Yun Xi did not even bother turning on the lights. She yanked the cautious, sneaky Sheng Yuhong straight into her apartment and hammered his stomach with punch after punch.
"Ah! Stop, I'm—"
Sheng Yuhong felt like his ribs were about to snap. He tried to shout his name, but Yun Xi didn't give him the chance. She clamped a hand over his mouth and continued to drive her fist into his gut.
By the time she had beaten him into a curled-up shrimp on the floor, Yun Xi immediately dialed the police. Her voice trembled with outrage as she reported: "Someone broke into my apartment and tried to harm me, a single woman living alone. I managed to subdue him temporarily. Please send officers quickly."
The police responded with impressive speed. Within five minutes, a patrol car arrived at Yun Xi's building.
By then, Yun Xi had deliberately adjusted her appearance: she had ripped her own dress, let her hair fall loose in a tangled mess, smeared her makeup across her tear-streaked face, and waited at the elevator door. The moment she saw the officers, she let her voice break into sobs. "Officer, the man is inside! Please, go quickly!"
Because the caller was a woman, a female officer immediately draped a blanket over Yun Xi's shoulders, guiding her gently to the side.
Two other policemen entered the apartment. The lights refused to turn on, so they used flashlights, sweeping the beam across the dark room. The beam finally caught the sight of a man curled on the floor.
The two officers exchanged a wary glance, moved in carefully, and found the intruder unconscious. One officer stayed behind to watch the man while the other stepped out to gather Yun Xi's statement.
Yun Xi spoke haltingly, her voice trembling: "I worked late tonight. It was almost eleven when I came home. In the elevator, I felt someone following me. I kept looking back, but I saw no one.
I felt uneasy, so I hurried home and locked the door behind me. But when I tried to turn on the lights, nothing worked. I paid the electricity bill at the start of the month, so I thought maybe the circuit had tripped. I pulled out my phone for light… and then suddenly, I heard someone unlocking my door."
Here, Yun Xi deliberately shivered. The female officer comforted her with a gentle pat on the back.
Yun Xi went on in a broken voice: "My mind went blank. I wanted to call the police, but the man opened the door too quickly. Before I could react, he forced it open and lunged straight at me…"
Her face paled, and she paused a long moment before continuing: "I was terrified. I couldn't even move. He shoved me down and started tearing at my dress. I was so scared… I fought back with everything I had. He even yanked my hair… I just kept flailing, punching blindly.
I don't know how long it lasted. Suddenly, his body slumped on top of me. He wasn't pulling at my clothes anymore. I shoved him off and struck him twice more, then grabbed my phone to call the police.
I didn't dare stay inside. I waited out here by the elevator instead."
Her faltering recount seemed entirely consistent with the scene.
Soon, paramedics arrived to carry the unconscious Sheng Yuhong out. Yun Xi feigned shock when she caught a glimpse of his face. "This man… I know this man!"
The case had taken a turn. The police immediately took Yun Xi to the station for further questioning.
The next morning, Yun Xi went to work looking lively and refreshed, while Sheng Yuhong lay in a hospital bed, still giving his statement. He could explain why he had a key, but not why he was sneaking into a single woman's home late at night.
Yun Xi, meanwhile, had made her stance very clear in her deposition. She emphasized that she had already broken up with him, provided a witness, and even handed over surveillance footage showing him manhandling her.
Though the footage also showed Yun Xi fighting back, she raised her delicate fists in front of the officers and argued: "Look at me. I'm just an office worker. How much damage could I possibly cause with these punches? At most, it would tickle. He was obviously faking it.
And then the very next night, he sneaks into my place at midnight. That's blatant retaliation. Even if we were still dating, who barges in like that? The power was out, I couldn't even see his face clearly. Isn't it only natural to fight back?"
In the end, Sheng Yuhong was convicted of breaking and entering. The sentence wasn't severe since no money was involved, but because of the physical harm to Yun Xi, he was fined and sentenced to one month of detention.
During that time, Sheng Yuhong tried repeatedly to seek Yun Xi's forgiveness, but she refused to meet him and left everything in her lawyer's hands.
The scandal inevitably spread through the company. HR summoned Yun Xi for clarification.
Yun Xi's face was cold, her words sharp: "He's a shameless beast. He parachuted into the company as a director, couldn't earn anyone's respect, so he pretended to pursue me just to use me as his prop. When I refused to play along, he broke into my home at night to assault me. If he succeeded, wouldn't he have used it to blackmail me into being his lackey?
Doesn't the company do background checks before hiring? If this man is promoted to director, what will other companies think of us? Does he see all female colleagues as his personal harem? I came here to build my career, not to serve as some man's stepping stone. He's nothing but a pile of filth."
Her words, half insinuation and half accusation, made the HR director's face darken in shades of red and green.
"Team Leader Wei," the HR director finally said, "I heard rumors he was your boyfriend."
Yun Xi's eyes sharpened. "What? Because he once sent me flowers? Then by that logic, I'd have boyfriends all over the world. Whoever spread that rumor, bring them here. I want to confront them face-to-face. If they can't prove it, I'll sue for slander and defamation."
She then fixed the HR director with a pointed look. "Director Zhou, are you trying to help Sheng Yuhong escape accountability?"
Zhou Haibin's expression shifted. "Xiao Wei, don't misunderstand. I'm only following procedure, clarifying the facts before issuing his dismissal. The company won't retain him, not if there's any risk of fallout."
Yun Xi finally softened her tone. "Then please, Director Zhou, deal with this quickly. If word spreads that our company shelters men who harass female subordinates, it won't just damage the company's reputation—it will stain your own. No capable woman would want to join such a workplace."
Zhou Haibin ended the conversation with a stormy expression, personally escorting her out.
Yun Xi left with a cold snort. Sheng Yuhong was already behind bars, and as one of the key parties, she now held control of the narrative.
That evening, as she was leaving work, Wei Yunqing stormed up to block her path at the building entrance. Before he could even speak, Yun Xi's hand whipped across his face.
The slap landed with seven-tenths of her strength, sending Wei Yunqing's head snapping sideways. By the time he turned back, clutching his cheek, half of his face was already swollen.
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After rant in previous chapter, I oddly feel better reading about Yun Xi beating Sheng Yuhong like this.