At the freshman welcome gala, my external pacemaker emitted a piercing shriek—a 10% battery warning.
Fortunately, I always carried a backup power source.
But when I unzipped my bag, the specialized medical-grade battery pack was gone. In its place sat a cheap, standard portable charger with only a single flickering bar of power left.
Ice-cold panic flooded my veins. I tried to dial 120 for an ambulance, but my boyfriend intercepted my hand.
"Xuanxuan's backing track player died, so I lent her your battery for the emergency. Just use this power bank for now."
I flung his hand away, teetering on the verge of a breakdown. "What can that tiny bit of power do? If the pacemaker dies, my heart stops!"
My boyfriend's face darkened, his expression turning ugly. "Xuanxuan is the freshman representative. If she messes up the performance, she'll be a joke. You're a senior; can't you make a sacrifice for your junior?"
"Is my life more important, or her performance?" I screamed, bolting toward the backstage area.
He grabbed my wrist in a vice-like grip. "I checked online. Pacemakers have emergency backup batteries. You'll be fine. Stop being so selfish!"
Clutching my chest, which was already tightening with suffocating pain, I desperately pressed the emergency alarm button my father had specifically installed for me.
1
"I just borrowed your battery for a bit. Is a small thing like this really worth calling the police over?"
Before I could cry for help into the microphone, Zhou Yijie ripped the alarm from around my neck. Mimicking a perfect fadeaway jump shot, he tossed it into a nearby trash can.
"Whoo! Three-pointer!" He cheered, showing off to his roommates.
The pacemaker emitted a rapid, rhythmic beep-beep-beep, signaling critical failure. Only 10% remaining.
I tried to suppress the rising panic and the dull ache spreading through my chest, stumbling forward to retrieve the alarm.
But he shoved me hard back into my seat, his voice dripping with impatience. "Stop being so dramatic. You're usually as healthy as an ox. Why do you suddenly need a pacemaker? Can't you just hold on for a few minutes?"
My eyes widened in disbelief. "If I hadn't thrown myself in front of that falling surveying instrument for you during summer practice, would my heart have been pierced? I spent thirteen hours in the ICU and have to wear this external pacemaker for a month of auxiliary treatment because of you!"
A flicker of regret flashed in Zhou Yijie's eyes, but as the urgent alarm sounded again, he frowned. "Can't you make it shut up? Xuanxuan's beautiful performance is being ruined by your noise."
My fingertips turned white as I gripped the cold metal of the device, but it was nothing compared to the chill freezing my heart.
The screaming alarm was a countdown to my death, yet in his eyes, it was less important than a freshman's stage show?
I looked at his side profile as he focused on taking curtain call photos for Xue Yuxuan. Suddenly, I realized that despite dating for two years, I was only seeing his true face for the first time right now.
After leaving the stage, Xue Yuxuan, dressed in a shimmering strapless short skirt, fluttered over like a butterfly. She hugged Zhou Yijie right in front of everyone. "Senior Zhou, thanks to your power pack, my performance went so smoothly today."
Before Zhou Yijie could speak, I urgently held out my hand toward her. "Give me the battery. Now!"
Xue Yuxuan blinked, looking the picture of innocence. "But... I lent it to my roommate for the next act."
"Who gave you permission to make that decision!" My vision blackened, and my heart felt like it was being viciously squeezed by an invisible hand.
Xue Yuxuan's eyes reddened instantly. She looked at Zhou Yijie with a pitiful, aggrieved expression. "Senior Zhou, did I cause trouble for you? I was just afraid Xiaoxue would forget her moves without music. I didn't expect Senior Sister Liang to be so angry."
"I'll go find Xiaoxue. Even if the show is ruined and I get scolded by the teachers for embarrassing the college, I have to get the power source back for Senior Sister!" She made a show of turning to leave.
Zhou Yijie reached out and draped his arm around her smooth shoulder, his voice tender. "No need. You were right to be kind and helpful. She's just making a mountain out of a molehill, ruining the mood over a stupid battery!"
Xue Yuxuan glanced at me and shivered theatrically. "But won't Senior Sister feel unwell?"
"Though... when my grandmother had a heart attack, she fainted immediately. Maybe because Senior Sister is young, she has the strength to stand here and watch the show," she muttered softly, though her voice carried clearly enough for everyone to hear.
Beside them, Zhou Yijie's roommates laughed scornfully.
