Chapter 35

“The current hostage situation is closely linked to the recent ‘Nancheng Sexual Assault Case.’ The hostage is the defendant in that case, while the captor is the husband of the plaintiff. According to the latest information, the captor is not demanding money, but the exact motive is still unclear…”

The reporter, wearing a raincoat and earpiece, stood at the scene of the abandoned building, reporting live. Before she could finish her sentence, a commotion erupted behind her. The police were bringing Qin Nan down, his body covered in injuries, and someone shouted, “He’s coming down!”

The reporter turned and immediately ran toward Qin Nan and the police.

“Sir, can you tell us why you took Mr. Fan hostage?”

“Step back.”

The police pushed the reporter aside, and Qin Nan was forced into the police car. Shortly after, Ye Sibei, supported by Ye Nianwen and others, appeared, her clothes smeared with mud. Lin Feng and others surrounded her protectively. The reporter quickly approached her.

“Miss Ye, do you know your husband’s motive for this incident?”

“Aren’t you tired of asking?” Ye Nianwen shouted at the reporter, visibly irritated.

Ye Sibei paused in her steps. After a moment, she turned to the reporter and said, “I’ll find an opportunity to explain everything clearly. You can contact me through Weibo.”

“Sis?” Ye Nianwen was surprised, but Ye Sibei didn’t respond. She jogged over to the police car where Qin Nan was sitting. They looked at each other silently through the glass.

“Don’t worry,” Ye Sibei said, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll take care of everything. I’ll be fine, and I’ll wait for you to come back safely.”

Qin Nan didn’t speak. He looked at her for a long time before lifting his handcuffed hand, gently placing his bloodstained fingers on her face.

Just like always, he didn’t say much. But in that moment, Ye Sibei saw a thousand unspoken words in his eyes.

Some people’s silence is not because they have nothing to say.

Some people’s silence stems from having too much to say, making it impossible to express themselves.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Zhang Yong walked over. “We need to go. He’s injured and still needs to be assessed.”

Ye Sibei nodded, and the police car drove off with Qin Nan. A short while later, Lin Feng pulled up in a car. “Come on, let’s head out,” he said.

Lin Feng, Zhao Chuchu, and Ye Nianwen accompanied Ye Sibei home. Throughout the ride, Ye Sibei remained calm, while Zhao Chuchu, sitting beside her, couldn’t stop trembling.

In Zhao Chuchu’s mind, the image of Qin Nan lifting his hand before being forced to the ground, and of Ye Sibei collapsing in tears, played on repeat. A voice inside her whispered, but she was too scared and conflicted to listen.

As they neared her home, Zhao Chuchu clenched her fists and, struggling to speak, finally said, “Sis.”

“Hm?”

“If…” Zhao Chuchu hesitated, her voice thick with difficulty, “I mean, if…”

“What?”

“If I did something wrong, would you think I’m a bad person?”

Ye Sibei froze at the question. She looked at Zhao Chuchu, whose eyes were glistening with tears. Fear and guilt were written all over her face. After a long pause, Ye Sibei gently shook her head. “No.”

“But I…”

“I used to find it really hard to get along with my parents,” Ye Sibei interrupted, knowing what Zhao Chuchu wanted to say. She gazed out at the busy streets. “The biggest reason was that I always tied together their good and bad sides.”

“When they treated me poorly, I would remember their kindness, and I couldn’t refuse them. But when they were kind, I couldn’t fully love them because I remembered the bad. I loved and hated them at the same time. So, I kept trying every day. I hoped that by accepting the bad, I could make them love me from the heart, turning them into the parents I wanted.”

Ye Nianwen, seated in the front, glanced at the two girls through the rearview mirror. Zhao Chuchu, lost in thought, asked, “And then?”

“Then, one day, I finally accepted it.”

Ye Sibei turned to Zhao Chuchu, smiling softly. “I accepted that they have both good and bad sides. These are two separate things. They may exist in the same person, but I can’t confuse them. When someone does something bad, we should reject it. But their goodness shouldn’t be erased because of the bad.”

“So, according to you, are there bad people in the world?” Lin Feng chuckled at Ye Sibei’s philosophy.

Ye Sibei thought for a moment and replied, “People aren’t bad because they make mistakes; they’re bad when they make mistakes and don’t turn back.”

“And the Zhao Chuchu I know,” Ye Sibei turned to her, “will turn back.”

Zhao Chuchu looked at Ye Sibei, tears brimming in her eyes, but she said nothing.

At that moment, Lin Feng stopped the car. “We’re here.”

Zhao Chuchu forced herself to break eye contact, trying to control her emotions. She opened the car door and struggled to get out. As the car restarted, Ye Nianwen, sitting in the passenger seat, watched her closely.

He saw Zhao Chuchu hugging herself as she climbed the steps, her body shaking as if she was crying. Ye Nianwen, his thoughts unclear, suddenly called out, “Officer Lin, could you stop the car for a second?”

