When Wang Sui rushed to the hospital, the doctor was stitching up the gash on Wang Ziqin’s head. His spirits looked stable enough; aside from some bruising on his face, he didn’t seem badly injured.
Wang Sui exhaled in relief—then immediately got mad. Damn it. He’d thought this brat had finally turned over a new leaf. How long had it been? And he was already back to his old ways? So all that talk about reflecting on himself, hugging a pillow, and becoming a better person—was that all a lie?
Face dark, he demanded, “What happened? Why were you fighting?”
Wang Ziqin sat there like his soul had been sucked out of him. Even when he heard his father’s voice, it took him a long moment to react. Then he slowly lifted his head.
Wang Sui froze when he saw the hollow, pained look in his son’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time Ziqin had gotten into a fight, and it wasn’t the first time he’d ended up in a hospital. But he had never seen him look like this. Usually, whenever he got into trouble, he acted like the sky was big, but he was bigger—cocky and fearless, like he could get up and start another fight on the spot.
But this time… what was going on? Wasn’t he the one who beat the Han kid so badly?
Suddenly, Wang Sui couldn’t stay angry. He repeated his question, but his tone softened completely. “Tell me what happened.”
After his wound was bandaged, Wang Ziqin looked at his father—and tears silently spilled down his cheeks. “Dad.”
“What—why are you crying?” Wang Sui was stunned. No matter how angry parents get, the moment their kid cries, their heart softens. If this arrogant punk had been reduced to tears, then Han Feng must have done something terrible to him. His son must’ve been pushed to the breaking point. “What did that Han brat do to you?!”
Wang Ziqin struggled for a long time before muttering, “I lost something.”
Wang Sui blinked. “Huh? Lost what? Was it expensive? If you lost it, just buy another one. Need money? If you need money, I’ll give you money.”
Ziqin shook his head. “You can’t buy it.”
“Then go find it. Where’d you lose it?”
He took a deep breath. “Someone picked it up.”
Wang Sui frowned. “If you know who took it, just go ask for it back.”
Ziqin looked utterly defeated. “I don’t think he’ll give it to me. I don’t think I can get it back.”
Seeing him slumped over and whimpering, Wang Sui’s anger flared again. He took two big steps forward, grabbed his son by the collar, and yanked him to his feet. Ziqin had no choice but to stand. Wang Sui barked, “Stand up! Straight! Look at yourself—you look worse than when you were running around causing trouble every day!”
No spirit whatsoever—like he’d lost his wife.
Wang Ziqin swayed on his feet and forced himself to stand straight, head hanging, tears streaming, silent.
Wang Sui’s expression hardened. “I don’t recall raising a coward. Aren’t you always bold when asking me for money or things you want? And now you’re scared? If you want something, go get it yourself. You haven’t even tried, and you’re already giving up? I thought you’d grown after this summer, but you’re still the same. Uncle Qiao said you’d be promising if you were willing to work hard—smart and reliable material. What’s wrong with you now?”
At the words “Uncle Qiao,” Ziqin visibly flinched. He slowly calmed down.
He knew he’d made an irreversible mistake.
Time couldn’t go backward.
Right after fighting Han Feng, he suddenly understood why he had been so furious, so distressed, so agonized—and why Shen Yuan’s coldness had made him want to change himself.
It was because he liked Shen Yuan.
He liked Shen Yuan.
He didn’t even know when it started.
He remembered back in their first year, one day in class, Shen Yuan suddenly disappeared. A classmate said something had happened at home. Later, Ziqin found out Shen Yuan’s mother had been killed in a car accident. When Shen Yuan returned, he didn’t look outwardly sad—just enveloped in this cold, dead stillness, like the kind of despair beyond tears. During their noon break, Ziqin saw him sleeping with his head on his arm, and a single tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
Pitiful and adorable. Ziqin had wanted to pat his head, but he pulled his hand back. He didn’t want to see Shen Yuan like that; it made him feel bad. So he ended up waking him on purpose, staring at his dazed face and snapping, “Quit sleeping. Teacher wants the homework. Finish my worksheet.”
Shen Yuan jolted awake, looked at him in confusion, then quietly murmured, “Okay.”
If he hadn’t pulled his hand back…
If he hadn’t snapped at him…
If he had comforted him instead…
Would things have been different between them?
Han Feng was at fault—if not for that spiked drink, Shen Yuan wouldn’t have ended up with Qiao Hailou. But Ziqin wasn’t innocent either. He was the most at fault.