"She still has the energy to yell. Does she look like a heart patient to you?"
"If you want to fake an illness for sympathy, at least work on your acting skills. She just thinks the junior is easy to bully!"
Zhou Yijie furrowed his brows, looking at me as I clutched my chest, gasping for air. "Are you done pretending? If you were really in pain, would you have the energy to talk? I think you're just petty and jealous that a younger, prettier girl is stealing the spotlight."
I wanted to slap him, but the failing pacemaker, rapidly losing voltage, couldn't support any strenuous movement.
My heart felt crushed under a boulder, beating with agonizing difficulty and losing its rhythm. Cold sweat drenched the back of my shirt.
"The pacemaker is really out of power. I must charge it, or my heart rate will drop too low and I'll die!" I used the last of my strength to grab Zhou Yijie's sleeve.
Xue Yuxuan giggled. "That's a more convincing performance. Senior Sister really looks the part now~"
Zhou Yijie curled his lip. "Give you an inch and you take a mile. You're so good at acting, do you think you're the heroine of a drama?"
He shook off his sleeve, and I collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.
My bones ached from the impact, but the suffocating tightness in my chest made the pain irrelevant. With trembling hands, I reached into the side pocket of my bag to grab my nitrates, praying that one pill would keep me alive until the show ended.
But when I held the packet up to the colorful stage lights, I saw six large words printed on the foil: "Compound Vitamin Tablets."
2
My pupils dilated in shock.
The emergency medication my father personally packed for me—how did it turn into this?
I jerked my head up to look at Zhou Yijie, who had been carrying my bag earlier. Gritting my teeth, I rasped, "Where is my medicine?"
Xue Yuxuan let out an exaggerated "Oops."
"Senior Sister, no need to be so polite with me. I saw you only had two pills on your sheet, which seemed too little, so I gave you the vitamins I usually take. There are nine pills in this sheet!"
I trembled with rage. The pain in my chest radiated to my limbs, making it impossible to even hold the blister pack.
"Did no one teach you not to touch other people's things? That was life-saving medicine to help my heart contract!"
Xue Yuxuan quickly picked up the vitamins, her voice thick with tears. "Senior Sister, even if you don't like it, don't throw it away! These imported vitamins cost over two hundred yuan a pack. I wanted to quietly give them to you to help your health."
"Xuanxuan gave you such expensive supplements out of kindness, yet you're ungrateful and fierce to her. You're trampling on her good intentions." Zhou Yijie snatched the vitamins from Xue Yuxuan, clamped my jaw, and forced my mouth open. "Eat it. Don't waste Xuanxuan's kindness!"
Tears of pain blurred my vision. I struggled desperately to turn my head, but I was immobilized. "I can't take Vitamin A! It interacts with my medication and causes arrhythmia! My heart can't take it!"
Zhou Yijie's grip loosened slightly.
Suddenly, Xue Yuxuan sobbed beside him. "Senior Sister, if you don't want to eat it, then don't. Just don't curse yourself! It's my fault... I won't be blindly kind next time!"
Zhou Yijie's roommates rushed forward to comfort her.
"I think someone is just jealous of you and pretending to be sick to embarrass you!"
"Xuanxuan, you are too kind. You don't need to tolerate someone aggressive like Liang Jiayi!"
Hearing this, Zhou Yijie shoved the vitamin tablet into my mouth with force.
"Xuanxuan did it for your own good, yet you're so petty and calculating! How did I not realize before that you were so unreasonable and ungrateful?"
The vitamin tablet melted quickly in my mouth. A sense of suffocation spread from my chest upward. Every breath pulled at my agonizingly painful heart.
I was dizzy, barely able to distinguish whether his cruel words hurt more, or the physical reaction to the drug.
In our two years together... When he participated in the civil engineering competition, I scoured twenty-three material shops across the city to find parts for him. I stayed up for three consecutive nights helping him build models until my fingers were blistered and bleeding.
When he prepared for grad school exams, I got up at 5 AM every day, rain or shine, to save a seat for him in the library. I organized 102 pages of error corrections for him, even putting my own graduation thesis on hold.
Even this past summer, I took a potentially fatal hit for him!
And all I got in return was a death warrant delivered by his own hand, and a dismissive "unreasonable"?
"Zhou Yijie... let's... break up!" I managed to say intermittently. I struggled to pull out my phone to dial the doctor.
"I'm at the A University Auditorium, heart—"
Before I could finish, my phone was snatched away.
