Chapter 26.1

The next morning, Ye Sibei woke up feeling a bit exhausted. Qin Nan took care of everything, and after coordinating with Lin Feng, the two of them put on masks and hats before heading downstairs. They got into the van that Lin Feng had prepared. Ye Nianwen, Huang Guifen, and Ye Ling were already inside the van. When Ye Sibei got in and saw them, she paused for a moment before hearing Ye Nianwen explain, “Mom and Dad were worried and insisted on coming along.”

Ye Sibei glanced at Huang Guifen’s face, paused briefly, nodded, and then took her seat.

The family remained silent throughout the ride. When they arrived at the entrance of the prosecutor’s office, they saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance.

It seemed that these people had somehow gotten wind of the situation, and as soon as they saw Qin Nan and Ye Sibei get out of the car, they swarmed toward them, making it impossible to move.

Ye Nianwen, Ye Ling, and Qin Nan, along with a few police officers, quickly formed a protective circle around Ye Sibei and Huang Guifen, forcing their way through the crowd toward the prosecutor’s office entrance.

Ye Sibei, held tightly by Qin Nan, felt as if she was no longer herself, completely swept along by the crowd.

All around her, she could hear reporters bombarding her with questions:

“Miss Ye, did you have any private contact with the suspect before this?”

“Why did you maintain a relationship with the suspect for so long before suddenly accusing him of rape?”

“Is it true that you borrowed a lot of money from the suspect?”

Half-truths and insinuations came at her from all directions. Qin Nan shouted back, “Get lost! What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Sensing Qin Nan’s identity, the reporters shifted their focus to him:

“Are you her husband? What are your thoughts on her being a victim?”

“Do you really believe she was forced?”

“Is it true you’re planning to divorce her because of this?”

Hearing these questions, Ye Sibei couldn’t stop trembling. Huang Guifen noticed her daughter’s distress, and suddenly pushed away the people around her, shouting and cursing at them.

At that moment, a sharp voice burst out from the crowd, “Whore!”

Ye Sibei turned her head just as Qin Nan pulled her into his arms, shielding her. The filth was mostly splashed on Qin Nan, but the pungent stench spread around them, and some liquid spattered onto her face.

Before Ye Sibei could fully react, she saw Huang Guifen charging forward like a madwoman, shouting, “Stop her! Police, stop her!”

Soon after, the sound of a scuffle broke out in the crowd. Although many reporters surrounded Ye Sibei, a portion of them split off and ran in the other direction.

“Let’s go.”

Qin Nan urged her forward, his tone calm and steady.

Ye Sibei, pushed along by him, glanced back through the crowd and saw Zhao Shuhui. She seemed utterly unhinged, being dragged back by others, yet still struggling and screaming insults as she tried to rush toward Ye Sibei. Not far away stood Fan Wenwen, held by an elderly woman, crying uncontrollably.

A blue plastic basin, still tainted with filth, rolled on the ground. Zhao Shuhui fought wildly with the police, her eyes fixed on Ye Sibei, her face drenched in tears. It was as if she had cast everything aside, desperate to reach Ye Sibei, her cries echoing like lines from a tragic play:

“Ye Sibei, you seduced my husband! You framed him! You shameless woman!”

“He got you a job when you had none, helped you when you were in trouble, and yet you betrayed him for money! You ruined him!”

“Get down and stay down!”

The police finally restrained Zhao Shuhui, pinning her to the ground. Without looking back, Ye Sibei continued walking forward.

Zhao Shuhui, pinned to the ground, wailed loudly, “Ye Sibei, you ungrateful wretch! You heartless monster! Everyone listen, is this rape? Is it really rape?!”

As soon as she finished speaking, a recording suddenly played throughout the courtyard. It was the sound of Ye Sibei’s voice, moaning and crying, mixed with fear and desperation, but also with the tones of a woman trying to please.

The sound blended with the cries of a child and Zhao Shuhui’s shrill curses. Ye Sibei froze in her tracks, standing stunned in the middle of the crowd, watching the woman who was desperately trying to crawl toward her.

Zhao Shuhui screamed and cursed, “Ye Sibei, you homewrecker! You destroyed a family! You heartless creature, you won’t die a peaceful death!”

Hearing her own voice, the woman’s curses, and the child’s wails, Ye Sibei felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.

All the surrounding noises seemed to fade away, leaving her engulfed in coldness, as if death had suddenly arrived, paralyzing her with its chilling touch.

She was suddenly transported back to the day she gave her first statement, remembering how Zhang Yong had calmly asked her, “What did he say?”

“He told me, ‘Stop pretending,’ then he forced me to kneel and said, ‘Scream, or I’ll kill you.'”

“And then?”

Ye Sibei had remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, her voice laced with despair and stubbornness, “I screamed.”

That humiliating memory, one she hadn’t even shared with Qin Nan, was now being ruthlessly exposed for everyone to see.

The sound broadcasted the truth to all—she hadn’t fought back with all her might, she hadn’t risked her life to preserve her dignity, and in private, she had complied with her assailant.

She began to tremble uncontrollably. After a brief moment of stunned silence, the reporters quickly realized this was a major news reversal, and each one aimed to capture the headline.

Microphones were thrust toward Ye Sibei, with questions fired at her:

“Miss Ye, is that you in the recording? Is this the audio from the scene of the alleged rape?”

