Waiting for You in a City

When Xu Qin rushed to the Public Security Bureau, Meng Huaijin, Fu Wenying, and several uncles, aunts, cousins, and nephews of the Meng family were all there.

When Fu Wenying saw Song Yan, her expression changed, and she refused to go forward.

Second aunt came over to Xu Qin’s side and explained: “Qin Qin, go and talk to your brother properly, this matter can’t be played around. Aunt watched him grow up, everyone in the family knows what kind of child he is. If someone is harming him or framing him, you tell him to tell his family, we will stand by him and help him solve it. But he has to speak up. He has to speak out if he has any grievances. You tell him not to be afraid, ah, no matter how big of a problem it is, we will bear it for him.”

Meng Huaijin looked haggard and said, “Qin Qin, tell him, if there’s anything going on, let’s take care of it back home. Don’t ruin your own future.”

Second aunt said again: “This crime is not good. Besides, grandpa is old. If the old man finds out, he will be so sad, won’t he?”

Xu Qin could only nod her head.

The police took Xu Qin and the others to the interrogation room, and when they were almost at the door, Song Yan stopped.

Xu Qin looked back at him in surprise.

Song Yan said, “I won’t go in.”

They were all men, who would be willing to show others their down-and-out appearance, let alone to a rival.

“En.” Xu Qin’s eyes were slightly apologetic.

Song Yan watched her go in, pursed his lips tightly, and let out a deep breath through his nose.

If he said he wasn’t jealous, that would be a lie.

……

In the interrogation room, Meng Yanchen leaned back on a chair and looked up at the ceiling slightly. There was a bruise on his cheekbone, his clothes were messy, and there were dust like shoe prints on them.

Xu Qin looked at the police and said coldly, “Did you beat him?”

Meng Yanchen moved his eyes over and stared at her. It hadn’t been long since he had sobered up, his eyes were red.

“No. He attacked the police when he was arrested.” The policeman glanced at the monitor in the corner, gestured in that direction, and went out.

There were only two people left in the room.

Xu Qin went to sit down opposite him: “Does it hurt?”

Meng Yanchen nodded slightly.

Xu Qin had nothing to say, sat for a while, and said in a flat tone: “Cooperate with the police investigation, it will not be good for you if you continue this way.”

Meng Yanchen asked back: “You won’t go home again?”

Xu Qin was taken aback, and asked: “At that time……were you at home?”

“En.”

She was silent for a long time, expressionless, but lightly scratched the table with her fingers: “Although mom and dad were wrong, you don’t need to use this kind of method to hurt their hearts.”

He shook his head dispiritedly: “I’m not. I just don’t want to do anything.”

She heard something strange: “What is the truth of the matter, can you explain it to the police?”

Meng Yanchen didn’t speak, but looked at Xu Qin’s fingers with red eyes.

Her expression was calm, but her fingers picked harder: “……Maybe some of mom and dad’s actions have disappointed you, but there are no perfect people in the first place, and it is very harsh to ask them not to make a mistake in their whole lives.”

She didn’t know if he was listening or not, he looked at her thin fingers, and suddenly asked, “Where is Song Yan?”

Her fingers relaxed: “Huh?”

“Where is Song Yan?”

“At the fire brigade.” She didn’t tell the truth.

“Oh.”

“……”

“Don’t you hate our family?”

“Huh?” She asked lightly, and unconsciously picked the table.

“Hate our family for ruining Song Yan’s future and almost killing him.”

Xu Qin: “Now is not the time to talk about this.”

Meng Yanchen was silent for a while, and asked: “Qin Qin, if he wasn’t around, would you still like me now?”

Xu Qin didn’t make a sound, her lowered eyes froze for a moment, and she raised her eyes to look at him: “Maybe I would. ……But, it would be very painful.”

“When I liked you before, it was very painful.” She said quietly, “I was always guessing whether you really liked me or was taking care of your sister. But it doesn’t matter, we wouldn’t be together anyways. I couldn’t make that first step, you couldn’t either.”

She said: “Without Song Yan, maybe I would still like you now; but without Song Yan, we would still be in the current situation. Maybe each of us would go on blind dates and get married obediently.”

He smiled bleakly: “Really?”

She nodded very lightly: “You asked me before, since I can be with him, why can’t I be with you.”

“Meng Yanchen, I will only be with him. Because over the years, I haven’t made any progress. I only know how to stand still, and even retreat again and again, regretting, being timid, doubting…… If it were someone else, I would have given up a long time ago. But he has always been so resolute, refused to let go, and walked towards me again and again.”

“So, I will only be with him.”

After Meng Yanchen finished listening, mist formed in his eyes, and he raised his head to look at the ceiling:

“In the past ten years, it’s me who hasn’t made any progress. If I really tried my best to be with you, neither you nor I would be in the situation we are in today.”

“No.” Xu Qin shook her head, “You are too kind-hearted. You can’t do something that shames the whole family. Neither can I. It’s not your fault.”

Meng Yanchen looked at the sky without speaking, only his pale lips trembled slightly, and a line of tears slid down his temple.

