Chapter 104: Two People, Seventeen Years, Five Thousand…

In August, Jiangcheng, after more than twenty clear days, finally had a downpour.

The summer storm was furious. Jiang Shi stepped through the muddy streets and entered the police station.

Compared to the wind and rain outside, it was quiet inside. A police officer carrying files walked down the corridor and was startled to see Jiang Shi without a mask.

“Jiang… Jiang Shi, why are you here?”

Jiang Shi rubbed the rainwater from the corners of his eyes. “Hello, I am Cheng Ye’s family member. I’m here to see him.”

The officer took a moment to process the relationship. “Oh, so you two are… come with me.”

He led the way. “Don’t worry. We only brought Mr. Cheng in for routine questioning. After all, with an incident like this, the social reaction is severe, and the police station can’t ignore it.”

“It’s just that Mr. Cheng is not very cooperative with us right now. When you go in, please persuade him. Public opinion is public opinion, and the truth is the truth. Public opinion cannot become the truth. As long as he didn’t do it, we will certainly clear his name. And…”

The officer lowered his voice. “According to the information I currently have, Mr. Cheng was a minor at the time, coupled with his family environment. Don’t be too pessimistic. There’s still a chance.”

He grabbed the doorknob. “But the premise is that he must cooperate with us, otherwise, he really won’t be able to explain himself, even if he’s right.”

With that, he opened the door. “Mr. Jiang, please come in.”

Cheng Ye was a locally well-known entrepreneur, so although the police said they took him in, they had arranged a relatively comfortable lounge for him. There was tea on the table. Cheng Ye sat on the sofa with his head bowed.

All his communication devices had been taken, leaving only the old wristwatch he had worn for many years mechanically ticking on his wrist.

Hearing footsteps, he didn’t move his head until a familiar scent drifted to his nose.

He suddenly opened his eyes, snapped his head up, and met the young man’s rain-soaked eyes.

Cheng Ye immediately stood up. He pulled Jiang Shi toward him. “Did they bully you?”

The officer standing behind Jiang Shi, about to pour him hot tea: “???”

Jiang Shi hit him on the head. “I got drenched in the rain.”

Cheng Ye was hit, looking like a dog disliked by its owner.

He had sat in the police station for half an hour without saying a word, his throat hoarse from holding it in. He didn’t trust anyone, only staring at Jiang Shi. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

Jiang Shi said, “What good is telling me? Tell the police.”

“…”

The officer set down the cup. “Mr. Cheng, your birth mother is in the next room. She insists that you killed your father. If you continue to remain silent, we will have to proceed as if you are tacitly admitting it.”

Jiang Shi pulled Cheng Ye to sit down.

Cheng Ye remained silent.

Jiang Shi said, “If you don’t talk, I’ll go find Huo Ji when I leave.”

Cheng Ye’s eyelashes fluttered. He seemed to be trying his best to suppress and endure something. Turbulent emotions surged in his chest, almost struggling to break free, but he swallowed them down with the cold tea, leaving only deathly silence and a bitterness chewed in his mouth.

“I didn’t kill him.”

“That day, someone in the village hunted a rabbit. He went to drink and eat rabbit meat, and he gradually got drunk.”

“He didn’t come back until night, taking a small path where few people pass. Plus, it was snowing that night, and every household was home. By the time his body was discovered, it was noon the next day.”

“He lay in the snow all night. The body was already stiff, let alone being saved.”

“I’m not lying. Everyone who drank that day can testify.”

The officer took notes in his book. Another police officer beside him asked Cheng Ye, “Then what about your birth mother saying she personally saw you pour pesticide into the wine?”

“I…”

Every word Cheng Ye spoke was incredibly difficult.

“She came back that Lunar New Year. She came back secretly. No one knew. Cheng Jianbin told me to go to the street to buy wine for him. I went with the bottle. I don’t remember buying pesticide, let alone putting medicine in the wine.”

---

The summer rain came and went quickly. By the time Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye left the police station, the rain had stopped.

The dark clouds dispersed, and the sky was a washed blue. Liu Man paced anxiously at the entrance. Seeing them, he immediately rushed over. “How did it go?”

Jiang Shi sighed sorrowfully. “It’s over. Your Brother Cheng killed someone and is going to be sentenced to life imprisonment.”