If he had been a decent person back then, when he saw someone unsteady on their feet being led away, he would’ve checked on them—and realized it was Shen Yuan.
But back then, he was selfish, arrogant, self-centered. He just muttered “disgusting” and walked away.
His dad was right.
Moping achieved nothing. He wanted to try—try to win Shen Yuan back.
Shen Yuan and Qiao Hailou only ended up together because of that accident. Shen Yuan hated him, but that didn’t mean he loved Qiao Hailou. Qiao had taken advantage of him—he wasn’t some saint.
Just letting Shen Yuan go like that—Ziqin refused.
He had known Shen Yuan for over five years. Qiao Hailou had known him for only three months. Why should he lose?
If Shen Yuan was willing to come back to him, he would change completely—and never again do anything that upset him.
Shen Yuan heard about the fight from his buddy Ding Xiangyu.
“They went at it hard! People said Wang Ziqin was like a mad dog—eyes red and everything.”
“Of course Han Feng fought back. He grabbed a bottle and smashed it over Ziqin’s head, but Ziqin didn’t even go down. Looked like he couldn’t feel pain—kept beating him.”
“They trashed the whole table.”
“Tsk, too bad I wasn’t there. Would’ve been great to watch. I’ve hated Han Feng forever—guy’s got garbage morals. It’s not like he’s broke, but he loves using drugged drinks. Ziqin’s a dumbass, but Han Feng’s sneaky and vile. Evil against evil—fits them perfectly.”
Shen Yuan had wanted revenge on Han Feng before, but he’d been too busy with school and spending time with Qiao Hailou. Who had time to obsess over revenge? He figured if the chance came someday, he’d take it. Focusing only on petty grudges instead of serious things—that’d be backwards.
But hearing someone he hated got what he deserved? Shen Yuan was absolutely delighted. Retribution at its finest—he didn’t even have to lift a finger. Hehehe.
He’d actually started to believe Ziqin had changed a little. Turns out a leopard never changes its spots. He talked big last time, but the moment he went back home, he caused trouble again.
Such good news had to be shared with “Uncle Qiao”!
Two weeks after being discharged, Qiao Hailou got himself a fancy wheelchair. Except during rehab, he used it to move around everywhere—much better than lying in bed all day. He even went to work in that wheelchair, leg in a cast.
Since Shen Yuan was taking care of him, of course they lived together. Every morning he drove Qiao to the company before school, and every afternoon he picked him up after class.
People in the company said:
“President Qiao is such a good boss—he actually risked his life to protect an employee! So touching.”
“And Little Shen is such a loyal, grateful kid!”
“If I had a chance to get close to the boss like that, I’d do it too!”
While driving, Shen Yuan chatted with Qiao Hailou, gloating nastily. “Seeing them suffer made my day—ha!”
Qiao asked, “I know what Ziqin did to you, but what about Han Feng? He bullied you too?”
Shen Yuan shot him a look and muttered bitterly, “The first time I slept with you… it was because I drank the wine Han Feng spiked. That’s why I accidentally pushed you down.”
Qiao froze, anger flaring. “He drugged you?!”
“He wanted to drug some girl he had his eye on, but she suspected something and wouldn’t drink. To prove it was fine, he shoved it at me. I was drunk and stupid… I drank it. He only mentioned it like a joke later, and that’s when I realized why my body felt weird that night.” Shen Yuan grimaced, ashamed.
Qiao Hailou was still frowning. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?”
They happened to hit a red light. Shen Yuan rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed. “Well… wasn’t I the one who… forced myself on you when the meds kicked in? I never brought it up on my own after that…”
Qiao Hailou laughed. “You forced yourself on me? Who was on top again?”
Shen Yuan’s face flushed. He insisted, “At the start that night, I was on top!”
Qiao Hailou sighed helplessly. “Alright, alright. You were on top. You’re the mighty one.”
Shen Yuan snorted twice, pleased with himself, and even started humming a cheerful little tune.
When Shen Yuan wasn’t looking, Qiao Hailou’s face darkened. His deep eyes flickered with something cold. Even though Shen Yuan always said he was petty and vindictive, the truth was—unless someone pushed this kid into a corner, he’d never bite back.
His little fool was a soft-hearted, timid boy.
He, however, was not.
A week later.
