Dating Myself - Chapter 32

Who would have thought that what was originally just entertainment gossip about the downfall of the “Most Beautiful Sister” persona would escalate into accusations of hiring people for assault, campus bullying, malfeasance and bribery, and even domestic violence?

Qi Liran has already reported the case. The Education Bureau is also investigating Zhao Xudong. Lu Yuexin and her group are setting the pace online aggressively, and they have the support of Chen Han, who has tens of millions of followers. Chen Han @ mentioned many acquaintances, including some celebrities. The celebrities’ influence created a “star effect,” and Jian Xiangwei’s public relations team could not suppress the situation.

An Mu had also contacted a PR firm and intended to get involved, but seeing the situation, she saved the public relations fee.

An Mu privately only drove a small wave of discussion. As a mere passerby, she revealed that Jian Yixi was hospitalized and receiving an intravenous drip not because of domestic violence, but because she had just been brought back to Weicheng and, being unfamiliar with Weicheng’s weather, had not worn a coat to school and got a fever from the cold. She hoped everyone would stick to the facts and not be misled.

Yet, this comment, which seemingly spoke in favor of the Jian family, was quickly pushed to the top of the trending topics with An Mu’s intentional promotion.

Netizens were divided, questioning the Zhou family’s hypocrisy: how much they superficially spoiled this newly-found daughter, when in reality, they couldn’t even manage the small detail of reminding her to wear a coat.

Even more observant netizens discovered that the hospital where Jian Yixi received the IV drip was not the same one where Jian Yihu attempted suicide. Notably, Jian Yihu stayed in a high-end private room with Wen Qiaoyun as her full-time attendant, while Jian Yixi was all alone in the infusion hall late at night.

There is no comparison without damage; even a fool could see Jian Yixi’s true status within the Jian family.

This trending topic did not stay on the list for long and quickly dropped off. However, shortly after it dropped, another trending topic was pushed to the top.

This time, an insider revealed that Jian Yixi had escaped from her family’s villa late at night, calling loudly for help, and was later forcibly dragged back by her father. The 110 (police) arrived that same night, and while the exact resolution was unclear, Jian Yixi left the house with a heavy school bag not long after.

This trending topic was not just a title; it was paired with a security camera video clip. The scene of Jian Yixi staggering out of the villa, clutching the perimeter fence, and then being forcibly dragged back inside tugged at the hearts of millions of netizens.

Some angry netizens hammered their keyboards, wishing they could jump into the video and rescue Jian Yixi.

Others expressed their desire to beat up Jian Xiangwei and Wen Qiaoyun, especially Jian Yihu, who stood by the door and watched with cold indifference.

Coupled with the IV drip hot search that had just gone down, the Sherlock Holmes-like netizens almost instantly saw the connection between the events.

Poor Jian Yixi, afraid of domestic violence, dared not return home and wandered alone on the street late at night. Finally, because the high fever was unbearable, she was forced to return home. Unexpectedly, her family not only showed no sign of distress but subjected her to even more brutal domestic abuse. In desperation, she called the police to save herself and, with the police’s help, left home for the hospital. This led to the scene of her alone late at night in the infusion room.

It is worth noting that the footage of her late-night IV drip was not taken by others but was… a screenshot from the hospital’s video surveillance.

This was completely different from Jian Yihu’s self-photographed, self-posted display and was heartbreakingly real.

However, something even more distressing followed: a set of screenshots from a bus surveillance video again pushed Jian Yixi onto the trending list.

The poor girl, bearing a high fever, dared not go home. She could only huddle in the darkest corner of the bus, riding one route after another until the last bus stopped and she shakily got off.

While these events were spreading like wildfire, the “Care for Juveniles, End Violent Abuse” public welfare activity initiated by Chen Han was also circulating rapidly. It first prompted a group of celebrities to repost and appeal, followed quickly by more celebrities speaking out. Soon after, many social figures, including official media, liked and reposted it, and eventually, even television media covered it.

The final impact of the “Most Beautiful Sister” persona collapse far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even Weicheng Second Foreign Language School (Weicheng Erwai) became notoriously infamous, and the “pending class” system was pushed to the forefront of public criticism, denounced as an insult to students’ dignity, with strong condemnations against the school demanding its abolition.

Soon, the Education Bureau issued an announcement. Zhao Xudong was fired for serious dereliction of duty, and the principal was also disciplined for negligence, implicating many other teaching staff.

