Huaicheng City Police Station
The air smelled faintly of paper and disinfectant. White light poured from the ceiling, sharp against the tired desks and worn chairs.
Jun Meiyu sat stiffly, clutching Xi Jiayi's sleeve as though it were her last lifeline. The glass in her hand trembled, droplets sliding onto her shawl. She tried to drink, but every sip caught on her breath.
Xi Jiayi's palm moved gently along her back, steady, patient.
From across the desk, Officer Cheng Wanru studied them in silence. Her pen hovered above the notepad, but she didn't press it down yet. Her gaze softened as she finally spoke.
"Easy. Drink slowly," she said. "You're safe here."
Jun Meiyu lowered her gaze, calming little by little. This time her sips were steadier, though her hand still shook. Beside her, Xi Jiayi's hand traced small, protective circles on her back.
Cheng Wanru's chest pinched at the sight. It reminded her of her own younger sister, the way she used to cling after waking from nightmares. For a second, warmth blurred her eyes.
But then her mind flashed back to the alley, Cheng Wanru's gaze hardened.
After drinking the water, Jun Meiyu softly set the glass down with trembling fingers.
Cheng Wanru straightened slightly, "Can you tell me… what happened?"
The question hung in the air, fragile yet inescapable.
Feeling Jun Meiyu back tensed, Xi Jiayi gently coaxed her, "It's alright, Big Sister. Just say what you remember."
Jun Meiyu's throat bobbed. She inhaled shakily.
"I… I went to withdraw money. For my father's treatment. I was walking toward the hospital when Tian Yuren and his men—" Her voice faltered, eyes clouding. She couldn't go on. "They… they dragged me into the alley and—"
Officer Cheng Wanru lifted her gaze from her notes. "You know him? How?"
Jun Meiyu's lashes lowered, shame pressing on her face. "He… he's the landlord's son. My father and I rented a small house from his family in the village. Everyone feared them. Tian Yuren was always a bully—people let him do whatever he wanted because of his father's power.
When we were children, he used to harass me. Later, as we grew up, he began teasing, cornering me, saying I should be his lover. When I refused, he turned cruel. He said he would ruin me if I didn't agree."
Jun Meiyu's eyes glazed with old humiliation as the words left her.
Cheng Wanru's jaw tightened. Her pen dug into the page before she spat under her breath, "That bastard." Then, softer but firm, she urged, "Go on."
Jun Meiyu's fingers clenched Xi Jiayi's sleeve. "My father couldn't take it anymore. He found work in the city, so we left. We thought leaving would end it."
Cheng Wanru's tone sharpened. "Did you ever file a case against him?"
Jun Meiyu shook her head slowly.
"Why not?"
Tears pricked her eyes. "Because we were helpless. My father was just a small farmer, even though he was educated. Tian Yuren's family was powerful. No one would stand against them. My father begged the villagers for help, but they all turned away. When he went to the police, they had already taken bribes. They dismissed everything as some teenage squabble, refused to file a report, and even threatened my father if he kept insisting." Her voice cracked. "We had no choice but to sell everything and leave the village."
Cheng Wanru's grip on her pen tightened. Her knuckles whitened, fury slipping like ice into her veins. Teenage matter. She wanted to spit.
Cheng Wanru's eyes softened as she looked at Jun Meiyu. She, too, had grown up in a village. She knew what it meant to be helpless in the face of power, and how dangerous it was for a woman to speak out.
Steading her voice, Cheng Wanru spoke softly trying to comfort Jun Meiyu. "I understand."
Her pen scratched across the page as she noted everything down. Then she looked up again. "Please continue, Miss Jun!"
Tears blurred Jun Meiyu's vision as her fingers clutched tighter at Jiayi's sleeve. She drew a shaky breath, forcing her voice out.
"After they dragged me into the alley… they snatched the money I had. I begged them to give it back—it was for my father's medicine—but they just laughed." Her words trembled, each one a knife scraping her throat.
Her breath hitched. "They said someone paid them to ruin me. That they'd torture me, r*pe me, record it, spread it online so I could never lift my head again. I could never..."
Her words broke into sobs, face buried in her hands.
Xi Jiayi's hand stayed on her back, steady. Her eyes were calm, but inside her chest burned—rage tearing at her ribs, demanding release. She swallowed it down, keeping her gaze fixed on Meiyu.
Cheng Wanru's pen dug into the paper. "You're safe now," she said, voice clipped. "No one can hurt you here."
She finished noting it, then lifted her head. "Do you know who hired them?"
Jun Meiyu flinched. Her lips parted, trembling. A name surged in her mind—Gu Jianhong.