71. Inspection of the Perfect Victim
It was nearly dawn when Ling Ling and Yu Chuanbei returned to the hotel. They fell asleep together, Yu Chuanbei holding her, assuring her that everything would be fine. He tossed and turned for half the night before finally falling into a deep sleep. Ling Ling pulled out of his embrace, leaning against the headboard, staring blankly out the window at the shadows drifting in the distance. She tried to recall every detail of her time with Lin Kun, replaying the entire incident. She tried to find some clue that her neglect had led to the assault; she tried to find some slip of the tongue that had precipitated the assault. But she couldn't comprehend it, especially not how she could be mistreated after being assaulted. This continued until dawn, the first rays of sunlight streaming onto the bed. Yu Chuanbei slowly opened his sleepy eyes to see Ling Ling, her haggard form leaning against the headboard, staring blankly out the window. He sat up and tried to touch her hair, but as his hand touched her shoulder, she immediately curled up in shock. He read the sadness and helplessness of being violated in her frightened eyes, so he stopped touching her and said in a low voice, "Ling, try not to think about what happened last night. I will never let Lin Kun go, but don't waste any more energy on this matter. It doesn't deserve to affect the rest of your life." Ling Ling's sad eyes filled with tears, and she said to him in a trembling voice, "But now no one believes me, and I've been reflecting on myself. I've always regretted it. It's been so long since we've seen each other. Even if we were old classmates, there should be a transition period in getting to know each other. I shouldn't have been so enthusiastic about him so quickly, and I shouldn't have gone out with him alone. Was it because I seemed too frivolous that he thought I could violate him at will? I'm also someone who likes to joke around. Did I say something wrong that he misunderstood and thought I was teasing him? Yu Chuanbei, last night in the locker room, and before that, you and I were at the Olympic Sports Center... Do you think I really did something to seduce him? Did I play with ambiguity and go too far?" Yu Chuanbei smoothed down the messy hair at her temples, then stroked her cheek and said to her solemnly, "Silly girl, of course I don't miss you that much! And I certainly wouldn't apply the intimacy between us to that kind of scumbag. I repeat, you've done nothing wrong. You've always been very respectful and graceful in your interactions with any member of the opposite sex. I trust you more than anyone else, and you can't doubt yourself. The tactics he and that rogue lawyer used last night were their usual tactics: to mentally suppress us, break down our psychological defenses, and cause the victim to...
It was almost dawn when Ling Ling and Yu Chuanbei returned to the hotel.
They fell asleep together, Yu Chuanbei holding her, telling her everything would be fine. He tossed and turned for half the night before finally falling into a deep sleep. Ling Ling pulled out of his arms, leaning against the headboard, staring blankly out the window at the shadows drifting in the distance.
She tried to recall every detail of her time with Lin Kun, replaying the entire incident. She wanted to find some clue that her negligence had led to her being assaulted; she wanted to find some slip of the tongue that had triggered this assault. But she couldn't comprehend it, and even more so, she couldn't understand why, after being assaulted, she was still being treated in such a distorted way.
They endured like this until dawn. The first ray of sunlight shone on the bed. Yu Chuanbei slowly opened his sleepy eyes, but saw Ling Ling leaning against the head of the bed, looking out the window in a daze.
He sat up and wanted to touch her hair, but as soon as his hand touched her shoulder, she immediately curled up in fright.
He read the sadness and helplessness of being violated in her frightened eyes, so he stopped touching her and said in a low voice, "Ling, try not to think about what happened last night. I will definitely not let Lin Kun go, but don't waste any more energy on this matter. It doesn't deserve to affect your future life."
Ling Ling's sorrowful eyes were filled with tears, and she said to him in a trembling voice, "But now no one believes me, and I've been reflecting on myself. I've always regretted it. We haven't seen each other for so long. Even if we were old classmates, there should be a transition period in getting to know each other. I shouldn't have been so enthusiastic towards him so quickly, and I shouldn't have gone out with him alone. Was it because I seemed too frivolous that he thought I could invade him at will? I'm a person who often likes to joke around. Did I say something wrong that he misunderstood and thought I was teasing him? Yu Chuanbei, last night in the locker room, and before that, you and I were at the Olympic Sports Center... Do you think I really did something to seduce him? Did I play with ambiguity and get too excited?"
Yu Chuanbei smoothed down the messy hair on her temples and stroked her cheek, saying to her solemnly, "Silly girl, of course I don't miss you that much! And I certainly wouldn't use the intimacy between us to project onto that kind of scumbag. I'll say it again, you haven't done anything wrong. You've always been very well-mannered and graceful in your interactions with any member of the opposite sex. I trust you more than anyone else, and you can't doubt yourself."
