He turned and pressed her beneath him, kissing her as he began to undo her clothes. As her top slipped away, Lin Jiang shivered. He buried his head against her chest and let out a low, muffled laugh. "I’m a normal man."
It was too late for regrets now.
Flustered and anxious, she bit his earlobe in a moment of desperation. He let out a low groan, his other hand sliding further down.
As he nipped and kissed his way across her skin, the sensation was so overwhelming that her toes curled. A strange sense of disorientation washed over her, and her nails left scratches across his back.
Afterward, he draped his own clothes over her and lay beside her, looking up at the sky with a sigh of profound satisfaction.
He loved the distant mountains and the nearby waters alike.
Lin Jiang’s face was as red as the lights on the far riverbank.
"That matter... have you made your decision?" Jiang Weifeng’s voice drifted over, making Lin Jiang hold her breath.
She turned her head to look at him and realized he seemed like a completely different person.
In the deep of the night, with his expression obscured, he seemed worlds apart from the man who had just been whispering sweet nothings and wearing a mischievous smirk.
And yet, they were undeniably the same man.
Lin Jiang gave a faint smile. "You guessed it."
Jiang Weifeng asked, "How do you plan to face it?"
Lin Jiang licked her lips. Seeing his serious expression, she suddenly felt a sense of peace. Slowly, she told him everything.
This night was destined to be extraordinary.
Lin Jiang spoke with steady, deliberate words, and Jiang Weifeng listened in silence. However, he had to admit that he felt a profound sense of sorrow.
In the literal sense of the word—only "sorrow" could describe what he felt.
On the drive back, he meticulously recalled every word Lin Jiang had said, each syllable etched into his mind.
Even the next day, when he had to go to the studio for work, he was still ruminating on her words during meetings.
At first, Zhang Yijia tried to nudge him back to reality a few times, but eventually, he just gave up and shot him a frustrated look.
Jiang Weifeng, knowing he was in the wrong, offered a sincere "sorry."
But he didn't change.
At noon, he drove to pick up Zheng Ping for her medical check-up. On the way, Zheng Ping asked, "How are things going between you and Lin Jiang?"
Preoccupied with his thoughts, Jiang Weifeng replied, "They're good."
Zheng Ping paused before continuing, "You two aren't exactly young anymore. Have you thought about taking things to the next level?"
Jiang Weifeng tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, answering with a question of his own. "Let me ask you something."
"Do you know Zhang Juntao?" He licked his lips.
Zheng Ping didn't even have to think. "Of course. He’s an old colleague. We see each other all the time; how could I not know him?" She followed up with, "Why are you asking about him?"
Jiang Weifeng glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "What’s he like as a person?"
Zheng Ping frowned. "I haven't had much personal contact with him, but he seems nice enough. He’s very generous; he’s picked up the tab for dinner several times."
Jiang Weifeng said nothing.
Halfway through the trip, Zheng Ping got out to buy some fruit. A nearby toiletries shop was playing a song by Sodagreen:
*When you need a summer, I will fight with all my might.*
Those are some damn good lyrics, Jiang Weifeng thought.
He listened to the entire song before Zheng Ping emerged from the shop with some oranges and dates.
Before she went upstairs, she reminded him to bring Lin Jiang home for dinner, mentioning they could have crab now that autumn had arrived.
Jiang Weifeng didn't hide his smile. He called out to her, finally answering her previous question:
"I have."
Then, he drove away.
It was September now, and the autumn air was crisp and clear. Who could help but love September?
That afternoon, Lin Jiang met up with her two best friends. In Zhou Wan’s cramped rental apartment, the three of them drank, laughed, cried, drank more, laughed more, and cried again.
Wang Jiaqian cried until her eyeliner smeared, leaving two incredibly Gothic tear tracks down her face. Zhou Wan laughed drunkenly, cursing the brand for being such rubbish.
Wang Jiaqian sniffled, "Qin Zhao bought this for me in Hainan back in the spring."
Upon hearing that, Zhou Wan spat, "Why are you still bringing up that bastard?"
Lin Jiang laughed, clutching her wine bottle, and nudged Wang Jiaqian with her foot, asking if Qin Zhao had tried to say anything to her since. Wang Jiaqian waved a hand dismissively, her brow furrowed. "He knows he’s in the wrong anyway! He keeps begging me! Pfft! Everything he says is just hot air to me!"
At this, Lin Jiang and Zhou Wan burst into fits of laughter.
Lin Jiang wiped her nose and looked at the two girls with a steady gaze. "Seriously, thank you both so much."
Zhou Wan scratched her head, suddenly remembering something. She tilted her chin toward Lin Jiang. "Speaking of which, Lin Jiang, we really should thank Jiang Weifeng."
Lin Jiang asked, "What do you mean?"
"When this first started, Jiaqian didn't think about taking the accusations online. Later, when Gu Xiang and I went to verify all the disgusting things Qin Zhao had done, Jiaqian was still feeling unsatisfied. It was Jiang Weifeng who came up with the idea. Honestly, he works fast—contacting marketing accounts, gathering evidence, finding lawyers... his PR skills are top-tier. And that long Weibo post I put up? He wrote the whole thing in two hours..." Zhou Wan said, letting out a small wine-induced hiccup. "Hey, you guys were classmates—was he always amazing at writing?"
Lin Jiang was stunned. "That post... Jiang Weifeng wrote it?"
"You didn't know?" Zhou Wan asked, puzzled.