The relevant departments intervened immediately. Zhao Xudong’s actions had already caused a severely negative social impact. A charge of malfeasance was unavoidable; the length of his sentence would await the trial.

Of course, Zhao Xudong’s arrest was after the verdict in Jian Yihu’s hiring for assault case was handed down, which was deep into winter, just before the New Year.

Currently, the Jian family had bought off Wu Shutao’s family, believing they had secured a victory. They then rushed to bribe Qi Liran, Lu Yuexin, and the others, who were also successfully bought off.

After several days of continuous trouble, Jian Xiangwei and his wife were exhausted. They didn’t trust anyone else and handled all the running around personally. Having finally finished everything, they returned home wanting to catch their breath, only to see news everywhere online about the Jian family committing domestic violence against Jian Yixi.

The couple were so angry they nearly coughed up blood. Jian Yihu then ran out, crying and whimpering, claiming that the video screenshot of her watching them drag Jian Yixi at the villa gate had been spread online, and many people were cursing her. She felt wronged, sad, and needed comfort.

How could the couple have the energy to soothe her? Their own reputations were completely ruined!

Tired and furious, Jian Xiangwei, who had always been gentle with Jian Yihu, lost his temper at her for the first time and even smashed his phone.

Jian Yihu’s face turned pale with fright. Subconsciously, she grabbed her mother for protection, only to be pushed away by Wen Qiaoyun, who was also enraged. Wen Qiaoyun joined Jian Xiangwei in scolding her for being stupid and malicious, asking how things could have become such a mess if it weren’t for her.

An Mu, after her initial appearance online, had remained silent behind the scenes. However, her Weibo was still lively, with new passersby coming daily to catch up on the previous events.

The matter of writing a self-criticism and receiving a demerit could naturally not continue. Forced by public opinion, Weicheng Erwai had to issue a special announcement. Although the main purpose was to shift blame onto Zhao Xudong, they did publicly clarify the disciplinary action, restoring the innocence of An Mu, Jian Yixi, and Xie Maomao.

Qin Yige, for assaulting a classmate and colluding with Zhao Xudong to destroy evidence and frame a classmate—though he did not cause minor injuries or worse to Xie Maomao—was expelled due to the extremely negative social impact.

With Qin Yige expelled and the precedent of Lu Yuexin being expelled for unauthorized filming, Jian Yihu, the original instigator, naturally could not escape.

A week later, again on a Monday, the school unanimously passed the decision to expel Jian Yihu.

Wen Qiaoyun did not accept this result and personally went to the school to cause a scene, even threatening to sue the school. In the end, nothing came of her efforts.

An Mu had also scheduled viewings for properties. She viewed two sets every day after evening self-study and settled on the third one. She immediately called the agent to summon the landlord, signed the contract that very night, and the next day, she and Jian Yixi took leave to go to the Housing Management Bureau. Guided by the agent, the transfer procedures went smoothly.

After the transfer, they had to wait for the property certificate. The certificate could not be rushed and would take a standard fifteen working days to be issued. Jian Yixi, being honest, truly intended to wait the fifteen days for the certificate before relocating her household registration.

An Mu, however, took her directly to the Household Registration Office, submitted the property documents and ID card, and then, on the spot, taught Jian Yixi how to call Wen Qiaoyun.

“Mom, I’m at the Household Registration Office of the Huancheng Police Station right now. Send the household register book (hukou) over to me, and I’ll give you the cloud backup of the video.”

“What use is that cloud backup to me now?! Want to move out? No way!”

This was precisely when the rumors of domestic violence were rampant. Moving out now would be equivalent to confirming the rumors!

Although the surveillance video was essentially concrete proof, they could at least explain that Jian Yixi had returned home too late, and Jian Xiangwei had only scolded her out of concern.

Once the household registration was moved out, they couldn’t explain it away even with a thousand mouths, especially among their acquaintances. They would completely lose face. How could they run their business after that?

Having gone through all of this, Jian Yixi was no longer surprised by the Jian family’s actions. An Mu said they would definitely regret it, and she didn’t doubt it for a moment, calmly speaking as An Mu had instructed her.

“Mom, did you look closely at the video? Are you sure you want to go back on your word?”

After so many incidents, Wen Qiaoyun had become much more cautious. Hearing her say this, she frowned.

“What do you mean?”

**”No special meaning, just a reminder. My dad forced me in the video to post on Weibo to frame An Mu. If the video is exposed, it’s not just a matter of domestic violence, but also one of attempted incitement of a minor.

