Chapter 355

Chapter 355

◎No One Here Is Innocent◎

When Ji Nanxing walked out of the police station, he saw Du Wenxian standing at the entrance. His brother and father weren’t around—they must have already left.

Seeing him come out, Du Wenxian quickly approached. “Nanxing, right? Everything was so chaotic earlier that I didn’t even get a chance to say hello properly. My dad told me what happened—thank you. If it weren’t for you, I’d be a goner today.”

Ji Nanxing replied, “As long as the outcome is good, that’s all that matters.”

Du Wenxian scratched his head sheepishly. “Am I the kind who won’t listen until it’s too late in your eyes?”

His dad had actually called him, telling him to stay home and not go out, but he thought his dad was just overreacting. If those bodyguards hadn’t rushed in at the last second, that knife would’ve hit him—it was terrifying to think about. If he’d just listened and stayed home, maybe none of this would’ve happened.

Ji Nanxing didn’t want to comment further. Very few people actually heed warnings from others; most find such advice baffling.

Once, a Taoist walking down the street noticed a man with a deathly aura. After reading his fortune briefly, the Taoist stopped him on the spot and warned him to cancel all plans and not go out that night.

The man cursed him out and stormed off.

That evening, his friends invited him for drinks, and he went. They drank until late and parted ways, but instead of heading home, he inexplicably walked in the opposite direction. The next morning, an early-rising sanitation worker found him dead in an abandoned construction site—he had tripped and fallen onto a steel rod that pierced his back.

The incident made local news because the family and the friends who had invited him out ended up in a fight over blame. When the Taoist saw the news, he posted it in their group and sighed, saying he had tried to stop the man from going out.

Sometimes, no matter how hard someone tries to help, certain fates are unavoidable.

Ji Nanxing looked at Du Wenxian. “Did you wait here just to tell me this?”

“No,” Du Wenxian shook his head hastily. “I wanted to thank you. And… I’m also curious. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. I know there are Taoists in the world—in my home country, there were shamans, but despite all their hocus-pocus, they had no real power. Just chanting prayers, performing rituals, and splashing blessings. So I was wondering… what are the Taoists like here?”

“Just like everyone else,” Ji Nanxing said. “It’s getting late—I should go.”

“I’ll drive you,” Du Wenxian offered.

“No need,” Ji Nanxing declined. “I’ve got a ride.”

With that, he crossed the road and climbed into the car his older brother had arranged for him.

Du Wenxian didn’t insist. He watched Ji Nanxing drive off before heading home himself. Maybe after a few more meetings, they could become friends. Having a Taoist friend would definitely come in handy—he could finally buy lucky charms and talismans that were actually the real deal.

Ji Nanxing filed a report with the authorities, requesting an investigation into Ding Ran. Given Su Zhe’s condition, Ding Ran had the strongest motive.

While Ji Nanxing was still investigating, footage of the incident had already been uploaded online by those who recorded it.

The Youth Music Competition was a high-profile event within the music industry, but outside that circle, few had heard of it. However, once the assault happened, the competition gained sudden notoriety—and so did Su Zhe.

People picked apart Su Zhe’s background: his years competing since childhood, recitals held since age fourteen, his accolades, his past, and the harsh realities he had no control over yet still felt guilty about.

“Losing once made him snap and try to kill someone. Luckily, he was caught before anyone got hurt. If someone this unhinged were allowed to grow unchecked, wouldn’t he become a killer who vents rage through murder?”

“It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle losing—it was that losing wasn’t an option. Losing this one competition meant losing everything.”

“His aunt seems pretty awful too. Just because he lost one match, she threw him out. She’s the real reason behind his mental issues.”

“In a high-pressure, unstable environment long-term, anyone might break. But Su Zhe was the one who committed the crime. Even if his aunt caused his breakdown, there’s no way to hold her responsible.”

“From Su Zhe’s perspective, he lived as a dependent, always feeling insecure. From his aunt’s son’s perspective, his own mother’s attention was hogged by someone else—who was showered with praise, hailed as a genius since childhood. Now Su Zhe has snapped, and her son probably barely speaks to her anymore. What goes around comes around.”

“What goes around? She hasn’t paid any price. She’s not the one in jail, not the one left scarred. She’s still a rich housewife—she hasn’t lost a thing.”

Su Zhe had his communication devices confiscated and made no attempt to hire a lawyer for bail. He knew exactly what awaited him once the incident at the award celebration spread—he’d be facing more than just online ridicule, though even that might be the best-case scenario.

He could already imagine the torrent of abuse from netizens, how they’d say he deserved it, that this was retribution for stealing what wasn’t his—even someone else’s mother.

And his future—whether he went to prison or not—his music career had hit a dead end. He couldn’t go around explaining to everyone that he hadn’t meant to kill anyone, that he wasn’t in his right mind, that he was controlled. Even if he tried, no one would believe him. Hell, if he weren’t the one involved, he wouldn’t believe it either.