Liu Man’s eyes instantly widened. “How can this be? His father was a beast who deserved to die. Even if Brother Cheng did kill him, he was driven to it. Why should he be sentenced to life imprisonment?”

“Who knows…” Jiang Shi patted his shoulder. “You don’t have many chances left to see your Brother Cheng. Cherish the time you have now.”

Liu Man immediately burst into tears. “Brother, should I go say I killed him? I don’t have a family or a wife anyway.”

Cheng Ye: “…”

Jiang Shi couldn’t help but laugh.

Liu Man looked at the two of them, then at the azure sky above, and started laughing too.

But as he laughed, he cried again. “He’s fine, but are we just going to be inexplicably framed by that crazy woman?”

A few reporters squatted nearby. Their flashlights, like sharp stings, shot toward them. Jiang Shi stood in front of Cheng Ye, squinting toward them.

“Everything she has tried to saddle Cheng Ye with, I will demand back from her, item by item, case by case.”

---

The matter was far from over. The police were still investigating, but the news media chasing the sensation had already decided that Cheng Ye was the murderer.

The internet was flooded with articles condemning and criticizing Cheng Ye, news reports, trending topics… all dominated by the trembling, sobbing figure of his mother. She cried about her hardships from the perspective of a victim, making it seem as if all the blame rested on the promising young capitalist.

The company entrance was besieged by reporters every day, and the main gate was even smashed. They shouted below, demanding the murderer be brought to justice…

Jiang Shi stood on a high floor looking down. The building was so high that people looked as small as ants. In that moment, in his eyes, those people were indeed no different from ants. Brainless, thoughtless, easily manipulated by a few light words.

Chen Lang stood beside him. “Someone is manipulating this behind the scenes. The trending topic not only won’t come down but keeps rising.”

A message came in on his phone. Jiang Shi opened it; it was an unfamiliar text.

[I’m waiting for the day you come to beg me.]

Beg?

Jiang Shi scoffed, deleting the text. “If it won’t come down, ignore it. Write down all the media, newspapers, and reporters who published those posts. List every single one, and sue them all. Don’t leave a single one out.”

He looked down with cold eyes. “They want the law to give the victim justice? I’ll let them know what true justice is.”

The sight downstairs was irritating to look at. Jiang Shi turned and sat back on the sofa. He asked Chen Lang, “How is the police investigation going?”

“They’re investigating. Since it’s an old case from many years ago, and there was no surveillance in the village, it’s a bit difficult to check. Cheng Jianbin dying drunk in the snow is easy to confirm, but Gao Lan insisting she saw Mr. Cheng pour pesticide into the wine…”

Chen Lang glanced at Jiang Shi’s expression. “The police said she was too certain about it; it didn’t sound like a lie, so they have to verify that part.”

“Furthermore… the police have actually issued a statement, but the online public opinion is too intense. Verbal attacks are like knives that can kill. In their eyes, Mr. Cheng is already a murderer. Even if the results come out, I’m afraid…”

Jiang Shi’s eyes, for the first time, were filled with stinging sharpness. “Afraid of what? Does it only matter if they say it is or isn’t? Where is the logic in that!”

Chen Lang gave a bitter smile. “Being in the industry, you should understand the power of public opinion better than I do.”

Jiang Shi bit his lip and fell silent.

The phone rang at that moment.

The call was from Lincheng. He looked at it for a while and, on an impulse, answered.

“Jiang Shi, do you remember me? I’m Li Caiying.”

Jiang Shi paused, recalling the image of a round-faced girl from his memories.

Li Caiying said, “I’m on a train to Lincheng now. For the college entrance exam, my mother wanted me to study medicine, but I ended up choosing journalism in the North.”

“I am a reporter, and I believe in Cheng Ye, so I am going to Lincheng to seek the truth.”

The sound of the train horn came through the phone. As the train entered a tunnel, the signal became poor, and Li Caiying’s voice was intermittent.

“When I started school, my teacher… said… that journalism is meant to return the truth to the public.”

“And now, I want to return the truth that belongs to Cheng Ye to him.”

---

Since it was exposed that Cheng Ye and Jiang Shi were a couple, Jiang Shi’s Weibo was completely overwhelmed.

However, no matter how many messages people sent, he never responded with a single word. Just as everyone thought he would continue to remain silent, he suddenly shared a live stream.

