For a while, the impression of the general public towards the a.s.sailant, Xue Guangxi, wavered when he posted a photo of him and Kang Sola beside the ill-intended one which initially put him into such public scrutiny.
However, there were some students, and spectators, who were skeptical of it.
"The post that he uploaded can only prove, or rather, disprove the authenticity of the photo with the censored girl. It does not address the grave claim that he a.s.saulted the poor girl."
"Yeah…"
"Agree…"
It was the truth anyway. Just after a day since he uploaded the post and the student body"s resolve wavered and went back onto condemning Xue Guangxi.
"That"s all he"s got?"
"It doesn"t acquit him. It"s actually not related to the main issue."
"Where"s the girl anyway?"
"Maybe she"s shy?"
"If you were her, will you show your face in public?"
"But then… what if Xue Guangxi really did not do it?"
"Huh! So problematic!"
Speculations after speculations erupted at each nook and cranny. For students who were bored with examinations and homework, it"s such a longed-for breather. Who wouldn"t enjoy gossips?
The sad part was that this particular gossip was so sensitive because it"s actually a crime punishable by law and even if it"s not, it could destroy a person and his future.
The university"s management had kept the issue from leaking outside. At least, that was their contribution to lull the matter. Xue Guangxi was still a VIP whose family they could not afford to offend if in case the accusations turned out false. Yet, they had to serve justice, too, for the girl. They were on a balancing act and because of this they had not given their official statement yet regarding the matter other than a request for the students to delete the photos and videos related to it, with the guise that that proper investigation forbids leaking of evidence, and that the police will also invite people who had copy of the files for questioning. It was enough provocation for the students to comply.
The next day after his first post, Xue Guangxi declared again that there"s another announcement during lunch.
Of course, the majority of the students waited for it and really stayed tuned.
In front of the cafeteria, a few minutes before lunch, the two best friends met up as per their daily routine.
"You have my support, Guangxi." Kang Sola raised her hand for a slight high five. Xue Guangxi clapped it with his own, then squeezed it momentarily.
"I know. It makes such a big difference just knowing the fact that there"s someone who stands by me and believes in me…" He shot her a meaningful, serious look. It was such a sticky stare that for Guangxi, would express more than his friends.h.i.+p.
Somehow it reached Kang Sola as her cheeks reddened involuntarily, but she snapped out of it pretty soon.
Kang Sola tapped him on his back gently as acknowledgment while they entered every busy and jam-packed cafeteria. Everyone did not show it but all of them were waiting for the announcement. They continued what they were initially doing – lining up for lunch, doing homework at the tables, reading books, playing with their gadgets, but individually they were checking the time and the campus website through their phones or laptops.
At exactly twelve noon, another post was uploaded from Xue Guangxi"s account. It seemed that the uploading was configured based on an enrolled schedule.
Xue Guangxi and Kang Sola quietly and calmly waited for the student body"s reactions. They did not line up to get their lunch yet; rather, they sat and lingered longer in their seats.
One after the other exclaimed their shock from the newest post.
"It"s the girl!"
"She came out!"
"How are you sure that it"s the girl?"
"From an initial a.s.sessment with the voice, I can a.s.sure you, the voices from the precious video and audio clips and the latest one – this one – are 100% similar!"
"I know her! It"s Li Baozhai!"
"She"s a former student here!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"Soph.o.m.ore year, Film student, Li Baozhai. But I heard she transferred schools!"
"Shh! The video isn"t done playing yet!"
As random students expressed their sentiments openly in the cafeteria, Kang Sola squeezed Xue Guangxi"s left hand with both her own two hands. Actually, she couldn"t help but grip really firmly.
Kang Sola was nervous for her best friend.
Xue Guangxi"s latest post was a video clip of the same girl, this time unfiltered, owning to the recent scandal, and retracting her first statement.
"Hi, My name is Li Baozhai." The girl in the video bowed down, but once in a while looked up at the camera. Her brows were arched invertedly – a sign of her unease and guilt. "I posted the video and audio files a few days ago about myself and Xue Guangxi. I…" She trailed off and fidgeted in the video.
"I would like to retract my first statement! I wasn"t violated. Instead, I was… I was… paid by a hefty sum by someone to attack Xue Guangxi…" Her eyes flickered in the video. "I agreed because I had a previous grudge with him. I got transferred because of him. Not… Not because of this incident. The incident did not happen at all. He didn"t invite me for drinks. He wouldn"t even spare me a glance, what more the attention to take me home."
"I have limited interactions with him…"
"You must all be wondering why I"m coming clean. I"m doing this because my conscience does not allow me to sleep at night."
"This is wrong."
"I"m wrong."
"If anyone should be condemned, it"s me… Not Mr. Xue Guangxi."
"I want to apologize!" After this last statement, she burst into tears.
The video ended there.
***
In a restaurant just around the university, the star of her own show, the girl, Li Baozhai sat across a middle-aged man.
"Mister w.a.n.g Xi Fu."
"Hmph." He grunted in disapproval. "You shouldn"t have asked me to meet up today."
"I"m only here to return the money. Here." She pushed a stout white envelope on the table towards the equally stout man.
"You"ll regret this!" He said as he s.n.a.t.c.hed the envelope with the money he initially paid the girl to do the act.
"What changed your mind?"
"My conscience."
"That"s bulls.h.i.+t."
"If I had not known, you received a better compensation for telling the truth and for taking the blame for all this c.r.a.p you created."
The girl pursed her lips. If it was the truth, she did not confirm either.
"Well, then, you"ll regret this." w.a.n.g Xi Fu said while standing up.
"No, you"ll regret this." The girl enigmatically thought in her mind while she stared at the disappearing silhouette of the stout man.
From a hidden corner, Butler Lee came out and occupied the emptied seat across the girl. "Mister, is that enough? I already did what you told me to do." The girl was fl.u.s.tered and started fidgeting the moment Bulter Lee appeared.
"You did well. We will take it from here." Butler Lee commended. "As agreed, we will not pursue any serious legal actions against you for the attempt to destroy our Second Young Master"s name and reputation. On top of this, we will allow you to start over in a province far away from here. Lastly…" Butler Lee dug into his suit"s inside-pocket and retrieved his phone. "…we have transferred the agreed amount into your account. You can check it here." He pa.s.sed his phone towards the girl. The online banking site had been on the screen already.
The girl accessed her account through the phone. As was what Butler Lee said, a figure double the amoung w.a.n.g Xi Fu offered was successfully reflected in her account.
"Our transaction ends here. Please do not forget that you have signed a contract with us, and will be bound by it for a lifetime. It only states that you are not allowed to speak about this incident to anyone in the future unless our team initiates and invites you and your cooperation, and second, you are not allowed to extort or ask for any additional compensation in any form for your partic.i.p.ation this instance."
"I know."
"Please tell him I"m sorry."
"The Second Young Master is forgiving. He will not have any grudge against you. He wants to say that you and he are even now. He might have inflicted some suffering to you when you got transferred, but please be reminded that it was just a consequence of you bullying our Miss Kang Sola. Now that you"ve got your revenge, you"ve inflicted our Second Young Master the same suffering, albeit for a few days only. With this current gesture of truce, and with the admission of your fault pertaining to the scandal, our Second Young Master would like to put everything behind."
"You are free to go now."
With that, the lady stood up gingerly, and then sped far, far away from the restaurant and from that place, without any plans of returning for a good few years.
Butler Lee called Xue Guangxi.
"Second Young Master, he took our bait. We just need to track him down."
"Good to hear, Butler Lee."
The girl, Li Baozhai, might be off the hook, but w.a.n.g Xi Fu was not.
His turn will come next.