Zhou Yijie impatiently turned off my phone. "Are you done yet? Using a breakup to threaten me? You're so jealous you're wasting public resources. Ambulances should be left for people who actually need them!"
My throat constricted. I gritted my teeth. "My heart really can't hold on... Give me the power source, call an ambulance!"
The pacemaker beeped again. The screen showed "6%" in glaring text. I could already clearly feel the drowning sensation of my heart pausing.
Some students were attracted by the noise and couldn't help but look over. "Is Sister Jiayi's heart really okay? She looks like she's in a lot of pain."
"Save me—" I whispered, the words barely audible.
3
But Zhou Yijie cut me off. "She sleeps at twelve and gets up at five every day. She's been fine for months. How can she be that fragile? She's just throwing a tantrum and acting. Ignore her!"
I watched in despair as the students turned back around. The world spun before my eyes.
My heart skipped, stopped, then beat erratically. Each beat came with sharp pain like a thousand needles piercing me. Cold sweat rolled down my forehead.
"I'm not acting... feel my pulse!" I used all my strength to lift my arm slightly. I had bitten my lip until it bled, the metallic taste filling my mouth.
But the one who took my hand wasn't Zhou Yijie. It was a smiling Xue Yuxuan.
She squatted down and leaned close to me, the smile on her face instantly turning icy.
"Senior Sister, let me check your pulse for Senior Zhou," her sickeningly sweet voice slithered into my ears, reminding me of a venomous snake hissing in a rainforest.
"Go... away!" My throat was as hoarse as a broken bellows.
Her hand, adorned with red nail polish, rested on my wrist. Xue Yuxuan suddenly leaned into my ear and whispered, "Liang Jiayi, you really don't know your place. You aren't worthy of Brother Yijie, yet you hog him."
"Tell me, if I scream right now, will Brother Yijie side with you, or with me?"
I frowned. The next second, her sharp fingernails dug ruthlessly into the artery of my wrist.
My blood flow seemed to stagnate for an instant. My head swam, my limbs went numb, and veins bulged. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest.
A sense of impending doom flooded my brain. I summoned every ounce of strength to kick out at her.
But before I even touched her, she clutched her stomach and fell backward. "Ah! It hurts!"
"Liang Jiayi, are you crazy?! Bullying a junior in front of so many classmates?" Zhou Yijie shoved me hard and caught Xue Yuxuan.
My back slammed solidly against the corner of a chair. The pain made me see stars, and for a moment, I couldn't even lift my head.
Xue Yuxuan whimpered, "My ribs hurt so much, it feels like they're broken! Does Senior Sister hate me? She didn't have to kick me!"
Zhou Yijie supported her, then raised his foot to kick me. "Quit playing dead! Get up and apologize to Xuanxuan!"
A circle of students gathered to watch the drama, pointing and whispering at me.
"You really can't judge a book by its cover. Sister Liang looks gentle usually, but she's so vicious when competing for a man."
"She's ruining the school's atmosphere. Leaving a shadow on the new junior is terrible!"
"The junior is crying from pain, yet she's not saying a word. Does she think playing dead will get her off the hook?"
The palpitations hadn't subsided. I caught my breath and looked up. "It was her... she pinched my wrist..."
Xue Yuxuan wiped her tears and cried out loudly, "Senior Sister, I just wanted to help press your acupoints to relieve you. Don't accuse me falsely! If I did something wrong to upset you, I'll change, okay?"
Zhou Yijie's brow furrowed tightly. "Liang Jiayi, you've disappointed me. I was worried about your heart, watching the program list and counting the time. But you have enough strength to kick people? You are absolutely faking it!"
His roommate added fuel to the fire. "The counselor is coming! Let's just kick her out. She's disgusting and affecting everyone's enjoyment of the show!"
The pacemaker alarm sounded. 3%.
My eyes were about to split open. Ignoring everything else, I shakily reached out and grabbed a male student's pant leg, pleading with a trembling voice, "My pacemaker is out of battery. Please... get me a power source!"
But he took a step back.
"Jiayi, stop acting. Didn't you see that the junior you kicked is still in pain? Trying to play the victim won't work. You'd better apologize." He shook his head and sighed.
My hand dropped weakly. A tear of absolute despair rolled from the corner of my eye.
"What's going on? Why are you all gathered here?" The counselor's voice rang out.
I jerked my head up, digging my nails into my palms to stay conscious. "Counselor... save me..."