“Miss Ye, how do you explain this recording? It sounds like you weren’t in pain.”

“What’s your response to the victim’s wife accusing you of being a homewrecker?”

“Go!”

Qin Nan wrapped his arms around Ye Sibei, shouting, “Move forward!”

“What are you standing around for?!”

Huang Guifen yelled, pulling her along, “Move!”

Ye Sibei was trembling all over, her vision blurred, unable to see clearly ahead. Surrounded by a sea of people—Ye Ling, Huang Guifen, Ye Nianwen, the police, Qin Nan—they all worked to shield her, but she felt utterly helpless.

Even though she couldn’t see clearly and had no strength left, Ye Sibei had to follow them, pushing through the crowd, struggling forward.

It felt like she had walked this path for a lifetime.

Finally, they managed to squeeze into the prosecutor’s office. As the security guards shut the doors behind them, everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Qin Nan held Ye Sibei, gently stroking her back. “It’s okay now. Don’t be afraid.”

She stood still, the entire hall filled with the stench from the filth thrown at them.

Zhang Yong handed a change of clothes to Qin Nan. “Here, change into these.”

“Thanks.”

Qin Nan took the clothes and, along with the Ye family, began to clean up. He was the worst off, so he went to the restroom, took off his clothes, and rinsed them under the faucet.

Ye Sibei remained motionless. Huang Guifen approached, wiping the filth off her with wet wipes, scolding her softly, “You’ve got dirt on your face, and you’re just standing there. Are you so shocked you can’t even wipe it off?”

“The audio…”

The noise outside had ceased; the police seemed to have taken Zhao Shuhui away, and those disgusting sounds were gone. But Ye Sibei still felt like they were echoing in her ears. She murmured, “I’m not… I didn’t…”

“Big sis,” Ye Nianwen noticed something was wrong with Ye Sibei’s emotions and approached to comfort her. “Don’t worry, the police will handle that audio. She won’t dare upload it online. If it goes viral, she’ll be charged with spreading obscene material, and that’s a criminal offense. She won’t dare.”

Ye Nianwen said this, but inside, he was unsure. He didn’t know if anyone present had recorded that audio or if it might be shared online, and how many might do so.

But he had to tell Ye Sibei this. He looked at her seriously. “Sis, it’s going to be okay.”

Ye Sibei’s lips trembled; she couldn’t speak.

Her mind was consumed by the audio. She couldn’t even look at anyone around her.

They all knew. They all knew.

She didn’t resist. She complied.

Would anyone still believe her? Would she win this case? And what about Qin Nan? Deep down, would he really not care?

At that moment, she felt as if she was walking through the world naked, with sounds, images, words, and all kinds of online comments flooding her mind, overwhelming her.

She felt dizzy, nauseated, her breathing rapid, completely disoriented, unsure of where she was or what she was supposed to do.

All she wanted was to run, to escape, to find a place where no one knew her, where no one could judge her.

Huang Guifen noticed something was wrong and, panicking, reached out to comfort her. “Sibei…”

But at that moment, something inside Ye Sibei snapped. She swatted Huang Guifen’s hand away and turned to run.

“Sis!”

Ye Nianwen quickly grabbed her. “Where are you going?”

“I want to go home…”

Ye Sibei trembled, her eyes unfocused, unable to process anything around her, muttering repeatedly, “I want to go home… I want to go home…”

She wanted to go home, to a safe place where no one could see her, where no one knew her, where no one would judge her.

“Sibei, calm down, Sibei.”

Hearing this, Ye Ling also rushed over, holding onto her. “Running away won’t solve anything! You need to calm down, Sibei.”

“I want to go home…”

Ye Sibei kept shaking her head. “I want to leave, I want to go home, I…”

Before she could finish, Huang Guifen rushed forward, grabbed Ye Sibei, and slapped her hard across the face!

The slap resounded, and everyone was stunned.

Qin Nan, sensing something was wrong outside, hurried out of the restroom, still wet, just in time to see Huang Guifen slap Ye Sibei. He quickly pulled Ye Sibei behind him, shielding her, and glared at Huang Guifen. “What are you doing?”

Ye Sibei looked up dazedly, seeing Huang Guifen standing before her, eyes red, fists clenched. “You were the one who insisted on reporting it, who said you could handle it. Now the whole family has walked this path with you, and you say you want to go home?!”

“I’m telling you, no one is going back today!”

“This is the road you chose, and you’ll crawl to the end if you have to!”

Ye Sibei couldn’t speak. She looked at her mother, whose hair had turned gray. Her face, more worn than most her age, was full of tears. Seeing Ye Sibei looking at her, Huang Guifen cried as she met her gaze. “Do you know how hard it was for me to decide to come with you?”

“Do you know how much I’ve been insulted, how many people have talked behind my back?”

“Ye Sibei, is your life the only one that matters? Don’t others matter too?”

After speaking, Huang Guifen turned and sat on a nearby bench, holding her head in her hands, crying softly.

Ye Ling went over to comfort Huang Guifen, while Ye Nianwen approached Ye Sibei, softly encouraging her, “Sis, this is just the final confirmation. It’s okay.”

Ye Sibei lowered her head, tears in her eyes, but she was much calmer now.

Huang Guifen was right—she couldn’t back down now.