Chapter 28: A Shift in Focus

Due to her status as a victim, Yuan Xiangdie was required to give a statement. Jin Yuan also had to make a record, so the two went together.

Throughout this process, Yuan Xiangdie kept her head bowed, clearly in low spirits. Upon arriving at the police station, they specifically asked a particularly kind-looking, plump woman officer to come and counsel her.

Yuan Xiangdie had never been to the station before—even when she committed that thing in the past, she hadn't come here.

"Sweetheart, don’t frown like that. Look at your fair, delicate face—so lovely. If you keep frowning, you’ll look three or four years older! Look at me—just look at me, all dolled up every day, and yet I still envy you young girls. If anything’s bothering you, just tell me," the woman said cheerfully, her words carrying a lilt from some unknown accent. Still, she managed to divert Yuan Xiangdie’s attention.

Nervously, Yuan Xiangdie squeezed the hem of her clothes and tucked the stray locks of hair behind her ears, managing a shy smile. "Thank you, ma'am. I just didn’t expect something like this to happen. If you let me sit quietly for a moment, I’ll be fine, really."

The woman could clearly see Yuan Xiangdie was only putting on a brave face. She got up to pour a cup of hot water, sprinkling in something mysterious before bringing it over with exaggerated secrecy, as if they were sharing a confidant’s secret.

"Let me tell you, sweetheart, this is my personal treasure. I don’t usually share it with anyone. When you’re feeling down, have some hot water with a little sweetness—it’ll lift your spirits."

If not for the gravity of the situation, Yuan Xiangdie might have laughed. She suspected the woman was making a show of silliness just to cheer her up.

Cautiously, she picked up the porcelain cup. The heat seeped into her palms, spreading warmth through her body. She offered a gentle smile in return, and as she sipped, she found the taste almost cloyingly sweet—sticky, even—but she didn’t mind, drinking it down, undeterred by the heat.

"Thank you, ma'am. This might be the sweetest water I’ve tasted in five years. Really, thank you."

Somehow, these words brought tears to her eyes again, and the woman, flustered, hurried to comfort her—she’d always prided herself on cheering up these young girls, but this was the first time in over ten years she’d made one cry instead.

"Don’t cry, sweetheart, I’ll stop, I won’t say another word," she soothed.

In the waiting room, Yuan Xiangdie finally let herself cry. For more than half an hour, her sobs taught the young officers a lesson: women really are made of water.

She didn’t know why she felt so wronged—just that she wanted to cry and cling to the kind woman, who merely sat with her in silence until Yuan Xiangdie’s tears soaked her clothes.

When it was all done, the officers took special care to drive Yuan Xiangdie to her alley. The woman even took her own car, skipping out on her shift.

"In future, sweetheart, don’t live here anymore. Find a safer place. You can’t always count on good luck, and you’re still young. No matter what happened before, you must look ahead," she urged, her eyes full of sympathy and regret. Anyone who looked at the case file would know why.

Yuan Xiangdie nodded obediently, her eyes still red from crying.

She looked just like a well-behaved little girl; without knowing her real age, one might have thought she was barely past twenty.

Back in her own private space, Yuan Xiangdie collapsed onto the bed. The room smelled of damp and mildew, cold and clammy, but it comforted her. It had been her home for five years—a place filled with familiar people and routines, unchanged by time.

She thought of the child she had lost, never to be found again. If she could do it over, Yuan Xiangdie would never let herself be manipulated. Her child would have been born into love, not used as a bargaining chip.

She didn’t sleep, barely resting before her phone rang. On the screen, the name “Julie” flashed in bold letters. Yuan Xiangdie thought, “Oh no,” realizing she’d lost track of time because of everything that had happened.

"You’ve got some nerve answering now! If you hadn’t picked up, I’d have called the police myself. What if you’d been kidnapped? Hauled off to the mountains to be someone’s child bride, with no one to hear you scream!" Julie’s rapid-fire words tumbled out—no wonder she could charm those wealthy ladies.

