The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Song Xinya got straight to the point and told Shen Chaoyang’s mother why she had come.
She did not want to wait any longer.
In order to get Sheng Changpu to treat Qin Yuhe’s hand, she had first done everything she could to get close to Sheng Tianjun, then gone to great lengths to approach Shen Chaoyang and her mother. All in all, she had been busy for nearly two months.
She was an impatient person, but when it came to Qin Yuhe, she had been incredibly patient.
It wasn’t that she no longer wanted to do this. She simply wanted Qin Yuhe’s hand to receive the most advanced treatment as soon as possible.
She wanted him to become the way he had been before—flawless, radiant, and beautiful.
She looked at Shen’s mother with unwavering determination and said, “We have a common enemy: Sheng Tianjun.”
At the mention of Sheng Tianjun’s name, the hatred on Shen’s mother’s face burst forth.
It was completely different from the way she had felt when Song Xinya had first disturbed her.
This was absolute, unadulterated hatred—pure hatred.
She wanted nothing more than to hack him into pieces and kill him with her own hands.
When Shen’s mother looked at Song Xinya again, her eyes held the warmth and kindness of someone looking at an ally, someone ready to join forces and move forward together.
She asked Song Xinya, “Did Sheng Tianjun… do something to you too?”
“No. My husband arrived in time and saved me.”
Shen’s mother let out a relieved breath and murmured, “That’s good. That’s good.”
At least one less girl had been hurt.
That was good.
Her daughter had already suffered more than enough. She didn’t want any other girl to be hurt.
As a mother, she couldn’t bear to see a child suffer.
Even if it was someone else’s child, she hoped that girl could live a safe, healthy, and peaceful life.
She and her daughter had already suffered so much. She didn’t want other children or mothers to endure the same pain.
Someone in this world had to find happiness.
If she and her daughter couldn’t have it, then let someone else be happy.
Because of their alliance—and because they had endured similar experiences—Shen’s mother opened the door that had always remained closed and said to Song Xinya, “Come in and sit for a while.”
Song Xinya followed her inside. It was the first time she had entered Shen Chaoyang’s home.
The moment they stepped through the door, the roujiamo vendor came rushing out of the kitchen.
Where had that little girl who said his roujiamo was delicious gone?
Could Shen’s mother, that old hen, have beaten her to death?
No, that wouldn’t do. This was the first time anyone had said his roujiamo was worth driving twenty kilometers to eat. He wanted to hear such praise again someday.
Someone who could say such nice things couldn’t possibly be a bad person.
Suddenly, a scream came from inside the Shen mother and daughter’s home.
“Ah!”
All the windows were covered with curtains, leaving the room dim and gloomy. A rope hanging from the ceiling swung straight toward Song Xinya.
It looked just like a snake being flung directly into her face.
Song Xinya let out a startled cry.
Outside, the roujiamo vendor grabbed a shovel and kicked the door open with a bang.
“Little girl, your grandpa is here to save you! Ahhh!”
He charged inside with the shovel raised, only to see Shen’s mother hugging Song Xinya.
“This…”
It was completely different from what he had imagined.
The roujiamo vendor stood there, dumbfounded.
Shen’s mother held Song Xinya by the shoulders and gently patted her back. “Don’t be scared, child. That wasn’t a snake. It’s just a rope for hanging things. One end came loose from the wall, and I haven’t cleaned it up yet.”
Song Xinya patted her chest and slowly calmed down.
Shen’s mother turned toward the vendor, who was still holding the shovel. “Why did you come in?”
“I came to save someone.”
“I think you came to kill me.”
The vendor quickly lowered the shovel and hid it behind his back.
Shen’s mother said, “Go outside for now. Miss Song and I have something to discuss.”
The vendor glanced at Song Xinya.
“Uncle,” Song Xinya said with a faint smile, “Shen’s auntie and I have cleared things up. She won’t throw me out anymore.”
It had all been a misunderstanding. The vendor carried the shovel toward the door. “All right, you two talk. I’ll go make some roujiamo. I’ll make twenty for you.”
The door opened and then closed again. Because it hadn’t been shut properly, a narrow beam of bright sunlight slipped through the gap.
Shen’s mother walked over and firmly pushed the door closed.
Then she returned to her seat and said to Song Xinya, “Miss Song, what would you like to know about my daughter?”
“Start with that gap that must never appear,” Song Xinya replied. “Why are all the windows completely covered, even in broad daylight?”
Shen’s mother began to explain.
She tried hard to control her emotions and keep her voice calm, but the tremor at the end of every sentence betrayed her.
“My daughter was assaulted by Sheng Tianjun. She developed post-traumatic stress disorder—PTSD.”
“She can’t be exposed to sunlight. She’s terrified of crowded places, and she instinctively panics whenever she sees a man. It isn’t merely a psychological illness. It also causes physical symptoms—nausea, stomach pain, palpitations, a racing heart, difficulty breathing, suffocation, and even fainting or going into shock.”
Seeing the tightly covered windows and Shen Chaoyang wrapped from head to toe despite the sweltering summer heat, Song Xinya had already guessed that Shen Chaoyang suffered from PTSD.
What she hadn’t expected was that it would be this severe.
Her condition had completely disrupted her life and work. If Shen Chaoyang could not be cured, it meant she would have to spend the rest of her life in this little dark room.
Since Shen Chaoyang had been hurt so badly, Song Xinya asked, “Then why did Shen Chaoyang withdraw the case after reporting it?”
“We were forced to…” Shen’s mother said.
What kind of reason could force a victim to withdraw a report?
It had to be something extraordinary.
Song Xinya keenly sensed that this reason might provide a breakthrough.
“Can you tell me what happened?” she asked.
“Sheng Tianjun recorded everything that happened that day. He told us that if we continued pursuing the case, he would upload the video to the internet.”
Her daughter had already endured inhuman torment. In the end, she would have to be exposed online as well, while everyone pointed fingers at her.
When men saw a video of a girl being raped, would their sense of justice surge, prompting them to report it to the police?
No.
Most people would think it had nothing to do with them and stay out of it, afraid of bringing trouble upon themselves. They would pretend they hadn’t seen anything.
Some men would watch the woman in the video and comment on whether she was pretty, whether her figure was good, and whether her breasts were large enough.
Some would even say that if the woman was screaming so loudly, she must have been enjoying herself.
The abyss may have a bottom, but the human heart is unfathomable.
There were good people in this world, and there were bad people.
Never underestimate how evil evil people can be.
So Shen Chaoyang had not merely been raped back then. The assault had also been recorded.
Song Xinya was deeply shaken.
Sheng Tianjun—the boy with the sweet, gentle appearance and fair, delicate skin—was nothing less than a vicious wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Song Xinya’s mind raced.
As long as she found that video, she would have leverage over Sheng Changpu. He would have no choice but to agree to treat Qin Yuhe’s hand.
And Sheng Tianjun would receive the punishment he deserved.
She had to find that video.
But—
How could she possibly find it?