4
The counselor was startled and quickly helped me into a chair. "What happened? Someone call 120!"
I was drenched in cold sweat, as if pulled from water. I tried to open my mouth, but no sound came out.
Simply breathing took every ounce of my strength.
Amid the chatter of the students, a piercing female voice stood out:
"Stop pushing! My ribs hurt so bad!"
Zhou Yijie stepped in front of the counselor, shielding Xue Yuxuan with a protective stance.
"Counselor, ignore her. She's faking it. She wants to guilt-trip the junior!"
Xue Yuxuan wept profusely. "Counselor, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have borrowed Senior Sister's power source to charge the accompaniment player because I was afraid of affecting the show. Senior Sister is probably angry with me."
The counselor frowned at me and sighed. "Jiayi, how can you be so petty? Yuxuan did it for the gala's success."
Xue Yuxuan put on a facade of understanding. "Counselor, thank you for your concern. I'll make peace with Senior Sister!"
Saying this, she clutched her ribs, bowed to me, and took my limp, powerless hands in hers.
Except for me, no one saw the venomous smile on her face as she lowered her head in mock humility.
I tried to make a guttural sound to warn the counselor.
But suddenly, she screamed and threw off my hand. "Senior Sister! I already compromised, why did you pinch me?!"
On Xue Yuxuan's raised, pale wrist, there was an angry red welt.
Before the counselor could speak, Zhou Yijie rushed forward and slapped me across the face, fuming with rage. "Liang Jiayi, you have a heart like a scorpion! You dare to bully a junior right in front of the teacher? Apologize to Yuxuan immediately!"
Half of my face went numb, but it didn't compare to even a tenth of the pain in my heart. My heartbeat was getting weaker, my vision blurring.
A student nearby threw a milk tea cup at me. The brown liquid mixed with tapioca pearls ran down my hair and face, but I didn't even have the strength to lift my hand.
"Stop pretending! If you were sick, would you have the strength to pinch someone? You pinched her until it bled!" he shouted indignantly.
The counselor looked stern. "Liang Jiayi, you've gone too far. Your qualification for this year's National Scholarship is revoked!"
"Take her to the backstage confinement room. I need to have a serious talk with her parents tomorrow!"
The voices around me drifted in and out. I heard the continuous warning sound of the pacemaker at 1%. My chaotic brain cleared for a split second.
I used my last bit of strength to cling to the chair, refusing to let them drag me away.
"You can't... My father is General Liang... I have to present flowers at the military camp tomorrow..."
A burst of mocking laughter erupted from the crowd.
"Did you watch too much drama during military training and get delusions? Presenting flowers to the military? Only the children of martyrs and heroes qualify! Do you think you're worthy?"
"Addicted to acting? Look at yourself in a puddle of piss. I bet the security guard at the front gate wouldn't even want to be your dad!"
Xue Yuxuan advised with fake sympathy, "Senior Sister, pretending to be a General's daughter won't help you escape punishment~"
Zhou Yijie scoffed and grabbed my hair. "No matter what you say, you can't escape confinement tonight!"
Beeeeeeep—
After a long, piercing tone, my pacemaker completely died.
After a violent spasm of the heart muscle, like an old person stumbling and unable to take another step—Thump... thump... silence.
The heartbeat in my chest ceased. A stream of bright red blood spilled from the corner of my mouth, and my head slowly drooped.
The next second, the doors to the auditorium were slammed open with tremendous force. The singing and dancing on stage came to an abrupt halt.
From the doorway came a thunderous bellow:
"Let go of my daughter!"
Several doctors rushed in from the ambulance, carrying a stretcher and running straight for me.
5
"Patient's pacemaker has lost power. Cardiac arrest!"
"CPR! Charge the defibrillator!"
"Prepare epinephrine!"
Rapid, orderly commands echoed through the instantly silent auditorium.
A numbing current shot through my limbs. I slowly half-opened my eyes. The blinding white light made my head spin.
A middle-aged man in military uniform strode forward. Seeing me covered in electrode pads with blood still wet at the corner of my mouth, he looked around with furious eyes.
"Who did this to my daughter? Step forward!"
The onlookers were dumbfounded, quietly backing away, terrified of being noticed.
Amidst the humming of the instruments, Zhou Yijie stood frozen in place, his legs heavy as lead, his face deathly pale.