Whether they were onlookers or gossipers, everyone immediately rushed into the live stream room.

Unexpectedly, the live stream host was not Jiang Shi.

It was a round-faced girl with a high ponytail, no bangs, and round eyes behind glasses.

Compared to the storm outside, the live stream environment was comfortable. Li Caiying was sitting in a car, with rolling green mountains outside the window.

She adjusted the camera and smiled, revealing two dimples at the corners of her mouth. “More people than I expected. Hello everyone, my name is Li Caiying. I am a reporter, and I am currently traveling to Xiliu Village in Lincheng.”

“The news about Hengyuan’s Chairman’s mother accusing her own son of killing his father is very hot right now. I am going to the place where Cheng Ye grew up to explore Xiliu Village and show you what kind of person Cheng Ye truly is.”

“To prevent anyone from accusing me of hiring actors, I will conduct the entire process via live stream. An edited version will be released later.”

She placed her train ticket in front of the camera. “This is the ticket I bought today. I’m on the train to Xiliu Village. The driver said we’ll reach the main street in five minutes.”

Click—

The dim room lit up. Jiang Shi sank into the sofa, the computer screen covered in dense bullet comments.

He ignored what the comments said and watched the camera pan across the familiar street.

Li Caiying got out of the car. Unlike the rough journey to get there, the village road looked surprisingly good. It looked like it had been paved just a few years ago, clean and wide, connecting every household.

The drop-off point was opposite a noodle shop. Li Caiying wore a miniature camera, disguised as a brooch on her chest. This position didn’t show people’s faces and didn’t look odd.

The village was sparsely populated; most young people were away studying or working, leaving behind only the elderly.

The old man from the noodle shop came out with slop to pour. Li Caiying stepped forward to ask for directions. “Hello, do you know where Cheng Ye’s house is?”

The old man paused his pouring, eyeing Li Caiying. “I know. Go up, climb over that mountain, and the village you see is it. Why are you looking for him?”

Li Caiying said, “I’m a reporter. I heard about Cheng Ye’s story and came to interview.”

Hearing this, the old man finished pouring the slop and stood by the door, taking several puffs of his pipe. “Cheng Ye, huh? I heard he’s successful and became a boss in Jiangcheng. He’s rich.”

He pointed. “See this road? He paid to build it. But this child… he had a rough life since he was little.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Why else? Everyone knows his story. That mother of his was heartless. She ran away with his younger brother. His father was an absolute monster. He beat him every day, didn’t even give him food. When he occasionally came here to sell vegetables, he’d pick up leftovers from customers to eat…”

In just these few sentences, the number of viewers in the live stream almost reached a million.

Li Caiying couldn’t see the comments. She said goodbye to the old man and walked on with her bag.

After walking for a while, a man in his fifties squatted at the intersection, holding a dry tobacco pipe, the smoke blurring his face.

Seeing Li Caiying approach, the man stood up. “Are you the reporter who’s coming to our village?”

After walking this far, sweat was beading on Li Caiying’s forehead. She replied, “Yes.”

The man said, “I’m Gao Quan. I have a son who is friends with Cheng Ye. He asked me to pick you up. The mountain road is hard to climb. I’ll give you a ride.”

Li Caiying turned and saw a motorcycle parked nearby.

She asked Gao Quan, “Do you know about Cheng Ye’s situation?”

“I know.”

Gao Quan said, “What good is knowing? Who listens to me? Everyone’s listening to Gao Lan. She ruined half of Cheng Ye’s life, and now she wants to ruin all of it. I’ve never seen a mother like her.”

Li Caiying wanted to ask more, but Gao Quan got on the motorcycle. “Hop on. I’m considered half his uncle. You might not believe what I say, so I’ll take you to ask others.”

The live stream was quiet, with only the sound of the motorcycle and the wind. White birds flew across the camera, and the green mountains in the background were high and distant.

The old banyan tree in Xiliu Village was still there, its branches and leaves spreading wide, gently and silently guarding everyone on this land.

Gao Quan took Li Caiying toward the banyan tree. He said, “There aren’t many young people in the village. It’s not farming season now, so everyone comes to the banyan tree to cool off in the afternoon. Lots of people here.”

