Ai Yiwei was quite active, appearing very familiar with the professors attending the gathering, chatting and laughing, eating and drinking.
She overheard the girl next to her mention that one of the professors was notoriously strict, a "living閻王" (yán wáng - king of hell) in the school.
This professor's subject often saw more than half the class fail. Passing his course meant graduation itself would be a problem, let alone obtaining a degree.
At the time, Gu Susu was a freshman and unaware of this professor's reputation. However, she heard from the girl who knew Ai Yiwei that Ai Yiwei had failed his class and was trying to get him to be lenient and give her a passing grade of sixty. This was why she was so eager and engaged.
Gu Susu hadn't expected that Ai Yiwei, who always claimed to have excellent grades at home, would also have failed a course and resort to such social maneuvering to pass.
Because she sat aside, not participating in the eating and drinking, and was idly chatting with that girl, she learned that Ai Yiwei's grades were actually not good, and she often failed. She didn't know by what means she always managed to get the professors to let her pass.
This surprised her even more. Ai Yiwei noticed she wasn't joining the meal, so she came over with a wine glass, thrust it into Gu Susu's hand, and pulled her out of the corner.
Gu Susu, not wanting to embarrass her publicly, could only repeatedly emphasize that she didn't drink. However, everyone at the table kept pouring her wine, saying she'd get used to it with practice.
With no other recourse, she drank a few cups, and her head started to feel fuzzy. Before long, she lost consciousness.
When she woke up, she found herself lying on a bed in a guest room, barely clothed, with blood everywhere.
She still held a fruit knife in her hand, and the professor, known as the "living閻王," lay dead in a pool of blood beneath the bed.
At that moment, she could sense that she had been violated, but she had no memory of the knife in her hand or how the professor had ended up dead with multiple stab wounds.
Terrified, she threw the fruit knife aside and began to cry, holding her head, constantly asking herself what had happened. What had happened!
Soon, police officers burst into the room and arrested her.
Afterward, she learned that someone had reported a murder in the room she was in, which was why the police had arrived so quickly.
Later forensic examination found her fingerprints and those of the victim all over the room, and her fingerprints were also on the fruit knife.
The police also extracted evidence from her body indicating she had been assaulted by the victim. The prosecution reconstructed the truth of the incident.
After getting drunk at the banquet, the victim had taken her back to his room and had relations with her.
Whether she had consented was difficult to determine from the residual traces on her. Then, for some reason, they had a violent argument, and in a state of incomplete consciousness, she had mistakenly killed the victim with the fruit knife.
And she, who remembered nothing at the time, also felt that this must be what had happened.
Seeing that she didn't respond, Xiao Anjing continued with a pained expression, "That was Tianyi's birthday. We were celebrating for him in Chenxi Town. He drank too much, went into the wrong room, and things happened that shouldn't have with a girl. That girl was you."
"It was me? This... how is this possible?" Gu Susu felt a headache coming on. "I don't remember anything about that night. No matter how hard I try, I can't recall it."
Xiao Anjing quickly said, "Miss Gu, you don't need to dwell on the past. Tianyi and I have already verified this matter for you, and there is absolutely no mistake."
"Are you saying the person with me that night was Qin Tianyi?"
"Yes, so you didn't kill anyone by mistake. You were framed and wrongly accused. We can help you overturn the verdict."
Gu Susu stared blankly at her hands. So she hadn't killed anyone. Her hands were clean, and she was clean!
"Is it still useful to overturn the verdict now? Three years, three years... my youth can never be recovered."
Xiao Anjing said regretfully, "What has happened cannot be undone, but the past injustice should be cleared. This is also Tianyi's wish. He was working on this for you before his accident."
"Oh." Gu Susu felt an indescribable emotion. "So he was clearing my name."
Xiao Anjing then took out a bank card from his bag and handed it to her. "What I said earlier was just what I wanted to tell you personally. This bank card is what Tianyi asked me to give you."
"I don't want his money. Take it back." Gu Susu refused to accept it.
Xiao Anjing insisted on putting it into her hand. "This money isn't Tianyi's. It's rightfully yours."
"Mine? My salary from Mishang is always deposited into my account on time."
"It's not your salary. It's your share from your winning work being commercialized after you participated in an international competition a long time ago."
Gu Susu held the bank card and recalled something. "I did participate in a competition a long time ago and received an award notification and prize money. How could there be a share?"
Xiao Anjing explained, "When Tianyi investigated your background, he inadvertently discovered that you had won an international award for a design. He negotiated with the international brand that was interested in your work as your husband and agent, securing substantial benefits for you. He has been keeping this money saved in this card, untouched."
Gu Susu's eyes welled up. She hadn't expected Qin Tianyi to have done so much for her behind the scenes.
"He didn't want me to know, so why is he having you give me this card now?"
Xiao Anjing hesitated, unsure how to convey Qin Tianyi's exact words. He paused, wanting to organize his thoughts better to make them more palatable.
"Tianyi said the money in this card is enough for you to raise the child to adulthood, for you to take good care of this child, and to stop doing demeaning work. From now on, you will no longer need to see each other. You will be quits, and each can live their own life in peace."
Gu Susu's eyes widened, unable to believe Qin Tianyi would have him relay such words.
"These are not his words. He wouldn't let go like this."
Xiao Anjing stood up and said, "Miss Gu, I've delivered the message I was asked to. Whether you believe it or not, this is Tianyi's intention. He's letting go. He has let go of you and this child."
Gu Susu immediately tried to follow him. "I want to go with you to see Qin Tianyi and have him tell me himself that he's letting go and never wants to see me and the child again."
Xiao Anjing said to her helplessly, "Miss Gu, why are you putting yourself through this? Isn't this what you wanted? For Tianyi to let you go so you could live the life you desire?"
"I..." Gu Susu was suddenly speechless. Xiao Anjing was right. She had always wanted Qin Tianyi to let her and the child go.
But now that Qin Tianyi was letting go so readily, she found it hard to accept.
"Goodbye." Xiao Anjing said, preparing to leave the hospital room.
Gu Susu, however, stopped him and asked, "This isn't right. Does Qin Tianyi have some unspeakable difficulty?"
Xiao Anjing shook his head. "He is recovering, and everything is fine."
"But... but he was injured because of Little Star. I can't abandon him at a time like this. I have to go take care of him until he fully recovers."
Xiao Anjing sighed. "Miss Gu, there's no need. Tianyi is not lacking in care."