Chapter 7

Online Harassment

“You! How come you’re only waking up now?! Have you seen the news? Ye Shuwan committed suicide!” Ke Siyu’s voice through the phone speaker was so loud it made Lin Qianyou’s ears ring, instantly waking her up.

In disbelief, she opened Weibo. Ye Shuwan, who had some fame, was trending, and her suicide was one of the top search results.

Lin Qianyou stared at the news for a long time, still in shock. She couldn’t believe that the usually arrogant and domineering young lady would actually commit suicide.

Why would she do that? Wasn’t she fine yesterday? Is it because I took her role…?

Lin Qianyou felt a wave of panic, and more than that, a sense of guilt. If it really was because she took her role, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life. It’s just one role, not like she can’t live without it. If Ye Shuwan really wanted it, Lin Qianyou would gladly give it to her, but why would she take such an extreme step?

There was no reply on the phone for a long time. Ke Siyu was getting impatient and said, “You, open the door for me later. I’ll come over right now.”

After a long pause, Lin Qianyou replied faintly, “Okay.”

She opened the comments section of the news. Most of the comments were expressions of sympathy, but there were also a few malicious remarks, which were quickly attacked by “enthusiastic netizens.”

Lin Qianyou skimmed through a few comments but lost interest and returned to WeChat to open Ye Shuwan’s Moments. Every photo she had posted was glamorous and confident, showing that she was a very optimistic and positive person.

But… why would she suddenly do something so extreme like commit suicide?

Lin Qianyou turned off her phone and walked weakly into the bathroom to freshen up. It was only then that she realized Qi Shanglan’s toothbrush and cup were left here.

She grabbed a plastic bag to pack them up, planning to return them to the police station later, along with her own clothes.

After freshening up, there was a knock on the door. It was Ke Siyu.

Lin Qianyou walked over to open the door, but Ke Siyu looked even more anxious than she had over the phone.

“You! What were you doing just now? Why didn’t you reply to my messages?!”

“I was brushing my teeth. What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you see Weibo? Your comment section is blowing up! Netizens are saying you’re the one who drove Ye Shuwan to suicide!”

“What?”

Lin Qianyou snapped awake again and hurried into her bedroom to check her Weibo.

She wasn’t very famous, but she did have a few thousand followers. However, overnight, those followers turned into her haters, and the comment section was full of insults and accusations:

Murderer! You’re the one who made Ye Shuwan commit suicide!

You must have bribed the director, otherwise, how could you get that role?

The hotel surveillance video clearly shows you went into the director’s room. Isn’t that selling yourself?

Exactly, and it shows the police took them away, there’s definitely something shady going on.

—

Lin Qianyou could no longer bear to look at the comments. She never expected things to escalate like this, and she definitely didn’t expect to be harassed online because of Ye Shuwan’s death.

But she was innocent. She had only followed the normal audition process. She didn’t bribe the director, nor did she sleep with him. Ye Shuwan’s death had nothing to do with her.

“Qianyou…?” Ke Siyu called her cautiously, “Stop reading the comments, they’re all just fair-weather people who don’t know anything and are talking nonsense.” She snatched Lin Qianyou’s phone and turned off the screen.

Lin Qianyou remained stunned for a moment, slowly raising her head with an unsteady voice, “Siyu, what should I do…?”

Hearing her voice crack, Ke Siyu hurriedly comforted her, “What should you do? There’s nothing you need to do. You didn’t cause her death, so why are you scared? Just eat, drink, and live your life. After a while, when the heat dies down, it’ll be fine.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Ke Siyu interrupted, “Don’t let this get to you. Ye Shuwan had her own issues, and it’s not your fault. You need to calm down, prepare for your new role, and prove to those netizens that you earned it with your own talent.”

Lin Qianyou didn’t say anything more. She just nodded lightly, absentmindedly.

—

At the Yongning Street Police Station in Yangcheng, Qi Shanglan pushed open the glass door and walked in with a paper bag.

He Chuanan, who was sitting at the front desk, called out “Brother Shanglan” as he saw him and smiled knowingly, sizing him up.

Qi Shanglan responded and then placed the bag on the front desk, sipping his soy milk as he said, “Do you remember the few people we arrested last night?”

He Chuanan grinned, “Of course, how could I forget someone as good-looking as you?”

Hearing this, Qi Shanglan frowned and shot him a glance, but He Chuanan didn’t seem to notice and continued, “Brother, what were you doing with her last night?”

“What do you mean, what was I doing?”

“Don’t pretend! That Lin Qianyou, didn’t you ask her out to talk? I even saw you both getting into a cab together!”

“Oh, her? We didn’t do anything.” Qi Shanglan said as he bit into a steamed bun.

“Didn’t do anything? I thought you were planning to live a life of celibacy, but who knew you’d make a move so quickly, you’ve only just met and you’re already talking?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. We didn’t do anything, we just shared a ride.” Qi Shanglan gave him a side glance. “By the way, this is hers. She said she doesn’t know when she’ll come to the station to pick it up, and I might not be here when she comes. If you see her, make sure to give this to her.” He tapped the bag.

“What’s this? Did she lose something again?” He Chuanan asked, curious to open it, but Qi Shanglan ruthlessly pushed him away.

“Don’t open girls’ things without permission. Have some decency.”

