Chapter 6

At last, Yunshu was frightened.

“What am I supposed to do?”

If neither Lin Qian nor Jin’an protected her, she would certainly go to prison.

But however much she pleaded, they remained unmoved.

Overcome, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

…

Elsewhere, I woke from unconsciousness and instinctively touched my lower abdomen.

It felt empty. I could sense no trace of life.

My childhood friend, Ye Shaochuan, paced beside the bed, furious.

“Yunshu has been scheming against you since we were children. But back then, Jin’an and Lin Qian both disliked her and stood by you. That was why I felt able to go abroad. It’s only been a few years. How could they treat you like this?”

I gave a self-mocking smile and lowered my eyes without answering.

Once, I’d thought they were on my side too.

Without my knowing, their hearts had turned entirely toward Yunshu.

I took a deep breath and looked up.

“Let’s not talk about that. I need a favor. Help me find evidence and clear my name.”

Even if I never worked in this industry again, I would leave it with my reputation intact.

I would not bear even the smallest part of what they’d done.

I wasn’t willing.

They didn’t deserve it.

Shaochuan agreed at once.

“I’ll investigate now. We’ll have answers soon. Concentrate on recovering. Once you’re well, we’ll turn this around properly.”

As he spoke, he rather childishly held out a fist.

I laughed and bumped it with mine.

With his attentive care, I recovered quickly.

He soon gave me the evidence he’d collected.

When we went together to submit it and report the matter to the police, we happened to encounter Jin’an and Lin Qian, who had hurried over after hearing the news.

Lin Qian’s tears fell before she could speak.

9

She apologized again and again.

“Niannian, I never meant to hurt you. But Yunshu risked her life to save me from the water. I wanted to repay her. I never thought it would come to this.”

I paused.

“When you fell into the water?”

Seeing that I was willing to respond, she nodded hard.

“Yes. I was barely conscious, but I saw Yunshu rescuing me. I know you dislike her, but I couldn’t ignore a debt like that.”

It was laughable.

“Lin Qian, I was the one who saved you. Yunshu refused to go to school and made me attend in her place. That was why I was wearing her clothes.”

Afterward, I’d never mentioned it, afraid she would feel burdened.

And because of that, she’d chosen to fake her death, deceive me, and cover for Yunshu.

She stood frozen.

Jin’an looked at me with reddened eyes.

He wanted to explain, but I cut him off.

“Whatever your reason, Jin’an, I won’t forgive you.”

He could claim that the first night with Yunshu had happened because he was drunk.

But he’d helped Lin Qian fake her death to deceive me.

He’d stayed with Yunshu for five years and fathered a child with her.

Later, for Yunshu’s sake, he’d posted an apology in my name and destroyed my career.

Those things had really happened.

At every step, he had chosen to betray me.

No reason could make me forgive him.

He opened his mouth.

“I only thought that once she had the baby, things would be all right. Then I could come back to you and start again…”

Shaochuan could bear no more. He stepped forward and confronted them.

“Do either of you have any shame?”

“You did this. You hurt her. What good is pretending to regret it now? Can you undo the damage? Can you bring Niannian’s baby back?”

Neither Jin’an nor Lin Qian could answer.

Shaochuan said no more.

He took me with him, and we left.

With the evidence complete, Yunshu’s case was soon resolved.

She was sentenced to prison for the serious consequences of her actions.

She tried to use pregnancy as an excuse.

But an examination found no indication that she had ever been pregnant.

She wasn’t pregnant at all.

She had deceived everyone.

With her last escape route closed, she tried to put everything on our parents.

The evidence was too clear. She couldn’t escape the consequences.

The man who attacked me went to prison for intentional injury.

His family resented it and came to my parents’ home every day to cause trouble.

Unable to endure the harassment, my parents abandoned Yunshu to her sentence and moved to another city.

We heard nothing more from them.