Chapter Nineteen: A Person of Significance

While waiting for Han Duoduo, Yin Nian absentmindedly reached into her pocket and found a lock of black hair.

The hair was over a meter long, with hundreds of strands.

Whose hair could this be? Why was it in my pocket?

Yin Nian was taken aback and puzzled. Her own hair was just over half a meter long, and she had dyed it so the ends were tinged with yellow; it couldn’t possibly be so black.

The clothes she wore were ones she’d been wearing frequently lately, never sent out for cleaning. She had no idea whose hair it was—an uncanny feeling crept over her. She hurried into the bathroom and flushed the hair down the toilet.

The toilet rumbled and gurgled as the swirling water sucked the black hair toward the center of the whirlpool, but it seemed almost reluctant to leave, lingering stubbornly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Bang, bang, bang! The knocking grew more urgent and rapid. Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Yin Nian pressed the flush handle forcefully, left the bathroom, and opened the door to her hotel room.

Standing outside was Han Duoduo.

Han Duoduo had come as soon as she received Yin Nian’s call.

“Come in, quickly.” Yin Nian shut the door and immediately returned to the bathroom.

The lock of hair had vanished.

With Han Duoduo’s arrival, Yin Nian felt a wave of relief; she grasped Han Duoduo’s hand and led her to the bed. There, she recounted her suspicions that her son had lied, her decision to bring him to the hotel for a private conversation, and the entire process. She also revealed that the dark figure she’d seen in both her dream and hypnosis had been Liang Zhicheng.

To Han Duoduo, Yin Nian held nothing back; she laid everything bare.

“You’re saying you suspect Liang Zhicheng is behind all this?” Han Duoduo’s face showed surprise.

“I know it was only a dream, and dreams don’t mean much, but deep down, I must have my doubts.”

“If… it really is Liang Zhicheng doing this, why would he?” Han Duoduo was surprisingly calm today.

“I don’t know either.” Yin Nian shook her head. “Liang Zhicheng has always treated me well, working tirelessly for our family. He’s a good husband, always supportive, no matter what happens. As I know him, I just can’t believe he would do something like that…”

“I think so too. You two have been together for so many years; your relationship is so solid. Others might not know, but I do. I suggest you let go of the dream and focus on solving the real problems first.”

“How?” Yin Nian asked, “My mind is a mess. I have no idea what to do.”

“I’ll help you figure something out.” Han Duoduo hugged Yin Nian, her heart aching. The once resolute, confident, and decisive woman had vanished; in her place was someone wracked by self-doubt, shaken to her core by a string of misfortunes after saving that person—a fragile woman battered to the brink.

Afterward, Han Duoduo spent some time comforting and encouraging Yin Nian. When Yin Nian had calmed down, they began to piece together the events, highlighting the main points of suspicion and drafting simple strategies to address each.

Firstly, they would ask Yuan Yi whether he had known Liang Zhicheng previously, and whether the strong suggestions given during hypnosis were intentional. They could go directly to the psychology clinic or simply call him.

Secondly, Han Duoduo carefully examined the back of Yin Nian’s head, finding no trace of injury. This suggested Yin Nian’s head likely hadn’t struck the ground during the accident.

Lastly, regarding the shadowy figure in her dreams and hypnosis, and her suspicions of Liang Zhicheng, Han Duoduo recommended an honest conversation—laying everything on the table to see what Liang Zhicheng would say. Only communication could bridge the growing gap between them; suspicion would only make it worse.

With their plan set, Yin Nian called Yuan Yi, straightforwardly asking if he had known Liang Zhicheng beforehand. Yuan Yi replied, “A long time ago, we met once at a class reunion, but only exchanged a few words and didn’t keep in touch.”

“You only met that once?” Yin Nian asked.

“Yes,” Yuan Yi answered without hesitation.

“Before your consultation, did he talk to you about anything else?”

“He only mentioned you were busy at work, under a lot of stress, feeling anxious—nothing more. Did something happen?”

“I just have some doubts,” Yin Nian said. “I watched the hypnosis recording. During the session, you gave a lot of directional guidance. I couldn’t even argue back—is that normal?”

“Only with directional guidance can you recall more details. However…”

“However?”

“After our first session, I thought you were likely suffering from selective amnesia, so I did guide you intentionally during hypnosis. That was my preconceived judgment; it was my mistake.”

“All right…” Yin Nian paused. “By the way, do you remember at the end of the session, I slapped you? That was because I saw a dark figure in the hypnosis. Yesterday, I realized that figure was my husband. What does that mean?”

“Perhaps it’s a sense of blame manifesting as fear. The session made you aware you hit someone and developed selective amnesia. Subconsciously, you might blame the psychological consultation—thinking if you hadn’t gone, you wouldn’t know about it. And since your husband sent you to the consultation, your blame shifted to him. The dark figure is probably a projection of that blame.”

Yuan Yi’s explanation was reasonable enough, and Han Duoduo, listening nearby, nodded silently.

