Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day, Xin Nan had her things packed.

She wanted to pull me away from that place and leave.

However, Xin Nan’s grandmother took a firm stance, insisting that Xin Nan stay one more night.

She told me to leave first.

The old woman’s face, a map of deep-set wrinkles, stared intently at me.

The respect she had shown at the beginning was completely gone.

I had a faint feeling that this old woman seemed to know something.

But how was that possible?

Admittedly, I didn’t want this little old lady to expose my secret.

If she did, it would mean I would no longer have any leverage over Xin Nan.

The feeling of losing control was truly unpleasant.

But Xin Nan’s grandmother seemed to have found out anyway.

An old woman who had barely ever left her village.

She had taken up her cane and crossed thousands of miles to stand before me, claiming she wanted to seek justice for her granddaughter.

The old woman’s clouded eyes were exceptionally determined.

“Professor Jiang, I’m just an old woman who doesn’t know much, but I do know how important a woman’s virtue is.”

“Aren’t you afraid of retribution for forcing yourself on your junior?”

I sneered.

“Indeed, it’s precisely because I know how important virtue is to a girl.”

“That’s why I gave Xin Nan ample compensation when she gave her first time to me.”

“An offer from EZ is enough to support a glamorous life.”

“Old lady, I assume Xin Nan doesn’t know you’ve come to see me.”

“Because in the beginning, she was the one who crawled into my bed of her own accord.”

“The second time, it was her fiancé who sent her to my bed.”

“Tell me, we each got what we wanted. What’s wrong with an exchange of equal value?”

Xin Nan probably didn’t dare tell you any of this, did she?

The gaunt old woman trembled with agitation.

“You’re lying!”

“Whether I’m lying or not, why don’t you ask her yourself?”

“Your expectations for Xin Nan are too high.”

“Even if she works hard enough, she could never establish a foothold in this city of vanity and decadence on her own merit.”

“Instead of saying I’m the one pushing her, it’s more accurate to say you’re the one pushing her.”

“A pheasant gave birth to a pheasant, yet wants it to become a phoenix.”

“But a pheasant can’t become a phoenix; the pheasant has no choice.”

“She can only endure the phoenix’s bullying, stealing two of its feathers to stick in her own head.”

“All of it is just to satisfy the old pheasant.”

Xin Nan’s grandmother left the school, her face ashen.

She happened to run into Xin Nan, who was rushing over to pick her up.

The two of them supported each other as they gradually walked away into the distance.

I watched their retreating figures.

To be honest, it was hard to say who truly destroyed Xin Nan.

My wife walked into my office.

Her eyes were fixed on me.

It was a long time before she spoke.

“Jiang Sheng, enough is enough.”

“Don’t drive people into a dead end.”

I smiled with an air of indifference.

“Whether it’s a dead end or a broad highway is really hard to say.”

I continued to maintain a very close relationship with Xin Nan.

Every time she wanted to resist.

I would ask her:

“You’ve finally made it this far. Are you going to give up?”

“Are you going to take your grandmother back to the countryside?”

Each time, Xin Nan could only bite her lip and endure it.

The turning point came on a sweltering afternoon.

I had just finished with Xin Nan and was heading downstairs when I happened to run into the old woman who had come to the office to bring her lunch.

The moment she saw me, the lunchbox slipped from her hands, shattering on the floor. Her face turned deathly pale as she stared at me, unable to utter a single word.

I gave her a polite smile and took my time strolling out of the lobby.

That very night, Xin Nan’s grandmother committed suicide.

Xin Nan told me about it with eerie calmness. She said her grandmother’s final words before she died were:

“As long as the kite-flyer remains, the string will never break.”

“My dear granddaughter, I want you to live your life unburdened.”

After Xin Nan hung up, I felt a strange sense of irritation. It felt like the calm before a storm.

Sure enough, the next day, Xin Nan posted about me sexually assaulting her online. However, it failed to gain any traction. There were far too many people whose interests were tied to mine. I didn’t even have to lift a finger; others moved to suppress the news for me.

But Xin Nan was like a rabid dog, tireless and unrelenting. She insisted on suing me.

My irritation grew. Xin Nan still didn’t understand me well enough. As long as my interests aren’t at stake, I can be the most refined, gentle professor. But once they are touched, I don’t mind becoming an executioner.

In this society, there are plenty of things that exist outside the rules. It’s no exaggeration to say that with a single phone call, I could make sure Xin Nan met with an “accident.”

Everything was set to be seamless, but what I didn’t expect was for my wife to step into the fray.

With thunderous efficiency, she gathered evidence of every filthy thing I had done over the years and handed it all over to Xin Nan. Furthermore, she made it clear: anyone who dared to intervene would be making an enemy of her.

My wife’s reputation in the industry is no less than mine. No one was willing to protect a man with a ruined name if it meant an open confrontation with her.

Before long, I was defeated.

On the day of my sentencing, my wife came to see me. I looked at her features and asked, “Why?”

“I always thought you loved me enough.”

My wife sneered. “I did. I loved you enough that I even did the most disgusting things for you.”

“But how did you repay me?”

“You looked down on me for half a lifetime.”

“You cheated. I could have forgiven all of that. But your greatest mistake was letting things escalate to this point.”

“I’ve maintained a good reputation my whole life. I don’t want to be dragged down by you and have my name destroyed in my old age.”

I closed my eyes. “Heh. I see it clearly now. You never loved me at all.”

“When you were young, you wanted me to pull you up as I climbed. The moment I became even a slight threat to you, you cut your losses, sacrificing me to preserve your own reputation.”

“In the end, you’re the biggest winner. You lived in comfort for half a lifetime, and in the end, you played the hero by turning in your own family. A masterful move.”

My wife said nothing. She simply turned and walked away.

Life is like a game of chess, but it’s truly hard to say who is the piece and who is the player.