Light Beyond the Reed Episode 18 (Ending) Recap
> Light Beyond the Reed Recap
At home, Fan Jiancheng was searching on his computer when he noticed that all the videos he had saved were gone. Zhao Shuhui emerged, asking him if he was looking for the videos of the girls he had violated. Realizing Zhao Shuhui was responsible, Fan Jiancheng angrily grabbed her neck and demanded to know what she had done.
Zhao Shuhui calmly revealed that she had not only deleted the videos but had also copied them, before stating that she had given them to the police and that he couldn't escape, even if he choked her to death. Fan Jiancheng, defeated, muttered that she was killing him.
Meanwhile, Officer Lin Feng excitedly told his superior, Captain Zhang, over the phone that Zhao Chuchu had called to admit she committed perjury in the first trial and was on her way to the station. Captain Zhang then shared his own good news: Zhao Shuhui had provided evidence of Fan Jiancheng's crimes. Lin Feng cheered, believing they could finally bring the scumbag to justice, but Captain Zhang urged him to be more composed.
Shortly after, Officer Lin Feng called Ye Sibei to share the good news that there was new progress in her case and it could be retried, though he couldn't disclose specific details. Ye Sibei was overcome with emotion, thanking him, and then shared the news with her brother, Nianwen, who was equally thrilled, wondering if the police had found new evidence. Ye Sibei speculated that it might have been Chuchu.
Zhao Chuchu went to the police station and confessed to Captain Zhang that she had lied during the first trial. Captain Zhang told her to go home but advised her not to leave Nancheng for the next few days. As Zhao Chuchu exited the police station, she saw Ye Nianwen. He offered to take her home, but she declined, saying she could go by herself, adding that it was about to rain and offering her an umbrella.
Feeling a profound sense of liberation, Zhao Chuchu felt as if she had been reborn. Elsewhere, Tao Jie was apprehended by the police at her workplace, who stated they needed her assistance with a case. Meanwhile, the owner of Yazhi Boutique delivered a custom-made dress to Ye Sibei, which Qin Nan had ordered for her to wear during her first lawsuit before the case was overturned.
Recalling a past conversation with Qin Nan where he promised to buy her a dress if she won, Ye Sibei put on the beautiful gown. She arrived at the courthouse to find a crowd of supporters cheering her on, many having traveled far to be there. Ye Sibei recognized them as the silent victims of the world, those who had once felt invisible, and their presence filled her with unwavering determination.
At the courthouse, Meng Xin approached Ye Nianwen, congratulating him on returning to his legal career, to which he thanked her and promised to strive to be a good lawyer. Meng Xin then addressed Ye Sibei, stating that while everyone deserves the right to a defense, the truth would not be buried by her own defense. She hoped Ye Sibei would understand.
During the retrial, Zhao Chuchu bravely testified, explaining that she was terrified after leaving Ye Sibei in the car, as public outrage turned against her. Netizens dug into her past, attacking her appearance, behavior, and even previous relationships, trying to paint her as an evil person who intentionally abandoned Ye Sibei. This constant online scrutiny, combined with the pressure to fit the "good girl" standard, plunged her into anxiety and depression.
She admitted to scrolling online daily, desperately trying to prove her innocence and stop the attacks, which led her to lie in court. However, she recounted living in guilt and regret afterward. Standing before the court, she affirmed that the condom found in Ye Sibei's bag was hers, given to Ye Sibei for her safety and had nothing to do with Ye Sibei's personal actions. Next, Zhao Shuhui took the stand.
She testified that she had always believed Fan Jiancheng was a good father and husband, instinctively protecting his image even when he erred, thinking his mistakes were mere impulses. However, her discovery of further evidence of him harming other innocent women shattered his image. As a father to a daughter, she was deeply disappointed and felt naive for her past protection of him.
Realizing her actions were wrong, she chose to stand up, believing that if she didn't, more innocent women would be hurt. She declared her intention to seek justice, protect the innocent, and confirmed that she had submitted all evidence to the police, asking for leniency for her past mistakes for her daughter's sake. Tao Jie also testified, identifying herself as an employee of Fuqiang Real Estate and a former victim of Fan Jiancheng.
She described how, upon joining the company, she admired Fan Jiancheng's kindness and care. One night, after a company gathering where he drank heavily and confided in her about his unhappiness, she offered to take him home. He asked her to take him to a hotel for the night, and she, trusting him, agreed. However, she recounted being brutally assaulted, strangled, and having her head repeatedly slammed against a wall.
