Dating Myself - Chapter 41

Jian Yixi did not walk directly toward her, but instead approached the uniformed police officer standing nearby.

Xie Maomao behind her, seeing An Mu there, nervously stuck out her tongue, instinctively looking down, trying to hide for even a second.

Jian Yixi opened her phone and showed the police officer. “Hello, I’d like to report a crime. I was just surrounded by a few thugs in the foot massage parlor. The ringleader is my classmate. This is the live stream replay.”

Jian Yixi’s logic was always excellent, and her summarizing ability was strong. She quickly explained the events in a few sentences.

She explained that Xie Maomao had lost a bet to her, and according to the terms, was wearing men’s clothes and pretending to be her boyfriend for the day, accompanying her for her debut video live stream.

They had started the stream from lunch and continued until now. When her phone’s battery died later, they even specifically bought a power bank.

During this time, they accepted a classmate’s suggestion and specifically went to Jinfang Road to experience the nightlife. They even used a group-buying foot massage voucher gifted by a classmate to enter the parlor.

Unexpectedly, while streaming, the Committee Chair (the male student referred to as ‘Tiwei’ in the Chinese text, typically the sports/physical education committee chair) entered with a few hooligans. They had a clear division of labor: one person stood guard at the door, and another snatched Maomao’s phone, attempting to sexually assault them.

Jian Yixi, in a moment of quick thinking, managed to shove her phone under the foot massage bed when they weren’t looking. Although she couldn’t see exactly what they were doing, she could hear it.

Maomao and Jian Yixi struggled desperately to evade them, but the space was limited, and they were quickly pinned down.

Jian Yixi demanded to know why the Committee Chair was doing this. He initially only said she was an eyesore. Jian Yixi then pleaded with him to let her go, saying that he should spare her for her sister’s sake, as she was the younger sister of the person he liked. If Jian Yihu knew he treated her like this, she would definitely hate him.

After Jian Yihu’s accident, Wen Qiaoyun had used Jian Yihu’s name to issue multiple apologies on Weibo, stating that she sincerely loved her sister, Jian Yixi, and that her actions were only due to temporary emotional imbalance, hoping for a chance to make amends, and so on.

Jian Yixi using Jian Yihu as a shield seemed reasonable, at least on the surface.

The Committee Chair sneered, “Are you genuinely stupid or just pretending? You caused your sister to be expelled and placed under administrative control. She wishes you would be raped eight hundred times! I’m helping her get revenge, she’ll be grateful to me!”

“Then do you dare to let me call my sister?”

“No need to call. I’ll tell you the truth: this whole thing was ordered by your sister.”

Jian Yixi was shocked and sobbed, adamantly refusing to believe it, accusing the Committee Chair of slandering her sister.

The Committee Chair then dialed Jian Yihu in front of her, saying he’d let her die with the full truth.

When the call connected, Jian Yixi cried and begged for help, saying she didn’t believe Jian Yihu would do such a thing to her, as she was her own sister.

Jian Yihu sounded especially surprised.

“Oh my, how could Zhao Song (the Committee Chair’s name) do such a thing? And then frame me for it? Don’t be afraid, Xixi, your sister will call the police right away… Pfft ha ha ha ha!”

Jian Yihu suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

“Did you think I would say that? Dream on! Zhao Song is right, I instigated this!

I originally wanted them to gang-rape you in front of your boyfriend, and then force your boyfriend to sleep with you. It doesn’t matter that it’s Maomao now; they’ll just gang-rape both of you, and take some videos for a souvenir.

If you two behave yourselves, nothing bad will happen. But if you dare call the police… Heh heh, I don’t mind plastering the videos and photos all over the world.”

Jian Yixi’s sobs were despairing and desolate. Even without seeing the footage, the sound alone was heartbreaking.

“Sister… why do you hate me so much? My father suddenly broke his leg, was that your doing too? Why? Tell me, why?”

“You ask why?!” Jian Yihu’s voice suddenly rose, sharp and shrill. “If it wasn’t for you, would I be like this now?! Only raping you is letting you off easy! Zhao Song! Send the video to me immediately after you film it. If you do a good job, I’ll add two thousand!”