From a distance, the camera showed a group of people sitting under the banyan tree. Women were chatting and sewing shoe insoles, and men were playing cards in a circle.

Seeing Gao Quan bringing a young girl, a sharp-eyed person shouted, “Old Gao, who did you bring? Is that Xinhe’s new girlfriend?”

Gao Quan said, “Get lost. This is my wife’s aunt’s daughter, here to visit for a couple of days.”

Li Caiying thus melted into the group.

She sat among the women sewing shoe insoles, distributing sunflower seeds to everyone. “I heard there’s a famous person from your village?”

As soon as the women received the seeds, it was like a switch was flipped. They started talking without thinking.

“You mean Cheng Ye? Amazing. He started a company and became a big boss. Who is richer than him for miles around?”

“What’s so great about being rich? My daughter told me he killed someone?”

“Huh? Killed someone? Killed who?”

“You remember his mother who ran away? She says he killed his dad.”

“Didn’t Cheng Jianbin die from drinking? How did it become Cheng Ye who killed him?”

“Who knows…”

Li Caiying timely added the detail. “I saw it too. His mother said he poured pesticide into his father’s wine.”

“Nonsense!” The old man playing cards threw down a King. “That pesticide stinks enough to choke someone. Would his father not smell it if it were in the wine? Besides, I was drinking with Cheng Jianbin the day he died. When he arrived, he didn’t smell of alcohol at all. We drank, ate rabbit meat, and he almost got into a fight with me. Later, we went home. I saw him take the small path. I was going to take it too, but I felt it was bad luck, so I went around the main road.”

Someone else laughed. “It wasn’t you who killed him, was it?”

“Get lost, get lost… I don’t have the guts. I already explained everything to the police two days ago! If I were the killer, would I be playing cards here?”

Li Caiying adjusted the camera position.

She asked again, “If that’s the case, why is Gao Lan so certain that Cheng Ye killed his father?”

“Let me tell you, but don’t tell anyone else. Gao Lan, she never liked Cheng Ye since he was little. If you didn’t know, you’d think he was her enemy, not her own son.”

“Gao Lan’s hometown is the next village over. My mother’s family is too; we knew each other since we were kids. She’s not a good person, lazy and greedy, relying on her looks, always dreaming of marrying rich. Later, her whole family was gone. She met Cheng Jianbin. Cheng Jianbin was okay-looking when he was young. When he said he’d marry her, she immediately agreed.”

“I even tried to persuade her, but she wouldn’t listen and insisted on marrying him.”

“Cheng Jianbin was good to her for a while, and then he showed his true colors and started hitting her. After she gave birth to Cheng Ye, when he drank, he’d beat Cheng Ye too.”

“Oh… he was only slightly better to the younger one.”

Li Caiying’s expression was serious. “But didn’t Gao Lan say Cheng Ye was like Cheng Jianbin, and Cheng Jianbin treated him the best?”

“Pah! Best my foot! Cheng Ye was the most miserable. The child was honest, never spoke up. He just took the beating and wouldn’t cry even when he was in pain. His younger brother…”

A woman gestured with her hand. “About this tall. He was only four or five back then, exactly like Gao Lan’s dead mother. He’d cry if he just scraped his skin. When he stole my eggs, he’d still have egg white on his mouth but insist Cheng Ye ate them.”

“Speaking of which, I remember going to their house to get something. The older one was beaten until his face was covered in blood, and the younger one only had a scrape. Gao Lan protected the younger one, not the older one.”

“I’ve seen favoritism, but never this extreme. Now that Cheng Ye is rich, I think she’s just making things up to get his money. Her words are so vicious. She’s not afraid of being struck by lightning.”

“Later, Gao Lan ran away with the younger one. Cheng Jianbin was so angry he beat Cheng Ye. You didn’t see the scene. If the villagers hadn’t called the police, Cheng Ye would have been beaten to death.”

Li Caiying calmly asked, “Gao Lan also said she returned to try and take Cheng Ye with her.”

“Returned? When did she ever return?”

Someone’s expression changed. She pushed aside the person sitting next to Li Caiying and proactively took the spot.

“I saw her return.”

The speaker was the one who grew up with Gao Lan.

“I’ve known her for so long. I recognized her from her posture and height. She was completely wrapped up. I thought she came to find Cheng Ye, so I went up to talk to her. But she insisted I was mistaken and ran away.”