"Enough, enough, stop it. I just got back from the police station. I ran into two thugs in the alley behind my old building," Yuan Xiangdie said.

"Are you hurt? Did you beat them up, or did they beat you?" Julie’s voice suddenly turned anxious. She cursed herself for not going with Yuan Xiangdie—two are always better than one.

For the first time in ages, a faint smile touched Yuan Xiangdie’s lips. Julie had trusted her without hesitation, and their friendship had carried her through the darkest, loneliest times.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine." After something like this, who could just sit quietly at home? Julie, on the other end, was already changing clothes, tripping over chairs as she bustled around.

"Slow down, I’m already at the apartment," Yuan Xiangdie said gently, her tone betraying nothing of her ordeal.

"You always do this—you only tell me when it’s all over. If something ever happens, you have to tell me right away. I would never let you face it alone," Julie scolded, exasperated by Yuan Xiangdie’s reluctance to trouble others.

Yuan Xiangdie was touched by Julie’s concern. "Alright, I know. Be careful on the way. I’ll make your favorite pork rib congee."

The gas stove simmered quietly, steam rising from the pot. She sprinkled chopped scallions in, stirred, and set the clay pot on the table, pleased with the result. "Once that girl gets here, she can have a taste," she thought.

After tidying the kitchen, Yuan Xiangdie sat on the sofa, waiting for Julie to arrive.

On her side, things were calm, but elsewhere the mood was not so light. Jin Junming’s actions, though unsuccessful, had landed him in trouble. Before leaving, Jin Yuan had shot him a cold glare that made Jin Junming tremble.

He regretted sneaking out to drink with those disreputable friends—couldn’t he have found some other amusement instead?

"Officer, just let me go. Keeping me here won’t do any good; you can’t even press charges," Jin Junming protested. After all, he hadn’t done anything—at worst, he’d get a fine.

He was clearly a repeat offender. The moment Jin Taining got the call, he dropped everything at the company.

Was this brat playing games with him? Everything had been fine when he left. How had things turned upside down after a simple dinner?

"Please, sir, let me go see him just once. I swear I’ll never indulge him again. I’m his mother, after all," Madam An wailed at home. Fortunately, Jin Taining had made a point to change into more somber clothes before going to the police station to apologize—he couldn’t show up in a flashy suit.

He switched to something darker, more appropriate for the occasion. If he could have beaten that brat in the station, he would have—if only the police would look the other way.

"You just stay home and keep an eye on things. Don’t let any riffraff into the house. Do you know what I found in that brat’s room?" he snapped.

Madam An looked blank, genuinely clueless.

"It’s a disaster. We built everything from scratch, and if that brat had even half the sense of others—no, even a third—it would be enough," Jin Taining fumed, wishing he could thrash his son right there in the station.

"I found a woman, tied up and stuffed in his closet. I searched everywhere to see how he got out, and there she was."

His blood pressure soared as he spoke, his face flushing red.

Madam An rushed to bring him a glass of water. "We should hear our son’s explanation first. Calm down—don’t work yourself into a fit."

"Don’t you start," Jin Taining glared at her, and she glared right back. She wasn’t about to be cowed.

News of the incident spread quickly. Most people sympathized with Yuan Xiangdie—some things never changed, they said. No matter how beautiful the fiancée, those young scoundrels would always stray.

At this moment, Yuan Xiangdie lay in bed, Julie beside her. It was as if they’d returned to childhood, sharing a bed, talking late into the night, waking to see each other first thing in the morning.

"Mom, look at this! That wretch is charmed by fate—she married that bastard and still managed to escape?" Yuan Yao’er sneered. Lately, she had been thoroughly spoiled by Mr. Liu, who bought her anything she wanted, no matter the cost—cars, houses, shares, whatever she asked for.

She almost believed the old man was serious about her, and even Zhang Xi was worried these days.