Zhao Song replied, “The money is easy. Just don’t forget what you promised me.”

After hanging up, there was another sound of struggling. Jian Yixi suddenly cried out, “My phone is still live-streaming! If you really do anything to me, none of you will escape!”

Hearing this, someone finally found the phone hidden under the foot massage bed.

The phone was indeed still live-streaming. The stream, which initially had few viewers, suddenly surged. Many people were flooding the chat, saying they had already called the police and telling them to stop!

Others were frantically sharing knowledge about the huge difference in sentencing for gang-rape versus attempted rape, the leniency for surrender, and so on.

The thugs panicked. When they heard people downstairs conducting an inspection, they lost their nerve. Jian Yixi seized the opportunity, grabbed Maomao, snatched the phone, and ran out.

The two rushed downstairs and instantly felt relieved when they saw An Mu standing there.

With the live stream video as evidence, and Jian Yihu’s phone call having been on speakerphone, no one could deny what happened.

When the suspects were brought down, An Mu subconsciously tightened her grip on her bag strap.

Twelve years later, she thought she had forgotten those few disgusting faces, but seeing them again, she instantly recognized them.

It was them!

They were the ones who forced her to jump! And then falsely accused her of being a streetwalker!

Because of insufficient evidence and Jian Xiangwei (the father/foster father) dropping the pursuit, they were only fined and detained for a few days in her past life—a punishment that barely bothered them.

She had only suspected that Jian Yihu had orchestrated it before; now, it seemed it was definitely true.

The reason the surveillance footage was broken in her past life must have been that they had broken it beforehand.

She clearly remembered the police saying when they retrieved the footage that the surveillance was working perfectly a few hours before the incident and just happened to fail right as the incident occurred.

Just as they finished reporting the situation, several police officers rushed in, violently pushing open the parlor door. They had received online reports and tracked the location based on the video.

Afterward came the investigation, evidence collection, and taking notes. The taxi driver who had sexually harassed An Mu was also caught and taken to the police station. All the parties involved needed to cooperate with the procedures.

By the time they finished, the sky was already faintly bright. Maomao’s older brother had arrived long ago, helping them with everything. After they were done, he insisted on treating the police officers to a meal. The officers politely declined and then took An Mu and the others out for breakfast.

Maomao’s brother had arrived on a motorcycle and couldn’t take everyone. After they ate, they went their separate ways. Maomao and her brother left, and An Mu and Jian Yixi hailed a taxi straight home.

Along the way, An Mu leaned back in the seat, eyes closed the entire time. Jian Yixi, however, was excited and tried to speak several times, stopping herself. As soon as they got home, Jian Yixi couldn’t hold back and threw her arms around An Mu.

“I succeeded, An Mu! I succeeded! I succeeded!”

An Mu gently pushed her away, changed her shoes, took off her coat, and turned to go into the bathroom.

Jian Yixi followed her all the way. It was the first time in her life she had planned such a major event, and it had succeeded, making her irrepressibly excited and garrulous.

“I really didn’t expect things to go so smoothly! I thought Jian Yihu would, at most, just find someone to beat up Maomao and me. I was prepared to take a couple of kicks, but who knew they actually intended to gang-rape us!”

“When Jian Yihu first answered the phone, she was still acting, and it scared me that all my effort was going to be for nothing. But who knew she’d actually let the truth slip out in the end! She’s truly finished now! I promised you I would change her administrative control to detention! I did it!”

Jian Yixi leaned against the doorframe, watching An Mu silently pick up her toothbrush, put toothpaste on it, and brush her teeth expressionlessly. Her own heart was still pounding, and she couldn’t help but continue speaking.

“Speaking of which, I really have to thank you. If you hadn’t reminded me, I wouldn’t have noticed in the first place. And thanks to everything you’ve taught me recently, otherwise, I really wouldn’t have known how to react.”