He instinctively braced for the worst possible outcome, only to realize that the worst wasn’t so unbearable after all. When he was forced into isolation, cut off from the outside world and unable to hear or see the scorn and insults, he found an unexpected sense of peace.

There was no going back. The moment his aunt looked at him with the kind of disgust reserved for trash and told him to get out, their relationship had shattered beyond repair. And now, with this incident on top of it…

Su Zhe thought, if he ended up facing legal consequences for attempted murder, then so be it—he’d serve his time. If he got out, he’d liquidate his assets, move abroad to some quiet, slow-moving town, and never return.

The worst had already happened. What else was there to fear?

Unaware of the outside world, Su Zhe didn’t know that the public reaction wasn’t as universally hostile as he’d imagined. In fact, the internet’s fury had landed squarely on his aunt.

Even Mrs. Ding hadn’t anticipated that after Su Zhe’s violent outburst, she would be the one facing the brunt of public outrage.

She was baffled and furious. Over the years, she’d poured endless effort into Su Zhe—everyone knew how money-draining the arts were. Those masterclasses didn’t come cheap—or easy. She’d even cashed in the last of her father’s connections, personally begging renowned instructors to take Su Zhe under their wing.

She’d never bowed her head to anyone in her life, yet for Su Zhe, she’d played the servant, fetching tea and favors, even leveraging her husband’s connections to secure opportunities.

And what had Su Zhe done? Couldn’t even win a paltry competition like the Youth Music Competition. He was no genius—if he were, with her backing, he’d have shot to stardom as a prodigy. She’d only scolded him in frustration, and he’d cracked under the pressure, committing such an act.

And now the internet was blaming *her*? For what? For hiring top-tier tutors? For spending her wealth and energy raising Su Zhe like some aristocratic prodigy? She hadn’t even put this much effort into her own son! How dare they judge her!

The Ding household was in chaos because of Su Zhe. Netizens mocked them as a family of “a domineering mom, a ghost dad, the forgotten child, and the nephew they broke.”

At that moment, the “ghost dad” was at home, simmering with anger—though he never raised his voice or turned red with rage. He was a cold man by nature, married only because society expected it, and a father only because his business needed an heir.

When his wife failed to provide stability and instead brought scandal to his doorstep, Mr. Ding’s solution was divorce.

They’d signed a prenup, so he wasn’t afraid of her resistance. A man determined to divorce had ways to force it through.

Mrs. Ding, faced with her husband’s indifference, finally snapped. She smashed everything within reach, screaming, “You blame *me*? How dare you! You accuse me of dragging the Ding name through the mud, of driving Su Zhe mad, of neglecting Ranran—but what have *you* ever done for this family?!”

Mr. Ding found her outburst absurd. What had he done? If he’d done nothing, would they be living in luxury? Would she have had the money to turn her nephew into a musician? Would they be in a mansion, with Ding Ran living carefree?

Their son was a failure, her nephew a disgrace, and now the whole world was laughing at them. And the woman he’d married—once slender and graceful—was now as bloated as a pig and just as volatile. The fact that he’d stayed faithful all these years was already more than she deserved.

Seeing the disgust in her husband’s eyes, Mrs. Ding felt as if she’d been plunged into ice, trembling uncontrollably.

She didn’t understand how things had come to this. She’d only wanted to salvage both her marriage and his love. She thought that if she raised an exceptional child, one who earned global acclaim like her father had, her husband would turn his attention back to their family.

She’d chosen a talented child to nurture—it wasn’t as if she’d abandoned her own son. He was her flesh and blood; of course she cared. But with private drivers and tutors handling everything, what else was there for her to do besides occasionally check his grades?

How had everything become her fault overnight?

Mr. Ding had no interest in arguing. “I’ve already scheduled an appointment. Once the waiting period ends, we’ll finalize the divorce. If you refuse to cooperate, I’ll file legal proceedings. And don’t expect me to overlook the assets and funds you’ve wasted on the Su family—I’ll reclaim every cent.”

With that, he left. Mrs. Ding hurled a half-shattered vase after him, shrieking, “You’re not human! You’re a *monster*!”

Even as her voice tore raw with fury, the man walking away didn’t look back.

As Mr. Ding stepped outside, he spotted the young man lounging on the porch swing. He frowned, about to speak, but swallowed his words. Instead, he said, “Go talk to your mother. Even if we divorce, it won’t affect you. You’re my son—my only son. Everything I have will be yours.”

Ding Ran let out a derisive laugh. “Oh, so I should thank you?”

Mr. Ding disliked his son’s slack demeanor, but he had an international video conference to attend. With a final disapproving glance, he got into his car and left.

Ding Ran swayed on the swing, his eyes darkening as a black mist slowly gathered within them. His smirk twisted into something colder. They were all rotten.