Ye Tian hailed a taxi and headed to Bai Bing's residence.
It was an old residential area in the Zhonghai city center, with most units only thirty to forty square meters. After turning east and west, he finally found Bai Bing's place.
When he knocked, a middle-aged woman opened the door. She wasn't old, but her hair was already completely white.
The woman smiled, "You must be Ye Tian?"
Ye Tian quickly replied, "Hello Auntie, I'm Ye Tian, Bai Bing's classmate."
The woman promptly invited him in. The forty-plus square meter apartment was inhabited by only two people, and the furniture was rather simple, yet it still felt cramped.
In the living room, Bai Bing had changed her clothes. She was positioned sideways, so that her normal profile faced Ye Tian.
She smiled, "Ye Tian, thank you for coming."
When Ye Tian arrived, Cheng Baoyi had given him two boxes of gifts, both brought by others when they visited Jiang Wenxing.
Ye Tian said, "We're old classmates, no need to be so polite."
He scanned his surroundings. The room was very clean, exuding tidiness everywhere. Moreover, it seemed they had sprayed perfume in anticipation of his arrival.
Bai Bing's mother brought them tea, then asked expectantly, "Young man, Bai Bing mentioned that there's now medicine to treat paraplegia?"
Ye Tian replied, "Yes, Auntie. That's precisely why I'm here to see Bai Bing today."
She tearfully exclaimed with joy, "Thank you so much. Bai Bing is still young; she can't be in a wheelchair forever."
Ye Tian nodded, "Auntie, I will do my best."
During their chat, Ye Tian learned that Bai Bing's mother was named Du Meilun. She was once a renowned beauty in the area. Later, she married Bai Bing's father, Bai Zhiqiang, a technician at a state-owned factory.
The year Ye Tian and Bai Bing were in fifth grade, Bai Zhiqiang found work in Zhonghai, and the family moved there. However, fate can be cruel. In Bai Bing's second year of junior high, Bai Zhiqiang died in a factory accident. Although the Bai family received a substantial compensation, they spent it all quickly and soon fell back into poverty.
The apartment they lived in was purchased the year before Bai Zhiqiang's death for over a million yuan. Now, the value of this apartment had long surpassed three million.
Bai Zhiqiang's passing made life difficult for the family. Bai Bing attended high school and, due to her talent in dance, was admitted to the Zhonghai Dance Academy. After graduation, she became a dance teacher.
At this point, Du Meilun said hatefully, "Bai Bing was harmed by that beast! She was perfectly fine, and now she's become like this. It's all my fault!"
Ye Tian was taken aback, "Bai Bing's injury was caused by someone?"
Bai Bing lowered her head, "My mother arranged for me to meet a wealthy young man. His name was Qian Shaoyong. We met, and he began to pursue me. But my colleagues told me that Qian Shaoyong was a dissolute character, so I distanced myself from him. He wouldn't give up, and I was tired of it, so I decided to make things clear with him and ask him to stop bothering me."
"That day, we met at a park by the river. He became very agitated when he heard what I said. I was a bit scared and wanted to leave early. He chased me in his car from behind, driving very fast. I was panicked and flipped over the bridge railing, suffering severe injuries. He stood on the bridge, cursing me, and then threw a bottle of alcohol near me, dropping a match. I caught fire. If it weren't for a kind person who went down to save me, I would have been burned to death."
She rolled up her sleeve, revealing that half of her body was covered in burn scars, not just her face.
Ye Tian frowned, "This Qian Shaoyong is too much! What happened then? Did you call the police?"
Bai Bing sneered, "What's the use of calling the police? They say it's a society governed by law, but the rich can get away with anything. Qian Shaoyong was detained for two days and then released on bail. The Qian family sent people with two million yuan, asking us not to pursue the matter further."
Ye Tian asked, "Did you agree?"
Bai Bing replied, "What else could I do? I was so severely injured and needed treatment. Moreover, the Qian family enlisted the help of several influential figures in Zhonghai, people who could ruin my mother and me with a flick of their fingers. I had no choice but to agree to withdraw the lawsuit and drop the charges. My burns were very serious, and by the time I was discharged from the hospital, the two million yuan were long gone, and I was still tens of thousands in debt."
Saying this, she looked at Ye Tian, tears in her eyes, and asked, "Do you think there is really no fairness or justice in this world?"
Ye Tian smiled slightly and said, "Of course, there is. It's just that sometimes, it arrives a little late."