And Xue Yuxuan, who had been by his side, had shrunk into a corner. The hand that had pressed on my artery moments ago was trembling uncontrollably.
Dean Zhang, who had been sitting in the front row, hurried over. Glancing at the rank insignia on my father's shoulder, he spoke politely, "General, I am Zhang Fan, Dean of the Civil Engineering College. Did your daughter have a sudden heart attack?"
"There are many people and complications at the welcome gala. Please forgive us for this incident."
My father suppressed his rage. "Someone maliciously harmed my daughter, tampered with her pacemaker's power source, and obstructed her from calling an ambulance. This is attempted murder!"
Zhou Yijie's knees gave way, and he nearly collapsed.
Dean Zhang hissed in a sharp breath and forced a smile. "General, we shouldn't make wild accusations. These children are usually very sensible. Is there a misunderstanding?"
He signaled the counselor with his eyes. Unfortunately, the counselor was already frightened witless by the four officers standing in formation behind my father. He stammered, trying to shift the blame.
"It's not my fault! It was Zhou Yijie and Xue Yuxuan! I didn't know anything!"
He pointed a trembling finger at the two of them. The gazes of everyone in the hall focused on them like high-wattage spotlights.
Zhou Yijie didn't dare look up at my father. Suppressing the panic in his eyes, he gave a dry laugh. "Uncle, it's all a misunderstanding. I'm Jiayi's boyfriend, Zhou Yijie. Jiayi must have mentioned me to you?"
My father gave a cold snort. "I don't know you."
Zhou Yijie glanced at the Dean's darkened face and gritted his teeth. "Uncle, you can't blame it all on us. I gave her a power bank, she just didn't use it."
"Besides, she kicked people so hard and pinched arms. I thought she was so strong that her heart was fine. Xuanxuan, right?"
Xue Yuxuan blinked rapidly, showing the red mark on her wrist. "Yes, Uncle. I'm still in pain! How could I notice Senior Sister Jiayi's condition?"
"General, look, this isn't entirely their fault. Your daughter also—sigh, how about we each take a step back?" Dean Zhang looked carefully at my father's expression.
My father let out a cold laugh and turned to the officer behind him. "Has the police arrived?"
"Why bring the police into this? General, school just started. The optics would be terrible!" The Dean waved his hands anxiously.
Xue Yuxuan unconsciously clenched her fists, her voice changing pitch. "Yes, Uncle. It's just a little friction between classmates. Is that necessary?"
The officer ignored them and stood at attention. "Captain Li led the team personally. They are outside."
"Ask them to come in and search. Also, find my daughter's emergency rescue alarm."
The alarm was something my father applied for from the military after my heart surgery. It contained advanced military-grade recording equipment. Pressing the distress button would trigger recording and real-time transmission.
My father must have heard their conversation and rushed over following the alarm's GPS.
After speaking, my father looked at Dean Zhang and enunciated every word clearly. "My daughter isn't someone who bullies classmates. Furthermore, if you haven't done anything wrong, you shouldn't fear a knock on the door. Only those with ghosts in their conscience fear the police!"
"Search!"
6
Under the Dean's angry but silenced gaze, the police methodically gathered evidence.
My father squatted beside me, carefully wiping my dirty face with a wet wipe.
"Jiayi, how does your heart feel? Tell Dad if it hurts." He took the saline water from the nurse and gently helped me drink it.
Perhaps because I had just been revived by the defibrillator, the residual stinging pain in my heart hadn't dissipated. Every breath required all my strength.
I moistened my throat and tried to smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry, Dad."
I looked at the doctors and nurses—familiar faces who had performed my surgery. "Thank you, Uncles and Aunties, for saving me again. I caused you trouble."
The nurse ruffled my messy hair.
I looked up at my father and spoke firmly. "Dad, I didn't kick her, and I certainly didn't pinch her. She staged it all herself! Checking the surveillance, or checking for phantom footprints and fingerprints on her, will prove it!"
"And that power bank is in my bag. It was dead. I couldn't use it even if I wanted to!"
Every sentence I spoke was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of everyone present.
My father clenched his fists in fury, a storm brewing in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Old Li, it's in your hands."
Dean Zhang was speechless, only busy signaling teachers to stop students from secretly recording videos.
Zhou Yijie yelled, "Impossible! Xuanxuan's ribs were almost broken by the kick, how could that be fake? Police officers, you can't be biased just because her dad is a leader!"