Based on these two points alone, your rights as my guardians are already precarious. Moreover, since I am already sixteen years old, I am considered to have full capacity for civil conduct. I want to register my household in my own property, which the law absolutely supports. You cannot stop me.”**

Wen Qiaoyun was stunned and only reacted after a long time.

“What do you mean, ‘your property’? Where did you get a property?”

“Didn’t I just say? I am a person with full capacity for civil conduct. You wouldn’t be unaware of this concept, would you?

The General Principles of the Civil Law have a specific explanation: A citizen who is sixteen years old or older but under eighteen years old and relies on their own labor income as their main source of livelihood shall be regarded as a person with full capacity for civil conduct.

My property was purchased with my own labor income. I am currently An Mu’s nanny and tutor. We signed a six-year long-term contract—two years of high school plus four years of university—with prepaid salary and no raises. The monthly salary is eight thousand yuan. Six years totals about six hundred thousand yuan. Excluding food, drink, and tuition, this half-share of the property is the remaining salary.”

This kind of childish and ridiculous statement coming from Jian Yixi’s mouth not only made Wen Qiaoyun on the other end of the phone laugh out loud but also caused the people in line at the Household Registration Office to turn their heads and look at Jian Yixi in surprise.

—This girl looks decent, but why is she saying such naive things? Does she have an intellectual disability, or is she lying without thinking? Or is she young and naive, not realizing how ridiculous her words are?

Wen Qiaoyun laughed for a while before speaking.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of such a good thing in the world.

I’d like to ask: Who hires a nanny who spends fourteen hours a day at school and needs eight hours of guaranteed sleep every night? Are you hiring a nanny or an ancestor?

As for a tutor, that’s even more impossible. Who in an elite class hires someone from a pending class as a tutor? Do you think this is a charity delivery?

I’ve never heard of anyone paying six years of salary before the work has even started. Not even the kindest philanthropist would do that.”

Jian Yixi had been coached by An Mu in advance and wasn’t flustered in the slightest.

“You’ll know whether I’m lying or not if you come and see for yourself. Don’t forget to bring the household register book. An Mu is not very patient. She has been suggesting I expose the video and go the legal route directly. I kept in mind that you are my biological parents, and after much persuasion, she let me handle it myself first. If I can’t transfer my household registration today, then… I’ll have no choice but to listen to her.”

After saying the An Mu-style elegant threat in one breath, Jian Yixi touched her wildly beating heart, genuinely feeling both nervous and stimulated. Especially the action of hanging up right after speaking—it was simply… simply the most satisfying thing ever!

Wen Qiaoyun quickly drove over. Although she didn’t quite believe Jian Yixi’s words, things were messy right now, and she couldn’t take any risks.

At the Household Registration Office, under the surveillance cameras, Wen Qiaoyun didn’t dare to make a scene. She looked at the property purchase contract and the various tax receipts, completely dumbfounded.

A half-share of a property, hundreds of thousands of yuan—An Mu actually dared to casually give this to Jian Yixi?

If she hadn’t already confirmed that An Mu had indeed just returned to the country, Wen Qiaoyun would have suspected the two of them were in cahoots, specifically to harm their Jian family.

She stared at the purchase contract for a long time, the thin paper almost developing a hole from her gaze, before she finally found her own logical explanation.

An Mu’s family fortunes had declined, forcing her to return to the country. Her parents transferred all their remaining money to her name, intending to preserve some assets, but they didn’t expect her to be young and ignorant, completely unaware of the family’s difficulties, and to simply squander the money.

Thinking this way, Wen Qiaoyun felt more comfortable.

Before she could feel fully comfortable, An Mu leaned in and spoke in a low voice.

“You heard everything Jian Yixi said, I believe. Quietly transfer the household registration, and everything will be fine. If you don’t transfer it… you know I have ways to make you beg her to transfer it.”

An Mu’s threat was harsh and unpleasant. Even though she kept her voice low enough for only Wen Qiaoyun to hear, Wen Qiaoyun still felt utterly disgraced. Her hand, clutching the contract, trembled with anger.

Yet, she didn’t dare to disregard everything and just walk away. They say a newborn calf fears no tiger, and she genuinely feared An Mu would expose the video and involve the courts. Whether a verdict would be reached was irrelevant; the mere loss of face was unbearable, especially now that they were the focus of public scrutiny. Her family was already chaotic, and the company was affected; she didn’t want the situation to escalate further.