One day, a video spread wildly online. The setting was a bar. A man was chatting with a woman. When the woman left for a moment, he slipped something into her drink. When she came back and took a sip, she grew dazed, and he led her away. Anyone could imagine what would happen next.
Very quickly, internet sleuths dug up the man’s identity. It was someone Shen Yuan knew—Han Feng.
His QQ, WeChat, phone number, Weibo, even his ID number—everything was exposed. Overnight he became the internet’s most hated man. His phone was bombarded nonstop, flooded with calls and abusive messages until his storage was nearly full.
Several top-trending Weibo posts had tens of thousands of reposts and comments:
“The evidence is right there. Why isn’t this scum in jail yet?”
“Look how calm and practiced he is. This clearly isn’t his first time—investigate him thoroughly!”
“Girls who go to nightclubs aren’t good girls anyway. Who drinks something after leaving it out of sight? Dumb and trashy. If not Han Feng, she’d run into another predator eventually. Who told her to go clubbing?”
“A creep shows up, the girl’s guard wasn’t high enough, sure—but she was harmed. And you’re blaming her???”
Soon it triggered a huge online debate over women’s safety awareness.
Then other victims who weren’t in the video began anonymously sharing their experiences. One said she had reported him to the police with a friend’s encouragement, but the case went nowhere due to “insufficient evidence.” She developed depression and had never recovered.
Han Feng’s parents threw money at PR firms, trying to bury the scandal. A few high-traffic posts were deleted, which only enraged the public even more. Then even more victims stepped forward with the help of kind strangers who mailed them video evidence. They banded together and filed a joint lawsuit.
Shen Yuan told Qiao Hailou happily, “The whole thing blew up so badly that his parents can’t smooth it over anymore. He’s definitely getting sentenced. I heard the social impact is so bad he might get a heavier punishment. He’s gonna sit in prison for a few years at least.”
But as he spoke, Shen Yuan’s mood dimmed. “I knew he’d done things like that. Once he targeted a girl and I snuck her out first. I didn’t think he’d done it so many times. I should’ve done something…”
Qiao Hailou patted his head. “It’s not your fault. This was never something you could handle.”
He didn’t tell Shen Yuan he was the one behind everything.
He was the one who found the first evidence.
He was the one who hired the bot armies.
He let the matter grow just enough before stepping back.
More people jumped in later anyway. He’d even planned to hire top lawyers for the girls to make Han Feng suffer more, but someone even more powerful had already stepped up—and that kind of lawyer didn’t work for “justice” for free. Clearly, someone else also wanted to crush the Han family.
Han Feng was finished.
Fair punishment, really.
Meanwhile, on the production team’s side, the director approved Shen Yuan’s designs. They’d already sent them to the workshop. They wouldn’t use real gold or gemstones, of course—just metal and synthetic stones to mimic the design. On camera, no one could tell the difference anyway.
Today, at school, Shen Yuan received the payment from the crew. The moment he saw the notification, he couldn’t hold back and immediately called Qiao Hailou, chattering excitedly: “I got paid! I’m treating you to dinner! And my jewelry is gonna be on TV! People are gonna start coming to me for custom pieces—I’ll make so much money!”
Qiao Hailou said, “Wow, look at you, Mr. Rich. Should this little tycoon treat Uncle Qiao to that two-star Michelin place on West Beach? I haven’t been in a while.”
Shen Yuan instantly recognized how expensive that was and shut him down cold. “Please. I’m the one treating you. Did I tell you to pick the restaurant? Know your place. Someone like you is worth, what? A bowl of cheap noodles at best.”
Qiao Hailou burst out laughing.
They were bickering happily when another call came in. Shen Yuan checked the screen. “It’s my counselor. I’ll call you back.”
He hung up and answered, “Hello? Counselor? What’s up?”
“Shen Yuan, your father is here looking for you. He’s waiting in my office. Can you come over?”
Father?
Huh? Uncle came?
But why would Uncle go to the counselor first instead of coming straight to him? It’s not like he couldn’t find him… Was it something official with the school?
Shen Yuan was puzzled, but didn’t overthink it. He headed straight to the office.
At the doorway, he took a glance inside. No uncle.
Then he saw the man sitting there—so old, so worn-down he barely looked human. The moment he recognized him, Shen Yuan froze. His expression turned icy, every hair on the back of his neck standing on end.
The man hunched over, bony and timid. Rubbing his hands anxiously, he stood up and gave a weak smile.
“A-Ben… it’s me. Dad.”