Chapter 52: Seeking Yi, Part Two

Gu Yao had actually tried to persuade Yi Xun before to stand up and fight back. But that was easier said than done. First of all, there was no concrete evidence, and no physical harm had been inflicted, making both police reports and lawsuits useless.

Exposing the matter online had crossed her mind too, but that would also be a form of secondary harm to Yi Xun. Public opinion could be a formidable weapon; once her appearance was exposed, her subsequent life would inevitably be plagued by gossip and pointing fingers. Given how fragile her emotional state had always been, only a quiet life could aid her recovery.

In the end, they had chosen to endure it in silence. They had originally hoped this would bring Yi Xun a measure of peace, but now it was clear that all her previous tranquility was merely a superficial illusion. As long as the inner knot remained un-untied, it would eventually erupt one day.

And this Xiao Mingsheng was the root cause of it all. As long as he continued to swagger through the music industry, Yi Xun would remain trapped in this state of depression.

For Yi Xun, the psychological impact of this incident far outweighed the physical one. Because she had managed to escape quickly at the time, Xiao Mingsheng had not gained the upper hand in the slightest; however, his subsequent shameless behavior had caused Yi Xun to lose all hope in the world.

When wicked people escaped appropriate punishment and instead strutted about with arrogance, continuing to pressure their victims without a shred of remorse, right and wrong seemed completely inverted. It naturally inspired a sense of despair and helplessness, making it nearly impossible for anyone to maintain a carefree and happy state of mind under such circumstances.

"Let's step forward and expose him. The internet is so developed now; we must use the power of public opinion to demand justice. As long as you agree, I can help you with all the subsequent steps. It's not that hard, it's actually quite simple—all you need is to make up your mind."

Hearing no response from Yi Xun, Gu Yao repeated herself, her tone remaining exceptionally firm.

She had to do something, or else Yi Xun's life would truly be ruined. She would spend the rest of her days under the shadow of depression, never knowing happiness again.

This conviction grew clearer and clearer in Gu Yao's heart, but for now, all she could do was wait, since Yi Xun was the person directly involved.

Yi Xun remained silent throughout, occasionally letting out soft, muffled sobs, her lips pressed tightly together as if waging a fierce internal battle.

After about five minutes, she finally raised her head, looked at Gu Yao, paused, and said, "I tried to slash my wrists three days ago. My mind was all fuzzy at the time, and I didn't know what was wrong with me. I felt an uncontrollable urge to die, so I went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. I made a shallow cut on my wrist just to see how much it hurt, and right then, your phone call came through."

Gu Yao gripped her hand tightly, a wave of profound emotion washing over her.

At the time of that call, she had been in the car. Su Yu was driving, while both Su Zhou and Gu Zisheng were asleep in the back seat. Even she herself had been feeling drowsy, yet for some inexplicable reason, she had suddenly snapped awake from her half-asleep state. Then, thinking of Yi Xun out of nowhere, she had grabbed her phone and dialed the number.

This must be what they called a telepathic connection. After being close friends for so many years, the two of them still shared a certain bond.

If she hadn't made that call back then, would she have ever seen Yi Xun again? She didn't even dare to imagine it.

Yi Xun's palms were slightly damp as she continued her account, "Actually, it didn't hurt much—just a sort of numbness, accompanied by a strangely liberating sensation in my body. If it hadn't been for your call, I almost would have cut deeper. But the moment I heard your voice, I snapped back to reality, dropped the knife, ran back to my bedroom, and locked the door tightly."

As she spoke, tears began to stream down her face again. "Yaoyao, I don't want to be like this, but my body simply won't listen to me. I always find myself doing these things involuntarily."

Gu Yao patted her back soothingly and said in a gentle voice, "I know. You're just sick, and we'll go to the hospital for treatment."

"Alright, I'll go," Yi Xun replied submissively, letting out a long breath as if having finally made up her mind. "I'll listen to you. I'm going to expose Xiao Mingsheng and let everyone see his true colors."

"I'm glad you've come around; I'll help you," Gu Yao said, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

Having talked so much, Yi Xun was feeling rather tired, and since her physical health was subpar to begin with, Gu Yao urged her to go to the bedroom to sleep for a while. Gu Yao sat nearby to keep watch, and once she heard Yi Xun's breathing grow steady and deep, she stepped outside. Staying close enough to monitor any movement inside, she took out her phone and contacted the hospital's psychiatrist to schedule an appointment.

Next, she reached out to Su Yu. Knowing he was likely in a company meeting at this hour, she refrained from calling and instead sent him a text message, informing him that she needed to accompany Yi Xun to the hospital and might not have time to see him.

Concerned about Yi Xun's mental state, she paused to think before deciding to stay overnight at Yi Xun's place as well, and accordingly sent another text to Su Yu to let him know.

Yi Xun slept for over an hour, and her rest was relatively peaceful overall. When she woke up, Gu Yao took her straight to the hospital to see the psychiatrist.

The psychiatric department at Mingxi Hospital was quite renowned, and Yi Xun had previously received psychological counseling there, making her quite familiar with the doctors.