Xue Yuxuan rolled her eyes and clutched her stomach, moaning. "Senior Sister, you're in the Student Union. You know the cameras in this hall point at the stage and the doors. They can't capture us. How can you lie like that?"
"Everyone saw you kick and pinch me. Just because there are no prints doesn't mean it didn't happen! I'm just a lonely girl who just started college. How would I know how to scheme like this?"
A female teacher couldn't bear it and advised my father, "General, I know you love your daughter, but how could Little Xue, a young girl just starting school, hurt herself just to frame Jiayi? It's not a TV drama."
"Yes, forgive and forget. Jiayi is awake now, right? Why not send her back to rest and we can discuss a settlement?" another teacher chimed in.
My father looked at them coldly. The aura of a man who had been on the battlefield suppressed them into silence without him needing to raise his voice.
"You listen to one side of the story and assume my daughter is at fault? Since when did victim-blaming become the trend?"
Father took out his phone and handed it to the police. "Old Li, play the recording for them!"
Captain Li, wearing rubber gloves, took the phone and opened the recording file in the alarm app.
The sound, filtered by professional-grade algorithms, rang out clearly in the auditorium.
The faces of those present turned paler by the second.
Even Captain Li, experienced in handling cases, couldn't help but glare coldly at Zhou Yijie and Xue Yuxuan.
After a long silence, my father spoke slowly:
"Using my daughter's medical power source without permission, switching her emergency medication, and refusing to return the power source after being explicitly told of its importance—that is theft."
"Knowing that Vitamin A conflicts with her heart medication, yet forcing her to swallow it—that is poisoning."
"Preventing my daughter from calling an ambulance, injuring herself to frame her, inciting classmates to mock her, and refusing to return the life-saving power source even at the brink of death—that is intentional injury!"
"I ask you all, if this isn't attempted murder, what is it?"
7
The verdict, delivered with powerful conviction, crashed down on everyone's heads, leaving them stunned.
Dean Zhang pointed at Zhou Yijie and Xue Yuxuan, so angry he stammered.
"How can our school have students as vicious as you! Stealing a pacemaker's power source, maliciously obstructing first aid... you treat a classmate's life as a game! And you dare to lie to teachers? Do you think the school belongs to your family?"
Zhou Yijie's legs finally gave out completely, and he slumped to the floor.
Drenched in cold sweat, his Adam's apple bobbing, he muttered to himself, "Impossible..."
Xue Yuxuan, being young, couldn't hide the guilt in her eyes despite her bravado. She covered her face and cried, muffled, "Senior Zhou lent me the power source! He said Senior Sister was faking sickness. I thought, since they are a couple, he would know better, so I believed him."
"You—" Zhou Yijie stared at her in disbelief. "You're lying! You said your accompaniment player was out of battery and wished for a high-power source!"
Xue Yuxuan looked innocent. "I just wanted to borrow a portable charger. How was I supposed to know you stole Senior Sister Jiayi's medical power source? I don't know what a pacemaker looks like."
"I was wrong to trust others too easily. If I had known Senior Sister wasn't faking it, I would have called an ambulance immediately!" Her self-righteous defense wiped her hands clean of the matter.
Zhou Yijie gritted his teeth. "I misunderstood Jiayi because you said your grandma's heart attack didn't look like that! You also privately switched Jiayi's life-saving medicine, delaying her self-rescue!"
Xue Yuxuan rubbed her eyes, making them look even redder. "I missed my grandma and just said something casually. How could I know you'd misunderstand? Besides, I gave the vitamins out of kindness. You were the one who forced her to eat them, stimulating her heart!"
As she spoke, her shoulders shook, posing as a weak victim.
Zhou Yijie was so angry he nearly passed out, sweating profusely and cursing at her.
She pouted and cried even more pitifully. Anyone looking would think she was just implicated collateral damage.
Seeing the chaos, the police clapped their hands for silence and waved. "Take the male student for interrogation first."
Xue Yuxuan let out a quiet sigh of relief and tried to inch backward.
I sneered and tugged at my father's sleeve. "Dad, when my heart was in arrhythmia, Xue Yuxuan maliciously pressed on my wrist artery. The pacemaker's monitoring data should have a record."
She shuddered and instinctively rebutted, "Senior Sister, don't talk nonsense. Your heart was uncomfortable, so the data must be fluctuating anyway—"
"There should be her fingerprints on my wrist, and her nail marks. That distinctive square shape... a simple comparison will prove it." I interrupted her, gently raising my arm.
