Chapter 31

The 72-square-meter room, with two bedrooms and a living room, had the television on, its sound echoing throughout the space.

The sounds of chopping vegetables mixed with the television’s audio, filling the room.

“Welcome to *The Truth Unveiled*. Today we have Mr. Fan, the party involved in the ‘Nan Cheng Sexual Assault Case,’ as well as his lawyer, Mr. Meng Xin, to give us a detailed account of the case.”

From the television, Fan Jiancheng’s gentle and familiar voice came through: “Hello everyone, I am Fan Jiancheng, the defendant in the Nan Cheng sexual assault case.”

“Hello everyone, I am lawyer Meng Xin.”

Ye Sibei finished chopping the pork and set it aside, mixing in the seasonings.

“On April 9, 2018, in Nan Cheng, Province G, a woman was found disheveled hiding in a reed field, and she called the police. However, shortly after reporting, she vanished. Days later, this woman reappeared at the police station to report an assault. The police conducted an overnight investigation, identifying her boss, Mr. Fan, as the primary suspect. After a DNA test, it was confirmed that Mr. Fan was indeed the suspect, but over four months later, he was released without charges. What hidden truths lie behind this? What complications were involved? What is the relationship between the woman and Mr. Fan? Why would she accuse her boss of such a crime? Welcome to today’s *The Truth Unveiled*, where we will unveil the layers of truth one by one.”

After a chilling recap, there was a round of enthusiastic applause.

Ye Sibei prepared the pork, rolling it into meatballs.

“In fact, this matter isn’t complicated. Miss Ye is an employee I personally recruited. I have always treated her well; during that time, she was short on money…”

Fan Jiancheng began to reiterate his usual statements, after which Meng Xin briefly discussed the legal aspects of the case.

When the show reached the interactive segment, the host posed a question to Meng Xin: “Lawyer Meng, there’s a term circulating online called ‘Ye Fairy,’ referring to women who set up men to extort money through false accusations. It’s often used to mock others, like warning wealthy men to ‘watch out for Ye Fairy,’ or saying to women who claim to have been harmed, ‘look, another Ye Fairy has appeared.’ What are your thoughts on this phenomenon, Lawyer Meng?”

Meng Xin paused for a moment before responding: “I believe that winning a case does not necessarily equate to the truth. A victory could simply mean insufficient evidence. As bystanders, we should not insult the suspect or the victim. We need to control our words and actions to minimize harm.”

Just as Meng Xin finished speaking, the door opened, and Ye Sibei turned to see Qin Nan entering. She smiled and said, “You’re back so early?”

Qin Nan, wearing a sweater, glanced at the television and, seeing who was on screen, walked up to change the channel.

“Don’t watch this stuff.”

He advised, turning back to hang his bag on the coat rack and closing the door behind him.

“It was just a random program,” Ye Sibei replied, her back to him as she added the vegetables to the pot, stirring them. “It’s not a big deal. How did things go today?”

“Chen Jun managed to borrow some money.”

Qin Nan moved to Ye Sibei’s side, washing the vegetables in the sink. “His relative lent him a hundred thousand; I won’t take the extra. Since he’s been with me for so long, let’s give him thirty thousand.”

“Sounds good.”

Ye Sibei responded nonchalantly, sharing her schedule for the day: “I wandered around the city center, bought some groceries, and sent resumes to companies hiring in the provincial capital. I still haven’t found a job.”

Qin Nan nodded. “It’s alright. Just focus on studying for the civil service exam at home. I found a job with a monthly salary of twelve thousand. Once I hand over the store to Chen Jun, I’ll head over next month.”

“That’s a high salary,” Ye Sibei glanced back at him, chuckling, “Do you think my university education was a waste?”

“I’m already a skilled worker,” Qin Nan chuckled at her compliment, unable to contain his smile. “You can’t compare yourself to me.”

The two joked around, finishing the meal preparations before sitting down to eat together.

During dinner, Ye Sibei occasionally glanced at her phone, using a privacy screen that kept Qin Nan from seeing what she was looking at. He pretended not to notice and continued chatting with her.

Since the loss of the case, Ye Sibei seemed like a different person; that incident appeared to have been erased from her life, as if it had never existed.

She went out every day, sometimes not returning until eleven or twelve at night. When Qin Nan asked where she’d been, she merely said she was out for fresh air.

She changed her phone password, leaving Qin Nan unable to access her phone or know what she was up to.