She begged him to stop but he seemed not to hear, and she thought she would die. The next day, she fled, too afraid to report to the police or even tell her parents, convinced that her actions—drinking with him, taking him to a hotel—made her complicit and deserving of the assault. Afterward, Fan Jiancheng promoted her and doubled her salary, treating her even better, which led her to trust him again and continue an illicit relationship.
It wasn't until Ye Sibei's case surfaced that she realized his old habits had returned. Though she initially tried to help him cover it up, she eventually understood she was harming him by doing so. Fan Jiancheng, agitated by her testimony, interrupted, calling her a "jerk" and claiming they were merely lovers, asserting she once wanted to be with him forever. The judge admonished him to control his emotions.
The presiding judge then questioned Ye Sibei, asking why she had initially remained silent after such trauma, only to accuse him later. Ye Sibei explained that she had never experienced such a thing and her family warned that reporting it would only reopen her wounds. She admitted to being afraid, as fear of the unknown is natural. Though she considered giving up, an inner voice prompted her, asking if she could truly pretend nothing had happened.
She concluded that she could not. She acknowledged the immense difficulties she faced after taking that step, but affirmed that she never gave up because of the many people who supported and encouraged her with their immense kindness. Finally, the court announced its verdict. Fan Jiancheng was found guilty of rape, having used violence, threats, and drugs against multiple victims, a serious offense.
His attempts to evade criminal responsibility by instructing Zhao Shuhui to conceal and forge evidence during the first trial, which led to his initial acquittal, demonstrated his extreme malice and danger to society. The court accepted the appeal from the Linjiang City People's Procuratorate. Fan Jiancheng was sentenced to fifteen years in prison and deprived of political rights for two years for rape. Additionally, he was found guilty of illegal drug possession and sentenced to two years in prison.
The sentences were combined, resulting in a total imprisonment of sixteen years and deprivation of political rights for two years. This judgment was declared final. As the court adjourned, Ye Sibei called out to Fan Jiancheng, asking if he wouldn't apologize to them. He softly offered his apologies twice. With the victory, Ye Sibei felt as though she had finally seen her own sun. Meanwhile, still in prison, Qin Nan heard the news of Ye Sibei's victory and was overjoyed.
Captain Zhang subtly put away the phone he had been holding up to the window, having allowed Qin Nan to listen to the verdict. Three years later, Qin Nan was out of prison. He and Ye Sibei planned to move and start a new life after the Chinese New Year.
Huang Guifen, Ye Sibei's mother, hoped for a better life for her daughter and son-in-law as they all gathered to happily make beef dumplings, with Nianwen proudly noting he had mixed the filling. Qin Nan informed Huang Guifen that they had found a satisfactory house near home with convenient transport.
When asked about work, Qin Nan assured her everything was arranged and they would invite her to visit once settled, adding that he wasn't sure if he'd open another repair shop, considering he was young enough to learn new things. Huang Guifen approved of their plans. Before they left, Huang Guifen affectionately instructed Ye Sibei to let her know if anything happened and to take care of herself, then asked Qin Nan to be patient with Ye Sibei's occasional stubbornness.
Qin Nan reassured her, and they drove off, with Ye Nianwen reminding them to call when they arrived. As Ye Sibei looked back, she reflected in a voiceover that this departure marked her rebirth, ensuring she would never again be tangled by the inexplicable love and hate of her past. Meanwhile, Ye Nianwen had become a successful lawyer, frequently on the phone, handling client affairs and checking in with his father.
One day, he ran into Zhao Chuchu at a restaurant. There was an initial awkwardness due to their past, but they exchanged pleasantries, with Zhao Chuchu congratulating him on returning to his legal profession, and Nianwen commenting on her good spirits. As Zhao Chuchu was about to leave, Ye Nianwen called out to her, expressing his continued affection and asking her to dinner, which she happily accepted. Ye Sibei and Qin Nan finally settled by the sea.
Qin Nan continued to hold onto a photo from Nancheng No.2 High School, reminiscing. Ye Sibei asked him why his former repair shop was called 'Xuehua', meaning 'Snowflake'. He explained it was because her name, Sibei, made him think she liked snow. She clarified it was actually her mother, a woman from the north, who associated snow with her hometown.
Ye Sibei admitted she wasn't sure if she liked the north but expressed a desire to visit it with Qin Nan someday, to which he promised to accompany her wherever she went. In their new life by the sea, Qin Nan diligently fished every day, while Ye Sibei opened a popular inn. They had their first child, a daughter whom Ye Sibei named Nuannuan. Qin Nan had eagerly anticipated this new life's arrival.
