pretended not to, keeping her head down as she walked forward.

Qin Nan paused, but before he could say anything, they heard Chen Jun shout, “Hey!”

The bald man and his friend turned back. Chen Jun pointed at their car and said, “Take your car and get lost.”

“Watch your mouth!”

“This is how I talk. Didn’t you hear me? Get lost!” Chen Jun wasn’t backing down.

The bald man rolled up his sleeves and walked towards Chen Jun. Qin Nan grabbed a nearby wrench, and Ye Sibei quickly tried to stop him. Qin Nan shrugged her off, walked over to Chen Jun, and pointed the wrench at the bald man, “Get lost.”

With the wrench in the bald man’s face, Ye Sibei rushed forward to pull Qin Nan back, while the bald man’s friend also tried to intervene. The two sides stood off against each other. Seeing that Qin Nan was serious, the bald man’s friend apologized first, quickly pulling the bald man back to their car and driving away.

After they left, Qin Nan lowered the wrench. Chen Jun smiled at Ye Sibei, “Sis, those people are scum. Don’t take their words to heart. You and Nan Ge go inside. I’ll clean up and come in.”

“It’s okay.”

Ye Sibei smiled at Chen Jun’s reassurance, “Thank you.”

Chen Jun gave Qin Nan a meaningful look. Qin Nan put down the wrench, and Ye Sibei pulled him inside. She spoke softly, “Don’t be so impulsive in the future. Don’t grab weapons at every little thing. What if a real fight breaks out?”

Qin Nan didn’t respond. He watched Ye Sibei, and once they were inside, she let go of him. “Where are the vegetables? I’ll cook.”

“It’s already done.”

Qin Nan replied quietly. He stood up and brought the dishes to the table.

Ye Sibei looked at him, pressed her lips together, and lowered her head. “Those things they said…”

“Don’t let it get to you,” Qin Nan interrupted. Ye Sibei was taken aback and looked up at him, noticing his worried expression. He repeated, “No matter what anyone says to you, don’t overthink it.”

He stepped forward and covered her ears with his hands. “Once the lawsuit is over, we’ll leave.”

Ye Sibei gazed into his eyes, not saying a word.

They set the table and called Chen Jun over. The three of them sat down to eat together.

Chen Jun offered Ye Sibei some food. “Sister-in-law, eat more.”

Ye Sibei noticed his care and smiled. “Thank you.”

Chen Jun then looked at Qin Nan. “Sister-in-law is really refined, much quieter than my girlfriend.”

“Stop with the nonsense,” Qin Nan reprimanded him. Chen Jun laughed as he shoveled food into his mouth.

Qin Nan turned to Ye Sibei. “How did it go this morning?”

“They didn’t think I was suitable.”

“Oh,” Qin Nan nodded. “I’ll ask around again. If nothing comes up, you can help out at my shop for now.”

“Okay.”

Ye Sibei kept her head down, eating her meal and nodding in agreement. Just then, her phone vibrated.

She glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Tao Jie.

She answered the call, and Tao Jie’s enthusiastic voice came through, “Sibei, do you have time this afternoon?”

“What’s up?”

“Well, the company executives are all here this afternoon. They want to talk to you and settle this matter, give you an explanation.”

Ye Sibei didn’t respond immediately. She turned to look outside the shop.

It was the time of day when the sun was at its brightest. She stared at the sunlight and calmly replied, “Alright.”

They should give her an explanation.