“Meng Yanchen, let it go, okay? Live for yourself, okay?”

……

Song Yan walked to the office hall, passed the corridor, and saw Xiao Yixiao leaning against the wall and looking in one direction coldly.

A group of college students gathered at a desk in a corner.

The police were reprimanding: “You guys are doing this wrong. Before the truth has even been found, you are posting on the Internet. Are you trying to engage in cyber violence? Great, now you can’t take it back even if you wanted to!”

A girl retorted: “It’s rape. The other party’s backing is so strong, if you don’t send it online to find people to support, what if it becomes ‘voluntary’ by force?”

The policeman said: “Why don’t you believe in the legal system? All of you are students of University A. Where did you learn to do this?”

A boy said: “Because we are students of University A, don’t try to use your money and power to solve this matter. If we made a mistake, we will definitely publish it in the newspaper and admit it. But you should investigate the case fairly and impartially first. If our classmate was really wronged, no matter how strong his background is, we will fight to the end!”

“Yes.” The students shouted, “Fight to the end!”

Song Yan frowned slightly: “Why are there so many people?”

Xiao Yixiao: “It’s all students from University A, they are hard to deal with.”

“Found each other last-minute?”

“No. The police said that this group are all from the University A Student Union. It’s going to be winter vacation soon, and they went to a KTV party before leaving school. Halfway, the woman went out for a while, but she didn’t return for a long time, and then she said she was raped. The students called the police. After Meng Yanchen was arrested, he kept silent and had no ID on him, so he was delayed for a long time. As a result, these students wrote articles and posted them, and found alumni to spread them, resulting in the current behavior.”

Song Yan asked: “There were no security cameras at the KTV?”

“None indoors.” Xiao Yixiao said, “There were in the hallways. Meng Yanchen went alone, and went to the bathroom on the way, probably drunk. When he came back, he met that woman, and the woman took him back into the room. What happened in the room depends entirely on the woman’s side of the story.”

Song Yan asked again: “Has the girl had a physical examination?”

Xiao Yixiao: “That’s the issue. She had a slight pinch mark on her body, and she said that she used a condom so there’s no evidence. Now she is still being contradictory and refuses to do further examination. Just delaying.”

Song Yan looked at the group of students, surrounding the victimized girl, a figure flashed by, and when he saw her face, he felt she looked familiar.

It was Ye Zi who entered the police station with Zhai Miao last time.

Song Yan frowned instantly, went to the window, and made a phone call.

After it rang for a while, Zhai Miao picked it up with a sleepy tone: “What is it so late?”

“Where are you hiding, get over here immediately!”

Zhai Miao was wronged: “Ge, what are you talking about in the middle of the night?”

“Zhai Miao, don’t make me angry.” Song Yan said.

There was a moment of silence, she gritted her teeth and said, “I’m in the stairwell.”

……

Xu Qin came out of the interrogation room and followed Xiao Yixiao back to her family.

Meng Huaijin: “Qin Qin, what did Yanchen say?”

“The police went in to interrogate him.” Xu Qin said, “He said he didn’t do anything, and that woman framed him.”

Although everyone believed in Meng Yanchen, they held their chests and let out a long sigh of relief when they heard the exact words.

“He said that although he drank too much alcohol, he was still conscious. He didn’t do anything to Ye Zi. Instead……” Xu Qin paused and said, “That woman wanted to do something, but he drove her away. “

Fu Wenying’s face turned cold, and she turned around to find the group of students. Meng Yanchen’s third cousin stopped immediately: “Fourth aunt, you can’t go. Those students are very rowdy and hostile to us. If you go, won’t you be threatening them?”

Several juniors also said: “That’s right, don’t go yet. Since Uncle Yanchen didn’t do it, the police will definitely investigate and find the truth.”

“I’m afraid it will be too late by the time they find out.” Third uncle frowned and said worriedly, “Now there is no solid evidence to clear his innocence, and the investigation will take some time. But it has been spread like that on the Internet, and I’m afraid that once the police will finally investigate clearly, in everyone’s opinion, that is also the result of covering up.”

Now things were tricky.

If this was an ordinary person, he could wait for the investigation with peace of mind. But the Meng family couldn’t wait, damage to their reputation was a big deal.

“No matter what, the post can’t be deleted anymore. The more you delete it, the worse it will be.” Third uncle said, “We have to find a way to tell everyone the truth in the most credible way. Go find more people who investigate, and hurry to find witnesses and evidence. There will definitely be evidence, we must find it as soon as possible!”

“Yes.”

Xu Qin took a look at Meng Huaijin and Fu Wenying’s anxious looks at the moment, and hurriedly looked away. Soon she realized that she hadn’t seen Song Yan since she came out just now.

She didn’t know where he went.

……

In the stairwell, Zhai Miao was sitting on the steps playing with her mobile phone.

Behind her, the security door was pushed open, her hairs stood on end, and she turned her head immediately.

Song Yan walked in, let go, and the security door closed.

He took the next step and looked down at her: “What are you doing here?”

