Chapter 43
Jiang Ci opened his eyes as the morning light pierced through the gaps in the heavy curtains.
He lay on the carpet in his room, covered with Xie Qingyan's coat. The faded school uniform coat still carried the warmth of another person and a faint scent of soap.
Xie Qingyan fell asleep against the edge of the bed, his head slightly tilted, his breathing even and long. His hand was still holding Jiang Ci's hand, their fingers intertwined tightly, as if afraid of losing something important in his sleep.
Jiang Ci didn't move. He lay there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the real warmth from his palm.
Last night felt like a dream too heavy—candlelight, tears, a seal, and those vows that seemed almost resolute. But now, the cold, sharp edges of the Qingtian stone seal in his palm and the warm breath of the person beside him reminded him: it was real.
Xie Qingyan really came. Even after knowing everything, she still came.
Jiang Ci gently withdrew his hand and sat up. Xie Qingyan's coat slipped off, and he picked it up. Instead of folding it, he subconsciously leaned closer, his nose lightly touching the fabric to confirm that the comforting scent of soap was still there. Only then did he carefully fold it and place it aside.
He picked up the handwritten Heart Sutra from the bedside table and turned to the last page.
"May this merit be dedicated to Jiang Ci, purifying all karmic obstacles and granting him complete peace."
The ink had dried completely, and the handwriting was neat and elegant, typical of Xie Qingyan's style. But Jiang Ci knew that when that person wrote those words, their hand must have been trembling—not from fear, but from solemnity.
He closed the booklet and looked at Xie Qingyan.
The morning light outlined the boy's quiet profile. His eyelashes were long, his nose straight, and his lips slightly pursed, exuding a restrained dignity even in his sleep. This soul, who had traveled from a thousand years ago, had, in the most clumsy yet pure way, lowered a lifeline into the deepest abyss of despair.
Jiang Ci reached out, his fingertips hovering above Xie Qingyan's cheek, but ultimately did not touch her.
He simply said softly, "...Idiot."
Then he got up and went into the bathroom.
The cold water splashed on his face, the biting chill bringing him back to his senses. His reflection in the mirror showed red, swollen eyes and a pale face, but his gaze was no longer empty. Something was re-forming within him—not hope, not courage, but something harder and more solid:
responsibility.
Since Xie Qingyan chose to jump down, it was his responsibility to help the two of them climb back up.
——
When Xie Qingyan woke up, she smelled the aroma of food.
He rubbed his eyes and sat up, seeing Jiang Ci standing at the door with a tray. On the tray were two bowls of white porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, and two boiled eggs.
"Awake?" Jiang Ci's voice was calm. "Have breakfast."
Xie Qingyan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay."
The two sat facing each other on the carpet and silently finished their simple breakfast. The porridge was a little mushy, and the pickled vegetables were too salty, but neither of them spoke.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Ci cleared away the dishes and then took out a file folder from his desk drawer.
As he turned to grab the file folder, Xie Qingyan spoke softly, as if finishing up a conversation from yesterday: "Jiang Ci, when I said 'to grow old together' last night, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was a well-thought-out choice, the first time I've done so in two lifetimes."
Jiang Ci paused almost imperceptibly in his back, without turning around, but the fingers holding the file bag tightened slightly.
“I know.” His voice was low, but exceptionally clear. “That’s why I dare to entrust my back to you.”
He placed the file bag in front of Xie Qingyan.
"What's this?"
"Information on Chen Jingming, Zhou Long, and those main rumor-mongers from back then." Jiang Ci's voice was flat, as if he were stating the known conditions of a math problem: "Family background, social media accounts, interpersonal relationships, and any possible leverage."
Xie Qingyan opened the file folder. Inside were thick printed documents, including screenshots, photos, and analysis notes. The handwriting was sharp and the organization was clear.
"When did you prepare this?" he asked, looking up.
“After transferring schools,” Jiang Ci said, “when I couldn’t sleep, I would look up these things.”
Xie Qingyan flipped through the documents. Tax irregularities at Chen Jingming's father's company, Zhou Long's past record of bullying in school, the true identities behind several key accounts involved in the cyberbullying...
"What are you planning to do?" he asked.
Jiang Ci looked at him, her eyes as calm as a frozen lake: "Before, I just wanted to avoid it. But now—"
He paused, and a hint of warmth finally appeared in his voice:
“You’re right. Victims don’t need to hide forever.”
Xie Qingyan closed the file bag and nodded: "I'll go with you."
When the two entered the classroom one after the other, the morning reading session had already begun.
Amidst the sound of students reciting their lessons, countless gazes swept over like searchlights—curious, disdainful, sympathetic, and gloating.
Jiang Ci walked straight to his seat without looking to the side, sat down, and took out his English book to start memorizing vocabulary. His demeanor was as calm as if nothing had happened.
Xie Qingyan sat down next to him and also took out a book.
But that tense, spying atmosphere enveloped them like a transparent membrane.
During break, Liang Ying hesitantly walked over and whispered to Xie Qingyan, "The school said they would deal with the forum posts. Is Jiang Ci alright?"
Xie Qingyan smiled at her: "Thank you. We're fine."
Looking at Jiang Ci's indifferent profile, Liang Ying hesitated, then sighed and went back.
An undisguised sneer came from Li Ming's side: "What are you pretending for? You've killed someone and you're still so calm."
Jiang Ci paused in turning the pages, but did not look up.
Xie Qingyan stood up and walked to Li Ming's table.
The classroom fell silent instantly.
“Li Ming,” Xie Qingyan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear, “you say you killed someone, do you have any solid evidence?”
