Zeng Haiyan rested her phone on her knees. The livestream was still on.
Wei Zijin came out of the police station holding a sheet of paper, walked up to the camera, and unfolded it.
An acknowledgment slip.
Black ink on white paper: the case had been accepted, involving suspected defamation.
She knew with absolute certainty that Wei Zijin had won again.
The live comments exploded. Zeng Haiyan did not read them. She stared at Wei Zijin's face. Her eyes were swollen, but her face was full of confidence. It felt good, especially seeing a woman who had been wronged dare to face it like this. She thought it was wonderful.
She exited the livestream, locked the screen, and set her phone aside.
She was happy for Wei Zijin, genuinely. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since the trending story blew up last night, and Wei Zijin had managed to turn the situation around. Zeng Haiyan had watched the whole thing, her feelings a jumble. She was happy, yes, but something lodged in her chest, something she could not quite describe.
It was envy.
And regret.
She thought of Chengdu, of Chunxi Road.
The sunshine had been lovely that day. She had dressed up beautifully, and Huang Xueli had walked beside her, holding her hand as they talked and laughed.
They had been photographed.
She had been just like Wei Zijin.
The difference was that Wei Zijin had been falsely accused. She had not.
She really had held a married man's hand. She could not refute that, report it to the police, or start a livestream to fight back.
Zeng Haiyan picked up her phone, then put it down. Picked it up, then put it down.
When Wei Zijin got into trouble, she had wanted to call her. But what could