Since he was asking about the truth, Mo Tingyan didn't hide anything.
"Zhangzhu ran into him today. After that, her mood was off the entire time," he said calmly but firmly.
"That's why I'm calling you—to find out whether that man has some kind of past conflict with her."
On the other end of the line, Lian Qiao exploded with anger.
"Conflict? That bastard nearly destroyed her life!"
She was so furious that the words spilled out like beans from an overturned bowl.
Back in university, Wen Zhi was famously beautiful.
From the moment she entered Jiang University, she had sat firmly on the throne of 'the boys' dream girl'.
Countless men coveted her.
Xu Botao was no exception.
At the time, he was a student council officer—someone constantly surrounded by admiration, a so-called favored son of heaven.
To him, winning Wen Zhi wasn't about love.
It was about proving superiority—conquering the one woman no other man could.
Afraid of public failure, he didn't make a grand show of it. Instead, he quietly approached her, showering her with subtle attention.
But Wen Zhi was sharp.
The moment she saw through his intentions, she rejected him outright—
telling him plainly that she didn't like him and that he shouldn't waste his effort.
That rejection infuriated him.
One night, after nine o'clock, he happened to see Wen Zhi passing downstairs, heading to a classroom to retrieve study materials.
He followed her.
The classroom was empty.
And emboldened by lust, he pinned her down on a desk, attempting to molest her.
At this point, Mo Tingyan's eyes erupted with murderous fury.
But he didn't interrupt.
He forced himself to keep listening.
To protect herself, Wen Zhi grabbed a chair and smashed it into him, managing to escape.
After fleeing, she didn't collapse into silence.
She chose to call the police.
But Xu Botao was despicable beyond measure.
Afraid that the truth would come out and ruin his reputation, he went to his academic advisor beforehand, turning the tables with false accusations.
He claimed Wen Zhi had forced him to be her boyfriend, and when he refused, she attacked him.
He even pretended concern, asking the advisor to mediate so they wouldn't feel awkward seeing each other later.
When the police arrived, the advisor—unaware of the truth—stood on Xu Botao's side.
At that time, Xu Botao was excellent at pretending to be decent.
He was popular, well-liked, and socially smooth.
Wen Zhi had no concrete evidence.
She was introverted, didn't socialize much, and was envied by many girls.
So despite being the victim, the case ended with nothing.
And afterward—
Xu Botao began spreading rumors about her everywhere.
Soon, the campus was filled with whispers:
She was vicious.
Shameless.
Loose.
A troublemaker.
Someone who seduced men and then called the police to ruin their futures.
For a long time, everyone stabbed her in the back with words.
Wen Zhi shut herself off completely.
Except for classes, she barely spoke to anyone.
Lian Qiao's voice began to choke.
"We lived in the same dorm. Others didn't know—but I did. I knew how much pain she was in."
"Half a year. For six whole months, she endured campus bullying, living like a ghost. She would stare at a page for half an hour without turning it. She was already thin—but during that time, she lost more than ten kilos."
"I stayed with her, comforted her, protected her. That's how I slowly became her friend."
"You haven't lived through it. You'll never understand how pitiful she was back then."
Mo Tingyan clenched his phone so tightly his knuckles whitened.
Moonlight spilled in through the window.
His voice was cold, lethal.
"Then what happened?"
"How did that animal get expelled?"
Lian Qiao snorted sharply.
"Because our Wen Zhi endured—and then slapped him in the face."
In her sophomore year, Wen Zhi noticed Xu Botao stalking a freshman girl.
Sensing something was wrong, she followed him for a full week.
And she succeeded.
She recorded him verbally harassing the girl and threatening her.
This time, Wen Zhi called the police and submitted the recording to the university.
With undeniable evidence, the school finally expelled Xu Botao for his vile behavior.
He nearly went to prison.
It was said his family sold everything they had to compensate the victim—that was the only reason he avoided jail.
Afterward, everyone realized Wen Zhi had been wronged.
But her heart had already been locked shut.
She trusted no one.
Kept her guard up against everyone.
And withdrew almost entirely from social life.
Lian Qiao was trembling with anger.
"That Xu Botao is a beast. He hurt Wen Zhi—but in the twisted mind of someone like him, he probably believes she ruined him."
"So Mo Tingyan—you must stay alert. That lunatic is capable of anything."
Mo Tingyan promised.
After hanging up, his chest felt unbearably heavy—
like stones sinking into his heart.
She was so young back then.
Molested.
No family to rely on.
No evidence to protect herself.
The criminal walked free—
while she endured humiliation, slander, and isolation.
She must have been in unbearable pain.
No wonder she once told him—
She never cried.
Because not everyone has a future ahead of them, or someone behind them to lean on.
She had been forced to become strong.
That damned bastard.
Mo Tingyan's eyes narrowed.
He dialed another number.
"Nan Zhong. Help me investigate someone."
Jiang Nanzhong agreed immediately, without asking why.
Before hanging up, Mo Tingyan asked again,
"The person I asked you to investigate earlier—still no leads?"
His expression hardened.
"It's fine. I'm checking the accident from other angles too. Since I'm back, I'll uncover the truth sooner or later."
"Take your time. For now, focus on Xu Botao."
Footsteps sounded in the living room.
Mo Tingyan ended the call.
Over the next few days, Wen Zhi found several classic lines she'd recorded with Mo Tingyan and asked him to help film another video.
Thanks to the strong sense of mystery, her fan count kept rising steadily.
After a week grounded, Wen Zhi finally returned to flying.
But on the very first day—
After finishing her flight and walking out of the company building—
She saw Xu Botao standing across the street at the entrance of Jiang Airlines.
He didn't approach.
He just stared at her through the glass doors, his smile sinister enough to make one's skin crawl.
After a moment, he pulled out his phone.
Wen Zhi's phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
As expected, his voice came through the line—
"Little Zhi. How's that job arrangement coming along?"
"For this opportunity, I already quit my teaching center job."
"I'll give you three days."
"Three days from now—if the job still isn't settled…"
His chuckle was low and threatening.
"Don't blame your senior for doing something… unpleasant."