Li Ming was flustered by his direct gaze, and forced himself to say, "Didn't it all say on the forum? Tang Li jumped off a building because of him—"
"Can anonymous accusations on the forum be used as legal evidence?" Xie Qingyan interrupted him, her tone still calm. "If you have solid evidence, please present it. If not, your remarks constitute defamation."
"I...I was just relaying..."
"Passing on unverified rumors and causing damage to someone's reputation is also a legal offense." Xie Qingyan looked at him, her eyes clear and sharp. "Do you need me to explain Article 42 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law to you?"
Li Ming's face paled, and he muttered "crazy" before turning away.
Xie Qingyan returned to her seat, and Jiang Ci said in a low voice, "There's no need."
“It’s necessary.” Xie Qingyan also lowered his voice. “From today onwards, we must refute every slanderous statement. Not for ourselves, but for Tang Li—he shouldn’t be used after his death, becoming a tool to hurt others.”
Jiang Ci remained silent for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement.
During their lunch break, the two went to the rooftop.
The wind was biting, but the view was expansive. The city skyline stretched out in the distance under the gray sky, like a silent pencil drawing.
Xie Qingyan spread out the materials prepared by Jiang Ci, and the two squatted on the ground, like generals strategizing a battle in front of a sand table.
“Chen Jingming’s weakness is here.” Jiang Ci pointed to a line of text on the printed document: “His father’s company had an environmental penalty record last year, but it was suppressed. If it were exposed, it would affect his father’s political and business connections.”
“Zhou Long,” Xie Qingyan turned to the next page, “He bullied a classmate who had a stutter when he was in junior high school, causing the classmate to drop out of school for half a year. The matter was settled privately back then, but the victim’s mother has evidence.”
“And these,” Jiang Ci pointed to several account IDs, “are the people who were the most vicious cyberbullies against Tang Li back then. Now some are minor internet celebrities, and some are company employees. If their real identities and pasts are exposed…”
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
Looking at the names and photos, Xie Qingyan suddenly asked, "Jiang Ci, do you hate them?"
Jiang Ci remained silent for a long time.
“I used to hate,” he finally said. “I hated so much that I thought every night about how to make them pay. But later… I couldn’t hate anymore. Hate takes too much energy, and I didn’t have any left.”
"And now?"
Jiang Ci raised his eyes and looked into the distance: "Now, I don't hate anymore. I just want justice—for Tang Li, and for myself."
Xie Qingyan nodded: "Then let's use legal means to make these people receive the punishment they deserve."
He picked up a pen and wrote down a few keywords on the paper: evidence collection, legal channels, academic self-proof...
As Xie Qingyan wrote "Public opinion reversed," Jiang Ci suddenly looked at him and said, "This matter may require your help."
Xie Qingyan looked up: "Me?"
“Your memory.” Jiang Ci pointed to a bunch of messy chat screenshots in the data. “These forged records may have flaws in their context, word choice, and even punctuation. Ordinary people would hardly notice them, but to you, they might be like reading a poorly written forgery full of holes.”
"Okay," Xie Qingyan said. "Isn't your father planning to intervene?"
When Jiang Cheng was mentioned, Jiang Ci's eyes turned cold: "He will only send me abroad."
“Then let him see that going abroad is not the only way,” Xie Qingyan said. “In the second mock exam, we need to do well enough—well enough that he can’t use the impact on his studies as an excuse.”
Jiang Ci looked at him: "Are you sure you want to come with me? This might affect your college entrance exam."
Xie Qingyan laughed: "Jiang Ci, don't you understand? From the moment I gave you the seal, your path is my path. Your college entrance exam is my college entrance exam."
The wind was strong, tousling their hair. But their gazes remained steadfast as a rock.
After school, Xie Qingyan went to work at Moyunzhai. Jiang Ci didn't go with him; instead, he went home—he needed to organize more detailed information and also needed to face his father.
But this time, he didn't lock the door.
Hsieh Ching-yen's phone vibrated while she was organizing ancient books in the bookstore.
Jiang Ci sent a photo: shards of a teacup that Jiang Cheng had smashed on the study floor. The caption read: [Negotiations have broken down.]
The second point follows: "But he agreed that if I maintain my previous grades in the second mock exam, I will not apply for international admission for the time being."
Hsieh Ching-yen replied: 【What rank can you get?】
Jiang Ci: [What rank do you want me to get?]
Xie Qingyan thought for a moment: [First.]
Jiang Ci: [Okay.]
A single word, yet it carries immense weight.
Xie Qingyan looked at the word "good" and a smile curved his lips. He took a picture of the copy of "Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified" that he was organizing and sent it over.
Caption: [Just as Song Ci redressed injustices in ancient times, so too do we.]
Jiang Ci replied quickly: 【Okay. Together.】
——
At 10 p.m., a long-dormant social media account suddenly updated.
The account name consists of only a period, and the profile picture is entirely black.
The content released was like a meticulously calculated bomb:
[Technical doubts remain regarding the "admission controversy" at Experimental High School and the Tang Li incident]
The article is extremely restrained, only presenting the most irrefutable point: through analysis of publicly available image metadata, it points out that several of the most widely circulated screenshots of chat logs, considered "conclusive evidence," show obvious signs of being digitally manipulated. It also includes clear technical comparison images and links to professional verification tools.
The article concludes: "Technology doesn't lie, but people's hearts do. This section only presents the facts. Whether it will be updated later depends on whether the parties involved continue to remain silent and whether the truth needs more voices."
The publisher set a restriction on reposting, but the impact of the technically solid evidence was too great, and the screenshots are still spreading rapidly in technical forums and small circles.
Almost half an hour after posting the message, Jiang Ci's phone vibrated with a text message from an unknown number: "[You know who you're angering by doing this.]"
Jiang Ci stared at the screen, his face appearing exceptionally pale in the cold light of the phone. He deleted the text message without replying.
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