“When I saw you coming, I hid. What else can I do?” Zhai Miao glanced behind him, “Where is my Qin jie, didn’t follow you, ……went to cheat on you?”

Song Yan: “You’re fucking talking nonsense.”

Zhai Miao rolled her eyes: “You have such a big heart, sending her to meet your rival.”

Song Yan ignored her and asked: “What happened tonight?”

Hearing his tone, Zhai Miao was immediately upset: “Hey, you’re not suspecting that the post was my idea?”

Song Yan snorted: “You are not that lacking in virtue.”

Zhai Miao rolled her eyes again.

Song Yan: “Speak!”

Zhai Miao: “Ye Zi said she was bullied, crying, and said that Meng Yanchen had a lot of backing, everyone got angry. She said she wanted to post, and the group was quite happy. Anyway, I didn’t participate, and I didn’t stop it. Came to watch the drama.”

Song Yan listened to her, took out a cigarette, lit it, leaned on the armrest, and asked, “What happened between her and Meng Yanchen, tonight?”

“How would I know?” Zhai Miao turned to her phone.

“Why are you hanging out with this girl again?”

“She is also in the student union, and the president asked everyone to get together. What can I do, just be air. Anyway, I haven’t talked to her since the last time.”

Song Yan exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at her through the green mist: “Zhai Miao, you are acting strange today.”

Zhai Miao grabbed her phone tightly: “What?”

Song Yan squatted down and looked at her from a close distance: “You didn’t mentioned this rape case from the very beginning, and you didn’t make any comments or show emotions. Instead, you were anxious to separate yourself from this matter.”

Zhai Miao was taken aback for a moment, secretly shouted that she couldn’t hide from his gaze, and was about to speak.

Song Yan raised his finger holding the cigarette, and signaled her to shut up: “I believe that you have nothing to do with this matter. But why do I feel…you know something?”

Zhai Miao remained motionless, staring at him.

Song Yan judged from her expression: “You know Meng Yanchen didn’t rape Ye Zi.”

Zhai Miao’s eyes widened: “I don’t know! How would I know?!”

Song Yan didn’t have the heart to argue with her, and his face changed: “Since you didn’t bother to get tangled with Ye Zi, why don’t you tell the truth?”

“What’s the truth? I didn’t harm him, I have a clear conscience.” Zhai Miao said, “They made a fuss about writing posts and reposting them. I didn’t say a word, and I didn’t participate. I didn’t even contribute by clicking on the comments.”

“But you know that’s not the case. With how smart you are, I guess you still have some evidence on your hands.” Song Yan looked her seriously, and said, “You’ve been playing with your phone here, so you should know that the situation is tense. If you keep delaying, Meng Yanchen will be finished.”

Zhai Miao said with a cold face: “No matter how he’s finished, he will still be in a position a hundred times better than you, it’s not up to you to worry about that!”

Song Yan was quiet for a moment, knowing what she was thinking, lowered his voice, and said: “If you just hate the Meng family, Zhai Miao, there’s no need.” He looked at her, “What happened in the past, doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t put on a show of your bad temper, if you have evidence, come out with me.”

He put out his cigarette, got up and left, and as soon as he got to the security door, Zhai Miao stood up abruptly: “Why doesn’t the past matter?”

“I ask you, why doesn’t it matter?” Zhai Miao questioned him, her voice a little choked, “If I finished high school and went to sell socks on the Skyway Bridge for ten years, and then told you that I was admitted to University A, someone ruined my grades, I should have been a CEO on Financial Street, can you still be okay?”

Song Yan held the doorknob and stopped.

“Did you know? Once you went to school to deliver clothes to me. My classmate asked, Zhai Miao, that man is so handsome and stylish. Can you introduce him, what does he do? I said you were a firefighter. Do you know how they answered? ……Oh.”

“Ge, does it really not matter to you anymore?”

“They ruined the youngest and best ten years of your life! Everything you did was in vain! You were almost tortured to death, did you forget?”

“When the news came that you were going to be executed for a felony and that we wouldn’t even get to bring your body back, my mother almost went blind from crying, and she couldn’t find any connections. It was my father who went to kneel in front of the person he hated the most to beg for your life!”

“……They bully people too much, they bully people too much!”

With red eyes, Zhai Miao said fiercely,

“Don’t pretend in front of me here, you say it doesn’t matter anymore, you say you don’t hate them. If it really doesn’t matter anymore, when Xu Qin came to you for the first time last year, why did you drive her away? If it really doesn’t matter, what are you doing with so many books at home? What are you working so hard for?”

“If you’ve really let it go, it really doesn’t matter, then our family members wouldn’t have not dared to mention that matter for so many years!”

“We’re afraid of hurting your self-esteem!”

“You forgave them now because of Xu Qin, that’s your business. I won’t forgive them, absolutely not!”

After she finished venting, the corridor was deadly quiet.

She was so angry that her whole body was shaking violently, but Song Yan’s back was unusually silent.

“Zhai Miao,”

Song Yan stood with his back to her for a while, and said:

“No matter how unwilling you are, time will never come back.”

m a e m: my heart