He Chuanan: “…”

Just then, Captain Zhang came out of the office and casually asked Qi Shanglan, “What were you doing sneaking out last night? Didn’t even show up for your shift.”

He Chuanan was about to respond but was silenced by a warning glance from Qi Shanglan, afraid to speak.

Qi Shanglan sat down in his seat and casually said, “Nothing, just tired. Went home to sleep.”

As soon as he mentioned being tired, Captain Zhang became unhappy and started lecturing him: “Look at you, how many times have I told you to play fewer games and stay up late less? But you just don’t listen, now look, you’ve worn yourself out!”

Qi Shanglan smiled and deliberately said, “Isn’t being on duty staying up late?”

“That’s not the same! Being on duty is serving the public!”

Qi Shanglan smiled again, not responding, and continued eating his bun.

Captain Zhang walked up to him, suddenly sighed, lowered his voice, and said seriously, “Shanglan, stop buying breakfast outside every day. The food outside can’t be as healthy as home-cooked meals. To be honest, your dad contacted me these days and asked when you’ll come home to live. Hmm? When are you going back?” Captain Zhang patted Qi Shanglan on the shoulder.

He lowered his head, said with no emotion, “It depends on my mood. It doesn’t matter whether I go back or not. It’s the same with or without me.”

“You child! How can you say that! That’s your dad! What do you mean it’s the same with or without you? Don’t hold a grudge against him. Your dad has it tough too. He’s been grooming you to take over, planning your life step by step. But you insist on becoming a narcotics officer. Do you think he can accept that?” Captain Zhang, seeing that Qi Shanglan was casually eating his bun, took it away from him and continued to advise, “Your dad is doing this for your good. Being a narcotics officer is dangerous, and he’s worried about your safety. But there’s one thing I disagree with him about: you can still be a police officer. Just stay here at our station, don’t think about becoming a narcotics officer. Anyway, the main thing is, stay safe.”

After speaking, Captain Zhang returned the bun to Qi Shanglan and added, “Go home. There’s no place like home.”

Qi Shanglan responded with a faint “Hmm.”

What bothered him more wasn’t this, but the words Qi Dongjun said to him that day—that he had wasted so many years raising him, and he should never have adopted him in the first place.

Qi Shanglan chuckled bitterly to himself and continued eating his breakfast.

—

Ke Siyu was worried that Lin Qianyou would be upset alone at home, so she accompanied her out for hot pot at noon. She even ordered a cup of milk tea and asked Lin Qianyou if she wanted some, but Lin Qianyou refused, saying she just wanted to drink alcohol.

Ke Siyu knew she was feeling wronged because of the online abuse, so she gave in and ordered a bottle of alcohol for her.

However, later on, Lin Qianyou kept drinking bottle after bottle, finishing three in total. By the end, she was crying uncontrollably between sips.

The reason was that she couldn’t resist posting a Weibo saying that she didn’t steal Ye Shuwan’s role, and that Ye Shuwan’s suicide had nothing to do with her. The comment section exploded, and of the ten comments, nine and a half were all insults, with the most hurtful things being said.

Lin Qianyou always thought she had good emotional resilience, but when she became the target of online abuse herself, she truly felt how innocent and helpless she was.

So, during this meal, Lin Qianyou cried while eating, and Ke Siyu comforted her while eating. By the time they finished, it was already four o’clock.

Ke Siyu originally planned to send Lin Qianyou home and then take a taxi back, but Lin Qianyou said she had something to do at the police station, so she told Ke Siyu to go ahead and leave.

When Lin Qianyou arrived at the police station by taxi, Qi Shanglan was out on duty. She was wearing sunglasses, and when she entered, He Chuanan didn’t recognize her at first.

She walked up to the front desk, her voice still shaky from crying, “Hello, I’m looking for Officer Qi.”

He Chuanan frowned and scanned her up and down, and after a moment, he recognized her as Lin Qianyou. He then asked, “You’re Lin Qianyou?”

“Mm.”

“Shanglan’s not here, but this is something he asked me to give you.” He Chuanan handed her the bag.

Lin Qianyou took it, then placed the bag she was holding on the desk. She adjusted her sunglasses and said, “This is his, please give it to him. Thank you.” With that, she left.

After Lin Qianyou left, she casually hailed a taxi. She was originally heading home, but she changed her mind at the last minute and told the driver, “Take me to Yongye Bar, please. Thank you.”

He Chuanan watched her retreating figure with some confusion. Was she… crying?

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t think much of it. Then his eyes landed on the bag she left on the desk, and curiosity got the better of him.

It’s not good to look at a girl’s things, but a guy’s things should be fine, right? With that thought, he secretly opened the bag when no one was looking and glanced inside, only to find a toothbrush and a cup.

“Damn!”

—

When Qi Shanglan returned to the station, He Chuanan was angrily pointing at him. He didn’t dare to yell at him directly, so he expressed his dissatisfaction with his expression and gestures.

“Shanglan, you’re something! You had me fooled all this time. You’ve already moved in with her and still say there’s nothing between you!” He Chuanan scoffed, pointing at the bag on the desk. “How could you make her cry? Now look, she’s been kicked out!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Are you performing a skit or something?” Qi Shanglan walked over, opened the bag, and saw the toothbrush and cup lying inside. He finally understood what He Chuanan was getting at.

But he didn’t understand—what did he mean by making her cry? Did she cry?