Father was furious. He signaled the doctors to cooperate with the police to check my physical data from that time against the recording timestamp, and to perform a preliminary fingerprint comparison.
I stared coldly at Xue Yuxuan. "Did you think that by hiding behind others to instigate, and relying on the lack of cameras to frame me, there would be no evidence?"
Xue Yuxuan tried hard to clench her fingers, but they trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to say something, but the police officer delivered the final blow:
"The evidence is conclusive. Take both of them back to the station for separate interrogations!"
Xue Yuxuan turned pale, panic setting in. "I didn't... it wasn't me..."
Zhou Yijie, now handcuffed, seemed to wake from a dream. He looked at me unwillingly. "Jiayi! I'm your boyfriend, say something for me! You love me so much, surely you can't bear to see me taken away?"
"I was deceived by Xue Yuxuan, that's why I misunderstood you. How could I truly want to hurt you? Let's settle this privately, okay?"
I placed my hand over my heart, feeling the normal, strong beat beneath my palm. It felt like the suffocating near-death experience was a lifetime ago.
Long enough for me to be fully awake.
My eyes remained completely still, devoid of emotion, as I spoke coldly. "When you ranked my life below Xue Yuxuan's performance, did you ever think of me?"
"You didn't."
"I already broke up with you. At that moment, you were probably only focused on turning off my phone to stop me from calling 120. Why should I want a boyfriend who hurts me and indulges others in hurting me?"
"Zhou Yijie, you aren't worthy."
My father hugged me tightly, patting my shoulder.
As Zhou Yijie and Xue Yuxuan were pressed toward the door, he suddenly shouted:
"I am the heir to the Zhou Corporation! I want to see my dad! You can't take me away!"
8
The police officer held down the struggling boy and said calmly, "Don't worry. Once we get to the station, we will notify your family."
Father helped me stand up and looked at the pale-faced counselor. "I almost forgot. We aren't done."
"Dean Zhang, if I heard correctly, this teacher wanted to put my daughter in confinement earlier. That is illegal imprisonment, is it not?"
"Moreover, my daughter is the granddaughter of a war hero. She is scheduled to attend the Martyrs' Memorial tomorrow. You tried to privately imprison her, obstructing a major event and insulting the descendant of a martyr. What was your intention?"
Dean Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and shouted angrily, "Sun Ping! As a counselor, you have violated professional ethics. You are suspended immediately pending investigation!"
My father nodded. "I trust you will also handle those students who added fuel to the fire impartially. I'm worried about my daughter, so I'll take her to the hospital for a checkup first."
Dean Zhang said "Yes" repeatedly, politely watching us leave.
After a full body checkup at the hospital, I was kept for observation and an IV drip.
When I opened my eyes the next day, I saw my mother, who had rushed back from a business trip, sitting by my bed with red eyes.
She gently hugged me. "Jiayi, you scared Mom to death. Does it still hurt?"
I smiled faintly and patted my mother's warm arm. "It doesn't hurt anymore, Mom. I'm fine. It shouldn't affect presenting flowers to Grandpa at the Memorial tomorrow—"
Mom patted my head helplessly. "You child, your dad was right. You start worrying the moment you open your eyes. Don't worry, once you're discharged today, we'll go to the site for rehearsal."
I couldn't help but sit up. "I'm fine now. Let's go!"
I had heard Grandpa tell stories of the war countless times, and I had personally witnessed the tremendous changes of the era over the last twenty years. Now that the country was prosperous and strong, I wanted to tell Grandpa about this flourishing age personally at his grave.
I pestered Mom to let me leave the hospital. She couldn't win against me, so she got up to call the nurse.
But as soon as the door opened, several strangers stood outside.
"Is this Jiayi's mother? We are here to apologize to her."
A wealthy, well-maintained lady held a bouquet of flowers, followed by bodyguards carrying gift boxes.
It was Zhou Yijie's mother.
The other couple, dressed in ordinary clothes, must be Xue Yuxuan's parents.
Mother Zhou walked toward me with a smile on her face. "Jiayi, are you feeling better? Auntie bought you some health supplements; they are all good for the heart!"
She warmly patted my hand. "Yijie often mentions you at home, praising you for being considerate, kind, and excellent in your studies. It's his blessing to have such a good girlfriend like you! Auntie likes you very much too, looking forward to you marrying into the family after graduation!"
