By the start of November, another mind-blowing rumor spread. This time it happened not in the socialite circle, but in Xue Guangxi"s university. It was a voice recording of a female student who was "confessing" a crime that was done to her. From what could be made from the statement in between the sobs, it was a form of an a.s.sault.
And that a.s.sailant was…
Xue Guangxi.
Or so it was implied.
It was the start of another headache to the Xue family.
One pleasant morning in autumn, as Xue Guangxi alighted from his car, students both male and female around him turned their heads towards him and whispered with one another.
"It was him."
"Yeah."
"He looks innocent… Yet it appears he"s a wolf in sheep"s clothing... Who would have thought…"
He could hear bits of the murmurs yet he could not decipher the meaning behind such condemnation. It was unnerving.
Xue Guangxi fetched his phone from his pocket with the intention of starting a mobile game just to divert his attention. He walked with his peripheral vision taking over while his main focus was on his mobile phone.
Then he received Kang Sola"s message.
"Are you at the uni yet? Go straight to the hideout." It said. He replied with an "okay."
The hideout was actually a botanical garden of some sort. Because other students were not really interested in nature, no one frequented the place. It became such a pleasant haven for the two.
Xue Guangxi arrived there in no time.
"Do you know what"s happening, Xue Guangxi?"
"Why are you calling me in my full name? No, I don"t know. What"s the matter?" A heartbeat skipped its usual rhythm. He was nervous.
"I managed to get a copy. Actually, it"s not that hard to get a copy. It"s everywhere."
"What?!"
Kang Sola operated her phone, pressed the play b.u.t.ton and then handed it to him.
At first, there was just nothing but the sound of statics. Towards the middle, sobbings of a girl were heard, with a mix of statements. It said, "I… I… trusted him… because… because… he looks good-looking and he was so nice to me…*sobs* He was joking and stuff…*sobs* *sobs* He bought me drinks… *sobs* But then…"
Intense sobbing came.
"But then… I… I lost consciousness… The next thing I remembered, I woke up… woke up…. *sobs* *sobs* *sobs* n… n-naked…"
*sobs**sobs**sobs**sobs**sobs*
"I didn"t know where I am… but G-Guangxi… I mean… him… he was nowhere too… at first, I thought I was alone. Turned out he was just inside the bathroom… When he came out I panicked…"
"He… he…*sobs* *sobs* He violated me…"
The voice recording was cut short.
Xue Guangxi was furious.
"It"s a lie!!!! IT"S ONE h.e.l.l OF A G.o.dd.a.m.n LIE!!!" He went berserk. Kang Sola hurriedly s.n.a.t.c.hed her phone away from his hand, afraid that he will smash it onto the ground.
It was an understatement if Kang Sola admitted that Xue Guangxi was terrifying.
"I know, I don"t believe it." She breathed softly as she grabbed Xue Guangxi"s arms and alternately rubbed and tapped his back with her other hand. "Calm down, Guangxi. As I thought, you still haven"t heard about it yet. The news was all over the dormitory this morning… The slip of your name, I think it was… premeditated."Xue Guangxi pulled down his collar, momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his eyes were red with such murderous glare. He looked into the horizon or else he was afraid Kang Sola might get scared of his countenance at the moment if he looked at her.
In truth even if he was looking away, his aura was enough to make Kang Sola shudder with fright. But then, Kang Sola stood strong and continued pacifying him by rubbing his back.
"Calm down, Guangxi. It"s not true anyway. I"ll help you clear your name." She stopped rubbing his back. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him and nestled her head on his shoulder.
Xue Guangxi freed one arm from Kang Sola"s hug and placed it onto the back of her head. "It"s not true, Sola. It"s not true."
"You have your doubts too, aren"t you?" He painfully confronted her.
She bit her lower lip. "I don"t think you can do it, though..."
They were engulfed in such a painful silence.
In her mind, "I don"t know... No, he couldn"t have done it... He said so himself... He"s not a liar..."
In his mind, "Why am I always at the receiving end of such atrocity?!" He thought helplessly as he stared far at the horizon.
"Why always me?"
Xue Guangxi"s heart had not fully recovered from the previous huge, devastating blow the past years ago...
Here comes another blow...
"Is adulting this difficult and complicated?" His dark gloomy bloodshot eyes faltered with such lack-l.u.s.ter fate.
Kang Sola started investigating. "Maybe someone wants to set you up. Do you have someone in mind who harbors enough grudge against you? Have you offended anyone?"
"I can"t think of anyone. I"d like to think that I always try to be kind and friendly to everyone..."
"Unless..."
He sprung on his feet and rushed towards the exit of the lush botanical garden.
"Where are you going?" Taken aback, Kang Sola rushed after him hurriedly. "I"m going with you! Guangxi, wait!"
Both of them skipped cla.s.s.
As they spoke and went outside the university, further development worsened the situation. A censored video of a girl telling the same confession was released over the campus website. Photos of Guangxi together with a girl whose face was censored leaked at the same time. It was disseminated rapidly at a blink of an eye.
The best of friends were still unaware of it.