Online, the discussions were already tumultuous; while a small number of users still sympathized with her, many others almost unanimously criticized her.

Compared to crime, it seemed users detested deceit even more.

They accused her of exploiting public sympathy and resources, calling her a liar and attacking anyone who supported her.

Many raised various questions and posts about how men could protect themselves from false accusations by women, dubbing her the nickname “Ye Fairy.” Anyone who dared to counter would be met with the question, “What, do you want to be a Ye Fairy too?”

“Ye Fairy Warning”

“People like Ye Fairy deserve to be brutally punished, as a warning to others.”

This twist sparked a massive frenzy online.

However, unlike before, Ye Sibei displayed an unusual calmness. She could calmly observe all the discussions. Sometimes when Qin Nan noticed her scrolling through posts, he would grab her phone, and she would look up to reassure him: “It’s fine, I’m just looking. I’ve seen plenty of people running their mouths.”

This version of Ye Sibei left him both scared and at a loss.

He didn’t dare to ask her anything, yet he also felt the need to pay attention, silently watching her in case she did something reckless.

He couldn’t quite grasp what Ye Sibei was thinking, but he sensed something was off.

After they had dinner together, Ye Sibei found a variety show. Leaning against his shoulder, she discussed specific dates for their move to the provincial capital.

“How about November 1st? It’s the start of a new month, very auspicious.”

Thinking it over, Qin Nan responded, “Sounds good.”

“I’ll rent a place in the next couple of days and start moving things bit by bit. When everything’s ready, we’ll just load it all up in the car and leave.”

As she spoke, her voice brimmed with hope. “Once we’re in the provincial capital, you’ll work, and I’ll study for exams. You can support me, okay?”

“Of course.”

After they settled their plans, they watched for a while until Qin Nan began to feel sleepy. He stood up to take a shower, and when he came out, he saw Ye Sibei heating up milk.

“Drink some milk; it’ll help you sleep better. Your sleep hasn’t been great lately.”

“Yeah,” Qin Nan nodded, glancing at the bathroom. “Aren’t you going to take a shower?”

“I will.”

Ye Sibei went into the bathroom while Qin Nan looked at the milk.

Ye Sibei had never proactively poured him milk before bed. After pondering for a moment, he took the cup to the kitchen, poured it down the sink, rinsed the sink clean, then set the milk cup on the bedside table before lying down.

After finishing her shower, Ye Sibei saw the milk cup by the bed and felt slightly reassured.

She turned off the bedroom light, walked to the living room, switched on the desk lamp, then opened a notebook and her phone.

The day after the loss in court, she had ordered a GPS tracker online and attached it to Fan Jiancheng’s car. Every day, she used her phone to track his location, and within two weeks, she had mapped out his daily routine.

She identified several of his frequently visited places and made time to quietly follow him, confirming where he went, who he was with, and the environment he was in.

Every day, Fan Jiancheng took Changren Road home from work, and on Tuesdays, he would visit a hotel not far from his company. She followed him there once and discovered he was with Tao Jie, managing to take photos secretly.

Every Saturday, he would go to a water bath center for the afternoon, which was his relaxation time.

On Sundays, he would take his child to tutoring classes. Fan Wenwen had several classes that would take up the entire day.

Ye Sibei followed him to every location he visited and eventually discovered where he was tonight.

Every Wednesday, Fan Jiancheng would leave the city for an extremely secluded spot on the outskirts. Ye Sibei had never been there, but he had gone there every Wednesday night for the past few weeks.

He would leave at six-thirty, take a half-hour drive, and not return until the early hours of the next day.

A few days ago, she had visited the area during the day according to the map and found it filled with abandoned buildings, completely devoid of people. She didn’t know what Fan Jiancheng did there at night, but she thought she might have to go there at that time to understand what he was up to.

She jotted down notes and organized her thoughts with symbols.

After waiting for a while, she glanced at the time, turned off the desk lamp, and walked into the bedroom. Qin Nan’s snoring echoed throughout the room. Ye Sibei called softly, “Qin Nan?”

He didn’t respond, and Ye Sibei felt relieved, guessing that the sleeping pills in the milk had taken effect.

She quietly took the car keys from the bedside table, grabbed an umbrella, and tiptoed out. The moment she gently closed the door, Qin Nan opened his eyes.

He quickly got up and watched Ye Sibei head downstairs. After a moment of thought, he rummaged through his room for a raincoat, threw it on, and hurried down after her.