The tactics he and that rogue lawyer used last night are their usual tactics. They're designed to mentally overwhelm us, break down our defenses, create a victim-like mentality, and stop us from pursuing him. Their tactics are so deftly executed, I'm sure he's a repeat offender. We can definitely find his weaknesses and find an alliance. Right now, I hate him as much as you do. I just can't defeat him for now, but rest assured, I'll make him pay tenfold or a hundredfold in the future. No mercy!"
The hatred accumulating in Yu Chuanbei's eyes struck her as unfamiliar. She even felt a ferocity in them, a willingness to perish together. A new worry gripped her, and she dared not dwell on it.
"No, Chuanbei, I don't want you to help me pursue this matter anymore." She held his arm. "In the script they wrote, they mocked and humiliated you, and I don't want you to go through that. Besides, isn't Lin Kun's company still your client? I'm afraid this will have a negative impact on your work. I didn't help you at all by accompanying you this time, and I don't want to cause you any more trouble."
Yu Chuanbei sighed helplessly, held her hand tightly with his warm palm, and said, "If this happened to your mother, sister, or daughter, would you trust her unconditionally and do everything you can to help her?"
"certainly."
"Then I feel the same way as you do now."
Yu Chuanbei asked several lawyer friends in New York, and the answers he received were similar to those he had received that night. Ling Ling didn't want to waste any more time. She just wanted to return home and leave this place.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
After returning home, Ling Ling went to work at Tuowu without even adjusting to jet lag, desperately tackling the backlog. The intense workload became her island of safety. The evil she feared whizzed around her like a speeding modified car. The threatening danger swirled around her, yet she could only pretend her island was a fortress, the terror only unleashing itself late at night. Every night, she would return home exhausted, drifting off to sleep, only to wake up in the wee hours of the morning.
Tired of the dark patterns on the gray curtains, Ling Ling got up and walked to the rocking chair on the balcony to curl up.
"Aren't you cold?"
Yu Chuanbei's complaining voice appeared in their ears, and then he sat over and wrapped them both tightly with a thick velvet blanket.
"Did I wake you up?" Ling Ling said apologetically.
"No, I can't sleep either, so we can sit together for a while." He smiled gently at her.
Ling Ling buried herself in his arms gratefully and said sadly, "I just had a dream. I dreamed that I was walking naked on the street, trying to find a place to cover my body, but there were Western-style buildings on both sides. I felt very scared. I didn't know what was inside and didn't dare to go in. Then Lin Kun appeared. He laughed at me, insulted me, and threatened me. He then turned his insults into slogans and called on everyone on the street to shout them together... But I couldn't make a sound, no matter how hard I screamed... Then I woke up."
Yu Chuanbei felt her sobbing and hugged her tightly, hoping to give her a sense of security.
Just as he was about to say words of comfort, she suddenly broke free from his arms: "Oh, I remembered it! He must have put drugs in the water! At that time-" Ling Ling quickly recalled several details of the time in his mind, and then said like a possessed person: "After we finished practicing boxing, he handed me a bottle of water, and the water was already unscrewed. He kept urging me to drink water, but I only took a sip. Later in the locker room, I accidentally spilled the water. When he sneaked in, the first question he asked was whether I had drunk water. When he found out that I didn't drink the bottle of water, he immediately stopped, but later my words provoked him again, so he attacked me again. This must be the case, Chuanbei, this must be the case!
Sadly, I didn't realize it that night. I was so dizzy and in so much pain that I didn't realize I'd been drugged. I wish I had gotten a blood test that night."
After the momentary excitement, Ling Ling became even more distraught. Her shoulders slumped and she fell into a dark vortex again.
Yu Chuanbei embraced her again, gently rocking the chair, and said in a soothing voice, "Lin Kun dared to violate you so brazenly, and then calmly handled the matter afterward, which shows that he must be a repeat offender. All the methods he used on you are probably ones he has practiced many times. So don't bother thinking about these things anymore. It will only make him hurt you more. I'm here for you.
Think about the good things happening around you, like: our relationship is so good; we and our family and friends are healthy, and we're slowly moving closer to our ideal lives. No matter how bad things are, they're just a small part of your life. So, make an appointment to meet up with Hao Shengnan and the others tomorrow, and then come with me to meet my family during the Spring Festival. Seeing everyone together will make all your worries go away. The people you hate now and the public opinion you fear are the least important people in your life. Stop torturing yourself over them, okay?
Ling Ling nodded meekly in his embrace. He continued to rock the chair gently, the two of them nestled in the spacious chair, like an old married couple who had grown close through the years. His warm embrace was the safest island for her, where she could wander or just lie back and relax. His body wrapped around her, and she felt peaceful and grounded.
Ling Ling slowly fell asleep. Yu Chuanbei hadn't seen her sleep so soundly in a long time. It seemed she was really too tired. He carried her back to bed, covered her with the quilt, and then walked out, tiptoeing to close the door.
He walked into the study, checked the time, and made an overseas call.
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