Tao Ruiming stared at the screen, and after reading just two lines, he realized that the report was about He Xu and his sister old case.
His tone instantly turned cold, and without another word, he hung up the call. Staring at the chat interface, a surge of anger rose within him, and he cursed at the phone, "Are you insane? Using this to get close to me?!"
Still feeling unsatisfied, he sent a voice message with two crisp words: "Get lost!"
He switched to a web browser app and started looking up keywords.
Due to the age of the case, he couldn't find the original news article even after scrolling through two pages and lost patience. Remembering that the author of "Several Cool Autumns" had mentioned that the reporter covering the case back then was someone named Han, he guessed it was this person.
Han Songshan didn’t mind his insults and kept sending messages. His wording was polite and calm, without a trace of condescension despite being an elder.
Han Songshan: "The current situation won't just go away because you ignore it. Back then, your father entrusted me to report on the case without any compensation because I felt deep sympathy for your family’s plight."
Han Songshan: "You were young then, maybe you don’t remember. You lost the battle of public opinion. Your father didn’t want your sister to suffer from others’ words and chose to take a step back and not mention it again. It was a great and difficult decision. But this doesn’t resolve grudges. Look, ten years have passed, and now they’re using the same tricks. Mr. Tao Xianyong has just died, and his reputation is being severely damaged."
Tao Ruiming initially wanted to block him, but after reading these messages, he hesitated.
In the past few days, he had heard countless insults and discrimination, both overtly and covertly. From within Guangyi Company, his schoolmates, and anonymous netizens online. Everyone talked about his deceased father like an unworthy object, with no respect for life or condemnation of the killer.
He masochistically read through all the online comments, watching various netizens slander his father while those who defended him were insulted and attacked.
It felt like some people were born morally superior, while he was born inferior, not even deserving of mourning.
Tao Ruiming couldn’t understand. Just half a month ago, his father was a respected elder. His name was on donations at the school, and letters of gratitude from the people he had helped came to their home. He lived in a harmonious, affluent world wrapped in goodwill.
Yet overnight, everything turned upside down. He was crushed under a giant, overturned mountain and didn’t even know what had happened.
Even Tao Siyue didn’t believe in their father’s innocence. When he indignantly suggested suing some of the netizens, she had looked at him with a dark, obscure gaze, telling him not to cause trouble.
Now, every word Han Songshan said, whether true or not, hit his deeply wounded heart.
He wanted to listen. He needed to listen.
He retracted his finger, looking at the chat interface where "the other party is typing" appeared, waiting for the next message.
Han Songshan: "[Link: Several Cool Autumns' homepage] You might have seen this account. The author is skilled, mixing nine parts truth with one part lie to make the lie believable. He’s successfully smeared your father and won’t spare your family."
Han Songshan: "Just wait and see. He’s mainly investigating He Xu’s old case now. Next, he’ll say I was arrested by He Xu and held a grudge, so I falsely accused him of molesting Tao Siyue. He’ll claim it was a trap set by me and Tao Xianyong."
Traffic started moving slowly. Tao Ruiming’s car was stuck in the middle, and the drivers around him kept cutting in, causing the cars behind to honk angrily.
He quickly followed the car in front, found a gap, and temporarily parked by the roadside.
Surrounded by people rushing for their livelihoods, the sky was a pale gray, with no heavy clouds, yet the light seemed blocked. Travelers moved through the dusky evening with bowed heads, their numb faces carrying numerous worries.
Feeling lost, Tao Ruiming picked up his phone again. The other person had typed a long message, filling the small screen.
Han Songshan: "This person can access internal police files. The investigation on your father’s case just ended, and he immediately published his article. You probably know who’s behind this."
Han Songshan: "I’m sure you have a sense of whether the police maintained fairness and justice in their announcements and investigation of your father."
Han Songshan: "Your father went from a respected philanthropist to a despised rapist. Decades of good deeds ended with him being murdered and posthumously slandered. As his son, you must feel something."
Han Songshan: "If I said there was no one orchestrating this, would you believe me?"
The other party stopped typing, seemingly waiting for him to respond.
Tao Ruiming hesitated for a moment and then typed a reply.
Tao Ruiming: "Do you have any evidence?"
Han Songshan: "Heh, in this era of clickbait, public opinion usually involves internet trolls. Check the comments under that article. Aren’t the top comments deliberately manipulated?"
