Chapter 28.3

Ye Sibei had been waiting in a small room this entire time.

She couldn’t hear the trial proceedings or have contact with the outside world, but waiting had become second nature to her by now. In that small room, she let her thoughts drift aimlessly toward the future.

She couldn’t afford to dwell on the negative—her journey to this point had been too hard. She didn’t dare think about what would happen if she failed. So, she focused on what Qin Nan had said.

Where would she go once the trial was over and they won?

Once they won and the media reported the results, would those who doubted her stop accusing her of making false claims?

Could she finally prove she wasn’t wrong, that she wasn’t a bad person?

She wanted to retake the civil service exam, but this time she didn’t want to apply in Nancheng.

She began to feel a renewed courage to leave and move to the provincial capital. Although it was more expensive to live there, with higher rent and living costs, there were also more opportunities.

She hadn’t had sushi since college, she recalled. The cheapest sushi back then was only 80 cents—meat floss with slightly sour rice and seaweed that had a sweet aftertaste.

As she continued to daydream, she heard a notification. Her heart began to race, knowing it was finally her turn to testify.

She was guided into the courtroom by the staff, standing at the same spot where all the other witnesses had been. Though the courtroom wasn’t crowded, every eye was fixed on her, which made her feel uneasy.

She took a deep breath, recalling the instructions given to her by the staff earlier, and began introducing herself, stammering a little.

“My name is Ye Sibei, 27 years old, from Nancheng, and I used to work as an accountant in the finance department of Fuqiang Real Estate…”

Having repeated this information countless times, she no longer felt embarrassed by it. However, speaking it in front of so many people for the first time made her so nervous that she stuttered.

“That afternoon, Fan Jiancheng suddenly asked all of us to go entertain the clients…”

“He drove me home…”

“When I woke up, my eyes were covered, and I was terrified…”

“He threw me out of the car and forced me to walk forward…”

Ye Sibei described everything in detail, much more horrifying than Fan Jiancheng’s version.

Fan Jiancheng told a story of a woman trying to seduce him and failing to extort him. Ye Sibei, on the other hand, recounted a criminal case of a woman narrowly escaping death.

Ye Nianwen watched his sister, Ye Sibei, speaking. It was his first time hearing her tell this story, and she did so in front of so many people, nervously and numbly repeating the events.

After Ye Sibei finished speaking, Meng Xin stood up again.

“Miss Ye, you were a very well-behaved girl growing up, correct?”

Ye Sibei nodded, and Meng Xin continued his questioning, “Has anyone ever told you that it’s dangerous for a woman to drink at night?”

“Yes,” Ye Sibei replied truthfully, and Meng Xin showed a puzzled expression. “Then why, knowing it was dangerous, would someone as conservative as you still do it?”

“I don’t know,” Ye Sibei struggled to answer. “At that moment, I felt immense pressure. Everyone was watching me, and I felt that if I didn’t drink, I would cause trouble for everyone. Plus, I didn’t think it was that dangerous, so I drank.”

“After you got out of the car, did you call the suspect?”

“No.” Ye Sibei shook her head. “My eyes were covered when I got out of the car. He told me to walk forward and count to a thousand, warning me not to turn around, or he would kill me. I was so scared that I just kept walking. After counting to a thousand, I took off the blindfold and found myself in a reed field.”

Meng Xin sharply asked, “A blindfold?”

“No,” Ye Sibei remembered, “it was a scarf—the scarf that came with our company uniform.”

Meng Xin nodded, flipping through the case file. “You reported the incident to the police, but why did you tell them nothing had happened?”

This was an expected question, one she had been asked many times during the investigation.

“Because my mom told me that not reporting it would cause me less harm.”

“That afternoon, you called the suspect again. What was that call about?”

“I asked for leave,” Ye Sibei lowered her head, feeling uneasy. “He was my boss.”

“Do you usually carry condoms with you?”

Ye Sibei was taken aback. The word “condoms” felt too sensitive to her. She instinctively shook her head, “No.”

