Chapter 7: The Truth

After the police were called, Liu Wei was taken away by the police the next day.

Lu Yuxi accompanied Zhang Meng to the police station to assist with the investigation.

Upon arrival, a female officer led them to stand in front of a computer. She played a video obtained from the hotel.

“According to the surveillance footage, this young man was the one who saved you,” the officer said, pointing at a young man on the screen.

“How could it be Yang Fan?”

Seeing Yang Fan appear in the surveillance video, both women were stunned.

“You know him?” the officer inquired.

“He’s my husband,” Lu Yuxi replied with a forced smile. Exhausted by the recent events, she hadn’t taken the divorce agreement to the civil affairs bureau for official stamping. By all accounts, she and Yang Fan were still legally married.

The next scenes showed Liu Wei and another man fleeing the room, only to be kicked away by Yang Fan.

As the footage in the room played, Zhang Meng was completely frozen in shock.

Under the effect of the drug, she was helplessly caressing herself, occasionally letting out alluring moans.

Next, Yang Fan was seen placing his hand on her navel, and then finally leading her away from the hotel.

“Yang Fan saved me,” Zhang Meng murmured blankly.

“According to Liu Wei’s confession, the drug he used was extremely potent—it could only be dispelled through intercourse,” the female officer said, her face full of doubt. “But how did this young man help you recover?”

At that moment, Zhang Meng finally understood: it was Yang Fan who had rescued her.

Yang Fan wasn’t a rapist. He was a good man.

Yet she had called him scum, trash, a beast, a perverted rapist.

Her cheeks burned with shame, and she wished she could slap herself.

Yang Fan hadn’t taken advantage of her; instead, he had concentrated on calming her down.

Recalling how harshly she had cursed him that day, Zhang Meng’s heart twisted in pain, overwhelmed with regret.

She felt utterly wretched, realizing she had falsely accused Yang Fan and berated him mercilessly.

On that day, Yang Fan must have been heartbroken.

As these thoughts flooded her mind, tears spilled down Zhang Meng’s face.

“Cousin, it’s all my fault. I wronged Yang Fan,” Zhang Meng cried out, her sobs wracking her body.

Staring at the surveillance footage, Lu Yuxi was already in tears.

She had wronged Yang Fan, even slapped him that day.

Remembering the deep, lingering look in Yang Fan’s eyes as he left, her heart shattered.

Yang Fan wasn’t a monster; he was innocent. He had saved Zhang Meng.

But she, Lu Yuxi, was the true villain—a woman who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

At this moment, she felt as though breathing was impossible, her heart aching as if pierced by a needle.

She dared not imagine Yang Fan’s feelings as he left that day; he must have felt deeply wronged.

She bitterly regretted not listening to his explanation.

If she had only allowed him to speak, none of these misunderstandings would have happened.

When she married Yang Fan, she thought he was unworthy of her, detested him, and opposed him at every turn.

But now, it seemed she was the one unworthy of him.

Yang Fan, I’m sorry!

It is I, Lu Yuxi, who does not deserve you.

Lu Yuxi’s tears flowed endlessly, her chest tight as if she could not breathe.

“It’s all my fault, all because of me. If you want to blame someone, blame me,” Zhang Meng said, hugging Lu Yuxi as she wept bitterly.

Everything had started because of her; everything was her fault.

She felt immense guilt, believing her cousin had suffered too much.

“The pendant…”

Remembering the discarded pendant, Lu Yuxi dashed out of the police station, running towards Zhang Meng’s home.

That day, in her rage, she had thrown away the pendant Yang Fan gave her.

It was the only birthday gift Yang Fan had given her.

Now, it was infinitely precious and could not be lost.

Upon returning to Zhang Meng’s home, Lu Yuxi frantically searched the trash bin.

No matter how hard she looked, the pendant was nowhere to be found, as if it had vanished.

“Zhang Meng, where did you throw the pendant?” Lu Yuxi grabbed Zhang Meng’s arms, desperate.

“Cousin, I haven’t taken out the trash,” Zhang Meng replied.

“That’s impossible—I clearly threw it in the bin, and now it’s gone. You must have thrown it away,” Lu Yuxi said, agitated.

“Cousin, I really haven’t taken out the trash. The bin has been untouched,” Zhang Meng said, aggrieved.

Lu Yuxi searched the room, rifling through everything, but the pendant was not there.

She was certain she had thrown it there, and Zhang Meng insisted she hadn’t taken out the trash—so why was the pendant missing?

“Cousin, this is the backpack Yang Fan left behind,” Zhang Meng said, holding out a bag.

Lu Yuxi snatched it at once.

She was sure it belonged to Yang Fan.

She opened it and looked through its contents.

Inside, she found several receipts.

“Why did Yang Fan have a bone marrow transplant?” Staring at the bone marrow transplant agreement, Lu Yuxi was stunned.

As she went through the documents, she discovered Yang Fan had received three million yuan for the transplant.

She examined the other receipts and realized they were for medicinal herbs.

After calculating, she found Yang Fan had spent two million nine hundred and fifty thousand on the herbs.

Zhang Meng, having looked through the receipts, frowned. “Why did Yang Fan buy so many expensive herbs?”

At that moment, Lu Yuxi understood everything—Yang Fan hadn’t stolen any money.

Then her phone rang.

It was her brother, Lu Tianhao.

When she answered, what he said struck her like lightning.

The fifty thousand in the drawer had been stolen by her brother.

Only just now had he returned the money to her drawer.

Her phone slipped from her hand and shattered on the ground.

“He didn’t steal the money. I even took the last fifty thousand from him. Why did he have to be so foolish?” Lu Yuxi stood dazed as tears poured down her face.

She had wronged Yang Fan, taken the last of his money.

At this moment, she felt like a malicious woman—someone who couldn’t tell right from wrong.

She raised her hand and slapped herself hard.

“Cousin, don’t do this. It’s all my fault,” Zhang Meng hurried over to stop her, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

“I have to find him, apologize to him in person. I don’t want to get divorced,” Lu Yuxi cried out, breaking free and rushing out like a woman possessed.

Zhang Meng followed closely, afraid something would happen to her cousin.

They searched everywhere they could think of, but Yang Fan was nowhere to be found.

At last, they went to search the park.

They looked all day, but still found no trace of him. Lu Yuxi was physically and emotionally exhausted.

“Cousin, it’s getting dark. You should go home and rest,” Zhang Meng said worriedly, seeing how haggard Lu Yuxi looked.

“Yang Fan, where are you?” Lu Yuxi cried out, her voice raw, tears streaming down her face once more.

She had lost count of how many times she had wept that day.

Her heart was tormented by regret.

Seeing her cousin so heartbroken, Zhang Meng was consumed by guilt.

Passersby, watching Lu Yuxi’s desperate cries, assumed she was suffering from a broken heart.

Zhang Meng spoke softly, “Yang Fan may have left Jiangcheng.”

The moment she heard Yang Fan might have left the city, Lu Yuxi’s emotions surged and she fainted.