Furthermore, her reluctance to let Jian Yixi move out was itself driven by a desire not to make things worse. If her refusal to leave actually made things worse, wouldn’t that contradict her original intention?

Wen Qiaoyun made up her mind but didn’t dare to act without permission. She called Jian Xiangwei again. Jian Xiangwei was dealing with company matters and was already annoyed. After listening to Wen Qiaoyun’s rambling, he became extremely impatient and angrily shouted, “If she wants to get lost, let her get lost! She shouldn’t expect a single penny from the Jian family ever again!”

Logically, one cannot register a household without the property certificate. Fortunately, the household registration system in a third-tier small city was not strictly enforced, especially twelve years ago, making it even less rigorous. With the purchase contract and proof from the Housing Management Bureau, the registration was completed easily.

Jian Yixi held the brand-new household register book as if she were dreaming. Her soft, dark eyes were bright and sparkling. She held the book for a long time and excitedly said to An Mu, “Look! I really moved out! It’s real!”

An Mu put away the documents, tucked them into her backpack, and shook her head with a resigned smile.

Jian Yixi hugged the household register book, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the corners of her eyes were slightly red.

“Thank you, An Mu.”

“Instead of thanking me, buy me some fried ice.”

“Okay! I’ll treat you!”

The two left the Household Registration Office, chatting and laughing. Faintly, people behind them could be heard discussing.

“Is there really such a good thing? Giving a half-share of a property in advance?”

“Well, she already completed the household registration, anyway.”

“Tsk tsk, why don’t I ever run into such luck?”

“I know, right? They’re two girls. If it were a boy and a girl, I’d assume they were a couple.”

“Gender is not the issue; the main thing is that both girls are still young.”

“You got that wrong. Age is not the issue; the main thing is that they’re both girls.”

“I’m not arguing with you, but this really has nothing to do with gender.”

“Your opening line already is an argument.”

Leaving the police station, the discussions gradually faded away. An Mu didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying; she was only focused on Wen Qiaoyun.

Wen Qiaoyun took the cloud-backed video, watched it carefully, and promptly deleted it. She then went to the recycle bin and deleted it thoroughly before handing the phone back to Jian Yixi.

This phone was not bought by Wen Qiaoyun. The phone Wen Qiaoyun bought was not allowed to leave with Jian Yixi that night. To be precise, besides the clothes Jian Yixi was wearing that day and her school uniform, along with the old books and materials she brought from home, Jian Yixi took nothing else from the Jian family.

Jian Yixi had gritted her teeth and bought this phone for 998 yuan. She originally wanted to buy an old-style phone for the elderly. If An Mu hadn’t said that a smartphone would be convenient for studying and looking up information later, she would never have spent the money.

Wen Qiaoyun opened the car door with a cold face and got in, showing contempt for this daughter who had only been back for a week.

“You’ll have a day when you regret this! Don’t come back begging me then!”

The car door slammed shut. Wen Qiaoyun twisted the key to start the car and leave. An Mu glanced at Jian Yixi, who was looking down and seemed sad, and suddenly tapped on the driver’s side window.

The window rolled down, and Wen Qiaoyun looked up at her mockingly.

“What’s wrong? Already regretting it so soon?”

An Mu smiled slightly, her indifferent eyes as deep as a cold pool. Without any inflection, she delivered a single sentence:

“A question, please. How is illegal fundraising sentenced?”

Wen Qiaoyun’s face changed slightly. “How should I know? Are you crazy?”

An Mu slowly straightened up and looked at her through the window. The smile on her lips was ethereal, as if from hell.

“268 or 269… my memory isn’t very good. I’ll check again later.”

Wen Qiaoyun’s eyes suddenly widened, and her chest violently rose and fell twice.

“You, what did you say?”

An Mu smiled: “I said my memory isn’t very good.”

Wen Qiaoyun subconsciously swallowed, no longer daring to bother with An Mu. She didn’t even twist the key but put the car into gear, intending to drive off. After repeatedly releasing the clutch without response, she finally remembered to turn the key. She almost fled the scene in panic.

In just over ten seconds, she had broken out in a cold sweat.

Jian Yixi, who had been immersed in her own world, watched in surprise as the car disappeared around the corner. She turned to ask An Mu.

“What’s wrong with her? What does that 268 thing you mentioned mean?”

This involved the Jian family’s company, their lifeline, and now was not the time to tell Jian Yixi. An Mu changed the subject.