Outside, the night rain poured down. The delicate, continuous rain of October seemed unending. Ye Sibei opened her umbrella as she walked down the stairs, reached Qin Nan’s car, opened the door, and sat inside.

She cautiously drove out, and Qin Nan, wearing the raincoat, quickly rushed down the stairs, hopped on his motorcycle, and followed her.

The two of them weaved through the rain, with Qin Nan watching Ye Sibei’s direction, filled with questions.

What on earth was she planning? What did she want to do?

They had already decided not to appeal, agreed to let it go, and planned to leave the city together to start anew. What else did she want?

He didn’t dare to think too deeply. The fine rain felt like needles, and as the motorcycle sped up, it blew into his face, making it sting even more.

Ye Sibei drove cautiously, taking almost fifty minutes to reach the location she had seen during the day.

Not daring to drive directly into that spot, she knew the car would attract too much attention at night.

She parked some distance away and, braving the rain, stepped into the tall grass, pushing her way through.

Qin Nan parked his motorcycle and kept his distance behind her.

They trudged through the tall grass, moving closer to the GPS coordinates. When they reached the edge of the grass, Ye Sibei spotted Fan Jiancheng’s car.

Besides Fan Jiancheng, there were many other vehicles here, some from locals, others from neighboring towns.

The abandoned buildings were eerily silent at night, with faint lights visible in the distance.

Ye Sibei gritted her teeth, emerged from the grass, and sprinted toward the lights. Qin Nan followed closely behind her, and they dashed through the ground floor of the abandoned building, getting nearer to the lights, where they could hear voices in the distance: “Start! Start! Let’s open the leopards!”

Hearing the voices, Ye Sibei dared not advance any further. She crouched down and climbed to the second floor of the abandoned building, looking down from above.

In the farthest corner, she saw a small courtyard that had been empty during the day but was now brightly lit.

There were many people gathered inside, the sounds of a sieve, shouts, and the mingled laughter of men and women creating an atmosphere akin to a ghost town filled with spirits and demons.

Ye Sibei observed silently from a distance, while Qin Nan watched her from another building.

After a long wait, at around two o’clock, the door to the small courtyard opened. Fan Jiancheng and a bald man emerged, chatting and laughing. Fan Jiancheng waved his hand and left first, while the man called out loudly, “President Fan, come back to play next time!”

“Big bets, big bets!”

Excited shouts came from inside the room, and Ye Sibei vaguely understood that this was likely an underground gambling den.

She watched as Fan Jiancheng returned, walking from the small courtyard to his parking spot, which was about five hundred meters away. He parked farther away, swinging his car keys and humming a tune as he approached his vehicle.

For a moment, Ye Sibei wanted to rush out, bite his neck fiercely, and watch him bleed and convulse on the ground.

But in the end, she didn’t. She quietly watched him get in his car and drive away.

Once Fan Jiancheng had left, Ye Sibei went downstairs and returned to her own car. She took a moment to compose herself, swallowing her tears, and then drove home.

Qin Nan confirmed she was safe and immediately hopped back on his motorcycle. Ye Sibei drove slowly, while he sped home, quickly tidied his clothes, dried his hair, turned off the lights, and lay back in bed.

He closed his eyes but couldn’t stop his hands from trembling slightly.

He knew what Ye Sibei was planning. He should have realized it sooner; she couldn’t let go and wouldn’t be able to.

She had become disillusioned with this world, losing faith in people, the law, and even deities.

The only thing she believed in was herself.

Qin Nan felt a heavy weight lodged in his chest, making even breathing painful.

After a long while, he heard the faint sound of a door opening. Ye Sibei returned, quietly managing her clothes in the dark, drying her slightly damp hair, and then slipping under the covers, bringing the chill of late autumn with her.

Qin Nan turned over, pretending to just wake up, and wrapped his arms around her.

“Why are you so cold?”

He spoke vaguely, and Ye Sibei nestled against his chest, her voice soft: “I was reading earlier, and I didn’t wear enough clothing.”

As she spoke, she reached out to gently stroke his back. “Let’s sleep.”

Qin Nan didn’t respond. He kept his eyes closed, filled with things he wanted to say, advice he wanted to offer, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

All he could do was hold Ye Sibei, his voice slightly hoarse. “Sibei.”

“Hmm?”

“Next month, we’ll leave this place. In the provincial capital, we’ll start a new life and have a good future.”

“I know.”

Ye Sibei hugged him tightly. “You, me, we’ll all have a wonderful life.”