Han Songshan’s words seemed earnest.
He sent a voice message, the regret and sighs in his voice sounding genuine.
"I used to be in media, so I know this better than you. It pains me to see how those who hold the pen have turned out today."
The impact of the voice message was stronger than text.
Tao Ruiming shuddered, feeling a chilly breeze from all directions. He looked around and realized the air conditioning was too low, adjusting the vent upwards.
Han Songshan sent one final message, like the concluding statement of a heartfelt plea, blunt and piercing, shattering Tao Ruiming’s last hesitation.
"I once offended He Chuan Zhou. Telling you all this doesn’t benefit me in any way. Besides, I’m no longer a reporter. Think about it carefully. I just don’t want you to fall into their trap."
As he read, Tao Ruiming lowered the car window slightly.
Warm air flowed in as Han Songshan called again.
This time, Tao Ruiming didn’t reject the call.
He still didn’t understand what Han Songshan wanted, so when he answered, he stayed silent. Han Songshan continued his monologue.
"He Xu couldn’t bear the guilt and jumped off a building. He Chuan Zhou, unable to distinguish right from wrong, still holds a grudge and is seeking revenge. She won’t let you off easily. If not for yourself, at least think about Guangyi and your sister."
Tao Ruiming thought, if this person is lying, he must be a perfect actor. His words conveyed such real bitterness, anger, and helplessness. Even without having met him, his image was vividly outlined in Tao Ruiming’s mind.
Though still skeptical, his tone softened, "Is it really that serious? He Chuan Zhou has been a police officer for years. Why hasn’t she retaliated?"
Han Songshan sighed, sounding a bit helpless, "Of course, it's a gradual process. If they attacked Guangyi without sufficient preparation, that would be reckless, like a madman. Your father was still very formidable and not easily shaken. As long as he was alive, there were no problems. But now that he’s gone, everything is different."
Tao Ruiming gripped the steering wheel tightly with his left hand, his fingers repeatedly tracing the uneven curve.
After a few seconds of consideration, Han Songshan spoke frankly, "If you don’t believe me, wait for ‘Several Cool Autumns’ next article. See if they don’t defame me first. Once they prove my stance impure, his next step will be to prove your sister and your parents lied. How will they argue that? Will they say your sister seduced He Xu or that they secretly tried to extort him? Do you understand how terrible such accusations are for a woman? When that time comes, your sister’s situation will be a hundred times worse than it is now."
Tao Ruiming blurted out, "Then why don’t you go to my sister?"
"She’s very scared, and I don’t know how to explain it to her. Back then, she was extremely resistant to defending herself. She once saw He Xu as a highly respected elder and refused to accept what happened," Han Songshan’s tone became more serious. "You can ask her opinion. As her brother, bringing it up might not make her as upset."
After saying this, Han Songshan was silent for a moment, seemingly having nothing else to discuss, and abruptly hung up.
At that moment, the streetlights suddenly came on. Soft yellow light appeared above the surrounding greenery, making the previously dim street glow like a string of bright pearls, highlighting the quiet coldness inside the car.
Tao Ruiming stared blankly at his phone, trying to process every word Han Songshan had said. Finally, he placed the phone on the passenger seat, merged into the main road, and headed home.
He navigated through the congested city center, arriving home around eight in the evening. Tao Siyue was in her room, and Jiang Zhaolin was still at the hospital. The living room’s coffee table was cluttered with teacups and fruit, and the air was thick with the lingering smell of tobacco. The housekeeper was cleaning up.
Tao Ruiming asked, "Did we have guests today?"
"When don’t we have guests?" The housekeeper lowered her voice, sounding displeased, "People from the company come by every day. Today they brought a lawyer, and they argued all afternoon. I think Siyue is fed up, she was so angry she skipped dinner."
As she was about to walk away with a cloth in hand, she couldn’t help but add, "Ruiming, it’s not my place, but you should help your sister more."
Tao Ruiming mumbled a vague response.
The housekeeper hesitated and then softly asked, "Is your mom feeling any better?"
"My mom..." Tao Ruiming felt a pang in his heart, avoiding eye contact as he fumbled for an excuse, "Not really. The season's changing, and she caught a cold."
The housekeeper sighed helplessly, "Oh dear, what bad luck."