Chapter 005 A Woman’s Secret

"I apologize, I apologize!" Gu Meijuan crouched down, kowtowing as she spoke, "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to humiliate you back then!"

I remembered the incident. It was our junior year when Du Jiang stood in the stairwell of the girls’ dormitory, holding a bouquet of roses, confessing his feelings to Gu Meijuan. She rejected him flatly in front of everyone, mocking and ridiculing him. She called him a country bumpkin from a rural village, said he had no right to confess to her, and that he should spend some time cleaning himself up. She even sneered that his clothes were no different from a beggar’s.

I recall that everyone sided against Du Jiang, laughing at him. Someone—no one knows who—poured a bucket of cold water on him from above, the implication clear: his hopes had been thoroughly dashed. Anyone would find it hard to endure such humiliation.

"Du Jiang, I really didn’t mean to make things difficult for you or ridicule you. I had a boyfriend at the time, and I only said those harsh words because I didn’t want him to misunderstand. I never imagined I would hurt you so deeply. I apologize, I beg you not to harm me, please let me go..."

Gu Meijuan knelt in the corner of the box, bowing and apologizing, tears streaming uncontrollably down her smooth, alabaster cheeks, leaving clear tracks.

On the other side, Xu Meijing also began to confess her guilt. "Du Jiang, I owe you an apology too. I know it’s about the scholarship back then. I was a class officer and failed to understand everyone’s situation. That year, you should have gotten a scholarship spot, but I... I acted on my own and gave it to another friend. I ignored your objections. I admit I was selfish and abused my power. I’m sorry, so sorry! It was my fault! Please give me a chance to make it right and apologize to you properly..."

After their confessions, the two women pleaded for Du Jiang’s forgiveness from inside the box. In my opinion, these weren’t unforgivable offenses. Gu Meijuan’s rejection was excessive, but not worth taking a life in revenge. As for Xu Meijing, her case was even less so.

"Are those the only shameful secrets you two have?"

"Beep! Beep!"

Just as I was about to probe deeper, the red smoke box around Gu Meijuan’s neck beeped twice. That hoarse man’s voice came from the speaker: "Gu Meijuan, female, professional model. Vain and greedy for luxury, you are a textbook gold-digger. Your desire for money is insatiable; in your eyes, only money matters. For money, you sold your body to win over rich heirs, traded favors for modeling opportunities, and even became a mistress to extract men’s wealth."

"What? Who... who are you?" Gu Meijuan’s face paled as if struck at her most vulnerable spot. The inconspicuous red speaker so easily revealed her most shameful secret, as though she’d been stripped naked, exposed to the scorching sun.

"Gu Meijuan, do you remember the pink LV purse? For that purse, you betrayed your friend, pushing her into a pack of wolves. Four men violated a young girl—can you imagine such torment? It was a living hell, a fire consuming her soul. Your friend ultimately perished in the flames, while you reveled in luxury and pleasure. Your apology is meaningless. I want you to taste the pain and anguish of the dead!"

As the red smoke box spoke, pieces of the puzzle fell into place in my mind. The four lives lost were tied to that “accidental” fire years ago. Gu Meijuan’s friend, Zhao Qingwei, was one of the four victims. The details of Gu Meijuan’s betrayal made my skin crawl.

Because of her, Zhao Qingwei was assaulted by four men? Unbelievable!

"No, no, it wasn’t like that!" Sweat poured down Gu Meijuan’s face as she desperately tried to defend herself, but just then, Xu Meijing’s red smoke box sounded as well.

"Xu Meijing, native of Donghai City, sales manager for health supplements. You came from humble beginnings, a simple, kind-hearted village girl. Four years of university, rather than elevating your character, only polluted you with urban filth. The stink of money clings to you, too. For money, you took Du Jiang’s scholarship; for money, you peddled worthless supplements to ignorant elders, transforming cheap junk into miracle cures and earning a millionaire’s salary. But you ignored the elderly you deceived."

"Do you remember the names Cao Guide, Xu Shouyong, Xiao Haiying? They lost everything because of you and died as a result. Some, unable to afford treatment, withered away; others, swindled out of their money, leapt to their deaths. Xu Meijing, you were the last straw that broke their backs."

"Two years ago, the fire is still vivid in your mind. As the flames spread, you could have saved Liu Jia with a single bucket of water. But in the final moment, you chose your money bag over her life. Money meant everything to you, life nothing. Do you know the despair Liu Jia felt before she died? Her friend chose money over her—such spiritual devastation is a fate worse than death. Tonight, you will experience Liu Jia’s suffering firsthand."

Xu Meijing’s secrets left me stunned. We only knew her as someone who’d become successful over the years, not realizing she harbored such sordid secrets beneath her glamorous exterior. Liu Jia was one of the victims, the girl who died in the hospital after failing to be rescued. Who could have guessed such hidden truths lay beneath the surface?

"I didn’t mean to!" Xu Meijing waved her hands, agitated. "I didn’t mean to abandon Liu Jia! I was just so scared... Please, let me explain!"

Gu Meijuan hammered at the glass, trying to explain as well, but the red smoke box allowed no defense. The hoarse, heavy voice continued, but this time the message was for me.

"Zheng Yan, now you’ve seen their true faces. This world is always fair—eventually, everyone pays for their actions. As the ancients said: justice is slow, but it arrives. Now is the moment for their retribution. One pushed her best friend into the flames; the other refused to save a friend for the sake of money. That’s why this device is called ‘Ice and Fire: Two Extremes’!"

"The mechanism will activate in one minute. Zheng Yan, I know you’re kindhearted and want to save everyone here. But you only have one chance. Of these two women, you can save only one. The choice is yours. Good luck."

By this point, I could no longer remain calm. From the moment the red smoke box began to speak, I’d been studying the two transparent boxes on either side. Du Jiang called this the ‘Ice and Fire: Two Extremes,’ but I couldn’t figure out how the devices worked or how the name fit.

But Du Jiang wasn’t going to give me more time to analyze. The final ten seconds of the countdown had already begun.

"Zheng Yan! Save me!" Gu Meijuan pounded desperately on the glass, tearing frantically at her red dress. "You and Du Jiang are friends, make him let me go. I’ll do anything! I’ll give you anything! Even myself!"

Xu Meijing wasn’t to be outdone. "I was wrong! Zheng Yan, tell Du Jiang I admit my mistakes! I’m willing to pay for what I’ve done. I’ll donate all my money to Liu Jia’s family! I’ll give up my Audi! I’ll give up my apartment downtown!"

"Beep! Beep!"

The two women pleaded desperately, their confessions tumbling out. Amid the chaos, there were two electronic beeps. Both women froze. The entire prep room fell silent as the three of us stared at the glass boxes, waiting for something to happen.

Neither woman dared move, terrified that a misstep would trigger the mechanism.

Splash—

Just as everyone was paralyzed with fear, a sudden rush of water sounded in our ears, followed by Xu Meijing’s ear-piercing scream.