“It means… why is your face red?”

“Red? Is it red?”

Jian Yixi instantly forgot her question and quickly covered her face. It was indeed a little warm.

An Mu watched her with amusement. It was only slightly red before, but now it was completely red.

“Yes, it’s red. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… nothing. It’s just that the weather… the weather is a bit hot.”

Jian Yixi took a few quick steps, passing An Mu, fanning herself with her small hand continuously. Today was a rare sunny day, the temperature had risen, and the afternoon sun was fierce. It was indeed a little hot.

An Mu didn’t think much of it and followed behind her unhurriedly.

Jian Yixi, however, continued walking forward without stopping, fanning herself.

—What should I do? What should I do? An Mu hasn’t discovered anything, has she?

—Don’t panic, don’t panic. She won’t!

—It’s all the fault of those two loudmouths. They’re so annoying, talking about being a couple or not being a couple. She and An Mu are both girls, and they’re still minors. How could they be a couple?!

—And Maomao, she loves to talk nonsense, which makes her always think inappropriately now. She and An Mu are just friends, purely friends! An Mu definitely couldn’t have a crush on her! Absolutely not…

Her cheek suddenly felt cool as a bottle of ice-cold cola was pressed against her face. Behind the cola was the perfect curve of An Mu’s cheek. Her honey-brown hair was casually tied back, a few stray strands were damp with sweat on the side of her face, and her long eyelashes fanned out. Her deep eyes were like a profound ocean, silent and mysterious, seemingly impossible for anyone to dive into, yet they reflected only her, only her figure.

“Why are you staring? Take it.”

Jian Yixi’s heart gave a sudden, disobedient jump.

An Mu’s faint voice was like it was mixed with mint, just listening to it made her whole body feel cool, and the tips of her heart felt numb with coldness.

She numbly took the cola, still holding the household register book in her hand. She didn’t know what she was thinking. Even though she was wearing a backpack, she hadn’t put the book away; she just held it and tried to twist the bottle cap.

She twisted once, but it didn’t open. She twisted again, but it still didn’t open.

An Mu had already taken several sips of her own cola, and Jian Yixi was still stubbornly holding the household register book and trying to twist the cap.

An Mu speechlessly pulled the household register book from her grasp, unzipped her bag, and put it inside for her. Seeing her staring blankly, An Mu assumed she was just too excited about moving her household registration. She casually tucked her own cola into the gap between her bag and her shoulder, and to prevent it from falling, she directly held Jian Yixi’s hand to help her twist the cap open, then quickly retrieved her cola.

“Alright, drink it.”

Jian Yixi looked at the cola in her hand, then looked up at her. She didn’t know if it was a delusion, but her face seemed even redder, and the tips of her ears felt as if they were bleeding.

“What is it?”

—Why is she looking at her like that?

An Mu was puzzled. She remembered that her sixteen-year-old self loved to drink this “happy fat house water.” Could she have remembered incorrectly?

No, that was impossible; she still liked to drink it even now.

If she didn’t dislike drinking it, then…

“Are you on your period?”

Jian Yixi subconsciously shook her head. She desperately wanted to ask An Mu a few questions right now.

You pulled out the household register book, but why did your finger brush against mine?

You already took the household register book, so why did you still help me twist the cap?

You twisted the cap, but why did you have to hold my hand to do it?

Are… are you deliberately trying to take advantage of me?

Thousands of words were stuck in her throat, about to spill out. But looking at An Mu’s beautiful face, especially her lips, which were unusually vivid red from the heat, and seeing the un-dried brown liquid clinging to them, her mind went blank, as if melted by the fierce sun overhead. She couldn’t utter a single word.

An Mu… An Mu is so beautiful…

Wait, Jian Yixi, what are you thinking about?

The most urgent task right now is to figure out whether An Mu really has a crush on you!

If… if An Mu really had a crush on her, she would have to explain things to An Mu immediately. She couldn’t let An Mu go down the wrong path.

After all… after all, she only considered An Mu as a… friend.

However, she didn’t dare to speak casually right now, fearing that it would be too embarrassing if it was just a misunderstanding.

After all, things like girls holding hands and hugging seemed pretty normal. Maomao had even grabbed her chest once; did that mean Maomao also had a crush on her?

But… would friends casually touch one’s tailbone?

The proper term is the tailbone, but the common term is…

Ahhh! So annoying!

Does An Mu have a crush on her or not?

Who, can, tell, her?!