Wang Jiaqian sighed. "You know my writing is at an elementary school level. Besides, when everything came out, I felt so guilty toward you and I couldn't even face myself. I didn't have the heart to plan any of that." She couldn't help but wipe away more tears, her voice softening. "Luckily, Gu Xiang kept encouraging me, or I really would have collapsed."
Lin Jiang felt the alcohol churning in her stomach. Her chest felt tight, and she felt dizzy and breathless.
Wang Jiaqian walked over and hugged her. "Setting everything else aside, that Weibo post Jiang Weifeng wrote wasn't just about venting emotions. It had to state the facts while also stirring up the public's feelings. If even one word was off, it wouldn't have worked... You really need to thank him properly for me."
After hearing this, Lin Jiang took two more gulps of wine.
Thinking back, during that week when her mood had been so poor, he hadn't gone to work at all, dedicating all his time to accompanying her. Although he tried his best to avoid taking calls or replying to messages in front of her, she had still caught him doing it a few times.
At the time, she thought he was just handling work matters.
So that was it...
*Through mountains and rivers, I am fortunate to have met him.*
Lin Jiang made up her mind to see Cheng Yuanchuan.
Finding her contact information wasn't difficult. When she called Shen Yan, he didn't even ask questions before giving her the WeChat ID.
At the end, he asked, "Should I go with you to see her?"
Lin Jiang declined his kindness. "I have to face this on my own eventually."
Shen Yan didn't push further. "Good luck," he said.
On the day she met Cheng Yuanchuan, a rainstorm was brewing over Qingcheng. Thunder rumbled from the horizon like the heavens were nursing a silent grudge.
Cheng Yuanchuan was wearing a bright red polka-dot dress, reminding Lin Jiang of how she had looked in high school—red, passionate, bold, and radiant.
They had booked a private room. After entering, Cheng Yuanchuan remained silent for a long time, so Lin Jiang sat across from her, quietly organizing her thoughts.
After a while, the server brought the wine. Cheng Yuanchuan downed a full glass before saying, "I want to show you something."
She lifted her chiffon top. From her waist upward, she revealed hideous, winding scratches and needle marks—the kind of dull, somber color that happens when vibrant red mixes with bruised black.
Lin Jiang gasped, but Cheng Yuanchuan acted as if it were nothing. She lowered her hem and poured herself another glass of red wine. "These injuries are just the tip of the iceberg."
Lin Jiang gritted her teeth. "He’s a pervert."
Cheng Yuanchuan took a sip of wine, her eyelashes fluttering downward, hiding her emotions. "Why are you suddenly willing to sit down and talk with me?"
Lin Jiang paused. "I heard from Shen Yan that you wanted to break free from him a long time ago?"
Cheng Yuanchuan gave a self-deprecating laugh. "How could I not want to? I’ve wanted to since the very beginning. It never stopped. But back then, I felt I didn't have the strength to face it. You know he has deep roots, and I was just a new hire who had just passed probation... I was just a coward, basically. And as a result, I’ve suffered for all these years."
Cheng Yuanchuan took another sip of wine to steady herself. "Besides, my mother was up for a promotion back then. She worked so hard to climb up. I was terrified that one wrong move on my part would result in losing everything."
Lin Jiang’s chest felt heavy. "Drink a little less. I understand everything you’re saying. You don't need to explain."
"Look at those wounds I just showed you; the ones in my heart aren't half as small as the ones on my body." Cheng Yuanchuan’s face was pale. "But I brought this on myself. You reap what you sow."
Lin Jiang hesitated for a moment, then reached out to hold Cheng Yuanchuan’s hand, signaling for her to stay calm.
Cheng Yuanchuan shook her head and smiled. "It’s fine. Like I told Shen Yan before, I’ll give him all the evidence I have and let him help me with the lawsuit. I’ll stand up and face him. You don't have to get involved."
Lin Jiang lowered her head in thought for a moment. When she looked up, there was a light in her eyes. "You know I don't care about that. We didn't do anything wrong, so we shouldn't feel ashamed."
"Lin Jiang, I’m sorry." Cheng Yuanchuan’s eyes grew red. "If it weren't for me back then, you wouldn't have been dragged into this. And now, I’m asking you to pull me up again."
Lin Jiang smiled at Cheng Yuanchuan. "I already made up my mind before I came to find you. Everything in the past is wiped clean. We’ll face him together."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuanchuan’s tears fell like a broken string of pearls.
In the distance, a torrential rain was sweeping from north to south. Before long, the dry concrete ground was soaked, and people outside scrambled for cover.
Lin Jiang looked at the sky. It was a leaden gray, looking heavy and drooping, as if it might come crashing down at any second. If it did, certain secrets would be destroyed along with it.
No one knew whether such destruction represented an escape from a sea of suffering or an eternity of damnation.
Two weeks later, Cheng Yuanchuan officially filed a lawsuit against Zhang Juntao.
At the same time, beyond the legal confrontation, the public relations battle proved to be incredibly difficult.
Cheng Yuanchuan recounted her experiences over the recent years on her Weibo—
She gave a general account of how she had been violated, and subsequently forced to endure his torment due to Zhang Juntao’s threats involving videos and nude photos.
During this time, he would occasionally give her benefits she didn't want but couldn't refuse—such as using his connections to help her at work—but this was only so she would be available whenever he called.
Sometimes he had a good temper and would even cook for her himself. But at other times, he repeatedly used violence against her, including needles, waterboarding, whipping, and kicking her in the abdomen... Because she was often forced into sexual relations with him without her consent, he had even forced her to get an IUD to minimize trouble.
Then, Jiang Weifeng clicked "repost."
***