Before Yin Nian could reply, Yuan Yi added, “You still feel something isn’t right, don’t you?”

“Yes… even though I remember some things, everything’s still hazy.”

“There are a few doubts I’ve noticed too. I wanted to wait for your next visit so we could talk it through and do another hypnosis session, to fill in the missing details. Last time was a bit rushed.”

Yin Nian glanced at Han Duoduo, hesitating. She felt an instinctive resistance to psychological counseling, especially hypnosis. She had intended to see Yuan Yi today but now changed her mind, feeling that he might not be able to help further. “Let’s wait a few days. I’ll think things over and call you before I come.”

Yuan Yi didn’t press her. “That’s fine. Contact me anytime if you need. I’ll review the recording and organize my notes.”

After hanging up, Yin Nian and Han Duoduo discussed the call. Han Duoduo found Yuan Yi’s explanation reasonable—not only did he interpret the shadow from a psychological perspective, he also admitted his own error in judgment. She advised Yin Nian to consider another session and a second hypnosis, but Yin Nian resisted, choosing to see how things developed tomorrow and not to go today.

With the issue of Yuan Yi temporarily set aside, Han Duoduo raised doubts about Granny Yang’s current condition. Yin Nian only knew the old woman had multiple soft tissue and bone injuries, but not the specifics. Since her hospitalization, Yin Nian had tried to visit many times, but Granny Yang’s children always blocked her.

“I think there’s something off about this Granny Yang…” Han Duoduo tapped her head thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?”

“She’s been hiding, avoiding everyone. She must have something to conceal. We could look into her. Maybe she has issues of her own—what if she’s a habitual scammer?” Han Duoduo’s eyes sparkled with a lively light.

“That’s a bit of a leap… but not impossible.” Yin Nian rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

“If Granny Yang herself has issues—whether physical or moral—it could help us. If it’s physical, it could reduce our liability; if she has a record of scamming, that would prove she’s prone to such behavior.” Han Duoduo’s eyes shone with determination. “But if she’s a good person, then maybe she’s being manipulated or used by her children, or there are other reasons—maybe she doesn’t even know everything that’s happened.”

“That makes sense…” Yin Nian had always known Han Duoduo was imaginative and quick-thinking, but today she was also surprisingly calm and logical. Yin Nian, both startled and delighted, said, “You’re really something today.”

“I’ve always been impressive; I just never had a chance to show it.” Han Duoduo accepted the compliment with a laugh, then grew serious. “So, how do you think my analysis holds up?”

“I think it’s very reasonable…” Yin Nian nodded. “Since she was hospitalized, I haven’t seen her at all—I’ve only dealt with her children. Granny Yang is actually the key figure.”

“That’s why I think you need to meet her face-to-face,” Han Duoduo said quickly. “Just the two of you. Tell her you saved her, but now her children are extorting you, your life and work are in ruins. If she has any conscience left, I think she’ll tell the truth. Of course, you should do some research on her first—know yourself and your opponent, and you’ll always win.”

“Exactly. I should have gone to see her long ago. I’m sure she remembers me—if not for me, she would have died. I don’t expect her to be grateful, just to give me justice.” Yin Nian’s eyes brightened—hope rekindled. She realized Granny Yang might be a breakthrough, and her children’s efforts to keep them apart were surely to prevent Granny Yang from saying anything against their interests.

“To see Granny Yang, you’ll need to get her children out of the way,” Han Duoduo mused. “You know them better—what do you think?”

Yin Nian quickly thought of a diversion. “I’ll have a mediator contact them, say I want to settle, arrange to meet them elsewhere, and I’ll sneak into the hospital to see Granny Yang.”

Han Duoduo agreed. “When do you want to do this?”

Yin Nian bit her lip. “As soon as possible. The longer this drags on, the worse for me. This afternoon—I’ll call the mediator now.”

While Yin Nian made the call, Han Duoduo got up to pour her a glass of water.

After the call, Yin Nian picked up the glass and drank most of it in one go.

“I’ll go to Granny Yang’s hometown soon, do some fieldwork, see what I can find that might help,” Han Duoduo said.

Yin Nian licked her lips—she’d felt parched for days. “I’ll go with you.”

Han Duoduo shook her head. “You need to stay here, ready for anything that comes up. I can handle it. It’ll be like a little trip.”

Yin Nian looked at Han Duoduo, her expression softening. “If it weren’t for you, I honestly don’t know what I’d do…”

Han Duoduo gently stroked Yin Nian’s hand. “Your troubles are mine. There’s no difference.”

Yin Nian embraced Han Duoduo, thinking to herself: In this life, having Han Duoduo as a friend is enough.

The sun rose, gentle dawn light spilling into the room, bathing the two women in its warmth. They sat together on the bed, holding each other in silence. The room was utterly still; only the sound of their breathing filled the air.

Soon after, the mediator called to say the other party’s lawyer had agreed to meet at five o’clock that afternoon.

“Let’s do this,” Yin Nian said, taking a deep breath and clenching her fist. “It’s time to fight back.”