Chapter 27.2

Hearing this, Ye Sibei felt a strange happiness, as if the future after winning was just within reach. She smiled slightly and answered earnestly, “Okay.”

After they finished getting ready, they headed downstairs together. Ye Sibei took the passenger seat and watched Qin Nan, who was wearing sunglasses. For a moment, she felt as if they were going on a countryside trip.

She couldn’t help but smile to herself. She took out a Chinese knot she had woven at home and hung it from the rearview mirror.

Qin Nan noticed the knot gently swaying in the car, then looked away and released the handbrake. “Shall we go?” he asked.

“Let’s go,” Ye Sibei nodded.

As the car started moving, the autumn sunlight filled the interior. Suddenly, Ye Sibei remembered something and asked, “When did you buy this car?”

“Not long after I met you.”

“Didn’t you already have a motorcycle?” Ye Sibei turned to him, a bit reproachful. “Why spend the extra money?”

“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t dare to ride a motorcycle,” Qin Nan responded calmly, then smiled. “Besides, I thought it was time to settle down, to make things look more proper.”

Ye Sibei listened quietly. She suddenly realized that from the very beginning, Qin Nan hadn’t considered their marriage as something to just settle for.

They drove to the courthouse, where many media outlets were already waiting at the entrance.

Since it wasn’t her first time, it didn’t have the same overwhelming impact as the last time at the prosecutor’s office.

Ye Sibei and Qin Nan squeezed into the courthouse together. Outside the courtroom, they saw Fan Jiancheng’s family talking intently with an elderly-looking lawyer.

Zhao Shuhui, holding her child, was red-eyed as she spoke with the lawyer, nodding repeatedly.

Ye Nianwen arrived with their parents and Zhao Chuchu, joining Ye Sibei. As Ye Sibei moved her gaze away from Zhao Shuhui’s face, she first noticed Zhao Chuchu.

Zhao Chuchu was dressed in the simplest casual clothes, with her hair cut short. Her face was bare, showing signs of exhaustion and weariness, and her usually bright eyes had lost their spark.

She looked painfully thin, and Ye Sibei immediately understood what she had probably gone through.

Because she had gone through the same thing.

Not wanting to stare, Ye Sibei nodded at Zhao Chuchu, who softly called out, “Sister Ye.”

“You’ve had a hard time,” Ye Sibei comforted her briefly before turning to Ye Nianwen. “Has she been released?”

Ye Nianwen knew that by “she,” Ye Sibei was referring to Zhao Shuhui and explained, “According to the Public Security Administration, she was detained for fifteen days. She was released early.”

As Ye Nianwen spoke, he glanced at Zhao Shuhui and then at the lawyer beside her, his gaze awkwardly shifting away. “Don’t worry about her.”

Even though Ye Nianwen said not to worry about them, the other side noticed him. The elderly-looking lawyer smiled and walked over to Ye Nianwen, speaking familiarly, “Oh, Nianwen.”

Ye Nianwen kept a straight face, and the lawyer glanced at Ye Sibei. “Are you representing your sister in the civil suit?”

“Yes.” Ye Nianwen met his gaze. “Is Attorney Meng still taking this case?”

“Someone has to defend the accused,” Meng Xin replied, raising a hand to pat Ye Nianwen’s shoulder. “Once the trial is over, I’ll treat your family to dinner as an apology. Hope you can understand.”

“You never know,” Ye Nianwen caught onto Meng Xin’s implication and held his ground. “Maybe I’ll be the one treating you, Attorney Meng, and offering my apologies.”

Hearing this, Meng Xin shook his head with a smile, said no more, and turned to leave.

After he left, Ye Sibei looked at Ye Nianwen. “Who was that?”

“Meng Xin,” Zhang Yong said as he walked over with a cigarette, explaining on Ye Nianwen’s behalf. “He’s the best criminal defense lawyer in Nancheng and your brother’s boss.”

Then, Zhang Yong turned to Ye Nianwen and asked, “When were you fired?”

Ye Nianwen didn’t want to answer that question, so he glanced at the courtroom door.

The door was opened by the staff, and Meng Xin, after reassuring Fan’s family, led his assistant into the courtroom.

“You’re both the plaintiff and a witness. Since the prosecution is being handled by the district attorney’s office on your behalf, your position as a witness is irreplaceable. So, you’ll be waiting outside until you’re called to testify,” Ye Nianwen briefly explained the trial procedure to Ye Sibei, and she nodded attentively.

After a while, a few people in prosecutor’s uniforms walked over from the other side, holding documents.

“They’re your prosecutors,” Ye Nianwen whispered to Ye Sibei.

Ye Sibei watched them walk over from a distance, feeling as if she was seeing her own hope. She didn’t know why, but her eyes began to sting with tears.

The people from the prosecutor’s office reached the courtroom door, noticed Ye Sibei and Ye Nianwen, and gave a slight nod as a greeting before heading inside.

Instinctively, Ye Sibei grabbed the sleeve of one of the female prosecutors. The woman turned around, seeing Ye Sibei looking at her with such hopeful eyes.

“We have to win,” Ye Sibei said hoarsely. The female prosecutor paused, then gently patted her hand. “Don’t worry, we will proceed according to the law and bring the perpetrator to justice.”

Ye Sibei nodded repeatedly but couldn’t let go of her grip.

The prosecutor looked at her calmly and firmly. Ye Nianwen stepped forward and gently pried Ye Sibei’s hand away.

“Big sister, let the prosecutors go in first.”

Ye Sibei released her hold and watched as each person who represented justice for her walked into the courtroom. Then, as the staff also started to go inside, Ye Nianwen checked the time and softly told her, “Sis, I’m going in too.”

“Okay.”

“Sis,” Ye Nianwen placed his hand on her shoulder, guiding her to look at him, “you’re not alone in this trial.”

“I’ll be in there the whole time, so don’t be afraid.”

“Okay.”

Ye Sibei nodded. Ye Nianwen extended his fist.

When they were kids, after they succeeded in some mischievous act together, they would always fist-bump like this.

Ye Sibei looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes as she smiled. She raised her fist and gently bumped it against his.

Ye Nianwen smiled and then turned toward the courtroom, his expression turning serious as he carefully adjusted his clothes, and walked in with a composed and solemn demeanor.

Ye Sibei watched as the courtroom doors slowly closed. Then she heard someone call her name, “Ye Sibei? Zhao Chuchu?”

Ye Sibei turned around and saw a staff member gesturing for them. “Witnesses, please come this way to wait for your turn.”

“Alright.”

Ye Sibei responded and then looked back at Qin Nan, who had been standing quietly nearby.

“I’ll wait for you,” Qin Nan said with a smile. “And I’ll buy you that dress.”

Ye Sibei smiled, nodding firmly, and walked toward the staff member alongside Zhao Chuchu.

Finally alone with Zhao Chuchu, she had a chance to speak. She looked at Zhao Chuchu and softly told her, “It ends today.”

Zhao Chuchu raised her eyes, her gaze a bit dazed as she looked at Ye Sibei. After a long pause, she slowly nodded, “It will end today.”

The two were then separated by the staff. Ye Sibei followed a staff member to a small room outside the courtroom. Alone in the narrow room, she surveyed her surroundings, slowly sat down on a chair, and after hesitating for a moment, turned her gaze toward the small door beside her.

At that moment, in the courtroom, after the court clerk read out the court rules, the presiding judge struck the gavel heavily, announcing the start of the session.

At 9:33 a.m. on September 3, 2018, the first trial of Fan Jiancheng’s sexual assault case officially began.