It turned out that An Mu had warned Jian Yixi to be careful of the Committee Chair over a month ago. Out of trust for An Mu, Jian Yixi paid extra attention, especially after her foster father broke his leg.

Soon, she noticed that the Committee Chair often secretly watched her and took photos of her to send to someone. When she and An Mu ate together, the Committee Chair always liked to sit near them to eavesdrop.

Once, the Committee Chair left his phone in his desk drawer while using the restroom. Jian Yixi saw Jian Yihu calling him, but the call disconnected after only a few rings. When the Committee Chair returned, he took his phone and left, only returning when the class started.

During that time, Maomao deliberately asked Jian Yixi about her online dating in front of An Mu, and the Committee Chair overheard everything. Jian Yixi speculated that he must have told Jian Yihu all of this.

Jian Yixi hadn’t originally planned to do much on her date with Maomao today. She just thought they would play until five or six, and she would bring An Mu some food home.

However, during lunch, Maomao suddenly received a WeChat message from a girl in their class.

[Wang Shiwen: I heard Jian Yixi is meeting her online date today?]

Maomao’s relationship with Wang Shiwen was only casual, and she was surprised the girl asked her this. She complained to Jian Yixi while texting back.

Maomao initially wanted to deny it, but Jian Yixi stopped her.

Jian Yixi thought it was a little strange that Wang Shiwen suddenly messaged Maomao to ask this.

She had Maomao take a picture and reply.

[Miaolege Mi: How did you know? They met up today and have been sending photos to show affection, and they asked me where the fun places are? Photo.jpg]

[Wang Shiwen: Why isn’t this guy showing his face? What does he look like?]

[Miaolege Mi: I don’t know, maybe he’s okay.]

[Wang Shiwen: There are quite a few fun places in Weicheng. Tell them to go to indoor amusement parks or see a movie. They could also go to Jinfang Road. There are video arcades, bars, KTVs, and foot massage parlors there. Oh, right! I have a group-buying voucher for a foot massage parlor that’s about to expire. I haven’t had time to go, so if they go, I’ll give it to them. I can do someone a favor, and it won’t go to waste.]

[Miaolege Mi: Isn’t Jinfang Road one of those places? Why would students go there?]

[Wang Shiwen: That’s your stereotype. Jinfang Road has been heavily cracked down on for a long time. Besides, they obviously look like a young couple; even if there were working girls, they wouldn’t bother them.]

[Wang Shiwen: Here, this is the foot massage electronic code. Don’t waste it.]

After the chat, Maomao disagreed with going.

“Wang Shiwen likes the Committee Chair, the Committee Chair likes Jian Yihu, and you’re Jian Yihu’s sister. Wang Shiwen being so attentive for no reason seems suspicious, and I remember Wang Shiwen once said that the Committee Chair’s family owns a KTV, and it seems to be on Jinfang Road.”

The two quickly checked the map and soon confirmed the location of the foot massage parlor Wang Shiwen mentioned, and that the KTV owned by the Committee Chair’s family was right next door.

The Committee Chair was strong and robust. He was a hooligan in middle school and had terrible grades. He originally had no chance of getting into high school, and he wasn’t interested himself, but his family insisted on paying for him to attend the private school. He had been a constant fixture in the provisional class since his first year of high school. His grades had always been at the bottom, though he was good at basketball.

He had even said himself that if it weren’t for Jian Yihu being at the school, he’d probably skip class every day.

The Committee Chair had also confessed to Jian Yihu, but she always gently deflected him, saying she prioritized her studies and wouldn’t date early. Instead of being disheartened, he was like Qin Yige, growing more persistent and wanting her more the less he could have her.

However, the Committee Chair and Qin Yige were fundamentally different. Qin Yige would eventually get tired of Jian Yihu when she acted out of character, but the Committee Chair, conversely, felt Jian Yihu was spicy! He liked it!

He had publicly expressed these sentiments in class. Many people secretly called him brainless, saying he was only interested in Jian Yihu’s face.