“On my way back, I saw Cheng Ye working in the field and told him.”

“Not long after that, Cheng Jianbin died.”

The light from the live stream was reflected on Jiang Shi’s face, tinted green by the banyan tree’s color.

His mind drifted back…

The rain was still falling heavily outside the window of the interrogation room, so loud that Cheng Ye’s voice was almost inaudible.

“That day, I was working in the field when an auntie from the village came to me. She told me she saw a suspicious person who looked very much like my mother.”

“I thought she had secretly come back to find me, so I dropped my hoe and ran home.”

The winter in Xiliu Village that year was too cold. Cheng Ye’s hands and feet were frozen red. His clothes were Gao Quan’s old hand-me-downs. He was so skinny, just a skeleton, that his footsteps made no sound in the snow.

The wooden house was quiet. He stood at the door, hesitating whether to push it open, when he heard Gao Lan’s voice from inside.

“Six hundred thousand in demolition compensation, Cheng Jianbin, think clearly. Have you ever seen six hundred thousand in your life? As long as you divorce me and I marry him, this six hundred thousand will be ours.”

“Pah!” Cheng Jianbin cursed. “You bitch, you secretly ran away from me, and now you want to come back and divorce me? If I divorce you, and you get the money, what does that have to do with me?”

“Don’t be stupid…” Gao Lan’s voice was thin. “That man is sick. He could die any day. If I marry him, won’t the money eventually belong to Xiao Zong? You’re Xiao Zong’s father. If he gets the money, can he ignore you?”

“Besides, Xiao Zong is not Cheng Ye. He will remember your kindness. Cheng Ye is just an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. Do you really think you can rely on him for the rest of your life?”

“Fine…” Cheng Jianbin said. “If you want a divorce, give me the money first.”

“Where do I have the money…” Gao Lan cried. “The demolition money won’t come for several months. I have to pay for Xiao Zong’s schooling and the other man’s medical expenses. Where would I get money for you?”

“I swear, as soon as the money is in hand, I’ll give you a share. Fifty thousand… how about fifty thousand?”

“Six hundred thousand in demolition money, and you’ll only give me fifty thousand? Gao Lan, are you sending a beggar away?”

Gao Lan cried louder. “This money is for medical care and living expenses! If I give it all to you, what will happen to Xiao Zong?”

“Jianbin, just leave the money for Xiao Zong. His grades in school are excellent. He’ll definitely get into a good university and make a name for himself, and then he’ll become an official, all glorious and successful…”

Cheng Ye stood outside the door and lit a cigarette.

A few minutes later, Cheng Jianbin finally relented. “Fine, remember what you said. Cheng Zong is my flesh and blood. Even if he acknowledges someone else as his father, he has to come back and honor me later.”

Gao Lan got up to search for their ID cards. Cheng Jianbin asked her, “What about Cheng Ye?”

Gao Lan was silent for a moment, then cried. “I… I’m afraid of Cheng Ye. He’s a monster. He’s not normal.”

Cheng Jianbin also felt Cheng Ye wasn’t normal. The viciousness in his eyes grew stronger. He hadn’t dared to lay a hand on him recently.

Gao Lan said, “The demolition money won’t arrive for several months, but Xiao Zong’s adoptive father needs money during this time. I really can’t earn that much.”

“Xiao Zong… Xiao Zong said he knows a big brother at school. That big brother said the salary in Myanmar is very high. If he can introduce someone to go there, the finder’s fee… the finder’s fee is five thousand…”

Cheng Jianbin wasn’t stupid. He kicked Gao Lan to the ground. “Gao Lan, you bitch, are you trying to sell your son?”

“No… not sell…” she stammered. “Just introduce…”

Then she broke down crying again. “What else can I do? Cheng Ye hates me. Doesn’t he hate you too? When he grows up, do you think he’ll kill me first or you first? I told you, he’s an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. He’s still young now, but what about later? Are you counting on him to care for you in old age or send you to the grave?”

“Five thousand… Cheng Jianbin, our family’s annual living expenses used to be only one thousand…”

Cheng Jianbin fell silent.

Cheng Ye dropped the cigarette butt and stepped on it to extinguish it.

The time it takes to smoke one cigarette.

Two people.

Seventeen years.

Five thousand.