Lin Feng quickly pulled over, and Ye Nianwen turned to his sister. “Sis, I’m going to find Chuchu.”

“Wait—” Ye Sibei began, but before she could finish, Ye Nianwen had already jumped out and was running back.

Lin Feng glanced at her. “Should we go?”

After a brief hesitation, Ye Sibei nodded. “Yes, let’s go.”

It wasn’t far, but Ye Nianwen sprinted toward Zhao Chuchu, grabbing her just before she reached the top of the stairs. “Chuchu!”

She turned around, her face soaked in tears. Ye Nianwen, panting heavily, said, “I’ll take you… I’ll take you to turn yourself in.”

“Turn myself in?”

Zhao Chuchu’s voice was hoarse. Ye Nianwen nodded. “Yes. You’re right. You’re a person, and so am I.”

“We’ve both been selfish, and we’ve both made mistakes. But making mistakes isn’t the problem. It’s only by correcting them that we can move forward. If we don’t, we’ll carry them with us forever.”

“We made mistakes, so we’ll make amends. This time, I’m with you.”

Tears streamed down Zhao Chuchu’s face. Standing on the steps where he once confessed his feelings, Ye Nianwen looked up at her. “I’ll go with you to the police. I’ll wait for you to come out, and when you do, you’ll still be Zhao Chuchu.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there during your hardest times,” Ye Nianwen’s eyes turned red. “But from now on, I won’t complain when you go to those social events. I’ll pick you up every day. I won’t say you shouldn’t wear skirts. If you wear one, I’ll be right by your side. We’ll work hard together. I’ll take you somewhere where you can choose your career freely, wear the dresses you love, and put on makeup. And all anyone will say is, ‘Zhao Chuchu, you look beautiful.'”

“If we could do it all over again,” Ye Nianwen’s voice choked up, “I’d give you so much courage. I’d make sure you know that making a few mistakes is okay. Without all the criticism, if I could have given you just a little courage,” he looked at her with hope, “you would’ve stood up for yourself, right?”

Zhao Chuchu didn’t reply. She stared at the young man in front of her, someone she had always thought of as a child. But suddenly, he had grown up, understanding all the joys and sorrows of the world.

After a long pause, she smiled.

“I would,” she nodded fiercely, tears streaming down. “If I had another chance, I would stand up.”

Every time she tried to cover up her mistakes, she had slipped further into a darker abyss.

But the moment she placed her hand in Ye Nianwen’s, even though she knew her future might hold prison and judgment, for the first time in half a year, she felt a sense of relief.

She returned home, grabbed the bottle of pills she had kept for so long but hadn’t known whether to throw away, and hand in hand with Ye Nianwen, they went to the police station.

“My name is Zhao Chuchu, and I’m a key witness in the sexual assault case involving Fuxiang Real Estate.”

Facing the officer at the station, Zhao Chuchu smiled brightly, “I’m here to turn myself in.”

When the news of Zhao Chuchu’s arrest for perjury, after submitting new evidence, reached Ye Sibei, it was already several days later.

Qin Nan’s case, involving the kidnapping of Fan Jiancheng, caused a huge stir online. Fan Jiancheng’s confession video, which was uploaded by Ye Sibei, triggered widespread attention. Although many people believed that Qin Nan’s actions amounted to forced confession through violence, this case, which had initially seemed to reach a conclusion, was suddenly overturned.

Many netizens began to question:

“If the case was really handled fairly, why would Qin Nan risk his life just for an apology?”

Reporters started chasing after new leads, while Ye Sibei, on one hand, contacted the press, and on the other, searched for any news on Qin Nan.

She heard that Qin Nan was hospitalized due to his injuries and was being charged with attempted murder. At the same time, all the people involved in the fight that night had been arrested as well.

As a family member, she was still unable to visit Qin Nan, but once the investigation was completed, they could apply for bail.

She didn’t know why, but unlike before, she no longer felt panicked. Even though Qin Nan wasn’t by her side, she felt a sense of calm.

She had prepared for everything; she knew what she needed to do now.

She had promised Qin Nan that she would handle everything properly.

After proactively communicating with multiple reporters, Ye Sibei arranged for an exclusive interview with Yangtao Media, the platform with the largest viewership. This interview would be live-streamed, and she agreed to answer questions directly selected from the viewers in real time.

The staff at Yangtao Media had expressed concerns about her state during the interview: “Miss Ye, if we pull questions directly from the audience, some of them might be very sensitive. The pressure could be overwhelming. We would still suggest—”

“It’s okay,” Ye Sibei interrupted, “I’m prepared.”

The problems wouldn’t go away just because she avoided them. For her, answering only gentle questions would be pointless.

After confirming the interview format, Yangtao Media released an announcement online, stating that she would be interviewed live in their streaming room.