Of course, some held a different opinion, such as Wang Shiwen. She felt that if the Committee Chair only cared about looks, why didn’t he pursue Jian Yixi? She thought he was a person of substance; he loved who he loved, and wouldn’t easily be swayed by external factors. Even though he was indeed blind in love, it didn’t mean he was a bad person.

The more Jian Yixi and Maomao discussed it, the more they felt something suspicious was going on. Jian Yixi then came up with the idea of the live stream.

They hadn’t anticipated anything so serious. They thought Jian Yihu, believing she was dating online, would get the Committee Chair to lure them to that kind of place, secretly film them, and then post it online to spread rumors that she was promiscuous.

She planned to use the live stream to catch the Committee Chair in the act and expose Jian Yihu’s deception. If Jian Yihu caused trouble while under administrative control, her sentence should likely be upgraded to criminal detention.

They also speculated that the Committee Chair chose the foot massage parlor instead of his family’s KTV because the parlor owner was timid, easily frightened, and greedy for money—someone they could bribe to keep quiet.

Of course, all of this was speculation. After their theorizing, they thought they were overthinking it. They decided to try it out. If nothing happened, they could just enjoy a foot massage and relax. If it was true, they could seize the opportunity to avenge her foster father and, incidentally, impress An Mu.

Although the situation escalated far beyond their expectations, because the live stream was still running, and because neither of them had ever truly experienced anything terrifying, they didn’t feel afraid. Instead, they found it quite thrilling.

They anticipated that netizens would surely call the police for them, so they raced against time to elicit the truth.

Everything went incredibly smoothly.

Jian Yixi was so excited she almost blew her cover on the spot. Even before the danger was over, she was already fantasizing about how An Mu would praise her for successfully turning the tables on Jian Yihu.

“How was it, An Mu? Did I do well?”

Jian Yixi happily tugged An Mu’s sleeve.

An Mu had just finished washing her face, and she was wiping it with a towel, ignoring her.

After drying her face, An Mu put away the towel, squeezed past her out of the bathroom, and headed straight to the bedroom. Seeing her about to lock the door, Jian Yixi quickly stepped in and grabbed her arm.

“An—”

Before she could finish the name ‘Mu,’ An Mu suddenly raised her arm and fiercely pulled away from her.

An Mu’s voice was devoid of warmth.

Jian Yixi’s buoyant heart immediately froze completely.

“Wh… what’s wrong?”

The voice was still completely flat, without any change in intonation.

“What exactly is wrong with you—”

Before Jian Yixi could finish, An Mu suddenly grabbed her arm, dragged her out of the bedroom, and, without a word of courtesy, pushed her out, slamming the door shut!

This was the first time Jian Yixi had ever seen An Mu so angry. She was completely stunned, left standing at the door.

—What… what is wrong with her? Why is she so angry?

Jian Yixi stood there blankly for a long time. As her excitement faded, she belatedly remembered the two groups of police officers last night, the taxi driver who sexually harassed An Mu, and why An Mu was there in the middle of the night.

—Why was I getting so worked up? I’m such an idiot!

Jian Yixi lowered her head, her heart feeling heavy and inexplicably sore. She suddenly couldn’t bear to imagine it.

An Mu called so many times, sent so many WeChat messages, and even called the police. How… how worried must she have been…

She… in her eagerness to prove herself, she had the chance to tell An Mu the truth, yet she didn’t say a single word.

What did she want to show An Mu? What did she want to prove?!

She was only thinking of herself. Why didn’t she think about An Mu?!

“An Mu… I’m sorry… I… I just wanted to give you a surprise… No, that’s not it. I’m ridiculous. More explanations won’t help now. I… I… anyway, I’m sorry… I know I was wrong, and it will never happen again. In the future, no matter what I do, I will report to you first. If you tell me to do it, I will. If you don’t, I absolutely won’t. I will never let you worry again!”

“An Mu… please don’t be angry anymore…”

“An Mu… if you’re angry, just… just scold me, or even hit me. Just don’t shut yourself in the room and get yourself sick…”

“An Mu… I feel so scared when you don’t talk to me…”

“An Mu… I truly know I was wrong…”

“An Mu… please talk to me…”

“An Mu…”