Chapter 36.4

As Ye Sibei’s case intensified, Qin Nan was in another courtroom, candidly confessing to all his actions.

“At that moment, I just wanted to perish together with him, but my wife stopped me. She said she didn’t mind anymore, and she told me,” Qin Nan smiled, “we still have a great future ahead.”

“So I stopped.”

“Were there police officers close to you at that time?” The prosecutor asked Qin Nan, who shook his head.

“Didn’t you feel any life-threatening danger?”

“I didn’t want to die either.”

“Is your wife that important to you? When you were killing, didn’t you think about the future?”

Upon hearing this, Qin Nan fell silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke slowly: “At that time, I felt like I had no future.”

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After she awkwardly sat in the spectator area for a while, she saw Fan Jiancheng being brought in as well. His gaze met hers; he initially looked fierce, but after a moment of eye contact with Ye Sibei, he awkwardly turned his head away. 

Besides Ye Sibei, several other women came forward; they were all plaintiffs in the case. They exchanged no words but nodded at each other as a form of greeting. 

After a brief wait, the presiding judge entered with others and took their seats. 

After summarizing the case, the judge read the verdict: “This court believes that Fan Jiancheng, taking advantage of his social status, used drugs, violence, and threats to forcibly engage in sexual relations with women against their will, constituting the crime of rape. Between 2008 and 2018, Fan Jiancheng sexually assaulted nine women, qualifying as aggravated circumstances for rape. According to law, he should be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of over ten years, life imprisonment, or the death penalty. After the incident, in an attempt to evade criminal responsibility, Fan Jiancheng conspired with Zhao Shuhui to conceal and fabricate evidence during the first trial, resulting in the victim’s defeat in court, showing no remorse for his criminal behavior, which demonstrates strong subjective malice and significant social harm, with no mitigating circumstances. While our country retains the death penalty, it is strictly controlled and applied cautiously. In summary, this court finds that the facts of the case are clear, and the evidence is conclusive. In accordance with Article 236 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, the ruling is as follows: the defendant Fan Jiancheng is sentenced to life imprisonment, deprived of political rights for two years…”

As Ye Sibei listened to the ruling, when the words “life imprisonment” were pronounced, she felt as if she could hear nothing at all.

Upon hearing the verdict, Fan Jiancheng’s face turned pale. After a moment, he cried out, “I want to appeal! I don’t accept it; I want to appeal!”

Ye Sibei and the other victims looked over. Fan Jiancheng stumbled from the spectator area, trying to grab the judge. The court police noticed his intentions and immediately rushed forward to restrain him. 

Watching Fan Jiancheng struggle from a distance, Ye Sibei vaguely heard someone cry out. She sniffed and fought back her tears, standing up and walking towards him. 

Fan Jiancheng was still struggling. When Ye Sibei reached him, he was momentarily stunned, looking up at her. 

“Shouldn’t you say sorry to us?” 

Ye Sibei asked softly. Fan Jiancheng stared blankly at her, then suddenly reacted. 

“I’m sorry,” he exclaimed, agitated, “let’s reconcile! I beg you; let me go, let’s reconcile! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” 

When Ye Sibei heard that apology, her expression remained calm. 

Fan Jiancheng desperately tried to grab her skirt, but the police held him down. Ye Sibei looked at the man weeping before her and slowly spoke. 

“Fan Jiancheng, do you think you’re particularly wronged?” 

Her voice was soft, but Fan Jiancheng couldn’t hear it at all, lost in his own world, wailing, “Let me go! I want to appeal! I want to appeal!” 

“You saying sorry is just a sentence,” Ye Sibei said, her voice strained. “But me saying it’s okay takes a lifetime.” 

“Wronged! I’m wronged! This is unreasonable! Judge, did you take bribes? Did you take bribes?!” 

“Scumbag!” Hearing this, one of the plaintiffs couldn’t hold back anymore, screamed, and rushed forward to hit him. 

The scene turned chaotic. After watching for a while, Ye Nianwen came down and took her hand. “Sister, let’s go.” 

Ye Sibei took one last look at the chaos, nodded, and followed Ye Nianwen out. 

Though it was winter, it was a sunny day. As she exited the courthouse, she saw the sunlight pouring into the courtyard. Stepping out the door, she spotted a man with stubble standing not far down the corridor, smiling at her. 