“Then why did you have one in your bag that day?”

This question puzzled Ye Sibei, but after a moment of recalling, she understood what he was referring to.

“The night before, my husband told me he wanted a divorce and that he wouldn’t be picking me up anymore. I had heard about recent cases of violence, and I felt anxious. A colleague told me that if I carried a condom and offered it to an attacker, it might increase my chances of survival, so I brought one with me that morning…”

Ye Sibei desperately tried to recall her feelings from that time. Meng Xin nodded. “Understood. Who told you that carrying a condom could increase your survival chances?”

Ye Sibei hesitated for a moment. She knew that this kind of comment was considered a joke in private, but saying it publicly would damage a woman’s reputation. After a long struggle, Meng Xin pressed on, “Miss Ye?”

“Zhao Chuchu,” Ye Sibei finally told the truth. Meng Xin nodded, “Before the suspect assaulted you, did you give him the condom?”

Ye Sibei shook her head. “No. When I woke up, it was already happening.”

“Did you see his face at any point?”

“No.”

“Your eyes were covered the entire time, and you can confirm you didn’t know who it was, correct?”

Ye Sibei continued to shake her head. Meng Xin then took out a photograph and placed it in front of Ye Sibei. “Can you explain this photo?”

In the photo, Ye Sibei was completely naked, her eyes wide open, calmly staring into the camera.

Ye Sibei’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the photo, shaking her head. “This isn’t possible, this… this isn’t…”

“Your eyes weren’t covered,” Meng Xin emphasized. “You were conscious. Can you explain this photo?”

“I don’t remember.”

Ye Sibei stared at the photo of herself, tears welling up in her eyes as she shook her head frantically, “This isn’t me. I don’t remember this.”

Meng Xin put the photo away and continued pressing. “Did he ever hit you during the entire process?”

“No.”

Sensing what was coming, Ye Sibei couldn’t hold back her tears.

She tried her best not to cry, but she couldn’t stop.

As if expecting her reaction, Meng Xin asked, “Did you resist?”

“I grabbed him. I also called for help.”

“Did you moan during the process?”

“Yes, but he made me do it.”

“Did you climax?”

“No!” Ye Sibei was on the verge of breaking down.

“Judge, this question has nothing to do with the case.”

The prosecutor suddenly stood up, speaking at the same time as Ye Sibei, interrupting Meng Xin’s questioning.

The judge nodded, “No questions unrelated to the case are allowed.”

Meng Xin made a gesture of apology and then continued his questioning. “Do you love your husband? Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?”

Ye Sibei nodded with tears in her eyes.

“Your monthly salary is 3,500, correct?”

“Yes.”

“You earn 3,500 a month, took out a 50,000 credit loan, which will be paid off in three years, and you repay 2,400 a month, leaving you with 1,100 to live on. Meanwhile, your family’s mortgage isn’t fully paid off, and your husband runs a car repair shop, which doesn’t bring in much income. You love him and want to spend your life with him, but you haven’t considered the future at all?”

Meng Xin seemed perplexed. “Or do you have some other plan?”

“Your Honor, Attorney Meng’s questions seem to have gone beyond the scope of this case.”

The prosecutor objected once again, but everyone knew what Meng Xin was trying to prove.

He was attempting to show that Ye Sibei was lying, that she had a motive to falsely accuse Fan Jiancheng, and that she was simply after money.

Ye Sibei stood there, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling, unable to speak.

“I’m done with my questions.”

Meng Xin stopped at the right moment, casting a slightly apologetic glance at Ye Sibei and refraining from asking anything further.

By this time, Ye Sibei had completely broken down.

Sensing what was coming, she lifted her head and looked at Meng Xin, staring at him intently. Meng Xin lowered his head, avoiding Ye Sibei’s gaze.

“Please have the staff escort the victim out,” the judge said, looking down at the documents before announcing the next witness. “Please bring in witness Zhao Chuchu.”