Before I could speak, my mother took over. "We don't deserve that honor. My daughter doesn't have a boyfriend who tries to take her life. Take your gifts back; we aren't blessed enough to accept them."
Mother Zhou was a bit anxious. "Don't say that! My son was just confused for a moment, deceived by that little vixen. He really knows he was wrong now. He cried and begged me to ask for Jiayi's forgiveness!"
Beside her, Xue's mother glared. "Who are you calling a vixen? My daughter is only eighteen. She's pure; what does she know? She was dragged down by your son!"
"Girl, my daughter didn't mean it. It's normal for kids to play around and accidentally cause trouble. She wasn't the main culprit. Just spare her this once!" Xue's mother said self-righteously.
Mother Zhou grabbed my mother's arm. "Don't listen to her nonsense! Yijie was the one who was incited in a moment of confusion. Will you give him another chance? He is still young. If he is sentenced, his life is over!"
She looked at me and bent her knees to kneel, but my mother held her up.
"Jiayi, Auntie begs you! For the sake of your past relationship, sign a letter of understanding? Auntie isn't afraid of you laughing at us—his dad has a bastard son outside. If Yijie goes to jail, everything is finished!" she cried out.
I smiled bitterly, suddenly understanding why Xue Yuxuan targeted me again and again despite not knowing me, claiming I wasn't worthy of Zhou Yijie.
It was all for that so-called family inheritance.
They didn't mind trampling over my corpse to climb the social ladder.
I took a deep breath and looked at her quietly. "Auntie, I cannot forgive someone who doesn't care about human life, whether his actions were a momentary lapse or a premeditated plot."
"If I hadn't been lucky, you wouldn't be standing here apologizing to me right now, would you?"
9
Mother Zhou shook her head frantically. "No, Jiayi, Yijie really likes you. He studied so hard for the grad school exams just to get into the same school you were recommended to. He even secretly custom-ordered a ring, planning to propose on your birthday!"
"He asked the family cook to learn Sichuan cuisine because you like it, and had me prepare a room decorated entirely to your taste, ready to invite you home!"
"Jiayi, just forgive him this once. Auntie promises to make him compensate you double in the future, okay?"
My heart gave a faint throb of pain.
After all, we had truly loved each other. Memories of the past floated before my eyes, but in this moment, they all turned into a sigh.
"Auntie, I'm sorry. I can't do it." I said softly but firmly.
Xue's father looked displeased. "Why beg her! I think she's making things difficult on purpose, pushing people to a dead end! My daughter knows she was wrong, yet she won't let it go. So narrow-minded!"
Xue's mother threw herself on the floor, wailing. "My poor daughter! She just got into university and ran into such a cruel classmate. It's destroying her future!"
People who didn't know the truth were gradually attracted to the door.
Xue's mother made even more noise. "Everyone, come and judge! She is perfectly fine, yet she sent my daughter to prison. She has no human empathy at all—"
My mother stepped in front of me, blocking those prying eyes, and interrupted her directly. "Why don't you talk about the 'good deeds' your daughter did?"
"Using my daughter's medical power source without permission, secretly swapping her life-saving medicine, blocking her from calling an ambulance—she almost killed my daughter! And she showed no remorse, trying to hide it from the police! Five years is a light sentence for her!"
Xue's mother blushed, panic flashing in her eyes.
I sneered. "Empathy is reserved for humans. Forget about her future—your daughter didn't even want to leave me a path to survive. Instead of making a scene here, you should go visit her in the detention center, lest you don't get to see her once she's in prison!"
Well-trained security guards arrived in time. Amidst the pointing and accusing whispers of the crowd, they were all cleared out.
The world was finally quiet.
I sighed, feeling that dealing with this group of people harboring ulterior motives was more tiring than studying.
Mom handed me a glass of warm water and stroked my head. "It's all over. They will get the retribution they deserve. And my daughter, having survived a great disaster, will have a brighter future."
Yes.
On the day of the Martyrs' Memorial event, I saw that beautiful future.
Walking through the busy streets, passing shops full of beautiful goods, I opened my eyes wide, taking in the world for my grandfather.
Bright red flags fluttered in the clear blue sky. I stood straight and placed the fresh flowers in my hand before my grandfather's tomb.
With tears in my eyes, I recited silently in my heart: Rest assured, Grandpa. We are all moving toward a better future.
Just keep walking forward, Liang Jiayi.
(The End)