This case, which had already undergone several twists and turns, was a trending topic online. With Ye Sibei deciding to make a public appearance, there was much speculation. Some netizens jokingly suggested that she might be preparing for a media career.

Ye Sibei didn’t pay much attention to these online speculations. She quietly waited for the day of the interview. Yangtao Media had rented a venue at the Nancheng TV station for the live event. Ye Sibei arrived at the TV station’s studio early and was backstage getting her makeup done by the staff.

This was her first time facing such a setting, and she couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. After the makeup artist gave her a simple and natural look, a staff member went over the interview process with her briefly. She nodded, and the staff moved on to their preparations.

Sitting alone backstage, her phone suddenly rang. When Ye Sibei answered, Lin Feng’s excited voice came through: “Sibei, I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“A few days ago, Zhao Chuchu turned herself in to the police and submitted new evidence. Your case can now be retried.”

Ye Sibei was momentarily stunned. Lin Feng continued, “Also, we’re currently investigating the transaction records of the drug dealers, and soon we’ll have concrete evidence. Sibei, this time, we’re definitely going to win.”

Standing there, Ye Sibei felt a lump in her throat. She gripped her phone in silence for a long time before hoarsely saying, “Thank you.”

As the live broadcast was about to start, the staff came to call for Ye Sibei: “Miss Ye, it’s time.”

Ye Sibei nodded. She glanced one last time at her reflection in the mirror to make sure her makeup was intact, put on her mask, and walked out.

The main hall was filled with staff. In the middle of the room was a table with the Yangtao Media logo and an iPad placed on top. It seemed the live broadcast had already begun. The reporter, sitting behind the table, stood up as soon as she saw Ye Sibei approaching, reaching out to shake hands: “Hello, Miss Ye. I’m Chen Hui, the reporter for this interview.”

“Hello.”

Ye Sibei nodded and, after shaking hands with Chen Hui, took a seat.

Noticing Ye Sibei’s nervousness, Chen Hui smiled. “I heard this was originally going to be a pre-recorded interview, but Miss Ye, you insisted on doing it live and were willing to take questions from the audience?”

“Yes.”

Ye Sibei nodded, unconsciously rubbing her fingers together. Chen Hui carefully probed, “You know there’s a lot of controversy about you online. Aren’t you worried that some questions might be difficult to answer?”

Shaking her head, Ye Sibei replied, “I’ve seen a lot,” then lifted her gaze to Chen Hui, “but I feel that if Fan Jiancheng can appear on TV, there’s nothing I should be afraid of facing.”

“But you seem really nervous?” Chen Hui asked again, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Ye Sibei reassured herself. Chen Hui nodded. “Alright, let’s officially begin the interview. Before we start, what kind of comments do you think might appear in the live chat?”

“Things like I’m seeking attention, lying, framing others, or calling me shameless, or some sexual discussions.”

Chen Hui listened, nodding in understanding. Then she turned the iPad on the table towards Ye Sibei.

“Go ahead,” Chen Hui smiled, gesturing to the iPad, “say hello to the viewers.”

As Ye Sibei looked at the iPad screen, at first, white-text comments filled the space, just as she had expected—comments questioning her, accusing her of attention-seeking, or telling her to leave.

However, in the split second she was dazed, the comments suddenly exploded, filling the screen so densely that the words became unreadable. Still, Ye Sibei could faintly make out phrases like: “Stay strong, Sibei. You’ve got this.”

Someone had even made a substantial donation, turning their message into large red characters: “I’ve always believed in Ye Sibei!!!”

Ye Sibei stared blankly at the screen, her eyes unexpectedly welling up with tears.

There is nothing more touching than kindness that comes when least expected.

The amount of evil you witness in this world is matched only by the amount of good.

At no other moment had Ye Sibei felt more deeply—this was no longer the world that Huang Guifen and many people in Nancheng had described. This generation of young people was gentler and braver than she, or many others, had imagined.

Chen Hui quietly observed her, noticing the tears Ye Sibei was trying hard to hold back. Supporting the iPad, Chen Hui asked, “How do you feel right now?”

“Actually…” Ye Sibei smiled, and tears welled up. She wiped the corner of her eyes and hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Chen Hui handed her a tissue. “Relax. Things are actually going better than you thought, aren’t they?”

Ye Sibei nodded, wiping away her tears, and smiled gratefully. “I was really nervous just now. Even though I felt like I needed to say something, when it came time to face everyone, I was still very anxious.”

“And now?”

“Now, I suddenly feel…” Ye Sibei laughed a little shyly, “that after taking the first step, it doesn’t seem so difficult.”

“How about saying hello to the camera?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Sibei looked at the dense stream of comments. Staring at the encouraging words, she softly spoke, her voice a bit hoarse: “Hello, everyone. I’m Ye Sibei.”