The doctor who received them was a female physician in her forties with extensive experience. Upon hearing about Yi Xun's condition, the doctor fell into a brief contemplation. She asked Gu Yao to step outside for a private discussion before prescribing some medication, including the antidepressant drugs that had previously been discontinued.

While hospitalization for observation was initially recommended, Yi Xun showed a strong resistance to hospitals. To protect the patient's emotional well-being, it was decided that she could return home to recuperate. Naturally, she could no longer continue working at the bar, so Gu Yao called on her behalf to request a week-long leave of absence.

By the time all these errands were finished and they returned to Yi Xun's apartment, it was already past seven in the evening. After making sure Yi Xun took her medication, Gu Yao sat down on the living room sofa, wondering whether she should order delivery again.

There were hardly any ingredients in the kitchen, and besides, even if there were, her cooking skills were far from suitable for preparing a meal.

At that moment, her phone rang. She answered in a hurry, and Su Yu's voice came through from the other end, "Have you made it back? Send me your friend's address."

"Why? Are you coming over?" Hearing his voice instantly lifted much of the day's heaviness from her heart. She softened her tone and asked with a smile.

"Mhm," he acknowledged, then added, "I found a private-kitchen restaurant and packed some food to bring to you."

Delighted by the news, Gu Yao said, "I'll hang up then, send you the address, and you better hurry up and get here!"

She had grown thoroughly tired of delivery food and was just fretting over what to eat.

Yi Xun emerged from the bedroom, and upon hearing her phone conversation, she smiled and asked, "Talking to Su Yu?"

"Yeah, he wants to come over in a bit. Is that okay?" Gu Yao turned to look at her, asking for her approval.

"Sure, your boyfriend is coming over, of course I'm welcome," Yi Xun replied with a nod.

Gu Yao and Su Yu had been dating for a while, and she had previously invited Yi Xun out to dinner with them, so Yi Xun was quite familiar with Su Yu and genuinely happy for her friend to have found such an exceptional man.

Su Yu arrived an hour later. When Gu Yao opened the door to let him in, the man was dressed formally in a crisp black suit, carrying several bags filled with takeout containers in his hands.

Gu Yao gave him an appreciative smile, stepped forward to take the bags, arranged the dishes on the dining table, and fetched the chopsticks before inviting Yi Xun over to eat.

The sudden presence of a tall man in the apartment made Yi Xun somewhat reserved; she merely greeted him and then remained mostly quiet. Urging Yi Xun to eat first, Gu Yao pulled Su Yu over to the balcony and gave him a gentle, brief hug around the waist.

"Are you holding up alright?" The man asked softly with a smile, running a hand through her long hair.

"I'm a bit tired," she admitted honestly. Thinking of Yi Xun's situation, her eyes reddened slightly, and she tugged at his sleeve. "I need to talk to you about something later, but I have to get Yi Xun's permission first."

When the two of them returned to the dining room, Yi Xun was still sitting quietly by the table without touching her chopsticks.

Assuming she had lost her appetite again, Gu Yao asked, "What's wrong? Don't you feel like eating?"

"No," Yi Xun shook her head, "I wanted to wait for you two to eat together."

Gu Yao pushed Su Yu toward the restroom so they could wash their hands, and afterward, they all sat down to share the meal. Outside, the sky had turned pitch black, but the lights illuminated the living room, casting a warm and cozy glow over the space.

As she lowered her head to eat, Yi Xun recalled how, just a few days ago when she was completely alone, the apartment had felt utterly empty without a single sound around. It had felt like the end of the world, leaving her stranded on a deserted island with not even the desire to turn on the lights, forcing her to sit in total silence and darkness.

Indeed, profound loneliness could exert a devastating influence on a person's emotional state.

After dinner, Su Yu stood up to clear the table, heading into the kitchen to wash the dishes and brew some tea, while the two women sat on the sofa to chat.

Feeling bad about letting a guest do the chores, Yi Xun tried to go and help, but Gu Yao firmly held her back. Since Su Yu usually handled such tasks whenever they were together, she had long since grown accustomed to it and now accepted it with complete peace of mind.

Turning to look at Yi Xun, Gu Yao lowered her voice and asked, "I'd like to tell Su Yu about this so he can help us brainstorm some ideas. Is that okay? He has a lot of social experience, and he won't go around spreading the news."

Expecting Yi Xun to hesitate, Gu Yao was surprised when she nodded almost immediately without a second thought. "It's fine. Anyone you trust, I trust as well. Handle it however you see fit. I've already made up my mind—even if my real face is exposed on the internet, it doesn't matter anymore."

"There's no need for that; we'll do our best to protect your privacy," Gu Yao reassured her, patting her hand with a shake of her head.

When Su Yu came back out, Gu Yao called him over to sit down and recounted the entire matter as concisely as possible.

Throughout the explanation, Su Yu listened with rapt attention. There were no superfluous expressions on the man's face; he simply acted as a focused listener, betraying no sign of pity or sympathy.

Once she finally finished speaking, he remained in deep thought for a moment before offering his proposal, "A person like Xiao Mingsheng cannot easily change his core nature. I believe he will likely target other women around him in the future. Therefore, I suggest that before we go public, we should try to find other victims and gather solid evidence. Only then can we pin him to the pillar of shame once public opinion is mobilized."