Finding The Perpetrator

When she got home, Jiang Shen returned to her bedroom with lightning speed, not caring at all that her aunt had been calling her from the kitchen once she heard the front door creak.

Changing out of her uniform, she applied ointment on her cheeks as she sighed. Tomorrow would be the weekend. Again.

To settle the issue asap, it seems that she could only go on the student forum and confront the perpetrators themselves.

Would they even listen? Jiang Shen pondered deeply about it. There was not exactly any rush, since her reputation has already been questioned. It's not as if she did speak up about it on the forum is that everyone would immediately believe her words.

Not when she's being portrayed as a... sort of slut, going by such vulgarity spewed by the students.

"Never mind, i'll just wait until Monday comes," she muttered under her breath.

Just in case, Jiang Shen had already sent a message to Ling Wenzhen and the Dean to notify them of the recent rumors. To deal with it, she would have to confront the issue at the morning ceremony, held on the first day of the week every week.

Ling Wenzhen didn't have any qualms about agreeing, he even seemed a little expectant at the thought of Jiang Shen finally revealing her otherwise sharp tongue and dripping sarcasm to the public.

The dean, on the other hand, curtly agreed, as if not at all bothered by the issue. One would think that he did not care about her at all, such that he won't even speak up about it. However, the dean had been aware of Jiang Shen's communication skills.

Her sharp tongue paired with sarcasm had been perfected through the years she's been living with the Jiang family. Pain and humiliation had been made to be disguised as humor. While her eyes had been masked so well she had to applaud herself for mastering such skills.

Looking down at her scarred arms, filled with cuts and bruises, Jiang Shen sighed as she threw herself on the bed.

Feeling frustrated again for an odd reason, she buried herself in the sheets with the sheer amount of pillows, wallowing in her depressive state.

When the weekend came and Jiang Shen looked like a total wreckage when she parted with her bed, she decided to call out Qing Yao for a lovely chat.

Judging by their previous conversations, it didn't seem as though he was as busy as she had expected him to be. He had time to hangout with his friends and enjoy himself(?)

The bags under her eyes, her red nose, and swollen eyes didn't do justice to her pretty face. To remedy it, Jiang Shen cooled down her eyes with a cold pack then a heat pack.

For her red nose that almost made her resemble Rudolph, well... she would have to do with wearing a mask temporarily. Changing into casual clothes, she told the Nanny where she would be going and practically tiptoed out of the house.

After the slap she received two days ago, her grandfather hadn't bothered to show up in meals or more specifically — in front of her. It was a relief for her. When winter officially starts and the end of the year exams end, Jiang Shen would take the opportunity to visit her mother.

Even if she was living quite far from them.

Jiang Shen grabbed her bike and sped out to their meeting place. The café on sixth avenue, which was usually full of people, were practically devoid of any customers as she walked in the front door.

The door chime rang, prompting a young man dressed in simple clothes to look up from his phone. His poker look did not hide the expectant eyes displayed on his face.

His foot tapping signified how anxious and guilty he felt for the way things have turned out. Seeing the victim in the flesh standing there with a mask on her face ignited a wave of pity within him.

"You're early," Jiang Shen beamed as she sat down on the velvet chair opposite of him. "Are you that excited to see me?"

She hid the way her body practically creaked at every movement she made as she forced herself to act naturally, her gloomy aura masked by her jubilant voice.

Qing Yao's frown deepened at the thought of her acting natural. /Surely she would've been affected by the recent condemnation she received?/. His assumptions would later prove to be wrong.

"You wanted to see me. Here I am."

A boring reply, which Jiang Shen expected. She curled her lips upwards. "Good morning to you, too."

A laptop was in front of Qing Yao. It was as if he had already expected her to reach out to him, making Jiang Shen's heart warm at the thoughtful gesture.

If only she knew the truth...

"I'll help you."

"You will?"

Qing Yao nodded as he opened his laptop, his slender and delicate hands made Jiang Shen marvel at the way he swiftly typed away on his keyboard.

/His hands are so delicate and slender compared to mine./Jiang Shen looked at her rough hands with calluses, worn down by the constant use of instruments and manual labor she did in school.

"So how will you help me?"

She had no knowledge about computers. It was best to not get ahead of herself by dealing with it herself.

Qing Yao already knew how to help her. Granted that he already knew who the perpetrators were. He was almost able to collect evidence of their blackmailing but let it slip through his fingers when he failed to attend the after party.

It was only then he realized he wasn't helping at all. He only made it worse. By temporarily siding with the enemy, he delayed the time he could've informed Jiang Shen of the problem and dealt with it swiftly.

Instead he tried to be the hero who wanted to save the damsel in distress. A horrible move on his part. Although it has affected Jiang Shen's reputation, because the perpetrators have already made their move, then it would be easy to find their traces.

"I'll track the anonymous account's IP address."

"Like, the thing that reveals where you're located?"

"Yes."

"But what if the perp posted at a computer shop? How will we find them?"

"We'll ask the manager for the surveillance footage."

"Oh..."

Because she was bored, Jiang Shen ordered drinks for the two of them and obediently watched as Qing Yao continued to concentrate on his laptop.