The sunlight fell on him, and Ye Sibei paused slightly. 

“Sibei,” Qin Nan spoke hoarsely, “the murder charge has been dropped; I got a two-year prison sentence with a two-year reprieve.” 

Ye Sibei stared at him blankly. Qin Nan smiled, “I came to find you as soon as I was released in court.” 

“Sister, with a suspended sentence, as long as Brother-in-law doesn’t commit any crimes during the probation period, it’s fine.” 

Ye Nianwen nudged Ye Sibei, reminding her, “Hurry up!” 

With her eyes slightly reddened, after a moment, Ye Sibei ran forward and plunged into Qin Nan’s arms. 

Qin Nan embraced Ye Sibei as if he were holding the other half of his lost soul. 

“Sibei,” Qin Nan’s voice was hoarse, “I’ve grown up.” 

“So have I.” 

Ye Sibei looked up at him, smiling, “I’ve become an adult.” 

At last, they had learned how to coexist with the world in their late twenties. 

They learned how to face the good and evil that this world offers, the weight it bears, the obstacles it presents, the loud reprimands, and the encouragement and joy it provides. 

Bathed in sunlight, at that moment, they felt as if there was no longer a dark place in the world. 

On that same day, Zhao ChuChu and Zhao Shuhui were also sentenced. 

Zhao ChuChu was found guilty of perjury, which should have warranted a prison term of less than three years or detention, but due to her voluntary confession and the provision of key evidence for the case, her sentence was reduced to six months of imprisonment with a one-year probation.

Zhao Shuhui was found guilty of aiding destruction and falsifying evidence, which should have warranted a sentence of up to three years in prison or detention. Despite the mitigating factor of surrendering to authorities, the severe consequences of hiding evidence led to a sentence of six months in prison without the possibility of suspension, with the detention period counting towards the sentence, resulting in four months of actual imprisonment.

Everyone received the judgment they deserved. Ye Sibei returned home with Qin Nan. She spent the New Year at the Ye family, and after the celebrations, she took her last belongings and got into Qin Nan’s car to leave for the provincial capital together.

As they departed, Huang Guifen, Ye Ling, and Ye Nianwen came to see her off. Huang Guifen stood by the car, still advising, “You’re going out with just the two of you. The outside world is unfamiliar, and you might get bullied. Don’t come back.”

Ye Sibei smiled and said nothing; she simply waved to Huang Guifen, “Mom, I’m leaving.”

Huang Guifen expressed her disdain, “Go, go, go! Who’s keeping you?”

Ye Sibei didn’t respond. Qin Nan shifted gears and started driving, while Ye Sibei held onto their high school group photo, feeling the car move.

The spring day carried a hint of warmth. After driving a short distance, Ye Sibei heard Huang Guifen’s cries from behind: “Sibei! Come back to see us sometimes, Sibei!”

Ye Sibei turned around and waved to her mother.

Both mother and daughter understood that this departure signified her rebirth. She was completely leaving this family, and her life would never again be entangled in such complicated love and hatred as before.

Qin Nan played music and glanced back at Ye Sibei, who was holding their high school photo. “Aren’t you sad?”

“I’m sad,” Ye Sibei replied with a smile, “but I have to take this step, right?”

“Why are you holding the photo?”

“Just reminiscing.” Ye Sibei opened the photo and saw the smiling girl and the boy who was looking down.

“Qin Nan,” her voice was soft, “why do you like drinking Snowflake beer?”

“Because there’s snow in the north.”

“Have you thought about going to the north?”

“I have thought about it.”

“Why?”

“Because your name is Nianbei, and I thought you must really like the north.”

“It’s not me who wants to,” Ye Sibei laughed, “it’s my mom. She actually came from the north, and when she saw the snow while giving birth to me, she thought of her hometown.”

“Do you like the north?”

“I don’t know. Maybe one day I will go? Would you come with me then?”

They were driving on the highway, wide and straight. The sunlight fell on the road, as if whispering that as long as you long for it in your heart, there is no place you cannot go.

“Sure.”

Qin Nan’s voice was gentle: “Wherever you go, I can go too.”

You wish to welcome millions, and I will go.

You wish to seek answers in every direction, and I will seek them.

Qin Nan and Sibei, asking not for east or west.

The long road has an end, and the remaining life has limits. This despair has finally come to an end.